I really enjoyed Fool Moon. I loved the wizarding stuff with the spells and the potions. The mystery was solid and kept me guessing. My only problem was that certain parts were a bit confusing due to the multitude of different kinds of werewolves. It took a while for the definition of each one sunk in enough for me to remember which was which but once I got it the story flowed smoothly. A really fun paranormal mystery. ( )

The second in the Dresden Files series; Harry is facing multiple species of werewolf and the growing sensation that someone is out to kill him (someone other, that is, than the ferocious Loup-Garrou, a group of hexenwolves, a pack of shape-shifters, Murphy – who wants to arrest him, and John Marcone who wants to recruit him). Butcher manages to inject pathos and humour into his chaos; this and a couple of small teasers setting up later trails for Harry to chase, layers his already round personality very nicely… the sense that there’s a continuing life here, more than a page one to page done story, is the most satisfying element to the tale.

I get a big kick out of the speed at which Harry’s life goes to hell every time I open one of these books. Butcher’s stories are all pace, torture, and lightening-fast scary scenario changes, with Harry’s slightly distanced but forthright first-person narration never taking you out of the moment. For all the pace, the plotting is as tight as the first book… Butcher is apparently a maestro at the private-detective-with-a-twist genre; I’ve yet to encounter a dropped ball of any description, except (and this is a personal taste thing) the super fast narrating of events that occur after the last action scene, a tidying-up in almost short-hand form that feels as though it’s primary goal is to leave Butcher free to drop Harry into something hot on the first page of the next book, rather than discuss life-since-we-left-him-last.

I’m really enjoying this series. *heads back to the bookshelf for the next one* ( )

It was pretty good & I was surprised by the story. At first I thought it would be much like the episode in the TV series, but it was much more complex & entertaining. A little too much explaining at one point to draw all the threads together, but it worked out alright.For the first half of the book, Harry's self-pitying, lack of explanations & relationship issues got old. His inability to communicate well & his overwhelming guilt afterward is so 'comic book character', for lack of a better term. It's an over used hook in the book, but it does finally decrease. It was getting pretty annoying.Some of the revelations toward the end were underwhelming, but the action at the end was great. ( )

Its a good novel, but i wish there was more of the character "Bob the skull". I find that he makes the story even more interesting. He's funny. ( )

About four years ago, I was acquainted with a certain 'Wizard for Hire' by the name of Harry Dresden. I recall being entertained but not compelled to continue the association. However, several trusted sources promised me Mr. Dresden is of pukka character, the real deal, not prone to charlatan-esque fripperies and obfuscations. Finally circumventing my innate resistance, the second meeting between Mr. Dresden and I was arranged, and an intriguing dynamic arose. I discovered that I actually like Mr. Dresden; his foibles and peccadillos make him less a figure of mystic adumbration and more of an associate with whom to take tea and discuss the recent spate of brummagem love potions flooding the magical marketplace. His expertise and interests are varied and vast, his moral certitude and chivalrous demeanor endearing, his honor and sense of duty admirable. But perhaps his best features: he carries a large staff and makes a leather duster look good. ( )

I found book 1 of the Dresden Files disappointing, but after seeing how the rest of the world embraced this series I decided to give it another shot with 'Fool Moon.' Sadly, the same gripes applied. I think I would like this series if the writing weren't so very slooowww. Overall, I found the book underwhelming and dull, which is a pity given the great potential. ( )

Just finished reading this book. Took me longer to read than the first but that doesn't mean its any less entertaining. And one thing for sure this series is VERY action packed. Here's the synopsis.

The book opens with Kim Delaney ( a student of sorts) asking Harry about a mysterious circle design which immediately reminds us of the concept of circles in magic that we learnt in book 1. Afterwords he's brought on a murder case which like the last is VERY gruesome with a thorughly mangled corpse on the scene. The thought of werewolves come to mind and as he learns more about the different types of werewolves he becomes entangled between the different groups; all of which are after his head in some form or fashion. Now the first book had Harry in a worse predicament bt this book tested Harry in a far more physical fashion. In almost fifteen chapters Harry was engaged in battle after battle after battle almost to the point of not having any magical power left. Again i'm not complaining, in fact I can safely say this has way more action than any Potter book or any other fantasy novel I've read. Plus theres a very nifty twist that kept me turning the pages as well.

Now I've mentioned the different types of werewolf; five in fact. One that use magic to transform into wolves, one that have wolf characteristics and personalities but still retain their human form, one that was originally a wolf but shapeshifts into a human, one that uses a magic belt to transform into wolves and last the old fashioned kind that is a curse which turns the human into a wolf upon seeing a fullmoon. Now every one of these are dangerous: ESPECIALLY the last one and the scenes involving each were so engaging that I couldn't help but picture a live action or animated version in all of its splendour.

But aside from this no new concepts were really introduced if anything they used the ones mentioned in book 1 to advance the plot. For example the soul gaze is a great medium for getting insight on different characters without sacrificing page space.
Also the book hints at some themes and plot points which help support this series as a whole, and puts many more questions on the table.

All in all I enjoyed this read alot, it took me longer to read than book 1 though hence why i gave it four stars but this is an excellent series I may start book 3; but probably after checking potter 6 now that I've managed to see the film :D

4/5 ( )

People have promised me the later books are better. I'm not big on werewolves or chauvinism--though the character's awareness of the latter may be a good sign for the sequels.

To the book's credit, I read it all in one day. Clearly, it was entertaining enough that I bothered to do so. (Then again, I also read the Twilight series, so I'm hardly a picky reader.) I'm interested to see where the story goes. ( )

This is my second Harry Dresden book and, after reading Storm Front, I have to say I was a little disappointed. It's an entertaining read, but I found the character of Harry to be inconsistent. Yeah, yeah, I know people are really just one big mass of contradictions and I'm usually the first to make that argument, but there were scenes that just didn't seem to fit. For instance, I cringed at the sex scene with Harry blubbering like a baby after Susan made some lame "I want to protect you from the pain of the world" speech. Tough noir wizards do not cry after getting laid if they want to maintain my respect. Case closed. Don't even argue this. If I wanted sensitive males in touch with their feminine side, I would read Nicholas Sparks.

Also, while Butcher's take on werewolves (of which there are many kinds, such as the hexenwolves, werewolves, and the loup-garou) was interesting, werewolves just don't capture my imagination in the way other supernatural creatures do.

Finally, there wasn't enough of Bob, the filthy romance reading spirit imprisoned in a human skull. I love that naughty little sprite. Bob would not cry after sex. Harry should take note. ( )

Someone help me here. These are compulsively readable books, and I grant Butcher full props for the ability to pace a story and parse a sentence with equal facility (not all that faint of a praise, believe you me), but these books have some je ne sais quoi that makes them into bestsellers.

WHAT IS IT?!?

I was interested enough in the story to read it in one long sitting, but upon sober reflection, I cannot begin to tell you why. It's not that good of a book. It's not a completely new reading experience. It's just not...up there...artistically or structurally or wordsmith-ily (can't think of a better word, that one's just horrible, sorry) and so what about it makes me read it with bated breath?

I noted in my review of "Storm Front" that Dresden needs some sort of chemical intervention to keep his emotional equilibrium (actually, Librium might be a good idea) and get over the "everything is my fault, oh woe is me" shtick. That same trope is in full evidence in this book as well. It's already old. It could sink my interest in the series if it keeps up like this.

However...and this is the part that makes me completely demented...I will read the third book! AARRGGHH What has Butcher done?!? How can he make me want to read more of this?!?

*sulphrous, envious mutters* ( )

This is the second book in the Harry Dresden series. Interesting and entertaining with lots of magic and malice involving, this time, all flavors of werewolves, but not as good as the first book in my opinion. There is more development of the relationship between Harry and Murphy, though, to set it off. ( )

I don't hate this book but it was pretty messy in places. This was a case of too many werewolves spoil the broth I'm afraid. Too many of 'em, too many types of 'em... just too many furry things running about tearing chunks out of everybody. Bring back the pizza faeries, that's what I say. ( )

In the second book in The Dresden Files, Harry Dresden races to solve horrific murders scattered across Chicago, before Karrin Murphy tries to arrest him again. The clues all point to werewolves, but in a city filled with lupine shapeshifters, who is the murderer and who is just the fall guy?

I thought this book was an improvement on the first book in some ways. Dresden let a little more of his backstory slip and we learned there is a mystery surrounding his mother. One thing I wasn't as fond of was the rather gruesome descriptions of the werewolves' victims. Just a little too much detail for my taste. There was also a non-explicit sex scene and the profanity seemed a bit higher. Hopefully this does not mean each book is going to be significantly messier than the next. ( )

Wizard Harry Dresden is back in another supernatural mytery. A series of murders are happening around the full moon and it seems like werewolves. This is not as simples as that as it turns out there are four types of werewolf. There are loup-garou's who are cursed to be werewolves and have amazing strength and when they change they loose their humanity. There are classic werewolves and also hexenwolves who wear a magicl amulet giving them the power of werevoles and causing their change. Lastly there are those that are wolves that can shapeshift and take on the appearence of humans.

He is initally hired by Murphy from the Chicago PD to help with the case after a long period of no work, but soon loses her trust. His protege becomes involved in the case but doesn't hang around for long causing even more problems between Harry and Murphy. He also has a love interest in the form of journalist Susan who he isn't sure is around to get aheads up on supernatural happenings for her paper.

The plot is quite complicated with lots of twists and turns, but it sweeps the reader along and it wasn't too complicated that I lost my place. I really like Harry and his pragmatic approach to the supernatural. I will definitely be continuing further with the series in the near future. Every time I read one of them though I am reminded that the series was sadly cancelled after the first series. It was so good, I really miss it but hopefully the books will keep going much longer and will remain as enthralling. ( )

Another enjoyable book from Butcher, poor Harry really knows how to get in deep. I think this one does a good job of setting up a through-line, which I think was missing in the first book. Recommended for those who enjoy Simon Green. ( )

Harry Dresden continues to be an interesting character and Fool Moon managed to win me over despite several flaws. Copy editing in this volume allowed a few none-standard words that I found glaring, for example: "oxidating" instead of "oxidizing". The abuse Harry suffers at the hands of various goons, creatures, and villains became repetitive and nearly made me incredulous. The plotting also flirts with the idiot plot problem--Harry's continued inability to communicate and trust allies is so much of a problem, that even Butcher steps outside of the narrative to address it in the dream sequence. Still, the writing is better and the ideas more creative than a good share of the vampire-flavored urban fantasy that's been written in the past 10 years. I haven't given up on the series yet, but I'm not in a hurry to track down volume 3. ( )

Reading this right on the heels of the first book, I have to say this one has a different tone. Much faster paced, feels a bit darker too. Butcher shows here that he's not afraid to kill off characters, so it really opens up the directions the series could take as well.

I found it frustrating how much trouble Harry had with being believed or trusted, especially by Murphy, even if it fits with the setup. Like I said with the first book, I hope the series ends up facing this issue and dealing with it in much more depth soon, perhaps having magic becoming more generally well known, though I hope that wouldn't ruin the image of the always broke wizard for hire. Of course, that seems to begin by the end of this book, given the action at the police station, but as with Terminator or The X-Files, sometimes the truth has a way of staying hidden. There is even a brief mention of some video going missing and the ensuing hoax spin in the media perhaps done by a government agency with a vested interest in keeping things outwardly normal, but we'll see what direction Butcher takes this in the next book.

Would I recommend it? Yes. It adds depth to the groundwork laid in the first book, and I like the ramped up action, even if some of the magic accomplished by Dresden seems a bit overboard (though he does reach a limit). Reread potential is also there, especially given the many parallel wolf myths interwoven in one story. Gimme the third book. ( )

Very good read! In fact, it held my AADD attention span for 2 hours 'till finished! Outlines simple rules through this 'wizard detective' story that allow you to easily believe such things can happen. The best part (for me) is the realistic 'raised on television' sarcasm throughout the whole series. Without it, the story wouldn't get off the ground for me. ( )

Fool Moon is better than Storm Front, but it's still a very mediocre and formulaic offering from Jim Butcher.

One extremely annoying feature of this second book is treating the audience like amnesiacs and reusing clever quips from the first book verbatim - the four I remember specifically are his description of Mac's wizard-friendly bar, Mister's origin story, a vague history of his mismatched VW bug, and Harry's constant and teeth grating need to remind the reader that technology does not work around magic. Fool Moon also continues with the tradition of Murphy being both extremely annoying and untrusting, which causes no end of grief for our protagonist, and of Harry having a hero-complex, which causes no end of grief and annoyance for the audience.

I am still hopeful that Butcher can leverage the vibrant and diverse IP he has created into a stronger series of books without reusing the crutches he has created for himself, but after reading the first two books I am afraid that he might not be a strong enough writer. ( )

Another interesting read as part of the Dresden Files. This story is a bit more interesting and more polished. It also opened the story a bit more. It's more of a lead in for the stories down the line. I enjoyed it. ( )

Harry Dresden is again called in to help Murphy investigate a brutal killing...by wolves? While it may appear to be obvious where this book heads, Butcher throws in loup gorou, hexenwulfs, werewolves, and even the FBI. What are the differences? Well it's all in the magic, which Harry must quickly unravel in a night that brings him as close to the end as it seems to get.

To top things off, Dresden and Murphy have a fight and she loses her faith and trust in him. Can they pull it together in time to save the day and each other?

A great book, and I was quite annoyed when the cats insisted I stop reading by laying across the pages.

4 1/2 stars ( )

After having Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series recommended to me by several different sources, I picked up the first book, Storm Front, to give it a try. While it didn't blow me away, I did enjoy the quick, light read and was intrigued enough to go on to read the second book. Fool Moon continues the pleasant mix of detective fiction and urban fantasy. And although the dry humor is still present, Fool Moon is a touch more graphic and violent than the first book.

Once again, Harry Dresden--Wizard for Hire--finds himself without many cases and therefore without much cash; a troublesome state of affairs, especially when trying to make rent. Despite, or maybe because of, having helped the Chicago police Special Investigations unit solve a particularly nasty case last spring, he hasn't been brought in to consult on any more. Other people haven't been clamoring for his unique talents as the city's only professional wizard, either. Finally, a case comes along that the police can't handle alone. Dozens of people are being found mauled to death all over Chicago and the surrounding areas, always around the time of the full moon. The FBI is in charge, but that doesn't stop Murphy, the lieutenant and head of Special Investigations, from asking Harry to do some investigating on the sly for her. Even though he doesn't know much, he does know that they've got a serious problem on their hands--werewolves.

Despite reading several reviewers opinions that Fool Moon is the weakest book in the series, I thought it did quite well for itself. The plot and pacing were more cohesive and consistent than in Storm Front, although Harry does have an annoying habit of getting arrested on a fairly regular basis. And speaking of annoying--as much as I like Harry, there are some personality traits I hope he grows out of sooner rather than later; I can deal with his over-protectiveness (and can even understand it to some extent--magic isn't always pretty) but he somehow manages to spin every single bad thing that happens as his fault (even when it obviously isn't), which can wear thin pretty quick.

Fool Moon is written in such a way that having read the first book is not absolutely necessary. References are made to the events in Storm Front, which adds a nice bit of depth, but they are not critical to understanding and enjoying Fool Moon. Some scenes, particularly those dealing with Harry's past and family history, were obviously included in anticipation of the rest of the series, but felt a bit out of place in this novel. One of the things I particularity enjoyed about Fool Moon are the different types of werewolves encountered and explained throughout the book (including a brief mention of the Beast of Gévaudan, which I was very excited about), although it was barely credible that Harry would end up meeting all of them (Chicago is apparently a pretty crazy place). But, it was very interesting to see how the various groups interacted with one another. I can safely say that I am enjoying the Dresden Files, and while I'm not in a tremendous rush, I will be picking up the third book, Grave Peril, from the library.

Experiments in Reading ( )

About 5-6 years ago, a friend of mine (with whom I share a *lot* of reading tastes) discovered the Dresden Files and raved about it. He pushed Storm Front (Book 1) my way, and - well - I did try it, but I just couldn't for the life of me get into it. I don't even remember if I finished it or not - I have a sneaking suspicion I just gave up and went onto whatever was next on my reading pile.

Then, late last year, I suddenly discovered the Dresden Files on TV, and dear gods, what a difference between that and my memory of the books. I was absolutely hooked, and started wondering if I should maybe - just maybe - try to give the books another go.

Well, last week I finally tried picking up Book 2, and I'm glad I did - I've just sucked the story down in record time. I'm not sure whether Book 1 wasn't as bad as I remember, whether my tastes have changed, or whether there's actually a marked difference in the writing, but I'm a complete convert now (I actually have a theory that what was stopping me, as a very auditory-oriented person, getting into Book 1 was an inability to hear the characters' voices in my head as I read... now that the TV series has given me some great voices for all the lead players, it's suddenly opened the rest of the story up for me)

Fool Moon is a classic first-person urban fantasy with a well-balanced (competent but not inhumanly so, beset with human faults and foibles but not unbearably angsty or whiny) protagonist - the series' eponymous Harry Dresden, the Chicago Yellow Pages' only practising wizard; and a whole host of wonderful supporting characters (including the world's snarkiest ghost, a betrayed police lieutentant with attitude, and a tabloid reporter with a heart of gold). Speaking of which, a major plus for me is the sheer level of dry, wry snark in the narrative voice - I can imagine it might well get annoying for other folk who like it less, but for me, the balance is just perfect.

The major plot of the book is fairly standard - nasty murders being committed, apparently by werewolves (or someone trying to make it look like werewolves, Harry gets called in as a supernatural consultant to find out what's going on (and, as far as he's concerned, to help stop it). Beneath that, though, there are some interesting B & C plots going on; and some really fascinating interpersonal dynamics between various characters at different points in the story.

Something else I liked about the book is this: I dont' know of a *lot* of guys writing in the urban fantasy genre at the moment (Mark del Franco and John Levitt are the two that come to mind), and so far, none of them seem to be able to write their female supporting characters in anything LIKE the kind of complexity and three-dimensionality that they write their male lead: the girls seem to either be there to help or get in the way. But between Murphy (the cop), Susan (the reporter), and Tera (the... well, she's a lot of things), Mr Butcher has created three very nicely rounded women, none of whom give the impression that they exist only in terms of their relationship and interactions with Harry.

Oh, and another thing? I *LOVED* how Mr Butcher manages to convey the protagonist being under the influence of mood-altering things (one time a potion, another time a magic item), without ever having to come out and state it to us. We basically watch over the course of a few pages as his behaviour and attitudes change, but it's not *stated* that they're changing or that it's weird, because to Harry, under the influence of the thing, it's just what's right and true and normal and it's always been like that (which again, isn't stated, because that would imply he was conscious of it, and he isn't). It's the ultimate in showing without telling - which is hard to do in first-person narrative; and that, I thought, took some skillful writing, which I was much impressed with.

Dislikes? Hmmmmm. There were *a couple* of places where I wasn't quite sure if Harry's reactions to something were in character, or whether they were just happening to move the plot along (although typically, no specifics come to mind right now), and a couple of others where his internal thoughts (usually about the strength of his magical ability or similar) just didn't gel with the insecurities or worries he'd been plagued with in earlier passages.

That said, they're minor concerns, and they certainly didn't stop me enjoying the books. So all up, I'm going to give Fool Moon an 8/10 - great characters, wonderful interactions, and I'm only holding off on giving an 8.5 because of the nitpicks I mentioned above. ( )

I do enjoy these somewhat pulpy modern fantasy novels by Butcher. This second book of the series tackles the ever-popular subject of werewolves. About a dozen different kinds rear their heads, all of them trying to kill our protagonist. Funny quick read. ( )

I'm enjoying this series. This book was a little more violent than the first, and I was surprised at some of the characters that were affected. I'm not sure I get all of Murphy's reactions to Dresden, but it all kind of works out in the end. ( )