Just in the way of a quick synopsis, The Dresden Files follows around Harry Dresden a wizard private investigator. He mainly does things like find lost objects or missing people, stuff that’s pretty easy. But the Chicago PD bring him in time to time to consult on cases when things seem weird and that is too often in Chicago. The series starts out with him doing a few one off cases, but soon he figures out that there is something larger at play and now he’s having to deal with fae courts, vampires of all sorts, and basically anything else that might go bump in the night.

I really like Urban Fantasy, and Dresden Files is a very good series in that genre. Too often or too much of urban fantasy seems to lean into that light fluffy writing with a bit of pulp, whereas The Dresden Files are heavily pulp but keep a serious tone and really create depth of character. Now, this isn’t through all the books, the first couple, especially, since they aren’t as obviously tied into the main plot of the rest of the books, and are early in Butcher’s writing career don’t hold up quite as well, though, they are still very enjoyable. And his short story book, Side Jobs, you get some more of his earlier writing and while I enjoyed them a good amount, I can see how they might not hold up as strongly as some of his other work.

Besides the genre, I really like the main character. Harry Dresden is a good character, generally a good person, and definitely a flawed person as well. I think that is one thing that I really appreciate about Butcher’s writing of Harry. Harry has a pretty obvious character arc as he grows, and there are still things that he recognizes as hang-ups for him that he just doesn’t address or that he has accepted are part of him. This rough around the edges works well for the gritty world that the series is set in. And I think that’s a strength, not just of Harry in the series, but other characters as well. Each character has their own flaws, and while there are some who seem to have less flaws, their flaws just look a bit shinier and are harder to see. I’ve been listening to, and have read enough, to notice when books create a character that is either too perfect or too generic, and Harry is definitely not perfect or generic.

One thing I wasn’t sure how it would go throughout the books is finding a good way to increase the stake throughout. I’m not going to go into spoilers, but things start to get big and there are a lot of issues surrounding the fae, vampires, wizards, and other parties. Whenever that happens, I start to get worried. You can end up with it getting too big too quickly, and if a problem is solved, that means now you have to come up with something even crazier and bigger. In the Dresden Files, I feel like it’s balanced well. There is definitely a building feel to larger things, but there are some books where the stakes seem a bit smaller again mixed in without. The slow build and those that keep the story from growing to quickly make the series better. You can feel that it’s building towards something even bigger, and while there was a moment where you could feel like it drops off again, there are so many open questions in the series that it works to take a little bit of a step back.

I’m not sure how many books are going to be in the series, but I’m definitely looking forward to the next one. If you want to know more about the series, or get into some spoiler territory, you can join me with Malts and Meeples as I play through the Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game which does a solid job of telling the Dresden Files story. I’m really waiting for this to get picked up for a good television show as well or movie series. We had one SyFy channel series, and while the actor who played Dresden did a good job, the rest of the cast was just decent, and all in the all, it was too procedural to really be a show that captured the spirit of The Dresden Files.
Like I said at the beginning, I love this series. There are currently 15 books and 2 books of short stories. You definitely don’t need to read the short stories, though they are fun to fill in some gaps of the stories. And, random aside, one cool thing about the series is that each of them takes place about a year apart, so there are stories and things hinted at that we don’t ever see. It’s a bit of a haul to get through the series, but I haven’t regretted it, and I’ve read some of the books, especially early in the series, several times. I think if you’re looking for a good urban fantasy series you’re going to be hard to pressed to find something that works better than Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files.

What do you think of the series? What is your favorite book out of all of them?

Share questions, ideas for articles, or comments with us!

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Message me directly on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here.

Join me as I take on the Dresden Files Cooperative Card Game. I take a crack at the first scenario, Storm Front, based off of the Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher of the same name. This game is a cooperative game that plays well solo and plays quickly. It’s a challenging game that often can come down to some luck, but if you are smart about it, you can set yourself up to succeed in the end.

If you are enjoying these videos please consider subscribing to the Youtube Channel and following me on Twitch. I plan on getting back to streaming soon after some business of family visiting, so I thank you for your patience waiting between episodes.

Bottoms up.

In the first book of the series, we meet Harry Dresden, Chicago’s premiere (and only) professional wizard. As the story starts, we find Harry in his downtown office, where business is slow. Before long, in walks (naturally) a beautiful woman with a big problem–her husband is missing, and she wants Harry’s help.

Harry’s old-fashioned sensibilities — not to mention his need for cash — lead him to eagerly accept the case. At first, it seems that the woman, by the name of Monica Sells, came to Harry mainly because she didn’t trust the police with her case; however, Harry soon learns that Monica is hoping to hide her husband’s strange behavior from the authorities — behavior that, to Harry, sounds suspiciously magical in nature.

By way of several misadventures with paranormal creatures, a slimy Chicago mob boss (what else, I ask you?), and a Warden who dogs Harry’s footsteps in hopes of catching him out for misuse of magic, Harry finds that the strange events he keeps encountering all seem to be leading to a mysterious drug called ThreeEye. The drug allows normal humans to gain the Sight, or the ability to perceive the hidden magical world around them. This is a big problem — even for those well-trained in magic like Harry is, the Sight can cause confusion and even madness; for mundane humans, it can be disastrous.

Harry soon finds that all signs point to ThreeEye, and to whomever is distributing it. Harry knows he’ll need to find the source of the dangerous drug and put a stop to whatever nefarious plot is behind it. But with so many leads, which one is the right one? And will Harry be strong and wily enough to face whatever is lurking in the shadows?

This series is somewhat different from my usual fare, but I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit thus far (I just finished book #2, Fool Moon). I was unsure about Harry Dresden as a character at first, but I’m sold on him at this point. His exterior of suave (and sometimes grating) bravado turns out to conceal a character who is flawed, uncertain, and a little bit reckless. He enjoys using magic because of the cool factor; make no mistake — however, his true desire is to use it to protect both the people he cares about and the innocent bystanders around him from the dangerous world of magic that only he and a minority of others are aware of. In short, Harry may be a wizard, but he’s a very human one. Top that off with a complicated past that is only just beginning to be revealed in book #2, and you have a character who will hook you in and take you along for the ride.

Though I’m really enjoying these books, I do need to add a couple notes of critique. For one, I noticed a couple of moments where things felt a little loose in terms of editing — Harry is suddenly using an object he left somewhere without mentioning when he picked it back up, it’s difficult to tell who’s speaking in a string of rapid-fire dialogue, the logistics of a fight scene are a little tricky to envision, etc. It’s nothing major, but it’s enough for my editor-brain to pick up on. And I have to mention that the whole chivalrous/old-fashioned/knight-in-shining-armor thing Harry has going strikes me as a little casually sexist at times (though I’m starting to think that’s more or less the point, as Harry himself acknowledges this perception of his behavior several times). My final beef with these books is the level of violence — it’s all done to good effect, and is largely necessary to the plot, but at some points it comes preeeetty close to breaching my threshold for that kind of stuff. However, do keep in mind that I’m more squeamish than the average bear, so scenes that bothered me might not be a big deal to others.

All of that said, I’m finding The Dresden Files to be a solid series so far, and I’m really looking forward to finding out where it’ll go next. I’m told that the books only get better as they go along, and for a series that’s already shaping up nicely, that’s encouraging and exciting to hear. I’m hoping things will keep on picking up steam in the third installment, Grave Peril.

Have you read any of the Dresden Files books? What did you enjoy about them? Are there other books like The Dresden Files that you’d recommend to those who enjoy the series? Let us know in the comments!

———————————
Share questions, ideas for articles, or comments with us!

Email us at nerdologists@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter at @NerdologistCast
Message me directly on Twitter at @Kefka73
Visit us on Facebook here.