Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Jan 17, 2011 Paul Perry rated it liked it

Shelves: crime, fantasy, detective, fiction, pulp, paranormal, read-in-2011, male-author

I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this, but thought i'd give it a try. I confess I'm a bit averse to the whole urban fantasy thing at the moment. Even where it isn't the dreaded 'dark romance' *shudder*, mainstream urban fantasy – as opposed to the Good Stuff like Charles de Lint, Jonathan Carroll, early Christopher Fowler – generally leaves me cold in its ubiquity and lack of originality. Yes, I know there's a whole girl-power vibe going on with a lot of it – the Kelley Armstrongs and I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy this, but thought i'd give it a try. I confess I'm a bit averse to the whole urban fantasy thing at the moment. Even where it isn't the dreaded 'dark romance' *shudder*, mainstream urban fantasy – as opposed to the Good Stuff like Charles de Lint, Jonathan Carroll, early Christopher Fowler – generally leaves me cold in its ubiquity and lack of originality. Yes, I know there's a whole girl-power vibe going on with a lot of it – the Kelley Armstrongs and Laurell Hamiltons – but this seems to have already been hijacked by the money making machine spotting a new segment of consumer and a lot of the female oriented urban fantasy seems to cater toward the erotica/S&M taste (which is fine if that's your thing) or the truly offensive willing victimhood of Twilight (which IS NOT ALL RIGHT).

Anyway, that's really nothing to do with Harry Dresden books, but a more general stain that contaminates, rightly or wrongly, my view of the genre. Another mental barrier I had was that I'd sat through a few episodes of the TV series, hoping it would stop being utterly banal. But you can't blame the shortcomings of a screen adaptation on the source material, as Johnny Mnemonic testifies among many others.

So, cut to the actual review. Modern day Chicago. Harry Dresden is wizard for hire; an honest to god wielder of magic who uses his talent and training as a private investigator, his speciality finding lost things. The writing flows nicely, a first person voice in the style of your classic PI novel. The set up is classic Philip Marlow; attractive woman turns up wanting Dresden to find her missing husband. Dresden is also on retainer Chicago PD, and gets a call to look into a gruesome double murder that could only have been committed by powerful magic. One of the victims works for a local mob boss, and on the way back to meet his client Dresden gets a warning to leave the case alone. Could all the threads be connected?

The writing flows well and the narrative voice is nicely laconic (I listened to the audiobook, and James Marsters does a excellent job, truly inhabiting the role in a way too few readers manage). Dresden is not a tough guy private dick in the Philip Marlowe / continental op mould; he is quite insular and self-dependent, as a good PI should be. The shadows in his past aren't the broken marriage and heavy drinking of most detectives, but centre around his magic. It is this that makes him a loner (or this is the excuse he gives, at any rate) and the shadow is that when he was young he used his magic to kill someone. Even though this was in self-defence, it means that he is being watched by the Council, a body of elders that governs the use of magic in the world, and there are some who believe he is a danger.

The world set up was one of the things that didn't quite work for me; sometimes the setting seemed to be our world, with magic existing alongside the mundane (a rare, hidden talent of which most people are unaware) but the differences jarred slightly. Dresden says he got annoyed with explaining to people that he was an actual wizard and didn't pull rabbits out of hats or perform at children's parties (I did like the humour, by the way), but the new street drug is one that gives mundanes the illusion of second sight and magical awareness; when magic gets flung around in public people flee in terror, but there are less consequences than in the aftermath of a gunfight. It seemed to me that Butcher was undecided, or possibly unclear in his own head, whether the magical world is hidden from the mundane or integrated into it – although this is the first book and perhaps the world will become more defined as the series continues.

Storm Front was a light, fun read, with decent writing and some nice, low key jokes. There were aspects of the story that could have been stronger – Butcher could easily have made more of the wider effects of the street drug which is part of the plot, and I think he needs to make more of a decision about how gritty or light the series is – but I'm definitely intrigued enough to continue with the series. ...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Lauren rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic-and-witchcraft, audiobooks, urban-fantasy, paranormal-mystery

Storm Front
3.5 Stars

James Master's narration is good overall although his female voices are only so-so (I understand that this is an issue for male narrators in general). He also does this funny thing with his breathing so he sounds like he's sighing a lot - you get used to it though.

There is a great deal of world building, which makes the pacing a little slow. Nevertheless, the workings of magic are well-defined and detailed, if somewhat lacking in originality (think Harry Potter as a thirty s ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Angela rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Storm Front is book one in The Dresden Files, Urban Fantasy series, by Jim Butcher. I loved this book. The love the main character, the writing style, the quick paced and descriptive story. This is a new author for me and a quick favourite to my list of greats. Jim Butcher in my top five best authors. If you like fantasy or urban fantasy, than you'll love this story. ...more

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Apr 15, 2015 SharlzG rated it really liked it · review of another edition

To be completely honest, I want sure that I'd like this book - I read it because a few different people told me I should...and I'm not complaining. This was a surprising read. It was not nearly as dark as I expected. I liked the light hatted humorous moments interwoven during the drama. I really liked the faux narrated style so that it feels like you're sitting by they fire Dresden's apartment as he's recounting his crazy adventures to you. And what of Harry? To me he's the wizard version of Han ...more

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