This book has so much that is good about it.  The humour, drama, action scenes; all part of Jim Butcher’s unique and engaging writing style, but in Ghost Story, somehow he’s turned that dial up to eleven.  It is simply phenomenal and such a fantastic read that I couldn’t put it down.  I laughed out loud, I cried, I even shouted at one point, so I’m glad I was reading it at home.

I think the best of Harry comes out in this book.  Because of his situation, he has to think and plan, rather than fireball first and ask questions later.  It lets you see more of the man behind the wizard and how intelligent he really is.  That’s not to say he isn’t still running full pelt into trouble, he wouldn’t be the Harry we know and love if he wasn’t.  Just without his usual methods of dealing with things, he has to get… creative.  I also have to highlight the puns and pop culture references in this book, they provided much needed laughter and were brilliantly used.

The pace of the books in the Dresden Files is as much a part of Butcher’s style as the stories are, and Ghost Story is right there, leaving you breathless.  There are moments of reflection and realisation but they are most definitely the calm before the storm.  You know it’s only a brief respite, time to gather yourself, before you are off again.  In some books that relentless pace might be considered a bad thing but in this series it’s an integral part of the experience, and I would be disappointed if it was any different.

The story itself is amazingly well written, gripping and has more twists and turns than a twisty turny thing.  There is one definitive ‘Oh my God‘ moment and it was gloriously done and I did not see it coming.  At all.  If you’ve read it, you will know exactly what I mean.  If you haven’t, hopefully you will have to read it now!

Because of the events in Changes, some of the usual cast of characters are different and not necessarily in a good way.  You see the effect Harry has on the people in his life and what happens when he is not there for a time.  I fear some things are too broken now to repair, but I still hold out hope.  Just two simple paragraphs towards the end reduced me to tears, and they weren’t even about any of the human cast.  The characters, as always, are vivid and well realised.

The Dresden Files is a series that just gets better and better, and I honestly think this is the best one so far.  So much so, I worry where it goes from here, can it actually get any better?  Does it need to?  I don’t have an answer to that other than, I need the next one now!

Jim Butcher is the absolute ruler and master of Urban Fantasy and long may he reign!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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It’s always good to be back in the Dresdenverse, even if it is only for brief dips.  I had already read some of the stories collected in this book, in their respective anthologies, but others were new to me and a complete joy to read.  Butcher loses none of his charm and style even though the stories are short, and every one had a different feel to it, fitting to the situation at hand.  His trademark laugh out loud moments are still very much prevalent and as with the full books, they are totally appropriate to the scenes.

He writes a little about each story before it starts, how it came into being or what his reason for writing it were, and they provided quite an insight into Jim Butcher himself.  The very first introduction actually made me laugh, and also realise his ego, or rather lack of one, has not been affected by the success of his books at all.  He believes it to be a beginner’s effort and there I have to disagree with him completely.  It might not have been up to the quality of his later work, but it had all the flair and energy that attracted me to his work in the first place.

There are eight stories about Harry, a very short vignette which I found very amusing, and two told from other character’s perspectives.  One is told by Thomas and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it; there is definitely more going on in his mind than I expected.  I also loved that a few old beloved characters came back into action again, even if it was only for a short time.

The big surprise, however, was the final story, told from Karrin Murphy’s perspective which takes place directly after the last book, Changes.  I won’t say much more because of spoilers, but he wrote her extremely well and it was good to see the world from her perspective.  I’m really glad it didn’t become an attempt to have a female version of Harry, she is her own person completely, stayed true to the character I love in the series, and it was great being able to delve into her mind.  I absolutely cannot wait for the next Dresden book, Ghost Story!

Jim Butcher is a master storyteller that always leaves me wanting MORE!

Rating: ★★★★½ 

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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.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Jim enjoys various diverse hobbies – martial arts, fencing, singing, riding, roleplaying and while that should make him seem like a fairly scary individual, all reports suggest he is a very nice man.  He also does LRP (Live Roleplaying) which in my book makes him fairly awesome!  He lives with his wife, son and dog and is without a doubt one of the best writers of urban fantasy and fantasy I’ve come across in a long time.

http://www.jim-butcher.com/

My Comments

I managed to start the Dresden Files right at the beginning with Storm Front and was blown away (no pun intended!) by Harry Dresden.  As a character he is brilliant, sarcastic, enigmatic and often downright hilarious.  You also see him develop a more sombre, angry side which adds more depth to the character and just helps you empathise with him all the more.  The books themselves are a bit like riding a runaway horse.  You can’t get off, you have to just hang on and keep going and eventually it will stop but you also know you just had the ride of your life.  They are pure entertainment and just get better with each book.  There was a short lived TV show which was a lot of fun and it was a crime when it was cancelled.

The fantasy side of his writing talent comes with the Codex Alera, a series based in a world where the ordinary is extraordinary and it’s down to a boy without the talents everyone else has, to use his wits and intelligence to get by.  I wasn’t reading much fantasy at this stage but since it was a Jim Butcher book I thought I would give it a go and again, it was fantastic.  Very different in theme and even writing style to the Dresden Books which I thought was good because we didn’t need another Harry Dresden but in a fantasy setting.  All I can say is give the first one a go!

Bibliography

Dresden Files

• Storm Front – Read Tony’s review
• Fool Moon
• Grave Peril
• Summer Knight
• Death Masks
• Blood Rites
• Dead Beat
• Proven Guilty
• White Night
• Small Favor
• Turn Coat – Read my review
• Changes – Read my review
• Side Jobs (Stories from the Dresden Files) – Read my review
• Ghost Story – Read my review

Short Stories

• Something Borrowed in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
• It’s My Birthday Too in Many Bloody Returns
• Heorot in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
• Harry’s Day Off in Blood Lite
• Last Call in Strange Brew

Codex Alera

• Furies of Calderon – Read my review
• Academ’s Fury
• Cursor’s Fury
• Captain’s Fury
• Princep’s Fury – Read my review
• First Lord’s Fury – Read my review

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Wow.  That’s the first word that sprang to mind when I finished Turn Coat and I even had to sit and reflect for a while.  You get answers to some questions that have been running through several books, new questions needing answers and some truly emotional scenes.  Harry as usual is in over his head and the highly entertaining part is how he gets out of it, with mind, skin and bone mostly intact.  I feel that Harry has become just that bit more mature as well, while the usual supporting cast are there, by and large, he figures things out on his own.

Jim Butcher has such an entertaining writing style that lets you get up close and personal with his characters and this latest and 11th book in the Dresden Files certainly has that, in spades.  Many a long running series can suffer with the reuse of plot, phrases and same old descriptions of characters but I can honestly say there is nothing like that here.  The only downside I can think of is that it will be another year til the next one is released.

Rating: ★★★★★ 

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Related posts:

1. Turn Coat Harry Dresden is used to being in over his head where the supernatural community is concerned, even used to it turning up on his doorstep.  When a severely wounded Morgan,...
2. Changes 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...
3. Ghost Story It’s incredibly hard to write this review without spoilers.  I keep wanting to go ‘ooh and there was this and that!!’ but I shall try not to spoil it. If...

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