Storm Front by Jim Butcher Review
I mentioned Storm Front in a blog post waaaay back in February 2021. The post, titled I Should Have Read That Book!, mentions how I really want to finish The Dresden Files but I never have. Truth is, I started and stopped Storm Front two or three times over the years.
Why did I keep coming back to it? Well, I know a lot of people that really love these books. I have had people read my books (The Leslie Kim Serials) and suggest that I read the Dresden Files because they are in the same vein. But there were a few issues that kept me from really being gripped by the story and I kept putting it down and just never picked it back up. And yes, I was given the entire series but I still hadn’t gotten around to reading it!
I will cover why I had issues with it in a moment, but I want to say that the real reason I was able to finish the book this time around is that I’m using Audible. This is not a sponsored post from Audible, but I find it easier to work my way through books if I’m able to listen in the car, while I’m doing chores, or exercising. Another huge bonus is that James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer narrates these books and I can’t say no to that.
Book Description:
Harry Dresden is the only professional wizard in Chicago and he knows his stuff. But is there something going on behind the scenes that eludes even a wizard?
This expansive detective novel series, almost pulp fiction-like in style, is set in modern day Chicago. Don’t be tricked though – this is not your mother’s Agatha Christie. Harry is a regular guy who owns a consulting practice and just happens to have some wizarding skills. He struggles with money, is often mocked and isn’t accepted by his magical colleagues.
Harry’s unconventional detective work takes us into the underbelly of Chicago, where he faces off against mobsters and vampires (with a healthy dose of werewolves). This series is a thriller but throws in equal measure of humour and playfulness.
Our narrator is James Marsters of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Marsters’s voice is perfectly suited to this character and to many series fans he is Harry Dresden (much like Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter). In an interesting editing choice, the narrator’s breathing sounds, including other related sounds, have been kept in. This gives the listener the feeling they’re literally sitting in a room with Harry, getting a debriefing after the case.
Butcher wrote three books he describes as ‘terrible’ before coming up with the first Dresden Files book Storm Front in 2000. Since then, he’s created 15 books plus a number of short stories. Skin Game – the 15th book in the series – was a finalist for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Other works set in the Dresden Files universe include graphic novels, a role-playing game, and a card game. In 2007, a television series based on the Dresden Files aired on the American Sci-Fi Channel.
First Impressions
One of the biggest issues that I had every time I tried to get through this book, is the description of the crime scene at the beginning of the book. Harry narrates his own story, and he is definitely aware of the female body. When he walks into a crime scene that appears to be the aftermath of an orgy gone wrong, where the victim’s hearts exploded out of their bodies, he spends a peculiar amount of time observing the woman’s form. Particularly, her breasts.
There are a few scenes in this book that feel very much like r/menwritingwomen (she breasted boobily down the stairs) and I don’t love that. I didn’t get why the poor lady needed to be objectified even during her untimely murder. I was only really able to get past this when I viewed it as a character flaw of Harry’s and not as a personal issue that Jim Butcher was writing out on the page.
And I am somewhat guilty of this myself, though to a lesser extent. I have written characters who are crass, womanizers. But I don’t think I’ve ever had them get creepy over dead bodies…
This wasn’t a great first impression of the character or the book and I think I was just so exhausted by it that I didn’t want to keep reading. “BUT you will love it! This series is great! Wait until you get to book 3!” said the Butcher fans that were insistent that the books get better. So, I pressed on with a little help from Marsters.
Chapter 12 Sold Me on the Book
Yes, you read that right. I was somewhat indifferent if not only mildly entertained by this book until I hit chapter 12. There is absolutely ridiculous scene that involves a love potion gone wrong, a naked Harry Dresden, close quarters, and a deadly monster attempting to eat them. This scene is so over the top and it is hilarious. So, my last point was that the sexualization was really turning me off if you will, but I think when I hit this scene I realized that I was taking the books too seriously. I was projecting a little bit and probably a little exhausted by stories that sexualize women victims.
This chapter was so well done, from the setup, to the hilarious twists, to tying up the conclusion. It made me laugh and I realized that maybe I did like Harry Dresden and maybe him being a bit of a pervert works for his character. He doesn’t have to be a role model, after all.
My Overall Feelings about the Book
Spoilers Ahead
Once I hit this point, the rest of the book was smooth sailing. The only other complaint I could have is that the mystery was maybe a little too simple? It might have been interesting if there was a twist at the end and it was actually the young daughter of the murderer instead. But because we expect how things will go down, it is not the mystery that makes things super interesting and instead the introduction of magic to the story. The author spends quite a bit of time setting up the rules for magic throughout the book and when it comes to the final chapter, all of that comes into play. As a reader, you can use the clues about the magic and the mystery to form your opinion about how things will end before they actually do. This makes for a pretty satisfying ending.
I do like that most people tell me that the books continue to get better throughout the series. This book was good, but not amazing or something that I would be encouraging every person to go out and read. Maybe I will feel differently if I keep reading them, though!
I definitely do still feel like the women in this book were poorly written and needlessly sexualized, but it didn’t ruin the entire book for me. I was able to enjoy Harry’s grumpy and wounded personality. I like the character of Murphy and the dynamic that they share. I love the character of Bob and the rules around magic. I think these books are interesting and a great blend between fantasy and mystery.
0 Comments