Customer Reviews

Death Masks (The Dresden Files)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Shroud Remarks

I only recently noticed that I had missed the release of the latest in Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, and quickly moved to correct my error. Dresden is a wizard after my own heart - trying to make a living in modern Chicago, and a bit too honest to do anything but scrape by. Armed with a wand, a few special charms, and a flower covered ancient Volkswagen Beetle, Harry is always ready to take on a task completely beyond his capabilities.

This time he has his choice of menaces. Having triggered a war between the Wizard's Council and the vampire's Red Court in the last volume, Harry continues to be in desperate straights. Duke Ortega of the Red Court has proposed a way to end the war - a duel between him and Harry. Needless to say, Ortega has no intention of losing, and Harry will need more that a few incantations to survive.

More of a surprise, though, is the appearance of Father Vincent, a papal agent with an assignment for Harry. The Shroud of Turin has vanished - stolen and brought to the USA and, while they have more than an inkling of who the thief was, it will take Harry to track it down. The bad news is that the Shroud attracts all kind of attention, from everyone from mafia bosses to fallen angels. And they all want Harry's skin. The good news is that Harry will get paid for the work, and the rent is due. Or he will die in the attempt and won't need to pay rent ever again.

There is more. Harry's ex-girlfriend and recovering vampire snack Susan is back in town, the police are looking for a murderer who collects parts, and the Knights of the Cross are there to lend a hand. Total madness wherever you look, and Harry is in the middle of it, bad attitude and all.

Butcher has created a series that is a refreshing change from the usual pseudo-medieval magick tale. Harry is up to date, listens to good music, and, when he can afford it, even dresses fairly well. Or he would if people would stop stealing his clothes. He alternates between wisecracks, a love for money, and a set of ethics that keep getting in his way. And you can't help but like a guy whose closest friend lives in a skull.

Even though there is continuity between the five books in the series, each still can stand on its own. It you like fantasy but are tired of the usual enchanted princess genre try a dip in the Dresden files. You won't be disappointed.

I consider myself quite lucky, in retrospect, that there were already five books available in this series by the time I started reading. I cannot remember the last time I devoured a series as quickly or with as much enjoyment as this one. Butcher has really done an exceptional job in creating this world and these characters. He started off with one of the best first novels I've read and has only gotten better with each installment. I have literally laughed, cried, and cheered while reading these books, and that is something that is not entirely common with me (though I'll admit to being a sap and something of an easy target for the tearjerk effect).

One reader commented that this installment left many things unresolved, and this is true to a point. Actually, the majority of the major plot points were dealt with quite nicely (far more neatly, in fact, than any writer so new to the craft has any right being able to accomplish). There were a number of threads left dangling, but only insomuch as was necessary in order to bring these elements into play in later episodes. Also, the reviewer who noted that there was a statement about the Jews being responsible for Jesus' death was not entirely accurate. There is a referrence to Barrabus who was freed by the Jews despite the fact that Pilate had wanted them to free Jesus. If Butcher deserves to have all but one star stripped from a rating for accurately reporting an event that was already written of in a much more widely published book (I don't have to explain that one, do I?), then we have a problem here. This was in no way intended as anti-semitic, and I thought it was actually rather neatly in keeping with the rest of the storyline. By the way, just for the record I am not Jewish but I am not Christian either. Frankly I think both sides of this particular debate ("The Jews killed Jesus!", "No they didn't!") are rather silly. But that's just me...

Anyway, as for this book I was more than pleased. Somehow Butcher keeps making each one better than the last, and I'm keen to see if he can keep up the trend. Only problem is that I've run out of books and now have to wait for him to publish the next one. Either I'll have to slow down my reading speed, or else Jim has to start typing a hell of a lot faster. In the meanwhile, get Peter Jackson on the phone. I've got an idea for his next big movie series... :)

Superb! Jim Butcher has brought Harry Dresden back with a vengeance. At the end of the fourth book, "Summer Knight," Harry's world was a tad askew. His girlfriend was half-way to becoming a vampire, he'd started a war between the Wizard's Council and one of the Vampire clans. Also, he'd been on the "list" with a Chicago mob-boss for quite a while now. He did, however, manage to play some fun D&D with a group of werewolf vigilantes. Hey, you take your victories where you can.

So, when a priest asks him to recover a stolen relic (sort of like a big white cloth, taken from Turin... uh... yeah, that one), and demons start popping up everywhere trying to pop Harry off, things are tense. Toss in a suprise visit from his Girlfriend, three holy knights with very holy swords (one of whom has a very bitter wife), and you see why Harry's day is just about as bad as any he's had.

The mystery in this one threw me for a loop (I thought I had it right, only to learn I had it way wrong), and the tone of the book was dark and fun in equal measure. The pithy one-liners are always well done, and there's enough insider-geek references to make you swell with geeky pride.

Enjoy it, enjoy 'em all, and if you've never read any of Butcher's work, you owe yourself a copy of 'Storm Front,' a hot cuppa tea, and some quiet time you'll soon fill with laughter.

'Nathan

Life has its up and downs for our hero, Harry, the down-on-his-luck wizard from modern-day Chicago. Susan, his almost-vampire lost love returns, but only to say goodbye. He's challenged to a duel by a vampire champion of the Red Court, but on the good side, if he loses, the wizard-vampire war will be over. The Shroud of Turin has been stolen and shows up in Chicago, and everyone wants it: the scary gangster lord of the city, the Fallen Angels and their demon agents, the White Knights, and the Vatican, which hires Harry to find it. Along the way there are shoot-outs aplenty, strange and twisted beasties to defeat (or run away from), and Harry gets asked some questions he has a hard time answering. All told in Butcher's typical fast-paced hard-to-put-down style, from Harry's charming and sardonic point of view. If you've read the other books, don't wait, just buy this and devour it. If you've picked it up as the first book of Butcher's, go ahead, read it first. Butcher will give you what you need to get up to speed. Then go out and get the other four.

Harry Dresden's latest adventure builds upon the previous for books in Jim Butcher's series about Chicago's only practicing wizard.
In Death Masks, Harry must duel the vampire Ortega, find the missing Shroud of Turin, battle against foes both supernatural and mortal, and deal with the return of his girlfriend Susan. The fact that she's now a half-vampire and part of a secret Brotherhood makes things complicated. Butcher introduces some new nasties in the Denarians, associates of the Fallen, who gain power and corruption by possessing the thirty coins of Judas. The main thrust of the story is the search for the stolen Shroud of Turin, and trying to figure out the purpose of its theft. Butcher also throws in Gentleman John Marcone, Chicago's crime boss for good measure. Luckily Harry has help from the Holy Knights and his friend, Michael Carpenter, plus Susan with her newly suped up powers.

The story is well-paced, the action well-orchestrated, and the threads of the plot are laced together deftly. Butcher obviously takes time to piece together his stories, drawing on twists of religious history and the occult, and building on events from the previous books. Harry's world is increasingly complex, and he continues to grow as a character. I like the storyline remains interesting, and the author is having fun creating this universe.

I still find it tough to swallow when Harry always seems to be at the center of all things, as if the entire supernatural world revolves around him. Why do all of these creatures seek him out? Where the heck are all of the other wizards all of the time? There was an interesting moment toward the end with Marcone as less than adversary, but Harry seems to try to irritate people.
Finally, I didn't get a feeling of resolution with very many of the plot points. This was just a bridge to the next story in the series. But hey, I'm still hooked.

I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series, I just wish it had taken me longer to read this one, now I have months to wait for more.

And I need to point out...only one 1-star review...a person who enjoyed the book and the series except for one comment at the end of this book...do not let that stop you from reading them all!

Anyone who picks this series up and starts reading, with an open mind and an active imagination, is going to be hooked. The details are wonderful, and the book(s) are full of humor, romance, drama, fantasy, and action. What more can you ask for?

I read this book the fastest of all the books so far. There is a little recovering of last books information that kind of tiring but for a new reader it will get you more interested in the past (the Susan issue, Alphas and Marcone.) I have enjoyed the whole series but for some reason this one hit the spot. All the way to the last page there is something new and interesting.

I was a bit disappointed in Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, Book 4), as it just didn't seem like an adequate follow up to the cataclysmic events of Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3). Fortunately with Death Masks Jim Butcher puts this series back on track.

Death Masks is the logical successor to Grave Peril, picking up the pieces in the aftermath of that book's events. The war between the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court of Vampires is in full swing, and may come to a conclusion when a Vampire Warlord offers to duel Harry in single combat. As if that weren't enough, the Shroud of Turin has been stolen and everyone from the mafia to fallen angels to the Knights of the Sword and of course our boy Harry are in a free-for-all to acquire it. Oh, and Susan, Harry's half-vampire beloved is back in Chicago. Just another day for everyone's favorite down on his luck wizard.

This book has a lot going for it. Fallen angels make for far more compelling villains than a bunch of faeries, and the Red Court always keep things interesting. The tension between Harry and Susan is powerful (even though I was never really convinced by their relationship), and their troubled interaction gives the book a much needed emotional core. The best part (to me anyway) is the return of Michael and the addition of two more Knights of the Sword. These characters are interesting enough that I'd almost rather read a series based on their adventures. Butcher hits just the right note with Harry's relationship to Michael, his family, and his sworn brethren, and hopefully they will continue to play an active role in Harry's future adventures.

Death Masks isn't perfect though. Like the other Dresden Files novels, its rapid-fire pace doesn't leave much room for character development. I think if Butcher devoted the word count he uses on describing everyone's clothing and food choices to more introspection and character interaction, the books would be more effective. I get it; Harry's got a cool coat. How about more of that subconscious stuff from Grave Peril? That kind of thing made Harry less of a 2-dimensional character and more like a real person.

That aside, Death Masks was a very solid entry in the Dresden Files series, second only to Grave Peril. At this point I have to take myself off the fence and declare myself a fan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and order Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6).

Well, this is the fifth book of the series and it still perfect. It is fantastic how Jim Butcher is able to keep the series on a so high level. He made only a mistake, in the book you are lead to believe that the language spoken in Brazil is Spanish. It is not, We speak Portuguese here, Spanish is not even our second language. Apart from that mistake, the book is flawless. I can't wait for the next book and I really hope Jim Butcher will keep the series as it is.

I've enjoyed Harry Dresden from the first, and with this book the series just keeps getting better.

Harry has to fight his way through a world filled with magic wonder and dark, dark demons. His power is in his magic, but also in his heart.

Great mix of fun, excitement, danger, lots of narrow escapes, a little romance, plot twists, and FUEGO shooting out of Harry's blasting rod.