Book: Storm Front
Series: The Dresden Files
Author: Jim Butcher
Pages: 315
Harry Dresden is a real live Wizard, the only one in the Chicago phone book. He's also an on-call investigator with Special Investigation unit of Chicago P.D. And he's having a bad day.
A call from Lt. Karrin Murphy of Special Investigationslet Harry to the scene of a gruesome double-murder by magic, a crime only hecould solve.
But not everyone wanted it solved. Gangland boss Johnny Marcone, Chicago's Gentleman Don, wanted Harry to back off so he could seek justice on his own terms. It could be bad for Harry's health to cross him.
Oh, and just tryng to figure out the spell that did the job risked provoking the White Council, ruling body of wizards everywhere, and bringing a death scentece down on Harry!
The smart thing to do is just walk away. But Harry Dresden didn't get where he is by doing the smart thing.
Hello my dearest Angels!
The week would be quite short and promises holiday smiles! This is why in the spirit of a holiday I have decided not to waste time and give you a review to this book! Keep reading!
Me, as a person who loves fantasy , like every kind of fantasy, I was quite excited to try this book. A long time ago, during the dinosaur era, when I was still young and unexperienced in the book world, I have thought that "Storm front" is brilliant. That was long time ago, and me, as a fourteen-year-old was quite enjoyng the book. First - who does even gives to their fourteen-year-old such a book? Thanks a lot, mom and dad! Should I say Grandma? Because she was the one that first took me to the public library. And second - what does a fourteen-year-old girl knows about fantasy books? Like I said - I was young.
Now, when I get back to this book and read it again... I wonder what was I thinking... I am not going to be able to say anything good about it. The description of the back cover sounds quite promising and nice. Only it looks like it. I am starting to read and go to the end of the first chapter. I wonder can this get any boring? I make myself continue. And then there are twenty seven chapters of endless torture.
The main character - the wizard Harry Dresden keeps telling us how chovinistic he is, and he doesn't want to change a thing. He likes his life in an old world, without electricity, without technologies, everything around him falls apart and he is not intending to lift his finger and do anything about it. He is apparently not a fan of changes. He's comfortable this way. This is how Jim Butcher choose to build Harry's character: he took a bit of sexism; a main character that is reluctant to everything around him and is doubting everybody and everything; he added a bit of bad descriptions that are way too boring, blunt, and are annoying the reader; then added a bit of lack of density and substance to the descriptions; then he added a big dose of lack of sense and logic to the main character's thinking, whose strength is just supposed to be in the brain department. And voila! We got Harry Dresden - a wizard. It makes me sick even the fact that there are eleven or thirteen more books of this nonsense monstrocity.
Now, put this character in a situation where he works 'successfully' for the P.D. and we have the most commont plot twist ever! Wow! No writer could ever think of that. Now, I only want to underline the fact that Harry Dresden is not at all physically strong, and if you ask me - he is not mentally as well. Harry's mentality is labile, he is afraid of everthing that comes in his way but he is determined to show everyone that he is not afraid and he is strong. And then we add arrogance to the picture, although I can't quite wrap around my head where does the arrogance comes from. Maybe it is because of the fact that he is supposed to be the best wizard in the world, although he gets beat up by the bad guys all the time and he can't do anything about it.
Then we go to the magical part, that is supposed to be the leading force of a wizard. I go through the pages like a storm and I wonder where the magic is. Well, it was supposed to be here somewhere, right? Harry is a wizard, so there must be magic. Am I mistaken? I mean if Harry is a wizard, why does he everytime wonders will he die because he doesn't have his magic wand, or staff, or whatever that is supposed to be... Now I start to wonder is this just a bad written fantasy or just a bad written detective novel. It's quite obvious though that it is for sure bad written book. I barely got myself through the fist hundred pages. And this whole time I've wondered why do I keep reading such illogical actions and such inconsistent acts.
Harry has the tendency to sit still in one place, then something happens to him and all out of a sudden he starts describing something completely different and out of place. There are thoughts going on through his head, that doesn't have anything in common with the situation thathe is. And just when you start thinking that there will be at least bit of consistency around the plot twist and the acts - Jim Butcher proves you wrong over and over again.
I think that you already got the picture and I can't really say anything good about this book. If I have to be honest, the book was more like a tasteless retelling of an urban story, with desperate tries of copying another fictional characters, that are working with the P.D. and have a touch with the supernatural world. The idea of this is not at all bad, it's just the writing of the author is. It lacks the whole consistency of acts and thoughts of the main character, and let's not even mention Harry Dresden's charater. If Jim Butcher thought that it's perfectly okay to have a paranoic, passive, boring, arrogant and underestimating himself chauvinist as a main character - it was a bad idea.
And since I think that is quite enough of bad emotions and negative feelings over this book, the only thing I would say is: the book was not even close to fantasy, nor to mystery. I think it would be a complete waste of time and effort for everyone who decides to read it. The book is pedantic, illogical at times,and monotonous There is no charisma, or humour (at least not the one that readers would enjoy), there is no presence of excitement or suspence that will keep you wondering what would happen, and the whole plot twist is just blunt.
I can't give more than 1 / 5 stars to this excuse of a fantasy book.
And this over here should sum up my whole experience and expression about the book:
If you have different opinion than mine, then please share - I would love to hear your thoughts and a different perspective and point of view on that book.
Here ends all my revelations and passions for today, and I will see you, Angels in the next review!
And until then, don't forget: A book a day keeps the reality away!
XoXo, - K.