Storm Front | By Jim Butcher | Book Review
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Title- Storm Front (Dresden Files #1)
Author- Jim Butcher
Publisher- Penguin ROC
Genre- Urban Fantasy / Detective-Wizard Mystery
My Rating- ★★★★★
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.
Contents
Book Blurb
My Review
About the Author
Book Blurb
Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.
So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.
Magic - it can get a guy killed.
“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.”
My Review
So I’m a little late to the game with this book, but I really wanted to read it. The Dresden Files books are hugely popular, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I was not disappointed and I’d label this is a must-read book for urban fantasy fans.
This first book in the series has over 320k ratings on Goodreads, and 71% of people rated it four or five stars. That is a crazy amount of people! I am now glad to join the many Jim Butcher fans out there and delve deeper into Harry Dresden’s world in the next books.
Plot
A pretty straight forward plot with murder mystery/ detective/ and fantasy elements. Lots of bad things happen and things keep getting worse. Poor Harry Dresden has some terrible days.
It may be a simple plot, but it was really enjoyable to read, even if you could guess what might happen. It’s fast paced and there’s always something going on, whether it’s funny, gorey, or supernatural.
Characters
Harry Dresden, the main character, is a wizard for hire who doesn’t seem to be on top of things. What makes this good is Harry’s rash reactions to situations, as well as his commentary and hilarious inner thoughts. He has such a strong character voice and this is what makes the book great.
He often reacts without thinking and sometimes this made me cringe, but it makes for a good story. You just want to see what crazy thing is going to happen next. Harry has plenty of flaws, but underneath he seems like a decent person wanting to do the right thing. I really liked him as the main character.
Other things
I liked that the limitations of the magic system kept Harry from using modern technology. This is pretty fun as it kept a lot of classic wizardy elements in the book since he had to do a lot of things the old fashioned way. This was a good way to mix the magical with the modern world.
The setting had a gritty detective tv show vibe with a distinctive 90’s feel about it. I really liked this as it is different from what I usually read.
It ticked all the boxes for me on supernatural elements. Most were familiar, but all had a unique take on them. I look forward to more monsters and supernatural beings in the next books.
Summary
I powered through this book pretty quickly. It is super easy to read and doesn’t take too much commitment as it’s pretty short. It’s the type of book not to take too seriously, but to just have fun reading. Overall a five star read for me. I’m excited to get through the rest of the series now!
“I don’t want to live in a world where the strong rule and the weak cower. I’d rather make a place where things are a little quieter. Where trolls stay the hell under their bridges and where elves don’t come swooping out to snatch children from their cradles. Where vampires respect the limits, and where the faeries mind their p’s and q’s. My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I’m in the book.”
About the Author- Jim Butcher
Author Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly.
An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado.
Check out Jim Butcher’s website
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