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jaredwsaltz's review against another edition
5.0
A Wonderful Little Palette Cleanser
After the events of Changes onward, PI work and very human stakes have been short in coming. This was just what the doctor ordered for me and for Dresden.
After the events of Changes onward, PI work and very human stakes have been short in coming. This was just what the doctor ordered for me and for Dresden.
ianthereader0's review against another edition
4.0
A low stakes breath of fresh air after the insanity of Battle Ground, that felt much like the Dresden Files of old. I wish there had perhaps been a little bit more action and/or emotional beats, but this just feels like warming us up for what’s to come.
modkuraika's review against another edition
3.0
And there it is. I'm caught up. The Law isn't an exceptional story, but it's a nice little adventure to wind down with after Battle Ground. As someone who Side Jobs after Changes, I actually like lower key stories following the major series pivots. Looking forward to Twelve Months whenever that drops. Might give The Codex Alera a shot to tide me over.
jjcopper's review against another edition
4.0
Harry Dresden continually extending his mantle of protection to the vulnerable and powerless is what makes him one of my favorite fictional heroes. It gives me hope to know that others enjoy the Dresden File stories for similar reasons.
bastrat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes it's best to go back to basics.
A LOT has happened in Harry's world, I won't even try to summarise it all. But suffice to say this was a welcome step back to earlier days of "simple" PI work, Harry and his network, Harry and his friends.
A LOT has happened in Harry's world, I won't even try to summarise it all. But suffice to say this was a welcome step back to earlier days of "simple" PI work, Harry and his network, Harry and his friends.
stacynoe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I read this one a while ago, but I enjoyed it. I watched the Dresden Files when the show came out, but never could get into any of the books. I decided to try again last year. I'm a slow reader and finished this in one afternoon, and not having read any other books, or even seen the show in many years, wasn't an issue. I remember thinking, it seemed like the plot was very simple, but there was a lot of excitement. I thought the conclusion was clever.
chloefrizzle's review against another edition
5.0
Nice plot. Nice exploration of moving on. Good pacing. Makes me even more excited for the next book.
My thoughts in video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs_TaKp6HH0
What I enjoy most in this book is seeing how far Harry has come from the beginning of the series. In many ways, he has fundamentally changed the way he interacts with people and Cases. This story shows off a lot of those differences by giving Harry a simple Case to solve that intersects with several of his old frenemies.
My thoughts in video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs_TaKp6HH0
What I enjoy most in this book is seeing how far Harry has come from the beginning of the series. In many ways, he has fundamentally changed the way he interacts with people and Cases. This story shows off a lot of those differences by giving Harry a simple Case to solve that intersects with several of his old frenemies.
mlore95's review against another edition
4.0
When a series runs as long as the Dresden Files has, it's bound to move away from its roots at some point. We've definitely seen that with the Dresden Files: as the series has gone on we've moved away from the hardboiled detective, monster of the week theming into a much larger overarching plot with more characters and much larger stakes.
This novella takes the series back to its beginnings, and it's a breath of fresh air after the wildness of Battle Ground. Here, we see Harry doing what he does best - helping a woman in need. The case is simple, the cast small, and the stakes relatively low. The Law is set after Battle Ground, but can safely be skipped if you're only interested in the main plot, as it doesn't advance it in any way. Instead of cataclysmic events and massive displays of power, we see a Harry much more similar to the Harry of the earliest novels: lots of conversations, arrogance, and intimidation. In some ways it seems Harry's character development has reset a bit - there's quite a bit of observation of women on display here that falls in line with the Harry of the early novels but feels a bit out of place given the recent events in his life and how Butcher has written the character in more recent books.
This story is well worth the read if you're a fan of the series, but I'd definitely recommend being caught on the series before reading, and fans that enjoy the more in-depth worldbuilding and high stakes of the later novels may be a bit disappointed here.
This novella takes the series back to its beginnings, and it's a breath of fresh air after the wildness of Battle Ground. Here, we see Harry doing what he does best - helping a woman in need. The case is simple, the cast small, and the stakes relatively low. The Law is set after Battle Ground, but can safely be skipped if you're only interested in the main plot, as it doesn't advance it in any way. Instead of cataclysmic events and massive displays of power, we see a Harry much more similar to the Harry of the earliest novels: lots of conversations, arrogance, and intimidation. In some ways it seems Harry's character development has reset a bit - there's quite a bit of observation of women on display here that falls in line with the Harry of the early novels but feels a bit out of place given the recent events in his life and how Butcher has written the character in more recent books.
This story is well worth the read if you're a fan of the series, but I'd definitely recommend being caught on the series before reading, and fans that enjoy the more in-depth worldbuilding and high stakes of the later novels may be a bit disappointed here.