# Would you recommend the Dresden Files (novels) series? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572 "2010-07-30T12:40:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/21 "2010-07-30T16:03:25Z")
> [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](#): > > I enjoyed the first few. > > And, maybe I missed a few but I really didn’t like some of the later ones. I found them a little confusing in points and I cared a whole lot less. I had the precisely opposite reaction. I had to plod through the first few, but when I got to the zombie one, I fell in love with the series. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/22 "2010-07-30T16:12:15Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I had the precisely opposite reaction. I had to plod through the first few, but when I got to the zombie one, I fell in love with the series. Best climactic magical shootout ever. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/23 "2010-07-30T16:36:09Z")
Totally agree. Dresden riding into battle on the Zombie Tyrannosaur was crazy-awesome ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/24 "2010-07-30T17:09:44Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Totally agree. > > Dresden riding into battle on the Zombie Tyrannosaur was crazy-awesome **POLKA WILL NEVER DIE!** ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/25 "2010-07-30T17:16:07Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > > [@GHO57](#): > > > > Dresden Files is basically [Nightside](http://www.philipbrocoum.com/?p=901)-lite. > > Oh, wow. I would have said the exact opposite. Nightside lacks even the competency of writing Dresden does. It lacks the characterizations. It lacks the interesting setting; or rather, it has an interesting setting that the author renders boring. It lacks interesting characters. The protagonist is one of the biggest Mary Sues I’ve encountered in published fiction. I’m extremely tolerant of light, fluffy writing – I willingly read D&D novels – but I had to force myself to even get midway through Nightside. It and Dresden are just not at all comparable. Simon Green can’t do plots. If you read him, you read him for the settings. I happen to like the demented creepy atmosphere of the Nightside well enough to overlook the other flaws. I don’t think the characters are supposed to be believable- there are times when you want a flawed hero angsting about their weakness, and then there are times when you just want to sit back and watch your Mary Sue kick monster butt. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Bosstone](#): > > > > Everyone I’ve heard of who’d been introduced to the books immediately began devouring them as fast as they possibly could. > > Well, just by way of a data point, quite some time ago (two or three years maybe?) I bought an omnibus volume of the first three books. Read #1, thought it was kind of meh. Read #2, thought it was a little better, but still fairly meh. Still haven’t gotten around to reading #3, and I’m not sure I ever will. Not that the books are bad, they’re just not my kind of thing for some reason, and there’s plenty of other fiction I enjoy a lot more. But I know the series has lots of fans here on the SDMB. I recall only warming up to the series after book four. It may be like Terry Pratchett- the later books are good, but new readers are thrown off by the mediocre first few. Anyway, things start getting better by _Summer Knight_. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/26 "2010-07-30T17:50:03Z")
I highly recommend the series! [QUOTE=Bosstone] Everyone I’ve heard of who’d been introduced to the books immediately began devouring them as fast as they possibly could. [/QUOTE] That’s what happened to me: I discovered the series in early '09, and spent the next month or two reading nothing else. 🙂 [QUOTE=Simplicio] There was a briefly lived TV series which I actually thought was better in some respects, but it only made it to ten or so episodes before being canceled. [/QUOTE] I saw it for the first time in March of '09 on Hulu (it’s also now available via Netflix streaming), and immediately developed a giant crush on Paul Blackthorne. I’m not really “attracted” to the Harry in the books (too much “I can’t help it if I have a condescending, old-fashioned attitude towards women”), but I loooove the TV Harry (who also has some of that attitude, but is hot enough that I don’t mind so much). ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/27 "2010-07-30T18:01:26Z")
I’m a bit loath to say so at this point in the thread because I’m not trying to knock anybody or get into an argument about it, but I hate them. I hated the first one, but I wanted to be fair, so I read the second one and hated it more. The repetition of certain phrases and ideas really wore on me and I thought the main character was just kind of a whiny, sleazy, douchebag. The fantasy elements are cool, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/28 "2010-07-30T18:40:18Z")
I would recommend them, definitely. I spent the last month or two listening to the audiobooks pretty much straight through (they’re read by James Marsters - aka Spike from Buffy - who does an excellent vocalization). I enjoyed the first two books mostly for the characters. The plot seemed like it was going to be formulaic (brewing two potions seemed like it was going to become standard, for example), and I was beginning to feel it would end up like the Kingdom of Landover series. When the third book rolled around, though, the formula was broken with the introduction of Michael Carpenter and the non-detective-based storyline. Though there’s a loose overall story arc (Butcher says he plans on writing twenty or so books in the series), it sometimes feels like are salient plot points were made up on the spot, instead of planned out. My prime example of this is for a few books, there’s evidence of a traitor. However, when it comes time to reveal who it is… Butcher creates with a brand new, really minor character whose introduction was so jarring, it was obvious for the sole purpose of pinning the traitor tag on him, despite having implied in previous books that only one of four people could have known about certain operations. Also, Thomas’ change from likable vampire rogue to… Harry’s half-brother …seemed unplanned, but I can live with that. Since book 12, Changes, ends on a cliffhanger, I might almost recommend waiting until book 13 comes out before reading the series. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/29 "2010-07-30T18:47:07Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I saw it for the first time in March of '09 on Hulu (it’s also now available via Netflix streaming), and immediately developed a giant crush on Paul Blackthorne. I’m not really “attracted” to the Harry in the books (too much “I can’t help it if I have a condescending, old-fashioned attitude towards women”), but I loooove the TV Harry (who also has some of that attitude, but is hot enough that I don’t mind so much). I like TV Bob a lot more then Book Bob too. Also they use the episodes to develop Dresden and Bobs back stories and make the plots relate to their pasts, rather then having each one be an epic struggle against evil to save the universe, as in the books. This makes the TV universe seem a lot bigger and more interesting then the book one, where every “big thing” that happens in the magical world happens to be centered around one random wizard in Chicago. Also, having a drumstick as a wand and a hockey stick as a staff was kinda clever. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/30 "2010-07-30T19:33:46Z")
> [@Skott](#): > > My prime example of this is for a few books, there’s evidence of a traitor. However, when it comes time to reveal who it is… > > Butcher creates with a brand new, really minor character whose introduction was so jarring, it was obvious for the sole purpose of pinning the traitor tag on him, despite having implied in previous books that only one of four people could have known about certain operations. This is a bad thread to discuss plot points, but:[spoiler]Said minor character _was_ created ahead of time. He gets a brief mention in _Dead Beat_, as he’s the one who wrote the book of summoning the Erlking (which takes on a sinister meaning when you consider that the Erlking was instrumental in calling up the Darkhallow). It’s explained in _Turn Coat_ exactly why he’s a good spy; nobody _ever_ thinks about the mousy little clerk, and he was able to read the Senior Council’s missives and tweak their behaviors to his liking. Butcher does have a lot of seeming _deus ex machinas_, but many of them are laid out in previous books with breadcrumbs and logical reasoning.[/spoiler]And TV Bob _was_ better than Book Bob, by far. That was a brilliant change. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/31 "2010-07-30T20:11:35Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > I think of them as Dashiell Hammett with the supernatural. VERY well written, good plots, interesting. One thing I loved about the series is the way that he combines different mythologies into his universe. So, for instance, about vampires: there are three different “courts” reflecting the various vampire mythos. The Black Court is the Nosferatu type, the Red Court is the Dracula type, and the White Court doesn’t suck blood but sucks life force. Similarly, for werewolves: there are different types of werewolves – shape-changes who can change at will and retain their human brain, monsters who are changed by the full moon and lose their human brain, etc. The later books have got involved in more complex plots and character development than the more straight-forward hardboiled detective novel style of the first five or six. I started reading them when I was hospitalized, they were great for immersion and I read the first six or seven, blam wham. There is also a Jade Court, about which Harry does not know except that he stole his dog from them. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/32 "2010-07-30T22:20:00Z")
I’m sold! Hunting for the first book in a nearby bookshop (the library has it all loaned out) first thing when I am awake. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/33 "2010-07-30T23:29:56Z")
I’m glad you’re trying them out. I was traveling recently and grabbed one, out of order, in the airport book shop (based actually on mentions here). At first I found his writing kind of clunky, but by the time I got to the climax (look for the post on zombies above if you wanna be spoiled) I was loving it. In the last month or so I’ve read all the rest of the paperbacks, and while my opinion on his writing hasn’t changed, his plotting and characters have been amazingly fun and imaginative. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/34 "2010-07-30T23:35:56Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > At first I found his writing kind of clunky, but by the time I got to the climax (look for the post on zombies above if you wanna be spoiled) I was loving it. In the last month or so I’ve read all the rest of the paperbacks, and while my opinion on his writing hasn’t changed, his plotting and characters have been amazingly fun and imaginative. Gotta agree. It really stands out in the audiobooks. It’s like nobody taught him that “he said” is one of the most vacuous phrases possible in writing. “So,” she said. “Yeah,” I said. She said, “Wanna get a beer?” It makes more sense if you consider that Butcher is a gamer. The books are written by someone who’s not so much an author as a tabletop RPG GM, but thankfully more competently than most D&D-type novels. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/35 "2010-07-30T23:37:34Z")
HELL YES. I’m a proud owner of all signed, hardback editions. Love the series to death. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/36 "2010-07-31T00:30:55Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > It makes more sense if you consider that Butcher is a gamer. The books are written by someone who’s not so much an author as a tabletop RPG GM, but thankfully more competently than most D&D-type novels. He’s a heck of a DM, too. My character on Amber (an online game, based on Amber by Zelzany) was… hm. He was Morlys’ generation and Jenner’s, so two generations younger. I got involved in a few machinations of his and they were mindblowing. Courts of Chaos, mind you. This, by the way, explains a LOT about the political structure in his books. It’s not V:TM he’s feeding from, but Zelzany. ---
**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/37 "2010-07-31T01:01:11Z")
> [@](#): > > It really stands out in the audiobooks. It’s like nobody taught him that “he said” is one of the most vacuous phrases possible in writing. > > “So,” she said. > “Yeah,” I said. > She said, “Wanna get a beer?” Is that the way it is in print? I’d just assumed they were added like that in audiobooks to prevent confusion where the attributive is implied. Otherwise, it might end up sounding like “So. Yeah. Wanna get a beer?” ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/38 "2010-07-31T01:12:17Z")
> [@Skott](#): > > Is that the way it is in print? I’d just assumed they were added like that in audiobooks to prevent confusion where the attributive is implied. Otherwise, it might end up sounding like “So. Yeah. Wanna get a beer?” Good question. I just checked my print copy and it does indeed use them. > [@](#): > > “Necessary isn’t the same as right,” I said. > “Perhaps not,” he said. He does change it up sometimes, but there are a _lot_ of “he said” and “I said” just in this one conversation between Dresden and Merlin. I don’t think the audiobook changes or adds any words; it just gets more noticeable when it’s spoken at a steady pace than when you can let your eyes just skip over it. Besides, putting it in just for the audiobook would be an insult to the reader. Marsters’ voice doesn’t vary _too_ much, but he is capable of changing his voice just enough to distinguish different speakers. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/39 "2010-07-31T12:49:46Z")
Frankly, I blame it as an artifact of the online game as well. The default command was ‘say’, and it was a bit hard to get around it. That, and the semi-noir tone. I could swear his pokemon series is considerably better that way. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572/40 "2010-07-31T13:29:16Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Frankly, I blame it as an artifact of the online game as well. The default command was ‘say’, and it was a bit hard to get around it. That, and the semi-noir tone. I could swear his pokemon series is considerably better that way. It isn’t just the dialogue, though. Every book or two a character does or says something stupid that feels contrived to move the plot along in an unavoidable direction. Sometimes it feels like watching one of those horror movies where everyone wanders off one at a time, or a mystery movie where people forget they can actually call the police. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-recommend-the-dresden-files-novels-series/548572.md?page=3)