Dresden Files

[Argonath Diver]

The first few books definitely feel different than the later ones, but I can't imagine skipping them just because they are more pulpy and less epic. You can burn through them in a matter of hours, anyway.

[Stubby]

This one was FUN.

[Sansa_Stark]

I've mostly been reading fantasy novels in the short time that I have been reading hardcore, but I am curious as to how good this novel series is. I'm taking a break from TWOT(I have no motivation to finish COT right now), and The way of Kings is just okay and I want something to distract me right now.

[The Marquis de Leech]

In summation, it's (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) urban fantasy centred around a genre-savvy wizard in modern-day Chicago. Good enjoyable fluff that doesn't pretend it's anything else.

[polishgenius]

that doesn't pretend it's anything else.

Well, it never pretends to be anything but entertainment, but I reckon the books from 4 (well, the last half of 3 really) onwards are way too good to be described as fluff.

What sets it apart from other series in the same vein are two things- Butcher's skill at describing action and, more importantly, his ability to build up several distinct plotlines across many books naturally, without feeling forced or cluttered.

Also, his support characters are brilliant.

[Sansa_Stark]

how is storm front specifically

[Shryke]

Storm Front is not the greatest. Not bad, but nothing special. The books seem to improve as they go along.

[Caddarn]

Storm Front is a decent first novel. It's not the best book out there but it's light and an easy read. It introduces the series well and as PolishGenius says the series story arc really takes off from book 3 onwards.

[RedEyedGhost]

Storm Front is not the greatest. Not bad, but nothing special. The books seem to improve as they go along.

This.

Book 3 shows a jump in writing quality, and Butcher continues to improve from there. Do NOT read them all back-to-back. Butcher writes them so that a person could technically start at any book, and still know all of the necessary background details. That tends to get repetitive if you read too many in a row.

Great series though.

[Shryke]

I'd say, thinking about it, that Storm Front reads like exactly what it's trying to be: a pulpy airport-bookstore mystery novel. Just, you know, with wizards.

[Myshkin]

I'd say, thinking about it, that Storm Front reads like exactly what it's trying to be: a pulpy airport-bookstore mystery novel. Just, you know, with wizards.

That's what I liked about Storm Front and Fool Moon. I wish Butcher would have stuck with the episodic detective series idea, but now the whole thing has become a serial epic.

[thecryptile]

I really liked Turn Coat (the 11th book)-- lots of great action sequences, like vampires leaping out of helicopters firing MP5s. I haven't read any of the other Dresden Files books yet.

[Errant Bard]

I did not get to the fourth book, but concerning Storm Front I found the writing mediocre, even when I got pulled in by the premise (I like the concept.) It all felt juvenile and not as funny or awesome as the author obviously thought it was... Underwhelming, and it kinda soured the thing that the series was so hyped around here.

Of course there were also some around here who accuse you of being a hipster/curmudgeon/elitist moron if you cannot enjoy mediocre fluff. Did not help.

[Serious Callers Only]

It's just a UF that doesn't focuses on romance particularly hard (though it has a bit more pagespace than it ought to), and has it's ending worked out a bit ahead of time (unlike, say, it's middle).

Contrast and compare to Charlaine Harris True Blood whose last book is a obvious 'rush to close the plotline, because the TV series needs to end; dump the vampire so the uncomfortable contradictions can go away, get stable nookie kthxbye'.

Charlie Huston No Dominion books are better i think (or others - London Falling was nice).

[alguien]

The series as a whole improves as you go.

Regarding Storm Front, it starts off cliched and hackneyed, but I actually got more pulled in by the end. The climax is fun as hell.

[Darth Richard]

I did not get to the fourth book, but concerning Storm Front I found the writing mediocre, even when I got pulled in by the premise (I like the concept.) It all felt juvenile and not as funny or awesome as the author obviously thought it was... Underwhelming, and it kinda soured the thing that the series was so hyped around here.

Of course there were also some around here who accuse you of being a hipster/curmudgeon/elitist moron if you cannot enjoy mediocre fluff. Did not help.

This. Read the first, have not had the motivation to try the second. It wasn't terrible, it was just so..boring and predictable.

EB, there was humor? It must of really fell flat, I don't even rememebr any attempts at humor.

[Durckad]

Yeah Storm Front fell kinda flat for me. It never really grabbed me enough to make me want to continue. The writing wasn't all that great, the characters weren't that interesting and a few were actively annoying. Thankfully, it was fairly short, so I'll give it that.

[Lupigis]

Add me to the list if those who read Storm Front and then dropped the series. Butcher has a number of fans around here but the first book did not pull me in.

Perhaps I'll give the series another chance one of these days, to find out if it really does improve...

[Galactus]

Storm Front was pretty bad, the series gets better (but not markedly *different*, Butcher just polishes his style a bit) as it goes on though.

[Poobah]

I really like The Dresden Files.

The series seems a little divisive on this board, but I always found the books to be funny, fast paced, page-turners. Dresden is an interesting character who you might or might not actually like - he's a very flawed person: impulsive, prideful, makes bad decisions, does some incredibly hypocritical things... and gets nocked on his ass and humbled plenty too, and I think regaredless of whether or not one ends up actually liking Dresden I think he does feels quite real. I think Butcher writes a modern fantasy take on a noir well and his is one of the only multi book fantasy series I've ever read that actually seems to have had its various plot-arcs worked out ahead of time; as a result the various arcs and reveals feal very natural and fit smoothly into each of the self-contained novels.

I think it's an under-appreciated virtue to have something so well put together from near to the start instead of being a clusterfuck of making it up as the writer goes along and the subsequent delays associated with that. Blah blah blah so and so isn't my bitch but I appreciate a writer who can deliver the next installment of his series while I still actually care about his series.

On Storm Front in paticular, others have mentioned that Butcher's writing generally improves as the series goes on and I tend to agree, also the background-stuff of the setting is a little bit fuzzier in the first couple of books. I think book 2 Fool Moon is his weakest, with Storm Front a little better. The third book Grave Peril is a pretty big step up and really kicks off the expansion of the scope of the books. Finally I'll just say that all the books are pretty action-packed, and I think Butcher writes action well.