The Dresden Files: book review

After recently finishing Jim Butcher’s Codex of Alera series, I decided to try out his other and more famous series The Dresden Files. Essentially a series about a private investigator who also happens to be a real wizard, we enter a familiar world of crime, murder and mayhem but also find the denizens of the night, such as Vampires, Trolls, Demons and Faeries are real and play a major part in our world.

Each novel in the series is a standalone novel with its own plot and characters, however as you move along the series you do have many recurring characters and begin to learn mor about Harry Dreseden (the main character) and the trials and tribulations he has faced in his past.

Based in a modern-day Chicago, each story blends fantasy with hard mysterious holmes-esque detective work to create a unique and surprisingly real feel. Jim Butcher writes the novels from a first person perspective and this really allows the reader to get into the ‘head’ of Harry Dresden and view the story from a unique perspective.

Interestingly we see Harry interact with Lieutenant Karrin Murphy who runs the Special Investigations Unit in the Chicago Police Department – Harry is a special paranormal consultant for them and is brought in on cases that defy modern science and modern investigation techniques. It’s interesting to see how Butcher portrays the relationship between the two – on one hand we have Karrin who is very frustrated with Harry at times, as he can’t always tell her everything she needs to know; however her realization that the paranormal is real, gives her somewhat of an ‘x-files’ Scully feel. Harry respects her thoroughly and finds it hard to keep her in the dark, with his motivations mostly being her safety.

As we progress through the books we see Harry’s struggles with the real world as well as the Wizard world. With a vampiress (Madame Bianca St. Claire) as one of his many enemies (thanks to an encounter in the first book) Harry is constantly on guard against a whole gamut of supernatural enemies, who seem intent on destroying him.

Harry has several other acquaintances who re-occur throughout the books ranging from a supernatural reporter (and love interest) Susan Rodrigues, to the ruthless, yet gentlemanly Johnny Marcone, the crime Lord of Chicago.

The books are very well written and logical, and while experienced mystery writers will see the plots pretty quickly, this doesn’t detract from the books – while the plots may be transparent, it’s the interplay between the characters and the way Jim Butcher builds all the characters, even those destined to be in the book for five minutes that makes the series so compelling.

The books are more adult that his Codex of Alera, with descriptions of violence and some erotic imagery prevalent, however these parts are done very tastefully and are not too graphic in nature, just enough so to build the appropriate atmosphere. Jim Butcher has built a lot of humor into the novels, even though they are predominantly serious.

As an example, one of the most intriguing characters is Bob, an air spirit who is trapped inside a skull in Dresden’s basement – occasionally he is let out of his skull, but many times his wit and lecherous nature really add a great element to the books.

Jim Butcher has written a compelling, unique and fun series that has some excellent characters and some well thought out characters. It blends the genres of thriller and fantasy very well and gives them a reality that is actually a little worrying – are there actually Vampires out there?

In conclusion, I thoroughly recommend this series – it’s probably not suitable for children, but should appeal to teenagers and upwards. Jim Butcher’s writing style is such that you’ll find the pages skipping by as you wait for the next turn of events to occur. Interestingly, there is a TV series based on the books; the series isn’t exactly the same as the books, and many will be disappointed at some of the changes – but it does show you the measure of success and how Jim Butcher has managed to reach a mass audience with his writing!