Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)
by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)
Book Review: And Harry thought he was alone?
Summary: 5 Stars
Harry's friend, Thomas, a vampire from the White Court, asks Harry for a favor: His friend, Arturo Genosa, an adult film producer, believes than an entropy curse has been laid upon him. The women in his films are meeting untimely and intriguingly spectacular deaths, and Arturo doesn't know why. As Harry investigates, he wonders if the studio Arturo left behind could be behind it all. But as his investigation continues, new information comes to light and it becomes more than that.
Meanwhile, Mavra, a vampire from the Black Court is back - and is after Harry. He hires Kincaid to help him get rid of her and recruits his cop friend, Murphy, and his mentor and teacher, Ebenezar McCoy, knowing that he and Kincaid can't do it alone.
Thomas's family becomes involved in Harry's investigation of the entropy curse, leaving Harry confused and wondering if Thomas set him up. However, a soulgaze with Thomas brings forth something that Harry had never known: Harry's mother had been one of Lord Raith's women - the head of the White Court vampires and Thomas's brother. Thomas is Harry's half-brother.
And just when Harry is left wondering if there are any more surprises... Harry learns that Kincaid isn't exactly human. He also learns that Ebenezar is also known as Blackstaff McCoy - the one who takes care of the `ugly' matters that the White Council won't take care of themselves. Ebenezar has done things he's not proud of, including lying to Harry. It was Thomas's father, Lord Raith, who had found Harry's mother, Margaret LeFay, and killed her shortly after Harry was born. Now, more than ever, Harry is determined to get rid of Lord Raith.
Holy crow, did a lot of things come to light in this book. Harry's friendship with Murphy grows deeper, and Murphy learns she has more courage than she thought she had. He wonders if Mavra is gone for good and how he's going to get the funds to pay Kincaid before Kincaid's `deadline'. Thomas is his brother, who has been banned from the Raith House and is now staying with Harry for the moment. Arturo's entropy curse has been put to rest. He is unsure if he'll ever forgive Ebenezar.
As with all the Dresden novels, the magic and action are pumped up, raising this reader's adrenaline. I love how Harry manages to figure out everything, fitting all the pieces together. The mix of friends and enemies are always at the forefront, and Harry's sarcasm comes out more and more. I love his quirkiness, his relationship with Murphy as well as Bob. The author manages to give the reader explanations to rituals and rules, both Black Court and White Court vampires alike; their differences in powers and formalities. But he doesn't go overboard, avoids creating anything formal as to limiting his story line for future novels. Butcher's blend of paranormal/supernatural, occult beliefs and magic creates a world unlike any other - something distinct that you can't compare to other series' in this genre. Bravo, Mr. Butcher!
You can't get better than Harry Dresden. This series is highly recommended to those who like paranormal and sci-fi novels.
Book Review: Magic, Monsters, Mayhem, and Mirth
Summary: 4 Stars
Butcher's back on top of his game, serving up a hard-hitting mix of magic, monsters, mayhem, and mirth in Book Six of the Dresden Files. Blood Rites isn't as labored as Death Masks or as slow-moving as Summer Knight, harking back to the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink exploits of Grave Peril. Harry Dresden's in fine form, firmly planting his clod-busting stompers where angels fear to tiptoe, and compulsively cracking wise every feisty step of the way.
The bulk of the action-and it's pretty steroidal stuff-is crammed into the space of three days. The basic plot comprises two intertwined storylines. Three, counting the puppy, but he's more a combination of comic relief, future stage-setting, and probably-unintended red herring, dropped into the Blue Beetle's backseat and out of the story entirely for a hundred pages before inexplicably resurfacing in Harry's apartment. Continuity, continuity. Never mind, he's cute anyway. So's the puppy.
So, two storylines. First, White Court vampire Thomas asks Harry to seek and destroy a suspected entropy curse stalking Thomas' movie-producer friend. Then, before Harry even meets his new client, he learns the hard way that Black Court vampire Mavra is in town, hot for his blood. Literally. When the producer turns out to be a porn king, and Thomas turns out to have far more ties to the case than he let on, and Harry ends up eyeball-deep in the private family business of virtually everyone involved-including, quite unexpectedly, himself-it only adds to the general pandemonium.
Be warned: most of the main characters have figured in previous Dresden cases, and Butcher wastes minimal words on back story. Harry's partnership with police lieutenant Karrin Murphy is developing nicely, whether she ultimately replaces ex-flame Susan or not. Hired gun Kincaid, who barely registered in Masks, is shaping up as an unfeeling assassin to cheer for, though readers may find that his revealed past takes some of the fun out of his behavior. Best of all, Butcher hasn't forgotten that even the prettiest people-eater-male or female-is creepy, dangerous, and fundamentally not-human. With continued fleshing-out, his trio of vampire courts grows increasingly less likely to please hard-core undead sensualists or traditionalists, but his creations make thrice-damned, triple-threat, bloody righteous monsters by any other name, so why sweat the technicalities?
For Harry fans, Blood Rites scores big. The fast pace and light storytelling touch play to Butcher's strengths, making it easier to overlook pesky little writing lapses (not knowing how few days until Saturday, or how many films Genosa has shot, or what "née" means; taking off a coat twice in three short paragraphs, then spacing out on the garish shirt underneath; getting the Beetle back from the mechanic, who never had it in the first place; to mention a few). At the same time, there are enticing glimpses of the dark wings beating ever more strongly about the edges of Harry's soul. He and readers get substantial new chunks of his past along the way, too. Great game!
Book Review: The Best So Far
Summary: 5 Stars
Blood Rites is the sixth book in Jim Butcher's ongoing Dresden Files series, a fantasy/paranormal/detective noir series following the adventures of Chicago-based wizard/detective Harry Dresden. In this installment, Harry is hired on to put a stop to a string of curses that have been killing women involved in the filming of a porno flick. Harry also plans to take down a major contingent of Black Court vampires hiding in Chicago. In a lot of ways, Blood Rites is just like any other Dresden Files novel, but there are a few key differences which makes Blood Rites the strongest novel in the series so far.
As I said, Blood Rites is in a lot of ways the typical Dresden Files novel. Harry gets himself in over his head with all sorts of super natural bad guys, and relies on his power, toughness and wit to get him through. And, as usual, it's done very well. The action scenes are particularly well written, the dialogue is snappy and fairly authentic (even if Harry's catch phrase "Hell's Bells" is getting a little obnoxious), the plot flows nicely, there are some interesting twists on common paranormal faire, etc.
But where Blood Rites really excels beyond its predecessor novels is in the personal development of its protagonists and some key side characters. In a lot of ways, Harry himself was pretty stagnant in the first five novels. He did his thing, it was entertaining and impressive, but he didn't change much. He even bounced back from the turmoil involving losing his girlfriend pretty well. But there's some real emotional impact in Blood Rites, and Dresden really develops as a person, if not as a wizard. The personal lives of side characters like Karrin Murphy, Thomas Raith and Ebenezer McCoy are fleshed out as well, making them much more three-dimensional, fully realized characters. Heck, even some of the bad guys, like Lord Raith, had some dimension to them, rather than just being the typical Dresden Files 100% evil bad guy. Given the somewhat repetitious nature of the series, these developments are particularly important and make Blood Rites a much more satisfying novel.
If there's a weakness to Blood Rites, it's that it was still pretty darn predictable (which I've found to be the case with the previous novels as well). One would expect this to be problematic for a detective novel, but it has never really weakened the Dresden Files series. Some novels you read to find out where they're going, others you read to see how they get there. This series is of the latter.
Before Blood Rites, the Dresden Files was just good fun. Quick, entertaining reads that served as good filler while waiting for more serious novels to come out. Blood Rites may well change that, leading the way for developing the series into some serious fantasy literature, while still, of course, maintaining the action-packed, fast paced, good fun. Highly recommended.
Book Review: Family Ties
Summary: 5 Stars
After the epic events of both Summer Knight and Death Masks, Jim Butcher switches to a more personal tale for his 6th Dresden Files book, Blood Rites. There is not the imminent threat of Faeriegeddon or Nicapocalypse, but the danger is still just as real and deadly to Harry as ever before.
Blood Rites is all about Family. Harry uncovers a great deal about his family, while adding to it along the way. We are given an in depth look into a slice of life in a family of Incubi/Succubi as we learn more about Thomas and his family. We also meet Murphy's family.
The book is seemingly structured to afford the reader a nice contrast between different families. Not just families of blood, but those formed in the trenches of life and solidified in the face of death. Butcher really details how Family can be found in the "lowest" of places, but even there it is every bit as warm and comforting as it is in the traditional sense.
The basic plot has Harry being tasked by Thomas to protect his actor friends making a porno movie. In return, Thomas finally tells Harry his big secret, why it is he has been helping Harry out over the last couple years.
Also, Mavra, the Black Court Vampire Sorceress, is back in town and gunning for Harry. Yet more fallout from Harry's actions at Bianca's masquerade ball in Grave Peril.
Of course in Harry's world things generally tend to go from bad to worse, so it is as Lord Raith, The White King, and his first in command, daughter Lara (Thomas' family), also show up with hidden agendas.
Kincaid and Ebenezar McCoy make welcome returns (along with stunning revelations about them both), and between the two of them Harry is forced to learn two of the hardest lessons of his life: one physical, one psychological.
While not as epic, or quite as good, as Death Masks, Blood Rites is very satisfying on a more personal level. Reading a 1st person series has its inherent limitations, but it is quite effective at making the reader really feel for Harry. Those limitations also work for the series, as revelations like those we uncover in Blood Rites are satisfying for the reader as much as Harry, because it is information we genuinely did not know. So it is both nice to fill in some gaps, as well as surprising when Butcher drops the big reveal.
I think Blood Rites also has the "sandwich" problem (that the later Proven Guilty also suffers from). That being that while it is very good, it is between two of the best books of the series and two of my personal favorites at that.
But by no means is Blood Rites anything less than spectacular, another just all out action thrill ride through the Dresdenverse, and it even has a dog!
4.5 out of 5 stars
Book Review: Keeping It in the Family
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm not sure that it is technically accurate to label this latest stanza in the 'Dresden File' series a pleasant surprise, since all of the books have been enjoyable reading. But author Jim Butcher has managed to take a series that was showing signs of being pleasantly predictable and up the level just a bit. Much of this has been accomplished by developing Harry Dresden into something more than a Chicago wizard with an overly developed sense of responsibility (and possible an overactive thyroid). He has developed more of the sense of self-awareness I would expect from a professional wizard, although I would say that Harry's judgment is still has a bit of adolescent about it.
Another part of this growth stems from the fleshing out of the basic Dresden plot, which is Harry in trouble with the wizard's White Council and hunted by the various vampire courts. That hasn't changed much. This time Harry is trying to put a stop to a new Black Court effort to end his life while keeping a deadly evil eye curse from bankrupting a porno film startup company. The latter effort puts Harry at odds with the head of the Vampire's White Court. We get to experience both the delights of the film stage and the wild action of a raid on a Black Court lair.
Butcher makes this come alive by filling in a lot of the blanks about his vampire's society and politics, while stepping up the heat on Harry's relationship with Lt. Karrin Murphy, the head of Special Investigation. Throw in the development of several other collateral characters and you have an action story with interesting characters. This works well, because Butcher seems to know when to back off from the melodramatic and let people behave like people (or vampires) in a serious conflict..
Of course, the usual spookiness and ritual magic are there as always. Magic works in Butcher's alternate reality, and it sometimes works with a vengeance. The author sometimes takes a moment to explain how such things are supposed to work, but wisely, he avoids creating a formal system that would limit story development. Instead he blends magic, supernatural, and the occult as needed to get the right effect. I'm not a purist, and Butcher manages to avoid glaring self-contradiction. Keep in mind that this genre is beginning to get crowded with Harry Dresden's and Anita Blake's. Butcher's stories maintain a distinct identity and style that is beginning to be imitated, which is the best recommendation of all.