the books of Jim Butcher

[Belial]

The derivative-ness of the Vord really didn't bother me, because the entire series is derivative. The whole thing happened because of a forum argument about whether you could write a good book with a silly, derivative premise. Butcher decided to one-up the argument by using two silly premises: the lost roman legion, and pokemon.

Around book 3, he clearly just decided to throw starcraft in there for giggles.

Anyway, yeah, it's clearly pulp fantasy, and I found it amusing to consume, but it takes all kinds. As for the plot, Isana's whole deal is slightly less transparent and more fiddly than the bigger plot twists which are kindof telegraphed a ways out.

[emceng]

Started Book six last night. At this point I don't even want to read it, as find out what happens. I may do a little more skimming than studious reading.

Spoiler:

Isana still pisses me off - boohoo, Gaius was kind of a dick even though I never even met him, boohoo, 20 years later I'm still not over it.

Amara is also annoying. Way too much lovey dovey crap.

[Magius Cabal]

Jim Butcher is currently my #1 favorite author!

And Harry Dresden is my favorite noir detective!

Yes, I would recommend The Dresden Files to fans of the urban fantasy genre.

I finished Ghost Story months ago. Now I am eagerly waiting for Cold Days to come out. Waiting...waiting...waiting...

[JudeMorrigan]

Anyone else finished Cold Days yet?

Spoiler:

Maeve having the taint (so to speak) and it allowing her to lie was really freaking obvious, but I will admit that I was rather blindsided by Molly's fate. That should make for a fun dynamic in future books.

[emceng]

Cold Days arrived Tuesday night. I really want to read it, but I have a business trip next week, so I'm saving it for travel reading. Which for me is a problem - I seem to take 2-3 large, heavy books in my carry-on every time, then seem to cram 3 more into my suit case. Unless I really have nothing to do, I rarely even get the first book finished.

[emceng]

Ok, minor spoiler from first maybe 100 pages. It's a question relating to previous books:

Spoiler:

Harry thinks something about how the last time he'd seen Maeve, she'd tried to ruin one of his friend's weddings. I really don't remember that happening. Which friends got married? Which book was it in?

[JudeMorrigan]

It's a reference to one of the short stories in Side Jobs where

Spoiler:

Maeve sends one of her minions to mess with Billy and Georgia's wedding.

Suffice it to say, that's not a reference I think one can necessarily be expected to get.

[emceng]

Ahh. I should really pick up Side Jobs some time, since I love the series.

[emceng]

Anyone else finished Cold Days yet?

Spoiler:

Maeve having the taint (so to speak) and it allowing her to lie was really freaking obvious, but I will admit that I was rather blindsided by Molly's fate. That should make for a fun dynamic in future books.

Yeah, same here.

Spoiler:

Sarissa's role was pretty obvious(felt like Harry should have realized it). The Molly thing - damn it. Kind of depressing. Also a bit annoying with Karrin. I mean enough already, figure it out. But then the books only ocurred over about 36 hours, so maybe the next will give at least a bit of resolution to that.

I was satisfied with it last night, but after writing this post I'm thinking 'dammit, when will the next be out?'

[Tyndmyr]

IMO the first book is probably the weakest of the lot.

How much better does it get? I've heard so many good things about this series, but the first book really didn't impress me much. I wouldn't say it was bad-- I just didn't feel much more than vague irritation for the main character. A testosterone overdose, perchance. Is it worth trying the rest of the series, or is it probably just not my cup of tea?

Also, any insight into the Codex Alera series would be appreciated. I can never find them in my local library.

If my local library has a request system, I can almost guarantee yours does. That's how I had to get my hands on the first Dresden book-- my usual branch doesn't carry any Jim Butcher books at all, as far as I can tell. If other libraries in town don't have it, they have arrangements in place to borrow things from libraries all over. All you should have to do is fill out a form. And endure a lot more hassle if you lose the book. ^^

The first book very much has a "first novel" feel to it...don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it's got some rough edges. Later, things get a bit more nuanced. He's still actiony, women are still sexy, there's still some mystery, etc, but so much more also gets developed that it really improves as it goes. I'd agree that the third book is solid. Not the pinnacle, perhaps, but if you're not enjoying it by then, it's likely that the series just isn't your cup of tea.

Codex Alara, i'm afraid, I must agree with Cathrl's assessment. It's much more of a traditional fantasy novel. Not bad, in fact, well executed, but lacking the really unique flavor. I read the first one, haven't bothered to continue.

I admit, I'm not a fan of the TV show. Probably at least partially a result of reading the books first. A *lot* of TV shows can't measure up to their books. In fantasy, GoT is the only exception I can think of.

Ggrogg. As to why some of those things happen, explanations exist within the books themselves. For instance, why doesn't he wade into MORE gunfight situations relying on his bracelet? Well, his bracelet is merely an aide for him to protect himself. he can protect himself from a limited number of bullets at the cost of burning through his magical reserve. This is not ideal in all circumstances.

Why doesn't he use the sight? It's explained frequently that the sight kind of burns things into your mind. It is not a pleasant experience, but rather, a dangerous one. Not using it if you don't need to is rational.

Falls asleep in vampire lair...is it possible you didn't read this section? The vampires drugged him. Not voluntary on his part.

I get not liking the books, but this seems like a tragic mix of "doesn't understand that the hero has flaws" and "didn't read the parts where the rules were explained".

Cold Days was great, fast paced, quick read...I figured out some of the twists shortly before the story reveals them...which I think is perfectly fine. Foreshadowing and the like is more important than a sudden reveal. Both Maeve and Sarissa were examples I got...Molly I didn't see coming in advance, though.

[Christophoros]

What did people think of Side Jobs? I've just read it and Cold Days over the last few days, and I really noticed the references in CD to the short stories in SJ. Has anyone read CD without reading SJ? Did you ever feel like you were missing something, or did you not notice?

Answering my own question, I really liked the way SJ explores some of the other characters. My favourite I think was Murhphy's story set between Ghost Story and Cold Days, about how his friends are coping without him around to save the day.

[Chen]

Bumping this since Skin Game came out almost 6 months ago and hadn't seen any discussion on it. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Spoiler:

The twist was a bit meta for my liking. It comes off as Dresden himself telling a story when it's revealed. That said I still liked it. The end bit with Butters and the lightsaber is just over the top, but I've come to expect that from the Dresden Files (undead Tyranosaurus anyone?). Harry and Karrin getting together I'm not sure about. I mean it clearly was a long time coming so that kinda worked. I just don't see how well it will go forward from there.

Interested to see what Nicodemus wanted to do with all the relics related to Jesus. Presumably it was the "knife" that he wanted which is likely the blade from the Spear of Destiny. Not clear what Nic will actually do with the Grail since he did get away with it.

Next book is titled "Peace Talks", so I'm not sure what to expect here. The only "war" I know of is the fighting with the Formori. I hope there's more with Molly next book since I'd like to see how the dynamic works between Harry/Molly/Mab. We're also probably due for a book about one of the Vampire courts again so maybe that will be included in the next one too.

[JudeMorrigan]

As far as Peace Talks goes, here's Butcher's brief description:

Spoiler:

"The various supernatural powers are gathering together in Chicago to kind of hash things out in the wake of the Red Court’s destruction and all the chaos in the world. So basically they will all sit around a campfire and tell stories and sing kumbayah and everything will be fine."

[kiniget]

so he's started a new series

it's a pretty steampunk setting, which I love, and looks to be going in some very interesting directions

what do you guys think?

[Drumheller769]

I read the Aeronaut's Windlass and thought that it was pretty good, but I tend to enjoy sprawling large scale fantasy.

[emceng]

Yeah, I read it a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it all that great. I think the big issue I had was the lack of tension. I just never felt like any of the main characters were ever in any real danger. That's way different from the Dresden Files. Even when I'm re-reading books, I still feel worried about the characters.

[kiniget]

to me it really felt like just an introduction to the setting and the characters rather than an actual part 1 of the story

all that's really happened is getting the pieces in place for the actual story to start happening from this point forward

now that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I will agree that it leaves the book feeling kind of empty and lacking in tension

in any case, I'm rather curious about where this is gonna go

[Zohar]

I just finished reading the first Dresden Files book today, and I didn't like it very much - I really didn't like the character, and while I somewhat enjoyed the story, I felt the pacing was really off, and the book was filled with a lot of obvious Chekhov's guns (not that I knew exactly how they'll come into play, but they were mostly pretty blatant. Should I bother and continue reading them? For instance, if someone told me they read the first couple of Discworlds and didn't like them, I'd suggest they continue because the series gets much better and very different.

[kiniget]

the series definitely builds on itself and gets more interesting over time, especially as it adds more characters. I really only started liking it about 3 or 4 books in. As for Harry himself he gets better over time too, his attitudes definitely start changing at least

[Tyndmyr]

Yeah. First novel suffers from traditional first novel problems. Not bad, considering, but there's a steady improvement of quality as Butcher becomes more practiced.

After the first three, he really hits his stride, I think. The reliance on formula definitely fades.