Death Masks

I’ve been doing a slow reread of the Dresden Files with some mixed results. I remember loving this one, though, the first time I read it, and it really held up. I love the Knights of the Cross, and there are several fantastic battles, so vividly described it’s almost like watching a great action movie. The bloodthirsty, revenge-loving part of me also loves the scene with Cassius.

”People like you always mistake compassion for weakness. Michael and Sanya aren’t weak. Fortunately for you, they’re good men.”
Cassius laughed at me.
“Unfortunately for you, I’m not.”

Also, I’m digging James Marsters as narrator on 1.5 speed, so I think that’s how I’ll continue the reread!

Six-word review: Magical monster chase featuring religious McGuffin.

Extended review:

I went straight from the preceding book of the Dresden Files series to this one with nary a pause for breath.

Death Masks launches Harry Dresden on yet another dependably fast-moving, action-packed investigative adventure in the realm of magical and mythical beings, this time on the trail of a stolen religious relic. Some of those beings are agents of evil, and not just ordinary human Adolf-Hitler-type evil but capital-E Evil right out of the bowels of Hell.

Evil forces notwithstanding, this Dresden yarn is not quite on the epic scale of Summer Knight. Still, the plot is layered deep in the fallout from that conflict while introducing new villains and show more enlarging the dimensions of Harry's life. Harry remains likeable in a naughty-boy-but-charming sort of way, making us shake our heads even as we consistently root for him. He's not so different from us, especially on our off days: He wears old clothes. He skips showers. He eats junk food. Another character, an ambiguously bad guy fighting by his side, suggests that they disregard knightly standards of combat and shoot a really, really bad guy in the back, and he says, "Okay" (page 321).

So might we, right? We can identify.

And that's part of what makes Butcher's handling of his material so appealing.

The same character who wants to shoot true villains in the back also says this of our hero: "Mister Dresden is a diplomatically challenged individual. He should be in a shelter for the tactless" (page 309). Just because there are times when we don't feel like upholding the standards of Miss Manners, never mind turning the other cheek, we cheer silently for Harry when he tells it like it is.

Invited to imagine that we might speak and behave (or want to speak and behave) in Harry's characteristic down-to-earth, take-no-shit fashion, we find it easy to forget that he is a formidable foe even to powerful supernatural beings. He has a strong code of honor, short on tact though it may be: he lays his life on the line almost routinely and offhandedly, both to defend a principle and to protect someone he cares about--or even just someone he's sworn to protect, whether he likes her or not. And when he goes all out--well, we know he's going to make it through at least fifteen books.

So there's a nice thrill of vicarious power in relating to Harry, letting the surge of magic that courses through him roar through us as well, delivering well-deserved thrashings right where they're needed most.

Good job, Jim Butcher.

One of the things I liked most about this novel was seeing Gentleman Johnny Marcone--a rather interesting foil for Dresden--move into a moral gray area. The shift might have been a little heavy on the sentimental side, but it does set us up for some potential dramatic conflicts as the series progresses.

I noted some of the usual defects, such as word repetition and little failures of fact checking (it's Joseph of Arimathea, not Aramathea), alongside choice bits such as the Wagner allusion and various inventive explanations of how magic works. I think they pretty much balance out, so I won't enumerate instances. When it comes to entertainment that doesn't insult our intelligence, the score is still well up on the plus side.

That's five. Time for a breather. But I will be back for more. show less

As the fifth book in the Harry Dresden series, Death Masks continues to follow the same format as the first four books. Harry is in desperate need of money. He takes a case. This case leads him into deeper troubles. The Chicago PD gets involved in some capacity. He never sleeps. He gets hurt. A lot. Eventually, most of the loose ends get tied up nicely, with some remaining stories still unresolved to keep the reader’s interest for future stories. Predictable, methodical, and yet utterly addicting.

So what is it about such a formulaic series that keeps readers coming back for more? It all revolves around Harry. Harry Dresden is a character with more character than almost anything else one will read these days. He is fully cognizant of show more his flaws and does nothing to improve them. He can be utterly dense, causing the reader to groan aloud in disbelief on more than one occasion. He is sarcastic, bombastic, completely lacking in tact and finesse. Yet, the reader remains firmly behind Harry in spite, better yet because of his gaffes. He may be a wizard, but he is a human first and foremost. His loneliness and desire to make the world a better place make him exactly like most other humans. While a reader may not be able to call up fire or wind with an effort of will, the reader understands what it is like to seek love and companionship, to feel chagrined at having to ask for help, for wanting to keep loved ones safe, and for wanting to rid the world of evil. The reader can relate, and Harry shines.

One note on the audio production: James, James, James, James, James. You know my love for you knows no bounds. Yet, your performance on Death Masks left me confused and a little concerned about listening to the rest of the series on audio. For one thing, you changed pronunciations of certain words. Second, you changed voices on key characters. Can’t you remember the voice you did on the first four books? I could forgive you on some of them, but Bob? That is inexcusable. While I was not forced to listen to the lip smacking and gum flapping from the previous book, I just could not get over the slight changes you made to these now well-known characters. I am willing to give you one more chance, but then you and I might have to part ways. The thought just makes me depressed. Please make sure your performance on book six is consistent. Otherwise, I will be forced to retract my statement about everyone needing a little James Marsters in their life.

In spite of the concerns about the audio performance, Mr. Butcher’s formula is extremely effective, and a reader is sucked back into the drama and the snark without effort. If you have not yet had the pleasure of discovering Harry Dresden’s Chicago world, I am not certain what else it will take to get you to try out at least the first book in the series. Death Masks is another strong performance in an equally strong series that remains one of the better ways to spend an afternoon. show less

This series is basically Harry Potter for adults in both the good and bad ways.

Good ways: there's a lot of world building, enough action, humor and every book leaves you feeling there is a huge potential there for some clever story.
Bad ways: some of the creatures are ridiculous, the magic system is still quite vague, some conflicts are solved through deus ex machina, there isn't always a feeling of a real world - some things just happen.

Still, it was a nice and very easy read, quite entertaining.

Death Masks by Jim Butcher is the fifth of the Dresden Files books. After struggling to read the last couple it was refreshing to click with this one. The Shroud of Turin (tricky, relic that it is) has gone missing again and this time it's in Chicago.

While Dresden needs to find the shroud, he has different factions all after him and in order to succeed and survive, he needs to make alliances against his better judgment. One of his most unlikely allies is the teenager daughter of his friend, Michael.

In previous books, Michael's family was a big part of the turn off. They were there to be victims and diversions from the plot. This time, though, Molly is refreshing hilarious, and believable.

Then there is the return of Susan, the almost show more vampire. In the past she was played up for melodrama and unrequited love and all that. This time, she's back as an ally, albeit a somewhat untrustworthy one.

The mystery itself was engaging and entertaining. It had more of a caper slant to it, something that lets Butcher's sense of humor shine through. He's really good at putting Dresden into unlikely situations and seeing how they play out. show less

Dang. New favorite Dresden File. More of Michael and the introduction of my favorite baddies in the Dresdenverse.

What really makes Death Masks shine is the the characters:

First: The Archive. That's just a very cool (yet sad) idea all at the same time. The idea that there could be a being with the sum total of all human knowledge ... and that it's a little girl? Dang. I want to know more. How did the first Archive come to be? What exactly capabilities does she have?

Next, two more Knights: an atheist and an accidental Baptist. Both are interesting characters, especially in contrast to the much more stereotypical Knight of God Michael. I like both how Butcher gave them different voices and how Marsters (in the audiobooks) brought those show more voices to life. There's also an interesting contrast near the end of the book between Dresden and the Knights. It turns out that Dresden is not a 'good' person, at least not in terms of how the Knights see good. After all, payphones cost more than a quarter now. ..

Then there's the Denarians. Fallen angels bound to the thirty silver given to Judas Iscariot? Dang. They have literal millennia of experience to bring to bear along with a human host, making them yet another upping on the danger scale. We only really get personality from their leader Nicodemus, but man is he an excellent villain. I do wonder if he's supposed to be the same member of the Jewish ruling council mentioned in the Gospel of John. I don't think that's been confirmed either way...

Finally we learn a fair bit more about Marcone. He remains the epitome of Lawful Evil: He has a strong code of ethics for what he will and will not do, but at the same time that code doesn't always (often?) align with what is legally or generally considered moral. He's a fascinating individual that way and honestly a lot more similar to Dresden than I think either of them would care to admit.

One thing that we haven't seen before in this book is a relatively explicit sex scene between Dresden and Susan. It's a definite step away from the fade to black and hints of the previous books, but I don't think it was over done. The most amusing part about it: the original idea for how to do it safely came from Michael's 14 year old daughter. I'd missed that the first few times reading this book.

My favorite scene in the books though? Dresden creates a tracking spell using a plastic duck that walks towards whatever it is tracking. He then later uses said duck as a fake gun to threaten someone. I love it.

Finally: random quotes of awesomeness:

"Better safe than exsanguinated"

"Sod works in mysterious ways."

"My faith protects me. Kevlar helps."

:) show less

Harry Dresden, wizard, has a queue of people trying to kill him. First of all, there are the vampires of the Red Court, who used him as an excuse to start a war against all wizards. Then there is Marcone, a Chicago mob boss, whose thugs like to take aim at Dresden every so often. However, now a priest has arrived from Rome with disturbing news: the Shroud of Turin has been stolen. It's believed to be in Chicago. Humans aren't the only parties interested in the religious artifact, and soon Harry has an entirely new sort of nasty trying to kill him.

Yet another solid read in an excellent series. Butcher keeps the suspense high, and it's fun how he braids all of the subplots together. I especially like how Marcone developed here. In the show more earliest books, he just came across as a high-class thug, but his portrayal is more nuanced. It was great to see other characters return as well, especially Michael. show less