Storm Front - Book 1 in The Dresden Files
As many may have noticed, I’m a sucker for a curmudgeon of a hero. I like them cranky with bad humor and a heart of gold. I like my heroes skirting the line of dangerous and questionable behavior, but always coming out a good guy, mostly. Harry Dresden is my kinda hero.
You’ve probably heard of him. He’s a an asshole private investigator and the only wizard in the Chicago phonebook. At least according to the stories written by author Jim Butcher. He also had an ill-fated and horribly bastardized television series on SyFy. I blame Nicolas Cage for its horribleness – he ruins everything. When he couldn’t make The Dresden Files work on TV he totally stole Dresden‘s look for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but I digress.
The Dresden Files, as they are collectively referred to, span 12 complete novels (these are available in audio books narrated by James Marsters of Buffy fame), a 13th on the way, a myriad of short stories, graphic novels, and even a role-playing game. This is all in addition to his multi-volume Codex Alera series. To say Butcher is prolific is an understatement. The man is a story-making machine!
Jim Butcher - Author of The Dresden Files
A lot of issues that authors run into when they crank out such a sheer volume of material on a specific character-driven series is that the stories get stale, or the character goes flat, or the author goes crazy and takes their entire creation with them (::cough::laurellkhamilton::cough::). But not Butcher. If anything, Dresden has gotten better and better as time goes on. Each novel can stand on its own, but viewed in conjunction with the other novels, Butcher paints an expansive tale that grows and grows with each edition. A reader would have to read them all to appreciate its full scope leading to the final end game. Mixing the right amounts of fantasy, horror, and hard boiled detective work in a modern setting, Butcher is like a mad genius taking things that usually don’t work together and making them brilliant.
Through the course of the 12 novels we follow the life of Harry Dresden and his series of unfortunate events. Really, really, bloody unfortunate events. Dresden is not your cuddly Harry Potter kind of wizard. Dresden’s wizardry is like warfare. It’s violent, explosive, amazing, and borderline out of control and all delivered with hold-your-breath suspense and a witty quip.
Ghost Story - To be released July 2011
We tag along with Dresden as he grows as a wizard and a person, becoming darker as the tales unfolds. I became so very attached to Dresden. He is exactly what I would want a wizard/hardened detective/smart ass anti-hero to be. He’s screwed by his friends, by life, by himself and yet, he still keeps kicking along the way collecting people to care for and subsequently become liabilities.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is that Butcher sugar coats nothing. It is so hard to keep the magical abilities of your character from running rampshod over a writer. The temptation to use magic as a convenient plot device that gets your character out of harm free and clear is oh so very tempting. Butcher denies himself this luxury and sticks it out the hard way – adhering to the rules of the universe he has created and never compromising to take the easy way out.
There are no shortage of horrors. Gore, violence, monsters, zombies, black magic, vampires, evil fucking fairies, and don’t forget the human mafia and their traditional thugs thrown in for spice. Dresden finds himself pitted against all manner of adversity and most of the time he makes it out, just barely. The Dresden Files are a wonderful fusion of fantasy, sci-fi, and hard supernatural horror that appeals to the escapist reader.
He’s so good he made a zombie t-rex work. A zombie t-rex.
For Reals
Ghost Story
The “For Reals” made me laugh out VERY loud. Thanks for that.
I can’t agree with you more. This is a fantastic series and i’m grateful to you for turning me onto it. I can’t get enough of Harry Dresden. Or Bob. Oh how i love Bob.
I’m always tickled pink when you like something as much as I do. That means we can chortle like cackling hens about how much we love something. Jim Butcher is a freaking genius! The man made me enjoy high fantasy. HIGH freaking FANTASY people!
To clarify. I like Tolkien, but purely from an academic standpoint. Except the movies. OMG VIGGO! I like my fantasy almost exclusively in film format. Most fantasy is so removed from reality that I have a hard time taking it seriously. Nothing wrong with it, I just get bored with suspending that much disbelief.
I love you too.
In all seriousness though, Butcher’s books are awesome.
^ Bahahahah Love it!
And if you like the Dresden Files, you should totally check out Simon Green’s Nightside series…It’s Dresden on crack….
I can’t imagine a Dresden more frenetic. MUST READ!
I thank you too, as Deven told me about the Dresden Files – I’m now hooked, must read all.
So I came across this, and I think you guys will get a kick out of it, I was laughing my ass off immediately.
Things Harry Dresden is No Longer Allowed to Do
- I am not allowed to ask elder Council members if they’ve ever parted the Red Sea.
- I will never label another bottle “Love Potion #9,” even if it is factually accurate.
- I am not allowed to get drunk and serenade the entire tavern with a rousing rendition of “A Wizard’s Staff Has A Knob On The End.”
a) Or Murphy.
b) Or anyone.
c) Especially Murphy. She can hurt me.
- Bob’s skull is not to be used to practice ventriloquism.
a) or to re-enact scenes from Hamlet.
- Under no circumstances am I to even contemplate asking the faeries if they offer a dating service as well.
- I am not allowed to attend a vampire ball dressed as movie Dracula ever again, no matter how funny it seems at the time
- I will never let Amanda Carpenter talk me into being her Show and Tell project again, no matter how cute her puppy-dog eyes are.
- Just because something is bleeping disturbing doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
- Fideliacchius is not a letter opener.
- I am not allowed to “correct” Harry Potter books.
a) From the library.
b) In red pen.
- Twice-divorced women are not wooed by the mantra “Third time’s the charm!”
- My hand may eventually heal. I am not allowed to consider prosthetic chainsaw attachments.
- My blasting rod is not my “boomstick.”
- “Klaatu barada nikto!” is not an appropriate spell.
a) Regardless of whether or not I say it correctly.
b) Even though it did work.
- Similarly, “Eta Kooram Nah Smech” will not make an enraged Murphy fall asleep.
- Referring to Lasciel’s coin as “My Precious” in Michael’s presence is not funny and will probably only get me killed.
- I may not make “your mom” jokes to Thomas. It only encourages him and is counterproductive.
- I may not tell the Merlin to pull the sword out of his stone.
a) I may not tell this to Morgan either.
- Whether or not I had any intention of following up on them, trying bad pickup lines on Murphy will get me shot.
a) Likewise Lara.
b) Also Miss Gard.
- I may not call Marcone “Scarface.”
- I may no longer lurk around elementary schools, even if there are monsters on the playground.
a) Having lurked, I will not laugh at the cop who’s come to ‘talk’ to me.
b) Having laughed, I will not suggest he call Murphy.
c) Having suggested, I will at least be glad that I brightened her day, judging from the hysterical laughter.
- I may no longer tell vampires to “bite me,” as that joke is dead and rotting.
a) Similarly, if I say “fuck you” to a White Court vampire, I deserve what I get.
- Quoting Labyrinth at the faeries is just asking for trouble.
- A flea collar is not an appropriate gift for a werewolf.
a) Unless I’ve suddenly developed a death wish.
- I will not use my pentacle amulet to ward off Jehovah’s Witnesses.
- I can no longer tell impressionable young children that my dog is part wolf.
a) Or Sirius Black.
- Changing the tagline on my ad to read “Who ya gonna call?” is a violation of good taste as well as copyright laws.
- The Dresden Dolls were not named after me.
a) Nor are they my personal fan club.
- I am not permitted to address the Council in Pig Latin.
a) Even if it is easier than real Latin. Stupid correspondence course.
I will not pitch my life story to Peter Jackson.
a) Viggo Mortensen isn’t nearly tall enough to play me, anyway.
-It is culturally insensitive to refer to the incident that maimed my hand as “the firebombing of Dresden.”
a) Nor should I respond to condolences by commenting “So it goes. Po-tee-weet?”
-I will not poke people with my stick.
a) If I must poke people with my stick, it will in fact be my stick, and not my…stick.
- I must no longer answer questions I don’t know the answer to with “A wizard did it”. It was not funny the first time, nor was it funny the subsequent seventeen times.
a) Even if a wizard did do it.
b) Especially if it was me.
- While wearing my wizard robes, I must not Jedi wave ‘this is not the house you are looking for’ at visiting Mormons, vacuume-cleaner salesmen or Avon ladies.
a) Or Jedi wave ‘These cookies are free’ as visiting Girl Scouts.
- As tempting as it might be to show off, I must not demonstrate ‘Jedi powers’ to the geeks at the gaming shop.
a) Or as Sci-Fi conventions.
b) Especially not to prove Star Wars over Star Trek to Trekkers.
c) My sword cane is NOT a lightsaber. Even with the noises.
- I will not attempt to break Mister of his Cola addiction.
a.1) without sufficient protection.
a.2) ever
- It is never a good idea to refer to Murph as “Sweetcheeks”.
a) Even if she did land butt first on the Sugar Plum Fairy.
b) Blaming the fact that I landed on my head, will only get me hit on the head harder.
c) Alcohol isn’t an excuse either.
- Stercus Caput is not a valid title of address at council meetings.
a) Even if it did make Ebenezer shoot whisky out his nose.
- Asking Billy and Georgia “When is the litter due?” will not get me out of any future babysitting duty.
- I will not encourage the other pixies to sing “Don’t mess with my Toot Toot” if Toot doesn’t come through with the information. It only gives him a swelled head.
- I will not borrow Mac’s Car….
- I will not open doors of Big Jim’s door with my staff
- I will not refer to Marcone as Padrino. I will not refer to Lea as fairy Padrina. And I will never, ever, introduce them.
- I may not introduce myself as Gandalf the White, Radagast the Brown, or Manfred the Slightly Ecru.
-I will not shout “Fire!” in a crowded White Council meeting. Or in a crowded theatre, for that matter.
-I will not mop the White Council HQ’s floor with Morgan’s grey cloak.
a) Even if it won’t leave a stain. It’s the principle of the thing, I suppose.
- I am not to let Bob out anywhere near Butters’ Accordian;
a) No matter how much he whines about his Kielbasa Sausage and it’s need to perform.
b) Again.
-When asked my name, I will not answer “There are some who call me… Tim?”
- I must not ask Murphy to “Sit on my Magic lap” Again.
- Under no circumstances am I to make any references to performing spells “skyclad.”
a) Especially if Morgan is within earshot.
b) Yes, it’s funny to watch his head explode. It is still Wrong.
c) Anyway, he who makes the Warden’s head explode cleans up debris from said explosion, and blood is so hard to get out of carpet.
I absolutely LOVE this!! So many geek references that would totally be his style! Thanks for sharing it!
First, to De7en, I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding Bob. I honestly crack up when Bob does something AWESOME, and I wake up my wife when doing so. She fails to be amused at times…but ANYWAY…I love this series, I have most of the Codex books as well. Jim Butcher really is an amazing storyteller! I have a tiny request for Jim. Let Harry work with Jill Kismet, PLEASE! Nothing against Murph, in fact I want her and Harry together, but let Jill come play with Harry on missions!
OMG A Jill/Harry crossover would be AMAZING! And probably cause a hell of a lot of property damage.
I am not allowed to volunteer vampires of the white court for condom commercial roles.
Especially not Lara.
- Or Thomas
- or anyone
- Especially Not Ramirez.
I still hurt from the last time I did.