Thursday, August 25, 2011

Ghost Story


Jim Butcher
Dresden Files, Book 13

The great wizard Harry Dresden is dead. But luckily for us, he's not quite gone. After being shot at the end of Changes, Harry is sent back to Chicago as a ghost to figure out who killed him. And if you expected Chicago to be a happier place with the demise of the Red Court, you'd be very much mistaken - their absence has created a power vaccuum which threatens to destroy the world as we know it.

Killing off your main character is an unusual plot choice, even in the fantasy world, where it might be possible to bring him back. Writing your character back as a ghost is even odder, but Jim Butcher handles the change with his usual creativity and detail. The spirit world setup is just as logical and specific as the rest of Butcher's worldbuilding. As far as characters go, Butcher has done an excellent job portraying the ways Harry's friends might have reacted to news of his death.

One of Jim Butcher's greatest skills is the weaving of many plot threads into a seamless whole, and that trend continues in Ghost Story. Rather than petering out after nine or ten books, the Dresden Files is picking up steam, and I very much hope that it continues to do so. I'll be waiting on the edge of my seat for book 14 in the Dresden Files.



Plot: 4 cupcakes
Characters: 5 cupcakes
Style: 5 cupcakes
Overall: 4 cupcakes
Posted by at 3:25 PM
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2 comments:

  1. roroAugust 25, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    hav not heard of this book b4
    adding 2 my tbr list
    good review kate

    ReplyDelete
  2. KateAugust 25, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    Roro, I'm glad you liked the review. If you're interested in the book, I suggest you start with Storm Front, the first book in the Dresden Files. It suffers slightly from First In Series syndrome, but it's worth it for the quality of what follows.

    ReplyDelete

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