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briarroses 's review for:
Summer Knight
by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden is having a bad time. His half-vampire girlfriend is MIA, someone has sent an assassin to kill him, and one of the Queens of the Faeries has showed up and made him an offer he can't refuse. Meanwhile, Harry has to fend off his enemies in the White Council who are scheming against him. To make matters worse, someone Harry thought was dead appears as the Summer Emissary, counter to his position as Winter Emissary, and on top of all that, the crime that started Queen Mab's interest in Harry still needs solved. Can Harry solve the murder without getting anyone else killed along the way? Can he save himself from the schemes of his enemies, known and otherwise? And most importantly, will Billy and the Werewolves convince him to play a TTRPG with them?
At this point of the series, you will need to have read the prior books to have the relevant context for the books to come. The first three can kind of work as standalones, but no more!
I think even more than Grave Peril, Butcher hits his stride with the Faerie Courts. The complexity of the layered politics and the specific rules of Faerie interacting with the increasing tensions that Harry finds himself navigating are very interesting and show a well-developed world and characters who feel complex and variously empowered. Seeing Harry in position of being comparable to some, more powerful than others, and hopelessly small compared to a few does a lot to add to the sense of urgency and danger that permeates his quest to save himself and the people who are endangered.
I really love the set up of the faerie Courts (Queens who Were, The Queens who Are, and the Queens who Are to Come, and the Knights). There is balance and a sense of an entire world that is bound by different rules and permissions than the mortal world. The faeries are unpredictable in some ways, but also their reactions can somewhat be anticipated based on the way that they are so entirely as they are (if that makes sense). The dynamics between them are cyclical, even when they are preparing for extreme measures. I also like the way that the power is brought into play through bargains and deals, and how they can twist language to basically lie without actually telling any untruths. All the best elements of traditional fairy tale story versions of faeries!!!! Very much enjoy.
I think that the book glosses over some traumas more than others. Harry experiences a few shocks that I would think would have greater impact on him, but we don't have time to feel trauma reactions so he doesn't. Murphy, however, is still feeling rough after the events of Grave Peril, especially. Harry tries to be sympathetic, but Murphy is very much an action hero when circumstances call for it and that's partly what brings her back out of her trauma. It's not implausible, but it feels a bit like a speedrun of the fallout. On the other hand, it's more than I expected in this kind of film noir-esque novel, so, there's that.
The romance plot generally takes a backseat in this book, so if you're interested in that plotline, you'll have to wait until after this book to get that updated. The biggest difference is that Harry rethinks his approach to solving the problem Susan is suffering from from a sustainability standpoint. We do get some backstory information that explains why Harry is the way he is when it comes to relationships.
Overall, I love this as the setup for future plots with faeries and also as a backstory reveal. It works very well and my complaints (mostly for Harry being misogynist and aware of that but refusing to change) are minimal.
At this point of the series, you will need to have read the prior books to have the relevant context for the books to come. The first three can kind of work as standalones, but no more!
I think even more than Grave Peril, Butcher hits his stride with the Faerie Courts. The complexity of the layered politics and the specific rules of Faerie interacting with the increasing tensions that Harry finds himself navigating are very interesting and show a well-developed world and characters who feel complex and variously empowered. Seeing Harry in position of being comparable to some, more powerful than others, and hopelessly small compared to a few does a lot to add to the sense of urgency and danger that permeates his quest to save himself and the people who are endangered.
I really love the set up of the faerie Courts (Queens who Were, The Queens who Are, and the Queens who Are to Come, and the Knights). There is balance and a sense of an entire world that is bound by different rules and permissions than the mortal world. The faeries are unpredictable in some ways, but also their reactions can somewhat be anticipated based on the way that they are so entirely as they are (if that makes sense). The dynamics between them are cyclical, even when they are preparing for extreme measures. I also like the way that the power is brought into play through bargains and deals, and how they can twist language to basically lie without actually telling any untruths. All the best elements of traditional fairy tale story versions of faeries!!!! Very much enjoy.
I think that the book glosses over some traumas more than others. Harry experiences a few shocks that I would think would have greater impact on him, but we don't have time to feel trauma reactions so he doesn't. Murphy, however, is still feeling rough after the events of Grave Peril, especially. Harry tries to be sympathetic, but Murphy is very much an action hero when circumstances call for it and that's partly what brings her back out of her trauma. It's not implausible, but it feels a bit like a speedrun of the fallout. On the other hand, it's more than I expected in this kind of film noir-esque novel, so, there's that.
The romance plot generally takes a backseat in this book, so if you're interested in that plotline, you'll have to wait until after this book to get that updated. The biggest difference is that Harry rethinks his approach to solving the problem Susan is suffering from from a sustainability standpoint. We do get some backstory information that explains why Harry is the way he is when it comes to relationships.
Overall, I love this as the setup for future plots with faeries and also as a backstory reveal. It works very well and my complaints (mostly for Harry being misogynist and aware of that but refusing to change) are minimal.