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Storm Front

(The Dresden Files #1)

Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 306,583 ratings · 16,858 reviews

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For th ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, First Edition, 355 pages

Published April 1st 2000 by Penguin ROC

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· 306,583 ratings · 16,858 reviews

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Start your review of Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)

Apr 27, 2008 Siria rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: Not a single person.

Shelves: 21st-century, american-fiction, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm not going to pull any punches. This book is a misogynistic piece of shit.

All I knew about it before I picked it up was the very basic premise—a wizard in modern-day Chicago, who works as a sort of detective—and that it had picked up quite a cult following. I was expecting to really like it, but before I got to the end of the first chapter, my eyebrows had risen to meet my hairline. I kept reading out of some misguided expectation that things would get better, that there couldn't possibly be I'm not going to pull any punches. This book is a misogynistic piece of shit.

All I knew about it before I picked it up was the very basic premise—a wizard in modern-day Chicago, who works as a sort of detective—and that it had picked up quite a cult following. I was expecting to really like it, but before I got to the end of the first chapter, my eyebrows had risen to meet my hairline. I kept reading out of some misguided expectation that things would get better, that there couldn't possibly be such a sustained level of misogyny coming from both the character and the authorial voice. Oh, how wrong I was.

The main character, Harry Dresden, repeatedly tells us that he's a chauvinist, yes, and shows no signs of wanting to change that. It would have been difficult enough for me to get into a novel with such an unpalatable main character, but the level of narrative endorsement of his viewpoint nauseated me. The female characters in the book are there only to cry, seduce, and occasionally mother. Some of them are presented as having power of their own, but if you take a second glance at them, that power is always represented as secondary to male power, or a sham. Karrin Murphy is a hard-bitten homicide detective and Harry's friend, true; but she's undermined to constant references as to how "belligerent" she is, how small and lady-like her hands are, how she cries when he won't share information with her. Let me repeat that: cries. Bianca, the vampire—sorry, vampiress! must use appropriately gendered language!—is defeated because Dresden can see how she's truly ugly beneath all that fake beauty, and so she's humiliated and he can overpower her! All of them use their sexuality to get ahead—or try to, because clearly Harry is just too intelligent to fall for those silly women's wiles!

How about an explanation for the motive behind a murder:

I gestured toward the room. "Because you can't do something that bad without a whole lot of hate," I said. "Women are better at hating than men. They can focus it better, let it go better. Hell, witches are just plainmeaner than wizards. This feels like feminine vengeance of some kind to me."

Or how about one prostitute talking about another:

She shook her head. "No, no. Nothing like that. That wasn't her style. She was sweet. A lot of girls get like—They get pretty jaded, Mr. Dresden. But it never really touched her. She made people feel better about themselves somehow." She looked away. "I could never do that. All I did was get them off."

This isn't just Dresden being sexist. This isn't just showing us the thought processes of an un-reconstructed chauvinist. This isn't even just using noir tropes—because god knows there are a thousand and one ways of subverting those and reimagining them. This is holding up a clichéd, smug asshole of a main character as the kind of man every guy wants to be, and the kind of man every woman wants to fuck, as a mirror for how Butcher thinks. It's laden with sexist stereotypes that irritate me and in case you couldn't guess, it made me very, very angry.

The book also fails on pretty much every technical level I can think of: I have no idea why it's set in Chicago, or why the location was emphasised, because there's absolutely no sense of place to it. For all Butcher told us, it could all have been taking place in Seattle, or Denver, or Kansas City. The plot is silly, illogical, and by rights everyone should have been dead of Stupid within the first two chapters. The writing style displayed an absolute cloth ear for language. I'd imagine that he was trying to recreate the terse, staccato style of noir detective stories, but didn't realise that in order to do so, you need more than short, simplistic sentences. You need to be attuned to the rhythm of what you're writing, to know how to turn a handful of words to best effect, and Butcher neither knows how to do that, nor how to write realistic sounding dialogue at all.

I have not read such offensive drivel in a long, long time. Avoid. ...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Patrick rated it it was amazing

I never got around to reading these books until The Name of the Wind was published. And when I first did, I was a little pissed. First person point of view. Magic based on thermodynamics. Gritty, realistic world. Arrogant wizard who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. It struck rather close to home....

Some people say that the first few books of this series were kinda rough. But I didn't notice anything particularly untoward about them. In fact, I burned through the whole series (11 books ...more

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May 02, 2010 Nataliya rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of humorous urban fantasy

Shelves: 2020-reads, dresden-files

Let me tell you how a wisecracking Chicago wizard-for-hire with the most rotten luck imaginable won a permanent spot in my heart, making me a devout Dresdenite.

'Twas a week before USMLE Step 1, the most important test for any medical school student as it pretty much determines which medical specialty you are supposedly smart enough to pursue. Basically, the stakes were high and the stress reached the previously unknown heights. By then my poor average-sized brain has been fully stuffed with all Let me tell you how a wisecracking Chicago wizard-for-hire with the most rotten luck imaginable won a permanent spot in my heart, making me a devout Dresdenite.

'Twas a week before USMLE Step 1, the most important test for any medical school student as it pretty much determines which medical specialty you are supposedly smart enough to pursue. Basically, the stakes were high and the stress reached the previously unknown heights. By then my poor average-sized brain has been fully stuffed with all the medical trivia it was able to handle. Have you ever met an overcaffeinated, freaked out, sleep-deprived, shaky med student with bloodshot eyes and propensity to quote at you random basic medical science facts in a high-pitched shaky voice? If so, it was probably before Step 1, and this is an honest representation of what my friends and I looked like:

Lovely, no?
Anyway, physically unable to study any more, I stumbled upon this book on my Kindle app. And this is how Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, he of the magical staff and a black leather duster, entered my life. Suddenly the anxiety was gone, and instead of omg-it's-test-time-and-I-did-not-study-enough customary nightmares I dreamed about Chicago magical world that night. In the week that followed, I got through most of the series - 11 books at that point in time. The stress was gone with the help of Harry Dresden's adventures - and on the test day I beat my goal score by one whopping point! :D

“A man's magic demonstrates what sort of person he is, what is held most deeply inside of him. There is no truer gauge of a man's character than the way in which he employs his strength, his power. I was not a murderer [...] I was Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. I was a wizard. Wizards control their power. They don't let it control them. And wizards don't use magic to kill people. They use it to discover, to protect, to mend, to help. Not to destroy.”

I loved this book despite all its imperfections. Harry Dresden, a wisecracking, self-deprecating, Star Wars-references-dropping, never-knowing-when-to-shut-up, and unwaveringly good guy with a penchant for attracting trouble was someone I'd love to be friends with. I even forgave him the annoying and eyeroll-inducing case of old-fashioned chivalry towards women. Plus, his assistant is an erotica-obsessed formerly-evil spirit living in a skull - how can anyone not love that?

“Harry," Bob drawled, his eye lights flickering smugly, "what you know about women, I could juggle.”

This book is a quick and delightfully pulpy read, modeling Harry's personality and adventures on the hardboiled crime noir detective stories with a generous helping of humor set against the paranormal background. It does not aspire to be life-changing or profound, it does not try to be the capital-L literature (that was an excuse to use my favorite Pratchett quote: "Susan hated Literature. She'd much prefer to read a good book."). All it does is take you on a fun and exciting ride, and that's what I love about it. Yes, sometimes it falls flat, or tries too hard, or gets a bit full of itself, but the feeling of sheer fun that Jim Butcher must have had while writing this story is palpable on each page, and it's awesome!

“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

This is a "freshman" book, and is not perfect, but it is nevertheless really good. Jim Butcher's narrative voice gets more confident and more polished as the series progresses, especially beginning with book 4. But it was enough to keep me completely engrossed in Harry Dresden's world and read eleven books of the series in a little over a week. I love the Chicago mystical world, I love the characters, I love the fast, even breakneck pace, I love the detective noir touch, I love Butcher's take on mythologies. I absolutely adore the wisecracking - to me, it never felt annoying, maybe because it's a big part of my own (I assume, completely charming) personality.

““You don't go walking into the proverbial lion's den lightly. You start with a good breakfast.”

For all of that, I easily give it four stars. (I'd be tempted to call Harry Dresden my literary boyfriend, but as I learned from the sequels, nothing good can possibly come out of that).

“I don't want to live in a world where the strong rule and the weak cower. I'd rather make a place where things are a little quieter. Where trolls stay the hell under their bridges and where elves don't come swooping out to snatch children from their cradles. Where vampires respect the limits, and where the faeries mind their p's and q's. My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I'm in the book.”

————
2020 reread:

Listened to it on audio with my better half — his introduction to Dresden. It’s been a decade since I first read it now. Flaws definitely became more apparent this time, and Harry’s attitude towards women (that “chivalry” theme) is indeed annoying, and that noir feel sometimes is actually funny. But overall I still liked it. It’s interesting seeing Harry Dresden’s humbler beginnings, as I’m used to him being the magical powerhouse of the later installments. Anyway, I’m not as enamored by it this time, but magic still holds. ...more

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Jun 17, 2007 Jesse rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: lovers of bad writing and raping of the noir genre

Shelves: modern-fantasy, utter-tripe

You know, the premise of this book actually sounded good. A wizard P.I., sure why not. I like wizards and I like P.I.s, so what could be the problem. The problem was I over estimated this author's abilities.

The main character is like some kind of emotionally retarded uber-geek's idealized life. He lives in a basement and subbasement. He ALWAYS wears a black duster and cowboy boots (even when he's wearing sweats and a t-shirt). He has an abnormally large alley cat that likes to drink coke and doe You know, the premise of this book actually sounded good. A wizard P.I., sure why not. I like wizards and I like P.I.s, so what could be the problem. The problem was I over estimated this author's abilities.

The main character is like some kind of emotionally retarded uber-geek's idealized life. He lives in a basement and subbasement. He ALWAYS wears a black duster and cowboy boots (even when he's wearing sweats and a t-shirt). He has an abnormally large alley cat that likes to drink coke and doesn't get violently ill from the caffeine. He can't get anywhere with women, for no real reason at all. The first woman that broke his heart, he actually killed (but for good reasons, I mean she was evil). I could go on and on. The protagonist of this story is an immature weiner. He is a walking dorky cliche, that feels like he is some kind of Peter Parker wizard. Constantly bemoaning the weight of the world on his shoulders, even when its actually not on his shoulders. Add to this the characters inability to have basic levels of trust for his friends/allies, lack of common sense, and a very low level of intelligence for someone that relies on brains and willpower for their strengths. And you end up with a guy that is very annoying to read in most any situation.

Now throw that character into a Noir Detective style situation. This is not a confident man, nor is he a physically tough man, and he lacks much in the way of street or even book smarts. I find it highly unlikely that this guy should have survived past the first 100 pages, let alone through all the other blunders he makes through the entire book. Take a gander back to the beginnings of the Noir Detective genre, and you'd be ashamed that this man besmirches the genre's good traditions. Sam Spade has no magic what so ever, but he could quite easily have out smarted and out fought this guy with his bare fists.

Don't even get me started on how annoying magic is in this book. Not since the magic of Terry Brooks' Shanara books have I felt magic meant little to nothing. This guy is constantly like, oh shit I don't have my wand or staff or special ring, so if I do my magic now I'll kill everyone. What the fricking good is magic that can't be used unless you've got your stick of power. If magic is going to be used the way it is in this book, as basically a crutch to hold the rest of the weak aspects of the book up (as it is in most non-awesome fantasy); then at least have it around to do its job and make cool things happen.

So to close, this book is immature and not fun to read. There was a time in my life when I would have found this book awesome, when I was going through that phase of life where you're 13, emotionally retarded, and just discovered AD&D 2nd edition. Which there is nothing wrong with, that's a phase that me and most other nerds went through. Then we grew out of it, because we matured in to adults. But this book isn't be lauded to me as "great writing" by 13 year old nerds and geeks, its being held up as a "Great Book" by adults, and that's who its marketed to. Look if you like this book and you're in Junior high then fine (though I could recommend better things for you to read that are aimed at your age group), but not adults. If your an adult and you think this is even just "good" writing (and again I'll state that most tell me its "great" writing) then I think you need to try reading some other stuff by much better authors. Go find and read Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, Walter Mosley, Warren Ellis, or Charles Stross. These are all writers that have written either modern fantasy/Horror or Noir and/or Crime fiction, so they are working on some similar concepts. Then if you don't find those to be far better book written by actual good writers, well then I'm just going to have to say that you and I may be from different planets or something.

This book is not fun to read. Its poorly constructed. The plot is about as complex as 6th grade math, and less original than that. The characters are 2 dimensional at best. Magic is used a focal point of the story rather than something to enhanced the flavor of original and real feeling plots and characters. At one point the author describes someone by saying he looks like Sean Connery's character from the Highlander, instead of I don't know just describing the dude as having a pony tale (since that was where those two character's physical similarities ended). Most of his other descriptions of characters are like police descriptions of people being given to me by the narrator which completely takes you out of the narrative. The author at one point even wrote "I was a wizard" when his point of view character is lamenting about going into a house or building to solve a problem and I was thinking "wait did you stop being a wizard at some point?". If you're going to write in the first person perspective then learn to write in the present. Of course one would expect a decent editor could have fixed this, but I'm going to assume that decent editors get assigned to decent writers. Look, its not a good book. I didn't make it a bad book, it just is. I'm told that the book get much better after or on book three (so some day I hope to get a copy of his second book for free and see, though I have my doubts since I've read enough bad authors in my day to know they don't usually start becoming good authors, just more experienced bad authors) but that's a really spurious argument since I need ALL book I read to be good if not great right away. I'm not going to recommend an author to someone because his first work was really awful but if you just read two more books by him he gets good. Well then perhaps he should have just started with book three and spared us the bad books. Its bad and I don't recommend it to anyone who's not reading it as a goof to lampoon it in there own head. End of statement. ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Petrik rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Urban fantasy readers

3.5/5 stars

Storm Front is an introductory and page-turning installment to a beloved urban fantasy series.

I am not much of an expert on urban fantasy sub-genre, I certainly haven’t read as much urban fantasy compared to high fantasy, and almost all of the majority of urban fantasy series I’ve thoroughly loved has been UF series that took place in a fictional world rather than ours; The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee and The Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett are a great example of this ...more

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May 08, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy-all

Reread for challenge

This is the first time I have read a Harry Dresden book and I love it! I'm so glad for my friends at goodreads for bringing me into his world.

I had no idea Harry was so freaking funny! And the cast of characters in this book were great. The bad guys sucked of course. I loved Mac, the bartender. He made me think of a quiet-ish Andre the Giant :) I loved Toot-Toot, the funny little faerie. I wish he was in the book more but hopefully I will get to see him in more books. I coul ...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it liked it

The Dresden Files is one of those books that's intimidating to approach. It has a hard-core fan group that will scream its praises from the top of the roof. Usually, I would approach with extreme caution. I rarely read a series when I've been assured that it gets good after six books. When people tell me that, I simply quietly encourage them to read the Fever Series and avert eye contact.

However, after a discussion regarding male readers and writers of the Urban Fantasy genre, I felt I should gi ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 Lyn rated it really liked it

Urban fantasy is a sub-genre that I have been very much enjoying for a few of years and Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series usually tops the lists of readers’ favorites and it has proven wildly popular.

For good reason.

Butcher first published Storm Front in 2000 and it was in this first edition that Butcher introduced readers to Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, Wizard.

Butcher describes his protagonist as a kind of occult private investigator, being chiefly active in the Chicago area. Dresden ...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Bill Kerwin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-mystery, weird-fiction, gothic, weird-detectives

The first volume in the Dresden Files series introduces us to our hero, Harry Dresden, a wizard who is also a private investigator and police consultant. It is written in a breezy, colloquial style that makes you want to keep reading, but except for a few interesting magical twists on the private dick genre (e.g., Harry's tipster is a faery, lured with a bowl of milk and honey and confined within a magic circle until Harry gets the information he needs), the book is thin on plot, lacking in wit ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: graphomania-my-love

Actually, I started with the TV series, for once. And it was a rather atmospheric show with the exception of that charred body too naturalistically (for my liking!) shown, which I managed to watch during my lunch. Totally ruined that freaking lunch! Offputting, that's what it was. And it put me off for, like, 5 years in reading the series. But now I still am here, ready to enjoy this installment to my everlasting paranormal reading addiction.
And from the very start this novel feels superb. I th ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: angels-and-or-demons, audible, fae, skulduggery, urban-fantasy, vampires, buddy-reads-are-the-best, creeptastic, diabolical, some-kinda-magic

2/7/18 - ON SALE for $2.99:

http://amzn.to/2yOviAo

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

3.5 stars

Lover of Urban Fantasy that I am, it may come as a surprise that before now . . . I have never actually . . . read Jim Butcher . . .

I KNOW. I'm such a poser.

In my defense, I haven't had much luck with male authors in the genre, and come on . . . we're up to what? FIFTEEN installments, with the SIXTEENTH already in the works, so yeah--DAUNTING. Cut me some slack. And besides, better late than never, right?

Also ...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Amber rated it did not like it

Shelves: box-of-shame

This book was terrible. The kind of terrible where I had to force myself to read the last half in a day just so I could be done reading it. The kind of terrible that made me reevaluate all the ratings of books I have previously given because I remembered what type of book I save one star ratings for. The kind of terrible where I roll my eyes at least once per page. The kind of terrible where I literally throw the book across the room when I'm done both out of frustration and out of the primitive ...more

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Dec 31, 2018 Tina Haigler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

"I heard the mailman approach my office door, half an hour earlier than usual."

The first book in the Dresden Files series, I found this quite exciting. It felt like being picked up by a slightly crazy person, and pulled through a labyrinth by your shirt; all the while having not one creature, but many, trying to kill the person dragging you along with them. You're in for some ride, and the main character is definitely a man without a plan.

Our main character is the wizard extraordinaire, Harry Dr ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, vampires-and-werewolves-oh-my, library-has, r-rated, urban-fantasy

99c Kindle sale, Oct. 19, 2019. 3.5 stars for this somewhat gritty mix of urban fantasy and the noir detective genre, the first book in the long running Dresden Files series.

description

Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:

Harry Dresden is a down-on-his-luck wizard trying to make a living as a magical private investigator, in a version of our world where magic has recently become more open and powerful. He’s an occasional consultant to the police on crimes with a paranormal aspect, and this latest job they call him in on ― a mobster and a call girl violently murdered by magical means in the middle of the act ― is a doozy. Unfortunately, several key players think Harry did it! It’s highly inconvenient when you’re one of the only people who have the magical ability to carry out a particular murder. Harry’s only got a limited time to prove them wrong … especially since several people would find it extremely convenient if Harry were dead.

Storm Front was on my TBR list for ages, but I dawdled in picking it up, given the many disappointed to mildly encouraging reviews for this book. A lot of fans of this series say it really only picks up with the 4th book, Summer Knight, but I'm here to say that you need to start at the beginning. I tried reading Summer Knight out of order last year, and doing that didn’t really pan out for me - I was missing too much backstory and connection with the characters. Apparently you have to live and grow with this series, along with Jim Butcher’s writing skills.

I thought Storm Front was reasonably good for an urban fantasy and a series starter, though I suspect my lowered expectations had to do with my ending the book feeling pleasantly surprised. The subplots, including a Chicago mobster intent on keeping Harry out of the case, a woman with a missing husband who may be teaching himself black magic, Harry’s troubles with the wizardly White Council, and more, were well integrated into the overall mystery. I appreciated that Jim Butcher creates an unusually interesting backstory around Harry Dresden, fleshing out his world without feeling the need to fully reveal all yet.

Don’t expect a whole lot ― just a fun, if sometimes quite dark, paranormal mystery with which to while away a couple of hours ― and I think you won’t be disappointed. Sometime I'm going to continue with the series, though it’s not my highest reading priority.

Content notes: violence and some sexual content. ...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, favorites

Okay, some who have looked at my other reviews will immediately note I gave this book 5 stars which I noted earlier I save for very special books. I plan to give the Dresden books (so far anyway) 5 stars. Why? Well while they are not Dumas or Dickens (but then again...I'm not sure I'd regularly be giving Dickens 5 stars, how much Dickens can we all really take anyway???) these are wonderful absorbing reads. Special Books.

I won't be giving a long synopsis of each book... I will say they are an or ...more

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Nov 13, 2014 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, good-ol-testosterone, uf-with-male-lead, urban-fantasy, br-2015, poof-gone-harem

Unexpected BR with Robin & Shelly. And some other people. But I have no idea who they are. I'm sure they're lovely. Then again they might not be. Oh well. It wouldn't make any difference if they were. I'm a total BR slut anyway.

→ Robin wants it known that she didn't recommend this to me. I wonder why. (view spoiler)

►► Pointless review #2586 coming right up! ◄◄

Ladies & gentlemen... Introducing… Harry Dresden, aka Book Boyfriend #8462! BAM! ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it really liked it

Shelves: butcher-jim

What makes this series unique is Butchers´ highly professional style, earned in long years of writing and study of creative writing and the wit, dynamic, immense density of tropes, quick cuts, cliffhangers and a general ultra coolness of the main protagonist.

Like a history of the horror and suspense genre, as much as possible is included in as less space as necessary to culminate in the unique, quick and sometimes even philosophical new interpretation of the fantasy, werewolf, vampire, monster, ...more

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Jul 30, 2014 Markus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: extraordinary-gentlemen, 2015, fantasy, team-rocket, urban-fantasy

"My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under 'Wizards.' Believe it or not, I'm the only one there."

Harry Dresden is Chicago’s only wizard. One day he is contacted by a nervous woman who wants him to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her husband, whom she thinks has d "My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under 'Wizards.' Believe it or not, I'm the only one there."

Harry Dresden is Chicago’s only wizard. One day he is contacted by a nervous woman who wants him to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her husband, whom she thinks has dabbled in the forbidden arts of magic. Shortly afterwards, Harry’s contacts in the police summon him to a scene where a couple has been brutally and horribly murdered without any trace of the killer. The investigation takes him all across Chicago and its underworld, to encounters with crime lords and supernatural beings, all the while being observed by the watchful eyes of the White Council, who think that Harry himself is behind it all...

Harry Dresden is quite an interesting protagonist. Despite being a wizard, he’s incredibly... well, normal, and he lives and acts just like any other guy would. He has his good sides and bad sides and plenty of flaws, and despite that he’s not particularly complex, it’s refreshing to read a book from the viewpoint of a guy like this. Sadly, Harry is the only real character in the book. All the others are completely shallow and one-dimensional. Most of them are stereotypical and simplistic, and the female characters in particular are badly portrayed. And while some of these characters are really interesting despite all that, it’s just not enough.

Storm Front is a book which attempts to do quite a lot and falls a bit short in almost every area. It’s straightforward and predictable, lacks an organised plot, and contains whole chapters that are unfortunately quite boring. As a murder mystery, it lacks both style and suspense. As an fantasy novel, it’s not much better.

But of course, there are positive things to say as well. It seems I spent two paragraphs mostly slaughtering the book, and that won’t do at all. Because it was an enjoyable book to read. Despite its obvious issues, it was certainly entertaining. Sometimes it can even be a real page-turner. But like any expansion novel or any form of pulp fiction, it’s primarily just mindless entertainment. It’s not particularly complex, it’s not particularly well-written and it’s not particularly exciting. But if the opinion of the general public is correct and this is one of the weakest books in the series, then I am definitely looking forward to reading the others.

Of course, I should mention that urban fantasy is a long, long way from being my favourite genre. It's been a genre I've been skeptical to for quite some time, yet I still find it enjoyable occasionally. So if you're normally a fan of urban fantasy, I would recommend this book. If not, I'd say skip it.

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Sep 11, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, literature, paranormal, mystery, magic, 21th-century, united-states, fiction

Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1), Jim Butcher

Storm Front is a 2000 fantasy novel by American writer Jim Butcher.

It is the first novel in The Dresden Files, his first published series, and it follows the character of Harry Dresden, professional wizard.

Dresden is hired by a woman to find her husband Victor Sells, an amateur magician who has been acting oddly. Later that day, he gets a call from Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, director of the Special Investigations (SI) Unit of the Chicago Police Dep ...more

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Jun 14, 2019 Jody rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get strange, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when no one else can help you, give me a call. I’m in the book.”

Well, that was fun as hell! I have read some great books this year, but I believe this was one of the best as far as entertainment level. I was glued to this book from the opening chapter to the final page. The mix of detective work and magic were well done. It had an old style investigative feel to it as the story is solely told from Harry’s point of view. The reader gets his internal monologue along with his conversations and interactions with other characters. So, he is telling the story just as much as living it.

Harry is quite adept and getting himself into trouble. Whether it be with dark wizards, demons, vampires, or even the Chicago PD. He seems to always be in the wrong place at the right time. Or in his case, I guess it would be the right place at the wrong time. Since he is actually looking for the bad guys or things.

“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

The side characters were also well done. My favorite has to be Bob the skull. He and Harry’s conversations were comedic gold. I can see Bob causing major trouble in future books if Harry doesn’t keep him on a tight leash. I doubt that will happen, and I can’t wait to see what kind of difficulty he creates for Harry.

There is no shortage of action, and Harry tends to take as much punishment as deal it out. This along with the detective work gave the story a really good pace. There is always something going on and that really helped me stay engaged the entire book. I seriously read this book in 2 days. I never do that. But I made time for this book, because I just couldn’t wait to read what happened next.

"A man’s magic demonstrates what sort of person he is, what is held most deeply inside of him. There is no truer gauge of a man’s character than the way in which he employs his strength, his power.”

All in all this was one of the best urban fantasy books I’ve read. Not that I have read a ton in this genre, but I don’t see how it can get much better. Apparently it does though, because I have been told by numerous people the series keeps improving. I don’t plan on waiting to find out, and intend to begin book 2 later today. If you’re in need of a detective story with magic, humor, action, and good pace, look no further. This one checks all the boxes.

Actual Rating: 4 stars ****

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Apr 03, 2020 J.L. Sutton rated it really liked it

“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

Best Jim Butcher Quotes | Quote Catalog

I'd read one other Dresden Files book (Changes #12), but decided I should go back and start from the beginning with Jim Butcher's Storm Front. I like the Harry Dresden character and the world Butcher created in which Dresden works as a detective of the supernatural (or wizard for hire). It reminded me of the detective noir of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett; however, th ...more

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Aug 22, 2018 Imane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”
― Jim Butcher, Storm Front

🌟3.75/5🌟
So I heard that this series gets better after each release, i guess we shall see :)!! ...more

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May 01, 2013 Robin Hobb rated it really liked it

Solid. A good introduction to the world, the character and the magic. It finished up the main plot nicely and left some very interesting threads dangling that are undoubtedly pursued in later books. Several people told me that this was one of the 'weaker' Dresden books. I'll take that to mean that they just get better and better, as I found nothing weak here to complain about. ...more

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May 24, 2015 Hannah Greendale rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.

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Dec 22, 2014 Justin rated it liked it

March 2017 Review:

This is now my third time through Storm Front, and while my rating is holding tight at three stars, I enjoyed it more this time thanks to Spike from Buffy and Angel reading it to me. That guy nails Harry Dresden's character and breathes new life into him. His carefree "whatever yeah here I'm reading the book, alright?" tone was awesome. It made the story so much better.

It also made me realize how one of the only adjectives Butcher knows is the word "naked". Everything and ever March 2017 Review:

This is now my third time through Storm Front, and while my rating is holding tight at three stars, I enjoyed it more this time thanks to Spike from Buffy and Angel reading it to me. That guy nails Harry Dresden's character and breathes new life into him. His carefree "whatever yeah here I'm reading the book, alright?" tone was awesome. It made the story so much better.

It also made me realize how one of the only adjectives Butcher knows is the word "naked". Everything and everyone in the book is naked at some point. Harry walks outside with naked feet. A room is illuminated with naked color. Lots of naked people. He just really seems to like the word. I felt like it showed up at least a dozen times and stood out because at times another adjective would have worked better. But I digress...

This is a good book to just get lost in and not think too much. Don't overthink the magic or the spells or weird characters. Just let the story play out and you'll be fine. It feels like a weird episode of the X-Files in book form, or like I said two years ago, it's like a Goosebumps book for adults.

I'm gonna try a different approach and not be overly critical as I read through these first few books. I'm having a good time, and I hear things only get better as the series progresses. I kind of enjoy the pulpy writing style with a mix of crime and fantasy genres. I'm not crazy about Harry being all macho but then stepping aside to remind us all how old fashioned he is. He just likes opening doors for women and bringing flowers to dates, alright? Leave him alone. Not sure why he keeps bringing that up and then goes back into tough guy mode.

I've read the next two books before and then quit. I promised myself I was done, but I've never been good at keeping promises to myself. I should really stop doing that. Anyway, I hope I enjoy those s little more this time around and plow through the other books. Looking forward to seeing what happens. Third time is a charm... right?

Previous review from January 2015:

Second time through, and I feel about the same way. It's like Goosebumps for adults. it just needs a more clever title. Here are my contributions:

"Thunderbolts and Lightning, Very Very Frightening"

"Say Cheese and Die with ThreeEye"

"The Wizarding World of Harry Dresden" ...more

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Jun 16, 2014 Will M. rated it really liked it

Shelves: magic, 2014, books-i-own, urban-fantasy, paranormal

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard. He is also a detective, and he's best at what he does. When a suspicious magic related murder occurred, the Chicago P.D. comes to him for answers. Aside from that though, he also has other personal cases at hand.

My very first Urban Fantasy novel. I've been wanting to read this for months now, and I'm glad that I finally did. Crime/Detective-Fantasy is something new to me, but not anymore. Two of my favorite genres combined, and executed wonderfu Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard. He is also a detective, and he's best at what he does. When a suspicious magic related murder occurred, the Chicago P.D. comes to him for answers. Aside from that though, he also has other personal cases at hand.

My very first Urban Fantasy novel. I've been wanting to read this for months now, and I'm glad that I finally did. Crime/Detective-Fantasy is something new to me, but not anymore. Two of my favorite genres combined, and executed wonderfully. I heard ravishing remarks regarding this series, and I now understand all the hype. This is not a perfect novel, it had a few flaws here and there, but it was enjoyable overall.

Harry Dresden reminded me of a lot of characters that I love. Tony Stark, Sherlock Holmes, and Dr. House to name a few. He was not created as a perfect character, and that is the right way to do it. Despite being a wizard, he still had flaws. Aside from him reminding me of some favorites, the novel itself felt like it was a crossover of NCIS and a superhero TV show. His relationship with Murphy was really similar to those of the crime genre. The woman hates him yet ends up giving him what he wants, and ends up arresting/hating him in the end. Typical crime stuff that I really enjoy.

I was a wizard. Wizards control their power. They don't let it control them. And wizards don't use magic to kill people. They use it to discover, to protect, to mend, to help. Not to destroy.

I was not expecting that at all. I've watched quite a few shows and movies regarding wizards, and they're all badass crazy. Dresden was just crazy, but he was good. He obeyed the first law thing that magic shouldn't be used to kill. I heard about that rule already somewhere, but I remember main characters breaking that rule and getting away with it. I was expecting the same form Dresden, but didn't get what I wanted. I was expecting a lot of magic spurting out of his staff and all, but the magic present in the novel was mellow. There were a lot of action in the novel, but I wanted it to be more badass than it was. This novel seemed to follow realistic ideas, despite it being a fantasy novel. It's not a huge problem for me, but I am hoping for more action in the next ones. And more magic.

Little did I know that wizards are weaker than witches. Weaker in a sense that they follow the rules more, so they use less magic. If you use less magic and battle with someone who uses a shit load of magic, then odds are you'll lose. Or die. I still like Dresden a lot though.

The plot itself was not bad. Despite this being a huge series, this novel still ended with closure. I hate forced cliffhangers, and this one didn't have that. There is a note somewhere on goodreads stating that each novel from the series is sort of a standalone, but each one heavily relies from the latter. I like those kinds of series, because sometimes you need a break from it. Especially those never ending ones. I'm quite excited of what the author has in stored for the next books.

4.3/5 stars. My very first Urban-fantasy novel, and it will not be my last. I'm starting to enjoy this genre. Recommendations will be greatly appreciated! ...more

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Oct 31, 2008 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it really liked it

Shelves: faerie, hero-to-die-for, owned-copy, urban-fantasy, celibate-or-less-experienced-hero, magic-noir, magic, favorite-or-autobuy-author, detective-private-eye-sleuth, part-of-a-series

Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. His advert even says so. Enter a very interesting character in the urban fantasy genre. Having grown up in the Chicago area, it's very cool to see this fine city through the eyes of an interesting guy like Harry. In some respects, he's a very normal guy. However he truly is a wizard. He inherited his magical abilities from his deceased mother, and makes a living at it. Helping people. He also works for the Police Department solving crimes of an unusual nature. Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. His advert even says so. Enter a very interesting character in the urban fantasy genre. Having grown up in the Chicago area, it's very cool to see this fine city through the eyes of an interesting guy like Harry. In some respects, he's a very normal guy. However he truly is a wizard. He inherited his magical abilities from his deceased mother, and makes a living at it. Helping people. He also works for the Police Department solving crimes of an unusual nature.

This is like most starter books in a series, it doesn't exactly get off the ground running. But that's okay. We get to enjoy the experience of getting to know Harry. Things I liked about him that endeared him to me: He doesn't date much. He says himself he doesn't have much luck with women. He's a catlover. He has a big, huge kitty named Mister that eats better than he does. He's got a great sense of humor. This book is in the first person, so you are treated to Harry's very wry but perceptive view of the world. We are not on the same page about Christianity, but I don't hold that against him. How could I when he's such an ethical, caring person. Harry's a bit of a soft touch, going out of his way to help people, even to his detriment. Some readers might get annoyed at how often Harry gets hurt. I like that about the series. He's not invulnerable. His magic can help him, but he can die just as easy as another human, and he almost does many times. That raises the stakes, because Harry can't seem to stay out of trouble. I love watching Harry get dressed for battle: fedora hat, cloak, oak staff, pentacle pendant from his mom, and her ring. The latter are his magical accoutrements used to focus the natural magic that flows through him and is in the environment. Let's not forget his .45 gun for extra insurance. It's like watching Batman put on his suit and all his gadgets (yes my not-so inner geek is coming out).

The world that Harry inhabits is much like the one we live in, but magic and creatures we consider mythical actually exist. There is a White Council (They are the governing body over wizards to prevent them practicing black magic or using magic to harm people) who is holding the Doom of Damocles over Harry's head for killing his uncle (done in self-defense, although few would argue that he didn't deserve killing). So we see Harry trying to stay one step ahead of the very intimidating magical enforcer, Morgan. We also see Harry deal with a fairy who loves pizza to get information, while trying to avoid his godmother who really is a Fairy, the Queen in fact, and to whom he owes a favor. And Harry has to deal with the very shadowy Red Vampire Court, not to mention a very nasty demon assassin that interrupts the first date that Harry's had in a very long time. Try having a love life around all of this. Then there's the fire spirit Bob, who's beholden to Harry, helps him work his spellcraft, and lives in a skull.

These books are pure fun, but there are moments of tension and thrills, as well as moments that will stir poignancy in you. If you like the genre of occult detective novels, this book is the start of a series that you must add to your collection. I must say I love the later books more because the introductory stuff is out of the way, but this was a solid entry and a grand introduction to the wonderful, endearing Harry Dresden, Wizard for Hire. ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantastic-fantasy, uf-pnr, ghosts, awesome-audio, witches-warlocks-and-magic

Sale Alert Books 1-6 together for $7.99 on 29Nov17 on Amazon

The buddy with a few of my friends at Buddies Books and Baubles

Harry Dresden is not your sauvé hero type, he has trouble with money, women, demons and keeping his clothing on. But he does have actual business cards.

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Actually the clothing problem seemed almost worse then than some of his other dilemmas. You try fighting evil naked or in sweats and cowboy boots and see how well you fair. He does seem to have a few wizard tricks up his slee ...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: at-my-library, police-or-military, paranormal, favorites-2014, first-in-a-series-i-love, narrator-very-good, loved-it, hype-hype-hype, audiobook, urban-fantasy

Dear Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden,

description

First of all, the audiobook edition of this story is freaking incredible. James Marsters could recite the dictionary and I'd be hanging on his every word, but combine that voice with the awesome writing of Jim Butcher and I'm in heaven, I'm simply in HEAVEN!

The "first book info dump" wasn't too bad here. I easily kept up with the world-building and I loved what the author created. I loved everything about it, actually. My only issue with this story was ...more

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Jun 15, 2014 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, re-read, paranormal, urban-fantasy

I am a fan of this series. I haven't caught up yet- I think the next I will be reading is Cold Days. Many of my goodread friends are also Harry Dresden fans and there seems to be a general acknowledgement that the first three books are good but the series gets better over time. I've always agreed with that. Then audible had an offer on Stormfront and as I had heard good stuff about the narrator for this series, I jumped in for a reread.
Well- this was fantastic the second time round. I remember w ...more

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About Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher

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Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resi ...more

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Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...

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Quotes from Storm Front

“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.” — 1480 likes

“Have you ever felt despair? Absolute hopelessness? Have you ever stood in the darkness and known, deep in your heart, in your spirit, that it was never, ever going to get better? That something had been lost, forever, and that it wasn't coming back?” — 379 likes

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