The Dresden Files Reading Order?

[Matthew]

I would definitely read them in order as the story builds upon itself and you will miss things if you skip books. That being said, I found the first book a little slow and felt that things did not really get going till book 3 or 4.

[kvon]

As long as you don't start with Changes, you should be okay.

[Bonnie]

Jim Butcher is good at incorporating the necessary history into each book, so you should be okay. Having said that, I would strongly suggest you start from the beginning as it really does enhance the experience by getting to know each character and their relationships with each other. I personally loved the first one and all successive ones with the exception of Fool Moon (which I liked, just not loved).

[Skip]

I like to tell people to start with #4 Summer Knight, but #5 is fine

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Skip wrote: "I like to tell people to start with #4 Summer Knight, but #5 is fine"

Why?

[Adam]

Depends what your goal is for reading them. No one I have given book 1 to has not gone on to read the rest of the series. That said, there is a lot that is not completely made clear (the over arching plot) until book 4, however that argument could be made to start at book 12 (Changes). He drops hints and like Bonnie said does a great job referring back to small things you may have missed in the previous books.

[terpkristin]

Veronica wrote: "Skip wrote: "I like to tell people to start with #4 Summer Knight, but #5 is fine"

Why?"

Can't speak for Skip, but I've read others around here feel that he really hit his stride with #4, that #1-3 were clunky and potential turn-offs, at least comparatively. I've never read any but the first one (not for lack of interest, for lack of time!), but this discussion came up a little bit in the Kindle thread and in a dedicated thread that came up when the first 7 books were a daily deal.

[Michele]

The first 3 are mostly "detective solves a case" with the supernatural mixed in, slowly introducing the world and some of it's players, giving you bits of backstory and hints of something else. Harry starts out on the fringes.

Eventually, things get more and more complicated until it's all about the supernatural world and pretty much abandons the official cases, though Harry has to do some detective type stuff always.

So the first books are meaningful for learning about Harry and his world, but you can probably jump in and play catch-up later, if the 5th book is all you have access to.

[Darren]

I think you can start anywhere in the series and just keep reading subsequent novels, but if you want to read the entire series, then you should really start at the beginning. Butcher's idea of character development came from Dungeons & Dragons: as the series goes on, Harry's personality is constant, but he levels up with each book, and gets exponentially more powerful. If you read the middle books first and then go back to Storm Front, you'll be wondering why Harry doesn't just smash some of the early villains he faces.

[Skip]

Veronica wrote: "Skip wrote: "I like to tell people to start with #4 Summer Knight, but #5 is fine"

Why?"

Mostly because I think it is a better written book than the first three, and it serves as a solid starting place for the series. If you like Summer Knight (even just the first chapter) you will like the rest of the series, and I'm not sure the same is necessarily true of the first three. I don't recommend skipping the first three books, but I don't think you are harmed by starting with #4 and then going back to 1-3 if you liked it.

If you can get your hands on them, try the audio books. James Marsters reads the books and does a perfect sounding Harry.

[Daran]

We're saying read up to book 4 before deciding to continue. That's when it really picks up. If you don't read books 1-3 you're going to wonder why some characters seem to know characters you've never heard of.

If you can deal with that, go ahead and start with book 5. It's good. There are two Dresden wikis you can use if you get confused about something.

[Skip]

Right, and of course book 6 has the best literary device ever devised, (view spoiler)[ Chekov's T-Rex - (view spoiler)[where if you show necromancers and a T-Rex in act 1, by act 3 someone will be riding a zombie T-Rex. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

I tiered the spoilers in there for those worried, the joke is only slightly spoilery, the second is much more so.

[Bonnie]

Skip wrote: "Right, and of course book 6 has the best literary device ever devised, [spoilers removed]

I tiered the spoilers in there for those worried, the joke is only slightly spoilery, the second is much m..."

LMAO

[Daran]

Skip wrote: "Right, and of course book 6 has the best literary device ever devised, [spoilers removed]

I tiered the spoilers in there for those worried, the joke is only slightly spoilery, the second is much m..."

I honestly can't agree with you more. Don't skip books 6. I know that I'm not in the majority, but that is by far my favorite of the series. And not only for the reason mentioned.

[Jeremy]

I find it impossible to start a series anywhere but the very beginning. It would drive me nuts to do anything but that. I also didn't think the first few books were bad. Weakest in the series sure but still fun and quick reads.

[Skip]

I'm the same way. It's just that if people are going to give the series one shot, I'm going to recommend they read #4. But I wouldn't dissuade people from starting with the first book if that's the way they want to start, I liked it enough to stay with the series after all.

[Dracul]

I'd recommend to start with #3 if not at the beginning because it sets up the first big arc untill changes and intodruces most players. Plus Harry isnt in a good place at the start of #4... maybe reading the first chapter of #4 then the whole #3 as and Ghul, Goblin as Flashbacks and then carrie on with #4 ;)

[Micah]

-Related Thread Hijack Start-

I just started reading this series this summer. Currently about 1/2 way through book 4. Could I watch the single season show from a few years ago and not spoil anything in the books?

[Daran]

Micah wrote: "-Related Thread Hijack Start-

I just started reading this series this summer. Currently about 1/2 way through book 4. Could I watch the single season show from a few years ago and not spoil anythi..."

easily. The TV series and books share a few character names, and very little else.

[Daran]

I like the show for what it is. Paul Blackthorne, who plays Dresden, is one of my favorite actors. It was hard watching him be an almost-Dresden during the series, but his acting was not the problem. He's been a great police detective on Arrow.

Honestly, the books and show are so different, I wonder why SciFi bought the rights. It was before Dresden got the huge fan base it has now. Sci Fi could have just produced a generic show about a wizard solving crimes.

[Michele]

I enjoyed the show pretty much, especially Paul Blackthorn as Dresden and the guy who played Bob the Skull, Murphy not so much. It is different in many ways from the books and stuck to the detective procedural style, 1 crime solved per episode.

I found it entertaining, if not a great translation of book to screen.

[Daran]

On the show, Murphey and Susan got combined into one character. btw, that never seems to work out in an adaptation. It might as well be a sign post saying you're going in the wrong direction.

[Micah]

Thanks for the heads up guys. I think it will be my new treadmill show once the weather decides to actually turn into a Texas summer.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

I watched the show before I'd ever heard of the books, and I remember it fondly as being entertaining crap, the sort of thing you watch and enjoy, but don't rave about when you are done. I loved Bob, but I can't really remember much about the rest of the show.

I definitely wouldn't watch it expecting to see the books. I read them long after the show fell into fuzzy recollection, and I can still tell they don't share much beyond the basics, and maybe some of the sarcastic feel the books have. Expect something different, not as anywhere near as good, but still entertaining, and it's still worth a watch though, I reckon.