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 beginning !
Summary: 4 Stars
book one of what has become a 10+ series. Read from the beginning because this series is great but needs context.Book Review: Blah.
Summary: 2 Stars
Even though Dresden has noble intentions and desires to help humanity, he practically sedates himself with nonchalance. I don't enjoy looking through the eyes of a fully functioning man (mentally) who can't face reality and has as little ambition as Dresden does. I did, however, find the community that goes to Mac's bar to be very interesting (though it was barely touched upon) and liked how the author tied magic into a drug feud. I also don't like the author's portrayal of white magic. Particularly how he ties it to the pentacle. The magic in this book borders on real "magyk" which I believe is entirely unnecessary.Book Review: Strong Start to What Looks to be a Strong Series
Summary: 4 Stars
Think Anita Blake. Think Anita Blake, without flowery description, without one-dimensional men in cheesy clothing, and without badly written sex. In other words, think early Anita Blake if it weren't written by a narcissist. If you've been disappointed with Anita Blake of late and are tired of reading badly written fantasy, Jim Butcher is definitely your man.
It's a little bit King and a lotta bit Angel, but the first novel in Butcher's "The Dresden Files" (titled "Storm Front") still manages to be original. It's a story about a contemporary wizard trying to solve a murder to stop more people (and himself) from getting hurt. It's well written and you can tell that a lot of heart went into this and that Butcher really cares about the story. Dresden is a sympathetic character, but avoids becoming a "Mary Sue" like many supernatural book series protagonists tend to do, because no matter how nice and down to earth the guy is, he's extremely flawed. He's reckless, hardheaded, can be a bit sexist, and works a lot off of hunches. He's a very strong lead, and has easily grown on me enough that I'm planning on buying the entire series.
"Storm Front" is a great first novel from Butcher, though--like most, if not all, firsts--it's not perfect. The first half of the book felt like Dresden was simply meeting a new character for each chapter. To be sure, that did certainly give the mystery of the book a lot more to work with, but it also felt like Butcher was just stacking up plot points/characters without even looking back to see what he had already established. The book got really good in the middle, though I also thought the build-up to the climax (Dresden driving to and entering the Big Bad's house) took way too long and severely cut down on the momentum Butcher had built up so nicely in previous chapters.
But all in all, the good stuff in this book far outweighs the flaws. If you've been looking for a strong supernatural series that's actually worth reading, look no further than "The Dresden Files."
8/10
Book Review: An amazing novel
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the first novel I have red by Jim Butcher and the first of this genre. The plot is interesting and original (at least to me). I think this is a good book for people looking for light reading. I am actually excited to read the rest of the series to see if his writing style and techniques improve as he writes more novels. However, even if I don't like his flow or style, I still found the plot exciting and am able to finish his novels in less than a day.
The first novel in the series deals with a good wizard, Harry, dueling a bad sorceror. Harry is a professional wizard who is struggling to stay operating. He works as a consultant with the Chicago PD on gruesome crimes, but when crimes are low, his pay is slow. When people's hearts begin exploding out of their chests, the police call Harry. Harry makes use of different tools to catch the murderer. I like the weapons Harry utilizes and sidekick Bob.
Overall, this is a quick, light read. If you are looking for heavy reading, this is not it. I liked it, and will finish the series, but I don't see myself reading these books again.
Book Review: Original
Summary: 5 Stars
First, I'm somewhat of a lenient reviewer... I tend to start off anything with 5 stars, then knock-off stars based on dislikes, or even if I find something is just on-par and not above-par. Book 1 of this series is a home-run. It has a somewhat of a "Law and Order" feel mixed with "magnum PI" and a down-to-earth Wizard thrown into the mix... in a world where a Wizard is ranked along the same lines as your run of the mill phsychic, but this guy is for real. Very fast paced... and I gaurantee if you like mysteries and if you like fantasy/sci-fi's, then this book will have you flying through the electronic pages because you want to find out what happens next.... Highly recommended!