In the sequel to Proven Guilty, Harry Dresden continues to walk the tightrope between authority and personal responsibility. His latest project (the rebellious teenager from Proven Guilty) has a few drawbacks, but it is nothing compared to his fears for his brother, Thomas, and the sudden appearance of a former lover. In fact, the appearance of the former lover leads to further tension in the authority versus responsibility aspect. Does Harry follow the protocols demanded by the council or follow his intuition about individuals for whom he cares? If you know the series, Harry is consistent. If you don’t, it’s a question that’s worth asking. What are you willing to risk on behalf of people you know and care about? Are you willing to put your health and safety on the line? Are you willing to risk death? Are you willing to challenge those more powerful and experienced that you are?

What’s even more interesting in White Night is that Harry now needs the assistance of those he’s trusted in this book and previous books. Although there is a point at which Harry taps into the extra-dimensionality of the faerie world, the bulk of this novel involves the dark shadows of the supernatural coming to the modern world. The use of modern weapons against unearthly creatures that just keep attacking and attacking is reminiscent of some of the best scenes in the movie, Van Helsing. And the mysteries to be solved in this novel are solid enough to be worth the read, even if those supernatural wave attacks weren’t crying to be put in a first-person-shooter video game.

To be honest, I didn’t think the bulk of White Night was as powerful in its message as Proven Guilty was. In spite of the fact that it smacks of verisimilitude, I don’t like the new role played by Murphy in this installment. At first, I didn’t care for the new role played by Thomas, but it really fits incredibly into the overall scheme of the series. I’m not sure you could have played it this way when Sci-Fi network was serializing the novels, but it works in my imagination and makes sense. In terms of philosophy and character, I liked Proven Guilty more, but in terms of strange events and riveting action, I liked White Night more. Both are highly recommended.