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Posted by Grete, on March 30th, 2010  Harry Dresden, the only Wizard in the phone book is in for the shock of his life. After a phone call from his ex-girlfriend Susan rocks his world, he realises Arianna Ortega has sworn revenge for the death of her husband and she is going to get it by killing his daughter.
The White Council, still reeling from betrayal and foolishly trying to garner peace with the Red Court vampires can’t help him and his list of allies is thin. Those who mean the most to him however are ready to stand and fight by his side and Harry must find a way to take on the Red King and the entire Red Court, or lose the daughter he’d never known about. With few options open to him, some of them down a very dark road, and growing more desperate, he must choose the best way he can to save his daughter and his friends.
Since Changes is the twelfth book in the Dresden Files series, there are certain things you have come to expect. Fast paced action, Harry being witty, heroic in the face of all evil and being regularly beaten into a pulp. This book has all that and much, much more. The very first sentence of the first paragraph gives you a big UH-OH moment and really, it doesn’t stop til the OH MY GOD moment at the end of the book. It’s an emotional, engaging, gritty ride that doesn’t really let up apart from the laugh out loud sections that Butcher has such a talent for.
This book is a much more personal look into Harry’s life and what he believes in than previous novels. The sections that show just what he’s capable of and willing to do for those he loves reduced me to tears. I really can’t say more than that without spoiling it.
I absolutely love these books and while they have never become formulaic and samey for me, some are better than others and I honestly feel Changes is one of the best. The title says it all really, there are some big changes in store for Harry and if you like this series, it’s an absolute must read. Jim Butcher at his very best.
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Posted by Grete, on March 10th, 2010  With a few notable exceptions, I haven’t read much fantasy for a while. I was actually starting to wonder if I had lost my love for the genre as nothing seemed to peak my interest in the way it used to. Simon and Schuster UK kindly sent me an advance review copy of a book they strongly believed in and aside from the fact it was originally written in russian and translated into english, it looked like just the kind of formulaic fantasy that had me so out of sorts.
Shadow Harold, master thief and appropriator of coveted items is happy to let the world go on around him. The world however has different ideas. The Nameless One is stirring after centuries of peace, calling an immense army of dreadful creatures to his side. His goal is to strike at the heart of Siala, the great city of Avendoom. Harold’s unique talents are needed to gain access to the one thing that can save Siala and while it’s a mission of great urgency and danger, once commissioned, Harold is oath bound to see it through. Even at the cost of his own life.
Having just finished Shadow Prowler, I am quite astonished. It reminded me of the old favourites that I still have and re-read, of a few authors I love that are a cut above the rest and most importantly, why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place.
Right from the first few pages, I liked the main character Harold. He’s an intelligent and witty reluctant hero, with a knack for getting out of a tight spot. Getting used to a new author’s ‘voice’ can be tough and Harold is what made it a smooth transition and kept me reading until I was caught up in the story.
The world Pehov has built for this series is rich in detail and character and I love the way he has turned around what I would say are usually standard facets of a fantasy book and used them to his own end.
As the story progressed and new characters were introduced, I found them just as well rounded and interesting as Harold, even those that that were only present for a brief time. A few even tugged at my heart though their time in the book was short.
The pace was really good, no sudden stop/starts or breakneck rush but a smooth movement through the excellent storyline firing up with some great action scenes and then returning to that flow when it was time.
Magic is present, used in daily life and there are different forms of it, used by different races. I found that interesting and thought it also showed just how much enthusiasm and work Alexey Pehov put into the world he created.
I have to touch on the translation from Russian by Andrew Bromfield. I think it has been so skillfully done that I wouldn’t have been able to tell that it wasn’t first written in English. I would love to know how the two versions compare and have to wonder if it was even more enjoyable in its native tongue.
I enjoyed this book a huge amount and can’t wait to read the second in the series to find out how Harold and his companions are faring!
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Posted by Grete, on March 3rd, 2010  Jack Winters is a direct descendant of Nicholas Winters, infamous obsession driven Alchemist. Believing himself to be the recipient of the Winters family curse, Jack needs to find his ancestor’s lamp and a woman who is a strong enough Dreamlight reader. Those two things could be the only way to save him from insanity and death. Chloe Harper tries to stay under the radar of the Arcane Society, like most in her large and diverse family but finds herself caught up when she is hired by Jack for two things. To find the Burning Lamp and with her dreamlight talent, help save him from the curse. Soon on the trail, she finds that they are trying to evade the Nightshade organisation as well as the Arcane Society and will have to make a choice who to trust.
Fired Up technically follows on from Running Hot but focusses on two new characters. I do like it when authors do this, it makes their world seem so much bigger. I thought it was a very nice touch that Grace and Luther were mentioned in passing so I got to see that they were doing well.
The story in Fired Up was just as engaging as Running Hot and I loved the new characters of Jack and Chloe. They worked really well together and the tension between them was built right from the start as a small spark of possibility. I also liked that both of them were competent and confident, no ’struggling weak heroine needs rescuing by big strong man’ and more than a match for each other. It felt like there was a slightly larger cast of minor characters but they didn’t feel minor when they appeared, they were just as compelling and well rounded as the main cast.
The character who I should have mentioned before that links these two books together, is Fallon Jones. He’s the head of the J&J detective agency that works for the Arcane Society, and at first I thought the story was going to be leading in a different direction for him but I am glad it didn’t turn out to be so, as he’s a great character. His little event at the end made me laugh and want to applaud, and I do hope that story will be told soon.
Coming into the series late hasn’t been much of a hindrance and other than missing references to brief mentions of history, these books can easily be read out of sequence. I also didn’t realise that Jayne Ann Krentz has used the Arcane Society in stories from historical fiction, to modern and then to futuristic under different pen names. She writes as Amanda Quick for the historicals, Jayne Castle as the futuristic ones and of course as Jayne Ann Krentz for these excellent modern stories. I definitely need to catch up on those!
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Very young children eat their books, literally devouring their contents. This is one reason for the scarcity of first editions of Alice in Wonderland and other favorites of the nursery.
Rosenbach, A. S. W.
About BookThing! BookThing! is a website where Grete can indulge her passion for books. There are reviews covering a range of genres (paranormal romance, crime, fantasy, romantic comedy), bibliographies for selected authors, features and sometimes the odd free book giveaway!
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