Grave Peril

The concept of this series sounds good, and although this didn't wow me, I'm willing to keep going on the series. I like the male characters a lot, although Butcher seems uncomfortable writing women. Grave Peril was non-stop action - I hope later books in the series slow down and let me get to know Butcher's world a little better. ( )

Grave Peril
3 Stars

Many have stated that Grave Peril is the turning point in the series for the better. After considering the plot and the characters, I must confess that I found Fool Moon to be far more entertaining.

Don't get me wrong. Harry and his quirks are very endearing but a number of issues irritated me in this installment. First, Murphy barely makes an appearance and the absence of a strong willed, take no prisoners, female character detracts from the overall effect of the story.

Second, the criticism surrounding Harry's chauvinism finally makes sense. In the first two books, his attitude toward women comes across as gallant and even chivalrous, but the chauvinism is front and center in this one as Harry fixates on the breasts and luscious curves of virtually every female character - is this really necessary?

Third, while the basic plot is compelling and the action scenes exciting, the execution is repetitive. How many times must Harry battle the Nightmare before he defeats it? How many times must he get round the machinations of his fairy Godmother? How many times must he be exposed to the lustful effects of vampire venom? How many times must his powers fail him precisely when he needs them the most? Come on already, get some new material.

Finally, Harry constantly blames himself for the choices others make that get them into trouble. While this overdeveloped sense of guilt may have its place in the portrayal of Harry's internal struggle with his own conscience, it starts to grate on the nerves after a while.

On a more positive note, the secondary characters both old and new are very engaging. Michael, a Knight of the Cross, constitutes an intriguing counterpoint to Harry's irreligious personality, and the manner in which Butcher depicts the power of Christian artifacts adds another layer of complexity to the world building. That said, Michael is a little too self-righteous and condescending for my tastes.

There are also some poignant moments between Harry and his reporter girlfriend, Susan Rodriguez, although her misguided Lois Lane routine is getting old and she has never really appealed to me as Harry's love interest.

The most interesting characters, however, are Lea, Harry's rather scary fairy Godmother, who serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when one makes ill advised bargains with the fae, and Thomas, the morally ambiguous vampire who plays a pivotal role in Harry's conflict with the various villains in the story.

All in all, the world building is strong, the story has potential and the unanswered questions are interesting enough to keep on with the series. ( )

3.5 stars. ( )

Grave Peril was awkward and odd.

When I started reading I thought I had missed a book in-between, but nope I didn’t. A year has gone by between book 2, [b:Fool Moon|91477|Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2)|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1345556849s/91477.jpg|855288], and book 3, [b:Grave Peril|91476|Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)|Jim Butcher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266470209s/91476.jpg|803205]. During this year Harry, Murphy, Michael, and the SL team took down a Bad Guy Sorcerer who was using a Demon and other stuff to wreak havoc in Chicago. So, Harry has patched things up with Murphy and the SL team, Michael (who is Michael and where did he come from?) is more or less a friend now and helping him out, and Susan and Harry are together (OMG No).

The vague reference to the takedown is the source for the plot in this book. We are soon pulled into vampire trouble, ghost trouble, and the Nevernever.

Harry has become an immensely engaging character, between his feats as a wizard and his chivalry. I like him even though in this installment he got on my nerves a little. Their are a few different plot threads that keep you engaged. One of those threads has to do with Harry’s Faerie Godmother, who is desperate to own him… (Why?? You’ll have to read to find out. Oh My!! What will Harry do to get out of that predicament?) Then we have what’s going on with the ghosts, Harry’s love life, and the vampires.

The secondary characters really come out in this installment and a few new ones are added to the cast. Bob, was a great source of humor and I liked having him along for the ride.

Last, we can’t forget Susan, yes the report, who I dislike and think Harry could do better. Susan, is her typical self and when Harry says NO to her request she goes behind his back and ends up in deep deep trouble. What happens to her, is her fault, and her actions brought what happen to her onto herself. All I’ll say is I don’t feel sorry for her and what happened. I do feel sorry for Harry; because we all know he’s going to take what happened to her onto himself and feel like it’s his fault and he has to fix it.

Grave Peril was a good read. It not my favorite and I had a few issues, but I’ll still be continuing on to see what happens next to Harry.

Rated: 3 Stars



( )

Not as good as the previous two but still an entertaining audiobook. Dresden is a great character that I am growing very fond of. He needs to take a day off though! How many near death experiences can one wizard have?! ( )