When Mavra, the leader of the Black Court vampires, makes a deal with Harry that he cannot refuse, he discovers that Murphy may not be the only one in trouble if he doesn't succeed in finding a book that more than one person who's into the dead wants. The search for the Word of Kemmler becomes a race for power between Harry and Kemmler's remaining apprentices while the Red Court battles it out with the White Council. At the same time, Harry must deal with a fallen angel, demons, and more undead than he ever thought he'd meet in the space of three days.
Impression: The Dresden Files tends to be a little inconsistent in the writing (although they are all good), but Dead Beat definitely falls in as one of the best in the series -- better than Storm Front, maybe even better than Grave Peril. I think my only concern about the novels at this point is that all this wanting Harry won't pay off later in the series It's been shown time and time again he's not the best mage in town -- both in raw power and control there are definitely bigger fish in the magical pond, and yet he seems to have more than a few who want him on their side in some formal capacity. As more offers come out of the woodwork, you really have to wonder why. The guys who want him dead make sense, now Butcher needs to make the guys who want to give him a job make sense too. Of course, this is a concern only those who have read the whole series. For anyone reading just Dead Beat, there are other issues.
Dead Beat definitely needs to be read only after reading previous books in the series, or the events will seem too fantastical, too overdone. For those who have read the previous books in the series, however, the novel fits right in where it should. There is one lapse at the end -- something Harry said he would do that he didn't, and I wonder if that was deliberate or if Butcher will need to deal with/fix it later. Regardless, this was a fun, can't put it down read for me.
One of the stronger books in the Dresden Files, I didn't find any "holes" and wasn't distracted by anything being too obvious or too obscure. Butcher manages to keep making Harry's life more and more complicated without losing who Harry is (which is one of my major complaints about the Anita Blake books -- her life gets more complicated, but rather than using those complications to reveal Anita's character, the author has Anita do an about face and practically become a different character; it was disappointing and eventually, combined with the steady decline in the quality of writing, made me stop reading the books), and I definitely look forward to seeing how these additional complications work out. And I got to admit, I loved Sue. The writing from book to book may be inconsistent at times, but the Dresden Files is still a rare series that keeps improving with each additional book. Dead Beat definitely at the top of my recommendation list, both as part of the Dresden Files and as a dark fantasy book in general.
Btw, I did read the 2 books between Summer Knight and Dead Beat. I have no idea why I didn't review them -- probably busy because of work and all that. My plan is to reread them and do the missing reviews. They'll be out of order, but they'll be done. ;)
When the Shroud of Turin goes missing, a Red Court vampire challenges Dresden to a duel, and Harry's ex-girlfriend, Susan, comes back to town, Harry's already less than simple life reaches a whole new level of complication. Harry's hired to find the Shroud and discovers it's the key to a demonic plan, and his only clue is a headless, plague-ridden corpse. And Harry isn't the only one hunting for the Shroud. It's not long before he's dodging bullets, matching wits with the local crime boss, Marcone, and barely surviving encounters with a special kind of fallen angel known as the Denaraians. Even three Knights of the Cross might not be enough to get Harry through this one alive.
Impression: Almost from the first page, there's no rest for the wicked -- or for Harry, for that matter. Death Masks is engaging from the first word, with plot twists and a breathless, nonstop pace -- which actually works well. The reader is pulled in and kept in the story from start to finish. More than once, the reader is placed on the edge wondering if Dresden will survive the current encounter. The changes in Susan are fascinating, but go well with Butcher's take on vampires. While Death Masks isn't my favorite novel in the series, it's definitely up there.
Megan, an artist who draws seascapes, and Jonah, a shop owner, are a couple with a quiet life until Adam, a mysterious maker of jewelry enters their lives. As Megan is drawn to him, so Jonah is drawn to Adam's sister, a singer with an unearthly voice. The two are beckoned away from their home and life to the sea, neither realizing the cost of their actions until it's nearly too late. When Megan realizes the truth, she risks everything to bring Jonah back.
Impression: As always, McKillip's writing is beautiful, deep, and multi-layered, needing more than one read to catch all the nuances. However, her "message" of conservation and environmentalism was quite a bit more heavy handed than in her other works, particularly at the end when it became too obviously the point of the whole tale. While I don't mind authors having such messages or themes in their writing, I think they need to be handled with more care than it was in Something Rich and Strange. The characters were also well drawn until near the end when Jonah, completely enthralled by Adam's sister's song, suddenly does an about face. There seemed to be no real motivation to it other than seeing Megan, who he has seen before when under the song's spell. That he was in the presence of the singer and she wanted him should have made that desire in him stronger, so that merely having Megan present wouldn't be enough to bring him back to her.
Up until the ending, however, I truly enjoyed the book. I wouldn't classify it as one of my favorites, even if the ending had worked, but it was in McKillip's typical beautiful and evocative style. She uses language masterfully, expertly weaving in words that make the setting ever present. And this alone makes it worth a read for me as a writer, since her style is something I wish to develop in my own voice.
Here's the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West, from infancy to death, and not in the way you may know it. Born to an intenerate preacher and his aristocratic wife, though the true identity of her father may be somewhat in question, she goes to a prestigious girls' school, but does not graduate. Elphaba, as the witch was named at birth, instead sets herself against the Wizard of Oz when her head mistress tries to recruit her as a supporter of the order of things as they are in Oz, and leaves school to pursue her goal of deposing him . . . until the death of her sister brings her into contact with one Dorothy.
Impression: I initially couldn't put this book down. The first section on the Witch's childhood was actually very interesting. Unfortunately, the same writing that made the opening so interesting get tedious and dull for an entire novel, especially when there's not a whole lot going on action wise. Even where there was action was often rendered much less interesting than it could have been by explaining the action exposition. The book picks up a little towards the end, Maguire's changes in the story we know make sense, but it's not enough to make the novel worth the read. I know a lot of people have said this is a wonderful book, but a wonderful book doesn't take me 3 months to get through. Wicked was more a novel full of promises that it just didn't meet.
A fire has ravaged the capital city of Morenia, destroying much of the city itself, introducing a new and deadly disease, and sucking up its resources. In a desperate bid to save his people, King Halaravilli has borrowed an outrageous sum from the church and agreed to terms that will strangle his ability to rule should he fail to pay his debt. At the same time, the mysterious and powerful Fellowship is placing demands on the king that he dare not ignore if he's to make a bid for power within the cabal. In an attempt to find the funds he will need to placate the church and the Fellowship, protect his people, as well as to secure his bloodline on the throne, the King goes to Liantine to make a bid for the hand of their princess and her dowry, taking several from his court, including Ranita, with him. In Liantine, Ranita must aid her king while she herself falls under the spell of a group of players who can teach her secrets of the glasswrights. An impossible bid for a part of the silk trade becomes Ranita's and Halaravilli's hope, but they must break the stranglehold of the Liantine silk guild to succeed.
Impression:The Glasswrights' Journeyman is, so far, the best in the series. There are 2 more books that follow it, but of the 3 I've read so far, this one drew me in and kept me in despite the distraction of another book I want to really get into. In fact, I've already begun book 4 because of how well Journeyman held my attention. I'll probably end up reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Glasswrights' Test at the same time since I really want to continue the Glasswrights' journey in spite of being very drawn to the other book. And this is a good, and rare, thing.
Journeyman comes alive primarily in the plot. There's tension and conflict that draws the reader along, making you want to read more. Klasky vividly draws out the characters and the new land of Liantine and its culture. Reading the book didn’t force me to work at filling in any gaps; I was able to sit back and enjoy. The political plotting was intricate, yet clear and understandable -- important for reader like me who can find politics (fictional and otherwise) confusing and boring. The characters are full and rich, with well drawn motivations and the setting lush and deep. It was a very pleasant surprise after my disappointment with the previous book. I highly recommend this book as a good read, and, if you're reading the first book and debating the second, you could go to book 3 without book 2, but there are details from book 2 that are important, so I suggest reading through the whole series. Book 3 will more than make up for anything you may find lacking in book 2. Besides, I've found I'm in the minority as regards to book 2 anyway. ;)
Ranita Glasswright is taken hostage by King Hal's traitor brother and dragged across the ocean to his mother's kingdom, now ruled by his uncle. King Sin Hazar has plans for war, plans that include gathering the children of Amanth into his "Little Army." Ranita, along with her Touched friend, Mair, attempt escape, hoping to tell their king of Sin Hazar's plan, only to be captured when Rani must heal an injury she received during the attempt. Meanwhile, King Hal must watch his back as he fights his council and attempts to save Rani and Mair.
Impression: It took a little time for this book to really capture my interest for some reason. The writing wasn't much different than the previous novel in the series, but I just couldn’t seem to get caught up in the story. The opening was okay, but the middle seemed to drag for me. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't a good payoff for muddling through the middle either -- it gets good and intense, then is over in a flash. In fact, the resolution was too easy. I did enjoy the writing itself, but the story needed something more. So, for me, not a bad book, per se, but not the best, and not as good as the first in the series. Hopefully the third in the series will be better.
When Rani tries to save the crown prince and he ends up dead instead, her entire life is thrown into turmoil. Her guild is disbanded, its buildings razed, its lands salted, and the guild members imprisoned. Her family is arrested and killed as traitors. Forced to find her way alone through the streets, she tries to discover the truth of what happened and who is really responsible for the prince's death. To save herself and her king, she transforms herself, changing caste as she needs, until she makes it into the king's household and into the heart of the betrayal that awaits him.
Impression: I really enjoyed this book. Rani is young, but the author still gets even the adult reader caught up in her life and circumstances, and does so without losing that inexperienced child quality that Rani should have. I always find it fascinating when an author can keep me intrigued even when it seems the books is more appropriate to a younger aged reader because of the age of the main character. Klasky even manages to keep that whininess youngsters can get when things aren't working out for them without making it annoying to me as a reader. The culture she's created is rich and diverse, and well defined without the author resorting to long, drawn out explanations (which has annoyed me in other books). The twists and turns in the story kept me interested, and the writing was smooth and vivid. I wouldn’t say the book was deep, but it's a quick, enjoyable read, and sometimes that's all I need. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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I will no longer be linking to Amazon and no longer recommending Amazon as a place to purchase books I review. Amazon has repeatedly used bully tactics to reinforce its policies, even if those tactics cause harm to authors or limit customer choices. Amazon usually apologizes for the events after the fact, but that they continue to use the same methods makes those apologies hollow. I will not purchase from or encourage others to purchase from a business that chooses to take from the pockets of authors (who as a whole earn a lot less than general public realizes) and decide what the public should and should not read.
