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I’m going to start this
review right off the bat by saying I am an unabashed Dresden
Files fan. In reading Jim Butcher’s series through several
times, it’s become my favorite book series, trumping the
amazing and still beloved Horatio Hornblower series. Now,
with that out of the way, I’ve been asked to present to you
a non-spoileriffic review of the latest book in the Dresden
Files series, “Turn Coat.”
However, where does one
start? A lot happens in this book, moreso than most other
Dresden books, so we’ll keep it simple and begin at the
beginning. The book immediately begins with Morgan -- a
Warden of the White Council of Wizards with whom he and
Dresden have a rocky past -- shows up at Dresden’s door,
wounded and hunted by the White Council themselves as a
traitor. Thus begins a series of events that takes us
through one of the densest, most dramatic and exciting
Dresden novels that Butcher has penned.
In trying not to give
too much away, I have to be vague, sadly. In terms of plot,
the book covers a lot of ground. Conspiracies, combat,
intrigue, suspense, moral dilemmas and quite a bit more
happen to our intrepid heroes, and all of these are handled
in typical Dresden fashion…with violence, humor and sarcasm.
Without giving too much away, I will say that this book is
game-changing in a lot of ways, and takes the series in a
slightly new direction based on the outcomes of the events
found within these pages. Not since “Blood Rites” has a
Dresden book so significantly altered the story and the
characters within.
Speaking of the
characters, MANY of them are profoundly affected by the
events in this book, from Harry and Thomas to Molly and even
Morgan. Some of them gain a better understanding of the
world, or their place in it, while others face the moral
dilemmas of their own choices, right or wrong. Butcher has
always done a great job of playing out the consequences of
the actions taken by the characters in these books, and
“Turn Coat” is no exception. In fact, I think this book
heightens the consequences of these actions because the
stakes are getting higher.
There was honestly a lot
to like in this book. The plot was engaging, fast paced and
never dull. The characters, as always, are well fleshed-out
and believable -- like these are the sort of folks you could
sit down and have an ale with -- and the situations they
find themselves in, despite being a contemporary fantasy
novel, are never so unbelievable that they take you out of
the book.
In the interest of a
balanced review, of course, let’s not talk about the stuff I
didn’t like, of which there wasn’t much, but enough to be
noticeable. First off is the editing. This is always a
problem, it seems, with Dresden novels, but somewhere along
the way someone didn’t catch misspelled words or misplaced
punctuation. This has been an issue throughout the entire
series, honestly, and while I can usually overlook it while
reading for enjoyment, in a review it must be mentioned.
I’ve known people to where this very issue HAS taken them
out of the book, so it’s worth mentioning.
There are also certain
things I miss as the series has gone on. For example, while
the books began more like crime dramas with a supernatural
bent, we’re seeing more of the supernatural and much less of
the crime. This, in a way, makes sense, as Dresden’s duties
as a Warden of the White Council -- which is one of their
enforcers, basically -- has probably usurped his original
job of being a private investigator and police consultant.
The stakes resulting from the circles Dresden involves
himself in -- like the White Council and the various Vampire
Courts -- have also increased, which also probably take away
from his work as a PI. However, while this all does make a
bit of sense, I do miss his work as a detective and police
consultant, and hope we see a return to it in later books.
This is more of a criticism of the series as a whole,
however, rather than this particular book, but I felt it
should be noted.
Overall, while it does
have some slight issues, “Turn Coat” is a fantastic book for
Dresden Files fans. Full of all the action, intrigue, humor
and suspense that we’ve come to rely on in this series,
“Turn Coat” will have you frantically turning the pages
until you’re done. If you’re new to the Dresden Files, “Turn
Coat” isn’t the best place to start as you will miss a lot
of the references. New fans should start with “Storm Front”
and read the series in order. However, if you have read the
previous books and enjoyed them, “Turn Coat” will give you
plenty of thrills and excitement, and leave you ultimately
craving more. |
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Brian Rubin
Writer, blogger, geek, role-player, voracious
reader and music lover living in
Los Angeles, CA. An aforementioned geek, Brian is a
fan of many varied things, including Firefly, Supernatural,
Dexter,
The Dresden Files, technology, animals, rock music,
good televised dramas, stand-up comedy and much, much more.
Brian also enjoys reading, talking and writing about all of
his passions to anyone who will listen. ;) By day, less
excitingly, Brian works in the
Search Engine
Optimization field for an
interactive advertising agency. You can follow him on
Twitter.
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