Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Book One in The Dresden Files. Click here for book two.

Excerpt from book (sign on office door):

"Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. 
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, 
Endless Purses, Parties, or Other Entertainment."

Plot: Harry Dresden is a wizard by trade living in the busy city of Chicago. To put it nicely, most people are rather skeptical as to the existence of magic, and therefore as to the stability of Harry's mental health. He doesn't really mind, but business is rather slow, barely managing with the occasional checks from the police department where he is sometimes called in as a "psychic consultant". But when a grisly murder is committed using black magic and Harry is blamed, he realizes that a bit of drama isn't all it's cracked up to be. As the mysterious murderer continues, it's up to Harry to uncover their identity and put an end to the horrifying deaths.

Comments: I absolutely loved this book! The mystery sucked me in, and I couldn't put it down. Harry is a well-formed character, easy to imagine and impossible not to love. He's awkward yet confident, simple, clever, and a sweetheart. I can visualize his tall figure striding down the street, coat whipping around his thin frame. The descriptions in the book clearly painted pictures in my mind, without being overly detailed. I felt very much involved in the story, like I was watching it all happen from the sidelines. It's fun, being able to imagine Harry's face when Susan tricks him into agreeing to a date, or being a silent spectator cheering Harry on when he faces the murderer once and for all. Harry's character infuses the story with amazing life and spirit.

The murders are rather grisly (as afore mentioned), and the descriptions are certainly vivid. There's definitely a mature theme in this story - Harry has some interesting moments with women, too - though nothing too drastic. I wouldn't recommend this for a middle schooler, but for high school students, this book is great. I'd also like to point out that Storm Front would be a great book for adult readers as well. The writing is sophisticated and the concept and theme slightly dark and definitely mature, but if you aren't a fantasy fan, perhaps this isn't the book for you. However, the magic isn't exaggerated in this book - it requires specific steps, energy, and focus; you can't just point a wand and say a couple words. I like that some effort is necessary to use magic in this book, because it makes it seem all that much more realistic.

Rating: I rate this book a ten out of ten. Go read it. And then read Fool Moon, book two.

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