Spotlight on Fandoms: The Dresden Files
INTRO
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard and the main character of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files book series. There's also a TV series that lasted for one season before Skiffy killed it, as Skiffy is prone to doing. There are currently 10 books in print with a 11th one due in April. Also out are one novella, a few short stories, and a graphic novel. A comic adaptation of the first book is midway through its run, with the other books to follow as long as it sells well. About half the books (I think) are out as audiobooks as well, read by James Marsters (see, my icon makes sense!).
Set in Chicago, the books are sometimes described as urban noir, and definitely have a supernatural twist to them what with the main character being a wizard and all. In addition to wizards you have faeries, vampires, supernatural dogs, dragons, monkey demons that throw flaming poo (really), werewolves, spirits, ghosts, zombies, and most other supernatural creatures you can think of. Magic is very real in this universe and can do all sorts of things, not all of them good, and most of them trying to attack and kill Harry Dresden at one time or another.
Yes, even the good things. Harry has a gift for pissing people off, usually by opening his mouth.
Jim Butcher, when discussing the universe, has said that Harry's life doesn't always suck, and that, in fact, it's usually quite dull. The books just happen to catch Harry during the week or two a year when it's really, really not. Each book tends to deal with one major case Harry has to solve, usually for the Chicago PD or to ensure he remains among the living. Well, a combination of the two really. He does have a knack for getting himself into a lot of trouble, but he usually manages to get back out of it again. He's at least managed to stay alive this long, which is really kind of impressive.
CHARACTERS
Harry Dresden
Harry is tall, dark, and wizardly. And in addition to being a wizard, Harry's a private investigator and often acts as a consultant for the Chicago PD.
Harry's the only wizard in the Chicago phone book. Really. He's listed under "Wizard". He's something of a black sheep in the wizarding community and has something called the Doom of Damocles (a delayed death sentence, essentially) on him when the series starts because he set his mentor and girlfriend on fire and presumably killed them when he was 16. They were trying to enthrall him and turn him evil at the time, so it was self-defence. There's a Warden (wizard law enforcement officer) named Morgan who really wants to kill him for this. In canon, Harry also has something of a hero complex, probably due in part to his misspent youth. Unfortunately, he also has some pretty terrible luck. The two don't mix well and it's honestly surprising that he's alive after so many misadventures. His luck is especially terrible when it comes to women. His last serious girlfriend now has something of a desire for his blood. Oops?
Karrin Murphy
Murph's (not Karrin. Never, ever, hardly ever Karrin) the Lieutenant in charge of the Special Investigations (S.I.) unit of the Chicago Police Department, which basically means that she's in charge of investigating all of the weird stuff that no one wants to admit happens in Chicago, using the two or three other cops who have also been exiled to the poorly funded unit due to a complete lack of political ability. Basically, S.I. is where some good and some bad cops go to die, since it's not really a place CPD promotes from. It was supposed to be a last resort, but Murphy makes it work, very often through sheer determination, stubbornness, and her friendship (yes, let's go with friendship) with Harry Dresden.
As the series moves on, her devotion and duty to the department becomes even more evident, even as her relationship with Harry and his world becomes more complicated.
Bob the Skull
He's not actually a skull. He's a spirit of air and intellect and he's bound to the skull. He used to belong to some pretty scary bad wizards, including Harry's previous evil mentor, but he's a good guy when he's controlled by a good guy. Harry picked him up out of the ashes when he burninated Justin and Elaine and named him Bob. They've been together ever since, snarking at each other constantly. He's full of useful info for Harry and he has a penchant for romance novels and is a total perv.
Michael Carpenter
He's on a mission from God. Really. He's a Knight of the Cross, which means he's pretty much an agent of God in the real world. He and Harry fight bad guys and scary monsters together. He met his wife when he slayed the dragon that had kidnapped her. And he's got a really big sword that may or may not be Excalibur.
Molly Carpenter
When we first meet Molly, she's really nothing more than Michael and Charity Carpenter's oldest daughter, who has a slight case of hero worship for Harry Dresden. When we see her again, she's three years older, half a foot taller, pierced and tattooed in interesting places, in open rebellion against her mother, and has dropped out of high school. She's five foot ten, blond, and built like her mother, who is occasionally likened to an Amazon warrior or Valkyrie. Then, through a series of long and involved events (called Proven Guilty) Harry gets his hands on her (not literally, much to her disappointment, as by this point she has a crush on the wizard in the trenchcoat), she moves back into her house, goes back to high school, and becomes his apprentice in the wizarding arts.
She also has the Doom of Damocles hanging over her head - so, if she slips off the wizarding path, she dies. Oh, and so does Harry. She's smart and friendly and devoted to her siblings, but she doesn't always make the best romantic or magical choices. Then again, what teenager does?
Thomas Raith
A White Court vampire (read: he feeds off people by sexing them up!) who happens to be the older half-brother Harry never knew he had.
The Alphas
A bunch of young werewolves who Harry met during book 2. They help out with Harry's cases that require the presence of scary wolves. Other times they provide pizza and D&D games for Harry to enjoy.
Elaine
Harry's evil mentor Justin's other apprentice. She and Harry were both taken in by Justin when they were kids and they grew up together. And then they fell in love/lust as teenagers. Then Harry burninated her because she was evil and working with Justin. Or so he thinks.
Ebenezar McCoy
Harry's good mentor. The one who stood up for him when the White Council (governing body of wizards) wanted him dead for killing two people with magic. McCoy took Harry in and, though Harry didn't know this, agreed to kill him if he gave him any trouble. McCoy's also the Council's Blackstaff which means he can break the Laws of Magic without repercussions.
John Marcone
Business man. Mob boss. All-around badass criminal who has a valkyrie working for him. He runs Chicago's criminal element. And somewhere, drowned with cement shoes in the depths of his soul, there's a tiny scrap of good guy. Very tiny. Very deep.
Black/White/Red Courts
The Black Court are creepy Nosferatu-type vamps and they want your body. For eating. The Reds are scary monsters that look human most of the time and they want your blood. For eating. The Whites are gorgeous psychic vampires. They want your mind. For eating. Harry managed to start a war between the wizards and all the vampires. Harry is gifted that way.
The Leanansidhe
Harry's faerie godmother. She has Harry's best interests at heart (even when she wants to turn him into a dog), and helped him defeat He Who Walks Behind, a scary demon that Justin sent after Harry before Harry burninated Justin to death. As a result he owes her. She sells his debt to her to Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie which leads to many wacky hijinks and a donut. A donut with sprinkles.
Donald Morgan
Morgan's a good guy, he just hides it well. He's a Warden. He's supposed to enforce the Laws of Magic, and he takes his job very seriously. He thinks of Harry, for the most part, as an animal that needs to be put down. Morgan thinks decapitation is the best way to deal with any wizard he thinks has gone to the dark side. Morgan doesn't do shades of grey very well.
WHY EVERYONE SHOULD READ THESE BOOKS
Because they are awesome. Um. Perhaps that answer is not quite specific enough.
Because we told you to.
Because even if you don't like Harry, there's got to be some character who cracks you up or makes you want to read more.
They're fun and funny. There's some quality banter in here, people. Who doesn't love banter?
Bob is the best talking skull ever.
The rest of the characters are pretty sweet too. And some of the bad guys are totally creepy.
Harry's life kind of sucks and schadenfreude is fun!
Because "Polka will never die!" is a battlecry.
Zombie dinosaurs!
Someone once tried to sell Harry on eBay.
Best use of a laser-guided frozen turkey ever.
If that's not enough, here's the 1st chapter of Storm Front, the first book: http://jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/1/ch1/
There are sample chapters from all the books on Butcher's website actually, along with a couple (very) short stories.
Still not enough?
Jim Butcher needs to eat too.
This Fandom Spotlight brought to you by grasshopper_mol and harrydresden.