Book Review: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

I made a comment after finishing the book that The Rithmatist is what happens when Brandon:

- Read Harry Potter
- Read The Name of the Wind
- Played a bunch of Starcraft 2
- Attended a college geometry class
- Had some fever dream, and thus The Rithmatist was born

If any of those things sound appealing to you, you might as well give the book a shot, because it's a pretty good one.

The premise is simple: there's a world that I'm pretty sure is Steampunk (it is only mentioned once, and it's that steampunk horse on the cover. No, it doesn't have anything to do with the main plotline, but I guess steampunk is "in" these days so you have to put it on the cover) but the real magic lies in chalk drawings. Rithmatists, which is "Arithmatists" but without the "A," can use chalk lines formed into specific geometric patterns to create magical, living...things. Lines can become walls or attack arrows. Drawn creatures can be minions that can attack or defend. In most cases, this magic is used for either duels (hence the Starcraft II comparison) where they build their own defenses (read: bases) and attack each other with lines or minions, or is used to hold back the wave of what is basically "rogue chalk minions" on some island to stop them from taking over the world. Actually, that second one is pretty important, because it's what all Rithmatists are training to do with their lives: serve on the front lines and then retire.

Our main hero is not a Rithmatist, but he attends a high-brow school where the Rithmatists are trained alongside normal students. The guy really wants to be a Rithmatist though, so much you'd say he's obsessed. He really wants to train with a Rithmatist teacher and, because this is a YA novel, he eventually does. But behold and lo, dear reader, for mystery is afoot! Somebody is offing the Rithmatist students in weird ways, and it's up to our hero, his inept love interest slash enemy slash friend slash girl bad at magic, and a washed-up professor to crack the case! Sound like Harry Potter, just a little? Yes? No? Well, it kind of is. Just a little.

To be honest, this book has a surprising lack of action considering it's a Brandon Sanderson novel, and I'm fine with that. I consider The Emperor's Soul to be his best work ever, and even in that novella the fight scene seemed tacked on. It's fun to follow the rag-tag group of mystery solvers as they try to crack the case and discover more about Rithromancy? Rithmamancy? Rithmatism? Whatever.

Speaking of things that are "un-Brandon Sanderson-like," this book is short. While I did feel the arch concluded in the right timeframe for the novel, I wished the whole thing had gone on a bit longer. Oh well, it leaves on a scene that exists just to bait a sequel (this is more Brandon Sanderson-esque), so you'll get the rest of the story in the second novel. And third one, if he goes that far.

My other major beef with the novel is the ending "twist," and not the first one about the killer but that other one. I won't say anything for spoilers, but it's absurdly lame and almost predictable, and exists only to push a second novel. It also sort of destroys any sense of closure that the book had been building up to, which makes a lot of it feel like a waste. I understand the need to get people excited for a second book, but I was already excited before this scene popped in and made me angry. Also, the final "battle" is anticlimactic compared to the one that happens literally one chapter before it, and seems tacked on to the end just to show how all the characters have grown and can work together now. Yawn.

Complaints aside, The Rithmatist is a solid Sanderson novel, and has everything that fans of his books want: cool magic, fun characters, a splash of humor, and plenty o' plot twists. If you like the guy's work you've probably already read it, but if you're on the fence I'd say take the plunge! It's a fun, fast read and is entertaining from cover to cover. Just...sort of turn your brain off for the ending.

Four out of five stars. 

Book Review: Strangers by Michaelbrent Collings

(Currently available On Kindle for $3.99)

Home invasion stories in the horror genre work because home is where we feel like we are safe. We have to, or else we wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Home, with those we love and care about, is a bastion from the dangers of the world, a sanctuary against the hustle and bustle of outside and where we feel confident we can help and protect one another.

So taking that and tossing it on its head is always an effective method to provide scares, even if it's a common trope.

Michaelbrent Collings has, by my count, nearly covered every single horror situation by this point, minus maybe the "creepy dark haired Japanese girl" one. From foggy towns to haunted houses, insane parents to vicious fairies and vampires, to ghosts and demons and now home invasions, he's got all his bases covered. But that's a good thing, because even if the premise is something familiar, Michaelbrent does an excellent job in all his novels of taking a tried-and-true horror concept and making it his own. And Strangers is no exception.

Were I to elevator pitch the novel, it would be "The Strangers" meets "Saw." A family, innocent on the outside but harboring deep dark secrets on the inside, is trapped inside their home as an unknown assailant wrecks havoc on them. Anything else would be potential spoilers, just know that the secrets the harbor are dark, and lead to horrific consequences. While the underlying "goal" of the main villain might be predictable, there are still plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep you gripping the novel, including a rather large double (and then triple) twist at the end that felt perfect for this type of horror novel.

The pacing is, as usual, phenomenal. Once you get into the "meat and potatoes" of the book, Michaelbrent has his metaphorical hooks in you, and it's hard to quit before its over. I've always seen that a sign of an excellent writer if he can keep me gripped to my kindle all the way to the end, ignoring dishes, chores, or even sleep because I "have to know what happens next." Strangers accomplishes this, and in spaces, with one minor exception: the beginning. While the prologue chapter is a ghastly scene that does well in setting up the nightmare to come, there is a lot of idle time spent before the monster actually appears. That and the final portions of the novel do seem to drag a little (this is a long horror book), but if you persevere through the slow start the novel is absolutely worth it.

I made a comment in my review of Darkbound that the gore escalation in Michaelbrent's novels is a bit off putting, and I'm pleased to say that Strangers doesn't fall in the same trap. While there are several grotesque and graphic scenes, most are done in a way that they're actually scary rather than just desensitizing, with most of the horror in the book delightfully gore-free. I think Michaelbrent found the balance between Rising Fears and Darkbound, which makes this an appealing book for those who like both psychological and gore-scares.

Strangers is a great spin on the home invasion novel. While nothing is particularly novel in and of itself, the book is absolutely gripping, the horror and tension real, and the ending twists loads of scary fun. If you're looking for a fast-paced read for that dark evening at home, you couldn't do much better. Just be sure to lock the windows and doors before you do (but honestly...it won't help!).

Four out of five stars. 

Darkbound Review

Note: This is a review of an ARC provided by the author
Buy the novel here.

The Short
Pros
- Excellent starting setup
- Briskly paced and thrilling
- Some extremely intense suspense, particularly the first 1/2 of the novel
- I would argue this is one of Collings' best paced novels
- Ending twist is one you won't predict, but still is fantastic
- Short length makes for a quick, memorable read

Cons
- Way too much gore
- Seriously, it's almost gleeful it its grotesque violence, like the author was reveling in it
- Pacing and reveals near the end come a little too quickly and without enough foreshadowing
- Fantastic premise seems cheated out its full potential in leu of cheap thrills
- Epilogue is so predictable I knew what it was going to say before even reading it

The Long

There's no hiding that I'm a fan of Michaelbrent Collings' work. He's made a name for himself by consistently producing well edited, well paced thrillers that dip more than a toe into horror. Whenever I get one of his novels I know I need to stake out some time, because I'm not going to put it down until I finish it. So I was quite excited when this next novel, Darkbound, jumped onto the scene. Another horror novel in true Michalbrent Collings fashion? Yes, please.

So did Darkbound deliver? Well...sort of.

The premise is simple: six relative strangers get on a subway car together. Within moments, however, they realize something is wrong. The lights go out, only darkness can be seen out the windows, and they are seemingly trapped like fish in a barrel. Seeing as they range from kindly (an old latino grandmother) and downright hostile (a gang leader), tensions quickly escalate to levels near-murderous.

And that's before the supernatural killings begin.

The first part of Darkbound is excellent. It's incredibly suspenseful, with the personalities of these downright intimidating characters playing off each other in such a way you feel like you're sitting on a powder keg. These interactions remain the most entertaining parts of the novel, with the despicable and hostile characters constantly feeling like even a greater danger than the supernatural monstrosities hunting them.

It's unfortunate, then, that the novel seems to lose focus after the first killing.

I won't spoil anything here, but I will say this: Darkbound is gory. As in, stomach-churning, paragraph after paragraph of violent, horrific torture. Fingers being torn from sockets, dismemberment, pieces being painfully bent in unpleasant ways; you get the picture. And as someone who has been reading Michaelbrent's work for a while (as well as a child of the violent video game generation and a massive fan of horror films), this isn't unexpected. It's just...too much. Even for me.

Call me a wimp, but I like my gore to accent a story. Apparition, another of Michaelbrent's novels, has some downright nasty stuff in it, but it's tolerable because it's 1. Brief and 2. There as part of the story. The violence in Darkbound just feels mean-spirited. Did I really need three Kindle pages of this person being brutally tortured and executed? And while you could argue that (after reading the ending) this blood-filled horror was the point of the novel, it's still sickening. It's almost like it's reveling in itself as it goes on and on, so much so that I started just skimming the later deaths as I knew they wouldn't be adding much to the overarching story.

So how is the overarching story? Well, it's actually fairly clever. One part "Purgatory" and another "Saw," there's some genuinely disturbing and clever moments with what happens to these six unfortunate blighters (Olik's in particular was very suiting, if it perhaps could have been presented more tastefully). Call me demented, but I began to look forward to see what each person's demise would be. Unfortunately the cleverness in the kills was hampered by the copious flesh-rending.

The ending packs a twist I will openly admit I didn't see coming, and I actually thought was pretty cool. Though it could have done without the whole "recap," basically explaining the entire rest of the novel for those of us too dumb to pick up on subtlety. While I'll argue the final two scenes could have used a bit more foreshadowing, I still bought the massive twist. So if you're looking for a novel that'll catch you by surprise, this one's got you covered.

It's hard for me to come to a consensus on Darkbound. One part of me admits that I did read the whole novel in one sitting, unable to put it down until I found out how it ended. The other part remembers how my favorite (and most memorable) horror novels don't rely on being gory splatterfests to evoke "shock," instead building on the tension presented in the scenes. Darkbound has the latter in spades when the trapped victims "interact," but the second somebody died I sort of sighed and was left resigned. It wasn't scary, it was just cheap.

All that aside, Darkbound is deliciously paced, and still provides enough tension and shock (as well as that great twist) to be worth a read. I'm just hoping this "gore-horror" trend doesn't continue into future novels, as they tarnish otherwise excellent reads.

Three out of five stars.

Review: Apparition by Michaelbrent Collings

There is nothing I personally fear more than losing myself. Losing control of my emotions and making a mistake, failing to maintain dominance over my most basic of functions and becoming manipulated by some other, sinister force. I believe this is why the concept of possession is so chilling to many people: you lose what makes you YOU, so you still have to witness the awful consequences of your actions.

Apparition by Michaelbrent Collings is about parents killing their children. I'm not going to mince words here, this book deals with filicide. If that sort of thing bothers you even in the very slightest, you should probably avoid this book, because it will get in your head and royally mess you up. However, if you are the kind of person who loves books that get into your head and royally mess you up, then I really have a novel suggestion for you!

To put it into context: this book starts with a graphic description of filicide. Not so much that I'd consider it distasteful, but absolutely horrific enough to make me squirm uncomfortably. Which, considering I got this book to be scared, I'll write that down as a bullet point for the positive.

The story follows Shane and his two children, who are seeking answers in regards to why parents suddenly snap and murder their children. All the while dark things being creeping into their lives, influencing Shane and putting some rather awful thoughts into his head. Without spoiling much, I'll just say that as Shane gets closer and closer to finding the truth, he falls deeper and deeper into the abyss of madness.

Michaelbrent Collings is a master of building suspense, providing lulls that are still unnerving and then hitting you with big scares. I felt he did this near-perfectly in Rising Fears, while The Haunting had sections that felt a little long for me. In Apparition his pacing is at its finest: starting with a horrific, jolting scene to set the mood, and balancing the brief breathers with the heart-stopping horror. I literally read until three in the morning until I was so tired I passed out with Kindle in hand, and when I returned to the book I didn't stop until I had completely finished it.

While I'd argue this is my favorite of Michaelbrent's books I've read so far, I had two issues with it. The first is I never really had a grasp on Matthew's age, which kept throwing me off. He seemed particularly young considering how he talked (and was talked to) at the beginning, but then he'd observe things in his viewpoint that seemed way too old for his thought processes. A minor nitpick (especially since the teenage daughter was done so well), but enough to throw me off.

The other is the issue that horror masters have been battling since the genre began: that not seeing a monster is far more scary than when you actually reveal it. While I think Apparition did very well by concealing the true identity of the monster until the very end, once the reveal happened it was, as one expects, far less scary than anything I was speculating. A few of the final scenes even came off as a bit corny. This didn't detract from the absolutely bananas climax that Apparition has (not to mention the fantastic, fantastic epilogue that capstones this horror novel perfectly) but I often wonder if a horror book would work where we never actually see the big bad and only witness it's influence and awful aftermath. But that's not a question for this review.

Long story short, Apparition provides exactly as advertised: raw, unflinching horror speckled with gore and a healthy dose of "that's just wrong!" If you have any affinity for the horror genre whatsoever, I high suggest picking up this and all the rest of Michaelbrent Collings' works. Just be warned: this book was the first book I've ever read to give me nightmares, so maybe you should read it with all the lights on.

Four out of five stars. 

Book Review on Amazon: Genesis Earth by Joe Vasicek

Buy it here.

Joe's Blog

Amazon Review - Four out of Five Stars

The first thing I'd like to point out is I'm not an avid reader of the sci-fi genre. I love the genre in different forms of media, specifically movies and video games, but when it comes to READING sci-fi it usually isn't my first choice. So when I gave Genesis Earth a go I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing and interesting it was, even from the first page. Vasicek has created a world that readers will find both technologically sound and incredibly interesting. 

The second point is how extremely well editing the novel is in terms of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and general layout. Having read a handful of indie published Kindle books, a rather unfortunate stigma of the market is that most books have frequent grammar, spelling, and formatting issue. It is clear Vasicek spent a good deal of time perfecting this novel before putting it out on Kindle, which is a boon in and of itself. 

The basic concept of the book is that our main hero Michael has lived his whole life in a space station, in the shadow of his super-scientist father. When mankind opens an artificial wormhole and finds what appears to be an inhabitable planet on the other side, Michael accepts the task of going through with the only other crewmember, Terra, to discover the planet and basically see what's up. 

The initial chemistry (or lack thereof; they bicker frequently) between Michael and Terra is extremely amusing, especially with Michael basically looking for symptoms of mental illness in the girl. That was probably the funnest part of the book, watching Michael and Terra play off each other as their completely different personalities clashed frequently. 

Once they arrive on the other side of the wormhole, things go from "interesting" to "weird" to "wait what?" There are several rather startling reveals throughout the book that kept me reading just to see what Vasicek would throw at me next. 

I only have two complaints with Genesis Earth. First, the eventual chemistry (read: romance) between Terra and Michael seems phoned in. While I can understand they are the only two people alone on this starship and there was pretty much no way at all the book would NOT hook them up, the situations that lead to their eventual romantic interest don't seem to merit the sudden rush of fondness they feel for each other. 

My second complaint was that the viewpoint character, while extremely technologically competent (which I am thankful for; I know nothing about sci-fi) came off as dry in several parts. I can understand it being his personality, but frankly his dead-panning of certain climactic scenes sort of took the wind out of the book's sails. I think it would be AWESOME to read this book from Terra's viewpoint, as she is both unstable and incredibly interesting. 

Overall, if you are an avid indie reader, you really should pick this book up. It's a rather bright beacon of quality amongst a dark expanse of mediocrity. Even if you don't like sci-fi it should certainly be worth investigating, as the story is riveting and characters captivating. 

Also, I kept humming "The Final Countdown" by Europe every time their spaceships were flying around. Is that weird? Whatever.


Director's Cut!

Here are some random thoughts about the book that I didn't put in the review because they were stupid ideas.

- I kept waiting for one of the characters to turn into this crazy, psycho murderer that stalked the starship like on Sunshine. Then I realized there were only two characters so that made no sense.

- I also kept waiting for a Planet of the Apes moment where they land on the planet and are like, "THE STATUE OF LIBERTY!" Thankfully, that didn't happen either.

- I wasn't lying about the Final Countdown thing. Here, now YOU can listen to it.



- I've always been curious about faster then light travel, but no sci-fi games or movies really take into account the fact that if you travel that fast EVERYBODY ELSE GETS REALLY OLD. I liked how this book mentions that frequently.

- When you find out exactly where/when they are after going through the wormhole...it's pretty dang epic. Just saying, I didn't see that twist coming.

- I'm in Space. SPPPAAACCEE!!!

(stop at 3:30 unless you want to spoil Portal 2's ending)

Book Review on Amazon: Rising Fears by Michaelbrent Collings

(note: this is a copy of a review I posted on Amazon. You can read that review here. Four *s out of Five *s.)

Blurb Review:
Rising Fears makes for a suspenseful, breakneck evening read.


Full Review:


I'll openly admit: I am burned out of the thriller genre. I discovered it shortly after going to college, and after devouring every James Patterson book I could get my hands on (as well as many other from similarly-minded authors), I grew bored with the genre. There's only so many narrow escapes, near-death experiences, and ambiguous chapter breaks that one can take.

Rising Fears, however, grabbed me and hooked me right back in. This is probably due to Collings' masterful blend of supernatural horror with the pacing of a thriller novel, which made old ideas seem fresh and kept me reading until the end.

The town of Rising (get it? "Rising" Fears? Ha!) seems to be an idealistic place...until all hell breaks loose. The story follows James, an ex-LAPD who is having problems coping with the past deaths of his wife and child. As grisly murders and weirder and weirder circumstances begin plaguing the town, it's up to James to figure out what is going on...before he is the next victim.

The book is fast and keeps the tension up. It almost reads like a screenplay from time to time, which both helps and hinders it (depending on the situation). Good use of classic horror trickery such as the reappearing of a creepy object (in this case, a black crayon), haunting nightmares, and more keep everything fresh and deliciously creepy. It'll be hard to put the book down when you hit the second half.

My only complaint was it took me a while until I was completely hooked. The book starts with a bang, but because of its breakneck pace we hardly get to see "deeper" in the characters until near the ending of the book. This is a problem with the genre, not this book in particular, but the point still stands. Because of this disconnect it took me a while until I was fully engrossed, but when I was...boy, couldn't put it down. The ending is also a fantastic conclusion, that more than delivers on the promises made throughout the novel.

If you enjoy thrillers (or don't, but like a good read) then Rising Fears is certainly a book to check out. It's relatively short (I think I read it in about three hours), but considering you'll want to read it all at once that's a good thing. Pop this on your kindle, turn down the lights, and creep yourself out for an evening. You won't regret it.

BEC'S BLURB BOOK REVIEWS - The Candidates by Inara Scott

(Note: Bec's blurb reviews are book reviews done by my wife, Rebecca. She reads about 1000x faster than me, so she gets through a lot of books before I can even finish one. She's going to provide brief reviews of these books, which I will post for your reading pleasure! Here is the first one!)

The Candidates
By Inara Scott

The Candidates by Inara Scott is essentially X-Men meets Harry Potter (author's description, not mine).  How could you go wrong?  Danica, the protagonist, has one main goal in life: to blend in so well that everyone knows who she is but nobody knows anything about her.  So no friends: that way it is easier for her to hide the fact that when she sees someone she cares about in a dangerous situation, sometimes things just happen... and there are too many coincidences for it to be anything but her own doing.  That all changes when she gets the chance of a lifetime: a full ride scholarship to the ritzy private school on the outskirts of town.  Suddenly she fits in... mostly.  But not all is as it seems at this too-good-to-be-true school, and it's not just the creepy gates that lock you in and the crazy strict rules.

This book seems to me to be very much character driven, and I must admit, I found Danica to be a very sympathetic, likable protagonist.  She isn't perfect, but in ways that seem natural instead of forced, and it's interesting to watch her blossom in her new environment.  As far as secondary characters go, Cam feels a little flat to me until the last few chapters when we finally get to see more of him than the shiny perfect front; I'm hoping that in future books we get a more in depth look at his character.  (I also hope Danica learns how to think coherently when she's around him.)  Jack was a little more interesting, but I wanted more screen time for him to really get to know more about him... Again, if I get it in the sequels that works; right now the lack of information we have on him lends an air of mystery to him (but not so much mystery that you are going crazy).

Really my only issue I had with this book is the whole romance aspect.  I have found very few books in which I actually like a love triangle; they usually drive me nuts.  As love triangles go, this one isn't awful - I mean, at least some of her decisions/actions make sense in the end - but it was still my least favorite part of the book.  If you like love triangles you'll likely disagree with me, as is your prerogative.  I'm not going to say too much more (I don't want to spoil anything) but I think a having a little more character development among the secondary characters earlier on in the book would have made me more pleased with the ending.

Overall this was a fast, interesting read.  Nothing objectionable as far as content goes; it will likely be enjoyable for anyone 10+ (including adults).

(Nathan's Note: I actually met this author at World Fantasy and had a wonderful discussion with her about first-time books [this is her debut novel] as well as her experiences at fantasy conventions. She is a very nice person and we got the book for free, so you should check it out!)

BOOK REVIEW - Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

By Larry Correia

Blurb Review

While it promotes itself as a B-movie action flick, Monster Hunter International manages to be both silly and serious, combining fantastic action and laugh-out-loud jokes with fun characters you’ll care about.

Long Review

Despite me thinking Larry is totally the man, I was worried about whether or not I would enjoy MHI. It wasn’t for lack of writing (in fact, MHI has probably one of the best opening paragraphs of any book ever) or even for lack of an idea (people hunting monsters like vampires and werewolves in a modern setting. Dresden?), but because of its own advertisement. Frequently touted as a “B-movie in book form,” MHI convinced me it was going to be a “popcorn” novel, one high on fluff and just fast adventure but lacking anything that would stick or prove substantial. And, while I love corny movies to death, they don’t require the same kind of investment as books. If I’m going to make an investment of several hours of my life, I want to know that the payoff is worth it.

            Well, MHI managed to convince me otherwise from its off-putting advertising. The book is indeed packed with copious, gratuitous, and bodacious amounts of action, killing, and just general bad-assery. However, underlying it all is a surprisingly solid story, packed with characters I actually cared about and was curious to see how they would survive their next near-death experience.

            Owen starts the book by killing a werewolf with little more than a pistol and his bare hands. Shortly after he is recruited by the titular Monster Hunter International, a group that kills monsters and is paid a bounty by the government for each kill. Sounds like a dream job, right? Especially if you are a gun-nut and are a huge brawler?

            Well, things quickly spiral out of hand. Without spoiling anything, Owen (our viewpoint) finds himself wrapped in a centuries-old plot that would involve not just the destruction of the world, but of time itself. These baddies aren’t messing around. They go big or they go home.

            The overarching plot provides a solid backdrop for a rather entertaining band of characters. While they do stray a bit into cliché or two-dimensional from time to time (and it seems everybody has some deep dark secret that is only revealed in a time of crisis), the dialogue and personalities of the characters are so well realized I easily forgave any faults I lobbied. Plus, as stated before, this is a B-movie (er…book). Clichéd characters fit in here perfectly alongside the insane action, cheesy one-liners, and a world where the guy always gets the girl. Even when she (of course) has a total jerk for a boyfriend who hates you. Cliché, remember?

            But it works, and it works so well.

            I first found the viewpoint character to be a bit annoying. He seemed like Dresden but less witty (and without magic), and he bugged me. However, given time I realized that he wasn’t Dresden; while he still jokes a lot he is a much different character. I was sold to Owen by probably the first third of the book, and everything after that was just golden. His jokes are corny and he is fully aware of it (as are the other characters, who pick on him from time to time for it). He likes to cuss out monsters before blasting them to pieces. It works.

            As for the action, oh boy, if you like books about awesome men and women with guns blasting monsters, you have plenty to love in MHI. While the book starts fast (and then hits a slight lull, probably the only part in the book where I put it down), it only gets faster once they start going on missions. After the first mission, the action starts and doesn’t slow down. Owen also gets the ever-living crap kicked out of him (also like Dresden) and still gets up and fights. It’s fantastic.

            Overall, I was a skeptic, but now I really want to recommend this book to everybody who has ever enjoyed urban fantasy. It’s extremely fast, funny, violent, and leaves you wanting the sequel (which I just picked up at World Fantasy, Monster Hunter Vendetta). Larry has certainly found a niche, and one that hasn’t been filled by any books in recent years.

            So, if you are looking for a corny, killer, gun-filled, monster-blasting, girl-getting, evil-smashing, hardcore action novel, look no further. And then, go grab the sequel. You won’t regret it.

BOOK REVIEW - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

By Suzanne Collins (Official Page)



Blurb Review


While the previous two books were exceptionally strong, Mockingjay fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to Katness' world, war, or love triangle. More a critique of war rather than a third book in a trilogy, Mockingjay will undoubtedly fail to satisfy fans of the first two (excellent) books.

Full Review

*Might have very minor spoilers.*

It's hard to write a review of this book, because no matter what you say you'll find a bunch of people who agree with you, and a bunch that don't. Specifically, I've seen that people are divided into three group.

1. The people who say they like the book because it was just another Hunger Games book. They don't really back up their reasons except that it was the conclusion to two fantastic previous novels. Usually these are the kind of people that just read what is popular (ie Twilight, etc.) and are probably afraid to trash-talk the book because their writing group will hate them. There are lots of these people on Amazon.

2. The next step, where you have people who hate the book. They have a variety of reasons, most of them because the main character is just a pawn in a wargame, effectively destroying all character development she had in the past two books. They also tend to dislike the rather forced and boring ending. They often have lots of very valid reasons and are usually very smart (unlike group #1. Group #1 is sheep, in my completely unbiased opinion).

3. Then you have the people who like to argue for the sake of arguing. Often these are people from #1 who have taken a few English or Philosophy courses, and felt they are the expert on this. These people point out the book is perfect, because it shows how war is such a terrible, pointless thing, and Katness being just a boring pawn throughout the book is an example of the life of a soldier. She's a kid in an adult's world, and she is treated like one. They also like to point out how stupid #2 is, for not getting the "deeper meaning" of the book.

I firmly plant myself in #2.5. I didn't like the book, but the reason I didn't like the book was because it was a terrible book. If it had been written by itself, I probably would have thought it was at least half-way decent.

No, the reason I really didn't enjoy Mockingjay was the fact that it was the third book in a series, a series that had strong characters, character development, clear conflict, and even an interesting love triangle. The problem is that, while Mockingjay resolves a lot of these issues, it is resolved in the most passive, bland way, with most of the major leering choices Katness has been facing happened to her, not by her.

This problem permeates the entire book. It starts by basically infodumping what was one of the biggest mysteries fans were anticipating: what was in District 13. Collins hinted at this a bit in Hunger Games, frequently in Catching Fire, and then starts Mockingjay with Kat on a hovercraft to District 13, explaining exactly what sort of rebellion was there and how they operate. On the way there Kat (obviously) thinks about it in a way that one only would if she was explaining it in great detail to a reader, basically allowing Collins to destroy whatever anticipation fans had about this reveal.

It doesn't set a good stage, but it only gets worse from there.

Kat quickly falls into the category of "passive protagonist." Ask any author, and they'll tell you this is a common mistake among new authors, to have a protagonist on the sidelines throughout an entire book. This is exactly what happens to Kat. Minus a few scenes where she pushes a few things through, Kat is shuffled throughout the book, making no choices of her own. One could argue the other books did this and they'd be correct, but the difference is in Mockingjay Kat doesn't seem to care she's being shoved around. In the previous books, she had an air of defiance around her, a desire to survive. Plus, she was trying to work their system throughout, manipulating it with Peeta as the pair of them tried to make sense of their dystopian world. She doesn't really seem to care much this time. She was wounded in the last book, and many of her friends were killed, and this fact seems to eat away at her so much she just slumps into a depressed mess anytime something hard comes up.

This isn't the Kat that was developed from the previous books. Someone get her some Prozac.

This issue permeates every facet of the novel, along with misconstrued logic about guilt and responsibility. When no-name characters die (off screen and even off book) because of indirect means that might have been related to Katness, she had a huge mental breakdown that encompasses all her throughts. But later, when *spoiler, but you knew this was going to happen* main characters die, including a rather key one *end spoiler*, Kat hardly even thinks about it. She just goes with what everyone tells her to do again, following the flow.

Again, one could argue this book is making a statement about war. But if that's what Collins want to do with this series, she really could have hinted at it better. Or maybe written a different book showing how dehumanizing war is. The first two books were dark and gritty but entertaining. We love watching people suffer and endure through, which is what these two books are. We don't like watching someone endure things begrudgingly, not wanting to follow orders but not resisting at all in either case. It's boring, and it wasn't what this series was about.

The whole concept of "stumbling through the third book" continues to the ending. Now, remember what I've said countless times: I love open endings. I even love endings that are bleak, that are dark, and that came at a cost I am not sure I was willing to make. The problem is, Mockingjay tries for this type of ending, but falls flat on its face. The ending segment, like the rest of the book, is Kat simply complying. Even who she eventually hooks up with (finally picking between Gale and Peeta) is based solely on who is there at the time. She continues through life with said person, even having kids, but never stating she loves him or cares about him; it's more like she did it because he was the only one available.

I addressed character development slightly, and how Katness has been growing up throughout the last few books, but in this one doesn't go anywhere. In fact, she digresses from a girl dealing with both being in the phase of life where she does "grow up," and being forced to be more of an adult due to her circumstances. However, in Mockingjay, she spends most of the book either lying in a hospital bed from some injury, or conforming unwillingly (though she doesn't put up much of a fight) to the wants of District 13. Where is the girl who was so headstrong, so rebellious, so determined? It was her determination that caused her to survive not one but two hunger games. Did it all just completely die? And don't give me the "all the horrible things that happened killed her motivation," because that's garbage. Terrible things happened in the first and second books, and the way her character grew and reacted indicated that she is the type of person to push back, harder. That was how she was developed. Maybe yes, in this situation, someone would fall back into depression, but there was no transition to this change. It just happened at the start of Mockingjay. This wasn't the Katness I knew and followed in the first two books, it was some new, passive person with her name.

I'd also like to point out a comment my wife made, and that was that the female characters in this book don't really feel like female characters. Kat is, throughout the series, an embodiment of traites usually associated with the "masculine" side of the gender spectrum. She's independent, goal-oriented, and rarely emotional. In Mockingjay it's almost as if Collins was like, "Oh crap, Kat's a girl and she doesn't act like one," and did a complete 180, making her the embodiment of the general novel stereotype of women: passive, compliant, and emotional. Note I'm not saying girls in real life are like this, but these are often traites in literature that tend to tie with each gender, specifically. Kat is ever extremely masculine or stereotypically feminine. I was fine with her being a tomboy, if it had been consistant. Since it wasn't, it just made Kat look like an experiment where Collins tried to figure out how to write a girl character in her last book and failed.

Perhaps the biggest crime this book commits is that it falls into routine. The previous two books have all had a very similar formula: Kat has to make a life-altering decision. She chooses to follow it, much to the dismay of everybody including herself. She gets prettied up by superficial bimbos and made a movie-star. She then gets thrown into a huge battleground, one that usually lasts the rest of the book, which will then end with a lot of main characters dying and a startling reveal. Mockingjay doesn't differentiate from this. The only difference between its system and the one of Hunger Games or Catching Fire is that in those two books the main battleground was the titular Hunger Games, while this one she is sent on a mission to...well, I'm avoiding spoilers, but basically she and a group of friends from across both books have to fight a bunch of people. ]

It's the same formula.

One could argue, "But Nathan you twit, you loved The Dresden Files. Aren't those books the same thing over and over?" Well, it is true that each Dresden books follows a similar pattern of plateau, climax, plateau, climax, plateau, huge climax. However, the formula isn't as ridged, and Butcher is smart enough to know to completely change the nature of the conflict in each novel. Sometimes it's earth-shattering. Sometimes it involves Dresden directly, other times it involves his friends or just a random person he met. It mixes it up, while adding large chunks to the overall, underlying plot, which makes the books both familiar and new at the same time. It's like watching a TV show, where you know that (because it's almost time for a commercial) a conflict will come. But we still enjoy it because 1. We know the formula and 2. We know the writer knows, so it will try to be unique and hook us every time. Mockingjay doesn't do this. I literally knew what was going to happen the minute Kat decided (minor spoiler) to become the Mockingjay, their war hero. Everything past that was just me re-reading the first two books in a new setting. Even the twists at the end were foreseeable (with maybe one or two minor exceptions), because you knew which characters were "safe" to die, and which were "untouchable." It was really unfortunate.

Overall? As stated, I didn't despise the book (despite my long comments above). The reason I nitpicked so much was because I loved the first two books to death. I made the dumb mistake both times of picking each book up at about 11:00 pm, and then couldn't stop until it was done at 3-4am. Mockingjay wasn't like this at all; I spent most of the time trying to force myself to keep reading it, mostly because I knew my wife wanted to. I had this same issue with the seventh Harry Potter book; in an attempt to create a conclusion that tied up all the ends, the book lost its purpose and became exceptionally dull.

If you are a Hunger Games fan, you actually might be best off skipping this one. Just make up your own ending, pick who you want Katness hooking up with and roll with it. If you must read it...well, I don't know what advice to give. The cover is pretty, and amazon took forever to ship it to me.

I still recommend this trilogy, however, because the first two books are exceptionally good. It's sad, though, because reading Mockingjay has forever tainted the appeal of Hunger Games and Catching Fire, because knowing that all that character development is for naught kind of ruins large chunks of the first two books.

BOOK REVIEW - Changes by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)
Buy it here: Changes

Blurb Review


Changes is the reason we read the Dresden files. After 11 books of getting to know Harry Dresden, of suffering, loving, fighting, and joking with him, everything culminates in this book. Unlike many long series that fizzle out in the end, that build up expectations that cannot possibly be met, Changes surpassed all my expectations and gave me more.

The Dresden Files is worth reading every book for Changes alone. It is the capstone on one of the best fantasy series ever written.

Full Review


The reason I first started reading the Dresden books was a simple one. I saw the covers frequently, and was intrigued by them. After reading the first two books, Storm Front and Fool Moon, however, I thought the series had potential but wasn't living up to it. So, I was fully content just leaving it.

About a month after that, Changes came out, and my Facebook was abuzz with how much people loved that book. After a good while of people explaining it to me (and also explaining how the series really didn't start until the third book), I went back. So, in a sense, I gave the series another shot because I heard how completely fabulous Changes was.

Needless to say, you can guess I had HUGE expectations for this book. As the series progressed and I liked it more and more, I felt there was just no way Butcher could deliver what I wanted in Changes. I'd been given blockbuster after blockbuster (Grave Peril, Death Masks, Proven Guilty, and Small Favor all come to mind. Oh, and a zombie t-rex ride), and yet I wanted this final book to be all that and then a lot more. There was no possible way he'd pull it off.

Guess what. He did. Changes is one of the best books I've ever read. Of course, there are reasons for that, which I'll now elaborate on.

Changes, read by itself, would still be a good book. But what elevates it into the "holy crap everyone needs to read this" sphere is the eleven books before it. Because we've had extensive time with Dresden (and in his head, since the books are first person), we know him as a character extremely well. We know what his virtues and vices are. We know what things hurt him the most. We know how, when is back is really to the fire, he might slip up and fail. That possibility is always there. He's human, and he's full of multiple levels of real human qualities and quirks.

It's all the buildup that makes Changes work so perfectly. Needless to say, this is the "Season Finale" of Dresden books, in more ways than you'd think. Nearly every character in the previous series is at least mentioned, with many of them (including a few you wouldn't think would) ally up with Dresden for the final fight. While many plot threads are tied off, lots more are opened, making way for what will be the next "season" of Dresden.

Oh, and about that: Dresden makes some changes (and some very dramatic things happen to him) that will be downright shocking for long-time fans of the series. Butcher isn't afraid to change (pun intended) everything, including ruining things considered sacred and untouchable. It will be very interesting to see where Ghost Story goes, considering the choices Dresden had to make during Changes.

So, here's the most basic, spoiler free version of the plot: Susan calls Harry in the first sentence, saying the Red Court vampires have taken their daughter.

Susan, as you may know from following my reviews, is Harry's almost-vampire girlfriend, who is only spared from becoming a vampire by resisting the urge to drink blood for the first time. She's been gone since Death Masks, which is a good half-dozen years ago, making it fully possible for her and Harry to have a child.

And, if you know anything about Harry, there are a few things that rub him the wrong way. 1. Anyone attempting to hurt his family. 2. Women in distress. 3. People who hurt kids.

Yeah. Harry is going to go Man On Fire on this one.

In preparation for this review, I actually went back and re-read the last 6ish chapters (which is essentially the climax of the novel, and the series) just to make sure they were as good as I remembered when I read them at 3 in the morning.

Good news: They are. Great news: They are actually better the second time.

Butcher is a freaking genius with regards to how well he pulls everything together. As stated, I had expectations that were sky high, and he completely surpassed them. Changes makes me want to go back and start the entire series over again, just to better understand Harry in hopes of gleaning even more from the finale.

While it was already pretty damn high up, Changes pretty much puts The Dresden Files as my #1 favorite fantasy series ever. It really doesn't get much better than this.

Now the hard part: Surviving until 2011 without a new, full Dresden novel.

Bonus: Expect a full series review sometime eventually!

BOOK REVIEW - Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)
Buy it here: Turn Coat

Blurb Review


With a great premise and a series foundation to back him, Butcher's Turn Coat is both a step forward and a step back, and seems more like set-up for his final novel, Changes, rather than a true book in the series. That being said, it still works on the most basic level as a Dresden files novel, but as the penultimate novel in this series, I'd hope for better.

Full Review


I'm really torn on Turn Coat. The premise is fantastic. Morgan, who has hated Dresden for the most absurd of reasons and is generally considered his biggest enemy on the White Council, shows up on Dresden's door begging for protection. Dresden, being the good person he is, takes him in even if Morgan still is a total jerk to him the entire novel. The Wardens are out for Morgan, Dresden thinks he was framed, and he tries to figure out who is guilty.

Add on one of the creepiest enemies in the series (though I never really figured out why the monster, a Skinwalker from Native American folklore, wants Morgan), a huge conflict in the White Council, and some weird romantic conflict, and you'd think you'd have a great Dresden book.

Hence my conflict. Everything is set up great. What goes wrong?

First off, it just seems formulaic. Dresden's stories have often followed their characters, which have grown throughout the series. Instead, we just learn more about the character, but changes are a slow burn (except maybe Molly, who grows up fast). So, it boils down to us reading these books because we care about the characters, and the conflict gets put into the back-burner of our minds (which is how these book should be).

All that aside, the plot just doesn't seem unique. It follows the same up and down of every other Dresden book ever, and while you can't call the final twists, you very much can predict when it will happen, when all the twists will be revealed, and that Dresden has another plan up his sleeve at exactly the precise moment. You don't worry about the characters (despite one suffering life-changing injuries in Small Favor), because its so formula. You've read Turn Coat before; it was every Dresden book (after the first two) before it.

The other problem is the ending, which is, frankly, terrible. Here's a minor spoiler warning. I'll try and keep it as minor as possible, but just to be safe skip the rest of the paragraph if you want. Ok, during all these previous books, with the White Council fighting the Red Court, Dresden and others have known for sure there was a traitor on the White Council. This is a huge buildup, one that has been mentioned in nearly every of the books. The problem is, when it is at last revealed in this one, it is just stupid. Really, just plain stupid. A huge letdown, and it doesn't even make much sense.

The twist is so underwhelming, it makes what the bad-guy has been doing seem even stupider. Basically, Butcher hit a huge "reset" button on all his characters involved in the White Council. It was meant to be a "holy crap, really?" moment, where you'd go back and read the past few books and try to find the hints. But it isn't, because it isn't really hinted at in the other books.

Which is a huge disappointment, considering how good Butcher is at hinting everything else. Most of the underlying subplots develop over many books, and they often work really well. This one, however, is stupid and doesn't work.

Which is why this book feels like a prologue to Changes. It should have done so much for the mythos and sub-plot of the treachery in the White Council, but instead it just fizzles and dies.

Luckily, Butcher redeems himself in the next book, Changes. Still, sad.

Now, all this aside, anybody who likes Dresden will probably still like most of this book. I still stayed up until 3 in the morning reading it (again, I've done that every night this week), the pacing is very good, and the bad-guys are cool. It just is...underrealized, truthfully. There was so much great stuff to work with, and Butcher faltered.

Plus, having Morgan around Harry should have been way more interesting then it was. Bah.

However, as stated, this book is worth it for Changes. Here's a teaser for that review, which'll probably be up later today:

IT IS AMAZING.

That is all.

BOOK REVIEW - Small Favor by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)

Buy it here: Small Favor

Blurb Review


Almost a direct sequel to the events in Death Masks, Small Favor brings back all the favorite characters from that book and a few more, and adds a much-needed emotional twist: people close to Harry aren't so lucky this time around in terms of consequences. Probably the strongest book yet, Small Favor is a perfectly paced, non-stop thrill ride.

Full Review


I was actually stuck on this book for quite some time, though it was no fault of Jim Butcher's. See, this book (as well as Turn Coat and Changes) I could only find in hardcover, and hardcovers are harder to take from place to place (such as school). So, while before I'd go Dresden happy at every possible instance, with Small Favor I had to slow down the pace.

Another reason is this book starts a little slower than the others. While most start with a crazy bang, Small Favor eases you into it. This meant it had lots of stopping places, which I would take to play Xbox, write, or do whatever. Once I got about 1/3-1/2 way through, however, I didn't stop for anything, staying up until 3 in the morning trying to finish it (a trend that continued for the next two books; more on that later).

The beginning premise (or the "Small Favor") is that Mab, Winter Queen of the Fairies who may or may not be going crazy, still has Dresden in her debt until he does two more favors for her. As is expected, this story is about Mab calling on Dresden to perform a task, a task that involves rescuing somebody Dresden really doesn't want to rescue. Add that the Summer court keeps sending these demon gruff goatbeasts at Dresden, and he's in for a ride.

Got that? Good. Because that takes a backseat, no, it is hardly even existant once the real plot kicks in.

Nicodemus, the sinister fallen angel from Death Masks is back, and with his group. They tried to taint Harry by throwing one of the thirty pieces of silver at him before (and he touched it, which has caused a considerable amount of inner conflict for Harry the books since), and now they want to do it with some of Harry's friends instead. Add that they are extremely powerful and pure evil (in books that so push the idea of "gray" rather than "black and white," Butcher makes no qualms in saying the fallen angels are the literal definition of "evil" in the truest sense), and you have one hell of a fight.

Luckily, old allies return. The Knights of the Cross, now down to Michael and Sanya, go out to kick some major demon butt. Cue the return of the Archive, her crazy bodyguard Kincaid, Murphy, Molly, and the whole band, and you have quite the story.

As stated, it feels like a sequel to Death Masks directly, because nearly every character (minus Susan) from that book makes a return. As I said before, this causes Dresden's favor to Mab to fall into the back, but since the goals are interconnected it works out for him. I, as a reader, just totally forgot that he was on that job, anyway, as he seemed to be stuck doing his own thing.

I really liked this book, especially for the ending. In some of the earlier books, as it got near the end the chaos was overwhelming. I was never completely blown away to the point of confusion, but it would often take a few times for me to exactly know what was going on. Small Favor, despite being as grandiose as any of the previous books (it is one of the "Dresden saves the world" ones), doesn't fall into the confusion trap. The ending is well explained and well paced, and all the twists work.

There is one thing that bothered me (minor spoiler, maybe). At the end, one of the main characters suffers an extremely serious injury. This is probably the first time in the series we've seen someone this close to Harry get hurt this badly. However, while it is generally stated "yeah, s/he'll be ok," it is never actually said until Changes, which is the book after the next one. I was on freaking pins and needles wondering what happened to this guy/gal, and Butcher left me hanging for a whole freaking book! Come on, dude! This is killing me!

Either way, this was a fantastic novel. I think I'm dividing my favoritism of the Dresden Books into two groups (because, truthfully, there are two types of Dresden novels). The first is the "Dresden saves the world and all hell breaks loose" variety. Then we have the "Dresden is fighting to save somebody important" version. Because both book types are so different (the first runs like a Michael Bay film, only with actual plot; while the former tends to be calmer but have a stronger emotional punch), it is hard to judge between the two.

Anyway, Butcher is only getting better, and because of my investment in this series I enjoyed this book a lot more, yadda yadda. If you haven't read these books yet, you'd better get to your library right now, or I will personally hurt you.

BOOK REVIEW - White Night by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)
Buy it here: White Night

Blurb Review


Taking the wealth of information and buildup that has been the foundation for the Dresden books thus far, White Night is a culmination of just about everything fantastic in the Dresden files. While it might not discover new tidbits or exciting revelations about Harry's character, White Night is just what it is: another fantastic, riveting adventure starring Harry Dresden.

Full Review


Harry is back. If I remember my history of this series correctly, they were all originally published in paperback only (much like Larry Corria's Monster Hunter books). However, after some point, Butcher's publisher finally realized exactly what a phenomenon these books were, and so White Night was simultaneously published in both hardcover and paperback. Yay!

This is also the only Dresden book that has maintained a perfect 5/5 star rating on amazon.com, based on 150 reviews (link above next to "Buy it here"). So, going into it, I expected a lot.

Hot of the heels of Proven Guilty, Harry as a new apprentice, the war is still going on between vampires and wizards (it's been almost 4 years I believe since Summer Knight), and Murphy needs him to help solve a case. Big surprise. White Night is almost traditional in how it follows the similar style as the first two books, Storm Front and Fool Moon. Unlike these books, however, Butcher has had years of experience in his belt, so he takes the mystery and does it right.

Somebody is killing witches in Chicago, and leaving a trail that only magic can find. This leads Dresden to believe the killer is sending a message to him, which sends him off on yet another crazy adventure. He once again is thrown into a conflict between himself and the White Court of Vampires (the main big, bad monster from Blood Rites, vampires who feed off human emotions). It eventually culminates into a vampire duel (reminding one of Death Masks) as well as a sort of vampire party (ala Grave Peril). It works, very well, though there are a few slight problems.

But back to the good stuff: this book really felt like a "best of" Dresden book. Butcher did little to mix up the formula that has worked so well for his other books; in fact, he is almost religiously loyal to the pacing and setup that made all the other books great. As mentioned above, bits seem taken out of the best parts of previous books, which works too. Also Elaine, Dresden's old flame from his childhood (who was last seen in Summer Knight) also shows up, as well as a lot of other character. I'm pretty sure the only ones not here from other books were Billy and the werewolf pack, and Susan (though she is mentioned). Butcher does an exceptional job with this series: he doesn't throw all the characters in at once; he spaces them out so, once you really start to wonder where they are, they come back. It is a testament to his fantastic planning (minus the first two books).

White Night is very fast, and you learn a few new snippets about Harry and the supporting cast. Molly, his apprentice newly established in Proven Guilty, is back and has grown up a little. Rameriez, one of my favorite Wardens who played a key role in the climactic battle at the end of Dead Beat (you know, the one with the zombie T-Rex Harry rides), is also here in full force. He's sort of a womanizing, arrogant joker, and actually plays very well with Harry's sense of humor (and falls into a rather amusing and revealing joke at the end of White Night that had me laughing quite hard). As a book, it reads very well.

I did have a few complaints, however. As mentioned before, it's a bit formulaic: Butcher just stuck with what worked and rolled with it. This is fine, I suppose, but considering this is the 9th book in the series, I was hoping he'd keep on improving so the formula wouldn't go stale (it was running the risk at the end). I'd also like to point out that the ending was really a lot like the ending of both Grave Peril  and Blood Rites, which again falls into that formula thing. Lastly, I really wanted more Molly. She's his apprentice, and I can understand him sheltering her, but she really just didn't seem to exist for a good 90% of this book. Considering what a key role she played in Proven Guilty, I was sad to see her set into the backburner.

Still, White Night is a lot of fun, and certainly worth reading. Oh; there is one key point I forgot to mention: Something rather monumental that has been hanging over Harry's head since freaking Death Masks (Book 5) FINALLY gets resolved in this book. I spend the last four books wondering how he was going to beat it, and I was very satisfied with how it resolved. The downer is that was my main concern with Harry in terms of internal conflict, and now that it's done I feel a bit sad.

At any rate, if you've followed the series to book 9 at this point, you probably don't care about what I wrote here. Point is: if you love Dresden, you won't be disappointed, just don't expecting as mind blowing in its revelations as Death Masks, Blood Rites, or Proven Guilty.

BOOK REVIEW - Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)
Buy it here: Proven Guilty

Blurb Review


While it might not be Harry Dresden vs The World like previous installments, Proven Guilty is easily the best book yet, with how it focuses more on "close to home" problems for Harry rather than larger, broader issues. Combining real, raw emotion with moral dilemmas that help define Harry, Proven Guilty has that rewarding feeling you can only get on long book series like this.

Full Review


This is probably my favorite Dresden book yet, passing Death Masks up, if just barely. As I said in previous reviews. Grave Peril was where Butcher essentially goes action crazy, and Summer Knight is the slower, more methodical version of Harry Dresden. It showed both sides of Butcher's writing, tons of action or lots of emotion, and the books since have been trying to find that magical hybrid that would make them perfect.

Dead Beat was extremely close, even though the first bits were slow. But with Proven Guilty, Butcher has completely nailed it. This is exactly the type of book I was thinking of reading when I first went into the series: great action, real emotion, exciting characters I cared and worried about, and moral dilemmas that shape Harry as a character, as well as the people around him. Also, we finally have Murphy and Harry talking about their "relationship" (or lack thereof) which this series has needed since like the second book.

The book also has the best first chapter, I think, of any of the books so far. Harry Dresden is now enlisted as a Warden of the White Council (he was last book, actually), because their war against the vampires has thinned their ranks so much they need all the help they can get. The book begins with a grisly execution of a young teenaged warlock, a boy who unwittingly used black magic. In the White Council's laws, you don't get a second chance (though Harry did, years before), and so he is executed.

As you can guess, this doesn't sit well with Harry, and it sets the tone for the rest of the book. Dark, personal, and full of moral conflict. The book is a rich adventure that puts the characters you've grown to know and care about to their limits.

It also has Michael, my favorite character in it. Actually, the majority of the book revolves around his wayward daughter, Molly, who has gotten herself into more than she can handle.

Seeking out a dark wizard, Harry ends up at SPLATTERCON!!!!, a horror convention partially run by Molly. It is there that they are attacked by monstrous creatures, being of fairy who feed on terror. Harry figures someone must be summoning them, so off he goes to try and figure it out.

Add tons of twisting subplots involving the Red Court, the continuing conflict between Winter and Summer (the fairy realms), and Molly just being a problem child, and you have a fantastic book. While the conclusion isn't as balls-to-the-wall as some others, (Harry riding a zombie T-Rex or fighting a Fallen Angel on the top of a speeding train comes to mind) it is on a more personal level, one that rakes up the tension and really just works. I've never felt more attached to Harry as a character until now, and I really haven't seen his "true colors" (surprise, he's a really good person) until he's thrown into the fire like this. I couldn't put the book down, literally, it was so good.

I really can't think of anything I didn't like about this novel. There was a lack of Butters, who I don't like, so that works. Michael was in it, albeit at the end. You finally figure out why Charity, Michael's wife, totally despises Harry. Actually, that's another good thing: both Charity and Murphy were being close to becoming two-dimensional. This book totally fixes that, and in the best way. Really good stuff.

So, yeah. I'd say this is the perfect Dresden book (if only it had more Michael...). After inventing me in seven of these books, I can say that this (the eighth) is exactly what I've come to expect. Here's hoping the last four can live up to that expectation (I can't believe I have only four left! What am I going to do with my life after I finish this?!).

BOOK REVIEW - Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

By Jim Butcher (Official Webpage)
Buy it here:  Dead Beat

Blurb Review


[Author's Note: I was going to write something big here, but after read the last 50 odd pages this was all I could come up with]

This is Dead Beat, the seventh book in the Dresden Files.
In it, Harry Dresden rides a zombie tyrannosaures rex named Sue.
He rides a zombie tyrannosaures rex.
....
This is the greatest book ever written.

Full Review


Now that that is out of the way, here's the real review.

You already know what monsters Harry fought in the last books, so here's what we got in Dead Beat: Zombies and necromancers. And let me say finally, because I've been wanting zombies from book one, and at long last he's blasting some undead. Fantastic.

At any rate, if you thought Summer Knight bumped off all the main characters for a "Harry only" adventure, this one does it even better. Murphy, the cop who often works with Harry, is on vacation. So Harry's alone, living with Thomas (the white court vampire who is crashing at his house) and his now huge dog Mouse, who was a puppy in the last book (yes, that puppy).

At any rate, things pick up quick when the black court vampire we thought was dead in the last book is (SURPRISE!) not actually dead. And she's blackmailing Harry with Murphy's reputation. She wants him to find some book, which he knows nothing about, and give it to her.

Turns out, the book is like the modern version of the Necronomicon, and like five other necromancers who just so happen to be in town also want it. Crap just got real.

Since Butcher decided to dump all the characters except Thomas and Harry (and Thomas does next to nothing the entire book, despite revelations regarding him in Blood Rites), we get a new character: Butters, the mortician. I don't know why Butcher picked that name for him. Mostly because: 1. Most people who read his books are nerds and 2. Most nerds watch South Park. Butters is a friend of the kids in south park, is sort of a goody-two shoes and a coward. Surprise! Butters in Dresden Files is the exact same. Of course, he goes through the usual transformation of "cowering in fright" at the beginning to "sort of growing a pair" at the end of the book, which is both predictable and stupid, because Butters is just a waste of space. Maybe some people find him endearing. I don't.

Which is where Dead Beat shows its main problem: It starts off so freaking slowly. The first half of the book (or even first two thirds) just seems to drag on and on. There is stuff happening, Harry is facing lots of problems (including one that emerged way back at the end of Death Masks, which I'm finally glad to see addressed), so it technically should be entertaining. But, for some reason, the novel flows thicker than molasses. Unlike the last few books, which I've had problems finding stopping places, I found it hard to come back to this one. Not for lack of revelation, character development, or whatever...it was just a bad idea to dump all the other characters and have stupid Butters as his only sidekick. At least Mouse (the dog) is somewhat interesting.

Luckily, despite the novel being slow (which is too bad, because it has zombies and the premise is actually pretty rad), it makes up for it in the last third. And no, I'm not just referring to the zombie t-rex, though that was a highlight. Tons of fantastic things involving the Wardens (basically the White Council's hit squad and enforcers) show up, tying the war with the Red Court back into this book, and making it much more personal than you'd believe. My only problem with the Wardens is Morgan, a Warden who was watching Harry in Storm Front, and basically doesn't like him at all. His character is so amazingly two-dimensional it's frustrating: no matter what the situation he won't believe Harry. It doesn't matter if Harry proves himself right a thousand times, Morgan will still be stupidly bull-headed. I really hate that character, truth be told. He is like all the adults in the Series of Unfortunate Events books: obnoxious and I want to punch them. Except in Series of Unfortunate Events did it on purpose: to be funny. This just frustrates me.

Butcher's humor works and kept me going, and it really hits full throttle at the end of the book. The issue is just with the first part...it just drags (for the reasons above). Other than that, the premise is solid, the prose is reasonably good, and there are things that happen to the "overarching" plot of Harry's life that I'm certain will have both good and bad consequences in the future.

Oh, and did I mention he rides a zombie tyrannosaures rex?