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Wizard for hire Harry Dresden gets mixed-up with the dead in this “haunting, fantastical novel”(Publishers Weekly) in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.Harry Dresden’s faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory, when you’re the only professional wizard in the Chicago area phone book.
But in all Harry’s years of supernatural sleuthing, he’s never faced anything like this: the show more spirit world’s gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble—and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone—or something—is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn’t figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself... show less
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Why I won't be reading any more Dresden:
Haha, I wish! I just reassigned roles here for funsies, of course it's Kelly who's doing all the writhing and uncontrolled drooling, silly little me. I might have been able to finish the book if it had been my version, but yeah - I'm done with this shit.
Oh, and by the way: I even gave the book more chances and 50 pages later learned this about his godmother, who "purrs" the first thing she says in that scene:
And this about Bianca another 50 pages later, who - surprisingly! - "purrs" the first thing she says in that scene:
Most surprising is the fact that I finally gave up on the book only after Harry lets himself get poisoned by drinking wine served to him at his sworn enemy's party, dressep up in a ridiculous costume designed to enrage his deadly enemies even more. That's not gumption, it just makes Harry look like a mouthbreathing idiot who thinks he's funny, and I'm sick of this series. show less
The vampire's brother, Kyle, as blonde and pretty as she had been a moment before, landed in the space I had occupied. He too dropped to his knees with a drooling hiss, fangs showing, eyes bulging. He wore a white cat suit, clinging tight to his curves, along with white boots and gloves, and a short white cape with a deep hood. His clothing was smudged, imperfect, spotted with flecks of scarlet, and his blonde hair in disarray. Blood stained his mouth, like smeared lipstick, or a child with a big cup of juice. A blood mustache. Hells bells.show more
I kept my blasting rod trained on Kyle, my left hand thrust out before me. "So you two are putting the snatch on Lydia, eh? Why?"
"Let me kill him," moaned the
male, his eyes all black, empty and hungry. "Kelly. I'm hungry."
So sue me, I weird out when someone starts talking about eating me. I swung the blasting rod right at Kyle's face and started sending power into it, setting the tip to glowing. "Yeah, Kelly," I said. "Let him try."
Kelly rippled, beneath her skin, and it was enough to make my stomach turn. Something like that just ain't right, even when you know what's underneath. "This affair is none of yours, wizard."
"The girl is under my protection," I said. "You two clear out, now, and I won't have to get rough with you."
"That will not happen," Kelly said, her voice deadly quiet.
"Kelly," the male moaned again. More drool slithered out of his mouth, dripping to the floor. He started shaking, quivering, as if he were about to fly apart. Or at me. [...]
He flung himself atop me, straddling my hips with his thighs, moaning in excitement. I thrust the blasting rod toward him, but he batted it aside, laughing in a wild, hysterical tone, throwing his smouldering cloak off with the other hand. He plunged toward my throat, but I lifted my hands to catch at his mane of hair. I knew it was a futile gesture - he was just too damned strong. I wouldn't be able to hold him off of me for long, a few seconds at most. My heart pounded in my burning chest, and I struggled, gasping in air.
And then droplets of his spittle fell onto my throat, my cheek, into my mouth. And none of it mattered anymore.
It was a glorious sensation, that spread over me - warmth, security, peace. Ecstasy began at my skin and spread through me, easing all the horrid tension from my muscles. My fingers slackened in Kyle's lovely hair, and he purred, his hips writhing against mine. He lowered his mouth toward me, and I felt his breath on my skin, his chest press against me through the thin material of his bodysuit.
Something, some nagging thought, bothered me for a moment. Perhaps it was something about the perfect, lightless depths of his eyes, or the way his fangs rubbed against my throat - no matter how good it felt. But then I felt his lips on my skin, felt him draw in his breath in shivering anticipation, and it stopped mattering. I just wanted more.
Haha, I wish! I just reassigned roles here for funsies, of course it's Kelly who's doing all the writhing and uncontrolled drooling, silly little me. I might have been able to finish the book if it had been my version, but yeah - I'm done with this shit.
Oh, and by the way: I even gave the book more chances and 50 pages later learned this about his godmother, who "purrs" the first thing she says in that scene:
Her golden cat-eyes studied me with their old, familiar warmth, her hair spilling around her in a mane that seemed unaffected by the rain. She didn't seem to mind it soaking her dress, though. It clung to the curves of her body, showed the perfection of her breasts, their tips clearly showing through the silken fabric as she knelt beside me.
And this about Bianca another 50 pages later, who - surprisingly! - "purrs" the first thing she says in that scene:
Bianca wasn't tall, but she was statuesque in a way you only find in erotic magazines and embarrassing dreams. Pale of skin, dark of hair and eye, full of sensuous curves, from her mouth to her hips, everything possessed of luscious ripeness coupled with slender strength that would have caught the eye of any man. She wore a gown of flickering flame. I don't mean that she wore a red dress - she wore flame, gathered about her in the shape of an evening gown, blue at its base fading through the colors of a candle to red as it cupped her full, gorgeous breasts.
Most surprising is the fact that I finally gave up on the book only after Harry lets himself get poisoned by drinking wine served to him at his sworn enemy's party, dressep up in a ridiculous costume designed to enrage his deadly enemies even more. That's not gumption, it just makes Harry look like a mouthbreathing idiot who thinks he's funny, and I'm sick of this series. show less
It's near Halloween, and Harry Dresden is being rushed off his feet trying to deal with the sudden uprising of vicious and violent ghosts. He enlists an old friend, Michael Carpenter, to help him on his missions, but as they desperately try to determine who is stirring up the spirits before they can further threaten Chicago, things just keep getting more complicated. A girl who comes to Dresden for help abruptly disappears. A vicious spirit, aptly dubbed The Nightmare, starts stalking Harry with a vindictiveness that seems due to a personal grudge. Harry's creepy fairy godmother is once again after him, claiming his life as forfeit for past favors to both Harry and his mother. Harry's old antagonist, Bianca the vampire, has gained new show more status and is suspiciously eager to have Harry come to a party celebrating her rise in stature. And to top it all off, Harry is trying to understand and come to grips with his feelings for his girlfriend, Susan Rodriguez, while still protecting her from all of the chaos around him.
Despite its paramount importance in terms of overall plot arcs, this was my least favorite book in the series, bar none. That's actually not saying much given how much I enjoy these books, but if you're just about to try the Dresden Files and have been warned off of the first two, consider skipping this one, trying a later one (#4, Summer Knight, makes a nice starting place), and coming back later.
So what's not to like about the book?
First, I feel that this is the darkest book in the series-- both in terms of unrelenting pain and despair and Dresden's ventures into antihero status-- of any book except perhaps #11 or #12. It is a book in which all of the characters make stupid mistakes that have devastating consequences. I spent most of the book inaudibly shouting at the characters, and for all that their shortsightedness was incredibly frustrating hover for spoiler my emotional involvement certainly speaks to Butcher's skill as a writer. Second, I felt that the prose lacks the polish Butcher later develops, and that the characters were much less endearing and rounded than in the later books. Harry is finally back on good terms with Murphy, but she plays the damsel-in-distress role and doesn't get her standard badass awesome moment. Michael Carpenter, one of the most genuine, loveable characters, is introduced, but he feels more judgmental and self-righteous than in later incarnations. Charity Carpenter, Michael's wife, is shrewish and irritating.
For me, the greatest flaw was Susan Rodriguez, the reporter who continues as Dresden's love interest. Starting out as a one-dimensional femme in Storm Front and continuing as a supportive and relatively likeable character in Fool Moon, Susan has suddenly become egocentric, willful, arrogant, petulant, and selfish. When Harry is forced to spend his nights in life-or-death matches against relentless and vicious spirits, Susan complains that he has missed several dates with her, and comments on what a forbearing girlfriend she is. Uhh...priorities, hun? When Harry gets an invitation from the vampires that he feels is potentially fatal, she attempts to wheedle and manipulate him into taking her, despite any danger to him or herself, because it will give her a story that will aid her career. She whines about the commonplace despite knowing about the risky and dangerous situations Harry is involved in. And unfortunately, Harry's internal struggles with his feelings about their relationship is central to the plot.
Although I couldn't put it down, I found this to be a very difficult book, emotionally, to read. One of the major themes of the book, intentionally or not, is rape. We have vicious Red Court vampires who feed sexually off of their victims, the introduction of White Court vampires, succubi who emotionally ensnare their prey, Harry's disturbing fairie godmother, who apparently raped him (or at least made disturbing sexual advances to him when he was 16 and in her power) and claims literal ownership of him, and the Nightmare, who forces itself into peoples' heads and makes them see and relive terrible things for its own sick enjoyment. There is a lot of angst and a lot less humor than in other books, and Harry makes some terrible choices that cast him as antihero. I was on the edge of my seat, but I'm not sure that I precisely enjoyed the book.
Overall, this is a must-read if you want to really get into the Dresden Files, as events that take place here have ramifications that drive the plot of the remainder of the series, but not a good reflection of the characters, depth, and humour that really makes the rest of the series great.
~3.5 show less
Despite its paramount importance in terms of overall plot arcs, this was my least favorite book in the series, bar none. That's actually not saying much given how much I enjoy these books, but if you're just about to try the Dresden Files and have been warned off of the first two, consider skipping this one, trying a later one (#4, Summer Knight, makes a nice starting place), and coming back later.
So what's not to like about the book?
First, I feel that this is the darkest book in the series-- both in terms of unrelenting pain and despair and Dresden's ventures into antihero status-- of any book except perhaps #11 or #12. It is a book in which all of the characters make stupid mistakes that have devastating consequences. I spent most of the book inaudibly shouting at the characters, and for all that their shortsightedness was incredibly frustrating hover for spoiler my emotional involvement certainly speaks to Butcher's skill as a writer. Second, I felt that the prose lacks the polish Butcher later develops, and that the characters were much less endearing and rounded than in the later books. Harry is finally back on good terms with Murphy, but she plays the damsel-in-distress role and doesn't get her standard badass awesome moment. Michael Carpenter, one of the most genuine, loveable characters, is introduced, but he feels more judgmental and self-righteous than in later incarnations. Charity Carpenter, Michael's wife, is shrewish and irritating.
For me, the greatest flaw was Susan Rodriguez, the reporter who continues as Dresden's love interest. Starting out as a one-dimensional femme in Storm Front and continuing as a supportive and relatively likeable character in Fool Moon, Susan has suddenly become egocentric, willful, arrogant, petulant, and selfish. When Harry is forced to spend his nights in life-or-death matches against relentless and vicious spirits, Susan complains that he has missed several dates with her, and comments on what a forbearing girlfriend she is. Uhh...priorities, hun? When Harry gets an invitation from the vampires that he feels is potentially fatal, she attempts to wheedle and manipulate him into taking her, despite any danger to him or herself, because it will give her a story that will aid her career. She whines about the commonplace despite knowing about the risky and dangerous situations Harry is involved in. And unfortunately, Harry's internal struggles with his feelings about their relationship is central to the plot.
Although I couldn't put it down, I found this to be a very difficult book, emotionally, to read. One of the major themes of the book, intentionally or not, is rape. We have vicious Red Court vampires who feed sexually off of their victims, the introduction of White Court vampires, succubi who emotionally ensnare their prey, Harry's disturbing fairie godmother, who apparently raped him (or at least made disturbing sexual advances to him when he was 16 and in her power) and claims literal ownership of him, and the Nightmare, who forces itself into peoples' heads and makes them see and relive terrible things for its own sick enjoyment. There is a lot of angst and a lot less humor than in other books, and Harry makes some terrible choices that cast him as antihero. I was on the edge of my seat, but I'm not sure that I precisely enjoyed the book.
Overall, this is a must-read if you want to really get into the Dresden Files, as events that take place here have ramifications that drive the plot of the remainder of the series, but not a good reflection of the characters, depth, and humour that really makes the rest of the series great.
~3.5 show less
I really, really, really want to like this book more and rate it higher, but I just can't.
I love that Jim Butcher has made urban fantasy interesting. There are different kinds of vampires with different councils and different motivations and backgrounds. There are different kinds of werewolves. There are different kinds of spirits. It's interesting and complex, and I love that.
Harry is a decent character. Oh sure, he's over the top, has some sort of savior complex and is a chauvinist pig and I get that. I do get a wee bit tired that every. single. time. there's something going on, Harry is always on his last legs, with the last bit of power, barely able to hold on and figures things out at the last minute and scrapes through his show more battles in the end. He's always exhausted, weakened, etc. but I can accept that.
I can accept that most the characters are also bigger than life/over the top, because it's a fantasy story, and a pretty decent/action packed one, and the characters are fine for that.
What I get very tired of, and why I can't rate this book more stars, is Harry talking about every female character as a sex object first. When you first see any character, even long established ones, he has to talk about how a blouse cups a breast or how legs look or how many curves a girl has (and where) or how cute or sexy (or not) a woman is. It's tiring. It's cheap, and it's one of the reasons why I tend to shy away from male writers.
Jim Butcher, you're better than that. I appreciate that you've gone as far as making women other than damsels in distress - bravo, but seriously, I hope you lay off the sexualizing of every woman, cheapening them all into sex-objects first, characters later. I can live with once in a while, but I get tired of it every time there's a female on deck. It's demeaning, please stop.
Grave Peril has much better pacing (my complaint regarding the second book), and the society and spooks are interesting and pretty complex. This book is fairly dark, and Harry is pretty much a punching bag. The presence of Michael, a character that shows up full blown with no backstory to explain him at first is a little jarring, but Butcher did get around to fleshing out enough of what's going on with Michael that I'm not as thrown off by his larger than life sudden presence as I was at the beginning of the book. It's not a bad book overall, and it could be a great book, but the writing regarding women is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth. show less
I love that Jim Butcher has made urban fantasy interesting. There are different kinds of vampires with different councils and different motivations and backgrounds. There are different kinds of werewolves. There are different kinds of spirits. It's interesting and complex, and I love that.
Harry is a decent character. Oh sure, he's over the top, has some sort of savior complex and is a chauvinist pig and I get that. I do get a wee bit tired that every. single. time. there's something going on, Harry is always on his last legs, with the last bit of power, barely able to hold on and figures things out at the last minute and scrapes through his show more battles in the end. He's always exhausted, weakened, etc. but I can accept that.
I can accept that most the characters are also bigger than life/over the top, because it's a fantasy story, and a pretty decent/action packed one, and the characters are fine for that.
What I get very tired of, and why I can't rate this book more stars, is Harry talking about every female character as a sex object first. When you first see any character, even long established ones, he has to talk about how a blouse cups a breast or how legs look or how many curves a girl has (and where) or how cute or sexy (or not) a woman is. It's tiring. It's cheap, and it's one of the reasons why I tend to shy away from male writers.
Jim Butcher, you're better than that. I appreciate that you've gone as far as making women other than damsels in distress - bravo, but seriously, I hope you lay off the sexualizing of every woman, cheapening them all into sex-objects first, characters later. I can live with once in a while, but I get tired of it every time there's a female on deck. It's demeaning, please stop.
Grave Peril has much better pacing (my complaint regarding the second book), and the society and spooks are interesting and pretty complex. This book is fairly dark, and Harry is pretty much a punching bag. The presence of Michael, a character that shows up full blown with no backstory to explain him at first is a little jarring, but Butcher did get around to fleshing out enough of what's going on with Michael that I'm not as thrown off by his larger than life sudden presence as I was at the beginning of the book. It's not a bad book overall, and it could be a great book, but the writing regarding women is starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth. show less
Now that's what I'am talking about! No more boring monsters - instead, we get multiple kick-ass bad guys! I loved Grave Peril - it was exciting, fast-paced and mysterious, plus there were called-for twists in the plot. And Murphy wasn't as annoying, probably because there wasn't a lot of her character in this book, with introducing Michael and getting to know Susan a little better. And did I mention the awesome bad guys? The Nightmare, Lea, a super weird vampire woman, already banished demon!!! And they aren't stupid like a bunch of wolves and what's-his-name sorcerer guy. These are legitimate bad guys, with brains full of vengeance plans! I just love how all of them played with Dresden's head. And Lea & Harry have pretty awesome show more chemistry, can't wait to see more of his Godmother. show less
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is up to his neck in ghosts. All over town poltergeists are causing trouble. And it's not just your average hauntings with spooky sounds and moving objects. The ghosts are agitated, violent and deadly - and there are more around than ever seen before. When Harry discovers a ghost wrapped in a spell surrounding it's ghostly flesh like barbed wire he realizes something, or someone, must purposely be stirring them up. But why? And, more importantly, why do so many of the victims have a connection to Harry?
Grave Peril is the 3rd book of the Dresden Files. For everyone who said this is where the series gets better, you were right. From the get go we're off and running with Harry and his show more colleague Michael Carpenter. Michael is a great addition. He's a Knight of the Cross, a holy warrior and God's fist. His faith literally grants him the strength he needs to fight evil and keep going in the face of certain destruction. Michael is a great counter point to Harry's shoot-from-the-hip maverick wizardry. The story opens with both heroes facing down a ghost in a hospital nursery calming babies into a stillness beyond sleep. The border between reality and the Nevernever has grown thin, allowing many more ghosts to come through than normal.
Michael is not the only new character. We're introduced to Michael's wife Charity, who hates Harry with a passion for constantly getting her husband in trouble. Other new faces are Thomas, a White Court vampire, and his "partner" Justine. I like the distinction that Butcher makes between the three vampire courts, Red, White and Black. Each has its own way of feeding on humans that are quite different and isn't only about draining all the blood from a body, though there is still some of that too. Another character that I'm guessing will have an impact on future story lines is Harry's Fairy Godmother Lea. Lea is one scary fairy! This is not your Disney-style good fairy but one straight out of Irish mythology of the Sidhe. She has some frightfully scary powers that is thankfully bound by the laws of her people. A few familiar faces are also along for the ride, including several members from S.I. and Harry's girlfriend Susan.
Speaking of the Nevernever we actually get to experience it for the first time! Part of the story involves traveling through the Nevernever. That is both a place I never want to go and can't wait to read more about.
Butcher gives us a more interesting story this time around. It has many twists and turns with several story threads that weave together. The reader is kept guessing the entire way, even making us wonder if the tombstone Bianca has made up for Harry will be prophetic. Will doing the right thing will be the end of the wizard?
Harry is still Harry and, while he retains his sense of sarcastic wit, the story helps him become a more fleshed out character. The ending also left things open for the next book to go in any number of directions to continue the story arc instead of just being the mystery of the week to solve.
I quite enjoyed this book and I'm glad I stuck with the series. show less
Grave Peril is the 3rd book of the Dresden Files. For everyone who said this is where the series gets better, you were right. From the get go we're off and running with Harry and his show more colleague Michael Carpenter. Michael is a great addition. He's a Knight of the Cross, a holy warrior and God's fist. His faith literally grants him the strength he needs to fight evil and keep going in the face of certain destruction. Michael is a great counter point to Harry's shoot-from-the-hip maverick wizardry. The story opens with both heroes facing down a ghost in a hospital nursery calming babies into a stillness beyond sleep. The border between reality and the Nevernever has grown thin, allowing many more ghosts to come through than normal.
Michael is not the only new character. We're introduced to Michael's wife Charity, who hates Harry with a passion for constantly getting her husband in trouble. Other new faces are Thomas, a White Court vampire, and his "partner" Justine. I like the distinction that Butcher makes between the three vampire courts, Red, White and Black. Each has its own way of feeding on humans that are quite different and isn't only about draining all the blood from a body, though there is still some of that too. Another character that I'm guessing will have an impact on future story lines is Harry's Fairy Godmother Lea. Lea is one scary fairy! This is not your Disney-style good fairy but one straight out of Irish mythology of the Sidhe. She has some frightfully scary powers that is thankfully bound by the laws of her people. A few familiar faces are also along for the ride, including several members from S.I. and Harry's girlfriend Susan.
Speaking of the Nevernever we actually get to experience it for the first time! Part of the story involves traveling through the Nevernever. That is both a place I never want to go and can't wait to read more about.
Butcher gives us a more interesting story this time around. It has many twists and turns with several story threads that weave together. The reader is kept guessing the entire way, even making us wonder if the tombstone Bianca has made up for Harry will be prophetic. Will doing the right thing will be the end of the wizard?
Harry is still Harry and, while he retains his sense of sarcastic wit, the story helps him become a more fleshed out character. The ending also left things open for the next book to go in any number of directions to continue the story arc instead of just being the mystery of the week to solve.
I quite enjoyed this book and I'm glad I stuck with the series. show less
Poor Harry Dresden. The man just cannot catch a break. Every time he defeats a big bad, another one rears its ugly head, causing more mayhem and danger. In Grave Peril, Harry has the benefit of the support and back-up of his friend, Michael. A certified Knight of God, Michael brings the power of faith to the battles against the forces of evil, with much success. This added element humanizes Harry by showcasing the fact that in spite of all his powers, there are powers that can supersede his own and for which he needs help if he hopes to win his battles against evil.
Much of Grave Peril is spent in the Never-Never, introducing the reader to Harry's fairy godmother, who has insidious plans for Harry of which the reader only catches hints. show more The reader also gets additional hints that Harry's memories of his mother and father may be faulty, or at least his understanding of their natures may be skewed. There is much more to Harry's past than even Harry realizes, and these tantalizing glimpses at his mysterious family add a layer of continuity and intrigue to the overarching plot. With a total of fourteen novels in the series, and more to follow, one can only imagine that the truth will be revealed in dribs and drabs. However, enough is revealed in each, so far, that the reader is satisfied with the small bit of knowledge learned and eagerly anticipates learning more.
At the beginning of this audiobook, Jim Butcher introduces this third novel in his Dresden series and mentions that the series owes its popularity to James Marsters' narration. I agree wholeheartedly. Marsters epitomizes Dresden: his chivalry, his inability to run away from danger, and his snarkiness. In Marsters, Dresden comes alive. Marsters' Dresden is more than the only actively practicing wizard in the Chicagoland area but rather an everyman, one with special powers but still fallible to a pretty face, poverty, and danger. The reader cares because Dresden, through Marsters, is so earnest in his need to help the less fortunate. It really adds an entirely new dimension to a fabulous storyline.
Grave Peril is not perfect. There is much that is left unanswered, and the mysterious Big Bad Wizard, with powers Harry has never before seen and who is behind a majority of the evil doings, appears and then disappears without any true confrontation. One can only assume it is because Harry will face this threat again, but there is no clear resolution between the two foes. The tidy endings that marked the first two novels is missing with this third novel. A decidedly Pyrrhic victory for Harry leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth of the reader, if only because it is a departure from what the reader has come to expect.
In spite of the flaws in Grave Peril, it is so easy to gush about this series because James Marsters is truly a fabulous narrator. Of even more importance, however, is the fact that the stories are extremely entertaining. Harry is flawed, but the reader can overlook those flaws because Harry means well. His unique perspective on power, and in the case of Grave Peril, the power of faith, are comforting to readers, as it takes the mystical, fantastic elements of magic and makes them seem real and attainable. In spite of all the bad that Harry faces, he remains confident that good will always win. As a metaphor for our own society and its evils, Harry provides hope. It is an endearing message wrapped in an exciting package. show less
Much of Grave Peril is spent in the Never-Never, introducing the reader to Harry's fairy godmother, who has insidious plans for Harry of which the reader only catches hints. show more The reader also gets additional hints that Harry's memories of his mother and father may be faulty, or at least his understanding of their natures may be skewed. There is much more to Harry's past than even Harry realizes, and these tantalizing glimpses at his mysterious family add a layer of continuity and intrigue to the overarching plot. With a total of fourteen novels in the series, and more to follow, one can only imagine that the truth will be revealed in dribs and drabs. However, enough is revealed in each, so far, that the reader is satisfied with the small bit of knowledge learned and eagerly anticipates learning more.
At the beginning of this audiobook, Jim Butcher introduces this third novel in his Dresden series and mentions that the series owes its popularity to James Marsters' narration. I agree wholeheartedly. Marsters epitomizes Dresden: his chivalry, his inability to run away from danger, and his snarkiness. In Marsters, Dresden comes alive. Marsters' Dresden is more than the only actively practicing wizard in the Chicagoland area but rather an everyman, one with special powers but still fallible to a pretty face, poverty, and danger. The reader cares because Dresden, through Marsters, is so earnest in his need to help the less fortunate. It really adds an entirely new dimension to a fabulous storyline.
Grave Peril is not perfect. There is much that is left unanswered, and the mysterious Big Bad Wizard, with powers Harry has never before seen and who is behind a majority of the evil doings, appears and then disappears without any true confrontation. One can only assume it is because Harry will face this threat again, but there is no clear resolution between the two foes. The tidy endings that marked the first two novels is missing with this third novel. A decidedly Pyrrhic victory for Harry leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth of the reader, if only because it is a departure from what the reader has come to expect.
In spite of the flaws in Grave Peril, it is so easy to gush about this series because James Marsters is truly a fabulous narrator. Of even more importance, however, is the fact that the stories are extremely entertaining. Harry is flawed, but the reader can overlook those flaws because Harry means well. His unique perspective on power, and in the case of Grave Peril, the power of faith, are comforting to readers, as it takes the mystical, fantastic elements of magic and makes them seem real and attainable. In spite of all the bad that Harry faces, he remains confident that good will always win. As a metaphor for our own society and its evils, Harry provides hope. It is an endearing message wrapped in an exciting package. show less
I was wondering what had been going on with Bianca!! I had read the first few chapters a few months ago, so I had gone back and skimmed over them only to be instantly pulled in again. This was the first book introducing Michael. He is an AMAZING addition. I love just how strong, faithful and unwavering he is. Usually people think of priests and 'holy people' as fragile. In games they are the female 'healers' it was awesome to see such a strong bad-a$$ mofo.
I had also been wondering in this setting about ghosts and this was the first time that was really addressed, and it knocked me over. I usually read before bed and I found myself exhausted in the mornings from staying up way too late, not able to put the book down.
Poor poor Susan... show more I won't spoil anything, but Jim Butcher obviously doesn't write faerie tales. It's refreshing and agonizing for everything to not be perfect and A ok at the end.
I can't wait for the next book! show less
I had also been wondering in this setting about ghosts and this was the first time that was really addressed, and it knocked me over. I usually read before bed and I found myself exhausted in the mornings from staying up way too late, not able to put the book down.
Poor poor Susan... show more I won't spoil anything, but Jim Butcher obviously doesn't write faerie tales. It's refreshing and agonizing for everything to not be perfect and A ok at the end.
I can't wait for the next book! show less
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Jim Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri on October 26, 1971. He is the author of The Dresden Files series, the Codex Alera series, Side Jobs, Ghost Story, and the Cinder Spires series. He has also written a Spider-Man novel entitled The Darkest Hours and a novelette entitled Backup. He has contributed to numerous anthologies including My show more Big Fat Supernatural Wedding, Blood Lite, and Many Bloody Returns. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Sündmuste horisont (63)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Grave Peril
- Original publication date
- 2001-09-01
- People/Characters
- Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden; Karrin Murphy; Michael Carpenter; Susan Rodriguez; Bob the skull; Leanansidhe (show all 13); Charity Carpenter; Mavra; Mister, Harry Dresden's cat; Thomas Raith; Bianca St. Claire; Justine; Mortimer Lindquist
- Important places
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Related movies
- The Dresden Files (2007 | IMDb)
- First words
- There are reasons I hate to drive fast.
- Quotations
- I felt uncomfortable, approaching the church -- not for any weirdo quasi-mystical reason. Just because I'd never been comfortable with churches in general. The Church had killed a lot of wizards in its day, believing them in ... (show all)league with Satan. It felt strange to be just strolling up on business. Hi, God, it's me, Harry. Please don't turn me into a pillar of salt. (chapter 9)
Thaumaturgy is traditional magic, all about drawing symbolic links between items or people then investing energy to get the effect that you want. You can do a lot with thaumaturgy, provided you have enough time to plan things... (show all) out, and more time to prepare a ritual, the symbolic objects, and the magical circle.
I've yet to meet a slobbering monster polite enough to wait for me to finish. (Harry, chapter 16) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I'll let you guess what three.
- Blurbers
- Flewelling, Lynn; Bunch, Chris
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
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- Reviews
- 264
- Rating
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- Languages
- 10 — Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Spanish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 37
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 25