#57 Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
This review has some pretty big spoilers from previous Dresden Files books (especially Changes). 
Harry Dresden is dead. But instead of resting in peace, he's sent back to earth to solve the mystery behind his murder. If he doesn't, three people that he cares about will be hurt. He arrives back in Chicago, six months after his death, to discover his city and his friends damaged as a result of the events surrounding his death. But how can Harry help them as a wandering shade with no magic?
All actions have consequences. In Harry's fight to save his daughter from the Red Court, he tore apart the world and died for it. In Ghost Story, he begins to realize that his actions impact more than just himself. In destroying the entire Red Court, Harry has left a gap in power that other forces are scrambling to come and claim. On a more personal level, the people Harry love the most have been equally ravaged. Murphy is worn down to the bone in her quest to protect Chicago, and his apprentice Molly is emotionally scarred. I like the fact that Ghost Story acknowledges these consequences. You can't change the world and expect everything to stay the same.
One thing I really liked about Ghost Story was it provided a completely new set of obstacles for Harry to overcome. In the beginning, Harry must learn how to be a ghost, tackle his enemies without his impressive magic reserves, and find a way to communicate with his friends who cannot hear or see him. This was a nice change from previous volumes. I also like the fact that the book really shows us how much Molly has grown as a character. Over the past several books, I've really grown fond of Harry's apprentice. Ghost Story really shows us what a tough wizard she has become (albeit a very different sort of wizard that Harry), and the emotional challenges she must face. The book does resolve the mystery of Harry's murder. I found that I was correct in predicting who pulled the trigger, but the reason why the trigger is pulled is so much more interesting, and I did not see that coming. Ghost Story's main weakness lies in the fact that the story is simply not as tight as previous volumes, and can meander a bit at times. The result is a book that's still highly entertaining, but not quite on the same level as recent volumes.
Ghost Story is the thirteenth volume in The Dresden Files, and Jim Butcher proves that even though Harry may be dead, the series still has plenty of life left in it. Ghost Story is filled with the exciting action sequences, gripping emotional drama, and humorous moments that fans of come to expect. I am eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 477 pages
Source: borrowed from my Dresden Files obsessed fiance
Other books I've read by this author: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night, Small Favor, Turn Coat, Changes, Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury, Cursor's Fury. I've also read the short story "Something Borrowed" from My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, "Day Off" from Blood Lite, and “Even Hand” from Dark and Stormy Knights.
Next I'll be reviewing Mississippi Jack by LA Meyer.
xposted to temporaryworlds ,bookish , and goodreads
Harry Dresden is dead. But instead of resting in peace, he's sent back to earth to solve the mystery behind his murder. If he doesn't, three people that he cares about will be hurt. He arrives back in Chicago, six months after his death, to discover his city and his friends damaged as a result of the events surrounding his death. But how can Harry help them as a wandering shade with no magic?
All actions have consequences. In Harry's fight to save his daughter from the Red Court, he tore apart the world and died for it. In Ghost Story, he begins to realize that his actions impact more than just himself. In destroying the entire Red Court, Harry has left a gap in power that other forces are scrambling to come and claim. On a more personal level, the people Harry love the most have been equally ravaged. Murphy is worn down to the bone in her quest to protect Chicago, and his apprentice Molly is emotionally scarred. I like the fact that Ghost Story acknowledges these consequences. You can't change the world and expect everything to stay the same.
One thing I really liked about Ghost Story was it provided a completely new set of obstacles for Harry to overcome. In the beginning, Harry must learn how to be a ghost, tackle his enemies without his impressive magic reserves, and find a way to communicate with his friends who cannot hear or see him. This was a nice change from previous volumes. I also like the fact that the book really shows us how much Molly has grown as a character. Over the past several books, I've really grown fond of Harry's apprentice. Ghost Story really shows us what a tough wizard she has become (albeit a very different sort of wizard that Harry), and the emotional challenges she must face. The book does resolve the mystery of Harry's murder. I found that I was correct in predicting who pulled the trigger, but the reason why the trigger is pulled is so much more interesting, and I did not see that coming. Ghost Story's main weakness lies in the fact that the story is simply not as tight as previous volumes, and can meander a bit at times. The result is a book that's still highly entertaining, but not quite on the same level as recent volumes.
Ghost Story is the thirteenth volume in The Dresden Files, and Jim Butcher proves that even though Harry may be dead, the series still has plenty of life left in it. Ghost Story is filled with the exciting action sequences, gripping emotional drama, and humorous moments that fans of come to expect. I am eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 477 pages
Source: borrowed from my Dresden Files obsessed fiance
Other books I've read by this author: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Night, Small Favor, Turn Coat, Changes, Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury, Cursor's Fury. I've also read the short story "Something Borrowed" from My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, "Day Off" from Blood Lite, and “Even Hand” from Dark and Stormy Knights.
Next I'll be reviewing Mississippi Jack by LA Meyer.
xposted to temporaryworlds ,bookish , and goodreads