At first I wasn't sure that I was gonna like it. I've heard quite a bit from the series.Backup which is the prequel of the dresden series is actually pretty good. I like the style of writing of the author. It's funny at some parts.I definately can't wait to read the rest of his novels. ( )

Novella (‘ware the hardcover price!) from the POV of Thomas, Harry Dresden’s half-brother, in which Thomas gets to be the secret hero, and also a noble monster. Since he actually is a monster—a sexual vampire—his angst is somewhat more convincing than Harry’s. An entertaining enough diversion. ( )

I love to see the story from Thomas' point of view. This was a great quick read that just made me want to see more. ( )

I collect books, so I expect books from small publishers to be more expensive. “Backup” was issued by Subterranean Press in two editions: a 500 copy signed leather-bound limited edition for $45, and a trade hardcover for $20. However, in this instance both are WAY overpriced. This isn’t even a novella – it is a very short story. It says 72 pages, but that includes illustrations, a large font and big margins. Butcher’s tale in the “Mean Streets” anthology was much longer. When other small publishers, and even SubPress, has signed, limited full length novels with smaller print runs for $40-50 this felt like a ripoff banking on Butcher’s fans to pay for the privilege. Extremely disappointing.

However, the story itself was excellent. The Dresden Files series is told from Harry’s point of view. This story is told from Thomas’ and has some great ideas. The Vampire White Court has been fighting a secret war (with a very unique twist) and their enemy is trying to drag Harry into it. Thomas can’t tell Harry about it, so he decides to play “backup.” I’ve loved Thomas’ character since he was introduced and it was great to get a deeper look at him, without seeing him through Harry’s eyes. Plus Bob and Mouse make an appearance. If you enjoy the Dresden series, grab this at the library. If you’re a devout fan, get it at Amazon’s discounted price. ( )

I collect books, so I expect books from small publishers to be more expensive. “Backup” was issued by Subterranean Press in two editions: a 500 copy signed leather-bound limited edition for $45, and a trade hardcover for $20. However, in this instance both are WAY overpriced. This isn’t even a novella – it is a very short story. It says 72 pages, but that includes black and white illustrations, a large font and big margins. Butcher’s tale in the “Mean Streets” anthology was much longer. When other small publishers, and even SubPress, have signed, limited full-length novels with smaller print runs for $40-50 this felt like a ripoff banking on Butcher’s fans to pay for the privilege. No color plates, duotone or other special features besides leather to warrant the price - extremely disappointing.

However, the story itself was excellent. The Dresden Files series is told from Harry’s point of view. This story is told from Thomas’ and has some great ideas. The Vampire White Court has been fighting a secret war (with a very unique twist) and their enemy is trying to drag Harry into it. Thomas can’t tell Harry about it, so he decides to play “backup.” I’ve loved Thomas’ character since he was introduced and it was great to get a deeper look at him, without seeing him through Harry’s eyes. Plus Bob and Mouse make an appearance. If you enjoy the Dresden series, grab this at the library. If you’re a devout fan, get it at Amazon’s discounted price. ( )

Thomas Raith is a study in contrasts. By day he works as a mild mannered hairdresser (complete with funky accent) and in his off hours he acts as guardian angel (or guardian demon to be precise) to his half brother, the enigmatic wizard, Harry Dresden. When he receives a warning from suspicious sources that Harry's latest case/cause could have potentially disastrous consequences to both his half-brother and the world at large, Thomas rushes in, determined to do anything to protect them both.

Since I've only read the first three or four Dresden books, and that was over a year ago, I may not exactly be the intended audience for this novelette. Despite that, I really liked this story. For the short length I thought it did a very good job of fleshing Thomas out and showing both his good intentions and darker, hidden drives. This is an intriguing character study with a little action/adventure plot thrown in and has made me recall how much I enjoy Mr. Butcher's writing. Since I have no recollection of Thomas at all from the Dresden books I did read, it really makes me want to go and continue on with the Dresden series at large. ( )

Told from the persepctive of Harry's brother, Thomas, this short novella is a nice chance of pace for "The Dresden Files." While it won't be essential to read it to enjoy the on-going storylines about Dresden, it does give readers some new insight into Thomas. Also, the concept of having a story in the universe told from a different point of view is interestind and Jim Butcher really runs with the concept.

Now I'd love to see a novella told by Karin Murphy. ( )

Awesome Thomas Raith novel. Shows how he helps Harry Dresden out when we don't even know it. ( )

On the one hand, I don't know if this story was good enough to justify it's own printing. On the other hand, it was excellent to look through eyes other than Harry's and it was good, in particular, to get to see the world through Thomas's eyes, who is one of the most interesting characters in Butcher's Dresden Files series. ( )

“My name is Thomas Raith, and I’m a monster” – “Backup”

Even monsters like the vampire Thomas Raith do a good deed occasionally and Jim Butcher’s twelve-thousand word limited edition novelette “Backup” from the incomparable Subterranean Press details one of Thomas’s more altruistic deeds. Based on Butcher’s bestselling Dresden Files series, “Backup” is a rare event in the Dresden universe. Unlike the novels which are told exclusively from Harry Dresden’s perspective, “Backup” is told by Raith. It’s a behind-the-scenes type story in which the narrating character’s actions secretly help a hero accomplish his objective. Without the narrator’s intervention, the hero would normally be in grave peril, an unknowing damsel-in-distress. Playing the damsel-in-distress here (minus the melodramatic fainting) is Harry, who just happens to be Raith’s younger brother.

So proving that blood is thicker than mayhem-making, Thomas is lead into goodness in order to look out for Harry. Things start out innocently enough with an email to Thomas from the White Court. Something very urgent that requires his immediate attention has come up, forcing Thomas to meet with a courier who will fill him in on all the juicy details.

On meeting the courier, Thomas finds out that his good-hearted brother has taken on a new case. Harry believes that he’s helping a woman find her kidnapped child, but instead he’s being unknowingly set up by the Stygian Sisterhood. Now the Sisterhood and vampires have a rather intense hatred of each other; the two groups currently engaged in a silent war. So finding and destroying members of the Stygian Sisterhood is high up on Thomas’s to-do list. But he also wants to watch his brother’s back, hopefully keeping Harry out of hot water with the Sisterhood. Frustrated, Thomas only hopes these two objectives aren’t mutually exclusive.

Make no mistake; even though “Backup” is told from Thomas’s point of view, Butcher’s novelette is pure Dresden Files. Filled with the combination of goofy humor and fast-paced action that Butcher’s novels have become famous for, “Backup” starts quickly and equally ends quickly. The biggest disappointment, in fact, is how fast the whole reading experience goes. It would have been nice to see the story fleshed out more. The ending, in particular, was abrupt, which was a shame since it featured the novelette’s best scene as Thomas playacted the worse stereotypical villain imaginable.

And Thomas’s playacting isn’t the only memorable scene in the story. There’s another great scene featuring Thomas conversing with Bob, a confidante of Harry’s who happens to be a spirit living in a human skull. The interaction between Bob and Thomas is fantastic, making for an utterly entertaining scene. (But then again, just about any scene with Bob in it has a high entertainment index.)

Other than the abbreviated nature of the story, “Backup” is quite enjoyable. If you’ve never read any of the Dresden Files books, “Backup” would serve as a fine introduction to the series; however, it may not be engaging enough to coax new readers into trying Butcher’s Dresden Files novels. Butcher’s previous fans will undoubtedly love it even though it’s not a Harry-centric story.

Artist Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, contributes some solid black and white art to the novelette. Mignola’s work is always unique and stylistic; nothing else looks quite like it. However, while the art is interesting, I didn’t find it adding much to the proceedings. It is the type of quality artwork though which Subterranean Press has become known for in its limited editions, so the inclusion of Mignola’s drawings is more a matter of presentation than narrative function.

Last Word:
“Backup” is a wonderful little jaunt through the Dresden Files universe, most noticeable for the fact that it is told from the perspective of Harry’s older brother, Thomas Raith. Filled with one great scene after another, the novelette’s biggest drawback is that it’s over so quickly. Still, it’s pure Dresden Files, which means that both fans and non-fans alike will find this a very entertaining and humorous read. ( )

Seeing the Dresden universe from a new perspective makes for a good story. Especially fun are the parts where we see Harry through Thomas' eyes. I only wish that this seventy page story, with illustrations and pages that are not exactly packed with text, did not cost at least twice the value of one of the full novels in paperback. ( )

NOTE: Reading at least 'Blood Rites' and the preceding books in the Dresden Files would be a good idea before reading 'Backup', and my review does contain spoilers for 'Blood Rites'.

Jim Butcher's newest book, a twelve thousand word novelette called 'Backup', is a very short story from his Dresden Files series, only this time it's from the point of view of Harry's brother, Thomas. One of the best things about 'Backup' is that it gives insight into Thomas' personality, such as how he sees himself and his relationship with his brother. Thomas' opinions of Harry are very amusing and he has no trouble telling them. Just look at Thomas' worry that Bob the Skull doesn't actually talk, and that Harry was pulling his leg using his night job as a ventriloquist. We also really start to understand how much of a hardship it is for Thomas to suppress his demon everyday, and how little he thinks of himself. The story itself is also fun, and Thomas has a similar sense of humor to his brother, though they have little contact. 'Backup' is fast paced and never lets up on its speed, so it feels that it was over before you even realized you started it. It is very easy to read, so it shouldn't take more then a hour to get through. The price tag is a bit extreme for a tiny book, even with such nice binding. Either way, Thomas is a great character in the Dresden Files, despite his small part, so it is nice to see more attention on him. I personally would love to see more stories about Thomas in the future, or at least more appearances from him in the main series. Overall, 'Backup' is a refreshing look at the Dresden Files, since Thomas sees the characters and events in a completely different light then Harry. If you like the Dresden Files series you'll almost certainly like this story, though you might want to borrow from a friend or the library due to the price for such a short book. ( )

As if I could say no to another Dresden Files story. The novella this time focuses on Thomas (and is told from his viewpoint) as he must perform some of his old White Court duties while not letting Harry know what's going on. The story itself is fast and enjoyable, though one must definitely have read at least the first half-dozen Dresden books to catch all the references. The best part, though, is simply viewing this world from someone else's standpoint (even if Thomas reminds us of his being "a monster" a bit too often). The books are heavily colored by Harry's own perceptions, so seeing it all (including Harry himself) from another angle for a bit is both odd and wonderful. ( )

Warning: This review contains spoilers

This book stands outside of the normal Dresden Files series. It's a novella written from the point of view of Thomas Wraith, Harry's brother. Butcher is the author, Mignola is the illustrator. It's not a graphic novel, it's a novella with a few illustrations.

I thought this was a pretty good book, however, it was also a lot more heavy handed than the rest of the Dresden books. Thomas does an awful lot of "I'm a monster" agonizing and while I agree it's a tough life... he's really very whiny, moreso than when things are from Harry's POV. Still, it was really interesting to see things from Thomas' point of view. His affection and admiration for his brother come through quite clearly and that was a real pleasure to read about.

It was also fun to see Thomas interacting a bit with Bob.

Harry doesn't usually portray himself as one of the most powerful living wizards, good, but not on that level, so it Thomas' view of him raises some interesting questions.

I'm a little wary of this whole "Oblivion War" thing. It's certainly an interesting concept, and I like the idea that Thomas has things he wants to protect Harry from, and that there are some really big bad wars even Harry doesn't know about. Having said that, was the spam header in the e-mail really necessary? Could they not just pretend they're talking about Bethesda's Morrowind game of the same name? I'm curious to see if this will turn up in the main series (I suspect it might). ( )

I just finished rereading 'Blood Rites' when 'Backup' arrived in my mailbox. It couldn't possibly have been better timing. It's always nice to get something new in the Dresden universe, or from Jim Butcher. But the best part about this is getting to look at one of my favorite character's in his own world. There is so much about Thomas that we and Harry still know so little about. Where Harry lives in a world of grays, Thomas' world is black and he fights it anyway. The explanation of how he fights The Hunger that lives within him is probably the best part of this piece, and I can only hope as the actual series continues we continue to get even more insight in Harry's older brother. ( )

A great little story about Harry Dresden's older brother, Thomas, who happens to be a white court vampire. Only problem I have is that it is too short, but then that's how I feel about all Dresden Files books. Essentally the story is Thomas must protect his brother Harry, from his own client. The problem is that Harry can't know why or from what he is being protected. The story provides us with a nice bit of depth to Thomas' life and shows us that all is not peaches and cream between him and his family. A great book for the hard-core Dresden fans but not essential to the on going adventures of Harry Dresden. Buy it if you need a quick Dresden fix and would like to support independent publishers. ( )