A couple of weeks ago I started reading the Dresden Files series of urban fantasy novels penned by Jim Butcher. Dresden Files tells the stories of Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing wizard. It’s set firmly in the urban fantasy genre of popular fiction, and features the main character’s struggle to keep the darker aspects of the supernatural at bay, while still making enough money to pay his rent!
This series has been running since 2000, and I am very late to the game. Somehow, for all of that time, I have managed to avoid the spoilers. It’s not easy. There are numerous web sites with great info on the series, including a really thorough Wiki page (but beware the spoilers).
There’s also a pretty awesome pen & paper RPG coming out soon from Evil Hat Studios. It’s already for sale in PDF for folks who aren’t averse to books in electronic format. Since we’re discussing Dresden in other media, there are also graphic novels and a short-lived TV show.
I am on the third book, Grave Peril, now, and Butcher’s first-person narrative style has really grabbed me. I often find first-person a little constraining, but Butcher knows his character so well he’s never at loss for letting the reader know exactly what he or she needs to, while holding back certain tantalizing elements for later revelations.
It’s kind of nice being late to the game. For a while at least, when I finish a book, I can just grab the next one in line. I’ll catch up eventually, but my assiduous avoidance of spoilers for Dresden has paid off!
–Scott
P.S. If you’re already familiar with Jim Butcher and his Dresden Files and you’re interested in exploring other urban fantasy writers’ work, check out the Urban Fantasy Writers web site, and you can get some decent mileage out of a similar keyword search on our Catalog.
P.P.S. I have only read the first two Harry Potter books, so please don’t tell me how it ends!
Eleventh Stack 