Thanks Stark Raven, now you point it out, I can see why Dresden shouldn't use public transport...Though a taxi is often the sole means of income for a self employed individual who quite often will own the vehicle as I understand it? Having a cab breakdown because your passenger has magical interference issues would be quite difficult financially I should think. He should just walk everywhere!
Only problem is everyone is after him all the time, stalking his place so if he walked everywhere they'd know the ways in and out of his place to watch for him, jump him.
Though he isn't one to stay in the car that much. Tends to like to jump out of moving vehicles.
I think I like the complete unbelievable-ness of it, Harry is just plain awesome - super human even! For me it is a refreshing read after some of the more 'heavy' fantasy works - something frivolous to read for a weekend
In the U.S., everything is sprawl. Big cities like Chicago have mass transit, but it's mostly effective for getting around downtown. If you have to go to the suburbs in a hurry, forget it. Walking when things are urgent for miles is not going to be very effective either. So Harry has a car, but that car keeps breaking down because of his magic. When he's in a hurry, he then is forced to take a cab and hope that it doesn't break down.
Freaky -- the novels are a good bit different from the series -- the magic system is different for one thing, Harry's background is different and the plotlines are less linear. They basically just sort of used the novels as inspiration. But the guy who played Harry I thought is very good and got the character more or less right. And the tone of the books is great -- a nice play on hard-boiled mysteries.
I really enjoy the series, but after the last Codex Alera book I think it's surpassed Dresden Files for me. Mainly because Tavi and gang are building to something whereas Dresden Files... isn't, as much.
I understand that the two series are very different in pacing and story structure. Dresden Files is always a case to case deal with an overall plot that develops across the books but in series such as these you tend to see the main char(s) developing more, either mentally or more commonly, power wise. I don't expect Dresden to get overly powerful, such as Anita Blake or even John Taylor but even a little MORE refining of his abilities or at least showcasing the abilities he has, and maybe accumulating more powerful tools.
Things I liked that DID go in this direction were the
new shield bracelet and the city model
more along that line. I'm still waiting for someone to claim that
sword
which was kind of thrown in the corner and gets a mention and a nod once or twice a book
Also, I don't see why Harry couldn't make more use of the bus, although lately he seems to either drive is own ride or hitch a ride from a friend who is helping out.
Also, the major, BIGGEST, best development lately in the series is
Harry's apprentice, Molly
Just my two cents.
Only worth what I charge ya for 'em.
Edit: Also for those who dig the modern day supernatural detective vibe you should check out Simon R. Green's Night Side Novels.
I'd disagree with that, I read "Something from the Nightside" and thought it was very poorly written. The world is a bit like Gaimain's Neverwhere mixed with Dresden. I found the story to be weak and the prose to be pretty shabby.
yeah, agree with you on that one, the nightside serie is a really poor serie.. i think i read about 6 of them, in the hope that they would get better but they never do... the first one wasnt so bad but after reading over and over the same thing again and again book after book, one gets tired...
And while we're updating: The Dresden Files series on DVD is being released on August 7th. (I have an order in through AmazonUS.)
Going back to an earlier point: I like the Dresden books: they're fun, not particularly deep, but there's some good ideas in there and the pages keep turning. Harry's basically a good guy under difficult circumstances and a character I engaged with much faster than Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt. The series develops as it goes along and the writing becomes stronger as it goes. Less sexual than Hamilton, more hopeful than Huston. I'm up to Book 6 (I think) in the Official Reviews.
Although I loved The Dresden Files at first and recommended them either on this thread or another awhile ago, I must say I've been disappointed by the last couple of books. None of the plots seem to be resolving except for the mystery of the book. And that plot just adds more plots.
What do you mean by those Hellfire?; due to the differences in publication between the US and the UK, is that Proven Guilty and White Night? We're not quite up to those in the UK.
Interesting point though: Jim only recently got a new contract for more Dresden, I believe.
What do you mean by those Hellfire?; due to the differences in publication between the US and the UK, is that Proven Guilty and White Night? We're not quite up to those in the UK.
Interesting point though: Jim only recently got a new contract for more Dresden, I believe.
I didn't know there was a difference in publishing. I haven't read White Night since I only buy the paperbacks. Proven Guilty, Dead Beat, and maybe the one before I started noticing that nothing gets solved. Without giving anything away, whatever the blurb is will get solved but that just leads to more complicated plots.
Off the top of my head, the war, the thing between Murphy and Dresden, the coin. It's more frustrating than anything else as I don't feel satisfied when I finish a book anymore.
That's the sad thing about reading series, they start off well but seem to get worse if there's no ending in sight.
I'll still read them but I'm no longer looking forward to the next book.
Well, it's a mystery series. It's not supposed to end. Some of the non-fantasy mystery series have been running for thirty years or so, with a book coming out every year or two years. It's not like an epic where there's one big story sliced into sections. In supernatural fantasy, you're going to find much more the model of hard-boiled and cozy mystery series, where there're some over-arching plot threads, but the main point of the story is the mystery case of the individual book, and having that particular detective solve that mystery, usually a murder.
That kind of story structure -- where it's about solving mysteries, and the transformation of the character is not fast but slowly over a lifetime sort of thing -- isn't going to appeal to everyone. Luckily, I like both epics and mysteries, so I'm set.
What I find most compelling about the Dresden series is Harry's fear -- that he'll slip and get corrupted and consumed by black magic. And he has to deal with that, with the consequences of having power -- and the dangers of trying to obtain more power -- and the reflection of that struggle in the cases he's dealing with when he's trying to help people. It's the moral ground that suspense loves to explore, and it's the anchoring note in Hamilton's Anita Blake series too, though in a different way.
I also like the little hard-boiled detective touches to the stories that are given a fantasy twist. Others are doing it too, but I think Butcher does it very well and with a lot of style and decent humor. I'd be interested in reading the Codex series to see what he does in that playground.
What do you mean by those Hellfire?; due to the differences in publication between the US and the UK, is that Proven Guilty and White Night? We're not quite up to those in the UK.
Really? I'm living in Germany and had no problem ordering them (Amazon or other internet bookstores).
BTW, I love the Dresden Files series, with Deadbeat and Summer Knight being my favorites. The latest two books were a slight drop-down, imo.
The Alera books ain't half bad, either. I consider Cursor's Fury the best book Jim Butcher has written up to date.
I really enjoy both of his series (Dresden and Codex Alera). He is an excellent writer and he seems to be getting even better with each book. The next installment of Codex Alera couldn't arrive soon enough for me.
One more update: (really, this is a post for the TV Forum area, but as we're talking about it here, thought it might be useful looks like the TV series is cancelled: (LINK HERE)
I was hoping the DVD release might improve things. Having said that there's nothing (yet) at Jim's website.
LATER EDIT: Now confirmed at Jim's site: LINK HERE.
I am curious as to how Butcher's other series is. A couple people said it was good but what makes it good? And does it have an end in sight or is it ongoing?
