Death Masks (The Dresden Files, Book 5)
by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Death Masks (The Dresden Files, Book 5)
Book Review: Urban Fantasy at its'best
Summary: 5 Stars
Two extremely competent female cat burglars steal the Shroud of Turin with all signs pointing towards the icon being taken to Chicago. Evidence suggests that Chicago mobster John Marcone is the intended buyer, but the church hopes to intercept the sacred artifact before it changes hands. Father Vincent works with the Chicago police but he also hopes to obtain the assistance of local wizard Harry Dresden, a private investigator who specializes in supernatural crimes.Harry agrees to take the case but it becomes more complicated when the Denarians also want the shroud. The Denarians are humans who chose to align themselves with the Fallen for immortality and innumerable power. They plan to use the artifact combined with some dark magic to create and spread a plague that will decimate much of the world's population. Harry and his allies, the Knights of the Cross, must stop the Denarians at all costs or Earth will undergo a tragedy more powerful than the Black Plague.
Jim Butcher has created a very powerful urban fantasy story set in modern day Chicago where the only "outed" wizard resides. Unlike many of his allies, who operate in a black and white world, Harry works in shades of pastels, never certain whether what he is doing is right or just expedient. It is that uncertainty that makes the hero a vulnerable lovable person. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Mercedes Lackey will definitely want to read all five books in the Dresden Files.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Another Exciting Harry Novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Harry Dresden is in for another series of events that will make you very glad that you aren't wearing his wizard shoes. Poor guy...when does he get to sleep?This time around, Harry must face Ortega, a vampire noble, in a duel, find the stolen Shroud of Turin, and deal with "The Fallen" (as in angels). Luckily he gets some help from some special knights on that last one. Not to mention his ex is in town, and brings with her some stunning revelations and reminds Harry of his broken heart.
All this takes place at a breakneck pace, with lots of action and humor and physical punishement for Harry. In fact, maybe a bit too much physical punishment. After a while, it gets a bit over-the-top.
The humor is in top form though, with some many wonderful, subtle touches in the book. Butcher's characters (almost all) really come to life. My personal favorite is Michael Carpenter.
This book wasn't my favorite of the series, and I did have some minor quibbles. Its a bit of a letdown after the fabulous Summer Knight. But in a continuing series, there is bound to be a bit of variation from book to book. And for the most part, Butcher shows respect for his character and considerable writing ability. Most of all, he knows how to make us laugh, and have the characters laugh at themselves. Never underestimate the value of a sense of humor.
But hey Jim, where's Toot-toot? ;-)
Book Review: Superb! Butcher's best to date!
Summary: 5 Stars
Superb! Jim Butcher has brought Harry Dresden back with a vengeance. At the end of the fourth book, "Summer Knight," Harry's world was a tad askew. His girlfriend was half-way to becoming a vampire, he'd started a war between the Wizard's Council and one of the Vampire clans. Also, he'd been on the "list" with a Chicago mob-boss for quite a while now. He did, however, manage to play some fun D&D with a group of werewolf vigilantes. Hey, you take your victories where you can.So, when a priest asks him to recover a stolen relic (sort of like a big white cloth, taken from Turin... uh... yeah, that one), and demons start popping up everywhere trying to pop Harry off, things are tense. Toss in a suprise visit from his Girlfriend, three holy knights with very holy swords (one of whom has a very bitter wife), and you see why Harry's day is just about as bad as any he's had.
The mystery in this one threw me for a loop (I thought I had it right, only to learn I had it way wrong), and the tone of the book was dark and fun in equal measure. The pithy one-liners are always well done, and there's enough insider-geek references to make you swell with geeky pride.
Enjoy it, enjoy 'em all, and if you've never read any of Butcher's work, you owe yourself a copy of 'Storm Front,' a hot cuppa tea, and some quiet time you'll soon fill with laughter.
'Nathan
Book Review: An amazing novel
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a well written novel by James Butcher. The plot was a little weak, but the characters were strong. I like the detail he creates about his villains. But saying that, I wonder if the chief and most powerful demon of the fallen would be willing to undertake this action. So the characters are interesting and exciting, but I question their motives and likelihood to commit the actions in this story. Additionally, the end of the novel has an interesting twist that affects the follwing novels. I liked this novel, but this series is starting to annoy me. I feel the individual strengths of the novels are declining while the overall series is very interesting.
This is the best analogy to describe how I feel about the series. These novels are like a 1 hr show on TV; they are good enough, but not great. People pay forty dollars a month for cable and don't expect anything really good to be produced. They want something entertaining and they want it to be good enough that they look forward to the next episode. That describes the majority of this series. When I read the first one, it was like a movie at a theater. People pay a premium to watch it in theaters because they expect it to be great. So these are good novels, but they don't live up to their predecessor.
Book Review: Another stunning success for Butcher and the Dresden Files
Summary: 4 Stars
Imagine Dick Tracy as a wizard. The protagonist of this fifth novel in the Dresden File series is the unapologetically chivalrous yet lovelorn Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago Yellow Pages. Dresden, a supernatural gumshoe who lives in his rundown Chicago apartment makes for a fun protagonist. While the series is driven more by a blazing plot than by characters, the characters, too, are multifaceted individuals (for the most part) who learn (or not) from real mistakes. And seriously, who doesn't love a polka-playing Medical Examiner?
I will not give a spoiler of the plot that you can find on the jacket cover or other reviews, but one of my favorite parts of this novel is that Butcher's neo-noir style narration is spiced liberally with a warm humor that only enhances the non-stop thrills. He is one of my favorite writers.
Great fun. Outstanding writing. Paced for thrills with no slow spots. Darkly urban, contemporary setting. Magical, colorful characters. What's not to like?
The series is best enjoyed by starting with the first novel, Storm Front.
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)