Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)
Book Review: A light and undemanding but fun read
Summary: 4 Stars
I came to The Dresden Files after watching the excellent TV series on Sci-Fi based on the books, I'd never heard of Jim Butcher prior to watching the TV series but enjoyed that enough to be willing to stump up for the first book and give it a shot.
I enjoyed it enough to fork out for the next seven, I haven't bought the ninth yet since it's only available in hardback and few if any novels are worth buying in hardback.
By no stretch of the imagination can these books ever be considered as great literature but they're easy to read, full of action, well-plotted and quite difficult to put down. One of them can make a long flight or train journey pass very quickly
Book Review: Good introduction
Summary: 4 Stars
Entertaining and well paced, this is a good introduction to the world of Harry Dresden and it does its job in that I'm intrigued enough to want to read more. The supporting cast of characters really needs to be fleshed out more in order to counterbalance the strength of Dresden's own character and I usually prefer my mysteries to be less roadmapped but it's enjoyable enough for me to stick with it.Book Review: fantastic pulp
Summary: 4 Stars
Knowingly cliched and written to a definite formula, but don't let this put you off. Fast-paced tight writing, really good characterisation and far too easily digestible. Get youself hooked like I am and you are looking at at least 9 fixes, each consumed in just over a day. Enjoy. Book Review: Wizard!
Summary: 5 Stars
Business is dead slow for Harry Dresden, Wizard P.I. So when he's called in by the Chicago Police Department to investigate a double murder, he can hardly believe his luck...Which, in itself, is rather lucky because it's all about to change. For the worse...
Thrust into an underground world of drugs, criminals, and increasingly dark magic, Harry Dresden may just be put out of work...permanently!
In SFF, and indeed, every type of fiction, I think it's good to see worldbuilding and good characterisation. Storm Front has both.
A gritty but fun urban fantasy, set in the city of Chicago, half the worldbuilding is done already. The first in The Dresden Files series, this novel unveils an array of magical beings, all with their own place in Jim Butcher's well thought out universe. Heck, he even uses faeries, creatures that rarely, if ever, appear in modern fantasy! They're no cliched beasties, either...in fact, they even have a penchant for pizza (amongst other things...)!
But where Jim Butcher truly excels, is in Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, himself. A fantastic first-person character, he has a certain black humour that characterizes the novel itself; Dresden is likeable, intriguing, and very, very funny.
We wizards are terrific at brooding. After the third ring, when I thought I wouldn't sound a little too eager, I picked up the receiver and said, "Dresden."
"Oh. Is this, um. Harry Dresden? The, ah, wizard?" Her tone was apologetic, as though she were terribly afraid she would be insulting me.
No, I thought. It's Harry Dresden the, ah, lizard. Harry the wizard is one door down...
Storm Front is a hilarious and gripping novel. 9 out of 10. Why not ten out of ten??! Simply because I've heard that the others in the series are even better!
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Book Review: Good, dark, hard-boiled supernatural fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
Jim Butcher writes uncomplicated, fast-paced, easy to read, hard-boiled supernatural fiction. In effect, if you like the prospect of Harlan Coben/Robert Crais mixed with Supernatural (the TV Show), then you'll love this. The writing is clean, slick and canny. The main character, the narrator Harry Dresden is off-hand funny - a powerful yet flawed, self-deprecating hero. He is honourable, charming, chivalrous, witty and intuitive. One-liners are his stock in trade. So far, nothing so very new. Yet, for once, there is some actual depth to the main character so often lacking in this genre of Sci-Fi fiction. There is more to Dresden that at first seems obvious and Butcher's easy-flowing writing style draws the reader into wanting to learn more. It is the sort of book that is devoured in one sitting or that passes a dull tube journey with ease. The secondary characters, all of them with something of a past to discover and with interesting interaction with Dresden, have depth as well. They are not simply plot-fillers but plots in themselves. They add to the meat of the books rather than simply flavouring them. Having bought Storm Front as a speculative purchase, I ordered Fool Moon and Grave Peril within days. They are engaging time-passers. They will not win literary awards but if you like good crime fiction with a dash of something of the occult, then you will absolutely love these books.