The Dresden Files

Jim Butcher, "Storm Front"

2006-11-19 11:50; in Adam's Books, The Dresden Files; 121 words

Harry Dresden is the only professional wizard in the Chicago area yellow pages -- and winds up working as an extraordinary private investigator most of the time. This therefore falls squarely into the modern-noir genre, and indeed feels rather like the Owl books.

Butcher isn't a professional author, and the writing style is therefore a bit spotty in places -- the opening paragraph has a distinct Bulwer-Lytton ring to it -- but it's really not that bad, and it fades into the background after the first few pages. The plot and general storytelling more than make up for it; this is compelling, well-thought-out stuff. Recommended, and I'll keep an eye out for the rest of the series.

ISBN 1841493988. Buy this book at Amazon.