The ghosts of Chicago are on the loose and it's up to Harry to find out why. With the help of his friend, Michael, who carries one of the swords of God, Harry tries to discover the meaning for the tempest in the spirit world while trying to protect and save those he cares about. Unfortunately, Harry is just a bit slow in coming to the right conclusions, even slower in finding a way to deal with it, and his solution may land him in even more hot water with both the bad and the good guys!
Impression: I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than the previous Dresden Files books. There was a bit more depth to me, and the character movement was very well done - changes were made, but they were made within the character instead of turning the character around 180 degrees the way at least one series has done in my recent reading past. And I really enjoyed Michael, although the similarities to a certain archangel were a bit heavy handed. I did come to the conclusions about who was responsible for the problems with the ghosts before Harry did, but that didn't make the ending - which was rather spectacular - any less satisfying as the author did make sure to have a few surprises left for his readers.
I like that the Dresden books seem to be getting less "fluffy," and that they are turning into deeper, more complex books. The plots are more developed and the characters are interesting. This whole series could have easily remained light, throw-away reading entertainment, and I'm very glad to see that Butcher has opted not to go that route. Instead, he's aiming for some thought provoking reading that entertains, but definitely isn't light or throw-away.
