My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jim Butcher wastes no time making nice before dropping bombs into Harry Dresden's life. Within 100 pages, Harry's apartment building is on fire and his daughter is threatened. Butcher is excellent at applying pressure to his characters, but he shows a special talent for thinking up seemingly impossible dilemmas for Harry to finagle his way out of.
There's the usual humour, of course. That's one of the main attractions of urban fantasy for me. Things may be turning to shit all around him, but Harry will still have a smart-ass remark to make about it. And there is genuine care, too. His coterie of friends and family don't just stand by him—he stands by them too. There is love, loyalty, and dedication there, qualities that I value even though I don't have to fight for them very often. Perhaps because Harry and Murphy are now a couple and Harry has custody of his daughter, Harry seems more mature and centred in himself. It looks good on him.
Harry is imperfect, as are we all, but he does his best. That's all I can ask and it’s what Butcher reliably gives me. His product is consistent and I know what I'm getting when I pick up a Dresden novel. This one ends with a cliffhanger, but I know that Battle Ground will show up in my hold queue at the library eventually, and then I'll get the rest of the story.
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