Storm Front: The Dresden Files, Book 1

TL;DR because if you're reading this, you probably don't like walls of text: This book hooked me even when I still hated to read. It's suspenseful, comical and sarcastic even through the serious themes, and makes relatable story arcs out of fantastic and interesting circumstances. This book helped me read more and feel better about my life. No lie.This contains no spoilers other than the general structure of the series.As someone who really doesn't like reading in general, I cannot stop reading Dresden. I'm about six books in, and I haven't gotten bored in the slightest.I ordinarily hate reading. It's not that I'm bad at reading. I just hate doing it. Books I enjoyed were few and far between, and most were just tedious (and usually required in English class, and usually about people in horribly dated socioeconomic situations I just cannot connect to, dealing with problems in ways no human being would ever realistically do, with no semblance of happy ending or human strength or emotion in sight). If I was looking for a good story, vibrant world, and relateable characters, I was better off playing Bioshock: Infinite, or watching Firefly, or being unproductive in any number of non-book, generally tsked-upon ways.Then I decided reading was an important part of life, and resolved to read more. But I had no idea where to start. I tried a few things, but nothing stuck. I legitimately struggled to finish some stories that lots of people in my demographic enjoy; even though I liked the stories well enough, I didn't care enough to stick with them.This series is not like the others.First of all, if you find it difficult to keep your attention on books, look into the Kindle audiobook + ebook bundle for this (it's a great value!). The voice is the smoothest dude on the block. Ladies, you will appreciate his sound. You will appreciate his sound a LOT. He's rugged and has a talent for snark that makes this book shine.I tried this book once, actually, and had to take a second look at it. The first time, I got a little lost and couldn't tell where the mystery was going at all, so I put it down. The second time through, I read a little more actively and got hooked. Reading via audiobook helped immensely to get into it after years of hating printed story, and took away the time cost of sitting down to read - I could listen to it while working out or commuting or cleaning up or doing anything else that I found boring but required both hands and eyes. (Actually, because of Dresden, I now work out and clean a lot more than I used to....)And now, it's not just Dresden. I've built up a reading mindset strong enough to get through that 400-page slow-paced political low-fantasy book my friend keeps raving about, or brush up on my classic Lovecraft lore. And I finally sat my tush down and finished that last Harry Potter book (I know, I'm terrible if THAT was giving me trouble....)Let me also say that this particular book is the "weakest" of the series...which is to say, it goes from "good" to "great" to "amazing" from book to book. Even if you only SORT OF like Storm Front, you're bound to like Fool Moon, and you're sure to love Grave Peril...etc. The series, magic, and world is realistic and internally consistent, modern, timely, and...surprisingly tolerant and understanding of different demographics and beliefs. The main character learns something and grows as a person in every book. Sometimes he has bad days....Okay, no. Every day is a bad day to be Harry Dresden.That's the joke.Surprisingly, the lighthearted tone, sarcasm, and relief interspersed in every hardship keeps the book from FEELING dark, though logically, you know it is. It doesn't take itself seriously enough to bring you down, but it is serious and scary enough to get you invested. It actually makes me feel better about my own life. No matter what, things will never be as bad for me as they'll be for Harry Dresden.And I love it.

How do I feel about this book? Ugh! Crazy conflicted. Here goes my attempt to try to explain myself.I love love love wizards. So yeah, I’m going to like Harry. Did I really like him? You bet. Did I love him so much I couldn’t put down the book? Sadly, no. I mean, I really liked him. Um, did I mention he’s an awesome wizard? So yeah, really liked him. But (yes, there is a “but”) I felt a little distant from him. I couldn’t get a solid picture in my head and I couldn’t imagine him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s described and developed well. Maybe it’s the more humorous edge of his narration that kept me peering into the story instead of planting me firmly in it. I like humor, though, and I had no problem riding alongside Sir Edric in Thaddeus White’s comedy, Sir Edric’s Temple. For some reason, I thought Dresden would be a tougher and more aloof character. Now that I mention it, that was exactly my problem. I went into the book with a preconceived notion that wasn’t right. I was expecting something else, something my mind concocted based on the book covers. I’d even been warned that this wasn’t a dark series, but I somehow clung to the thought of a brooding character. That said, I think now that I’ve read the first book and have had my assumed character blasted apart, I’ll enjoy the second book far better.Yes, you read it right. While I wasn’t in love with Harry to the point of infatuation (like I was with Royce, Vaelin, or Kvothe), I am highly addicted to the story. I thought the magic system was great and handled brilliantly. I thought the characters were wonderfully developed (Murph was probably my second fav character next to Harry). And I found the writing to be accessible and just plain entertaining. I like Butcher’s voice. As I’ve said before, I don’t laugh out loud often when reading and it takes quite a bit to wrestle a tear from me. I laughed loudly at one part, chuckled a few times, and smiled quite a bit. For that reason alone, I will continue reading this series. But there are other reasons that are equally tasty. Like I said before, I loved Butcher’s voice. This was just a fun book to read; short, funny, clever, likable, and vastly entertaining. Though the first half dragged just a hair, the rest of the book was delightfully fast paced and kept me flipping pages. The end was satisfying and made me want more without dangling unanswered questions in front of me. I see myself reading a Butcher book once a month, maybe twice, until I’m caught up.I’m rather surprised by my reaction to this book since I’ve yet to find one outside traditional fantasy that I enjoyed as much as Dresden. I’ve liked quite a few, but this one spoke to me a bit more than the others. I think it was because of the heavy dose of magic compared to others. Have I mentioned how much I like wizards? I'm making myself a bet that I'll grow to love this series the longer I read it.Just to give you an idea, here’s a few lines that I absolutely loved:Paranoid? Probably. But just because you’re paranoid doesn't mean that there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.The only things I had clean were more sweats and another T-shirt, this one proclaiming in bold letters over a little cartoon graveyard, “EASTER HAS BEEN CANCELED—THEY FOUND THE BODY.”So to conclude this rambling review, I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fast, funny, and highly enjoyable read. Just go into it expecting something light in tone.

Eu poderia dizer um milhão de coisas a respeito desse livro. Harry é um protagonista fantástico, a trama se desenrola de maneira gostosa. A exposição é feita de maneira discreta. Super recomendo.

This was just an amazing and pleasant surprise. Not really the book I would have chosen, hadn't it been from a fantasy booktuber whom I admire so much. All this coming from me, so much into cozy mysteries and classics... This is a detective-wizard in Chicago, year 2000, advertised on the yellow pages, a true gentleman, witty, resourceful and getting himself into so much trouble. This is action-packed, humour-packed, so much fun !

The book is pure entertainment, nothing deep, and fast-paced. It's a quick read and great escapism. The book is both standalone and an introduction to the world of Harry Dresden. Other books in the series add to the world building and characters, once introduced, tend to pop up in future books as well. At the same time, each story is complete in itself. Fun, with no compulsion to read the next one. This is a series you leave and come back to when you're in the mood.

Storm Front follows wizard PI Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden as he investigates a double murder performed with magic.The concept of a wizard private detective is a lot of fun in and of itself. Harry Dresden is a (mostly) fun character to follow, compellingly carrying us through the story whilst also displaying a snarky sense of humour. The magic system seems solid and the displays of magic are all great. The mystery is compelling and the stakes continuously rise throughout, making for a very tense experience.Now, my few problems ... Yeah, they're with Harry. He's not totally awful—like I said, he's a fun narrator—but he's also a self-confessed chauvinist who thinks of women largely in terms of needing to protect them. When one of the lead characters is a badass female police lieutenant, you can see how this is a problem. Harry also takes this protective instinct to downright stupid levels and keeps a lot of vital information to himself for no good reason.I'd recommend this book to fans of both fantasy and detective stories. Despite my problems with the protagonist, I love this book and think it's a ton of fun.

Finished in a day or two. Reads like an express train. Glad I discovered it and wil be reading the sequals.