Cold Days

It has been a while since I enjoyed a Dresden File book this much! The last few books were so depressing, with Harry beat down so much that it seemed every "victory" was Pyrrhic. I just didn't enjoy them. Cold Days finally brings back the old, smart ass Harry who relies on his friends and never loses hope. And to my delight, Thomas comes front and center again too.

At the end of Ghost Story, Harry is in the care of Demonreach and Mab after being "assassinated." He's still the Winter Knight with a boatload of problems, and the world is about to end. Again. Which Thomas and Harry sarcastically say is "same old, same old." That is perhaps the best thing about Cold Days. Butcher returns to the trademark wiserassery and snark that makes Harry show more so enjoyable and relatable. I laughed out loud when Molly says to Thomas "Wait a minute.... We're his flunkies!" and Thomas snidely replies, "I'm his thug. I'm way higher than a flunky." There was a lot of humor, especially in the dire situations. There are also multiple plot threads, which do eventually tie into each other, but which kept the book engaging with lots of twists and turns.

Mab gives Harry his first assignment - to assassinate a member of her court (I won't reveal who) and the target stuns Harry. This tiny beginning blossoms into an overarching plotline that will likely expand many more books, and which reintroduces an enemy that had been on the periphery. An enemy which is a danger to everyone, including all of Harry's foes and frenemies. This plot also allowed for serious expansion on the world-building of Faerie. Readers get a lot of detail on the hows and whys of Summer and Winter, and Mab specifically. When Harry is taken to the distant border of Faerie, the revelations there were a complete surprise and absolutely fantastic. We even learn just what is special about Harry's island, Demonreach, and its purpose. Also very cool. Moreover, though Harry does take some blows (physical and psychological), his victory is decisive and satisfying. Major plots are left open for further development, but the specific missions Harry was on are fully resolved.

Overall, this was a wholly satisfying book that I could not put down. So glad to see Dresden in top form, and I cannot wait for the next installment. show less

I regard most of Butcher's Dresden series to be something of a guilty pleasure. The first few were jolly good fun if nothing particularly special. I admittedly had some serious issues with the ending of "Changes". When I learned of the planned interim release of "Side Jobs" I felt it was an unconscionable money-grabbing betrayal of his fans. The disappointing "Ghost Story" was a rather lackluster reward for the additional wait. Now we have "Cold Days" and I have to say that this series, which I initially regarded as the equivalent of a fun popcorn movie, has become far too formulaic for even that level of enjoyment.

Butcher seems intent on throwing everything including the kitchen sink into the metaphysical reality of his series. In a show more reveal reminiscent of the scene in Men In Black where they kick open the door to reveal that our entire world exists inside a locker in a ginormous otherworldly bus station we are shown the Lovecraftian opponents from "outside" our reality that Harry now has to deal with. It all reminds me of nothing more than a journal of someone's high school role playing game. Harry levels up every couple of adventures but the only real result is that the DM Butcher just levels up all the opponents. Harry, albeit more powerful, remains a tortured underdog who behaves exactly the same way he did 13 books ago. I'm sorry but power levels should not be the primary sign of character growth in a series this long so I'm not sure I'm going to stick around to see what baddies Butcher dredges up out of his old copy of Deities and Demigods for Harry's next installment. I'm sure he's a nice guy but I don't think I owe him a living for essentially rewriting the same book every year or so. show less

Cold Days, the fourteenth entry in to The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, is a fresh breath of pure winter air after Ghost Story. As hinted at by the title, this is all about Harry learning what it means to be the Winter Knight. Being the Winter Knight definitely has it's challenges. First Harry has to survive Mab's idea of proper training, then survive the Winter Court's idea of proper court politics, followed by surviving the fight for control of the Mantle itself and, if that wasn't enough, finally survive the first job Mab gives Harry in his new role: kill an immortal.

Now this is what a Dresden novel is supposed to be like! Fast paced and funny, with some tricky situations for Harry to navigate as he adjusts his thinking to the show more additional responsibility he's taken on. And lots and lots of action. While I found Harry's time in the Winter Court interesting, I'm glad it didn't last too long and we were back to Chicago fairly quickly. I felt bad for Harry having to basically attempt to revive/renew many old relationships that were harmed from actions of the previous two books. At the same time, because of this, the story continues to allow these characters to grow and deepen with complexity. As I think back to how far Harry has come from Storm Front, I'm blown away at his growth while also retaining his core values after all he's gone through.

I'm also impressed with how well Butcher has planned out his series. Story threads that were started at the very beginning of the series are beginning to tie together and give a fuller view of things that were only hinted at previously. Being given new insights into what's been moving behind the scenes also allows for new story arcs to start. I have so many thoughts and questions. All I know is I'm excited to see where this is all heading. show less

This installment of the Dresden Files is a real roller coaster. It's a bit scary to watch Harry deal with the situation. And of course it's apocalyptic and bigger than anything he's dealt with before. Somehow, Jim Butcher continues to manage that...

Things are never easy for Harry. But lately, he's seems to be getting an extra helping of Bad. He is now dealing with the repercussions of his bad decisions. He tries to do the right thing without succumbing the darkness that calls to him. He toes the line between light and dark. And somehow, manages to remain Harry Dresden, Wizard.

SPOILERS AHEAD...



Ok, now he's also Knight of Winter, which he tried to avoid by having himself *killed*... but it didn't take. Mab wouldn't be cheated. He's show more trying to accept it as the consequences of his actions. And while he refuses to wholly accept the Mantle and its power over him, he has changed. Even Murphy saw it in the few days she saw him. And yet, she trusted him enough that she didn't flinch when he, let's say "slipped" a bit, and gave into the Mantle. Despite that, it was heartbreaking to see where Murphy was at. "I work with a lot of monsters these days." She's given up pieces of herself to do that. But she won't give up on Harry. Even if he turns into a monster.

There were some great moments when Harry showed up, apparently back from the dead. My favorite was Mouse's reaction. Truly, a dog is man's best friend. Harry's time in Arctis Tor was wild and weird, even for him. I'm not clear how he can be the Winter Knight, in Mab's service, and yet live outside of Faerie, away from Arctis Tor, in Chicago. Well, on an island in Lake Michigan, at least. I guess we'll find out how that works in the next book.

In case he doesn't have enough on his plate, Demonreach has given Harry another responsibility. Keeping the biggest Bad in a perpetual slumber seems like a good idea, and not difficult since he's right there. But you know there's going to be a catch. And then there's that thing in his head...

I did not foresee the role Molly was to play in all of this, not till that moment right before it happened. If only Harry could have moved a bit faster, blocked the shot, put up a shield... Now Molly's life is changed forever. I really have no idea how it will affect her. If the Summer Lady and Knight are any hint, soon enough she will no longer be Molly, wizard and daughter of Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross.

I just don't want her transformation into the Winter Lady to mean she and Harry have to hook up -- I still think that's wrong, wrong, wrong. Not only because he belongs with Murphy :-p but because of their relationship. He's been a mentor, a teacher, like an uncle, a father figure. No sleeping with the father figure. That's just too icky.

But oh, Murphy and Harry did not deserve that ending! No, no, no, Murphy. Stop being so damned logical! And couldn't we get at least a kiss for the road? A hug was all you could give us? *sigh*

The Mantle of the Winter Knight has made Harry whole again -- without it, it seems, he would revert to the state he was in when he accepted it: paralyzed. There's motivation to keep it. But it seems to amplify everything within him, especially his emotions. Making him quick to anger, lust, envy. Making him more driven. And apparently unconcerned with standing in front of a group of people naked.

And while he's aware that he's been given so much power that it would be easy for him to abuse it, and therefore consciously tries to choose not to abuse his power -- he uses it anyway. It begins to work on him. Although, after rereading this, I have to mention, when he does a little showing off and kills the cocky Sidhe lord with ice and wind -- awesome.

He's only been the Knight of Winter for a few months. He's only been out of Mab's reach for a few days. And the Mantle has wormed its way into him at least a little bit. What will he be like in six months? A year? I worry that his grip on Harry Dresden, Wizard, will slowly loosen. That he will lose his way. How many times did he have to declare that he wasn't Lloyd Slate -- yet? How much longer will he be able to say that?

While Cold Days shows us what things will be like for Harry under the weight of the Mantle, there is a large aspect of setup in this book that I could only see on my second read. All the talk about Harry as a weapon is beginning to make sense. Vadderung refers to him as a "fulcrum," which helps to clarify how Harry will have an essential role in some future ...mess, undoubtedly. What I can't decide is whether the Mantle of the Winter Knight gives him power he will need to fight some future enemy/prevent a future apocalypse, or whether something he learns or gains while being the Winter Knight will give him what he needs. Vadderung speaks like he knows what he's talking about -- tells Harry he can do what he has to because "perhaps you already have." He SO has seen the future.

One of the many great lines:
"How do I look?"
"Mostly human."
"That's what I was going for."

Jim Butcher has created a world with its own history, that evolves as a real place and time would. As life would. The story arc is complex, always developing, and always going for something more. Events have repercussions down the road, like in real life. Well done, Mr. Butcher. Now get back to writing! ;-) show less

Cold Days is the fourteenth full-length novel in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series. In this one, Harry is newly returned from the dead, so to speak, and must finally take up the mantle of the Winter Knight as he agreed to in exchange for Mab’s help saving his daughter in Changes. However, Mab’s first order for Harry is to kill the Winter Lady, her own daughter, Maeve, a seemingly impossible task since Maeve is immortal. The order becomes further complicated, when he’s led to believe that Mab is the one who poses the real threat. Not quite knowing how to announce to his friends and family that he’s back from the great beyond and fearing that the power of Winter within him may pose a danger to them, Harry decides to go it show more alone. But that doesn’t last long when they gradually start to find him. He also quickly realizes that the task is too large for just one person, when he’s made aware of an unfathomable source of magic that is about to be unleashed, which will cause an event of apocalyptic proportions, destroying all of Chicago and possibly a large part of the country as well. Harry and his allies have less than two days to figure out who’s telling the truth and prevent this catastrophe, which will also free some extremely dangerous inmates from a supernatural prison that Harry never knew existed, and to do so, they’ll also have to defeat some really “big bads” who aren’t of this world.

After seemingly being murdered at the end of Changes, Harry spent the entirety of the last book, Ghost Story, basically as a ghost. But as it turn out, he was only mostly dead, his spirit roaming while his body was on supernatural life support. He was brought back from the brink, partly by Mab who wasn’t about to lose her new Winter Knight, and partly by the power of Demonreach, the hidden island with which Harry has a special connection. He spends the first chapter of Cold Days in Arctis Tor being rehabbed by a young human woman named Sarissa, and then by Mab herself who tests him every day by repeatedly trying to kill him, after which he’s finally deemed fit to return the mortal world. Of course, he does so with Mab’s orders, but he isn’t sure yet if he’s going to comply. At first, because of the dangers his new powers might pose, he goes with the lone wolf routine, but one by one his friends and family begin to find him, all of them proving that they’re quite forgiving and happy to see him alive and well. When his task is complicated by new revelations regarding supernatural enemies Harry hadn’t known about before, it also quickly becomes apparent that it will be impossible to accomplish on his own in such a short time. Fairies can’t lie when asked a direct question, yet it appears that someone isn’t being entirely truthful, so he must figure out what’s actually going on and try to save the day before really bad things start to happen that will put the lives of everyone in Chicago and beyond in jeopardy.

Harry is changed by Winter in this book and even more powerful than he was before, but all that power comes with a price. Winter thoroughly corrupted the last knight, something Harry is keenly aware of, and he fears that it could do the same to him. He’s always more or less been the Boy Scout, trying to do the right thing. That being the case, I have to admit that a few of the things Winter’s power makes him consider doing made me squirm a little, but I was happy that he was able to beat it back and remain true to himself, at least so far. My hope is that, moving forward, he’ll either find a way to continue to do so, or that he’ll find a way to get rid of Winter before it takes over.

As always, Harry shares his adventures with his Scooby Gang. His apprentice, Molly, has continued her training in his absence, and has become a pretty powerful wizard in her own right. I love her new digs that she earned from her endeavors in the previous novella, “Bombshells,” and some significant changes are afoot for her in this book. Harry’s brother, Thomas, is still one of his most trusted allies, and I enjoyed the goofy, brotherly affection they share in this story. Thomas’s beloved, Justine, gets herself kidnapped, along with a few others, and ends up along for the ride in the finale. Butters and Andi are among that group as well. Butters continues to reluctantly patch up supernatural wounds, while also being the new keeper of Bob, who helps Harry figure out some things in the beginning. Mac, owner of the pub that’s neutral ground for supernaturals, is also a kidnap victim and a participant in the final battle. We learn that he’s not all he seems, but what exactly he is, he’s being very tight-lipped about. Of course, Karrin is there by Harry’s side as well, bravely battling as always. However, I have to say that I’m getting a little frustrated by the author continuing to tease a possible relationship between these two. They take a tiny step in the right direction, but while they aren’t completely ruling it out, neither are they embracing it either. Little Toot-Toot and his Za Lord’s army are pretty important players, too, and they get to do battle against some evil little folk, which also leads to the introduction of a new pixie who could be interesting. Harry’s loyal dog, Mouse, goes into battle with him again. Demonreach has become a character unto itself, and the island’s connection to Harry is deepened in this book. We’re introduced to Sarissa who aids in Harry’s recovery and who isn’t all that she seems. There are also potential antagonists aplenty as Harry must figure out who amongst the queens and ladies of Fairy can be trusted and finds a frenemy in Fix, the Summer Knight. I was a little disappointed by the death of one supporting character who I’d always kind of liked and who seemed to have been led astray. But otherwise, it was a great lineup of characters and I look forward to seeing all of them in future books.

Overall, Cold Days was a fantastic story that I thoroughly enjoyed, definitely one of the best in the series. After him playing a ghost in the last book, it was great having Harry back in the land of the living, doing what he does best. It was interesting seeing all the new powers that the mantle of Winter has given him even though he’s using them sparingly in an effort to keep from turning evil. I’m very intrigued to find out where things go for him in that respect. The narrative of this book is built beautifully with Harry no sooner recovering than he’s thrust into a major problem. As he investigates, things start going downhill for him as he learns more and more about why Mab has made her request of him. Then of course, he must figure out how to defeat all the evil forces that have aligned against him in order to save not only himself and his friends, but all of Chicago and beyond. The Outsiders were an interesting addition to the series. They’ve apparently been there in some capacity from early on, but we actually get to see just how powerful they are and what things are like behind the scenes in the Nevernever. There are many plot points from past books that come into play in this one that impressed me with how seamlessly they’re woven together. Many exciting things happen in this book that propel the series story arc forward, but there’s at least one thing that’s left hanging for Harry to overcome in a future book. All this makes me eagerly look forward to seeing what’s next for our intrepid wizard. show less

Note: I feel that Death Masks, Book 5, is where reading this series out of order starts to do you an injustice. This book does work as a stand alone to some extent, but you will get major spoilers for the previous books in the series and it also pulls in characters we have met before. So I recommend reading the previous books before you jump into this one.

At the end of the previous book, Ghost Story, Harry wakes up and finds that Mab, Winter Queen, has kept his body alive with the help of Demon Reach island. He’s a bit grumpy about it. Mab means for him to keep his word and he is now the Winter Knight. First, he has to spend months at Arctis Tor in physical therapy. Thankfully, he has a competent and beautiful therapist, Sarissa, to show more help him through it. Unfortunately, he is tested nearly daily by Mab herself and this often means sharp pointy things being flung at this head.

Harry is introduced to the Winter Court on his birthday with a big party. Of course, these are the fae and a party wouldn’t be complete without some serious injuries. Maeve shows up in her vagazelled birthday suit and taunts Harry in a variety of ways. Then a Red Cap makes the mistake of harming Sarissa and this gives Harry the opportunity to show off his new powers as the Winter Knight. Once the festivities have tamed down a bit, Mab quietly sets Harry on his first task for her: kill one of her strongest minions, a specific immortal. Harry is going to be hard pressed to carry out that order!

Back in Changes, Harry had a lot happen to him that changed his life – he lost his office, apartment, car, etc. Now in this book, I actually see Harry has changed. We’ve seen Harry pressed to the limits before, having to make hard decisions. These things over time have aged him; some have given him wisdom and some have subtly changed him in other ways, like becoming more cynical. Now he has the mantel of the Winter Knight and that means he not only has this magnificent power, he also has these animalistic urges to protect what is his and destroy anything that threatens him and his, and sometimes even those things that deny him his will. Harry has this roiling mass of violence and lust just beneath the surface that he has to keep in check all the time, or does he? The poor man will be tested sorely!

First things first: very few people know that Harry is still alive. All his friends think he is dead. So you can imagine what it’s like for him to stroll up as the Winter Knight. Ha! There was a plethora of feelings here as he reunited with his friends. Some were angry. Some were happy. Some had very mixed emotions. Then Harry himself has quite a few emotions about being alive and being the Winter Knight.

Harry doesn’t have a place to stay in the mundane world, so Molly puts him up at her swanky apartment. Apparently, she did a job for the svartelves and they were quite pleased with her work. I should mention that all that physical therapy and combat training with Mab has left Harry well muscled. Molly wasn’t the only one who noticed.😉

Harry ends up at Mac’s for a brew and a sandwich when the Outsiders make an appearance. We’ve had little snippets of the Outsiders in previous books but this is the first book where we get some solid info on them. There’s some senior characters that have been working hard to keep the Outsiders out and few people know the extent of these efforts. Harry wasn’t the only one whose mind was blown by some of the big reveals in this book concerning the Outsiders. Lots of good stuff going on there.

I liked that Bob the Skull ended up with Waldo Butters. Bob is very fond of the internet – ha! Harry needs to pick Bob’s brain on how to kill an immortal and indeed there is one way that Bob knows of. Pretty soon, Harry’s friends are rallying around him to assist in stopping yet another disaster. But first there is the Wild Hunt to contend with. Let me just say that the Kris Kringle bit was awesome.

There’s a significant reveal about Demon Reach island and that was unexpected but also deliciously evil. Demon Reach has definitely developed it’s own personality these past few books. The final big fight scene involved nudity and that made me laugh in the face of all the grimness. Well done! There’s some silliness with Karrin Murphy and her motorcycle that started off OK but then felt a little forced later on. There were several unexpected outcomes to the final fight and at least one of them is a game changer. Jim Butcher continues to surprise me, even though this is the 14th book in the series. Book 15, Skin Game, is out and I suggest you have it ready to go because you are going to want to know how events in this book change the lives of your favorite characters going forward.

Narration: Once again, James Marsters is Harry Dresden. I wonder if he has a leather trench coat and carved staff that he takes with him to the recording studio to channel Dresden. I really enjoyed his performance in this book. He had an evil Sidhe grimalkin (which is a large talking cat) to perform – and he did it awesomely. Then his voices for Mother Winter and Kris Kringle were also great. Hearing Kringle be so cheerful about hunting was a little chilling. Mother Winter! So powerful! So evil! And perhaps a touch of dementia going on. It’s simply another great performance. show less

"Okay, come on," I said. "You're going to buy me a lawsuit, Bob."
"Hush, Harry. Or you'll go to the special hell."
I blinked at that, confused. I'm not supposed to be the guy who doesn't get the reference joke, dammit.

I find it … yes, inconceivable that Harry Dresden has not seen Firefly. That's terrible. Someone get him a shielded DVD player, stat.

Somehow I seem to read the Dresden Files at just the times when they'll hit me hardest.

...I could almost pretend I was there again. That I was home.
But they'd burned down my home. I had repaid them for it, with interest, but I still felt oddly hollow in my guts when I thought about how I would never see it again. I missed Mister, my cat. I missed my dog. I missed the familiarity of having show more a place that I knew, that was a shelter. I missed my life. I'd been away from home for what felt like a very long time.

I didn't get to repay anyone for losing my home and my dog. It just happened. This was not the first time I had to put aside a Harry Dresden novel and … well, anyway. (Changing the subject rapidly) Gosh, I think there were more f–bombs dropped in this one; I haven't done a count or anything, but they seemed more frequent. Of course, Harry more than had reason.

I went into this one with a little reluctance. I didn't want to hear about Harry Dresden, Winter Knight. I wanted his old life back almost as much as he did. I wanted the Scooby Gang. But the reunions made it all worthwhile. My note at 20%: "That is, and probably always will be, the only time a heartfelt "Asshole" has made me curl up and cry like a little girl."

Warning: embarrassing levels of FanGirl ahead

I always loved these books, always. But I may never read one again – not when I can have James Marsters read them to me. Are they perfect narrations? Not one hundred percent, really; there's an occasional missed accentuation that tweaks the meaning of a sentence – but a lot of narrators do that. And what he lacks in the occasional mundane accent, he more than makes up in dialogue, both standard and Harry's internal dialogue. Why would I go back to reading these books off paper or pixel when the "Oh" in my head wouldn't carry half the meaning that the single syllable can bring off when voiced by James Marsters? That man, my God... I want to lock him in a room and make him read me all my favorite books. (Hush about any other things that might come to mind, this is a family show.)

I don't like using cliches; "Dream Team" is a cliche. But nothing else comes to mind that so perfectly describes these books: Jim Butcher providing the universe, Harry Dresden living in it, and ... just reading the books is like the first scenes of The Wizard of Oz. There's nothing wrong with that – black and white can be lovely and perfectly sufficient, and after all "Over the Rainbow" comes during that part – but for some things you just can't beat fully saturated technicolor. James Marsters's narration is wide–screen, HD technicolor. Practically 3–D.

I always did crush a bit on Spike. It's nice to still be in love with James Marsters. It's a perfect marriage, this; Butcher's geekiness makes mine look like I'm not trying, and the wisecrackery with which he imbues Harry Dresden is PHD level. JM's Spike was part of one of the geekiest of geeky shows, and the wise Spike cracked was always among the sharpest and most fun (and quotable). Long may it wave. show less