The supporting characters I found to be delightful, if a bit monochromatic, more like vignettes of noir tropes thrust into the 21st century who act accordingly. The jokes are corny and self-aware, making me chuckle and roll my eyes in equal amounts. Butcher’s style is unpretentious and campy, relying on snark and self-deprecating humor. And yet, I managed to prove him wrong even without the emotional context and encyclopedic knowledge of a longtime fan, I found Peace Talks to be a stimulating and enjoyable read.įour pages in, I knew the only way through was to leap onto the Harry Dresden bandwagon and not look back-and I don’t regret it. Peppered with the crooked grins and knowing glances of fan-service references, I had to regularly ask my fiancé to explain previous Dresden books, which he did with wild-eyed glee. Reading the 16th Dresden with no context felt much like how I imagine people who had never seen Star Wars felt when dragged into a viewing of the latest Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker this past winter. Jim Butcher, NYT bestselling author of The Dresden Files, a swashbuckling urban fantasy series set in Chicago Needless to say, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about. He’s also been criticized for hyper-sexualizing female characters, and displaying a certain tone-deafness surrounding Chicago’s racial politics and LGBT communities. Butcher’s been both praised and admonished for his out-of-towner’s grasp of Chicago’s geography. Other readers document a conflicted relationship with the books, and Butcher’s overall style. My fiancé, a “cradle” Dresden fan, has read the books religiously since he was young, and there was even a short-lived TV adaptation. Dresden fans socialize at Paranet Online, r/Dresden Files, and this 719-page wiki. In science fiction and fantasy circles, Dresden is a household name, with Jim Butcher often cited as the standard bearer for commercially successful urban fantasy.

The most recent installments are being released as a duology this summer, Peace Talks on July 14, and Battle Ground on September 29. After launching the The Dresden Files with debut Storm Frontin 2000, Butcher has since published the high-fantasy Codex Alera series and more recently, the self-described “steam opera” Cinder Spires series-on top of the 17 Dresden books.

When I first told my fiancé I was about to review the newest Dresden Files book, he told me I would hate it.Ĭolorado-based author Jim Butcher has somewhat of a cult following, attracting avid fans and vocal detractors.

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