A burgeoning subgenre in the fantasy and horror fields is the supernatural detective novel. Fantastic creatures roam our own world and some of them are not so nice. So who do you call when a magician, vampire or werewolf commits a murder? Well, if it happens in Chicago, you call Harry Dresden, wizard-for-hire.
In "Fool Moon" (ROC), his sophomore effort, Jim Butcher establishes himself among the elite of the supernatural detective subgenre, alongside the pioneers of the field like Laurell K. Hamilton.
Butcher's vision is slightly different from Hamilton's, though. In Hamilton's worlds, creatures like vampires and fairies roam the world freely, granted equal rights by the Supreme Court. Butcher's world is much like our own, and most people would scoff at the mention of magic or werewolves.
Karrin Murphy, head of Chicago's special investigations unit, isn't one of those people. She's seen Dresden in action and worked closely with him. But business has been slow for Dresden since his last cooperative effort with Murphy went bad. He's been lambasted in the press as a charlatan, and Murphy is under an internal affairs investigation for her dealings with him. But when a string of grisly murders occurs around the full moon for two months in a row, Murphy has no choice but to call Dresden in on the case.
With murders around the full moon, bloody pawprints at the scene of the crime, strange bite marks on the victims and a woman who is not human trailing the private eye, it at first seems like a clear-cut case for Dresden. All he has to do is find some evidence to use against the werewolf. But when a cursed man, a group of magical shapeshifters that call themselves the Alphas, a group of people who use magic belts to transform into wolves and a street gang of lycanthropes - people who think they are werewolves - get involved, things get a little more complicated.
The result is an action-packed ride that doesn't let up, as everyone - even Murphy - sets their sights on Dresden.
There's something refreshing about a wizard who chants a spell to the tune of the Peanuts theme song while using a stuffed Snoopy doll to bind a werewolf. Or one who hums bits of "Carmen" while confronting a group of lycanthropes that's likely about to rip him apart. Dresden does both and more in "Fool Moon," while at the same time trading some very unwizardly comic book-style banter with his adversaries.
Unlike most wizards, who take themselves far too seriously, Dresden comes off as more of a regular guy who just happens to have some magical powers. Not only do these things provide a little levity in some tense situations, they also offer a base in reality for readers who are not normally fans of fantasy and horror.
I was a bit disappointed with the tidy, Scooby-Doo style wrap up at the end. There were several interesting problems created during the course of the book - like how the police would deal with a cursed shapeshifter who has committed several vicious murders, but has no control over it. Butcher takes the easy way out on a lot of those problems and ties things up just a bit too neatly.
Still, it doesn't detract much from the book as a whole, which is an entertaining read. With "Fool Moon," Butcher strikes a perfect balance between fantasy, horror and mystery - giving the reader the best of all three worlds.
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard-for-hire, is back on the case in Jim Butcher's newest novel "Grave Peril" (Roc).
This time, something has all the ghosts in the city stirred up, and Harry and his sidekick Michael, a sword-wielding warrior for God, have their hands full trying to set things right.
Matters are complicated by the arrival of a young girl at Dresden's office who calls herself Lydia and claims that she's being hunted by a Nightmare. Harry, like the film noir private eyes that much of his character is based on, can't resist a damsel in distress. He puts her under his protection, and that's when things start to go very wrong.
As Harry investigates the Nightmare and the forces behind it, he discovers that it's personal. He uncovers an elaborate revenge plot against him, but who is behind it? Harry's made his share of supernatural enemies, and any one of them could be the culprit.
If it all sounds a bit absurd, well, it really is. But it's meant to be. Like its predecessors "Storm Front" and "Fool Moon," this book is a fun romp through the supernatural.
Harry Dresden has the attitude of a hard-boiled detective and dresses like a character from a Clint Eastwood Western. Instead of a six-shooter or a snub-nosed revolver, he guns down his enemies - all sorts of nasties from vampires to werewolves to ghosts - with a blasting rod or a quickly-scribbled spell circle.
His sidekick Michael wields a blessed sword, a gift from God. He's stalwart in his service to God and devoted to protecting the innocent. He's also not very happy with Harry's chosen profession, and takes every opportunity to try to convert him. But despite their differences - and the objections of Michael's wife - the pair work well together.
Throw in Harry's tabloid-reporter girlfriend who is always after the supernatural scoop and a police investigations unit that calls on Harry for his help but doesn't really believe in his powers, and you have the chaotic backdrop for an entertaining circus sideshow. And that's just what Butcher delivers.
"Grave Peril," and the "Dresden Files" in general, is a fast-paced mix of fantasy, horror and hard-boiled detective novel that's just as addictive as it is entertaining.
The third installment of the "Dresden Files" shows Butcher getting better and better. I can hardly wait for the next time Harry Dresden gets called to action.
With Halloween approaching, it's a perfect time to check back in with my favorite wizard-for-hire Harry Dresden. Jim Butcher's sleuth always seems to find himself surrounded by the creatures of the season - ghouls, vampires, werewolves and assorted other nasties. His latest adventure, "Summer Knight" (Roc, $6.99) is no exception.
First, Harry gets a visit from Mab, queen of the Winter Court of the sidhe. She's got a case for him, and it's one he can't refuse. Mab has purchased Harry's obligation from his faerie godmother Lea, and now he owes her. She asks him to investigate a death that's been ruled accidental by the police. She thinks otherwise. It just so happens that the deceased is a knight of the Summer Court of the sidhe.
Complicating matters, the White Council of wizards find themselves on the edge of a war with the Red Court of vampires, largely due to a confrontation between Harry and a group of vampires in Chicago. The Red Court has already struck against the wizards and are demanding that Harry be turned over to them. Half of the White Council wants to turn him over, and the other half isn't exactly in his corner. Harry's only way out is to solve the case and in the process prevent a war between the Summer and Winter Courts.
This is the fourth volume of the Dresden Files, and Butcher has not disappointed yet. "Summer Knight" starts with a bang and doesn't let up.
Butcher's tales meld the wonder and fun of the "Harry Potter" series, but with an adult tone and attitude. Mystery fans who approach the series with an open mind about stories that include vampires, faeries and the like, will find a very good detective series. Fantasy fans might just find that the mystery side appeals to them as well. But fans of any kind of fiction can enjoy Butcher's fun and fast-paced style.
"Summer Knight" also shows great development in both the character of Harry Dresden and Butcher's writing style. It's probably the most developed and satisfying story line of the series so far.
Thanks to the success of series by Laurell K. Hamilton and a handful of others, there's no shortage of writers churning out supernatural detective stories these days, but Butcher is most definitely among the best. I can't wait until Harry Dresden is on the case again.
Settling down with the latest installment of Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" is becoming a pre-Halloween tradition for me.
The tales of a wizard private eye are the perfect books for the haunted season. They've got plenty of creeps and nasties, but they're more fun than frightening. His latest, "Death Masks" ($6.99, Roc) continues the trend.
This time, Harry Dresden's in a world of trouble (as usual). The war between the Red Court of vampires and the White Council of wizards - a war that Harry was at least partially responsible for starting - continues. Harry is given a chance to end the war by fighting a duel with a representative of the Red Court, a cunning vampire named Ortega.
As he prepares for the duel, he gets a visit from a representative of the Vatican. The Shroud of Turin has been stolen and is suspected to be in Chicago. The priest has contacted the police, but doesn't trust them and has been pointed toward Harry. The problem is, a lot of other people are looking for the Shroud, including Harry's friend Michael Carpenter and two other Knights of the Cross, the local crime lord and some really nasty demons.
Could anything else go wrong? You bet it could. In the middle of all of this Harry's old girlfriend, now half-vampire, saunters back into his life.
As you can probably tell, this tale of Harry Dresden is far from boring, but it's not nearly as chaotic as it sounds either. Despite everything that's going on, Butcher still makes the story flow and manages to tie it all together.
But most importantly, the stories are a blast. Butcher doesn't mind poking fun at his own genre, even at a master of it. Consider a scene where Dresden is caught somewhere he shouldn't be - an art auction run by the local mob boss where Harry suspects the Shroud will be sold. The mob boss confronts him by saying he didn't realize Harry was an art collector. The rest of the conversation goes like this:
"'I am the foremost collector of velvet Elvii in the city of Chicago,' I said at once.
"'Elvii?' Marcone inquired.
"'The plural could be Elvises, I guess,' I said. 'But if I say that too often, I start muttering to myself and calling things 'my precious,' so I usually go with the Latin plural.'"
If that passage gives you a chuckle - or a good belly laugh if you're a Tolkien fan - there are plenty more where it came from.
With most ongoing series like this, I find my interest waning after four or five books, but five books in, I still love the "Dresden Files." They're fast, they're fun, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Chicago's only wizard-for-hire, Harry Dresden is back, and not surprisingly, he's in hot water again in "Blood Rites" ($6.99, Roc), the latest in Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" series.
Harry's trying to make a living while laying low. The vampire courts still have a price on his head. Then he gets a job offer from an interesting source. Thomas, a white court vampire that Harry has worked with in the past, asks him to take on the job of finding out who has put on entropy curse on his producer friend Arturo Genosa. Of course, Harry gets more than he bargained for when Genosa turns out to be an "adult" movie director with three ex-wives who were stars in his movies.
Harry soon finds out that the plot is thicker than a couple of spurned exes, and he finds himself in the last place he wants to be - in the middle of vampire politics.
"Blood Rites" is the sixth installment of the "Dresden Files," and though a number of very good authors have tried the ghosts and ghouls in the real world formula, Butcher's is the only series that's been able to keep me consistently entertained through this many books. It's due in part to the focus on action and humor and his avoidance of the overwrought emotional introspection that comes along with most of these tales.
Though Harry Dresden is certainly a prime candidate for that kind of over-the-top tortured hero treatment, Butcher bypasses the wallowing-in-misery thought sequences and keeps the story moving. He packs so much in that I often wonder if he'll run out of story line possibilities soon. I hope not because thus far, the Dresden books have been incredibly entertaining.
If you haven't read the past tales in the series, though, "Blood Rites" is probably not the place to start. Most of the characters in the book have been introduced before and have backstories with Harry that are alluded to, but not addressed directly here. You might find yourself a little lost, and you'll certainly miss some of the references to previous stories.
Butcher also does a good job of setting up future installments of the series, dropping a few possibilities into the mix with a stowaway puppy from a supernatural rescue mission and a revelation about Harry's past. Here's to the continuing adventures of Chicago's premier wizard.
