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Small Favor (The Dresden Files #10)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

4.42 of 5 stars 4.42 · rating details · 32,570 ratings · 973 reviews

Gumshoe wizard Harry Dresden has had one quiet -- make that dull -- year. For 12 whole months, nobody has tried to kill him. Just as he's settling into these doldrums, Mab, the monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, calls him in for a small favor. (Favors, it seems, are the main currency of Dresden's universe.) What begins as a tip of the hat quickly escalates into dead...more

Kindle Edition, 444 pages

Published April 1st 2008 by Roc

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May 19, 2008 Reed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As I began reading the 10th Harry Dresden novel, I started ticking off little mental bullet points:

Sarcastic dialogue.

Harry in more trouble than any 3 urban fantasy characters.

The frenzied "first climax" that always happens in the middle of a Dresden novel.

Repetitive info-dumping (description of Harry's beat up Volkswagen, Mouse the huge-ass dog, his big-ass cat, his pretty-boy vampire brother, his burned hand, his terrible youth, the tavern for supernaturals . . . you get the point)

I began to...more

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Jan 03, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-challenge, to-be-read-challenge, fantasy, read-in-2008

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files takes a bit of a break from the supernatural conflict that has been the focus of the last several novels with great success. The entire conflict isn't ignored and it is always present, though it may be on the back burner for "Small Favor."

During an October blizzard, Harry is called on to deliver one of his two remaining favors for Mav. Gentlemen Johnny Marcone has disappeared and Mav tasks Harry with finding him and returning him safely. But another side is out for Ha...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, wizardry

"Hell's Bells" count: 21

This is the tenth book in the series, and if Butcher's own plan can be trusted, it marks about the halfway point for the series as a whole. Having made it this far with the series is a remarkable achievement, and if he can keep it up all the way to its projected end, I will be a very happy and impressed reader. So, a few words about the book itself, and then some thoughts on the series.

Honestly, if you've been following my reviews of this series, you can be pretty sure wh...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Ben Babcock rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, 2008-read, 2008-best10, urban-fantasy, mystery, 2010-read

Second review, read from June 7-8, 2010.

When I re-read a book I've already reviewed, I tend to write a new review to reflect how my opinion of the book has changed with a second reading. In this case, my opinion hasn't changed much. If anything, my admiration of Small Favor has increased. I stand by my original review, and I recommend you read that for my full thoughts on this book.

Some addenda though.

Reading the series in near succession like this gives me a new appreciation of how Small Favor...more

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Sep 29, 2008 Seth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modernfantasy, sf-f-h

About 1/4 into Small Favor I found myself wondering if Harry Dresden was about to magically jump a shark. By the end, I had decided it might be the best book in the series.

Well, he actually does kind of jump a shark, but he was in an aquarium at the time.

Favor put us firmly back in Dresden's home territory. Someone has kidnapped his least-favorite sometimes-ally "Gentleman" Marcone and he's being coerced into saving him by an old enemy. His allies in faerie-land are trying to kill him. His frie...more About 1/4 into Small Favor I found myself wondering if Harry Dresden was about to magically jump a shark. By the end, I had decided it might be the best book in the series.

Well, he actually does kind of jump a shark, but he was in an aquarium at the time.

Favor put us firmly back in Dresden's home territory. Someone has kidnapped his least-favorite sometimes-ally "Gentleman" Marcone and he's being coerced into saving him by an old enemy. His allies in faerie-land are trying to kill him. His friend Michael is seriously doubting whether Harry is trustworthy. And he winds up stuck in the convergence of conflicts between the Seelie and Unseelie courts and between the Knights of the Cross and the Denarian demons. And just for fun, with Kincaid and Sergeant Murphy along for the ride, still bristling from their breakup.

Thematically, this book is about divided loyalties, trust, and--most centrally--what it means to be good instead of evil. The central morals of Harry, Sergeant Murphy, Michael, Sanyo (another Knight of the Cross), and even the mercenaries Kincaid and Gard are roughly similar, but each draws different lines around what is required and what is allowed to be good.

Marcone and The Archive (a super-efficent magical database of all written knowledge ever, but housed in a little girl) serve as the background to the moral debate: Marcone's morality is strongly personal, running his criminal empire and ruining whatever lives it costs while still going out of his way to save and help individuals he sees in distress. The Archive is impersonal, fighting to keep emotional attachments from driving her insane while she hold humanity's heritage against any disaster. They are each afraid to join human society fully, worried that they won't be able to reconcile their job with their humanity.

The book is back in classic Dresden form in other ways, too. Harry doesn't rely on odd moments of insight that come like deus ex machina in some of the other books. He doesn't build plans that last longer than a day. And he doesn't ever rely on his intelligence over his wit, his wits, and his ability to break things very, very well. He's good at mouthing off, pushing people into making mistakes, and doing not-subtle magic with collateral damage. And he has charisma and leadership only Murphy can match. In Small Favor he leaves the other stuff to the pros. Just like the good old days.

In a lot of ways, this is what Storm Front would have been if Butcher had been a better writer at the time. It has more complex character interactions than the first book in a series can sustain and it assumes some (but not too much) knowledge of the backstory, but it hits the themes of the series without sacrificing the action and faith in himself that make Harry who he is.
.(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Gabriel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2012 reread:

It's funny, looking back over my original recommendation and thinking the opposite on almost everything. As the 10th in the series, Small Favor adds very little to the storylines (while hinting at grander things ... like everything in the last few books) while playing with the character relationships.

Yeah, the Billy Goats do provide a little levity ... but only so much. Maybe when read one after the other (with the short stories interspersed as appropriate), the flaws and cracks show...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, dresden

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I still think, despite Murphy's initial refusal, that she will take on Shiro's old sword. I think the real question is whether or not she will remain on the force - she is a cop on her blood, but it is clear that, politically, it is becoming more and more difficult for her to remain on the force and do her job.

I think this has been set up since Dresden viewed her with his sight and saw her and a Guardian Angel with a sword in place of her gun at her side.

Of course, this also begs the question...more I still think, despite Murphy's initial refusal, that she will take on Shiro's old sword. I think the real question is whether or not she will remain on the force - she is a cop on her blood, but it is clear that, politically, it is becoming more and more difficult for her to remain on the force and do her job.

I think this has been set up since Dresden viewed her with his sight and saw her and a Guardian Angel with a sword in place of her gun at her side.

Of course, this also begs the question of what will happen to Excalibur? It is clear that Michael is most likely to injured to remain a Knight. Molly actually seems a logical person to take up the sword, as a King blood line has been established, she certainly has the faith, and by wielding the sword, she would certainly be no longer lacking power as a combat wizard. Indeed, it would make her in some ways, one of the strongest threats out there, given the amount of damage the Dresden and Michael could havoc working together.

But if Murphy took up the sword, would it make sense to have two Knights located in the same geographic area? Probably not.

One of my friends once hypothesized that Dresden himself could wield a sword. On one hand, this seems more likely now that he is free of Lashiel and Urial has taken an interest in him. But the fact still remains that his sense of faith is with magic, not a higher power. Plus, the geographic issue comes into play.

This means, that most likely, a new character will have to be introduced to take up one of the swords. Lets just hope it doesn't take another 3-4 books.

The development with Lucciano is an interesting one. Is it a n interest that is what it seems - mutual respect that is now happening due to a re-discovered sex drive in her younger body? Because the other explanation is much more sinister...in many cases, such as the attack on the warden and wizard training camps - Lucciano was one of the few wizards that knew where those camps were. She could be a member of the Black Council trying to move in on Dresden, and Merlin is just a red herring.

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Nov 07, 2012 Mary: Harry Dresden's Love Slave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

OK I still love this series. I love Harry. I want to move to Chicago and be his love slave. I'm glad I have the next 2 books on hand so I can read them ASAP. Usually I get tired of a series when they get this long. But Butcher is such a great writer and it doesn't feel like I'm reading the same book over and over again.

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Apr 16, 2009 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: PNR/Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi lovers!

Shelves: own, action, mystery, paranormal-supernatural, science-fiction, suspense, urban-fantasy

You owe me a favor, Harry…

Finally, it seems that life is calming down some for Harry. But you never know when the past will come back to bite you in the ass…

Winter’s Queen Mab seeks out Harry; he owes her two favors, and she’s come to collect on. As Winter’s Emissary, she’s putting Harry in charge of finding Gentleman Johnny Marcone. Seems the man has been kidnapped, and that move is against the Accords. Harry doesn’t want to, but he has no choice.

Summer’s Queen Titania doesn’t like what’s happe...more You owe me a favor, Harry…

Finally, it seems that life is calming down some for Harry. But you never know when the past will come back to bite you in the ass…

Winter’s Queen Mab seeks out Harry; he owes her two favors, and she’s come to collect on. As Winter’s Emissary, she’s putting Harry in charge of finding Gentleman Johnny Marcone. Seems the man has been kidnapped, and that move is against the Accords. Harry doesn’t want to, but he has no choice.

Summer’s Queen Titania doesn’t like what’s happening and is sending everything she can to stop him.

But that’s not the worst of it. When the Denarians roll into town, Harry knows no good could come of any of this, no matter what side is hitting at him. In an effort to get Marcone back, Harry has asked the Archive to mediate a meeting between Harry and Nicodemus. And Harry walked right into their trap, for it’s the Archive they’re after. Should she be broken and take one of the coins, all hell would literally break loose.

So, now Harry has to find the Archive as well as Marcone, repay the favor, keep from getting killed by Queen Titania’s emissaries, all the while trying to keep his friends alive. Could things get any worse?

**There is no stopping Jim Butcher! One of the best series I’ll continue to read until Harry is no more, and I hope that doesn’t happen for a really, really, really long time.

How can you not like Harry Dresden. He is chivalrous, caring, funny, does whatever he can to keep his butt and those of his friends from getting fried, can be a little slow on the uptake when it comes to women, and is completely selfless. He’ll put himself in harm’s way before standing behind someone else. And when scenes get tense, his quips and one-liners make me laugh sometimes to the point of tears. As a defense mechanism to push back his fear, I love it!

The action scenes are superb and well written; descriptions have you right there in the thick of it, seeing everything around you, without going overboard. All characters are three-dimensional and you care for everyone one of the good guys, all while rooting them on to taking down the bad guys. Oh, and a love interest is starting to bloom for Harry as well, I think. I’m very interested to see where that line goes.

Mr. Butcher, you are one hell of an author and I hope Harry is around for a long, long time. I can’t wait for my daughter to be old enough to read this series!(less)

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Mar 13, 2011 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: witches-wizards-mages, audio-book, read-in-2011, detectives-private-investigators

I both enjoyed and didn't enjoy this book. Small Favor was a mythology book. What I mean is that there is a lot of history gone over. We revisit a lot of characters, except this time we get their history. Not to mention there is a fair amount of mythology that is revealed as well. Information about the Knights and the swords. About the fallen angels and who is pulling their strings. About the Winter Queen and what she seems to be after. I think it was also a set up book. There seems to be a lot...more I both enjoyed and didn't enjoy this book. Small Favor was a mythology book. What I mean is that there is a lot of history gone over. We revisit a lot of characters, except this time we get their history. Not to mention there is a fair amount of mythology that is revealed as well. Information about the Knights and the swords. About the fallen angels and who is pulling their strings. About the Winter Queen and what she seems to be after. I think it was also a set up book. There seems to be a lot of changes ahead.

That being said...

(view spoiler)[ I have to say that I don't like this idea of Harry and Luccio. Partially because I something bothers me about them together that I can't put my finger on at the moment and partially because I want him with Murphy. Except that in this book, I became annoyed with Murphy. Murphy seems to be rigid in her choices and keeps turning down good things. Examples: She turned Harry down a few books back for a bunch of reasons. But now she's stuck on Kincaid? Kincaid who isn't even human? Kincaid who in years to come I think may fall in love with the archive. Maybe, maybe not, but he will always be connected to her and she will always be his first priority. Plus, one of her reasons for turning down Harry is because he's going to live a long Wizard life and she won't. But I'm fairly certain Kincaid is going to live a long life too. Whatever. I think she's making excuses to cover her fear of something good. Then there is the thing with the sword. She turned that down, because of her police job. I job that she admitted was going no where. She's said that she has lost all chance of her getting ahead and such and it would seem she would make a good Knight. I guess those all seem like weak excuses but all the little things that bothered me came up in this books and annoyed me.

ETA:Luccio- I just don't like her. I couldn't pinpoint what bothered me about her when I wrote my review originally, but I have a temp job and on my break I took a walk because it was beautiful outside, and I wanted to not think about work, so I was thinking of the book I had just finished, this one, and that's when it came to me. Luccio (I refuse to call her Anastasia) & Harry have known each other for years. She was one of those people Harry didn't even trust a few years ago, until he had to join the wardens himself. Now if their relationship had grown out of that it would have been one thing. You know two people that had been at odds previously now forced to work together and a relationship develops from there. But this attraction didn't start until she had a new body. Then suddenly he was hot for her and she was chasing him and that icks me out. I mean sure they get along and they make each other laugh, but it seems like were she still in her own body it wouldn't have happened, and that's what bothers me. Because under it all, she is the same person on the inside, but her inside wasn't enough to attract him, until she had the body of a hot twenty year old. More importantly, her inside wasn't interested in Harry until it was in the twenty year old's body. So it makes me feel like the body wants Harry and not the person inside. Basically I'm hung up on the fact that the body and the person seem to be separate and it's the body in charge or everything, not the person. And I admit, I feel a little disappointed in Harry. After years of celibacy, he goes after a hot body and cute face (and loses his protection from the White Court vampires- which also worries me) . And it makes me wonder if Luccio is on the up & up. Or if she's not completely in charge inside that skin.

Anyway, then there was Michael. I was really worried. Mostly because a few books back (the same one Murphy turned Harry down in by the way) he asked Harry to do dome research because he didn't think he'd have his sword for much longer. I'm sad that he may have permanent physical damage, but I'm happy that he was able to give up his sword, honorably and not be dead.

I also keep waiting for something more to happen with thomas. i don't know what. Just something. Something that involves family. (hide spoiler)]

I have to wonder where it's all going. What will become of our unwilling hero. I can't remember the last time Harry mentioned working in his office and taking an actual case. It seems lately everything has been people (or Fae or Vampires) calling in favors or blackmailing him into doing stuff for them, combined with duties for the council and what some people might say his own sort of calling... It seems like Harry is not such a simple man anymore. He also seems to now have an even bigger calling. I like a lot of the changes and I think the books are really good, I just don't want to lose too much of what I love about Harry.(less)

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Jul 30, 2011 Callista rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, mystery-contemp-american, four-star-novels, favourite-characters, magic-slingers

This one felt a little slow out of the starting gate, but it definitely picked up momentum as it went along. There are so many irons in the fire now, along with a number of significant things that I’m still wrapping my head around, that it feels premature to comment in a lot of spoiler-y detail about what went on in this installment.
I like Butcher's inclusion of Christianity in Harry's world. Although I'm rather nominally Christian and my worldview is closer to Harry's than Michael's, I really...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Justin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own

Small Favor is the 10th installment in the Dresden Files series. Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire, and he likes to take on the things that go bump in the night. Like the rest of the series Small Favor takes place in modern day Chicago, where the general populace remains blissfully ignorant of the dark magical underbelly Harry deals with on a day to day. In the opening of the book Harry is attacked by Gruffs, lethal enforcers of the Summer Faerie court. As he investigates further into the motiv...more

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Apr 13, 2008 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: avid readers of the Dresden Files

Shelves: magic-witchcraft, urban-fantasy-paranormal-romance, not-my-copy

This book was typical. I know describing books as "typical" is not usually a good thing, but Jim Butcher is good enough that typical for him is several notches above the norm. Still, the series has hit a plateau for me. Jim Butcher has never written a bad novel, but I've yet to be blown away by the series as a whole or by an individual book. I don't know what's stopping the series from progressing into fabulousness, but it's definitely slammed against its glass ceiling for me.

I realized this bec...more

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Apr 06, 2008 Nicole Prestin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

If you like the Dresden Files series then you should be mostly satisfied with this book since it's basically more of the same. That's the problem really, these books are really getting formulaic, to the point where I'd really love to see something truly different from the author.

For instance, Jim Butcher is hitting the limits of keeping his series in a first person perspective. Some of his supporting characters are just as interesting, if not more interesting than the main character - and it's a...more

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Feb 08, 2011 David Monroe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-paranormal, detective, occult-detective

Continuing my tear through the Dresden books. Professional wizard Harry Dresden finds his life seriously disrupted by Mab, Queen of the Unseelie fae, Winter Court of the Sidhe to whom he owes a couple of “small” favors. Gentleman Johnnie Marcone, kingpin of the Chicago underworld has gone missing and Mab wants Harry to locate him but naturally, anything to do with Marcone and the Unseelie is complicated. Infamous crime lord, Gentleman Johnny, a man Harry personally hates, a man who has become on...more

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Apr 11, 2008 Holly Booms Walsh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, urban-fantasy, paranormal-fiction

This series just doesn't get weaker or wane even at book 10. New characters are introduced and old characters are fleshed out, plots entangle and more facets of the bigger puzzle of the fight over Chicago and the mortal world are revealed, and this is all frosted by harry Dresden's insouciant sense of humor. Plus, more action sequences than you can shake your blasting rod at. This book primarily deals with why people do what they do, how far characters will go for their beliefs, and a bit of God...more

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Jun 27, 2008 Mick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a pretty big fan of the Dresden Files. And I also happen to have a weak spot for stories dealing with the fair folk, so I looked forward to Small Favor because I knew it would involve some sort of intrigue with Queen Mab. And, it did.

You know what, though? I spent the first several chapters convinced that Butcher had just phoned this one in. And there was even a slight whiff of shark in the water, and I began to worry that I was about to be handed a set of water skis.

Then, somewhere - I'm no...more

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Jun 11, 2008 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: reviewed-2008, fantasy

I literally have to ration my Jim Butcher books or I will drop everything in order to read them.

As in put off work. Ignore my self-imposed obligation to exercise. Stay awake too late. Miss meals. Ignore offers of wild nights of passion from busloads of bikini models. (True story)

You get the idea.

Once again, Butcher wows with the ability to take a relatively straightforward plot, incorporate it into a complex mega-plot now stretching over 10 books, and populate the story with fun and interesting...more

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Apr 05, 2009 Bethany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Harry Dresden is at it again. Queen Mab, seemingly unable to speak with her own voice, requests favor number two from our favorite Wizard. The favor is to save Gentleman Jonny Marcone from his kidnappers.

Many adventures take place. The magic is fantastic, as always. Many story lines are opened up here, but not completely finished - thought the story is quite excellent.

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Mar 14, 2009 Joanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, supernatural

I am seriously intrigued by the building sense of mystery behind the story arc of this series. I wish I could hurry up and read 10 more equally excellent books and find out what IS REALLY GOING ON?!?!! Meanwhile the individual novels never fail to entertain and I was delighted by the way this one came together. Love the characters, love the settings, love the silly and serious dialogue, love the sparing use of romance, love, love, love. The only thing I hate is that it's over. Until the next one...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Dresden, wizard/detective extraordinaire, is back in the middle of political intrigue with the fallen angels and sidhe (faerie-folk) in his tenth adventure. Winter has fallen over Chicago, and Harry is enjoying some much needed down time by playing with the children of his good friend Michael, among them his apprentice and sidekick Molly. Things quickly change from frolicking fun to "Oh, fu-" when they are attacked by three goat-like creatures called gruffs. That is right ... it is the thr...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Ashish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

It's a very difficult thing, in any successful, long-running series, to manage bloat. Characters always gather, a brief appearance once becomes a running regular, and the stories start getting crowded. Especially when you introduce more and more powerful characters to keep the series interesting, and realize you've painted yourself into a corner where the old stories don't work anymore - the new guys (and powers, and plot devices) make a lot of the old drama and tension unnecessary and the prota...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, magic, mystery, illinois, humor

Lots of battles and soul searching is this 10th episode featuring Harry Dresden, Chicago wizard for hire. Here the mean faerie Queen Mab calls in a favor he can’t refuse: to save the entrepreneur Marcone who has been kidnapped by what turns out to be a motley crew of ancient badass Fallen Angels. Harry teams up with the Knight Michael, his vampire brother Thomas, policewoman Murphy, and others for the coming rumble. Later the bad guys, led by Nicodemus, capture a little girl who is a living repo...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Gabe Gohery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aurthrian, fantasy, horror, mystery, religion, young-adult-children

Ducking into an alley, Dresden is startled to see Queen Mab of the Winter Court Fae. Queen Mab offers him the mantle of the Winter Knight. Dresden declines. She asks for one of the two favors that Dresden still owes her—just a small favor. She demands that he be her "Emissary." She reveals that the building he is investigating contained a panic room belonging to John Marcone, Chicago's crime lord. Dresden must protect Marcone—or die. Dresden protests that one of the conditions of their agreement...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Benedict rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

VERY nice. As Dresden develops in his wizardry, so too does Butcher grow as a writer. He's clearly somewhere on the path of mastering the tools he needs to tell his story in an economy of space and pacing, while still holding in his mind the depth of the plotting, magical theory, and character stories that make the Files rich to begin with. I'm stingy with my 5-star rating, but a few of the Dresden Files books earn it; if I'll give a 4 rating to something that is great at being exactly what it i...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Stephen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have now read two books of the Dresden Files. The first was Storm Front, the first Harry Dresden book. I really enjoyed that one. Now I've read Small Favor, the tenth book. It's immediately apparent that a lot has happened between books 1 and 10. This books is full of references to events of prior books. I suspect that I would have enjoyed this one a lot more if I'd read some of those. As it was, I found this book well-written, but not particularly well fleshed-out in terms of either story or...more I have now read two books of the Dresden Files. The first was Storm Front, the first Harry Dresden book. I really enjoyed that one. Now I've read Small Favor, the tenth book. It's immediately apparent that a lot has happened between books 1 and 10. This books is full of references to events of prior books. I suspect that I would have enjoyed this one a lot more if I'd read some of those. As it was, I found this book well-written, but not particularly well fleshed-out in terms of either story or character. It could make for a good few chapters of a longer novel, but it doesn't stand alone well.

In terms of story, this book is one long running firefight from beginning to end. I was disappointed that the mystery elements I enjoyed in Storm Front had nearly vanished. The plot draws heavily on setting and story elements presumably developed in books 2-9. While all of those were adequately reintroduced in Small Favor, they didn't have nearly the emotional impact that they would have as part of the story. Furthermore, the plot left several large plot threads unresolved at the end of the book, making the ending feel more like a pause than an end.

Character-wise, my criticisms are similar to my comments about the plot. Characters are all lifted from earlier books, rather than being developed here. As such, they often come across as flat. Harry Dresden, for example, is largely made of good-natured kindness thickly covered with rough sarcasm. The character of Thomas was by far the worst example of the lack of character development. In this book, he serves only as a tool of the protagonist, having no personality of his own. I often found myself wondering why he would serve a chauffeur, bodyguard, and errand-boy for Harry.

To a large extent, all of these criticisms come from treating this book as its own story. If Small Favor is seen just as one fight scene in a larger story, then it's very different. I haven't read that larger story, though, so I can't write a review of it. To anyone thinking about reading Small Favor, I say, read books 1-9 of the Dresden Files first. If you get that far, and want a fun drawn-out fight through Chicago, filled with lots of flashy special effects, then read Small Favor.(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, on-my-nook, urban-fantasy

I think Small Favor might be the best of the first ten Dresden books. Both Mab and Titania play roles, the gruffs come back, the Denarians are in town and mixed up with Marcone (who is now a freeholding lord of the Unseelie Accords...forgot which book that happens in. Also, Harry finally banished Lash's shadow at the end of the last book), Sanya is back in town, and here come the Archive and Kincaid, and Harry's called the Wardens...and at the very end of the book, two new, powerful players (vie ...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry's life is all exciting again and the plotting in the supernatural world is reaching greater, and more confusing, levels.

An entire building was destroyed by immense power and in the aftermath it was clear that Marcone, Chicago's mob boss, has been kidnapped. Harry is on the job working with Murphy – and only has more incentive when Mab, Unseelie Queen of the Winter Court, calls in one of the favours he owes her to get him involved – and threatens him with her not-inconsiderable wrath should...more Harry's life is all exciting again and the plotting in the supernatural world is reaching greater, and more confusing, levels.

An entire building was destroyed by immense power and in the aftermath it was clear that Marcone, Chicago's mob boss, has been kidnapped. Harry is on the job working with Murphy – and only has more incentive when Mab, Unseelie Queen of the Winter Court, calls in one of the favours he owes her to get him involved – and threatens him with her not-inconsiderable wrath should he refuse. Of course, this is complicated because Summer objects most strongly – strongly enough to send champions to seek and kill Harry to end his involvement.

To make things far worse, the Knights of the Blackened Denarius – Fallen Angels bound to human hosts – are involved. Not just some as he had previously faced – but all of them in their infernal power and plotting, and he only has 2 Knights of the Cross to back him up.

And into this web of plotting and lethal intrigue steps the Archive – the sum of all the world and all of history's knowledge.

Jim Butcher does epic well – and this was one of the better examples. The sheer number of forces, the sheer power of them made the book epic in and of itself. I like his combat scenes and his ability to fully communicate both what is happening and the powers involved extremely well. Between the battles with Summer's Gruffs, Winter's Hobs, the Archive, the Denarians and even mobsters it all held together well and was an exciting and well paced book to read.

He also has a talent for mysteries and this was extremely well done. There were constant questions throughout the books, plots within plots. Hard choices and difficult decisions – and none of it was simple. Yet, at the same time, the information was there and it was technically possible to reach the answer – so we had none of the usual sudden flashes of insight based on random unexplained inspiration that is so common in mystery books. What impresses me most is that this book had a long, difficult and unexplained mystery with several extremely powerful and unknown forces involved yet at the same time never devolved into being too convoluted or confusing to follow. Despite the huge number of actors and notices, the story was never lost, derailed or impossible to follow nor did it become work to follow the threads nor did it become boring through info-dumping and navel gazing.

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Jul 29, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Dresden Files is one of my guilty pleasures of book reading. It's not great literature but it certainly is a couple of notches above most everything on the NY Times bestseller list. This series has always been a nice mixture of detective fiction, fantasy. and horror It simultaneously fits into the cliches of all three genres, and, in doing so, surpasses them. Dresden is the classic anti-hero so often found in both the detective and fantasy genres. He also struggles with typical fantasy/scifi...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Dresden is at it again – getting into trouble, that is. The Queen of Air and Darkness, Mab, calls in a favor. Just a small one that he can’t refuse. And thus his troubles begin.

Though I am familiar with the Dresden Files, this is the first book in the series I have read. It will definitely not be the last. The plot was intricate and well woven with all sorts of subplots. The pacing was well done with enough ups to keep you interested and downs to give you a break from all that angst. The c...more

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Dresden Files Specific Discussion- favorite secondary characters and villains (avoid spoilers please)	82	239	Oct 21, 2012 08:11pm
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About Jim Butcher

A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, his son, and a ferocious guard dog.

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