They're worth a read from the library. There's some good original stuff buried in there.
Avoid Butcher's "Furies" series, though. I just finished the last one on sheer bloody-mindedness. I'd read the first five, liking each less than the previous one; damned if I didn't finish the last one no matter how hard I wanted to fling it.
They're very addictive mindcandy. The first few are worth the read for anyone who likes urban fantasy; after that ... it depends; drcpunk got fed up with the power escalation, and while it doesn't bother me, she has a point. That said, you won't have missed great literature if you skip them.
Do read in order; the twists and turns of both the world-plot and the character-building are interesting.
The first one or two aren't very good. They're all terribly wordy, but somewhere in books 4-7 or so he gets a handle on what he's doing and the books become pretty decent. And Dresden himself is so damn likable I often don't mind the extra verbiage.
That said, I prefer Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels when it comes to "that kind of thing."
Ah well. I've also had a powerful urge to read a bunch more PK Dick (after re-reading High Castle recently) and Samuel Delany. Maybe that's the urge to indulge.
I've never read the first nor felt any lack from this. The second is really good. So is the fourth, which I read first, and which stood alone just fine. I'm not sure what I think of the third. I liked the fifth, more or less, though I have issues with not the ending per se, but the way it's presented. There was a lot I liked about the sixth -- but that's also where I decided to get off. It wasn't just the power escalation. It was the B-plot, where Harry decides to get proactive so the author can have a B-plot, but at the end, accomplishes nothing. Oh, but, fans assure me, it is set up for book 7. In that case, I contend, it should be in book 7.
So, why are you thinking of reading them? I don't think there's anything especially new there, from your point of view.
Hi, would it be okay to add you? Found you via Google. I'm reading the Book of the New Sun and having your handy set of thoughts and definitions and whatnot would be great.
Personally, I liked them. I agree with prior posters: they are fun mindcandy, there is an issue of power escalation but it gets caught in time.
IMNSHO, Butcher catches the power escalation just as it's about to cross the line into "ok, now he's just stupid" and nerfs Dresden back to reasonable levels. Furthermore, he does it in an interesting way that has the potential for some cool future plot coupons. Interestingly, he does NOT nerf the opposition at the same time, so we'll see what happens in later books.
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Avoid Butcher's "Furies" series, though. I just finished the last one on sheer bloody-mindedness. I'd read the first five, liking each less than the previous one; damned if I didn't finish the last one no matter how hard I wanted to fling it.
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Do read in order; the twists and turns of both the world-plot and the character-building are interesting.
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That said, I prefer Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels when it comes to "that kind of thing."
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Ah well. I've also had a powerful urge to read a bunch more PK Dick (after re-reading High Castle recently) and Samuel Delany. Maybe that's the urge to indulge.
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The second is really good. So is the fourth, which I read first, and which stood alone just fine.
I'm not sure what I think of the third. I liked the fifth, more or less, though I have issues with not the ending per se, but the way it's presented.
There was a lot I liked about the sixth -- but that's also where I decided to get off. It wasn't just the power escalation. It was the B-plot, where Harry decides to get proactive so the author can have a B-plot, but at the end, accomplishes nothing. Oh, but, fans assure me, it is set up for book 7. In that case, I contend, it should be in book 7.
So, why are you thinking of reading them? I don't think there's anything especially new there, from your point of view.
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I just wrote handing for handy. Edited.
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Personally, I liked them. I agree with prior posters: they are fun mindcandy, there is an issue of power escalation but it gets caught in time.
IMNSHO, Butcher catches the power escalation just as it's about to cross the line into "ok, now he's just stupid" and nerfs Dresden back to reasonable levels. Furthermore, he does it in an interesting way that has the potential for some cool future plot coupons. Interestingly, he does NOT nerf the opposition at the same time, so we'll see what happens in later books.