2009 book twenty-four and -five: Dresden Files
One book away from being caught up on the series! I'll put the reviews behind the cuts:
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, book ten) by Jim Butcher, isbn 9780451462008, 545 pages, Roc Fantasy, $9.99
It is not hyperbole to say that in this volume of The Dresden Files, all Hell breaks loose. This is another one of those books that I cannot describe as "a rollercoaster," because that term implies rising and falling action, an occasional breather of sorts -- and there is nothing like that in this book. From the moment Gruffs (yes, as in "three billy goats ...") attack Harry and the Carpenter children in the Carpenter backyard, this book does not slow down. The tension ratchets higher and higher; friends and foes alike are in mortal (and more-than-mortal) danger. And finally, a major baddie takes all the things we love about Harry -- his loyalty to his friends, his chivalry / chauvinism, his well-known favorite ways of weilding his magic -- and turns them all against him. In previous books we've gotten strong character moments for Charity and Molly Carpenter, but father Michael has been on the backburner for a while -- he returns to the focus in this volume and we once again understand just what a rock he is, not just for his family but for Harry and even the young impressionable Knight of the Cross Sanya. Between this volume and the short story "The Warrior" (in the Mean Streets anthology), I have such a deeper understanding of Michael, and wish more than ever that Butcher would finally show us how a Knight of the Cross and a Wizard of the White Council became such close friends.
In White Night, I complained about a bit of a deux ex machina reveal of a hidden power of Harry's. There was a moment here in Small Favor where I thought Butcher was doing it again. That moment is much earlier in the book this time, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I'm glad I did. It may still qualify as a "god in the machine" moment, technically, but the way it was worked in was much more satisfying. And I'm not sure I can say much more than that without spoiling something major.
I understand that Butcher has said in various places that he has material for about 20 Dresden novels; if so Small Favor is the halfway point. It feels like it, in some respects. Things are getting more stressful for Harry: enemies are cropping up on all sides, old favors and debts are being called due, and Harry is starting to feel the stress of keeping certain information from The White Council. On the flip side, Harry is no longer fighting alone: Karrin Murphy understands far more about the world Harry operates in than she did when she first met him (and she has a fantastic moment near the novel's end); Molly Carpenter, Harry's apprentice, is getting stronger in her power; Harry's relationship with his brother is stronger now that they're not keeping secrets from each other; and then there's Harry's growing ... respect ... for his leader on the Wardens, Captain Luccio. He's certainly got the support, despite the secrets he's still keeping.
Not a jumping on point for new readers, but a great thrill-ride for those of us who have made it this far in the series.
And then there's Backup: A Story of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, isbn 9781596061828, 70 pages, Subterranean Press, $20.00
The problem with Subterranean Press editions is that they're limited, they're usually printed on higher quality paper with better coverstock, and they're expensive. $20 for a 70 page hardcover? Even with cover art and illustrations by the great Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy)? Yeah, I'm that much of a Dresden fan these days, so sign me up. Thankfully, even though it was out of print, Powell's Books had a "used" copy still at the cover price.
So what's it about? Thomas Raith, one of the most interesting of Harry Dresden's very interesting supporting cast, basically has to save Harry from a situation he doesn't realize he's gotten himself into. Now you'd think that would be easy since, as Thomas says at the beginning of the story, he is Harry's older brother. Of course, there's a complication (two, actually) that keeps Thomas from outright telling Harry what's going on. Harry barely appears in the story, actually, although two other supporting cast members provide a great moment mid-book. Butcher does a great job of differentiating Thomas' narratorial voice from Harry's -- they both drop pop culture references like they're getting product placement deals, but Thomas' spoken cadence is slightly more formal, with just a few fewer contractions and such, to set him apart.
The story is fast and breezy and fun, but we also get to learn a bit about Thomas' past that Harry doesn't know. I have no doubt this will play into the main story of the novels eventually, but probably not for a while yet. It seems like the kind of thing that eventually will be pertinent to the endgame of the series. Of course, I could be wrong.
I think a reader new to the Dresden-verse could read Backup without having anything major (other than Thomas' relationship to Harry) spoiled. There's barely any indication of when in the sequence this story takes place, although Butcher's website says it takes place after Small Favor, which is why I read it now.
So, I have one Dresden book left: the newest volume, Turn Coat, which I plan to at least start reading on my flights to Houston on Wednesday. Whatever will I do with myself after I'm caught up? Oh yeah ... I still need to read and review the Dresden graphic novel "Welcome to the Jungle" to see if it holds up better collected than it did as individual issues.
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, book ten) by Jim Butcher, isbn 9780451462008, 545 pages, Roc Fantasy, $9.99
It is not hyperbole to say that in this volume of The Dresden Files, all Hell breaks loose. This is another one of those books that I cannot describe as "a rollercoaster," because that term implies rising and falling action, an occasional breather of sorts -- and there is nothing like that in this book. From the moment Gruffs (yes, as in "three billy goats ...") attack Harry and the Carpenter children in the Carpenter backyard, this book does not slow down. The tension ratchets higher and higher; friends and foes alike are in mortal (and more-than-mortal) danger. And finally, a major baddie takes all the things we love about Harry -- his loyalty to his friends, his chivalry / chauvinism, his well-known favorite ways of weilding his magic -- and turns them all against him. In previous books we've gotten strong character moments for Charity and Molly Carpenter, but father Michael has been on the backburner for a while -- he returns to the focus in this volume and we once again understand just what a rock he is, not just for his family but for Harry and even the young impressionable Knight of the Cross Sanya. Between this volume and the short story "The Warrior" (in the Mean Streets anthology), I have such a deeper understanding of Michael, and wish more than ever that Butcher would finally show us how a Knight of the Cross and a Wizard of the White Council became such close friends.
In White Night, I complained about a bit of a deux ex machina reveal of a hidden power of Harry's. There was a moment here in Small Favor where I thought Butcher was doing it again. That moment is much earlier in the book this time, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I'm glad I did. It may still qualify as a "god in the machine" moment, technically, but the way it was worked in was much more satisfying. And I'm not sure I can say much more than that without spoiling something major.
I understand that Butcher has said in various places that he has material for about 20 Dresden novels; if so Small Favor is the halfway point. It feels like it, in some respects. Things are getting more stressful for Harry: enemies are cropping up on all sides, old favors and debts are being called due, and Harry is starting to feel the stress of keeping certain information from The White Council. On the flip side, Harry is no longer fighting alone: Karrin Murphy understands far more about the world Harry operates in than she did when she first met him (and she has a fantastic moment near the novel's end); Molly Carpenter, Harry's apprentice, is getting stronger in her power; Harry's relationship with his brother is stronger now that they're not keeping secrets from each other; and then there's Harry's growing ... respect ... for his leader on the Wardens, Captain Luccio. He's certainly got the support, despite the secrets he's still keeping.
Not a jumping on point for new readers, but a great thrill-ride for those of us who have made it this far in the series.
And then there's Backup: A Story of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, isbn 9781596061828, 70 pages, Subterranean Press, $20.00
The problem with Subterranean Press editions is that they're limited, they're usually printed on higher quality paper with better coverstock, and they're expensive. $20 for a 70 page hardcover? Even with cover art and illustrations by the great Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy)? Yeah, I'm that much of a Dresden fan these days, so sign me up. Thankfully, even though it was out of print, Powell's Books had a "used" copy still at the cover price.
So what's it about? Thomas Raith, one of the most interesting of Harry Dresden's very interesting supporting cast, basically has to save Harry from a situation he doesn't realize he's gotten himself into. Now you'd think that would be easy since, as Thomas says at the beginning of the story, he is Harry's older brother. Of course, there's a complication (two, actually) that keeps Thomas from outright telling Harry what's going on. Harry barely appears in the story, actually, although two other supporting cast members provide a great moment mid-book. Butcher does a great job of differentiating Thomas' narratorial voice from Harry's -- they both drop pop culture references like they're getting product placement deals, but Thomas' spoken cadence is slightly more formal, with just a few fewer contractions and such, to set him apart.
The story is fast and breezy and fun, but we also get to learn a bit about Thomas' past that Harry doesn't know. I have no doubt this will play into the main story of the novels eventually, but probably not for a while yet. It seems like the kind of thing that eventually will be pertinent to the endgame of the series. Of course, I could be wrong.
I think a reader new to the Dresden-verse could read Backup without having anything major (other than Thomas' relationship to Harry) spoiled. There's barely any indication of when in the sequence this story takes place, although Butcher's website says it takes place after Small Favor, which is why I read it now.
So, I have one Dresden book left: the newest volume, Turn Coat, which I plan to at least start reading on my flights to Houston on Wednesday. Whatever will I do with myself after I'm caught up? Oh yeah ... I still need to read and review the Dresden graphic novel "Welcome to the Jungle" to see if it holds up better collected than it did as individual issues.