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06 February 2013

'Cold Days' by Jim Butcher


Good laughs, great twists, dark deeds, oh ... and the world needs saving

I picked out Harry Dresden a long time ago in order to have something fun and light to read.  I read it and handed it to my husband, Beloved Proof Reader.  I thought it was ok, he thought it was great.  BPR continued to order or purchase the rest of the series and I forgot about it.  Finally, on one of those 'what do I do on a rainy Sunday?' days I picked up the next book.  It was addictive.  It turns out Jim Butcher improved as a writer from book to book.  This is always a good sign in a writer, but a special treat in a series.

The jokes in the books are good and the screw ups huge.  Harry is a fantastic character that gets wiser and more cunning with the years because, of his own admission, he is not that smart.  I get a big smile on my face just holding the book.  His latest adventure has one Harry's worst nightmares come true.  It is not a passing problem and Harry must learn to live with this new reality.  His supporting cast of characters all turn up in the best ways and are as much fun as usual.  I do not want to give anything away here because the past two or three books have taken the series to another level.  It used to be about a wizard working the streets of Chicago as a private investigator.  There were always under currents of sinister, secret conspiracies but now they are realities.  Harry has gone form solving a case or two per book to (slowly... he hopes) saving the world (once he realizes the world needs saving... as he mentions, he is not that clever).  Mercifully, Butcher's abilities as a writer have improved along with Harry's ability to control his magic.  Harry stays grounded, funny, cynical and passionate.

I know some readers groan at the idea of mixing fantasy and urban crime fighting but this time it works.  The action is excellent and the twists are obligingly unexpected.  The cast of supporting characters come and go through out the series so that they stay fresh in my mind rather than dull and repetitive.  In this house 3 out of 4 of us have read the whole series and we all have our favorite characters and adventures.  These are different characters and adventures.  What I mean is that there is enough variety to entertain three different readers in one home.  Go ahead, give Harry a try.

Jim Butcher 
ISBN: 9780451464408 

2 comments :

  1. Anonymous11:15

    hi miriam,
    well pretty soon with you exposing me to authors who are new to me and my own established tastes, i will fall far behind on my reading. but i will love it.
    keep talking to me,
    bob

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  2. This is a fun series. Jim Butcher obviously has a good time. If you think you have seen it all, you will be surprised...

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