stormfront by jim butcher

Stormfront was one of the rare books that attracted me by the cover. or more precise it was book six in the Dresden files of which Stormfront is the first book, that draw my attention one sunny summerday. I started to read on the back of the book and my usual habit is to check the first pages of a book to see if it is part of a series or not. It was. So I decided to check for the fisrt book, had to order it and went home to await the arrival of it.

So the book came and I read it in two afternoons. The book is what I would like to call for the Buffy effect genre. Something that mixes fantasy and gothic modern horror light. Stormfront is about Harry Dresden who is the only registered Wizard looking for work in a normal world. Well almost normal. The world is of course full of pixies and vampires, ghouls and demons that lurk just beyond the normal day to day life. Harry Dresden is a Mickey Spillane kinda wizard, which is actually rather refreshing. This is a character that is able and good about what he does and he also performs quite well under all the pressure. Bravo, a nice niche somewhere above the farmer-fantasy and below the high fantasy. Stormfront is the first book by Jim Butcher, and sometimes you can tell cause it suddenly goes into parts where it just doesn't feel smooth, but give Jim a try, cause he is easy to read and the story is fun. It is not Anne Rice, it is not Robert Jordan, but I hope that he will develop in time and this first book about Harry Dresden made me order more books.

The book itself is very Noir and Mickey Spillane. Dresden gets caught in the middle of two jobs that comes out to be a bit more connected then he wished for. Working both for the not so trusting polic with weird cases as well as working for a damsel in distress, someone seems to be out to get Harry.

fool moon

Once more we follow the duster loving wizard Harry Dresden in a new adventure. This book relates to something that I really like: Werewolves. :D Also, I like that Butcher is using more then just ordinary werewolvs. Anyway, Dresden is turning out to be more and more the Die Hard kind of wizard. Early on in his books he tells us that a wizard is a good wizard cause they know things and that they are best when prepaired. Poor Harry Dresden is seldom any of the above. Some how you don't tire on this in this book and follow the bumpy story progress. Not much of twists that makes you gasp or applaude the ingenuity of the story but more or less a hectic but comfortable ride.

grave peril

Ghost and goblins was one of my all time high favorite games for the C64. Ghost probably is something so utterly scaring or just plain silly. 13 ghosts is kinda horror setting scary. House on the hill is outright scary. Ghostbusters is just silly. Somewhere in the between we find Harry Dresden and a new found friend, a true St Michael knight. Cool that the story progresses and Harry the Die Hard wizard also gains friends, a lover and more then a blasting headache for all his troubles. However, this story just turns out plain "I bloody told ya so you stupid none thinking wizard doodler!". And that is a shame cause the story is really nice and the heaping problems are dealt with and harry also gets to show off alittle, which is about freaking time. I don't want a Drizzt do Summoner nor a Donald Duck wizard, something abit more balanced would be nice. In all honesty, these books usually takes me two nights to complete so one shouldn't expect marvels, but they are good fun.

summer knight

Fairies. There is just something about the familiarities of names and dungeons and dragons monster book/irish folklore and Arthurian fantasy one can stand. When queen Mab hires Harry, the funniest line is the one about how Harry likes her ass. Truely, it is one of the best things and I laughed right out because in the middle of all Holy Fairies batman, the punchline was just refreshing. The story progresses and we are on a route down the perverted fairy tale with a pseudo irish/russian folklore I find just well.. not fun OKI? Well anyway, Die Harder Dresden runs along in his white T-shirt, sorry his previously white now smeared with smoke and blood and his MP5.. no sorry blasting rod and meets sme new friends, goes off to save the world and well.. here we go again. The blody dense white council. Sometimes I think that butcher is having a fit of laughter trying to fit in too many fantasyesque words into his stories and that he must be a Bruce Willis fan. No problem, so am I, I just want to know what I am supposed to be reading though. Well the book is pretty fun none the less. One really REALLY annoying thing is the "Do you remember this line from book one, two three four..etc" repeating copy and past lines. YES I KNOW HARRY's FUCKING CAR IS NO LINGER BLUE DUE TO SPARE PARTS! I KNOW HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND.. GRRRR DANTE!!!!! Get a grip man and learn from harry Potter how to bring up details from previous books without copy paste! It is bloody annoying and really demeaning having to be told the same bloody thing all over again and again. Granted, I am having all books up to book 6 in the shelf and read them like a fury, but my memory is that of a 31 year old, not a 91 year old OKI? SO BLOODY STOP IT!!

death masks

I sure have enjoyed Harry's adventures, but the feeling that it all gets too much is more evident in this book. However, this book shows a better and tighter storyline, implementations of the characters of the past that is always there in the background are falling more and more into place. It hasn't been a flawless journey, but Butcher is at least tying up the bag alittle when it comes to the characters. Unfortunately, in my opinion, he steps over too many threshhold mixing in more of the religious beliefs as some sort of never never force of universe. I don't know why but perhaps that it could feel a bit not so respectful towards already existing religions? I don't really know how to put the finger on to it but as I said, this is only in my opinion.
In Bloodrites Harry gets to tangle with hells demons, and not small summon up to go demons, but the worts of them, all existing in the coins that Judas were paid to betray Jesus. Personally I was of the idea that Jesus forgave Judas, and mankind didn't. Well just to shows that Jesus was one heck of a nice person regardless of your belief system. The demons mess up an ongoing case where Harry has to find the holy wrapping of christ, try to survive a fight with the red vampire clans nasties vampire and not get to drawn in with his previous vamp-to-be girlfriend. Sounds hectic? All in a days work for Harry Dresden. I guess he learned from Nick Carter.

blood rites

Somehow Harry survived all that mentioned above, and finds himself kneedeep in shit once more. This book tightens up the storyline and Butcher is actually starting to feel like a good author in my opinion now. Before it wss the fantasy noir pulp action thing. Easy to read and easy to like. Now it is getting closer to something more. If one starts to expect more you get more picky with the fine tuning as well. Anyhow, Harry has something with vampires. The Red court is in war with him and has been for some time, the black court is eagerly to see him dead as well, espacially an old aquintance named Mavra. The white court is not involved, or? Thomas hires Harry to help with a case of an filmproducer who he thinks is under a hex. People close to hi starts dying. Harry who is the multitool of investigator makes like McGywer and starts unraveling the truth. Things are more connected then it seems and in the end he face something horribly again. One can't really say death threatening or worst enemy so far in the Dresden books because it started out so much in the under dog side and in the red for danger that you hardly stop to consider that Harry would probably now be a psychiatrist wet dream. Bloodrites holds more of the blood then one could think and more characters make reapperances. Tightest book so far.

dead beat

Still in the shit with the vampire war, Harry Dreseden now got a threat towards his dear friend Murphy. He has to find out a secret that originates from one of the most dangerous necromancers known to the white councl of mages. Desperately Harry starts searching for clues and soon finds himself deep into a inhouse necromancy fighting over who gets to be the dreaded Kesler´s heir and bane to several thousand of innocents. Harry realize that he has to start shift some of his heavy set oaths to be able to cpmpete with the dagerous and more then a match for him necromancers. Evoking the dreaded fairie hunter and making a hero out of a chicken forensic is only a small part of the things Harry has to deal with to be able to keep up to the threat. Problem is, the necromancers all beat the same beat, that dead beat that make Romero's nightmarish movies come true.

-Wolfgir-