Book Reviews: White Night

Someone is murdering magical practitioners.  And that someone just might be closer to Harry than he realizes.  As he draws closer and closer to the truth he realizes that whoever is involved is connected to the white court of vampires.

Book Reviews: Proven Guilty

As a new Warden of the white council, part of Harry's duty is the execution of warlocks and dark wizards.  Considering how close he got to being executed as a warlock in the past Harry is understandably horrified at having to witness the execution of a sixteen year old Korean warlock.  He then becomes involved in a case involving monster attacks at a local horror convention, and somehow his friend Michael's daughter Molly is involved.

Book Reviews: Death Masks

I've been tearing through these books, so expect a review a week until I've caught up to the end of the series. There's a reason I'm going through these books so fast. They. Are. Amazing! This one especially so, as it not only introduces some great characters and villains, while at the same time setting up some excellent plot threads for later.

The stakes are high as Harry is attacked by some of Johnny Marcone's, the Chicago Crime Lord, goons in an attempt to assassinate him. At the same time a high ranking member of the Red Court is in town to challenge him to a duel. If things weren't bad enough, the Shroud of Turin has been stolen, and Harry is hired by the Church to track it down. Unfortunately a breed of deadly fallen angels are after the shroud as well, and won't hesitate to take out anyone who is involved. Fortunately Harry has some help. Some divine help.

Continuing in the mystery novel tradition that Summer Knight set up, Death Masks is as fast paced as its predecessors. So far I have to consider this one my favorite.

The driving force of any novel, besides the protagonist, is the villains. Good villains, whether they be complete monsters, or redeemable extremists with good hearts, engage the reader into the conflict. If a villain is goofy then the tension lowers. If the villains kill without remorse, the tension is raised. If the main character can't defeat the villains one on one, then the tension goes through the roof.

This is what Death Masks is like. As with the previous books, Harry faces threats that he can't face one on one. In this case there are two threats, the demonic Fallen, and the ancient Vampire Lord Ortega. Harry has to not only defeat Ortega in a duel, which by all accounts Ortega is the clear favorite to win, but he also has to avoid the Denarians, twenty demons, one of which has enough power to shrug off Harry's magic and completely destroy him.

Michael, who makes a return for this book, along with two other Knights of the Cross, asks Harry to give up on searching for the shroud, on account of the danger the Denarians pose. Of course Harry doesn't listen.

Susan returns for this book, and even though she's more interesting than before, by a little bit, I have to say she hasn't recovered from my initial impression of her. She's going through her own character arc, but frankly she just doesn't appeal to me as a character. I think part of the problem is that when it comes to romance in fiction I like to see it as payoff after a great deal of development. It's why I am somewhat of a shipper (trying not to be, it's an unhealthy habit) for series where there isn't any romance in the first place. I see two characters who work well together, and whose relationship is not based around romance, but could be. For me a romantic relationship in fiction needs the right development, and a lot of series I read have plenty of development between characters, even if it isn't romantic. The relationship between Harry and Susan lacks that development. From pretty much her first introduction she was there as a romantic interest, and until now failed to get developed as a proper character.

Death Masks develops Susan's character some more, but for me it comes across as too little too late.

On the other hand there is some spectacular development for Johnny Marcone. I won't give anything away, but not only is he amusing in this book, while at the same time posing as both a threat and ally, but his reason for involvement in the theft of the Shroud of Turin blew me away at the end of the book. Marcone, evil though he may be, is a fully developed character who I could easily see transposed into the Batman universe, known for its complex and layered villains.

As far as the ending is concerned, let me tell you, it is pretty spectacular. The main threads of the book are resolved, but at the same time new ones are laid bare. The book ends with a sense of foreboding, and the events from Death Masks will continue to bear repercussions, much in the same way that the war started in Grave Peril.

Old characters are explored in more depth, new characters are introduced. Along with chilling villains, several clever plot twists, and a climax that, while silly, would be amazing to see rendered on the big screen.

If you haven't read this book, go read it. After reading all the other books first. Dresden Files is a series that won't disappoint.

If you liked my review, Buy the Book Here:
Death Masks (Hardcover)
Death Masks (Paperback)
Death Masks (Kindle Edition)
Death Masks (Audiobook)

Book Reviews: Summer Knight

The war between the White Council and the Red Court Vampires has been going on for several months. The White Council comes to Chicago for a war meeting. Harry, being the cause of the war, is in danger of being given to the Red Court as a peace offering. Unless he can secure safe passage through the Winter Sidhe lands for Wizard attack forces. Fortunately for Harry, Queen Mab has already contacted him with a job, to find a murderer and recover a stolen item. If he does this for Mab then she will allow the White Council passage through her lands. Otherwise his own kind will turn him over to the blood-sucking monsters.

The funny thing about this series is that while reading it I never acknowledge the fact that it's a mystery series. Sure I know that there's a whole "whodunnit" plot going on, but it's so different from the regular mystery series that I don't really like reading. The Dresden Files effectively combines two different genres, and comes out on top. While reading Summer Knight I didn't actively analyze what its genre was, I was too busy enjoying the book. It wasn't until I sat down to write this review that I thought, "Oh yeah, I guess this was a mystery, wasn't it?" This is a mark of a good writer, that he's able to make us forget all about the superficial considerations like genre, and envelope us in the narrative.

Normally I don't like first person narratives, I see it in YA a lot, and while it works I always considered Third Person Limited as the true viewpoint of adult fiction. In the case of the Dresden Files first person works only because of Harry Dresden. As such a strong, entertaining narrator he provides an extra layer of entertainment to the reading. Jim Butcher realizes how to use the viewpoint properly, focusing entirely on Harry, instead of switching viewpoints, and thereby making a jarring switch from first person to third person limited.

I'm looking at you James Patterson!

Jonathan Stroud you are forgiven.

The prose aside, Summer Knight has a strong cast, of either new characters, or characters who have been introduced before, and are making a comeback. After my rant about Susan in the last review, I find it only fitting that now I get to talk about another significant lady in Harry's life.

**Spoilers**

Elayne is a big improvement from Susan. She's portrayed as a coward, hiding from the world under the protection of the Summer Court. She's essentially the exact opposite of Harry, who is very self sacrificing, while Elayne on the other hand looks out for number one.

The reason she works is because while she looks out for her own interests, she isn't a traitor, and remembers how important Harry is to her, and even goes against her mistress in order to help Harry. Elayne's involvement, along with the look into Harry's life that she brings, is a major driving force for the novel.

I know this is shorter than my bit on Susan, but really that's because I'm not complaining. I like Elayne, and can only hope that she shows up in later books.

**End Spoilers**

The changelings are an interesting bunch, with some interesting backgrounds that were developed just enough. I know there isn't much to say really, they were a good addition to the cast, and used effectively in the book, as either an extra mystery, or a pair of interesting side characters. Except for Ace. He was kind of pointless.

Not this Ace.

I really liked seeing Billy and the Werewolves again. They're easily my favorite bunch, even if they don't feature that much in the story. They're basically a bunch of geeks, and Harry hanging around them brings out his own inner geek. Easily a great group to have in a series aimed at a specific audience. After all, fanservice doesn't always have to be sexual. Sometimes all you need is a bit of admitted geekery.

Now I'm afraid I need to talk about something I didn't like quite as much. When describing women Butcher goes overboard, coming across as more of an amateur than he merits. You can only read so much about smooth legs and well shaped breasts before you start wondering how many cold showers it took Butcher to finish this book.

Keep in mind, there is a reason for this. Sexualization of women in pulp fiction, especially the crime noir stories Butcher is emulating, was a common feature. And by emulating this he sets the right kind of tone he's going for.

Besides, the book is filled with supernatural and regular beauties. Can you blame him?

Beauty like this would reduce even Wilde to the level of a fan-fiction writer.

"No it wouldn't."

I absolutely loved this book, and recommend the series all the more to new readers. The last two books were good, this one is even better. After seeing for myself how good these books are, I'm taking my friends' word that it gets better all the more seriously.

So I dare you to go out and read the books, then come back and tell me in all honesty that I lied to you when I said this series is worth at least one read through.

Oscar Wilde Commands it, Bitches!

If you liked my review, Buy the Book Here:
Summer Knight (Paperback)
Summer Knight (Hardcover)
Summer Knight (Kindle Edition)
Summer Knight (Audio CD)

Book Reviews: Grave Peril

I put my hand to the base of my stomach, pressing there, and felt my eyes go wide.
Bob winced. "Oooooo, chakra point. That isn't good. Got you right in the chi."

(Grave Peril, 150)

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Harry Dresden:

The Headband is hiding his lightning bolt scar.

The spirit world is in an uproar. Ghostly disturbances are wreaking havoc in Chicago, when Harry and his friend Michael, a Knight of the Cross, discover that someone has been casting a curse on ghosts, causing them to rampage. Harry is approached by a girl, Lydia, who is afraid for her life, saying that something is coming after her. When a cop friend of Harry's is attacked by a violent, powerful spirit, Harry begins to realize that there is more going on than just a disturbance of the spiritual realm and one frightened girl begging for protection.

Grave Peril takes place a year after Fool Moon. The events from that book to this are unrelated, but it is here that we start to see threads that will connect on to the rest of the series. You could say that this is where the plot starts. While Fool Moon was a fun read, Grave Peril takes that fun and ramps it up, while at the same time showing significant improvement in plotting and prose that I can only assume will continue to improve.

A strong point of this book is the introduction of several new characters to the series. Michael, Harry's friend, and a Knight of the Cross, is the conservative Christian character that no other writer seems to be capable of writing, the kind of Christian character I would love to see more of in literature. The humble believer who is stalwart and resolute in their beliefs, without being overbearing. Of course it helps that in The Dresden Files faith is power, and Michael's strong faith translates into the power to strike down evil with the literal Power of God. I can't help but love this character, simply because he is portrayed with dignity, rather than derision that devout Christians are too often subjected to in fiction. Besides, Power of God and a Holy Sword. What's not to love?

Thomas, a Vampire of the White Court, who is introduced later, is an interesting one. I won't go into too many details, lest I spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that he's one of those outrageous characters who is just too bizarre to hate. It's almost like someone took the stereotypical effeminate, self centered Vampire stereotype that is so common these days, and made a parody of them. In fact, that's what Jim Butcher has done, he's parodied modern Vampire stereotypes, while at the same time making him a sympathetic character. Well done!

Unfortunately this next section is going to contain some spoilers, as I have an issue with this book that needs addressing. So if you haven't read the book yet, please skip this next section and come back after you've read the book. If you want to read it, but can't see it, just highlight the text.

*Spoilers*

I'll be honest, I don't like Susan. Harry's Girlfriend. She really isn't all that developed, and exists solely as a stereotype of the liberated woman, while at the same time being there as a character that we are meant to be emotionally invested in because Harry cares about her. Nothing wrong with this really, even if it is a bit amateurish. The problem I have with her is that she's stupid. Very, very stupid.

Now, you may say that she's intelligent, career driven, and observant, but I'm afraid her actions speak otherwise. It's one thing for an author to say a character is a certain person, but when they have that character do something contrary to what they've said the character is, then that's poor characterization. And Susan, like it or not, is stupid.

I can overlook the fact that she spends most of her time digging into a world that she doesn't understand, which could put her in danger. We all want to know what we don't know, and I'm sure everyone reading this would jump at the chance of discovering a magical world hidden from our own. But when Susan ignored Harry's warning about attending the Red Court's Ball, and went with a fake invitation, because she's a "liberated woman" and won't stand for any man telling her what to do, I realized that she really, really isn't very smart.

Sure she comes with an arsenal of items meant to protect her, but in the end they would have done her no good. In fact, they did her no good. She was able to fight off a few vampires, even taking out one, before being overpowered and taken hostage. I know that scene is meant to show how capable she is, and maybe she is, if it weren't for the fact that she failed to realize that coming alone and uninvited to a gathering of Vampires probably isn't a great idea. In fact it's a suicidal idea.

Of course, the obvious happens and she gets turned. Not yet a full vampire, but under their curse. I can only assume that this will lead to some more character development, because she needs it. I don't mind romantic interests, in fact I'm a fairly big fan of romance in fiction. As long as the characters involved in a romance are first developed as their own characters. I don't really like romance for the sake of romance. That's really what Susan is for me so far, a character who exists to give the main character a romantic interest. There's a reason why I like to imagine romance in series where there is none (often shonen manga series) because I see characters whose interactions would be entertaining, or touching if romance was introduced. I only do this because I like the characters.

Hopefully Susan will get some proper development later on. I can only imagine that she must, given her current condition. But for now I'm not going to be putting her on my list of favorite Dresden Files characters.

*End Spoilers*

It was after finishing this book that I realized I need to finish the Dresden Files as quickly as possible. Whatever comes next, I now trust Jim Butcher to do right. I've been interested in Urban Fantasy for a while, but haven't really come across any series that interested me just right. I've finally found a series that is exactly what I've been looking for.

While I enjoyed Fool Moon it didn't quite drive me to finish the series. It wasn't till halfway through Grave Peril that I realized exactly how much I like this series. The blend of mythology and fantasy with the real world makes for a perfect combination that I can't help but love. I for one can't wait to see how Butcher manages to tie practically every mythology together into one whole that makes sense. You know that when you've got werewolves, vampires, fairies and gods, including the christian god, co-existing that you're in for a crazy read.

The introduction of several unresolved plot threads gave the book a strong feel of potential. Jim Butcher introduced us to several things that he could at one point examine. While the ending leaves you with questions, it resolves the important plot threads, and leaves you hungry for more and ready to start the next book. In fact, I'm almost done with Summer Knight so be expecting that review soon. I probably won't be reading any other books till I finish this series.

That's it for now, I'll probably have the Summer Knight review up sometime next week. I have it scheduled for next Tuesday, and should easily be done with it by then.

If you liked my review, buy the book here:
Grave Peril (Paperback)
Grave Peril (Hardcover)
Grave Peril (Kindle)
Grave Peril (Audio CD)

If you want the Audible Audiobook you can get that from Amazon as well. I'd provide a link, but Amazon won't let me.

Book Reviews: Fool Moon

When I get books recommended to me it usually takes forever for me to get around to them. When my Dad recommended A Wrinkle in Time all those many years ago, it took me several months to get around to reading it. I loved it (need to read it again). A few years later he recommended Ray Bradbury. It took me even longer to get around to reading those. I'll confess, I didn't like them, but I really am more of a fantasy than sci-fi fan, and who knows what I'd think of them if I reread them.

When my buddy Nathan recommended the Dresden Files I petered around a bit, before finding Fool Moon, the second book in the series (he recommended I skip the first one), in the Library. After getting it I still waited a few weeks before starting it. As soon as I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.

Disclaimer:

The Author of this article would like to state that this previous statement is in fact erroneous. He was indeed physically capable of putting the book down. It was just so good he didn't want to.

Okay, so I didn't breeze through the book like other books I've loved in the past. I do have things I do during the day, so this took me a little longer to read than perhaps I would have taken if I'd focused just on the book. But I didn't put it down for weeks on end, and then pick it up later, when I remembered that I had an unfinished book.

Fool Moon, according to Nathan, is not the best book of the series, in fact apparently it's only slightly better than the first book. Which is why I have such high hopes for the series. I absolutely love Fool Moon, and have a hard time imagining how the series could possibly get any better than this. Okay, so I can imagine it, I've since started Grave Peril and it really is even better, but at the time it was hard for me to imagine enjoying the other books more.

Perhaps it's because I'm such a big fan of werewolves (don't worry, I didn't spoil anything, it's not like Butcher tries very hard to hide it). But the story itself was fun, and a good example how the beginning of a series should be. Harry Dresden is a very sympathetic character, with a past that is touched on just enough to make me curious about what happened to him, but not enough to spoil it. That alone is a good example of the kind of hook a series needs to keep readers coming back. As you continue reading, you just get more and more hooks caught on yourself that you can't move without digging the hooks deeper in. The more you read, the more you'll want to read. And with every dollar you spend on the series, Jim Butcher realizes that maybe, just maybe, some ideas aren't as stupid as they sound.

It can be a temptation to compare a series about a wizard in the modern world to Harry Potter. And you would not be wrong to do so. He's a wizard, and his name is Harry. And he uses a wand, except it's called a blasting rod. Oh, and both fight werewolves at one point. Yeah...you'd be stretching for comparisons at best. Please people, just because a series maybe be about a wizard in modern times, doesn't mean it's a ripoff of Harry Potter. I love the Harry Potter series, but just because they are the best known, doesn't mean originality, or the basic concept stops there.

Besides, when Harry Potter fights a werewolf in the middle of a police station, then we can talk.

I try to keep my book reviews spoiler free, so I won't go into detail about the plot. Fool Moon is a fast paced, action thriller that knows how to keep you glued to your La-Z-Boy (do they still make those?) until you reach the last page. Then you'll only get up to either get the next book, or if you already have it, to run to the kitchen for a snack.

The Dresden Files have my support, and I'll definitely be continuing this series. Do yourself a favor, get your hands on Fool Moon and start this series now. Even if it is the second book, there is no real background information that you need in the first book. From what I've been told the main plot doesn't start until book three or four. So this is a good place to start, and well worth your time.

If you liked my review, buy the book:
Fool Moon (Paperback)
Fool Moon (Kindle Edition)