Fiction Book Review: Storm Front

Wow, I came late to this party. In spite of the fact that these novels were first published but this series had already been around for some time before I discovered it in 2006. Still I like it enough to feel that posting a version of the review I posted on Amazon at that time
is worthwhile.

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They may not inhabit the same universe but it would seem that there's more than one wizard named Harry out there in the world of modern urban fantasy fiction. In Storm Front - Book One of the Dresden Files Jim Butcher introduces us to Harry Dresden - Chicago's only professional wizard in the phone book.

It's an interesting concept. Dresden is a Wizard come Private Eye and this book plays to the conceits of both genres well. The story starts with a cash strapped Harry taking on two new cases. The first involves a very grisly double murder committed via magic while the vitims were doing the nasty together that he takes on for the police and the second is a missing persons case. They seem totally unconnected but if you know the genres you know things will get complicated very quickly.

It's not a book without flaws however (few books are). The villians are a little weak and and the PI side of the story can sometimes be a bit cliche and there is way too much backstory crammed into this first novel of the series. But unlike many series' starts it wraps up neatly and the style is good. Hopefully now all the back story is out of the way the pacing of the sequels will improve.

In spite of it's weaknesses I really enjoyed this novel. It's not high literature but it's entertaining and worth reading and yet another book I heartily recommendd to you.