I’ve been meaning to read these books for a while. I mean, a wizard detective? What’s not to like? Started the series just over a week ago, and I’m already on book three. So yeah, I found a winner and will probably guzzle up the whole series and then be disappointed because it’s all gone.
Book one I thought did a good job introducing us to Harry Dresden without too much telling. He’s got a mysterious mystery to solve for a woman whose husband has gone missing, and no sooner is he off the phone with her than he gets another phone call about a couple murders. Busy life for a wizard, but he can use the money.
The book drew me in from the first paragraph and I was entertained all throughout. There’s a couple of big mysteries in here to solve and a lot of interesting characters to meet along the way. Vampires, faeries, lots of dark magic, a nasty gangster dude, and a surprising amount of people who hate Dresden’s guts. Seriously, this guy doesn’t make friends well. He should think about enrolling in a class or something.
I really enjoyed the humor in Dresden’s voice. He’s got this dry wit that helps in all the dire situations he finds himself in. Some reviews didn’t like the book because sometimes Dresden is old fashioned to the point of sexism, but I didn’t find the book too sexist. Sure Dresden seems sexist at times, but he respects women, he just thinks they need saving and it’s his job to do it. It’s a character flaw, and there’s even this fiercely independent detective woman who repeatedly challenges him on it. He questions his overly protective instincts at times and does acknowledge that some of the women he comes across are strong and admirable.
The plot worked well, building to a huge climax with a whole lot of action and creepy creatures you do not want to come across in real life. The story is very self contained and wraps up nicely, so you don’t have to worry about cliff hangers. All in all I can’t think of anything to say that’s bad about it. Maybe a couple scenes felt a bit flimsy, but that’s a maybe. Definitely five stars.
In case you want to read more reviews on this book, go to the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47212.Storm_Front
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