Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, Book 7) (edition 2006)

Butcher manages to find new ways every time to create trouble for Harry and not have it seem like 'been there done that.' Implications the White Council isn't all it seems, changes Harry's going through, and a hint of romance to boot. Bring it on!

Great evolution of characters in this one. We still get action and suspense, but we also get to know the characters better and see how they've changed. At the same time, the larger arc for Harry continues to develop. But I feel sorry for him sometimes! He continues to get banged up, attacked from multiple direction, and the pace of events is unrelenting. Which for the reader is awesome. For Harry, not so much.

Harry is definitely the flawed hero, and at times even a dark hero. His choices can be questionable. He has weaknesses that get him into trouble -- too often. But why oh why, Harry, did you say yes? No spoilers here, but dear Harry, you know that's going to bite you in the ass, and probably sooner than later...

A fantastic, wild climax, everything you want, and still laugh out loud funny. The wrap up was a bit briefer than I'd like, but that's mainly because I'm waiting to see what happens to certain people. I know they'll be addressed in the next book -- I hope!

I must say--and I should have said this in one of my earlier reviews for this series -- that I highly recommend starting this series from the first book. While Butcher does give brief reviews of the basics of the story world and how Harry's magic works, etc., there is a larger story arc that unfolds gradually, a little bit in each book. If you started a few books in, or say, in book #6, you'd miss a lot of the implications of what was going on, you'd be missing an understanding of the characters and how they developed, and certain revelations or events wouldn't have as much meaning for you. It's even possible you wouldn't understand what's going on -- though I can't say for sure, since I'm reading them in order. So, do yourself a favor and start from book #1. You'll enjoy the series all the more -- and I bet you won't be able to stop there! ( )

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy

My Thoughts: Things become really ugly in this book. Not to say life has been all roses for Harry up to this point, but... things are really becoming ugly now. Admittedly he has some help now, between Thomas and Mouse. On the other hand, there’s a lot of funny, like always. I always love anything Butters is involved in.

Part of the thing is that Harry has become harsher and harsher as time has gone on, between all that has happened to him and the Denarian influence (although Lasciel isn’t really that bad as far as Denarians go). But Butters provides a bit of comedy relief, and insinuates himself into the “Scooby Gang” through his actions.

And then there’s Sue... A friend of mine was discussing Sue in her review, and how Sue made this book one of the best in the series, but I had managed, in the course of the 8 or 9 years since I first read this book, to mostly forget about Sue. I remembered vaguely (view spoiler), but I had forgotten the name and the details. When I reached that point, and started to remember, I just starting laughing wildly. Wonderful stuff. There are definite problems with having memory problems, like I have, but on the other hand, it makes rediscovering these things so wonderfully fun.

A wonderful addition to the series.

Disclosure: I purchased this book in hardcover for myself, and backup e-book copy. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: There's an entire world that exists alongside the everyday life of mankind. There are powers, nations, monsters, wars, feuds, alliances—everything. Wizards are part of it. So are a lot of other things you've heard about in stories, and even more you've never heard of... Vampires. Werewolves. Faeries. Demons. Monsters. It's all real.

Harry Dresden knows full well that such creatures exist. Paranormal investigations are his stock-in-trade, and Chicago is his beat as he tries to bring law and order to a world that exists on the edges of imagination. Luckily Harry's not alone in this struggle. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don't believe in magic, there's a department that's been set up within the Chicago PD to deal with "strange" cases: the Special Investigations department.

Karrin Murphy is the head of SI and a good friend of Harry's. So when a deadly vampire threatens to destroy Murphy's reputation unless Harry helps her, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler and all the power that comes with it—but first Harry has to determine what the Word of Kemmler is. Now Harry is in a race against time—and six necromancers—to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead. ( )

Ok. He fights zombies with a T-rex. How cool is that? ( )

I continue to enjoy this series and while I don't think they will ever give me the 5 star literary tinglies, these books have improved to be not only enjoyable but also interesting. For the first time I found myself eager to get back to listening to the books rather than just using them to occupy the higher functions of my brain while I work. ( )

4.5 stars

ZOMG! :D

Another great installment in the series. These books are gradually getting darker, which seems hard to imagine when you think that the first one started with a murder by ones heart exploding out of their chest in a black magic rite, but they are.

Harry's getting a little fuzzy 'round the edges, and he's being pushed in directions he's been determined to never go out of necessity. Does that make him bad, or just human? I'm not sure, but I love him either way.

AND! This book had ZOMBIES.



Yet again Butcher rocks my socks with his unique spin on been-there-done-that stuff. He gave me absolutely the best of both worlds with his zombies - relentless, killer, is-that-what-my-tibia-looks-like fucking zombies, but with a different purpose and focus. His take on necromancy and control was awesome. Loved it. LOVED IT. ( )

I had to pick this up both because of Sherri's review and because it's almost Halloween and zombies, dinosaurs and polka! ( )

Loved loved loved this. You know a book is good when you get home and instead of having a cup of tea or getting out of your work gear you just flop down and continue reading from where you stopped on the train. And you know a book is good when it's time for bed, but you keep thinking 'one more chapter, one more chapter' and you've suddenly read ten.

I honestly could not put this down. It was action packed and fast-paced as well as having a good set of central characters and engaging plot. I thought Waldo Butters was an awesome character and I hope he'll be back at some point (I also couldn't stop imagining him as Chuck from Supernatural, after which point everyone was suddenly being played by the Supernatural cast >_
I thought Harry was great in this because he was himself (which I could see from the bits that always annoy me about him), but he was also markedly changed thanks to the events of the last book. He's rather darker and much more troubled, I think. There was one moment in the book, which actually made me feel quite sorry for him and I rarely feel sorry for fictional characters. And man, I think he probably took the worst whupping of his life in this book.

I was disappointed that we didn't get much Murphy or Bob in this, but Harry and Butters really made up for their absence. Also, as a Ghostbusters fan, there was a certain moment I really enjoyed :D

Awesome installment in the series. So good, I ordered the next one when I got half way through this one. Loved it. Great read. ( )

4.5 stars.... ( )

This book continues the series that's a stupid amount of fun and I liked it better than others (lack of Murphy wasn't a bad thing, even though I like her character). The war plot has advanced, and they haven't brought in a lot of new information (maybe except things surrounding the Erlking).

And Butters, FTW! ( )

This book continues the series that's a stupid amount of fun and I liked it better than others (lack of Murphy wasn't a bad thing, even though I like her character). The war plot has advanced, and they haven't brought in a lot of new information (maybe except things surrounding the Erlking).

And Butters, FTW! ( )

I suspect I reviewed this years ago, lost the review, and am just now getting around to replacing it.

This book contends highly with the first book in the series for my favorite book about Harry Dresden. It's one of the few "Pun As Title" titles I think is proper and accurate and funny (I dislike puns in general). We get Harry in his best form -- over his head and having to get creative, which he does in the very best of ways. I cringed, laughed, trembled, and generally got far too involved in the story.

Without spoiling everything, I will give two hints -- polka and dinosaurs. They are both essential to the book's action. There, now your curiosity is plucking your sleeve with "WTF? What is she talking about?"

But you should really read the first 6 books before you get to this one. ( )

There are some new big bads in town – necromancers, some of the darkest wizards out there, have arrived and they're all looking for the World of Kemmler. Kemmler, the greatest and most horrendous necromancer that ever lived, left his remaining knowledge in this book – a book that could bring untold power to the most evil of people.

And in addition to the Necromancers, Marva of the Black Court also wants the book – and if Harry doesn't get it for her, she's going to ruin Murphy's life. To further complicate things, Bob the skull has a disturbing past and even more disturbing secrets with Kemmler.

The war between the vampires and the wizards continues with the Wizards suffering a major defeat, the remains of the Warders must turn to people they'd shunned to try and prop up their numbers and can't offer Harry even a tenth of the support he normally could expect.

And to make things even more complicated – the Fallen Angel Lasciel has formed a bond with Harry, a bond she desperately seeks to develop through manipulation, illusion, confusion... or simple helpful bargaining. And while Harry does all he can to resist her – how easy is it to resist such power and knowledge when it could help you save so many lives?

Harry has to juggle all this and prevent a faerie god of the hunt from ripping his head off or all of Chicago may be destroyed. A busy Hallowe'en indeed.

I started this book with mixed feelings. It felt like it started slow and I was introduced to too many of the necromancers too quickly. Too much happened and I admit I floundered and I was worried that I'd remain lost or I'd just have to work too hard to follow it to enjoy it. But I hung in there.

And the epic arrived. Because holding on past that brief confusion was rewarded by the best Harry Dresden books to date and one of my favourite books in the genre. And yes, I have to repeat that the epic arrived because it was epic. Harry facing off against the Necromancers, being tempted by Lasciel, being manipulated by Lasciel – it's an epic story and half. With more epic. Did I mention the epic? Because it was totally epic.

And then Sue takes part. At which point the epic levels have not only been reached by the whole epic meter is now overloaded and broken into little epic pieces and I found myself turning each page with an excited grin on my face, almost skimming in my hurry to find out what happened next. It was one of those times when sleep was cancelled because I was not putting down the kindle until the last page had been read and it was a supreme effort of will not to reach for the next book as soon as I read the last page. It really was the best book in the series I'd read to date and if the previous books were crap they'd be worth reading just to get to this one.

Read More ( )

The next book in the Dresden Files (I like to read these in order.) and Harry is having problems as usual. He is being blackmailed, the War with the Red Court isn't going well, and Chicago is about to be destroyed by necromancers obsessed with achieving world domination.

The stakes seem to be getting higher in every book and I'm wondering what happens when Harry runs out of new tricks and has piled up too much bad karma. For those who liked the earlier books in the series.

In books past, Harry Dresden - Chicago's only wizard-for-hire - has tackled deranged wizards, vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, ghosts, demons and the Fae and miraculously survived against impossible odds. About the only thing left for him to face would be zombies. Enter Dead Beat, Jim Butcher's seventh Harry Dresden novel.

With its focus on the walking dead, Dead Beat takes an interesting existential turn. From those who would do anything to conquer death to those who welcome it as the next great adventure, a la Dumbledore, Harry explores his own thoughts and fears about the issue. His thoughts are weighty for such a fun series, proving that there is more to Harry Dresden than sarcasm and and overly large sense of duty.

If Harry has learned one thing over the years, it is that he cannot battle the forces of evil alone. What is better than fighting an army of dead people than with the help of someone who specializes in dead people? Dead Beat reintroduces us to Dr. Butters, polka lover, county coroner, and one of the best side characters in the entire series. He has some of, if not all of, the best one-liners ever. More importantly, one cannot help but smile and cheer him on as he struggles to reconcile his very pragmatic, scientific, and cowardly mind with the very unscientific, unbelievable, and scary magical world into which he is unwittingly thrust. Polka will indeed never die.

I cannot say any more about James Marsters as narrator than I already have. I have gushed and cooed and fan-girled all over this site about his ability to channel and become Harry Dresden. Suffice it to say that he does not disappoint in this seventh novel in the series. In fact, he was single-handedly able to cheer me out of what was quickly becoming a fairly horrible week. God bless James Marsters and his impeccable narration.

After seven novels, the entire series has definitely hit its stride. Novices to the series can pick up the storyline with any of the novels, but only long-time fans will catch and understand the references to past cases, foes, and battles. Because of this history, Harry has become more than a wizard slash private detective. As he grows in his powers, so too do his inner struggles of good versus evil, black and white, life and death. This growth and almost constant character development not only prevents the entire series from stagnating but actually creates more drama and tension than all the mystical life-or-death battles Harry could ever face. Dead Beat remains an exciting addition to the Harry Dresden canon and leaves readers eagerly anticipating what Harry will do next.

This series just gets better and better! It definitely doesn't disappoint that's for sure.

I wish I could take Mr. Butcher out for a beer and become friends. If he's as humourous and fun to be around like his character creations, that would be a hell of a friendship.

So i'm done book seven now. WOW! The pace of the books just seems to be picking up more as I go along. The action and edge of the seat story lines are fantastic! Mr. Butcher keeps you guessing right to the last page. You finally get a chance to find out more about Harry's hand injury and healing abilities and the scar on his palm. Characters in the previous stories come back into play again in this books. This seems to be a constant in The Dresden Files series. Which is fantastic because each character develops over the series and you form favourites and loved characters that you get to hear about instead of Harry Dresden being a one man show touching on people here and there but not expanding the story lines to build them alongside him, like a real relationships in life.

Would like to score this more than 5/5, but alas that's not possible. It sure deserves a higher rating for the increasing calibre of writing. ( )

Harry Dresden can't catch a break. Halloween is nigh, and bad things are about. When a nasty vampire threatens to destroy a friend's reputation, Dresden goes along with the blackmail. He has to find the "Word of Kemmler," whatever that is. Unfortunately for him, the works of Kemmler are popular, and Chicago practically becomes a convention for the worst sorts of necromancers.

I read this immediately after book #6, and the two flow together well, though they take place a year apart. Butcher does a fantastic job of creating books that have a mild episodic feel, yet connect strongly to an overall plot where things that happened many books ago have long-lasting consequences. Butcher also toys with suspense, making it feel as though Dresden's survival prospects are very bleak, again and again. As much as I liked this book, it did feel like it dragged on this time--probably because there were so many bad guys to contend with. However, I have to say that the ending for this was incredible. The story elements fit together so perfectly and I never saw it coming... and wow, does the ending create an awesome image in my head. I giggle now, just thinking about it. ( )

I listened to this WAY back around Halloween, when zombies were timely. Thankfully, there’s really no wrong time to listen to a Harry Dresden book.

When the book opens, Harry has found himself in a bit of a weird place in his life. His newly-discovered half-brother is still sleeping on his couch, one of his hands is essentially non-functional, and Murphy is jetting off to Hawaii with none other than the mercenary Kincaid. Harry is still dealing with that last piece of news when vampire queen Marva pays him a visit and saddles him with a nasty piece of blackmail: if Harry doesn’t find a mysterious book called the Word of Kemmler, Marva will frame Murphy for murder.

It’s hard to define what follows as anything other than a "romp". Harry is chased throughout the city by various unknown wizards and various undead things. With him is the medical examiner Waldo Butters, who is in danger because he has unwittingly learned too much. And they are on the clock, because the big bad is going down on Halloween. Harry once again is at the end of his rope and frankly, this ending is one of the most entertaining in the series.

I like to read about Harry’s personal life as much as his magical one, and I was glad that he had a bit of a love interest other than Murphy in this book (though he continues to feel conflicted about her). It’s too bad that his new lady wasn’t quite what she appeared to be.

I have especially enjoyed this series since I switched over to listening to the audiobooks. If this is a series you have been the slightest bit lukewarm about, I really recommend them. ( )

This series is really enjoyable. The further in I get the more I love them. It's been a while since I read the sixth book but I was able to get through this one without being too confused since past events were eluded too and brought the memories back. Harry is slowly losing his previous enthusiasm and naiveté, as he faces more and more 'evil doers'. The transition is nicely done, and I'm getting more hooked as Harry faces more serious problems. Actually if the library had been opened I would have gone and grabbed the next three books and begun reading immediately. We didn't see much of the other regular characters in this volume, but I read it quickly enough that it didn't matter. It also worked okay because the events of the book only happen in the course of three days. There are some good messages in the volume and some laugh out loud moments. Overall? The volume wasn't as good as the first six, but it was very enjoyable. I believe I read it in two days. :) I'm looking forward to more. ( )

Harry meets Zombies! This book develops a couple of characters I am interested in, Thomas, and Butters. Necromancers have come to Chicago and Harry must stop them before thousands die. The means he uses are questionable and I am afraid for him, that's what makes these good stories, you get caught up in the decisions the lead character makes and fear for his future. When an author writes in such a way that you not only can't put the book down while reading, but you need to pick up the next one right after finishing, you know you are on to a good thing. ( )

DRESDEN FILES

I am going to review the Dresden Files series overall. Someone loaned me Storm Front a couple years ago, after I had heard many friends praise the series. I read it; I thought it was okay; I wasn’t sure I cared for it much. I’ve seen descriptions of this series as dark urban fantasy meets gritty noir detective story. I think that’s accurate, particularly for the earlier books. Therein lies much of my initial lack of enthusiasm (sexist, shallow, formulaic), which persisted through Fool Moon and perhaps even Grave Peril. After that, I saw improvements and I was hooked. Now having read every Harry Dresden novel published to date, I must consider this the best modern urban fantasy series that I have seen. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a few quibbles and minor concerns, but that’s all they are.

Jim Butcher presents an interesting spin on the two supernatural standards: vampires and werewolves. In his books, both werewolves and vampires are divided into distinct categories that encompass different traits. Jim Butcher presents lycanthropes, werewolves, loup-garous, and other shapeshifters. The first is a human who channels an animal spirit of rage without actually changing shape, but gaining some phenomenal strength and endurance to pain (wolf on the inside, human on the outside). A werewolf learns this single spell to change shape into a regular wolf whenever desired retaining the ability to think and reason (wolf on the outside, human on the inside). The loup-garou is closest to the popular conception. It is inherited as the result of a family curse and uncontrollable. This gigantic vaguely wolf-like ravening monster does not retain any humanity and is vulnerable to silver (only special silver, though), and the change is tied to the full moon. There’s also the strong suggestion of a wolf that is able to change shape at will to human. In addition, the hexenwolf uses a magical artifact to transform into a larger, meaner wolf than natural, and the more transformations, the more humanity is eroded away from the beast and the wolf seeps into the human shape, leaving only a demonic beast that initially retains human intelligence. If the highly addictive artifact is removed, then so is the ability. Finally, there’s the skinwalker (naagloshii), a monster appropriated from Navajo lore, which was never human but can change shapes at will and is almost impossible to defeat. None of these shapeshifters are ever infected by a bite or other assault.

There are four vampire Courts in the Dresden Files: Black, Red, White, and Jade. The Black Court vampires are apparently closest to those described in classic horror literature: undead corpses that have a semblance of life and many horrific powers. In fact, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is referenced quite tongue in cheek as a very successful public education campaign. The Red Court, the most numerous, are described as monstrous, black bat-like monsters hidden within highly attractive “flesh masks.” These bloodsuckers with highly addictive narcotic saliva are conflated very consciously with the Latin American drug cartels. It is unclear to me whether the seductive flesh masks represent their original appearance before they were turned (thus only sexy people are targeted), or become imbued with allure as part of the transformation (but then how would they be recognized as the same person after being turned?). It’s a mystery. Also, there are some Red Court half-vampires running around—they’ve been bitten and infected, but since they haven’t fed on blood, they remain mostly human. Indeed, superhuman with super strength and super speed and super recuperative abilities, but easily triggered and aroused by blood and violence—it’s a fine balance. They have the usual vulnerability to sunlight, and their abdomens are reminiscent of mosquitoes: full of blood. Finally, the White Court are essentially succubi, feeding on strong emotions. However, they are genetically predisposed rather than infected. It runs in the family, and if one doesn’t feed and kill during the turbulent, change-filled adolescent period, then one grows up as a regular human after all. They also have super strength and super senses, but love is their bane, not sunlight. We don’t know anything about the Jade Court yet.

The series follows Harry Dresden, living in Chicago and listed in the yellow pages under “wizard.” At the beginning of the series, he is a powerful young wizard on probation from a death sentence for using magic to kill his master a few years earlier. His use of black magic, albeit in self-defense, and openly professing wizardry make him suspect within the magical community. Yet his magical abilities interfere with technology, limiting his ability to function in the mundane world, since computers, elevators, and other devices in his vicinity tend to catastrophically fail in short order. Initially, he’s lonely, callow, brash, to some degree hurt and angry, and at odds with the world, both magical and modern, eking out a living as a private investigator and police consultant for strange cases.

In Storm Front, we are introduced to the first of the principle supporting characters. Karrin Murphy is the stereotypical Irish cop, dedicated to her job, highly professional, a sexy little bombshell with guts and grit. She’s in charge of the squad that handles the odd cases and who retains Harry’s services. Gentleman Johnny Marconi is the stereotypical Italian Mafioso, the honorable crime lord “with eyes the color of faded dollar bills” (obvious metaphor) who will stop at nothing to defend his reputation but can be counted on to meet the terms of an agreement. Bianca is head of the local (Red Court) vampires, sultry and soon looking for Harry’s blood (femme fatale trope). Susan Rodriguez is the tabloid reporter who scents a good story and cultivates Harry as a source—another stunningly attractive woman and immediate love interest. The obvious stereotypes and shallow tropes are a quibble, but one could argue they are quintessential noir and thus requisite. Plus, they diminish over the course of the series.

Another quibble is what I consider to be a relatively weak plot device in the first couple of books: classic miscommunication is essential to driving the plot forward. This is along the lines of Harry saying something like, “Don’t do X, you’ll be sorry.” It’s intended as a warning, but of course is taken as a threat, and everything goes to hell after that. This may be the standard routine for a comedy-of-errors sitcom, but I’m not impressed when it’s used to anchor a dramatic plot. Luckily, it disappears fairly quickly from the series as Harry figures out that leaving people in the dark isn’t a good communication strategy.

As the series continues, we meet more and more characters, as Harry forms relationships and the story grows in complexity, each novel building on earlier works to create a rich, layered narrative that rewards close attention and rereading. The characters are some of the most diverse I’ve seen in any series, going well beyond a one-dimensional token person of color or woman or other category in some sort of incidental role once in a while.

Latino characters include Susan Rodriguez, the initial love interest who comes and goes in the series and plays the pivotal role in Changes (book 12), Carlos Ramirez, the young Warden (wizard law enforecement) who first appears in Dead Beat (book 7), and most of the Red Court vampires, as far as I can tell. Black characters include Sanya, the young Knight of the Cross (a black Russian, now there’s a minority group!), Martha Liberty, member of the ruling Senior Council of the White Council of Wizards (admittedly, a minor secondary character so far, but in a position of power), and Henry Rawlins, a Chicago police officer who becomes Murphy’s partner. Shiro Yoshimo is an important Asian character, the eldest and most experienced Knight of the Sword. Ancient Mai is another Asian, part of the powerful Senior Council, but a very minor character so far. Plus, the mysterious Jade Court of vampires is referenced at least once. The Senior Council also includes one Native American and one Middle Easterner. And of course, many of the white characters have ethnicities. From the Irish cops, to the Italian mobsters, to the French werewolf, to various Senior Council member, the predominant white characters also display diverse backgrounds rather than some sort of homogeneous, nonspecific white identity. Many, many people of color in positions of power and playing important roles in the story, and many different cultures are represented, making the wizard/supernatural community feel truly global in scope, which much better than most authors manage.

The vast majority of the characters are straight. Even the White Court vampires largely present as straight until the later books, when they appear to be bisexual, which is what I would expect, given the nature of their power. Also in this theme, Jim Butcher did a great job discussing sexuality and the porn industry in Blood Rites. Harry gets called in to act as a porn studio bodyguard because a curse appears to be killing the actresses. This new production company is trying to subvert the dominant, exploitative paradigm in the adult film industry by presenting more consensual sex and sex-positive messages, including a range of female body types beyond the ultra-thin prototype. The porn industry characters are also portrayed very reasonably as regular people with families and all of the usual concerns.

Jim Butcher also has more than one character that doesn’t fit mainstream ideas of what’s normal or acceptable, without being hapless victims or otherwise playing into common prejudices. Thus we have Billy, the young werewolf that appears in several stories who began as a rather gawky, fat nerd in Fool Moon. Another “fat” character is Meryl, one of the half-fae changelings in Summer Knight. Then there’s Lydia, the young woman in Grave Peril, with some possible symptoms of schizophrenia. That people with magical abilities (in this case, something called Cassandra’s Tears) are perceived by mainstream society as mentally ill is not a novel idea, but Jim Butcher does a good job with it. I can’t think of any characters off-hand who are physically disabled. This series comes across as one of the most inclusive to be found. Room for improvement? Absolutely, but it has already far exceeded the very low bar set by most modern fantasy.

Many, many strong female characters appear throughout the Dresden Files. They are almost uniformly strong, smart, stubborn, talented, attractive, etc. I think the series as a whole readily passes the Bechdel test, though I wasn’t particularly paying attention to this. While it’s great that all of the women in the books kick ass, it’s a little disappointing that none of the main female characters are really anything less than beautiful (though we do see them at their worst on occasion). The message is that while men can be powerful without being sexy, women must always be attractive to be successful.

Additionally, the pattern of Harry’s romantic entanglements is troubling. Once again, perhaps it’s the noir thing that love never quite works out, but every sexual relationship in Harry’s life involves some degree of coercion of the woman—never by Harry, but there nonetheless. SPOILER ALERT—This discussion necessarily entails revealing some key plot twists. First we see Susan Rodriguez, who accidentally drinks a love potion in Storm Front. Sure, they had agreed to a first date beforehand and the potion wears off or is neutralized, but who knows how much this influenced their relationship; certainly they’re a couple by the second book (Fool Moon). Then later on he meets Captain Anastasia Luccio, who loses her old, effectively neutered body and becomes young and hormonal again in Dead Beat (book 7). Harry and Anastasia become involved, but it turns out she’s being mind-controlled, or at least heavily influenced by a traitor on the White Council in Turn Coat. And then there’s Elaine Mallory, Harry’s first love. They were apprenticed together as teenagers to Justin DuMorne, who tried to turn them to evil. While their teenage love affair was sincere and started innocently, it was perverted when Justin held Elaine in thrall and tried to use her to enthrall Harry as well. So two of the women were coerced in some way at the outset of their relationship with Harry, and the other was coerced after the relationship was established.

Moreover, another of my minor quibbles was the reference to a woman’s nipples hardening in every single book. All of them. It struck me after the first few, so I started checking, and sure enough there it was each time. This observation was explicitly described and usually in a sexual context at first; it was more discreet (perhaps simply referencing a change in the texture of a shirt, or something similar) and not always sexual in tone later on. However, its constancy bugged me. My querido suggests that because the series is from Harry’s viewpoint, the narrative reflects the details that he notices, and it is certainly clear that he leans toward being a sexist jackass, but only in the nicest, most chivalrous sense. It usually gets him in trouble too. This leads into one of the best features of the series: Harry’s personal growth and magical development. In the first couple of stories, he withholds key information from women to “protect” them.

The Dresden Files also show steady growth among the characters. Harry learns from his mistakes and grows stronger. In other words, he learns to work as a team, share information, mentor, and otherwise develop leadership qualities. We also learn more about how the past (most particularly the actions of parents) shapes current events, not just for Harry but also Karrin. On the one hand, I consider predestination something of a tired old plot device (Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, anyone?). And yet, I have seen that in many cases present-day problems and controversies are very much a reflection of historical disputes going back five, twenty, fifty, even two hundred years. Certainly, linking past, present, and future in very personal ways makes the story very engaging.
One of the major strengths of this series is that events do not occur in some sort of vacuum divorced from real-world consequences. The police issue arrest warrants for Harry because evidence points toward his involvement in more than one crime scene. His police contact Karen Murphy is eventually demoted and risks losing her job because she is unable to resolve her unusual cases to the satisfaction of police bureaucracy that doesn’t allow for the supernatural. When Harry’s home or a police precinct is attacked in one book, the effects linger in later books. Indeed, when Harry carelessly damages storefronts in a confrontation with a necromancer in Dead Beat, he’s challenged on it and reminded of the cost to bystanders who own these businesses. This grounding gives the stories more heft than many fantasy stories that conveniently gloss over the implications of people regularly going missing, property being destroyed, and other havoc. I just got done watching the first season of Charmed, which was quite egregious in this regard. A police detective is murdered and an Internal Affairs officer mysteriously disappears within the Halliwell residence, and the three sisters just go about their normal lives without a police inquiry. Really? Another detail that I like about the series is that it’s clear that each book is a snapshot in Harry’s life. Yes, each novel usually entails a major life-changing or world-changing event, but we see that more ordinary life goes on in between. References to other cases that Harry investigates off-stage and other similar clues once again give the stories heft, making the whole thing feel very grounded and much more real.

The series is also doing an excellent job exploring the classic themes of power, temptation, responsibility, good and evil, and how society establishes and enforces limits, norms, punishments, rewards. Not to mention the more personal themes of love, trust, betrayal, and so on. Jim Butcher is doing a good job with all of these. This review is already quite long, so I’ll end it here. ( )

Loving Dresden more and more. ( )

Harry Dresden just never gets old ... especially when James Marsters narrates. :-) ( )

I enjoyed Dead Beat. Harry is a little melodramatic as always, but he's actually starting to have good reason to be so, and he's not letting it stand in the way of his asskicking. Good on ya, Dresden. ( )

Dresden Files # 7: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

Happy Birthday, Harry Dresden.

Murphy has gone off to Hawaii with Kincaid, a dangerous man. Well, maybe not a man. But definitely dangerous. But maybe that's just as well, because if she found out that Dresden is dealing with the most dangerous of all Black Court vampires in order to save her reputation, she'd probably kill him herself.

But, as it turns out, the vampires are the very least of the problems hitting the streets of Chicago this Halloween. Necromancers are out in force looking for an important book, and if they get it, one of them is going to be a god. Not the kind of thing Dresden is going to stand by and let happen. He may have to make a deal with his personal, fallen angel -- and take that first step towards hell.

Butcher writes brilliant characters. This book is a masterpiece of character showmanship, from Thomas explaining what it is like to be him, to Butters and is obsession with polka music -- to Mouse making it apparent he is more than an average oversized dog. Add to that another non-stop storyline, and you have a Dresden book that is damned difficult to put down! ( )