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Title: Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)
ISBN: 0451457811
Author:
Jim Butcher
Publicate Date: 2000-04-01
Publish: 2000-04-01
List Price: $7.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.87
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $2.54
Amazon Merchant Price: $7.99
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Wonderful Fantasy/Wizard series...horrible audio CD
I have read all ten of the Harry Dresden books and I have to say that they pull you in from the very beginning. They have a wonderful mix of wizardry, romance, suspense, violence, you name it. It all blends together in a way that leaves you longing for the next book in the series.
I must caution you though on the audio versions of the first 4 books that have been released. When I first saw the audio book versions, I was very excited until I heard them. James Marsters is the narrator and he is horrible. I highly enjoy watching James Marsters act (Buffy, Angle, Torchwood, Smallville) but narrate...he cannot. He just sounds bored. Only on characters that are not Harry Dresden does he seem to try...
If I would have started the series with the audio books...I probably never would have given them a chance and truly missed out on a wonderful series.
My advice. Read the books...enjoy the short lived TV show...skip the audio books.
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2: Storm Front
For A First Time Author, This Book Wasn't Half Bad. I Didn't Like How He Had Put It In A First Person View The Entire Book, And It Seemed All He Did Was Run Around With His Brian Turned Off. Would I Recommend, If Your Bored Then Yes, Otherwise Don't Bother.
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3: A combination of my two favourite genres
Harry Dresden is a private investigator in Chicago. Not just any P.I. mind you but a practicing wizard who occasionally helps the Chicago Police when they have cases that aren't quite 'normal', and do they have a doozy for Harry now, a double murder involving the mob and a high price call girl ring.
So as a combination of fantasy and hard boiled detective stories how did I like it? Well it was good but not great. There was lots of good action with vampires, demons and even giant scorpions. Butcher's writing style is a little wooden (although I understand this was his first book so I can cut him a little slack). However there were problems integrating magic and the real world. Specifically of the `if a wizard can do X then why doesn't he just do Y instead of bothering with Z' variety. The magic is so powerful that you would expect wizards to dominate society instead of skulking in the shadows. Butcher tries to tackle this problem by laying out some guidelines in the use of magic in his world. He implies also that it is one of the functions of the White Council to police the use of magic, but if this is the case why is Harry Dresden P.I. investigating these murders and not the White Council? In fact I believe the novel would have been better served if Harry had been an agent of the White Council tracking down rogue wizards and other dangerous creatures encroaching on the non-magical world, while at the same time trying to keep his magical identity secret. But that would have worked against the hard boiled detective vibe Butcher is aiming for.
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4: They get better
I really liked this book, because it combined the genres that I love; Fantasy, and mystery. The first book was good, but I found the dialogue a little cliche, however I have read the 2nd book and can tell you that they get better as you progress through the series. Definitely a must read for anyone looking for a "Grown Up Harry Potter."
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5: Fun Read
Harry Dresden is the only wizard you'll find in the yellow pages. He has set up shop in Chicago, and in addition to helping people find their lost items or dealing with the occasional paranormal event, he is also a consultant for the Chicago P.D. After Harry receives 2 calls almost at once, one from a wife whose husband has gone missing and one from Murphy, head of Special Investigations, who has 2 corpses that she'd like to get his take on, his day goes down hill from there. I don't want to give too much more away, but really, the story is quite good.
I liked Butcher's take on magic and how it is formed and where it's energy comes from. It didn't have the feel of, "Well, it's magic, just accept that it happens the way it happens." There are concrete and physical bases from which the magic comes from in this world, and I found it a refreshing change (for instance, when making a love potion, tear up a $50 bill to go into the potion, because money is sexy).
I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading these books, but at the same time, now I want to go pick up the lot at B&N, and the rest of my TBR pile is looking a little downtrodden right now, so I may need to space these out a little. If you haven't read these before, though, pick up Storm Front. You won't be disappointed.
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