Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a wizard who works out of an office in Chicago. Harry doesn’t hide the fact he’s a wizard; he’s actually the one and only man of this title listed in the yellow pages.
Harry is seriously behind on his rent. Money is very tight, so when he gets a call from a distraught wife, desperate to find her husband, he can’t say no. He sets up a meeting with her and seconds after hanging up, he’s called by Lt Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit regarding a grisely murder. Murphy occasionally calls on Harry when cases of the supernatural kind come up.
With time to spare before he’s scheduled to meet with his new client, Harry rushes to meet Murphy. The murder is quite grisely, a couple in the throws of passion have their hearts mysteriously ripped from their chests. One of the victims is the bodyguard of a known Chicago mobster.
Harry suddenly gets pulled into two cases, seemingly unrelated at first. His life is threatened, first by the Chicago mob & then by a human turned wizard who is using the power of storms to commit these grisely crimes.
Storm Front is the first book in Butcher’s Dresden Files series. Although I’ve read the first several books in this series, I had to start over with the audio once I learned James Marsters narrated them. Yes…the James Marsters of Buffy fame:
It is my opinion that Spike, I mean Marsters, is the perfect narrator for this series. He “gets” Dresden and pulls off his character with ease. He is Dresden to me. I really can’t imagine anyone else performing this role. His voice portrays Dresden every emotion: humor, pain, angst.
I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy this series. Yes, it’s paranormal fiction, but with the added humor and suspense, it’s really quite the impressive package. One minute you’ll be laughing out loud, the next you’ll be gripping the arms of your chair, wondering what happens next. I particularly appreciated how Butcher described a world in which magic and the supernatural was a part of normal life.
I highly recommend this series, particularly the audiobook version.
Tags: Audiobook, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal Fiction, Review
Spike…er…James was actually the thing that made me try this series. I just pretend he has his shirt off while he’s reading.
Twitter: dogearedcopy
says:
Oh man, how I *love* this series and this title in particular! I’ve listened to it a couple of times and I admit that Marsters was the draw. I pretty much envisioned Spike as Harry Dresden in STORM FRONT. Interestingly, as the audio series progresses, you “lose” Spike and hear more Marsters/Dresden and *it’s all good!* There are a couple of production issues with the Buzzy Multimedia titles (the first four in the series) that I would normally crucify in a review; but the fact that I continue to recommend this series left and right to anyone who will listen, is a testament to how strong a performance Marsters delivers
Twitter: ibeforem
says:
Curious! I’ve fallen a little out of love with this series. Maybe I need to pick up the next few books on audio to rekindle things.
Twitter: thebirdsistersgmail.com
says:
I didn’t even know about this series! Yikes I am out of it!
I actually bought this audiobook some time ago and didn’t even realise that the narrator was James Marsters. Okay, next audiobook selected!
I love this series! I hadn’t thought about listening to the books but now I’m definitely intrigued. I’ve got to pick up the next book in the series soon though as I’m needing a Harry fix. Great review!
Pingback: Storm Front (review) « The Alcove