Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11) by Jim Butcher

Mass Market Paperback - 560 Pages - Published March 2nd 2010 by Roc (first published April 7th 2009) - ISBN-13: 9780451462817

Turn Coat

(The Dresden Files, #11)

by Jim Butcher

When it comes to the wizard’s White Council, Harry Dresden is thought of as either a black sheep or a sacraficial lamb. And no one holds him in more disdain than Morgan, a veteran Warden with a grudge agaisnt anyone who bends the rules. But now Morgan is in trouble. He’s been accused of cold-blooded murder – a crime with only one final punishment.

He’s on the run, wanting his name cleared, and he needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. So it’s up to Harry to uncover the traitor within the Council, keep Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under the scrutiny himself. And a single mistake may cost someone his head.

Like Harry…

**Review: Another excellent novel in the series with quite a bang!

**Spoiler Alert!** Parts of the story is going to be revealed, so if you don’t want to know, don’t read past this point!

Harry answers his door to find Morgan standing there, bloodied and bruised, from head to toe, asking for help, and promptly passing out.

Morgan’s been a thorn in Harry’s side for too many years to count, but Harry being Harry, can’t turn him away, no matter how much he wants nothing better than to close the door on Morgan and pretend like he isn’t even there.

But Harry is Harry, and no matter who knocks on his door, if they’re in trouble, Harry does what he can to help.

Morgan’s being framed. He knows that, down to his core. Morgan has been the Senior Council’s executioner for over 30 years, and is completely loyal to the Wardens and the Senior Council. There’s no way he’d ever willingly murder a member of the Senior Council. But, besides the fact that he’s found, standing over the body with knife in his hand, there is mounting evidence against him. And this bugs Harry. And when something like this bugs Harry, there’s only one thing he can do: find out who did it and find the traitor. But time is against him.

Morgan has managed a spell to keep any of the Wardens from finding him, but a bounty has been placed on his head, and other ‘creatures’ are coming out of the woodwork to find him, making things even harder for Harry. On top of them all, a naagloshii, a very bad shapeshifter with very, very rotten vibes, is also after Morgan. Suddenly, staying alive has become just as important as finding the traitor.

And things get from bad to worse. Harry is attacked again and again. Shagnasty (aka Harry’s name given to naagloshii) somehow has managed to kidnap Thomas, Harry’s White Court vampire brother, and wants to trade Thomas for Morgan. A vampire from the White Court is partly behind the frame-up. Someone is seriously messing with wizards’ heads. And Harry’s sure that there is a group of wizards against the White Council. He’s naming them the “Black Council”, for lack of a better name. How to prove it is the major question.

Suddenly, friends are dying, going missing, and Harry can only do what he does best. Investigate and fight back. The question is: Will he win this time?

**Huge Spoiler Time!!** If you debated going on past the first spoiler alert, you definitely don’t want to read what’s next.

Hell, I knew just as certainly as Harry did, that Morgan had to have been framed. What we don’t know, until close to the end of the book, was that a wizard messed with a lot of young wizards’ heads, including Anastasia Luccio’s. Now that she’s in a younger body, her mind was just as easily manipulated, and that makes it all worse. Without her knowledge, she was the one forced to kill the member of the senior council, and didn’t even realize she did it, even after Morgan found her, took the knife from her and got her out of there before anyone saw. Plus, she was manipulated into getting even closer to Harry, which seriously hurts (emotionally) them both.

By the end of page 515, I was crying. Why? Because Morgan dies. Now, why am I crying, knowing how much of a pain in the ass he was to Harry? Because he had his reasons, and it’s the way he dies that touched me. He dies after saving Harry’s life, after telling him about finding Anastasia in that room, holding the bloody knife. But Morgan was a constant. He was always there, riding Harry’s butt and breathing down his neck. You always expect to see him in some fashion, and to know now that he won’t be popping up anymore really does hurt.

Anastasia, after all of this, shows up to talk to Harry. Obviously, she now knows all that’s been going on. While she does care for Harry, she’d never had gotten involved with him. She’d been manipulated. And that hurts both of them. So now she comes to say she’s sorry, and while Harry understands why she’s saying goodbye, it still hurts.

By the end of page 543, I was balling. Yes, Harry has Thomas back, but Thomas isn’t the Thomas we knew. Shagnasty did a really bad number on him, and really screwed up what Thomas had going. While he may still be Harry’s brother, he’s no longer the brother we knew, the brother Harry knew, and that hurts even more than losing Morgan.

Meanwhile, closer to the beginning of the book, when Harry’s first attacked by Shagnasty, Kirby, one werewolf friend, is killed, and another, Andi, comes close to losing her life.

How much can one person (well, character) take before cracking? So, by the end of the last chapter, I’m weeping, sobbing really, because as much as all of this hurts him, he’s finding a way to move on, to move past all of the loss and hurt he’s suffered. And that alone, makes him a truly amazing person.

Mix all of this with a mystery, with action, with suspense that grips you by the throat… another fabulous book in the series, and I’m anxiously waiting for his next Dresen novel. Jim, you are one hell of an author!!!

Small Favor by Jim Butcher “The Dresden Files” Book #10

Paperback: 560 pages - Publisher: Roc; Reprint edition (March 3, 2009) - Language: English - ISBN-10: 0451462009 - ISBN-13: 978-0451462008

 

Small Favor

by Jim Butcher

“The Dresden Files” Book #10

Wizard Harry Dresden’s life finally seems to be calming down. The White Council’s war with the vampiric Red Court is easing up, no one’s tried to kill him lately, and his eager apprentice is starting to learn real magic. For once, the future looks fairly bright.

But the past casts one hell of a long shadow.

Mab, monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, calls in an old favor from Harry. Just one small favor he can’t refuse – one that will trap Harry Dresden between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally and strain his skills and loyalties to their very limits.

And everything was going so well for once….

Review: You owe me a favor, Harry…

Finally, it seems that life is calming down some for Harry. But you never know when the past will come back to bite you in the ass…

Winter’s Queen Mab seeks out Harry; he owes her two favors, and she’s come to collect on. As Winter’s Emissary, she’s putting Harry in charge of finding Gentleman Johnny Marcone. Seems the man has been kidnapped, and that move is against the Accords. Harry doesn’t want to, but he has no choice.

Summer’s Queen Titania doesn’t like what’s happening and is sending everything she can to stop him.

But that’s not the worst of it. When the Denarians roll into town, Harry knows no good could come of any of this, no matter what side is hitting at him. In an effort to get Marcone back, Harry has asked the Archive to mediate a meeting between Harry and Nicodemus. And Harry walked right into their trap, for it’s the Archive they’re after. Should she be broken and take one of the coins, all hell would literally break loose.

So, now Harry has to find the Archive as well as Marcone, repay the favor, keep from getting killed by Queen Titania’s emissaries, all the while trying to keep his friends alive. Could things get any worse?

**There is no stopping Jim Butcher! One of the best series I’ll continue to read until Harry is no more, and I hope that doesn’t happen for a really, really, really long time.

How can you not like Harry Dresden. He is chivalrous, caring, funny, does whatever he can to keep his butt and those of his friends from getting fried, can be a little slow on the uptake when it comes to women, and is completely selfless. He’ll put himself in harm’s way before standing behind someone else. And when scenes get tense, his quips and one-liners make me laugh sometimes to the point of tears. As a defense mechanism to push back his fear, I love it!

The action scenes are superb and well written; descriptions have you right there in the thick of it, seeing everything around you, without going overboard. All characters are three-dimensional and you care for everyone one of the good guys, all while rooting them on to taking down the bad guys. Oh, and a love interest is starting to bloom for Harry as well, I think. I’m very interested to see where that line goes.

Mr. Butcher, you are one hell of an author and I hope Harry is around for a long, long time. I can’t wait for my daughter to be old enough to read this series!

Rating:

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #2)

Format: Mass Market Paperbound - Published: January 3, 2001 - 352 Pages - ISBN: 0451458125 - Published By: Roc MM

 

Fool Moon

by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #2

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn’t been able to dredge up any kind of work – magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can’t afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses – and the first two down’t count…

Review: I finished this book on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007. As the second book in ’The Dresden Files’ series, it was just as awesome as the first.

Harry is a character in a class all his own. He’s smart, deduces things quickly, and more than makes up for his lack of brawn. He’s completely original, and I’ll never see his sort of character in another book. His natural mix of old-fashioned chivalry, common sense and curiosity is a joy to read.

I do hope that, in future books, Murphy will understand Harry more. I can understand why he doesn’t tell her ‘all’, but she still deserves to know everything so that she can understand where he’s coming from when he ‘omits’ something.

I thought the rest of the characters were perfect for this story – a mix of magic and ‘werewolves of different varieties’ and I liked those different varieties. It’s the first time I read the entire mix, and I enjoyed that. Usually in a novel, differences aren’t pointed out – just what is, is. But this was way different.

I truly enjoy Jim Butcher’s flare and imagination when he writes his stories, his characters. They feel ‘true to life’ in so many ways. All the emotions Harry feels for his friends and acquantances, you, as the reader, feel them as well, just like anyone would. I sooooo can’t wait to get my hands on the third book, Grave Peril.

Rating:

White Night by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #9)

 White Night  by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #9

Paperback: 480 pages – Publisher: Roc (February 5, 2008 ) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 045146155X – ISBN-13: 978-0451461551

Back of the Book reads:

Someone is targeting Chicago’s magic practitioners, the members of the supernatural underclass who don’t poessess enough power to become full-fledged wizards. Some have vanished. Others appear to be victims of suicide. But now the culprit has left a calling card at one of the crime scenes – a message for Harry Dresden.

Harry sets out to find the killer, but his investigation turns up evidence pointing to the one suspect he cannot possibly believe guilty: his half brother, Thomas. To clear his brother’s name, Harry rushes into a supernatural power struggle that renders him outnumbered, outclassed, and dangerously susceptible to temptation.

And Harry knows that if he screws this one up, people will die – and one of them will be his brother…

White Night at Amazon.com

White Night at Chapters.ca

White Night at Amazon.ca

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21-Sep-08 to 24-Sep-08

Review: A more complex Harry Dresden.

Murphy calls Dresden to the scene of what is being classified as a suicide. But something doesn’t feel right. And with his own brand of investigation, manages to find a hidden message: one that even the police would never have found. A message for him. Exodus 22:18. ‘Suffer not a witch to live.’ Murphy things perhaps a religious fanatic. Harry doesn’t think so.

As Harry investigates, he’s finding more of the ‘supernatural underclass’ are turning up either dead or missing. And he doesn’t like the looks of things. A security tape points right at Thomas, Harry’s half brother, and Harry refuses to believe it. His brother wouldn’t do that. But finding Thomas is an investigation in itself ~ Harry can’t find him and he’s started to get worried.

As Harry delves deeper, he and Murphy are targeted more and more, and he’s suddenly thinking of a bigger picture. There’s more to these supposed suicides, he’s sure of it.

Without warning, Elaine pops into the story, surprising Harry with the actual amount of strength she has as a wizard. However, she’s keeping a low profile; she doesn’t trust men, refuses to be controlled by them again, and is staying on the down-low, refusing to call attention to herself. She wants nothing to do with the Wardens or the White Council and will do anything to keep it that way.

The investigation grows more complex, time is running out, and Harry has to figure out a way to stop the threat of a bigger war.

Harry knows he can’t do it alone. But is he willing to throw his friends in the fray and watch as they get hurt or, worse yet, die?

I saw a different side of Harry in this novel, and at times, he even scared me. Harry is doing what he can to teach Molly the different between doing something right for the right reasons, knowing that if she screws up, it would be the end of the road for them both. But Molly doesn’t really understand what Harry’s trying to teach ~ that is until two seriously intense moments between them. One of them scared the daylights out of me – and I’m not a character in the book. Disturbing is just one word I could use to describe it. Even Murphy demands an explanation after witnessing that episode. And yet he finally manages to get through Molly’s thick skull – by golly, she’s learning. And while teaching Molly, Harry is brought back to his roots, revising everything he had learned at her age, and is finding new ways to deal with his magic. LOL, even patience has a new meaning to him.

When Harry and Murphy confront a group of women for answers to their questions, only more questions pop up. With the help of Lasciel, Harry discovers that there was someone else in the room, one that veiled themselves to keep from being recognized. Low and behold, Elaine had come to the aid of a woman seeking her help to protect her and the others. Then he realizes something: she’s stronger than she’s pretending to be. After a few questions answered by Ramirez, now Harry’s certain. Finding out why she’s keeping on the down-low is almost hurtful.

As the investigation goes deeper, Harry discovers that three of the other houses are attempting to overthrow the king of the White Court, wanting to stop the peace talks and throw their weight in behind the Red Court and their war with the Council. Harry is desperate to stop that from happening – should the war continue, and the threat of a Black Council rise, it would be the end of Harry’s world. And he’s determined not to see that happen, no matter the cost.

With the help of Molly, Murphy, Thomas, Ramirez, even Lasciel and Marcone and some of his men (including Hendricks), Harry puts an end to the fight. But it’s a really close one.

Action scenes are incredible ~ I truly love watching/reading Harry in his battles. The end of the last fight scene was fantastic. The way he got through to Molly was damn near scary. At first, I wasn’t happy with the way he did it, even though I understand why. He even reasons with Lasciel, making her understand his point about it all. His agreement with Marcone was something of a surprise, I most certainly didn’t see that coming. And the more and more he investigates with Murphy, the more and more she’s understanding everything. I’m glad that Harry and Ramirez talked. Harry knows not to trust anyone, and yet Ramirez gets fired up that Harry hadn’t trusted him. Carlos even began to suspect Harry. Whew, glad that was put to rest.

What I like about Butchers novels is that, now matter how he does it, there is always something new to learn in about in Harry’s world. In earlier novels, we learn the differences between the vampires: White Court, Red Court and Black Court, and what kind of vampires they are. In this one, we learn the differences between the families/houses in the White Court – sort of made me think of the mob. These novels are addictive … darn near unputdownable. The dialogue is smooth, Harry is witty and fun to read. The plot simply flows – there’s no slowing down. There’s never the same old, same old. Always something new, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Rating:

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #8)

 Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #8

Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages – Publisher: Roc (February 6, 2007) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0451461037 – ISBN-13: 978-0451461032

Back of the Book reads:

There’s no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City.

As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it’s all in a day’s work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob…

Proven Guilty at Amazon.com

Proven Guilty at Chapters.ca

Proven Guilty at Amazon.ca

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17-Sep-08 to 20-Sep-08

Review: And I love horror movies because?

Rougly a year after his escapes in Dead Beat, Harry Dresden is back. We open in the middle of a warehouse, Harry and several other Wardens tight in a circle, all staring down at a young man, a wizard who used his magic for darker purposes. Found guilty, he is beheaded, as is the direction of the White Council. If a wizard is proven guilty of breaking one of the seven laws of the White Council, if sentenced to death, it is carried out immediately. And this seriously disturbs Harry. To Harry, the young man was no more than a child in wizard age, and was never taught right from wrong. But a soulgaze on the young man proved there was no helping him and it had to be done. Still, it doesn’t sit well with Harry.

As he is leaving, he is handed a note from the Gatekeeper. Black magic is afoot in Chicago, and as the regional Warden, it is his duty to find out the who, why and stop them. And just when Harry is about to start his investigation with a new and powerful ‘toy’, Molly, the daughter of Michael, an longtime friend of Harry’s, calls, begging for help. And true to Harry’s form, he can’t pass up a ‘damsel in distress’ and, against his own judgement, runs to her aid. However, she isn’t the one in trouble. Her boyfriend, Nelson, is. Seems he was arrested for beating up an older gentlemen, simply because he was the only one in the room. No blood on his clothes, no break in the skin of his knuckles… Something is very strange, and Harry’s determined to find out what’s going on.

The first of many areas, Harry glimpses around the bathroom of a conference centre in a hotel, using his Sight. What’s disturbing is the residual reflection he sees – and doesn’t like it one bit. The hotel is very busy, what with the SPLATTERCON!!! horror convention going on, and while talking with Rawlins outside the bathroom, something else goes down, and Harry runs to find out what.

With more questions and answers, the attacks are made by phonophages, made to look like the ‘bad guys’ fron the horror movies. Phonophages are sprirtual entities that feed on fear and are being either pulled or pushed from the Nevernever. The higher the fear, the more powerful they become. Harry needs to do two things. Stop the phonophages from attacking and find out who’s sending them.

The deeper we get into the story, the more complicated it gets. Just when Harry thinks he’s got it beat, a twist slaps him back – Molly has been kidnapped by more phonophages and is now being held in Winter’s Queen Mab’s ‘headquarters’, Arctis Tor, and with the help of Molly’s mother Charity, Murphy and Thomas, Summer Lady Lily and Summer Knight Fix, they go in and get Molly back. Once they’ve retreated and hare back with Father Forthill, Molly is given a choice, one that she has to make up herself. Can Harry handle what the Council might do to her?

Oh, how I love this series! Nothing is ever as it seems, and Harry is constantly battling others as well as himself. He relies heavily on his instincts and does the best he can with what he’s got. Considerate as he is, he’ll do whatever is necessary and deal with the consequences later.

Non-stop action, the plot not only keeps Harry on his toes, but the reader as well. No one can predict how the story is going to turn. Add in horror movie characters, add in magic and control of that magic and it makes for one heck of a story. What I truly like is how his personal life is entertwined with all that action, between Harry and Murphy, Harry and Molly and her family, Harry and Thomas, and Harry and his feelings of the Wardens and the White Council, Harry and Ebenezer, you not only get a real sense of what Harry’s dealing with, but you truly understand what it is about him; why he is the way he is, why he thinks the way he thinks. As a bookaholic who loves many different genres, Harry is one of the top characters where a reader truly gets the ‘inside look’ at the main character.

I can’t ask for better. I can only ask that Mr. Butcher keeps Harry coming. Serve me up more, please!

Rating:

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #7)

 Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #7

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages – Publisher: Roc (May 2, 2006) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 045146091X – ISBN-13: 978-0451460912

Back of the Book reads:

Paranormal investigations are Harry Dresden’s business, and Chicago is his beat as he tries to bring law and order to a world of wizards and monsters that exists alongside everyday life. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don’t believe in magic, the Special Investigations department of the Chicago PD knows better.

Karrin Murphy is the head of SI and Harry’s good friend. So when a killer vampire threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry does her bidding, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler (whatever that is) and all the power that comes with it. Now Harry is in a race against time – and six merciless necromancers – to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead…

Dead Beat at Amazon.com

Deat Beat at Chapters.ca

Dead Beat at Amazon.ca

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15-Sep-08 to 17-Sep-08

Review: Fast-paced, action-packed and witty, a T-Rex of a ride!

First, it starts off with an uncomfortable moment between Harry and Murphy. She’s asked him to water her house plants during the weekend ~ while she’s in Hawaii with none other than Kincaid. While Karrin deserves a vacation, Harry wishes it wasn’t with Kincaid.

To make matters worse, he receives a note from Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court, the vampire that previously tried to kill him. She has pictures of Murphy doing things a cop isn’t supposed to be doing while helping Harry and Kincaid, and if Harry refuses to do Mavra’s bidding, she’ll send the pictures to the police. Harry can’t let that happen, and he has only three days to find what Mavra’s looking for – all without help.

However, Mavra isn’t the only one looking for the Word of Kemmler, a book written by Kemmler himself, a powerful necromancer, that had been taken out ages ago by the White Council. For necromancy is the worst kind of magic, and to use such magic is to break the laws binding all wizards.

Between saving Butters’s butt and and fighting off zombies, Harry has to find a way to stop the other six necromancers all wanting what Mavra wants – all of Kemmler’s powers. But Harry can’t do that job alone and finally calls in the White Council to help, only to find out what three-quarters of all the Wardens have been eliminated by the Red Court. How did the Red Court know where to hit? Is there a traitor among the Senior Council? And why are the necromancers looking for the Word of Kemmler now, of all times? Captain Luccio, the head of Wardens, desperately needs the help, and Harry becomes a Warden, something he never thought he’d accept. But will Harry find the answer and the power to stop what’s about to happen? One can only hope.

And true to his word, Harry does.

Action-packed and fast-paced, this novel is a joyride. For three days, there is fight after fight, question after question, all with very little results until closer to the final battle. And just when you think it’s hopeless, Harry uses the necromancer’s magic against them, with a T-Rex of all things (and I swear, it was the best part of the book!) to fight the good fight.

And just to make matters more difficult, Harry has his own inner battles to fight as well, along with wanting to tell Lasciel (a Denarian from a previous novel) to take a hike and not being able to. Yes, he needs her help, but the cost would be astronomical, and it’s a cost he doesn’t want to pay. But without any kind of help from her, he knows, deep down, that he won’t be able to get the job done.

Along with his witty comebacks and remarks making this reader bark out with laughter, it’s darn near impossible to put down any of the Dresden Files novels and not think about them. An excellent read for sure, it has everything that I crave in a good book: mystery, action, suspense, magic, feelings, wit and inner turmoil, all wrapped up together. This is definitely a series for the paranormal/supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy lovers out there who love a good book. High recommendation!

Rating:

Blood Rites by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #6)

 Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #6

Paperback: 372 pages – Publisher: Roc; 1st edition (August 3, 2004) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0451459873 – ISBN-13: 978-0451459879

Back of the Book reads:

HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

For Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there’s something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film’s producer believes he’s the target of a sinister entropy curse, but it’s the women around him who are dying, in increasinly spectacular ways.

Harry’s doubly frustrated because he got involved with this bizarre mystery only as a favor to Thomas, his flirtations, self-absorbed vampires acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can’t quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Tomas’s oversexed vampire family. Harry’s about to discover that Thomas’s family tree has been hiding a shocking secret: a revelation that will change Harry’s life forever.

Blood Rites on Amazon.com

Blood Rites on Chapters.ca

Blood Rites on Amazon.ca

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31 Aug-08 to 2-Sep-08

Review: And Harry thought he was alone

Harry’s friend, Thomas, a vampire from the White Court, asks Harry for a favor: His friend, Arturo Genosa, an adult film producer, believes than an entropy curse has been laid upon him. The women in his films are meeting untimely and intriguingly spectacular deaths, and Arturo doesn’t know why. As Harry investigates, he wonders if the studio Arturo left behind could be behind it all. But as his investigation continues, new information comes to light and it becomes more than that.

Meanwhile, Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court is back – and is after Harry. He hires Kincaid to help him get rid of her and recruits his cop friend, Murphy, and his mentor and teacher, Ebenezar McCoy, knowing that he and Kincaid can’t do it alone.

Thomas’s family becomes involved in Harry’s investigation of the entropy curse, leaving Harry confused and wondering if Thomas set him up. However, a soulgaze with Thomas brings forth something that Harry had never known: Harry’s mother had been one of Lord Raith’s women – the head of the White Court vampires and Thomas’s brother. Thomas is Harry’s half-brother.

And just when Harry is left wondering if there are any more surprises… Harry learns that Kincaid isn’t exactly human. He also learns that Ebenezar is also known as Blackstaff McCoy – the one who takes care of the ‘ugly’ matters that the White Council won’t take care of themselves.  Ebenezar has done things he’s not proud of, including lying to Harry. It was Thomas’s father, Lord Raith, who had found Harry’s mother, Margaret LeFay, and killed her shortly after Harry was born. Now, more than ever, Harry is determined to get rid of Lord Raith.

Holy crow, did a lot of things come to light in this book. Harry’s friendship with Murphy grows deeper, and Murphy learns she has more courage than she thought she had. He wonders if Mavra is gone for good and how he’s going to get the funds to pay Kincaid before Kincaid’s ‘deadline’. Thomas is his brother, who has been banned from the Raith House and is now staying with Harry for the moment. Arturo’s entropy curse has been put to rest. He is unsure if he’ll ever forgive Ebenezar.

As with all the Dresden novels, the magic and action are pumped up, raising this reader’s adrenaline. I love how Harry manages to figure out everything, fitting all the pieces together. The mix of friends and enemies are always at the forefront, and Harry’s sarcasm comes out more and more. I love his quirkiness, his relationship with Murphy as well as Bob. The author manages to give the reader explanations to rituals and rules, both Black Court and White Court vampires alike; their differences in powers and formalities. But he doesn’t go overboard, avoids creating anything formal as to limiting his story line for future novels. Butcher’s blend of paranormal/supernatural, occult beliefs and magic creates a world unlike any other – something distinct that you can’t compare to other series’ in this genre. Bravo, Mr. Butcher! 

You can’t get better than Harry Dresden. This series is highly recommended to those who like paranormal and sci-fi novels.

Rating:

Death Masks by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #5)

 Death Masks by Jim Butcher

‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #5

Mass Market Paperback: 378 pages – Publisher: Roc (August 5, 2003) – Language: English – ISBN-10: 0451459407 – ISBN-13: 978-0451459404

Back of the Book reads:

HARRY DRESDEN – WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he’s getting more than he bargained for:

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires’ champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards…

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice…

The missing Shroud of Turin…

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified…

Not to mention the return of Harry’s ex-girlfriend Susan, who’s still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you’re charging.

Death Masks at Amazon.com

Death Masks at Chapters.ca

Death Masks at Amazon.ca

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30-Aug-08

Review: ‘Unputdownable!’

The war still rages between the Red Court of Vampires and the wizards. Only now, the stakes (no pun intended) have been risen (again, no pun intended); Ortega, a duke of the Red Court, has come to Chicago with a purpose. A duel between himself a Harry – a way of drawing the war to a close. However, there’s another purpose to that – one that Harry manages to figure out.

Father Vincent, a priest from the Vatican approaches Harry, looking to hire him to find a holy relic stolen from the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy. The Shroud of Turin, to be exact, believed to be the burial cloth used by Joseph of Aramithea to wrap the body of Christ after the Crucifixtion. The thieves, known as the Churchmice, are selling to the highest bidder. And who do you suppose that is? The Shroud needs to be found before the exchange can be complete, and before someone or something ‘evil’ gest their hands on it first.

Susan returns, supposedly to get some of her things and say good-bye.

Murphy calls, needing Harry’s help. Seems a handless, headless corpse has been found, but there are stranger things connected to it.

All in less than 24 hours. Now Harry has to fight a duel to the death, find a missing Shroud, somehow say goodbye to Susan forever, and fight something even more sinister than he’s ever faced before. Yep, sometimes it really just doesn’t pay to get out of bed.

I can’t help myself or stop myself returning to this series, book after book. Butcher sure knows how to write them. Harry is a character all his own. He doesn’t believe he’s courageous, and yet he stands up for what he believes in; That woman shouldn’t be used or violated, that weaker beings deserve to be defended, and that evil doesn’t deserve the light of day (no pun intended). Harry is determined, whether scared spitless or not, he’s chivalrous, has his own code of ethics and morality, no matter what is against him. But it’s the way that he reverts to sarcasm and smart-ass jokes when he’s tense or threatened that have me laughing. The things that he says is pure Harry – there is no way to describe it. You have to read it yourself.

Harry is clever, his mind figures out things even when it’s at the last possible second, and I love to seem him persevere against all odds.

Lots of action, magica or not. a romance that breaks your heart, several mysteries, pure suspense and plenty of activity to keep a reader glued to each page. This reader is truly a big fan or Harry Dresden.

Rating:

Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #4)

 

Summer Knight  by Jim Butcher ‘The Dresden Files’ series Book #4 Mass Market Paperback: 371 pages Publisher: Roc (September 3, 2002) Language: English ISBN-10: 0451458923 ISBN-13: 978-0451458926 Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can’t pay his rent. He’s alienating his friends. He can’t even recall the last time he took a shower. The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man. And just when it seems things can’t get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can’t refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him — and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen’s right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen’s name. It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything…

28-Feb-08 to 4-Mar-08

Review: Another awesome book in the series!

No matter what, you’ll never read another character like Harry Dresden. The poor man always seems to find himself up the proverbial creek without meaning to be. He tries to help and gets crapped on.

There were twists in this one that I liked, something I never saw coming, just as Harry didn’t. Some of the same characters, ones you can roll your eyes at. Some new that are both likable and unlikable and some that surprise you. I wonder if Morgan will ever give Harry a break.

Lots of action, mystery. I adore the originality of The Dresden Files, and hope they will be around for a long, long time.

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