Helpful Score: 2
Each book just keeps getting better and this one did not disappoint. A number of events occur, some of them related and a couple left as mysteries for future books. I was happy to see Michael and his family again as I've missed them. And Harry and Murphy have the talk about "us" - but I don't believe either of them for a moment with what they said (and neither does Thomas). Perhaps the only disappointing bit was that there wasn't a lot of Bob - and at one point Harry was carrying him around in his backpack, so he was physically there but wasn't talking.
Helpful Score: 2
A nearly perfect book - well plotted, well written, a terrific story that stands alone while supporting the series arc story. Not to be missed, this installment draws on all the series supporting characters (other than Susan) to tie the White Council, the faeries, the Knights and Harry together against growing forces of evil.
Helpful Score: 1
The White Council has asked Harry to look into rumors of black magic. His investigation takes him to Splattercon!!!, a convention for horror movie fans. There he finds that the movie monsters are actually killing the movie fans. He also finds a teenage Molly Carpenter, daughter of Harry's friend Michael, who asks for his help in dealing with her boyfriend.
Lots of characters from previous books are brought back for his one, including Michael and his family, the White Council, and the Faeries. A great story with lots of action and lots of humor. This series just gets better and better. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Lots of characters from previous books are brought back for his one, including Michael and his family, the White Council, and the Faeries. A great story with lots of action and lots of humor. This series just gets better and better. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Helpful Score: 1
Wizards, knights, faeries, vampires and assorted monsters - all in modern day Chicago, seen through the eyes of Harry Dresden, the smart-aleck, aw-shucks hero of the series. Couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 1
If you're a fan of the Dresden Files I don't have to tell you that the books keep getting better and better. I love the character development and the way Jim Butcher lends a genuine human element even to his inhuman cast. If you're coming to the books form the new SciFi TV series you're in luck. This is SOOOO much better!
Helpful Score: 1
I really need to stop staying up till the wee hours reading... but it's hard to put a Butcher down! Once again he gets the action flowing and doesn't let up - and he keeps the series fresh with different twists and turns that keep his characters developing. Harry is now, albeit reluctantly, a Warden of the White Council. But the war with the Red Court vampires is not going well, and he and his mentor Ebenezer still suspect there is a traitor in the White Council. So Harry has been asked to discreetly find out why the Sidhe are not doing more to help them against the Reds. As it never rains but pours, Harry gets a call from his friend Michael's oldest daughter Molly, asking him to bail her boyfriend out of jail. The rebellious teenager is helping out in a horror convention, and suddenly the horror becomes real as movie characters come to life on a killing spree. My only beef about this series is Butcher's penchant for putting Harry through his paces like he's doing a season of 24 - Harry never seems to get any sleep and is always on his last dregs, yet always manages to dig up some reserves to win the day. It's verging on the unbelievable, which is saying a lot in this series! But it's as always a thrilling rollercoaster of a ride, with a fascinating development in Molly's character that makes me eagerly anticipate the next volume.
Helpful Score: 1
Each book just keeps getting better and this one did not disappoint. A number of events occur, some of them related and a couple left as mysteries for future books. I was happy to see Michael and his family again as I've missed them. And Harry and Murphy have the talk about "us" - but I don't believe either of them for a moment with what they said (and neither does Thomas). Perhaps the only disappointing bit was that there wasn't a lot of Bob - and at one point Harry was carrying him around in his backpack, so he was physically there but wasn't talking.
This is urban fantasy at it's gritty best! I can't wait for the next novel in the Dresden Files to come out.
From back cover:
'What would you get if you crossed Spenser with Merlin? Probably you would come up with someone very like Harry Dresden, wizard, tough guy, and star of the Dresden Files.' The Washhington Times
There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City.
As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob...
From back cover:
'What would you get if you crossed Spenser with Merlin? Probably you would come up with someone very like Harry Dresden, wizard, tough guy, and star of the Dresden Files.' The Washhington Times
There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City.
As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob...
I just can't get in to this series, it is probably really good - I just can't get involved enough.
7th book in the Dresden Files series. I haven't read them before so this is much more fantasy/sci fi than what I'm used to. Quirky is probalby the best way to describe this book.
Harry is in trouble,again. Loved it,from start to finish.
This is my first Dresden Files book, which left me at a disadvantage of knowing the characters before hand. Even with this disadvantage I was able to pick up the story and enjoyed it.
Harry Dresden is a wizard, who's been enlisted to help with the White Council, but they don't like him much and several are waiting for the opportunity to take his head. Harry is tasked by a senior Council elder to investigate acts of black magic being perpetrated in Dresden's Chicago hometown. Harry's plate of trouble gets even more heaped on as he is begged by Molly Carpenter, the daughter of a friend, to help out her boyfriend, who just might be in magical peril. Molly is the daughter of Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Cross and a friend whom Harry had been guiltily avoiding due to Harry's tainted passenger of the ancient fallen angel Lasciel upon his consciousness.
There's not a lot of loose talk in this book its right to the point and keeps things running right a long. Butcher does very well through the book of throwing in recaps of previous books so the new reader can get caught up. He floods in details after detail with out drowning you in them.
Harry Dresden is a wizard, who's been enlisted to help with the White Council, but they don't like him much and several are waiting for the opportunity to take his head. Harry is tasked by a senior Council elder to investigate acts of black magic being perpetrated in Dresden's Chicago hometown. Harry's plate of trouble gets even more heaped on as he is begged by Molly Carpenter, the daughter of a friend, to help out her boyfriend, who just might be in magical peril. Molly is the daughter of Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Cross and a friend whom Harry had been guiltily avoiding due to Harry's tainted passenger of the ancient fallen angel Lasciel upon his consciousness.
There's not a lot of loose talk in this book its right to the point and keeps things running right a long. Butcher does very well through the book of throwing in recaps of previous books so the new reader can get caught up. He floods in details after detail with out drowning you in them.
Excellent book; From back cover: "There's no love lost between Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and the White Council of Wizards, who find the brash and undisciplined. But war with the vampires has thinned their ranks, so the Council has drafted Harry as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black Magic in the Windy City." The source of the black magic will definitely be a surprise. A definite must read..
If Jim Butcher wanted a sappy title instead of a catchy one this installment could have been named Second Chances since a lot of people like freedom either needed it or had gotten it. How does that thought come into play? Well, it starts with an old fashioned execution; yea, one with a big sword instead of an electric chair or lethal injection and with a bunch of wardens in a semi-circle around the prisoner before he is beheaded. This naturally reminds Harry of his own history with the White council, it also disgusts him and he lets them all know it. However, before he can put all this behind him he is brought face-to-face with his old mentor who gives him a back door political mission involving Summer and Winter, as well as a message from the Gatekeeper regarding black magic and Chicago.
Add in a phone call from Molly in the middle of a ritual right before Harrys trial run of Little Chicago and the rest of the book is set. Harry runs to bail Molly (Michaels oldest daughter) out of jail. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a lie. Instead her boyfriend is in jail and she believes it is due to supernatural forces. Naturally, Harry needs to investigate whether or not this is true and low and behold it is! By the way, this is all happening at SplatterCon!!! Yes; Comic Con only with horror movies instead of comic books and things like that. Supernatural kicks in when the killers from the movies come to life and start attacking peopleall coincidentally associated with Molly. (Thinking upon coincidence, we are also introduced to another type of White Court vampire the type that feeds on fear, like Thomas feeds on lust.)
Well, the spell to trace the source of the monsters sort of backfired so that Molly was kidnapped and a suicide mission to the Nevernever was arranged. Unbeknownst to Harry this mission was more Fairy politics than anything else. Moreover, it was another clue as to bigger things to come within the Dresden Universe.
Unluckily for Molly being abducted was simply trading in the proverbial frying pan for the fire. However, at nearly the last minute Harry comes up with a plan to save the day and on nearly the last page he even has the opportunity to unburden his soul.
Overall, Proven Guilty was action packed from the first page all the way to the end. What can I say one star for that alone! Another one for how nicely everything flowed together. Third star for adding the creative touches of the supernatural world to pop culture along with a trip to the Nevernever. The last star is for grounding everything to reality through the concept of Judge, Jury and Executioner. Couldnt give it five stars simply because the situation with Molly for the most part was predictableCan you tell yet? I hate predictability!!!
Add in a phone call from Molly in the middle of a ritual right before Harrys trial run of Little Chicago and the rest of the book is set. Harry runs to bail Molly (Michaels oldest daughter) out of jail. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a lie. Instead her boyfriend is in jail and she believes it is due to supernatural forces. Naturally, Harry needs to investigate whether or not this is true and low and behold it is! By the way, this is all happening at SplatterCon!!! Yes; Comic Con only with horror movies instead of comic books and things like that. Supernatural kicks in when the killers from the movies come to life and start attacking peopleall coincidentally associated with Molly. (Thinking upon coincidence, we are also introduced to another type of White Court vampire the type that feeds on fear, like Thomas feeds on lust.)
Well, the spell to trace the source of the monsters sort of backfired so that Molly was kidnapped and a suicide mission to the Nevernever was arranged. Unbeknownst to Harry this mission was more Fairy politics than anything else. Moreover, it was another clue as to bigger things to come within the Dresden Universe.
Unluckily for Molly being abducted was simply trading in the proverbial frying pan for the fire. However, at nearly the last minute Harry comes up with a plan to save the day and on nearly the last page he even has the opportunity to unburden his soul.
Overall, Proven Guilty was action packed from the first page all the way to the end. What can I say one star for that alone! Another one for how nicely everything flowed together. Third star for adding the creative touches of the supernatural world to pop culture along with a trip to the Nevernever. The last star is for grounding everything to reality through the concept of Judge, Jury and Executioner. Couldnt give it five stars simply because the situation with Molly for the most part was predictableCan you tell yet? I hate predictability!!!
Love all Butcher's books!
This is Book 8 of the Dresden Files.
I wish that I could go into detail about all of the reasons I really liked this book, but so much of this plot is truly a suprise. I don't want to ruin any of the fun.
The basic premise is that the first annual SplatterCon!!! is in town, a horror movie convention where horror movie villains are actually showing up to kill people. There is black magic afoot, and Harry is naturally right there in the middle of it, trying to solve the mystery.
As usual, what seems to be a simple case becomes infinitely more complex, as forces far beyond amateur black magicians are at play. Implications reach as far away as Faerie and as close to home as Harry's best friends. It really is a great book.
Harry and Murphy at least start to talk about what they are to each other, about whether or not there is or ever will be an "us." They come to a conclusion but I don't think anyone of them (Harry, Murphy, or even Thomas) actually believe it.
Each book has its own small errors in it. One book had Harry using an elevator during a city-wide power outage. This book said that a mini-van was "crushed as if with a wrecking ball" and yet two pages later everyone is piled into that same mini-van and driving down the street. Editorial errors aside, this book and this series is a real winner. I'm sad that I'm starting to run out of books.
I wish that I could go into detail about all of the reasons I really liked this book, but so much of this plot is truly a suprise. I don't want to ruin any of the fun.
The basic premise is that the first annual SplatterCon!!! is in town, a horror movie convention where horror movie villains are actually showing up to kill people. There is black magic afoot, and Harry is naturally right there in the middle of it, trying to solve the mystery.
As usual, what seems to be a simple case becomes infinitely more complex, as forces far beyond amateur black magicians are at play. Implications reach as far away as Faerie and as close to home as Harry's best friends. It really is a great book.
Harry and Murphy at least start to talk about what they are to each other, about whether or not there is or ever will be an "us." They come to a conclusion but I don't think anyone of them (Harry, Murphy, or even Thomas) actually believe it.
Each book has its own small errors in it. One book had Harry using an elevator during a city-wide power outage. This book said that a mini-van was "crushed as if with a wrecking ball" and yet two pages later everyone is piled into that same mini-van and driving down the street. Editorial errors aside, this book and this series is a real winner. I'm sad that I'm starting to run out of books.
