You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So so good. Just so good. I laughed, I cried. I was shocked and I couldn’t put it down. Or, stop listening actually. I spent this year listening to the entire Dresden Files series (all the short stories in order as well) in audio to prepare for Peace Talks / Battle Ground. I ended up loving James Marsters as Harry so much that I listened to this instead of reading.
The 2 books definitely need to be read together. This rating covers both books together. Each on their own as unique books you could criticize. Peace Talks isn’t fully satisfying on its own and Battle Ground has no intro/build up, it jumps right into it. Together they create the harmony of a full Dresden Files story. I kind of wish he had just done 1 giant book, but I’m so emotionally spent that I can’t be angry about it right now. Maybe in hindsight I’d actually take a star away for it. But not right now.
This is truly Jim Butcher at his finest. I love Harry but I also love the stories where he really goes through it. When I just want to give Harry a big hug at the end. I wish he didn’t have to go through everything he does, but it sure makes a good compelling read. As a Chicago resident, I’m glad he’s here protecting us. I know he’s got our back.
The 2 books definitely need to be read together. This rating covers both books together. Each on their own as unique books you could criticize. Peace Talks isn’t fully satisfying on its own and Battle Ground has no intro/build up, it jumps right into it. Together they create the harmony of a full Dresden Files story. I kind of wish he had just done 1 giant book, but I’m so emotionally spent that I can’t be angry about it right now. Maybe in hindsight I’d actually take a star away for it. But not right now.
This is truly Jim Butcher at his finest. I love Harry but I also love the stories where he really goes through it. When I just want to give Harry a big hug at the end. I wish he didn’t have to go through everything he does, but it sure makes a good compelling read. As a Chicago resident, I’m glad he’s here protecting us. I know he’s got our back.
I don't know how the author manages to squeeze in as many characters as he does coherently, and how many callbacks to previous books. This was an epic battle. Not that there's an epic battle *chapter* in it, but the *entire book* is an epic battle. It's the Dresden Files version of Avengers Endgame.
Loved the evolution of the characters. The pace was exhausting, but in a good way. Really satisfying story.
Loved the evolution of the characters. The pace was exhausting, but in a good way. Really satisfying story.
I never really thought I could get tired of epic, and then I read Battle Ground.
Yes, there were epic fight scenes. One after another after another after another after another and here's one more and here's the one after that and ...
I'm tired of never getting to know Maggie. I'm tired of the women of the Dresden Files being a combination of the author's wish fulfillment and guilt and kink. I miss Mouse and the sanity he brought to Harry. And I'm tired of this series.
I wish I wasn't. For so long this has been a mainstay of my fantasy book life. But this book, and the last, show me that the editors aren't doing their jobs in reigning in the madness. We've hit Stephen King-level needs for editorial oversite.
Was it fun? A lot of the parts, yes. But a lot of it didn't make sense, there was massive FILLER, which has never been part of this series before. Basically, from the context shifting midpoint to the dark moment was FILLER. None of that moved the plot forward. It was all :waves hands: stuff that happens to get to the dark moment. But it doesn't ... help you get there. It just basically grinds you into the dirt, which was probably the point, and yet still not that satisfying. Things suck. War is hell. Bad guys are spooky dooky. We get it. GET ON WITH IT.
And then the end? WTF was that end? Like, literally, WTF. It makes me rethink my plan to reread the whole series. It makes me rethink reading further. Which makes me sad. And to tease the starborn thing AGAIN, and deflect AGAIN, it's like... dood. Go back to your roots and remember people need some pay off for all of this suffering.
Yes, there were epic fight scenes. One after another after another after another after another and here's one more and here's the one after that and ...
I'm tired of never getting to know Maggie. I'm tired of the women of the Dresden Files being a combination of the author's wish fulfillment and guilt and kink. I miss Mouse and the sanity he brought to Harry. And I'm tired of this series.
I wish I wasn't. For so long this has been a mainstay of my fantasy book life. But this book, and the last, show me that the editors aren't doing their jobs in reigning in the madness. We've hit Stephen King-level needs for editorial oversite.
Was it fun? A lot of the parts, yes. But a lot of it didn't make sense, there was massive FILLER, which has never been part of this series before. Basically, from the context shifting midpoint
Spoiler
(Murphy's death)Spoiler
(the binding of Ethniu with Marcone, who now houses a fallen angel - side question: WHAT HAPPENED TO BOB?!)And then the end? WTF was that end? Like, literally, WTF. It makes me rethink my plan to reread the whole series. It makes me rethink reading further. Which makes me sad. And to tease the starborn thing AGAIN, and deflect AGAIN, it's like... dood. Go back to your roots and remember people need some pay off for all of this suffering.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I cried a river of tears and felt like my heart was ripped apart several times. Highly recommend.
I cried a river of tears and felt like my heart was ripped apart several times. Highly recommend.
4 stars for the story and 1 star extra for the whole journey, though 17 novels.
It’s all I have come to expect from a Harry Dresden story, epic battles (this time it’s 80 % of the novel), some touching moments (this time sad as well), humour and snide remarks and more or less the full gallery of all the side characters that’s still around.
It’s like Butcher after a 5 year break decided to tie the ultimate knot on Harry Dresden, with these 2 last novels (really one long story), everything falls into place and it’s also like Harry finally is really grown up, it’s not like there couldn’t be more novels in the future, but I’m getting off here.
It’s all I have come to expect from a Harry Dresden story, epic battles (this time it’s 80 % of the novel), some touching moments (this time sad as well), humour and snide remarks and more or less the full gallery of all the side characters that’s still around.
It’s like Butcher after a 5 year break decided to tie the ultimate knot on Harry Dresden, with these 2 last novels (really one long story), everything falls into place and it’s also like Harry finally is really grown up, it’s not like there couldn’t be more novels in the future, but I’m getting off here.
This is like the Mad Max Fury Road of the Dresden Files - an utterly balls to the walls action book that happens over the course of a night with several earth-shaking, earth-breaking (:P) consequences that will continue to haunt Harry over the rest of the series
This one takes up the issues I had with Peace Talks esp the cliffhanger piece and proceeds to shatter it right through. Its a fairly long book and yet the pace is absolutely breath-taking, the action non-stop and the twists brilliant. It features almost every character - heroic or anti-heroic - introduced so far and chucks them into this seething pulsing blender that does leave the reader breathless and also a tad exhausted at the end of it.
And then there are events that happen through the battle and post it - events that shake Harry to his core. One particular event that would cause Gail Simone to open a new website if she already hasnt opened one up. That possibly was the act that I felt most disappointed about as well - never thought Butcher would exploit that trope. Sadly, it is what it is.
That possibly is the only one that caused a ratings downgrade and its nevertheless a big one. Yet, what ultimately saves the book is how other characters get their moments right through. esp Butters and Marcone. Butters has come a long way from when we see him in the series. Harry & Marcone's antagonistic relationship has the potential to evolve into something even deadlier. Harry may battle all the evil wizards, vampires, infernal agents, apocalypse harbingers, even demigods but his true battle is with Marcone and its bound to get testier and tastier
The book does set up the series in a rather interesting state. This had all the signs of a series ending book but clearly we know it is not. Which means it does leave one wondering how Butcher is going to top it. There are things still being hinted about Harry's past and his role as "starborn". Thomas and Justine present another interesting complication. Its a tribute to Butcher's plotting that he has managed to keep people hooked 17 books in.
PS: While I do see the logic of splitting Peace talks and Battle grounds, I wonder if the books would have benefitted from a non-linear storytelling angle thereby combining both of them. Esp now that Battle Ground proved itself to an absolutely unputdownable work, Peace Talks looks all the more empty
This one takes up the issues I had with Peace Talks esp the cliffhanger piece and proceeds to shatter it right through. Its a fairly long book and yet the pace is absolutely breath-taking, the action non-stop and the twists brilliant. It features almost every character - heroic or anti-heroic - introduced so far and chucks them into this seething pulsing blender that does leave the reader breathless and also a tad exhausted at the end of it.
And then there are events that happen through the battle and post it - events that shake Harry to his core. One particular event that would cause Gail Simone to open a new website if she already hasnt opened one up. That possibly was the act that I felt most disappointed about as well - never thought Butcher would exploit that trope. Sadly, it is what it is.
That possibly is the only one that caused a ratings downgrade and its nevertheless a big one. Yet, what ultimately saves the book is how other characters get their moments right through. esp Butters and Marcone. Butters has come a long way from when we see him in the series. Harry & Marcone's antagonistic relationship has the potential to evolve into something even deadlier. Harry may battle all the evil wizards, vampires, infernal agents, apocalypse harbingers, even demigods but his true battle is with Marcone and its bound to get testier and tastier
The book does set up the series in a rather interesting state. This had all the signs of a series ending book but clearly we know it is not. Which means it does leave one wondering how Butcher is going to top it. There are things still being hinted about Harry's past and his role as "starborn". Thomas and Justine present another interesting complication. Its a tribute to Butcher's plotting that he has managed to keep people hooked 17 books in.
PS: While I do see the logic of splitting Peace talks and Battle grounds, I wonder if the books would have benefitted from a non-linear storytelling angle thereby combining both of them. Esp now that Battle Ground proved itself to an absolutely unputdownable work, Peace Talks looks all the more empty