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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, War
Definitely a better read then the last one. But that isn't saying much when you compare it to the weakest part in the entire DF.
I'm not going to say much about the plot, the things I liked and the ones I didn't...
Yeah, THAT scene. You know who you are.
I will say that though the writing improved and wasn't as mysogynistic as the previous part, some things still could be improved. Some of the jokes were very cringy.
Most important though, were the inconsistencies. Power levels were all over the place, and to me it felt like they varied constantly, and this got me out of the flow more then once. I hope Butcher focusses on improving that in further novels.
Anything else I might say has probably already been said: one big action scene that is as epic as it improved by merging this book with the last one.
I'm not going to say much about the plot, the things I liked and the ones I didn't...
Yeah, THAT scene. You know who you are.
I will say that though the writing improved and wasn't as mysogynistic as the previous part, some things still could be improved. Some of the jokes were very cringy.
Most important though, were the inconsistencies. Power levels were all over the place, and to me it felt like they varied constantly, and this got me out of the flow more then once. I hope Butcher focusses on improving that in further novels.
Anything else I might say has probably already been said: one big action scene that is as epic as it improved by merging this book with the last one.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think I read some early books in this series and they were quite lighthearted. This one is one battle in 400 pages. I felt the story was at 11 almost all the time with too much going on, names,weapons,etc. What would Terry Pratchett make of it?
4 Stars, but I reserve the right to raise or lower it, depending on how some things play out. There are several things in this book that could be dealt with well or could end up being really stupid, most particularly, the death of Murphy. Based on what we know right now, I think she should have at least been shot by jumping in front of someone else instead of the way it actually went down. We'll see.
“Apocalypses always kick-off at the witching hour. All of the city’s inhabitants are on the edge of their seat, waiting for the final moment, the one last thing that will send everyone into battle. Whether that is battle lust or resignation at their fate, the city holds it breath.”
A towering crescendo of nonstop, third act style battle frenzy where squaring off against a freakin’ kraken is the least exciting thing happening. I binged this book in one sitting and let me tell you, the emotional exhaustion is a real thing. With this being the second half of the much tamer, exposition-heavy Peace Talks this is to be expected, but was extremely taxing. If you read Dresden Files for the big, explosive moments this will probably be your book. For me personally, I’m more invested in the moments between the action where the emotional stuff and character relationships reside. Unfortunately, given the apocalyptic urgency knocking on the door of Chicago these small moments got even smaller. There’s little opportunity afforded to the grief and emotional steeling that Harry (and I) desperately needed.
Battle Ground is the end of an era for Dresden Files. At the utmost peak of action, in what is commonly being compared to Avengers End Game, nearly every loose thread of story arc is addressed if not concluded. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of certain aspects, Jim Butcher has an unquestionable talent for maintaining story integrity and interest despite being at book seventeen. The future story lines that are teased throughout the book are tantalizing and tempting me into considering a reread to find everything I missed the first time through. Overall, I think taking Peace Talks and Battle Ground and viewing them as just parts of their larger whole lands this installment on the higher end of Dresden Files in terms of quality, but it’s still leagues away from being a classic.
A towering crescendo of nonstop, third act style battle frenzy where squaring off against a freakin’ kraken is the least exciting thing happening. I binged this book in one sitting and let me tell you, the emotional exhaustion is a real thing. With this being the second half of the much tamer, exposition-heavy Peace Talks this is to be expected, but was extremely taxing. If you read Dresden Files for the big, explosive moments this will probably be your book. For me personally, I’m more invested in the moments between the action where the emotional stuff and character relationships reside. Unfortunately, given the apocalyptic urgency knocking on the door of Chicago these small moments got even smaller. There’s little opportunity afforded to the grief and emotional steeling that Harry (and I) desperately needed.
Battle Ground is the end of an era for Dresden Files. At the utmost peak of action, in what is commonly being compared to Avengers End Game, nearly every loose thread of story arc is addressed if not concluded. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of certain aspects, Jim Butcher has an unquestionable talent for maintaining story integrity and interest despite being at book seventeen. The future story lines that are teased throughout the book are tantalizing and tempting me into considering a reread to find everything I missed the first time through. Overall, I think taking Peace Talks and Battle Ground and viewing them as just parts of their larger whole lands this installment on the higher end of Dresden Files in terms of quality, but it’s still leagues away from being a classic.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yeah this book made me mad. This is the longest it took me to finish a Dresden book since I had to put it down for a month or two because I was so upset. Tbd if I continue the series when the next one comes out.
This was a hard read. Maybe in another year when I'm in a different frame of mind I might be able to appreciate this book. But I struggled to keep reading through battle after battle, and deaths. I get it Battle Ground is the name but the despair and deaths really threw me. Almost as if he tried to top the heartache we felt in Changes.
But again it could be the year and everything reality has thrown my way this year, that I had a hard time with one of my favorite urban fantasy novels.
But again it could be the year and everything reality has thrown my way this year, that I had a hard time with one of my favorite urban fantasy novels.
Nothing really happens but a lot of “talking” for the first 30%… it’s a little boring. But he has us on the hook, doesn’t he? At least there’s not too much rehash of the story like he usually does. It seems every book, he has to describe Murphy for us and it makes my eye twitch.
I did enjoy this one more than the last, so I guess that’s something. It’s aptly named; I’ll say that. Most of the book consists of one minor battle after another, with the major battle for Chicago culminating. There were some big reveals at the end that will keep us reading.
Harry is just feeling tired for me, TBH. I’ll be glad when I can move on from this series.
I did enjoy this one more than the last, so I guess that’s something. It’s aptly named; I’ll say that. Most of the book consists of one minor battle after another, with the major battle for Chicago culminating. There were some big reveals at the end that will keep us reading.
Harry is just feeling tired for me, TBH. I’ll be glad when I can move on from this series.
I like this book a lot more than the 3 star rating suggests, but can't bring myself to give it a 4 star rating for a couple of reasons. The main one is that I can't help but shake the feeling that Peace Talks and Battle Ground should have been one book. Yes, it would have meant cutting down on some of the action here in Battle Ground and some of the other stuff in Peace Talks to make it fit in one book, but I think the story would have been significantly stronger for it.
Jim Butcher writes action scenes really, really well -- among the best there is, probably. Where I'm struggling a little bit is both with the scope and the stakes of the action. For the stakes, they're pretty solid -- he has to defend Chicago, and that goes a long way towards giving the book the emotional heft it needs despite the fact that the Big Bad, Ethniu, as terrifying as she is, has no personal connection towards Harry Dresden. Compare that to, say, "Changes," where the stakes were so *personal* even as they were epic, and the defense of Chicago rings slightly hollow.
And I wonder if the scope was a little too big. The entire book is one action scene, and with very few exceptions, most of the major players we've been introduced to over the preceding 16 books are involved. This feels like a precursor to the final book where everybody gets together for one big apocalyptic clash, but by that point, I worry it'll almost feel like a repeat of this book: An extended action sequence as Harry and his allies face terrible odds, until Harry himself saves the day at the last possible second? Granted, that's essentially how most of these books work out (and, uh, fantasy books in general), but in this case, I just worry that the beats will feel the same when we read the concluding book in the series, since the scope here was so epic -- instead of a couple of key allies, we got literally almost everybody involved!
Now, we don't know what's going to happen in the next few books. It could be that this was the last hurrah for many of these allies, and they'll be picked off one by one over the next few books as we race towards the finish line. But if it ends up that the gang gets back together again for one last showdown, I do worry it'll feel like a retread of this book.
All that being said, I still really enjoyed reading this book, and I still stayed up way too late reading it so I could finish the book. And this book is clearly setting up a major shift in the series going forward, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I suspect this book will likely work a lot better in the context of a full readthrough of the Dresden Files series, rather than as the latest installment, because it'll be clearer how this book fits in the overall picture.
Jim Butcher writes action scenes really, really well -- among the best there is, probably. Where I'm struggling a little bit is both with the scope and the stakes of the action. For the stakes, they're pretty solid -- he has to defend Chicago, and that goes a long way towards giving the book the emotional heft it needs despite the fact that the Big Bad, Ethniu, as terrifying as she is, has no personal connection towards Harry Dresden. Compare that to, say, "Changes," where the stakes were so *personal* even as they were epic, and the defense of Chicago rings slightly hollow.
And I wonder if the scope was a little too big. The entire book is one action scene, and with very few exceptions, most of the major players we've been introduced to over the preceding 16 books are involved. This feels like a precursor to the final book where everybody gets together for one big apocalyptic clash, but by that point, I worry it'll almost feel like a repeat of this book: An extended action sequence as Harry and his allies face terrible odds, until Harry himself saves the day at the last possible second? Granted, that's essentially how most of these books work out (and, uh, fantasy books in general), but in this case, I just worry that the beats will feel the same when we read the concluding book in the series, since the scope here was so epic -- instead of a couple of key allies, we got literally almost everybody involved!
Now, we don't know what's going to happen in the next few books. It could be that this was the last hurrah for many of these allies, and they'll be picked off one by one over the next few books as we race towards the finish line. But if it ends up that the gang gets back together again for one last showdown, I do worry it'll feel like a retread of this book.
All that being said, I still really enjoyed reading this book, and I still stayed up way too late reading it so I could finish the book. And this book is clearly setting up a major shift in the series going forward, and I can't wait to see what happens next. I suspect this book will likely work a lot better in the context of a full readthrough of the Dresden Files series, rather than as the latest installment, because it'll be clearer how this book fits in the overall picture.