Thank God for Jim Butcher

[swedeheadchris]

I received my copy of Storm Front the other day, and I devoured it! Such a good, funny book!

I'll be reviewing it sometime soon!

http://thebookswede.blogspot.com/

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I love the series. they are a lot of fun, and I absolutely LOVE Harry.

The writing does improve a lot as the series progresses. Can't wait to read White Knight.

(thank you again Jagged )

[Roibeard]

I read the first one and really enjoyed it! will definitely be reading the sequels!

[duchess of malfi]

Reading the series in order, I've managed to make it to almost the end of Proven Guilty, and it feels like guilty pleasure reading at best. I get the impression that Butcher has never set foot in Chicago, since he's made some descriptions that are glaringly inaccurate to me, who's visited there all of twice. Wrigley Field is surrounded by "acres of parking lots"? Yeah, those are the words of someone who has a clue as to what he's talking about.

I'm someone who has spent more than a bit of time in Chicago, and yes, from the bit of Butcher I have read so far, he is lacking in even the least bit of knowledge of basic Chicago geography. In the short story that I have read (I have his novels sitting in my TBR stack) he got the locations of University of Chicago/Hyde Park area reversed with Lincoln Park in relation with where they are located in regards to downtown.

But it did not bother me. While real world Chicago is overrun these days with really super aggressive and scarey panhandlers, it is not filled with wizards, vampires, and elves.

So it is fairly easy for me to regard his Chicagoland blunders as the result of his Chicagoland being located on an alternate Earth.

And besides, the mistakes were good for a giggle.

I really loved the short story - I thought it was really funny and light hearted, and it meshed really well with my own somewhat twisted sense of humor.

I am looking forward to a chance to read the novels.

[Vhagar]

I just finished Blood Rites and I had trouble with it for some reason. It didn't hold my attention and go as fast for me as the others have so I'm taking a break. I'm reading The Sworn Sword and a couple other things, then I'll go back.

I would call them fantasy pulp. I love them, they're a lot of fun and I too wish he'd just sleep already!

[Vhagar]

Anyone read his Codex Alera series?

Thoughts?

[Vhagar]

I read the Codex series and like it quite a bit - its not finished (its not a 3 book series) so don't expect that. Worldbuilding is a little weak but the chars are excellent. Its a series that I will buy the new books in hardcover.

Cool. Good to know. I picked up the first one but haven't read it yet. I think, based on Dresden, that world-building may not be his strong point.

[Vhagar]

I agree - its not his strong point at all but he does do chars very well, IMO. I kind of like the lack of attention to world building. It seems like a lot of new authors have been praised for their world building skills lately so everyone has been trying with varying degrees of success. I simply despise travelogues and that seems to be a huge device for worldbuilding. I am always happy to read a fantasy series where there are interesting people who do interesting things, not cardboard idiots who go places (and have a miserable camping experience from all accounts) just to read about an author's idea of what a cool world would be.

OMG yes! I like a well built world, but I don't want to be overwhelmed with it. I like having the freedom to picture it in my head. Give me an idea and then let me make up the rest as I go, please. I think Butcher does a pretty good job with characters and I like that he's getting better as he's going. I feel like I'm learning more about them as I read through the series, which I really like because it feels like getting to know a real person. Too much detail is just boring and my imaginary vision never matches the author's regardless of how much info they give me so less is sometimes more. This is something I feel GRRM does very well.

I absolutely agree with you. Please give me interesting people and creatures doing interesting stuff and then give me an idea where they're doing it, but let me build my own world somewhat. I think Butcher has done a great job creating Harry's lab for us, and his apartment. Those I want more detailed out because he spends a lot of time there and I think it helps to place him, it gives you clues about him. I don't really feel I need in depth descriptions of places.

Some books this is more important than others, but I never appreciate a precise description of environment unless it impacts something. For example, I like knowing Harry has mismatched but comfortable furniture, rugs on the floors and movie posters on the walls. This tells me a lot about him, but it allows me to put in the colors, the arrangements and textures and what not. Unless the bear skin rug is going to attack him, I don't need to know it's a bear skin rug from a polar bear. I guess I like being allowed to be involved in creating the world.

[Crazydog7]

For example, I like knowing Harry has mismatched but comfortable furniture, rugs on the floors and movie posters on the walls. This tells me a lot about him, but it allows me to put in the colors, the arrangements and textures and what not. Unless the bear skin rug is going to attack him, I don't need to know it's a bear skin rug from a polar bear. I guess I like being allowed to be involved in creating the world.

Yeah if fantasy authors have taught us anything its that adding endless detail describing the enviroment doesn't really add alot to the story so much as annoy the hell out the guy that is trying to read it.

As a child of the 80s I would say that Robert Jordan started this trend (thats probably not true) but he is probably the worst at it that I have ever read. Not to Hijack my own thread but I have never gotten into WOT but its better then Goodkind. Anyway say what you want about Butcher and Jordan at least they never involve their charecters in creepy S&M sexual torture situations.

Please note that I don't hold anything personal agianst the guy he isn't doing very well right now and it takes alot to be that hopeful and opptomistic when you are confined to a wheelchair for the most part. There is a bookstore in downtown charleston he frequents from time to time that where I bumped into him.

One thing in the Negative Butcher column I will put is that he always seems to have Mouse or Mister do something cuite when he is running out of ideas like he says "Ok I need some filler material what am I going to do?....bring in the dogs!!!" First couple of books I thought it was really sweet but it does kind of wear you down.

[duchess of malfi]

Very, very disappointed. Goodkind writes circles around this guy.

You must be joking. I have read Goodkind through Pillars of Creation through sheer stubborness (I hate to give up on a series once I have started it). And I can honestly say that I would not use the pages of one of Goodkind's books as toilet paper. It might pollute my poopy butt.

[beniowa]

You must be joking. I have read Goodkind through Pillars of Creation through sheer stubborness (I hate to give up on a series once I have started it). And I can honestly say that I would not use the pages of one of Goodkind's books as toilet paper. It might pollute my poopy butt.

Well said Duchess!

QFT.

[kli]

I read the Codex series and like it quite a bit - its not finished (its not a 3 book series) so don't expect that. Worldbuilding is a little weak but the chars are excellent. Its a series that I will buy the new books in hardcover.

Actually, I'm not sure agree that the worldbuilding is weak but my critical faculties aren't particularly sharp about these things; I'm enjoying the hell out of it. And the writing seems far more organic than the Dresden series. Anyhoo, I've been reading Dresden all along, but only recently started the Codex Alera series. I find myself liking it more than the Dresdens. I just finished the second one, and am beating myself over the head for not figuring out that Tavi's short for Octavius a lot sooner. [eyeroll]

Or maybe I was just charmed by Butcher at his signing. He told two wonderful stories. The first was about when he was playing World of Warcraft, as Harry Dresden, and someone dinged him for copyright violation, and he got to write back, "No, I OWN the copyright!"

The other story was how the Codex Alera came to be. From a messageboard pissing contest. Someone was complaining about how all the lousy ideas there are that you can't possibly make a good book from, and Butcher held the viewpoint that there are no bad ideas--that if you're a good enough writer, you can make anything readable. So, his opponent challenged him to write a book using the two worst ideas in the world. Butcher agreed and asked what the first awful idea was. "The Lost Legion. I am sick to death of Lost Legion stories. They're never any good." Great says Butcher, what's your second stupid idea? "Pokemon!!"

Puts a whole new spin on the furies, don't it?

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

"Pokemon!!"

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[kli]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Actually, he had us all in stitches by simply saying, "Tavi, I choose you!" snort snicker. snort.

[Talyn]

and am beating myself over the head for not figuring out that Tavi's short for Octavius a lot sooner. [eyeroll]

Don't worry it took me a while to figure out to.

I had head about how the Alera series got started but not the warcraft story.

[kli]

Hmm, I figured it out pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure it was the first book.

Oh, yes, all the clues are in place. They just don't get little neon arrows pointed at them until the second book, and I was still thinking of the name "Septimus" in its more 19th-century usage for a seventh son, rather than blankety-blank the VII. That was the mental stumbling block in my way. As I said, I felt dumb for not figuring it out before the neon arrows were turned on.

It's good to know I've got company, though. And, sometimes, it is good to figure things out just before you're told them. Makes me think I'm more in synch with the author. Figure them out too early, and you feel vaguely as though you've had spoilers shoved in your face...

[Storm's End]

I have to admit, I turned my nose up at Jim Butcher for a long time. I would read the backs of his books and toss them down in disgust, writing them off as "low" fantasy, gimmicky and not worth my time. I know, I was committing the cardinal sin of judging a book by its cover, but, being a veteran of Martin and Steven Erikson's "Malazan" series, I thought the books would offer me nothing since they weren't "epic" in scope.

My mind started to change when I saw that the Sci-Fi channel had adapted the series into a show. At that point I thought "Well, it must have a big enough following to be turned into a TV show. Maybe ONE book won't hurt." I picked up "Dead Beat", the only one available at my nearest bookstore, and I frickin' devoured it. Sure, it's not an epic for the ages, but it's not trying to be an epic for the ages. It's just great escapist fantasy that's really satisfying to read during the long waits inbetween Martin's and everybody else's huge epics.

I've since read most of the books and I've watched the entire series and I continue to enjoy it immensely. Yes, the books all follow a certain formula (Harry gets into increasingly and ridiculously high levels of shit and still manages to win the day) but Harry as a character is both funny, tough and sympathetic. And the supporting cast is great (I especially like Billy and the Alphas). It may be a straightforward frying-pan-to-the-fire way of writing, but Butcher is good at that and he never bores me. I also commend him for his detailed magic system and the great ways he imposes rules and limits on Harry so that he can never achieve victory through JUST magic. The introduction of Thomas added a great new element to the later books and I really like how he makes Harry's adventures have a serious, lasting impact on him, such as *SPOILERS* when Harry burns his hand so badly that he is permanently traumatized and can no longer conjure fire.

The TV series did a good job, in general. I was a little weirded out at first by substituting the hockey stick for the staff and the drumstick for the blasting rod, but it makes sense. Paul Blackthorne is great, but I find Valerie Cruz terribly wooden. And Bob is just awesome. I hate that he doesn't use any of the magic words that he uses so frequently in the books ("Ventas Servitas!") but what the hell.

Probably the most satisfying thing has been watching Butcher slowly become more confident in his writing and make each new novel a little more complicated, a little more intense. Storm Front was a good debut novel (Butcher supposedly wrote the first draft when he was 25) but the later books have been downright excellent. I'm glad to see so many folks on this thread who agree.

[Talyn]

It's good to know I've got company, though. And, sometimes, it is good to figure things out just before you're told them. Makes me think I'm more in synch with the author. Figure them out too early, and you feel vaguely as though you've had spoilers shoved in your face...

I'm pretty blind to this thing and usually don't these things while I am reading a book.

I haven't seen the TV series yet a but I'm still bummed that it got canceled. I was hoping that it would last longer.

[kli]

I think what cracked me up the most about the series was that the Brit actor (Blackthorne) was playing the Yank (Dresden), while the Yank actor (Mann, a Texan, iirc, not to mention the original Beast in the b'way musical version of Beauty and the Beast) was playing the Brit (Bob). {btw, if you wanna see Blackthorne playing a baddie, I highly recommend finding the Bollywood flick, Lagaan, where he runs around as the evil arrogant English captain throwing around insults in Hindi.}

I think the main problem was that the marketeers couldn't get behind the show--first they tried to balance it more towards the detective-only stuff. Then they couldn't figure out how to sell it to the Sci-Fi Channel crowd.

Butcher confirmed that "Storm Front" (which aired 8th) was the pilot, cut down from 90 minutes (sigh). The worst thing for me is that he mentioned how, if the show was going to get renewed, he'd been invited to write an episode or two for the second series.

[Crazydog7]

I think the main problem was that they didn't have anybody who could write an interesting show.

That and Scifi is run by idiots. I have my problems with the TV show but if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have ever read the books.