boum reviewed Storm Front by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files, #1)
Review of 'Storm Front' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Reread. Fun to see how the famous wizard started. His flaws are more flagrant once you've read several books from the Dresden Files.
audio cd
Published April 1, 2014 by Buzzy Multimedia on Brilliance Audio.
The novels of the Dresden Files have become synonymous with action-packed urban fantasy and non-stop fun. Storm Front is Jim Butcher's first novel and introduces his most famous and popular character-Harry Dresden, wizard for hire.For his first case, Harry is called in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with the blackest of magic. At first, the less-than-solvent Harry's eyes light up with dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage. Now, that black mage knows Harry's name. And things are about to get very...interesting.
Reread. Fun to see how the famous wizard started. His flaws are more flagrant once you've read several books from the Dresden Files.
Very much enjoyed it.
Think I found a plot hole, but it didn't detract from the fun. Nice, fast moving adventure, and if you like wizards in modern times, this one is for you. Obviously.
Enjoyed this one. The series should be quite good. It got a little more dark than I would have liked, but still good.
Happy I read it! I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to Storm Front. I'd heard of the TV show The Dresden Files but never watched an episode or even knew what it was about. I didn't know until recently that the show was based on a series of books.
It wasn't until I saw the newest book by Jim Butcher - a steampunk adventure - that I actually took the time to look him up. I spoke to a few folks about the Dresden series and decided to give the first one a shot. And I'm happy I did.
I truly enjoyed the magical aspects of the story and the mystery was pretty good, too. The secondary characters were interesting, although not very fleshed out, and while I didn't like everything about Harry, I found him a believable protagonist with an interesting backstory. …
Happy I read it! I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to Storm Front. I'd heard of the TV show The Dresden Files but never watched an episode or even knew what it was about. I didn't know until recently that the show was based on a series of books.
It wasn't until I saw the newest book by Jim Butcher - a steampunk adventure - that I actually took the time to look him up. I spoke to a few folks about the Dresden series and decided to give the first one a shot. And I'm happy I did.
I truly enjoyed the magical aspects of the story and the mystery was pretty good, too. The secondary characters were interesting, although not very fleshed out, and while I didn't like everything about Harry, I found him a believable protagonist with an interesting backstory.
I'm already on the waiting list with my local library for the second audio book.
Excellent use of description, great characters and the plot was okay.
As far as series about an inside-man having knowledge of unseen forces and abilities to control them, I've been spoiled by [a:Charles Stross|8794|Charles Stross|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1355510574p2/8794.jpg]'s LAUNDRY FILE series; deep, rich, and always successful in its attempts to be funny. I know this is Butcher's debut novel, so I can look past the prose and the pacing enough to acknowledge its heart and see the possibilities. I read that fans say the books get progressively better, and I have no trouble believing that. But if the greasy, shallow, and inconstantly vain aspects of Dresden's personality persist too much longer without any positive character development, I'm afraid The Dresden Files won't even hold their place on my quick-read-between-good-books pile.
The only complain i have about this book is, other than some very blatant gramatical errors, some of the action scenes were filled with unnecessarily long descriptions of harry Dresden's feelings, etc. i wouldn't have minded reading them, except they could have been placed before or after an action scene. When things are being blown up, burnt down, and demons trying to drag people into never never land, i don't care how the main character is feeling....I want action!
Oh, and I guessed who the killer was at the beginning of the book. Usually, I enjoy being right, but I also like a book that has a twist that'll throw me completely off balance.
I plan on reading the entire series, though.
What a fun read! I heard nothing but good stuff about the Dresden files, so I decided to take one along on vacation for reading. I was highly entertained by it. It's definitely a fast read, and it makes me want to find out a lot more about the past of Harry Dresden, the White Council, and how magic works in Harry's time.
Enjoyable quick read, a mix of urban fantasy and (not very scary) horror.
There are a lot of differences from the "Dresden Files" TV-series, so if that's what you're looking for you're likely to be disappointed.