Release Date: 27/05/14
Publisher: Orbit
SYNOPSIS:
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day. As Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it's something awful. This time, it's worse than that. Mab's involved Harry in a smash-and-grab heist run by one of his most despised enemies, to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure horde in the world - which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess - assuming his own allies don't end up killing him before his enemies get the chance ...
REVIEW:
The latest Harry Dresden book and whilst its been one I’ve waited a little time to think about my review its one that left the reader puzzling right the way through as to how he was going to survive against the greatest odds he’s yet to face. I love the way that Harry is, I love the witty asides, the double dealing, the political machinations and how what you thought was right can easily be twisted for a separate point of view.
Add to the mix some new friends as well as some old ones and a real kickass tale, all round gives the reader another superb book to sit back and savour. I’m definitely going to go back for a reread soon and I hope that Orbit will release the earlier books in Hardback format as my current ones are wearing out.
Release Date: 28/07/11
SYNOPSIS:
Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard PI. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. But he's forgotten his own golden rule: magic - it can get a guy killed. Which didn't help when he clashed with unknown assailants with his murder in mind. And though Harry's continued existence is now in some doubt, this doesn't mean he can rest in peace. Trapped in a realm that's not quite here, yet not quite anywhere else, Harry learns that three of his loved ones are in danger. Only by discovering his assailant's identity can he save his friends, bring criminal elements to justice, and move on himself. It would just be easier if he knew who was at risk. And had a (working) crystal ball. And access to magic. Instead, he is unable to interact with the physical world - invisible to all but a select magical few. He's also not the only silent presence roaming Chicago's alleys. Hell, he put some there himself. Now, they're looking for payback.
REVIEW:
Perhaps not the most common saying ever, but to be honest a phrase from the Victorian period was suddenly echoing round my area not that long ago. “The Butcher has arrived, the Butcher has arrived.” Was virtually screamed at opening the envelope to see the cover of this, the latest adventure for Wizard PI Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden which as series fans will recall was left at a major cliff hanger at the end of the last book, Changes.
I really couldn’t wait to begin, but hey, if you’re preparing for a major read you need to lay some supplies in. Homemade Salami, Ham and Pastrami Baguette, check. Chilled bottle of Barrs Dandelion and Burdock, check. Comfy cushions and blanket for the sofa, check. Quick loo break prior to starting. Check. Finally phone unplugged for peace and quiet. Check. I was all ready to begin and woe betide anyone that got in my way.
What unfurls within this title is a story of danger, a story of old foes and a story where characters fears and emotional conflicts are faced after the previous titles events. It is fast paced, it has multiple twists and quite a few the reader really won’t see coming. As usual with Butcher, Harry is the star of the tale and this time, he has to deal with relatively little power relying on his other skills to get him through which makes this classic Dresden. The only real downside is how long its going to be before the next book arrives and with luck, the “Rag Lady” will get her first step on the road to recovery as well as allowing Harry to be back to his best.
Release Date: 14/04/11
SYNOPSIS:
Harry is the best and technically the 'only' at what he does, being the lone professional wizard PI in the Chicago phonebook. So when the Chicago PD has cases that transcend mortal capabilities, they come to him for answers. For the 'everyday' world is actually full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. Yet despite his precautions, Harry tends to stumble from crisis to drama in his dealings with the supernatural world - call it an occupational hazard. Here, he unfailingly manages to get on the wrong side of werewolf, fae and vampires alike. And that's where his own rather special powers come into play ...These bite-sized stories are tremendously entertaining and will leave you itching to explore more of Harry Dresden's world. And as well as eight short stories, this collection will include an all-new Dresden Files novella.
REVIEW:
It’ll come as no surprise that I’m a huge fan of the Dresden files. So when I had the opportunity to read this newly released title that brings together the short stories by Jim Butcher I couldn’t resist it. The writing is, as usual, a top quality produce and when adding the extra layers to the world of Harry it also gives the reader the chance to have an extra few adventures just to dip into when you’re on a short journey or even feeling a little down. It’s cleverly done, it has great prose and with the wait for the next title (Ghost Story) feeling like its stretching into infinity at the moment, it’s a wonderful addition to any fans collection.
The only downside to this title is the same as with the paperback release of changes in that there is a huge difference in book size as well as a change to the US cover art style and whilst they are rereleasing all the titles in this new look, it will be quite expensive for fans to have to replace their collection. Other than that the only suggestion I’d like to make would be for the UK publisher to release the previous books in various hardback compendiums as they do get read multiple times a year and would make a wonderful addition.
BOOK BLURB:
I answered the phone, no big deal, until I heard the message: 'They've taken our daughter.' Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has never faced anything like this. Arianna Ortega, Red Court vampire, blames Harry for her husband's death - and she's out for revenge. So her discovery that Susan Rodriguez had borne Harry a daughter was an unexpected gift. Arianna's next step was to kidnap the girl and she plans to use her blood in a violent ritual sacrifice designed to kill Harry, Susan and their daughter. With the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court in a state of detente, Harry finds himself alone except for a handful of allies - resources utterly inadequate to challenging the Red King and his entire vampire Court. With the life of his child at stake, Susan's humanity hanging in precarious balance and with his own death looming, Dresden must find a new source of strength. In the past, there had always been a line Harry wouldn't cross, and though dark powers have tempted him time and again, he never gave in. But then, only his own life was at stake.
REVIEW:
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Dresden files so you can pretty much guarantee that when it lands I’m going to probably destroy it quicker than Harry on a Red Court Vamp. So when I started this I was pretty flawed by the opening paragraph and what was to unfurl within. I don’t want to say to much but I think Jim will get a lot more mail over this release than any other out there. It’s great writing, its gripping and above all else it’s a title that you’ll be sad to finish. The wait for the next release is going to be a long way off.
BOOK BLURB:
Harry Dresden, professional wizard, has done his best to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned. Even so, his past misdeeds have cast a constant shadow of suspicion over him in the eyes of the Wardens, those wizards responsible for enforcing the Laws of Magic. Now Dresden finds himself faced with a nightmarish dilemma: Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor among the Wardens, has been wrongly accused of treason against the White Council - and has come to Harry for help. Dresden faces a daunting task: clear Morgan's name while simultaneously hiding him from the Wardens and the supernatural bounty hunters sent to find him, discover the identity of the true turncoat and, of course, avoid accusations of treachery of his own. A single mistake may mean that heads - quite literally - will roll. And one of them could be his own ...
REVIEW:
As mentioned in other reviews you really can’t beat Jim in modern urban fantasy as he really is the name to beat. The characters within the tale continue to grow along with the paranoia of the greater supporting cast as the idea’s of a black council that Harry’s been selling for years comes more the fore in this latest offering. Well written, heart rending, comical and above all a tale that demonstrates the ebb and flow essential to a truly great journey and you have a satisfactory story even though it will more than upset a number of the established fans.
BOOK BLURB:
No one's tried to kill Harry Dresden for almost an entire year, and his life finally seems to be calming down. For once, the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow.
An old bargain has placed Harry in debt to Mab, monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, the Queen of Air and Darkness-and she's calling in her marker. It's a small favor he can't refuse...one that will trap Harry Dresden between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and one that will strain his skills-and loyalties-to their very limits.
It figures. Everything was going too well to last...
REVIEW:
If you want a story that pretty much rewrote the Urban Fantasy genre then you will more than likely have been recommended a book by Jim Butcher. This is because no one truly does it better than Butcher who’s intrepid investigative Wizard PI, Harry Dresden gives you a story that will not only impress but will allow the reader to have a pure guilty pleasure series to enjoy. Each time a new novel comes out I reread the series to such a degree that of some of the earlier novels I’m already on to my second copy which has been a real pleasure to enjoy. No one really does this genre better and to be blunt it’s a series I use time and again to introduce new readers to the genre, after all if they don’t like Harry, they won’t like a lot of the other stuff out there. That said never start a Butcher series part way into it, you have to start at the beginning and when you do that, you really won’t need me to tell you how good this series is.
