Helpful Score: 4
Harry Dresden is in a whole lot of trouble. His actions precipitated a war between the Vampire's Red Court and the Wizards White Council. His girl friend was "infected" by the vampires and Harry has been spending every waking minute searching for a cure for her - to the point where he isn't working, isn't bathing, isn't really even eating. He is about to be evicted from his office for not paying his rent. Not only that, but assassins are after him and he has been summoned to the Wizard's council to account for his actions. Could his day get any worse ... this is Harry Dresden, of course it could ... in pops the winter queen of the faeries. It seems that his fairy godmother has sold her hold over Harry and now the winter queen wants Harry to figure out who killed the Summer Knight. He doesn't want to work for her, but isn't given any choice ... and, of course, the fate of the entire world rests on Harry solving the case in time. Fun read!
Helpful Score: 3
Best so far. Harry, the werewolves and the pixies wind up in the middle of a war between the faeries of the Summer and Winter Courts as a test from the White Council. Fast paced action - really fun book.
It's fast-paced with interesting new characters added, although it does lack any interaction with some of the "standard" characters for various reasons. I literally laughed out loud more than once, and I think it's worth reading to the end just for the light-hearted denouement.
Helpful Score: 1
Harry is up to his old tricks. This time the world is at stake and he has to rely on his instincts about women to boot. Can he do it? I liked this book better than the first three.
Helpful Score: 1
Light and humorous reading. This series is fantasy for those who do not want to get to serious about their monsters and badguys or heroes.
Mab, the Winter Queen of the Faeries, offers Harry Dresden a chance to free himself from the hold his Faerie Godmother has over him. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Knight and clear the Winter Queen's name. Reluctantly, Harry agrees and soon finds himself in the middle of a war between the fairy courts with the fate of the entire world resting on solving this case.
Another fast paced Harry Dresden book. In this book we meet a few new characters, and we also learn a lot about the Wizard's White Council and their new war with the Red Court Vampires. My rating: 4 Stars.
Another fast paced Harry Dresden book. In this book we meet a few new characters, and we also learn a lot about the Wizard's White Council and their new war with the Red Court Vampires. My rating: 4 Stars.
This series just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait to read the next book.
My least fave Dresden book to date. Harry stumbles through the story, has a typical "Ah Ha!" moment, solves the immediate problem, and voila, good for another week. Lots of problems still left to deal with though, so we shouldn't worry that Harry will take charge, grow a spine, or otherwise act like a real adult.
And the white council? Enough to make ME want to be a dark wizard, or whatever their equivalent is :-)
And the white council? Enough to make ME want to be a dark wizard, or whatever their equivalent is :-)
This is Book 4 of the Dresden Files.
I have said that these books keep getting better. This is the best one yet.
The political consequences at the end of Book 3 set the scene for the turmoil at the start of Book 4. Harry is in deep, hemmed in from all sides by the White Council, the Red Court, the Winter Lady, missing persons, and a whole list of people (dead, alive, and otherwise) who are trying to get him killed.
There is a lot going on in this book. It gets pretty busy in the middle and timelines are a little fuzzy, but in all it turns out to be a great political chess game where the answers aren't revealed until the very end. There are plenty of surprises here, and you are given the very first glimpse into the inner workings of the White Council.
Some of the issues are resolved in one way or another, but other issues remain open-ended and will hopefully be addressed in the coming books. Butcher is building an incredible world here and he is making each new adventure well worth the ride.
I have said that these books keep getting better. This is the best one yet.
The political consequences at the end of Book 3 set the scene for the turmoil at the start of Book 4. Harry is in deep, hemmed in from all sides by the White Council, the Red Court, the Winter Lady, missing persons, and a whole list of people (dead, alive, and otherwise) who are trying to get him killed.
There is a lot going on in this book. It gets pretty busy in the middle and timelines are a little fuzzy, but in all it turns out to be a great political chess game where the answers aren't revealed until the very end. There are plenty of surprises here, and you are given the very first glimpse into the inner workings of the White Council.
Some of the issues are resolved in one way or another, but other issues remain open-ended and will hopefully be addressed in the coming books. Butcher is building an incredible world here and he is making each new adventure well worth the ride.
Ass always Harry Dresden keeps us on the edge of our seat until the end of the book. I always enjoy the antics of Harry and his crew
This is my favorite of the series so far. I love reading good faerie books and having Dresden getting really involved with them in this story was awesome for me. The faerie setup in this story flowed well with other books I've read, which was a huge plus too.
I like how Billy and the Alphas are still around, helping Harry out. I also enjoyed the fact that, while Murphy was still in the story, this book wasn't heavily involved with the police.
I like how Billy and the Alphas are still around, helping Harry out. I also enjoyed the fact that, while Murphy was still in the story, this book wasn't heavily involved with the police.
My favorite Dresden File so far. Chock full of all the elements a fantasy reader loves the most. Great writing!
Love the Dresden Files..keeps getting better with each book.
Harry's been down since his girlfriend got halfway turned into a vampire and left him, and he doesn't seem to care about anything anymore. He's got his werewolf friends worried about him, especially since the Red Court vampires have declared war on the Wizard Council because of him. And now the Winter Queen of Faerie wants him to find out who murdered the Summer Queen's Knight to clear her name. What she doesn't tell him is that the world as he knows it might come to an end if he doesn't succeed.
While Butcher's books seem to escalate in action as the series progresses, these last two in particular are beginning to remind me of the Die Hard movie series - lots of punches, lots of blood, and yet the hero keeps getting up and throwing one more punch back at the bad guys. Where he gets the energy you just can't figure out. Still, it makes for entertaining reading!
While Butcher's books seem to escalate in action as the series progresses, these last two in particular are beginning to remind me of the Die Hard movie series - lots of punches, lots of blood, and yet the hero keeps getting up and throwing one more punch back at the bad guys. Where he gets the energy you just can't figure out. Still, it makes for entertaining reading!
Over the course of the last three books of the Dresden Files series I've come to expect Jim Butcher to give me something different every time, not just in terms of Dresden's adversaries and allies but also in terms of the difficulty of his task and the character arc. I've come to look forward to finding out what supernatural species was going to come up on the stage next. I've come to relish the smart-alec and often beat up but never beatdown Harry. I thought I had the general system all worked out. And then Butcher surprised me.
What surprised me most was the emotional journey on which the author took Harry. The last time I saw this level of character development in a fantasy series was in the Abhorsen Chronicles and I was glad to discover a similar depth in the Dresden Files. One of my favorite things about Butcher's writing in this novel is how well he showed the extent of Harry's depression and downright desperation. Grave Peril didn't end very well for the wizard and from the very first pages the fallout was obvious in everything from dark sarcasm to the state of Harry's life. Things started to turn around so gradually that I almost missed it, but I sure was glad to see it happen. After all, who wants the protagonist to be semi-suicidal for the nearest foreseable future, right?
The story has grown too. All the familiar elements were there but this time every aspect was taken to the next level - the villain is the most powerful being Harry has battled so far, the life of the entire planet is at stake, and the guys who should be helping are leaving Dresden out in the cold. Fortunately it wasn't just about the circumstances. This time around experience and the willingness to take a risk weren't going to be enough, and fire and wind magic was useless against beings with unlimited power. This time it was as much about keeping at it despite a seemingly no-win situation, not falling apart because of guilt and pain over the past, and being able to tell who is a friend and who is a foe waiting to put a deadly spell on you.
If you're wondering what supernatural species is front and center in this novel you're in for a treat: this story is all about the fey. You know, Summer and Winter courts, Queens, bargains one's better off not making. It was dangerous and a little disturbing but, true to the Dresden Files ways, a lot of fun.
Reading this book was like starting to see what the puzzle will look like after having only the simpler pieces to work with. I look forward to seeing more of the big picture.
What surprised me most was the emotional journey on which the author took Harry. The last time I saw this level of character development in a fantasy series was in the Abhorsen Chronicles and I was glad to discover a similar depth in the Dresden Files. One of my favorite things about Butcher's writing in this novel is how well he showed the extent of Harry's depression and downright desperation. Grave Peril didn't end very well for the wizard and from the very first pages the fallout was obvious in everything from dark sarcasm to the state of Harry's life. Things started to turn around so gradually that I almost missed it, but I sure was glad to see it happen. After all, who wants the protagonist to be semi-suicidal for the nearest foreseable future, right?
The story has grown too. All the familiar elements were there but this time every aspect was taken to the next level - the villain is the most powerful being Harry has battled so far, the life of the entire planet is at stake, and the guys who should be helping are leaving Dresden out in the cold. Fortunately it wasn't just about the circumstances. This time around experience and the willingness to take a risk weren't going to be enough, and fire and wind magic was useless against beings with unlimited power. This time it was as much about keeping at it despite a seemingly no-win situation, not falling apart because of guilt and pain over the past, and being able to tell who is a friend and who is a foe waiting to put a deadly spell on you.
If you're wondering what supernatural species is front and center in this novel you're in for a treat: this story is all about the fey. You know, Summer and Winter courts, Queens, bargains one's better off not making. It was dangerous and a little disturbing but, true to the Dresden Files ways, a lot of fun.
Reading this book was like starting to see what the puzzle will look like after having only the simpler pieces to work with. I look forward to seeing more of the big picture.
I love this series!! This is the 4th, if you haven't read the 1st three on the Harry Dresden series then don't start with this one!! But DO start at the beginning, great series!
I keep waiting for the Dresden Files books to start feeling repetitive, but I have been pleasantly surprised that not only do they still have great stories to offer, but each one is better than the one before. In this fourth novel of the series, Harry must solve a murder of someone who is not who he seems. In the process of solving the mystery Harry must save his own life which is threatened by angry vampires, prevent the White Council of Wizards from turning him over to the vampires, find a missing girl, and stop a war between the faerie courts that could mean very bad things for the human world. I liked how Butcher uses politics between and among the supernatural beings to further the story line. I also really like Harry, he is definitely a character that I want to see succeed.
It took me a bit to read this, but not because it was boring or hard to keep my attention--just busy with other things in my life. The last three chapters in my opinion were the best and I definitely enjoyed reading this particular Dresden tale. I definitely recommend reading this particular book.
Linda A. (Springfieldreader) reviewed Summer Knight (Dresden Files, Bk 4) on + 458 more book reviews
Good sci-fi
Like always, Harry Dresden entertains and makes me laugh. :) I love this series, and this book was a great installment.
This book is fantastic ranks up there with his first Storm Front as being his best, in my opinion.
awesome book
As spectacular as ever!
Book four, in which Harry learns a lot more about the Sidhe.
Well, this one starts just about where the previous one (Grave Peril) left offexcept that it is raining toads over a lake somewhere in Chicago and Billy the werewolf seems to be Harrys sidekick. He nudges Harry out of the black hole he put himself in due to the guilt of Susans (Harrys girlfriend) predicament. Unfortunately, the appointment Billy set up for Harry is with a Sidhe Queen a.k.a Faerie royalty Mab to be precise.
During the appointment, Harry learns his contract with his godmother (Leanansidhe) was sold to Mab. This is a healthy dose of reality since the terms of this sale were put into the metaphors of debt! For example, the fae have a way of making sure that further bargains only get you in deeper, instead of into the clear. Just like credit card companies, or those student loan people. Now theres evil for you. (26)
Then onto the White Council meeting where naturally Harry is blamed for the war with the vampires and Morgan (a warden of the council) wants to kills him all over again. To make matters worse, he learns that his renewed contract with Mab is a key piece to the wizard/vampire war.
So, Harry runs around Chicago trying to fulfill the contract by finding a killer. In turn, he asks Billy to watch his back. He asks Murphy for help instead of the other way around. He also meets a bunch of Changelings and learns through first hand experience about the hierarchy of the Faeries. (i.e.: The Queen that was - Mother, the Queen that is just the Queen, and the Queen to come the Lady. Perhaps this is Jim Butchers nod to the tarot deck: Past, Present, and Future.)
While trying to find the killer and missing object, Harry ventures more into the Faerie worlds within our own, the Nevernever, and another sort of purgatory. All the while he is venturing deeper into a war. No, not the wizard/vampire war; the war between Summer and Winter. For a good laugh, what is his battle cry: I dont believe in faeries! (296)
And as usual in the Jim Butcher fashion, almost everything ends well.
Again, there are good laughs or bits of sarcasm, like when Harry thinks to himself: Phenomenal cosmic powers be damned. I have a lease. (17) Or how about the constant reminder that a man is writingi.e.: In the ruins of my office stood a woman with the kind of beauty that makes men murder friends and start wars. (16) (Troy anyone?) A mix of the two: Mab tilted her head, watching me with that same smile. Maybe she didnt get the reference. Or maybe she didnt like being compared to a thirty-story lizard. Or maybe she did like. I mean, how should I know? I have enough trouble figuring out human women. (24) Maybe a new category to spice things up - things that make you go hmnnn: I looked down at my hurting hand and scowled. I didnt think you were much into freedom as a concept, Mab. You should not presume, wizard. I adore freedom. Anyone who doesnt have it wants it. (26) Another for this category: But this is where it always begins. Monsters are born of pain and grief and loss and anger. Your heart is full of them. (175)
During the appointment, Harry learns his contract with his godmother (Leanansidhe) was sold to Mab. This is a healthy dose of reality since the terms of this sale were put into the metaphors of debt! For example, the fae have a way of making sure that further bargains only get you in deeper, instead of into the clear. Just like credit card companies, or those student loan people. Now theres evil for you. (26)
Then onto the White Council meeting where naturally Harry is blamed for the war with the vampires and Morgan (a warden of the council) wants to kills him all over again. To make matters worse, he learns that his renewed contract with Mab is a key piece to the wizard/vampire war.
So, Harry runs around Chicago trying to fulfill the contract by finding a killer. In turn, he asks Billy to watch his back. He asks Murphy for help instead of the other way around. He also meets a bunch of Changelings and learns through first hand experience about the hierarchy of the Faeries. (i.e.: The Queen that was - Mother, the Queen that is just the Queen, and the Queen to come the Lady. Perhaps this is Jim Butchers nod to the tarot deck: Past, Present, and Future.)
While trying to find the killer and missing object, Harry ventures more into the Faerie worlds within our own, the Nevernever, and another sort of purgatory. All the while he is venturing deeper into a war. No, not the wizard/vampire war; the war between Summer and Winter. For a good laugh, what is his battle cry: I dont believe in faeries! (296)
And as usual in the Jim Butcher fashion, almost everything ends well.
Again, there are good laughs or bits of sarcasm, like when Harry thinks to himself: Phenomenal cosmic powers be damned. I have a lease. (17) Or how about the constant reminder that a man is writingi.e.: In the ruins of my office stood a woman with the kind of beauty that makes men murder friends and start wars. (16) (Troy anyone?) A mix of the two: Mab tilted her head, watching me with that same smile. Maybe she didnt get the reference. Or maybe she didnt like being compared to a thirty-story lizard. Or maybe she did like. I mean, how should I know? I have enough trouble figuring out human women. (24) Maybe a new category to spice things up - things that make you go hmnnn: I looked down at my hurting hand and scowled. I didnt think you were much into freedom as a concept, Mab. You should not presume, wizard. I adore freedom. Anyone who doesnt have it wants it. (26) Another for this category: But this is where it always begins. Monsters are born of pain and grief and loss and anger. Your heart is full of them. (175)
