Storm Front (Dresden Files) Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 2000

The books get a helluva lot better as the series goes. It was just barely good enough to keep me in until book 5 really hooked me. But the only reasons I made it thru the first two was how much I like Harry himself, and I figured it would get better.

I've previously read and enjoyed Jim Butcher's "Codex Alera" series, and the Dresden Files came highly recommended from some online acquaintances (whose opinions I trust in such matters), so when I saw the Kindle deal for the first seven Dresden books, I took the bait. I'm glad I did.

I've read a number of hardboiled detective novels (from back in the day) and I could see some of that influence here. Actually, that influence was stronger in "Storm Front" than it was in some of the later Dresden books (I'm up through #4 right now). I think Butcher was still trying to find his voice in this book. He's decent at the detective novel thing (clues planted in appropriate places, red herrings, etc.), but I found later books -- where there's more of a character focus, as well as more supernatural elements -- more fun to read.

One detail I like is Dresden's interference with electronic devices. The hardboiled detective style doesn't work as well, I think, with modern conveniences like the internet, cell phones, etc. But Dresden exists in the modern world and so the existence of technology has to be addressed. And I appreciate the choice that was made. Plus, it makes things more difficult for Dresden (unreliable car, making bargains with Bob the skull to get information, etc.). He's got wizardly powers but he's still sometimes at a disadvantage.

The first-person narrative works, in my opinion. I already knew that Dresden was going to make it out of the whole thing alive, because there are more than a dozen additional books in the series (a lot of times, first-person narration suffers from lack of tension because authors don't kill off the POV characters). But even if Dresden isn't going to die, there could still be consequences. In this first book, we know Dresden is already under a cloud of suspicion/distrust from his fellow wizards, plus he has mundane allies who could suffer. So there's still tension, despite the first-person POV.

There are a lot of what you might call tropes of the hardboiled detective genre in this book (house by the lake, mysterious woman coming to Dresden's office to offer him a job -- that he needs to take due to monetary reasons, mobsters, pesky reporters, etc.). I can't decide if Butcher is paying homage to the genre or just recycling ideas (or maybe a little of both), but he manages to keep the plot moving so you don't have a lot of time to focus on such details. Honestly, the same can be said for the supernatural side of things -- a wizard with a staff, potions, fairies, vampires, etc. In this case, I think the mash-up generally works.

One thing I will definitely say for Butcher's books (both "Codex Alera" and the four Dresden books I've read so far) is that they're very easy to read -- they're over before you know it! (I mean that in a good way. Also, the books are not terribly long.) Early on, I noticed a tendency for Butcher to use too many "-ly" adverbs, but these either became less noticeable or were dropped. The first murder scene is described in such a way that makes it anatomically impossible, but I'm willing to let that slide.

I'm not so sure how I feel about Dresden's attitude towards women -- these stories definitely have their sexist moments. Nary a female character is introduced that we don't hear about her build, her clothes, etc. Dresden also has something of a protective hero complex. On the one hand, sexism is a longstanding feature of the hardboiled detective story. On the other hand, I wonder if it's a little bit of the author's personality coming through. There's something of a fixation on cheerleaders (and one reference to a football team), suggesting certain difficulties during the teenage years for one or both of them (i.e., Dresden and Butcher).

One thing I wished for was more focus on the characters in this book. (That does come in later volumes and I'm glad for it.) It is clearly established that Harry Dresden is carrying around a lot of baggage from a not-too-pleasant past, but he doesn't want to talk about it. In this volume, we *are* introduced to the supernatural world, including fairies, vampires, various magical tools, and more. It is possible that this introduction took the place of some of the characterization that would normally be involved in a series like this. And we did need an introduction to those elements because they come back again and again in later volumes.

The book is set in Chicago, a place I've never been. I'm not all that sure it matters that I haven't visited there; Butcher keeps it pretty generic other than some broad references to neighborhoods, the Great Lakes, etc. It probably would have been just as easy to set these books somewhere else. On the other hand, there's nothing that leads me (admittedly, with my lack of knowledge of the area) to believe this *couldn't* have taken place in Chicago (geographically-speaking, anyway). At any rate, the setting is believable enough for my purposes.

I've been told by a couple of online acquaintances that you can skip the first two Dresden books and start right in with the third. However, I think to do that, you'd be missing out on some key early worldbuilding. I feel like this book contributes less to the ongoing storyline about Dresden's past than books 2-4, but I also think that Butcher was setting things up for later. Also, of course, he had to provide something that was basically self-contained because he wouldn't have been able to predict the reaction/popularity of the series.

All-in-all, I'm glad I took the plunge to get into this series. I expect I'll finish the books I got on promo in a week or two and have to pay full price for the rest of them. I'd say this was a decent effort but also that later books show definite improvement. 3.5 stars.

Storm Front initially put me off Harry Dresden for a number of years. It was only at the urging of a couple of friends who were already fans of the series that I sat down and pushed my way through Storm Front. It's not a bad story at all, but Jim Butcher has learned quite a bit since it was penned.

The main issue for me is that it took until after the start of chapter eight to really pick up. You really need the story building in the prior chapters, it's just a little bit plodding. Do yourself a favor if you've never read about Harry's adventures and read it. Just power through the first eight chapters and buckle up for a wild ride through the next 14 (and counting!) books!

This book is the entrance into a world I would like to return. This story, in particular, keeps moving constantly with each page and chapter. I was interested in more characters that were only loosely glazed over while the focus stayed on Dresden. That isn't a huge problem. My issue is Dresden's personality and opinion towards women (which seemingly begins to be fixed in later books) but he seems like an old timey chauvinist, thinking he is being a gentleman. I won't spoil any story bits, but I am very interested in the magical world in which this book takes place, just some of the characterizations bothered me. (Not enough to quit reading though) The Audiobook is also very good for this series. The reader is very good, does voices and exasperations but not overly so.

Minor spoiler.

Harry Dresden is a modern day wizard who plays detective in this well written urban fantasy. He's been a bit down on his luck and late on the rent when he gets a phone call from a mysterious "Monica," who asks him to find out what her husband has been up to in a typical "wife is worried hubby is cheating" scheme. Not his normal work, but he could use the money, and one of Harry's weaknesses it not being able to deny a damsel in distress. He agrees to meet with this Monica person, but before that appointment he gets another more urgent call from Karrin Murphy of the Chicago police about two dead bodies that she needs him to look at asap. Harry also works as a consultant for the Chicago PD. It pays the bills and gets him out of the office.

Thus starts absolute insanity. You're reading and thinking, "Okay, he's going to go take a look at these bodies and get back in time to meet with this Monica lady," but then he gets kinda kidnapped by the mob on the way back to his office, what WHAT?! and THAT'S THE ENTIRE NOVEL! Stuff just keeps happening to him. Like how he had a date with one woman, forgets about a date with another who shows up at his door right before they get attacked by a toad demon, and he accidentally gives her a love potion that he HAD to make to get Bob the Skull to cooperate. They wind up in a magic circle to ward of the demon and did I mention that Harry is naked because he was in the shower when his date came calling? Yeah, that's what it is. I've heard friends describe Dresden with the phrase "It's like Harry riding a dinosaur down the streets of Chicago." This is the absolute best description. The plotting is so twisty, cohesive, and well done (Butcher is a Scorpio, the kings of super secrecy). His snarkiness is appropriate and amusing, and some of the descriptions and metaphors are downright beautiful. They come as surprising in this often very gritty world that still has room for pizza craving fairies.

The main plot thread is Harry tries to nab a serial killer who's using magic to literally rip peoples' hearts out of their bodies, bolstering their magic by using the power of storms, and the chase becomes more desperate when Harry himself is next on the list. The B plot is what's going on with Monica and her husband, and Butcher is a genius at twining these two together. Our resident wizard detective is also trying to keep out of the fire himself since the White Council of wizards is looking for any excuse to execute him. Harry was forced to kill his magic mentor who turned evil, and since killing with magic is a big no no even for self-defense, they decide to put him on wizard probation.

Many times I felt as though I'd been plunked down in the midst of this world, but I wasn't unhappy about it. There's so much on the outer edges that you're just hoping you'll find out about as the novels progress. I actually wondered and double checked that I was reading the first book in the series. I was and I intend to read the next and the next until I'm caught up (this is an eventuality. Life became much busier after I wrote this). Looking back I'm surprised I didn't see a major plot point all along, but that is the mark of a good writer: being able to throw all the clues in, but still managing to surprise the reader in the end.