Synopsis:
First in a crime-solving series starring Harry Dresden, a wizard living in Chicago. He finds lost objects, investigates paranormal activities, and advises the police whenever a crime scene looks like magic was involved.
Review:
A plethora of genres, mashing up the mafia, sorcery, and forensics in an actiony mystery thriller. The tone is hard-boiled, with a dash of wit and humor through Harry’s first-person narration. He’s a wizard, but he’s cool, not twee. I really enjoy genre-blending, and found this to be a success on that front. Butcher gets the mixture just right, and it’s no surprise that the series has been turned into a TV show on the Sci-Fi Channel. Butcher also excels in plot construction, and in knowing when to keep the prose out of the way of the action. It’s a very visually told story, and it definitely came to life in my head.
For me, I don’t think I’m likely to keep reading in the series, at least not now–I’m not going to glut myself on Harry Dresden the way I did on Robin Hobb’s Six Duchies. It’s just not my personal taste, despite the high quality of the writing.
