âThe Dresden Filesâ book series review
By Duncan Fingarson, Contributor
Harry Dresden is a wizard, but unlike a lot of fantasy wizards he doesnât live in a world of dwarves and elves. Instead he lives in Chicago, a far cry from J. R. R. Tolkienâs Middle Earth, in Jim Butcherâs The Dresden Files series. The novels follow Dresden as he solves mysteries with a distinctively paranormal bend, often alongside Chicago PD Lieutenant Karrin Murphy.
The first novel, Storm Front,sets a good tone for the series. Dresden is called in to help solve a double murder thatâs been committed with black magic and involves the bodyguard of a prominent Chicago mob boss. Unfortunately for Dresden, that murder isnât the last and before long he finds his own name on a shortlist of whoâs next.
Butcher ties the plot threads together wonderfully, and the bookâs climax is a real page-turner. The rest of the books in the series ramp up in a similar way. For someone like myself, who already has a hard time putting a book down, itâs almost impossible to drop one of these once it starts heading into the climactic battle.
Of course, a good book needs to have good characters too, and Butcher delivers. Dresden is stubborn and hot-tempered, with a sardonic wit and strong moral compass. Murphy is a solid and upright defender of the law. Gentleman Johnny, the mob boss, is a slimeball, but a shrewd and intelligent slimeball. All the characters are separate and distinct, and all of them are likeable in their own way. In the case of the seriesâ villains, itâs often more âlove to hateâ than actually like, but then again a great villain is a good drive for any story.
A particular favourite character of mine is Bob, a talking skull, Dresdenâs sarcastic verbal encyclopedia of magic. Bobâs usual role is exposition about whatever magical foe Dresden finds himself matched against that time, and itâs a credit to Butcher that he managed to make a literal talking head interesting as a character.
If you want to jump in and pick up the most recent book, itâs possible to do that. The stories are largely self-contained and important events of the previous books that are relevant to the current one are usually recapped in an efficient manner. However, I recommend starting at the beginning. The books do follow chronologically from each other, and things that happen in later books are often tied in some small way to the events of previous ones.
Storm Front is an excellent book in its own right, even if you donât go any further with the series. For those willing to follow along with Dresdenâs adventures, thereâs a lot of depth and good, strong world building to be found amongst the pages of The Dresden Files.
If youâre a fan of wizards and magic, or a fan of hardboiled detectives in the vein of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, Harry Dresden is a good addition to your bookshelf. I know Iâm happy to have him on mine.
