Dresden Files
- Thread starter Terdwilicker
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Hell, in the past month I've attained every book from Storm Front(Book 1) to Proven Guilty(Book 8), and it is awesome. 
Harry Dresden improves as a character, person, wizard, friend, investigator, and human throughout the books. Jim Butcher uses brief and easily understood (or researched) cultural references and brings the best of inhumanity out of the worst of monsters in the books.
Spoiler/ fanboy ranting begins:
He is faced with evil warlocks, various types of werewolves, the hosts of Fallen Angels, various Courts of vampires, the Sidhe/Fae Courts, Necromancers, demons, ghouls, angry ghosts, and helps solve crime as a consultant with the Chicago PD. Hell, Harry Potter can never say he raised a T-Rex and rode it into battle against necromancers creating the largest death ritual in human history. Potter might have faced a werewolf that changed when a full moon arose, but Dresden can claim to have faced a loup-garou that can only be hurt by the most powerful of magics or inherited silver.h43r: Dresden's Fairy Godmother (fo' real) tries to claim the debt of his life (most likely for servitude as a Hellhound/ guard dog) and he's managed to stave off the Summer Lady of the Seelie Court of the Sidhe. He's offered the power to be the Winter Knight and the host of the Fallen Angel Lasciel, in which either choice would increase his power by ten-fold (not taking into account what would happen if he were to accept both).
Spoiler/ fanboy ranting ends:
Were it not for the adult situations and language, the Dresden Files might actually be more popular than the Harry Potter series. Dresden evolves throughout the series and as each story progresses it leaves you wondering how everything fits together and how Harry will end up resolving it. Not to mention that Bob the Skull is just plain cool. B)
In the first Harry Potter book, Harry regrets the events that lead up to Quirrel's death and all the way until 2/3 of the way through the Seventh book does he not attempt to kill anybody (sans Bellatrix Lestrange during the Department of Mysteries fiasco after she 'killed' Sirius when she knocked him through the veil). Very little character development there. :huh!: :sweat2:
Harry Dresden improves as a character, person, wizard, friend, investigator, and human throughout the books. Jim Butcher uses brief and easily understood (or researched) cultural references and brings the best of inhumanity out of the worst of monsters in the books. Spoiler/ fanboy ranting begins:
He is faced with evil warlocks, various types of werewolves, the hosts of Fallen Angels, various Courts of vampires, the Sidhe/Fae Courts, Necromancers, demons, ghouls, angry ghosts, and helps solve crime as a consultant with the Chicago PD. Hell, Harry Potter can never say he raised a T-Rex and rode it into battle against necromancers creating the largest death ritual in human history. Potter might have faced a werewolf that changed when a full moon arose, but Dresden can claim to have faced a loup-garou that can only be hurt by the most powerful of magics or inherited silver.
h43r: Dresden's Fairy Godmother (fo' real) tries to claim the debt of his life (most likely for servitude as a Hellhound/ guard dog) and he's managed to stave off the Summer Lady of the Seelie Court of the Sidhe. He's offered the power to be the Winter Knight and the host of the Fallen Angel Lasciel, in which either choice would increase his power by ten-fold (not taking into account what would happen if he were to accept both). Spoiler/ fanboy ranting ends:
Were it not for the adult situations and language, the Dresden Files might actually be more popular than the Harry Potter series. Dresden evolves throughout the series and as each story progresses it leaves you wondering how everything fits together and how Harry will end up resolving it. Not to mention that Bob the Skull is just plain cool. B)
In the first Harry Potter book, Harry regrets the events that lead up to Quirrel's death and all the way until 2/3 of the way through the Seventh book does he not attempt to kill anybody (sans Bellatrix Lestrange during the Department of Mysteries fiasco after she 'killed' Sirius when she knocked him through the veil). Very little character development there. :huh!: :sweat2:
Just finished reading it a few hours ago, still running on the book high. ^_^
Had to sit in the B&N to read it due to lack of funds, but it was completely worth it, even with all the 'distractions'. Of all the days for a senator to give a speech at a bookstore...
Damn, but that man can write. Steady progression, clear escalation of a power scale while still maintaining Harry as the underdog, well-developed characters and plot twists, not to mention a great sense of snarky humor...sometimes I really question human intelligence when an author who's far better than Rowling receives barely a fraction of the recognition. <_<
As for Luccio (SPOILER!): Seemed kinda out of left field at first, but after re-reading a bit it looked much more like Butcher had purposefully set up the romance for that reason, almost like a random 'sudden realization' ship in other fandoms (not naming any names heres). The difference here is that instead of being written as if added in afterthought, he turned it into something that could be utterly believable by us readers.
If Murphy is the archetypal female heroine to wind up with the archetypal male hero, Luccio is the 'rare ship'. For giving us such a rare twist, and as well for avoiding so many other cliches, Jim Butcher has my sincere gratitude and respect. Honestly, it feels like Murphy kinda fits better with Kincaid in the end anyway, ya know?
Heh...Murphy, Kincaid, and the teddy Glock :snigger:
Admit it. They were made for each other.
Had to sit in the B&N to read it due to lack of funds, but it was completely worth it, even with all the 'distractions'. Of all the days for a senator to give a speech at a bookstore...
Damn, but that man can write. Steady progression, clear escalation of a power scale while still maintaining Harry as the underdog, well-developed characters and plot twists, not to mention a great sense of snarky humor...sometimes I really question human intelligence when an author who's far better than Rowling receives barely a fraction of the recognition. <_<
As for Luccio (SPOILER!): Seemed kinda out of left field at first, but after re-reading a bit it looked much more like Butcher had purposefully set up the romance for that reason, almost like a random 'sudden realization' ship in other fandoms (not naming any names heres). The difference here is that instead of being written as if added in afterthought, he turned it into something that could be utterly believable by us readers.
If Murphy is the archetypal female heroine to wind up with the archetypal male hero, Luccio is the 'rare ship'. For giving us such a rare twist, and as well for avoiding so many other cliches, Jim Butcher has my sincere gratitude and respect. Honestly, it feels like Murphy kinda fits better with Kincaid in the end anyway, ya know?
Heh...Murphy, Kincaid, and the teddy Glock :snigger:
Admit it. They were made for each other.
Harry's wil only get in a relationship if it's for love (or can develop into love). He went four years without sex and he was still immunized against White Court vampires because of his love for Susan. Lara Raith was suprised that he still burned her and asked him if he'd seen Susan recently as:
Excerpt from White Night (Book 9)
~Excerpt ends~
And in Book 8, Proven Guilty, Harry and Murphy talk it out about the possiblity, reality, and feasibility of their relationship. Harry was still somewhat hung up on his relationship with his ex, Susan the halfway Red Court vamp, and didn't want a relationship based on casual or insincere emotions to destroy that. Murphy didn't want a repeat of her relationship with her ex, Rick the FBI Agent, who did the same work as her and the difference between them terminated their marriage. Tho' Murphy seems to get along great with Kincaid; he even gave her chocolate with a P-90 as a present.
Excerpt from White Night (Book 9)
~Excerpt ends~
And in Book 8, Proven Guilty, Harry and Murphy talk it out about the possiblity, reality, and feasibility of their relationship. Harry was still somewhat hung up on his relationship with his ex, Susan the halfway Red Court vamp, and didn't want a relationship based on casual or insincere emotions to destroy that. Murphy didn't want a repeat of her relationship with her ex, Rick the FBI Agent, who did the same work as her and the difference between them terminated their marriage. Tho' Murphy seems to get along great with Kincaid; he even gave her chocolate with a P-90 as a present.
I think she's counting on it. Otherwise, she might not be able to get the point across to him, when she breaks his arm in multiple places, that "Not right now means not right now." h43r: Harry and a couple other people warned her about Kincaid, especially Ebeneezar "Blackstaff" McCoy who has run into Kincaid when he fought on the opposing side. But to be fair, Kincaid is somewhat human in his emotions and personality, if a bit mercenary and emotionless when on the job. Quite a bit better than a vamp, faery, or other creature of the Nevernever.
h43r: Harry and a couple other people warned her about Kincaid, especially Ebeneezar "Blackstaff" McCoy who has run into Kincaid when he fought on the opposing side. But to be fair, Kincaid is somewhat human in his emotions and personality, if a bit mercenary and emotionless when on the job. Quite a bit better than a vamp, faery, or other creature of the Nevernever.