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vaenadal 's review for:
Battle Ground
by Jim Butcher
I found Battle Ground unusually disappointing for a Dresden novel. It's clearly intended to be a duology with Peace Talks, which sets the stakes, but Battle Ground doesn't stand on its own very well, and the two novels would have been better off as one extra-long Dresden novel with each half edited down. The plot of Battle Ground is more of a series of connected action sequences than a structured plot, and the fights quickly felt repetitive. The stakes of the novel are also pitched too high-somehow the main enemy seems impossible to beat but all of the other battles leading up to the boss fight are presented as impossible too. This problem probably wouldn't have been as glaring if the structure of the plot was tighter.
Additionally, in regards to an important death
There were some aspects that I liked. Some of the action sequences were great and it was nice to see some long running story threads resolve. Plus Harry's snark is always appreciated. But ultimately, read this novel only if you're a hard core fan. If you're a long-time fan, you'll need to read this for the series changing moments and you'll probably enjoy all the cameos from old side characters. Don't read it if you haven't read the other books, in particular Peace Talks, because you will be lost.
In sum, Peace Talks and the rest of the Dresden books show that Jim Butcher can write really well and I hope that whenever Book 18 comes out it will be a return to form.
Additionally, in regards to an important death
Spoiler
I'm really mad about the way Karrin's death was handled. I would have been upset to see her die under any circumstances, but it was almost presented a throwaway event, with Harry going berserk with grief for the chapter following her death and then he calms down and is intermittently sad through the rest of the book. I'm not even sure that her death counts as a fridging because I don't think it moved the plot or Harry's character development at all. It's just a thing that happened halfway through the book. Ultimately, after being an amazing kickass character for 17 books, if Karrin had to go, she deserved a much better ending.There were some aspects that I liked. Some of the action sequences were great and it was nice to see some long running story threads resolve. Plus Harry's snark is always appreciated. But ultimately, read this novel only if you're a hard core fan. If you're a long-time fan, you'll need to read this for the series changing moments and you'll probably enjoy all the cameos from old side characters. Don't read it if you haven't read the other books, in particular Peace Talks, because you will be lost.
In sum, Peace Talks and the rest of the Dresden books show that Jim Butcher can write really well and I hope that whenever Book 18 comes out it will be a return to form.