Monday Musings: Changes and Side Jobs (Dresden Files Reviews)
I recently finished two books in the Dresden Files series: Changes, the 12th novel in the series, and Side Jobs, the first anthology of Dresden short stories. Below are my brief reviews of them, and the review for Changes is spoiler-lite (any spoilers you see are those contained in the blurbs and back cover copy for the book).
Like its predecessor, Turn Coat, Changes hits the ground running, with Harry learning that he has a child, a daughter, who has been kidnapped by the Red Court of vampires. Rescuing her involves reuniting with Harry's old love, Susan Rodriguez, and putting himself and many of his closest friends and allies on the line. The question at the heart of the story is how far will Harry go to save his little girl?
Changes is perhaps the only title in the series to not have some sort of play on words or double meaning in it. It is straightforward, and the story inside is what it says on the tin. Everything changes with this book. Butcher has said on multiple occasions that this is the midpoint of the larger story (though not necessarily of the series by book count). Many lingering threads are brought back to the forefront of the story, and Harry makes more than one decision that he's been debating for a while.
This book was almost as strong an entry in the series as Turn Coat; my only hesitation in saying it's as good or better is that there is less of a mystery to solve. While the action doesn't relent much, this is still a page-turner and well worth the read if you've made it this far into the Dresden Files. (Note: You WILL want a copy of the next book, Ghost Story on hand when you finish Changes.)
Like its predecessor, Turn Coat, Changes hits the ground running, with Harry learning that he has a child, a daughter, who has been kidnapped by the Red Court of vampires. Rescuing her involves reuniting with Harry's old love, Susan Rodriguez, and putting himself and many of his closest friends and allies on the line. The question at the heart of the story is how far will Harry go to save his little girl?
Changes is perhaps the only title in the series to not have some sort of play on words or double meaning in it. It is straightforward, and the story inside is what it says on the tin. Everything changes with this book. Butcher has said on multiple occasions that this is the midpoint of the larger story (though not necessarily of the series by book count). Many lingering threads are brought back to the forefront of the story, and Harry makes more than one decision that he's been debating for a while.
This book was almost as strong an entry in the series as Turn Coat; my only hesitation in saying it's as good or better is that there is less of a mystery to solve. While the action doesn't relent much, this is still a page-turner and well worth the read if you've made it this far into the Dresden Files. (Note: You WILL want a copy of the next book, Ghost Story on hand when you finish Changes.)
Jim Butcher is a novelist, but sometimes he writes short stories and novellas (hey, that sounds like me), mostly when he's invited to participate in big-name themed anthologies (and that's where the similarities end). The first couple of stories in this collection are early stories that can be read for free at Butcher's website. "A Restoration of Faith" serves as an early glimpse into the world of Harry Dresden, back before he'd become a private investigator in his own right. It also gives us Harry's first meeting with Officer Karrin Murphy. For that alone, it's worth reading. "Vignette" is essentially a conversation between Bob and Harry about advertising and is memorable for being one more example of their on-page humor. "Something Borrowed" details Billy and Georgia's wedding, with Harry-related hijinks ensuing. "It's My Birthday Too" is a Thomas-centric story with LARPing (that's Live Action Role Playing for you non-geeks out there). "Heorot" is a Beowulf-inspired story that teams Harry up with Gard (security woman for John Marcone) on a mission brought to Harry's attention by Mac.
"Day Off" is a humorous take on what Harry's days away from all of his jobs look like. "Backup" is another Thomas story, this time from his POV; it introduces the concept of the Oblivion War into the story, and is probably all we're likely to get on that score for some time. "The Warrior" focuses on Michael Carpenter and family after the events of Small Favor (book ten in the series). "Last Call" serves as a sequel of sorts to "Heorot" in that Mac pulls Harry into another case, this time teaming up with Murphy. "Love Hurts" follows up on many of the ideas of "Last Call," again focusing on Harry and Murphy. "Aftermath" is a novella exclusive to this collection that follows Murphy's POV after the events of Changes.
Many of the stories in this collection are, as the title implies, side stories. Fulfilling for those who have read deep into the series, but not technically important in the overall scheme of things. That being said, all of the stories here are enjoyable and many of them feature some of my favorite non-Harry characters, such as Thomas, Murphy, and the Alphas (Billy, Georgia, and the rest). If you're just looking for the important stuff, read "A Restoration of Faith" (as Butcher has said this story will come back into the series in the end), "Heorot" (for the Gard development), "Backup" (for the Oblivion War and the glimpse into Thomas' viewpoint), and the last three stories in the collection ("Last Call," "Love Hurts," and "Aftermath") [for the necessary development of both Murphy's character and her relationship with Harry].
There are Changes and Side Jobs. I'll be reviewing Ghost Story, the next in the series, just as soon as I finish it.
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