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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Another Dresden Files novel I really enjoyed, especially the last part of the book (once everything started coming together). This is some quality pulp fiction :)
This is the first Dresden book that truly seems polished and well-paced. While I have certainly enjoyed the ride up to this point, I would argue that the first and second book suffer from being carbon copies of one another in terms of plot point beats and the third fell a little flat from a pacing perspective later on. I also feel the second book in particular was a bit too hyper focused on the motif of werewolves and as a result felt really clunky. But that is no longer an issue this far into the series.
While the focus here is on the fae and their courts, the book does not hold them up in exclusion of exploring other aspects of the supernatural world and Harry’s relationship and history with it. Indeed, where the second book seemed so enamored with shoving in every type of werewolf known to man (plus one), this book expertly weaves in council politics, Harry’s surrogate father, his first love, the war between the wizards and the red court, and begins to establish Harry as a leader of supernatural forces on both sides of the veil. Rather than just bumbling from random encounters, this world building makes the events of the book feel like they are the logical steps in a rich world.
What I love even more about coming back to read this book is seeing how well it pulls in elements from the previous entries and how well it opens up complications for later in the Dresden Files story as a whole. After all, the mess Harry finds himself in at the start of the novel is not some sort of unseen and unexplained event that has to be “as you know, Bob”ed into the story, it is a direct continuation of what happened in the previous entry. This is significant because for the first time we get to see and understand Harry’s motivations and thought processes throughout this entire ordeal. We saw what he was up against in Grave Peril, the ways he could have handled it differently, and why he made the choice he did. The doom of damacles from the first book was a convenient way to introduce Morgan and create some instant tension, but we have not, and potentially will never, see exactly how that decision was reached in as much detail as we do here.
The alphas return is also a welcomed one. Despite my criticisms of the second book, their appearance here goes a long way to sell the notion of a living world. It also sets the groundwork for what I remember later saved the series for me as I was burning out around book 8 or so: Dresden as a mentor figure. Dresden choosing to lead others is an interesting concept for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that Dresden himself has not always had the best of mentor figures. His characterization as a man who does not want to see others harmed and will often and repeatedly sacrifice himself for the safety and security of horses, also makes his trepidation about allowing or aiding a group of teens into a full on war zone both believable and necessary for character growth.
While the third book definitely did a lot of good to separate itself from the formula established by the first two books, it falls short when compared to this entry. Michael, while another great addition to the cast of allied characters, springs from nowhere. I remember looking back at books one and two the first time I read his name to see if I had missed something. Similarly, the villain of book three seemed very similar to the villain of book one, but wasn’t. That lack of inter connectivity really makes the first two books feel as though they are untethered from the rest of the novels.
Happily, I can say that, as far as I can remember, we are past the point where this will be an issue. I can see someone not liking the first two books, especially in relation to one another. I could even see someone having a lukewarm reaction to book three. But if at the end of THIS book, if you were still not invested in the story, I’d say you probably never will be. This is the first that truly exemplifies what the series is about.
While the focus here is on the fae and their courts, the book does not hold them up in exclusion of exploring other aspects of the supernatural world and Harry’s relationship and history with it. Indeed, where the second book seemed so enamored with shoving in every type of werewolf known to man (plus one), this book expertly weaves in council politics, Harry’s surrogate father, his first love, the war between the wizards and the red court, and begins to establish Harry as a leader of supernatural forces on both sides of the veil. Rather than just bumbling from random encounters, this world building makes the events of the book feel like they are the logical steps in a rich world.
What I love even more about coming back to read this book is seeing how well it pulls in elements from the previous entries and how well it opens up complications for later in the Dresden Files story as a whole. After all, the mess Harry finds himself in at the start of the novel is not some sort of unseen and unexplained event that has to be “as you know, Bob”ed into the story, it is a direct continuation of what happened in the previous entry. This is significant because for the first time we get to see and understand Harry’s motivations and thought processes throughout this entire ordeal. We saw what he was up against in Grave Peril, the ways he could have handled it differently, and why he made the choice he did. The doom of damacles from the first book was a convenient way to introduce Morgan and create some instant tension, but we have not, and potentially will never, see exactly how that decision was reached in as much detail as we do here.
The alphas return is also a welcomed one. Despite my criticisms of the second book, their appearance here goes a long way to sell the notion of a living world. It also sets the groundwork for what I remember later saved the series for me as I was burning out around book 8 or so: Dresden as a mentor figure. Dresden choosing to lead others is an interesting concept for a number of reasons, chief among them the fact that Dresden himself has not always had the best of mentor figures. His characterization as a man who does not want to see others harmed and will often and repeatedly sacrifice himself for the safety and security of horses, also makes his trepidation about allowing or aiding a group of teens into a full on war zone both believable and necessary for character growth.
While the third book definitely did a lot of good to separate itself from the formula established by the first two books, it falls short when compared to this entry. Michael, while another great addition to the cast of allied characters, springs from nowhere. I remember looking back at books one and two the first time I read his name to see if I had missed something. Similarly, the villain of book three seemed very similar to the villain of book one, but wasn’t. That lack of inter connectivity really makes the first two books feel as though they are untethered from the rest of the novels.
Happily, I can say that, as far as I can remember, we are past the point where this will be an issue. I can see someone not liking the first two books, especially in relation to one another. I could even see someone having a lukewarm reaction to book three. But if at the end of THIS book, if you were still not invested in the story, I’d say you probably never will be. This is the first that truly exemplifies what the series is about.
Dresden does it again. Stakes were high, but plenty of story left for the rest of the series.
book reviews: Summer Knight & Death Masks
I read these on the trip but couldn’t get the time to post a review. Trying to do so before I forget much more of them (yes, I do forget books *that* fast).
I’m just going to cluster them together, since the series is basically one big, long book anyway.
In both cases Butcher continues his trend of stacking the deck against our perpetually harried protagonist, then shooting the deck up with Meth and lighting it on fire. I always got the sense of “Wow, really? Overkill?” but, not in a bad way surprisingly. The majority of the building tension and additional drama seemed to flow organically from the established story – for the most part, nothing came out of nowhere. Although… it does seem like he’s picking up the habit of just flat out starting each book with two main plots, which has the potential to be annoying. However, everything always dovetails well and both plots are usually equally engaging so, no harm no foul – yet.
There are a metric ton of plots and potential plots running through the series now, and I’m curious if Butcher has any endgame in site (I have a vague sense of what it would involve), or is planning on making this an indefinite series. I think, as long as he can avoid the pitfalls of formula, it could work as the latter. Don’t get me wrong, his various formulas are visible, but not distracting or trite – yet. Don’t know why I’m so paranoid… just hate to see a good thing ruined I guess.
Summer Knight is basically our introduction to the Fae/fairie/etc. of Butcher’s Earth. We get a little more background on Harry’s ties to the Nevernever and his fairy godmother comes off looking not quite as horrible as she has in previous books. She may actually be looking out for him… duh duh dah! Based on the way the plots are shuffling about across the series so far, I’m sure that will rear it’s head in another book or three.
THREE AND THREE QUARTER STARS
(Continued on the Death Masks review)
I read these on the trip but couldn’t get the time to post a review. Trying to do so before I forget much more of them (yes, I do forget books *that* fast).
I’m just going to cluster them together, since the series is basically one big, long book anyway.
In both cases Butcher continues his trend of stacking the deck against our perpetually harried protagonist, then shooting the deck up with Meth and lighting it on fire. I always got the sense of “Wow, really? Overkill?” but, not in a bad way surprisingly. The majority of the building tension and additional drama seemed to flow organically from the established story – for the most part, nothing came out of nowhere. Although… it does seem like he’s picking up the habit of just flat out starting each book with two main plots, which has the potential to be annoying. However, everything always dovetails well and both plots are usually equally engaging so, no harm no foul – yet.
There are a metric ton of plots and potential plots running through the series now, and I’m curious if Butcher has any endgame in site (I have a vague sense of what it would involve), or is planning on making this an indefinite series. I think, as long as he can avoid the pitfalls of formula, it could work as the latter. Don’t get me wrong, his various formulas are visible, but not distracting or trite – yet. Don’t know why I’m so paranoid… just hate to see a good thing ruined I guess.
Summer Knight is basically our introduction to the Fae/fairie/etc. of Butcher’s Earth. We get a little more background on Harry’s ties to the Nevernever and his fairy godmother comes off looking not quite as horrible as she has in previous books. She may actually be looking out for him… duh duh dah! Based on the way the plots are shuffling about across the series so far, I’m sure that will rear it’s head in another book or three.
THREE AND THREE QUARTER STARS
(Continued on the Death Masks review)
I'm gonna say 3.5 stars.
This was very readable, but the author seems to rush at the end to get things wrapped up. It won't keep me from continuing the series, though.
This was very readable, but the author seems to rush at the end to get things wrapped up. It won't keep me from continuing the series, though.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
The Dresden books just get better and better. This one built on the past books but didn’t veer off into a blithe recap of the elements that made the books entertain, rather it got better and went in interesting and new places. I enjoy the secondary characters as much as I do Harry.
I liked this new story of Dresden, the tension has remained high throughout the book and I enjoyed it; only problem at one point there were too many people involved, too many names and too many subplots to follow them with attention. Let's move on to the next.
Questa nuova storia di Dresden mi é piaciuta, la tensione é rimasta alta per tutto il libro e mi sono divertita; unico problema ad un certo punto c'erano troppe persone coinvolte, troppi nomi e troppe sottotrame per seguirle tutte con la dovuta attenzione. Andiamo avanti con il prossimo.
Questa nuova storia di Dresden mi é piaciuta, la tensione é rimasta alta per tutto il libro e mi sono divertita; unico problema ad un certo punto c'erano troppe persone coinvolte, troppi nomi e troppe sottotrame per seguirle tutte con la dovuta attenzione. Andiamo avanti con il prossimo.
This was the 4th book in the Dresden series and sometimes in a series there are books that bridge one book to the next, and this was an example of that book. It contained an epic battle between the Summer and Winter courts and the appearance of someone from Harry's past. Very enjoyable!
I've never fallen in love with a series of books quite the way in which I have Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. When hearing that some of my friends were reading him, and having watched the limited television series from SciFi once upon a time, out of curiosity I dug him up and purchased his collection. I was not at all disappointed.
Butcher takes all the classic fantasy elements and twists them into an amazingly new and provocative modern perspective that can be appreciated by all audiences for all time. He stays true to the classic myths and legends of fairy lore and magic, but brings it all into a modern day telling that keeps you on the edge of your seat through every page you turn.
A splash of action, a bit of adventure, a dash of mystery and of course a revival of fantasy the way it's never been told before. You'll fall in love with our reluctant hero Harry Dresden and be cheering him on from the first page to the last. This is one of those rare novels that really made me feel as if I was right there alongside the protagonist the entire time.
Butcher takes all the classic fantasy elements and twists them into an amazingly new and provocative modern perspective that can be appreciated by all audiences for all time. He stays true to the classic myths and legends of fairy lore and magic, but brings it all into a modern day telling that keeps you on the edge of your seat through every page you turn.
A splash of action, a bit of adventure, a dash of mystery and of course a revival of fantasy the way it's never been told before. You'll fall in love with our reluctant hero Harry Dresden and be cheering him on from the first page to the last. This is one of those rare novels that really made me feel as if I was right there alongside the protagonist the entire time.