Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)
by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)
Book Review: Fool Moon
Summary: 3 Stars
Having just read the first book of the Dresden Files, I was pretty excited to read the next book, Fool Moon. I have to say, I wasn't quite as impressed with this one. I just couldn't get into it as well and found myself putting it down quite a few times in favor of other things. It's not to say its a bad book per se, just not as impressive as the first one by far.
Harry Dresden is a wizard working in Chicago. And when I say wizard I don't mean parties and fake magic tricks. He is the real deal, and he's been called in by Murphy of the Chicago PD to help with a murder case. He's used quite a bit by the police for these things, he specializes in the supernatural and that is useful to them even if they don't believe him about it. He still gives them good leads. This time someones been ripped to shreds and surrounded with wolf paw prints in the dust. Obviously its someone playing a very mean prank, but they need Harry to figure out who. And he's more than willing, but he knows something they don't. There are werewolves in Chicago.
And not just werewolves either. With the help of his talking skull Bob, he finds out that there are all sorts of classes of humans that transform into wolves. Some by magic, some by will, others by evil magic users. It can be quite complicated. While he's trying to figure out who's causing all the horrific murders in the city, the FBI is making it difficult, and so is a local gang who just so happens to be "wolf-themed" as well. Murphy has also turned against him thinking he is one of the bad guys and he narrowly escapes being arrested and has the police pursuing him now as well. With all these problems facing him, he may not be able to stop the real killer in time before another massacre.
Harry, like in the first book, is incredibly awesome. He has a lot of character flaws but that just serves to make him more life-like. Its the rest of the characters I really couldn't stand in this novel. There are so many of them its hard to keep track of, but even some, like Murphy, are just not written well. She is constantly against Harry in this novel and that just doesn't seem to be supported by logical reasons. Yes he doesn't tell her the whole truth, but if she's as familiar with the supernatural as she seems to be in the book surely she can realize that there's a lot going on there and that Harry is distracted. Obviously if she turns against him this easy she's never thought much of him to begin with; yet the book seems to claim the opposite. The wolves in this tale range from all sorts of good to bad and shades of grey yet they aren't really fleshed out. They are described well yes, but when it comes to their personalities, there are more details needed.
The writing is richly descriptive and Butcher does a good job of describing Harry and the other characters. He also does a wonderful job of describing the settings as well so you have an idea about the gritty back areas of Chicago and the surrounding areas. As a warning, there is a quite a bit of blood, gore, and violence in this book; not appropriate for everybody. There is also a mildly written sex scene that is not too explicit as well. The book is written through Harry's eyes and Butcher does make him a good narrator. He's able to tell what's going on clearly and since we have access to his thoughts its easier to understand some of the magic involved. Also to note, this book could be read as a standalone despite being the second in a series (which is good because I'm choosing not to recap previous books in this series in reviews due to the fact that there are twelve books already and recapping through the series would be a book in itself).
I just couldn't get into this book as well. There's a whole lot going on and while the book is full of adventure and mystery, it never gives you a breather and chance to settle down and think things straight. So much detail is just thrown in and mixed with the pertinent facts that its hard to tell what's important and what's not while reading. I'll certainly continue on with the series, but after this book I'm not in a mad race to do so anymore.
Fool Moon
Copyright 2001
342 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2010
Book Review: A good book to start with if you are looking into these novels.
Summary: 4 Stars
[...]
I reviewed Storm Front a while back, though I read both books about two or three months previous. I noted how I enjoyed the novel to a point, but it didn't really have that hook or catch to keep me going. I liked the idea (wizard in Chicago solving supernatural mysteries), but the book just didn't sink in.
Well, it was in Fool Moon that the series really sunk its teeth into me (horrible werewolf pun intended). While I won't go so far as to say the book is fantastically great (it isn't, it's just slightly above average), it did have the one thing the first book was missing, something completely crucial in long series like these:
It had a hook, and I wanted to read more.
I still do, in fact. As I'm writing this I'm finishing the audio recording of Grave Peril on my iPod, and already have Summer Knight (the book following) on my iPod, and even checked out Death Masks (the fifth book in the series) from the library in anticipation.
I have Dresden Files fever. Congrats, Jim Butcher. You won.
Now, on to the review of Fool Moon.
The premise for all the Dresden books could be easily stated in a nutshell: Harry gets called up on some crazy murder/premonition/etc. He rushes out, only to get beat up. He then keeps investigating, finds nothing is as it seems, and gets beaten up a few dozen more times (and in this book he even loses his magic). Then, in the end, there's a desperate struggle and Harry manages to come out.
That's the basic idea. But don't think that doesn't make them any less entertaining.
The monster of the hour in Fool Moon is werewolves. There's a wide variety of the creatures, with names I can't summon up to recall at this moment, but just know there's the puppy-dog ones (think Twilight) and the huge demon-dog monsters from hell ones. Of course, the once Harry's gotta take out is the latter. However, things get complicated as Susan, Harry's girlfriend-in-progress slash reporter from Storm Front, gets in on the whole mess. Add a werewolf pack that isn't as it seems, a psychotic drug and crazy FBI members, and a whole ton of gory killing, and you have one crazy story.
Now, I've said this was the book that made me finally want more Harry Dresden, and that is true. However, the book itself isn't as fantastic as I've made it out to be. Its leaps and bounds above Storm Front, for sure, but it still hadn't reached that "I can't put it down" status (which Grave Peril fully accomplishes). The fact Harry can keep going in some situation is unbelievable, and he often takes breaks when I think he should be fighting, and vice versa. He also has a terrible knack of being a total jerk to monsters he probably shouldn't be a total jerk to (something that continues in all the other books, if my friends are to be trusted), which makes him seem a little dumb.
So, why do I want more? It's hard to identify what really causes you to be sucked into a story, but there are a variety of things I can think of. First off, the characters, especially Harry, are extremely likeable. Not only that, but they have a fantastic synergy. Harry, with his snarky comments; Susan, with her determination but ignorance of the world she's digging in; Bob, a genius spirit in a skull who likes sex too much; Murphy, a hard-broiled female cop who both despises and relies on Harry. It's a great set up, and you just know that whatever Jim throws into this mess will work. Or, it would work, once Jim's writing catches up, which is starts showing signs of doing this time around.
Add on a bunch of secrets behind every character that would be dug up later in future novels, exciting action, and a magic system that is both intuitive and unique.
Fool Moon is a solid second installment, and it ends on a pseudo-cliffhanger (not frustrating, but making me want more) that works perfectly. I can now say this is a series certainly worth looking into if you enjoy urban fantasy, or hard-broiled cop stories with a snarky narrator and magic interwoven.
Book Review: Suspenseful and Fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Fool Moon" by Jim Butcher is the second instalment in the Dresden Files series, and it is another great read. Butcher has penned another highly entertaining and thrilling tale that is guaranteed to keep readers glued to the pages. The characters we met in "Storm Front" are back for a second adventure, and in "Fool Moon" Butcher does an excellent job of fleshing them out into intriguing and well-rounded individuals who become very real in the eyes of the reader."Fool Moon" begins six months after the end of "Storm Front" and Harry Dresden, wizard for hire, is still having trouble paying the bills. His relationship with his friend and head of Special Investigations in the Chicago PD, Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, is still very strained because of Harry's decision to withhold dangerous information from Murphy on their last big murder case ("Storm Front"), which resulted in a rather disastrous outcome. But when vicious and obviously inhuman murders start occurring, Murphy has no choice but to call in Harry for help. The scenes of the grizzly murders speak for themselves; mauled bodies covered in teeth and claw marks, and enormous wolf-like bloody footprints. The experts say that the prints are too large to belong to a real wolf, and conclude it must be a hoax.
But Harry knows better, and so does Murphy. They both know they're probably dealing with some rampaging werewolves, but there are all kinds of problems keeping them from solving the crime. Murphy is already in a precarious position as a result of the questionable goings-on from "Storm Front", and Internal Investigations is trying to get her to slip up so they can kick her off the force. In addition, some very nasty and territorial FBI agents are making it hard to even get near the crime scenes, and Murphy doesn't want to make any more enemies than she already has.
So Harry, who suffers from somewhat of a hero complex and feels responsible for Murphy's predicament, is determined to catch the killers and save Murphy's career. After a consultation with his always-hilarious assistant Bob, an over-sexed air-spirit residing in a human skull, Harry's problems multiply. It seems that there are all kinds of werewolves; regular werewolves, hexenwolves, loup-garous, and lycanthropes, and Harry has to figure out what exactly he's dealing with so he can figure out how to stop it.
The story really takes off from here, and Butcher treats his readers to a wild, brilliantly suspenseful, well-plotted and magical mystery. The character interactions begin to get really interesting in "Fool Moon", and Harry's relationship with paranormal reporter Susan becomes much more important. Mobster "Gentleman Johnny Marcone" is back again, along with some new characters, including a pack of werewolves who throw in with Harry. Harry runs into a lot of trouble in "Fool Moon", and there is plenty of violence in this instalment of the series. Poor Harry is beaten, shot, attacked, and beaten again, but through it all he continues fighting for what he believes is right.
Harry Dresden is a wonderful character who readers can really root for. He is extremely likable, very unlucky, and has a habit of leaping first and looking much later. But despite his flaws, Harry is sure to find a place in every reader's heart. Harry has a wonderful dry wit that makes the story fun to read, and his self-depreciating sense of humour gets a lot of smiles out of me. Overall, "Fool Moon" is a highly enjoyable read, and I expect that if you give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised!
Book Review: Werewolf, there wolf, and there, and there...
Summary: 4 Stars
Fool Moon is the second book of Mr. Butcher's Dresden Files. In this book, after a significant break from Storm Front, Murphy invites Harry to investigate a murder that appears to have been done by wolves. Also investigating in the murder are four FBI agents who seem a little different. As with Storm Front the story centers around Harry and is told by him. The story rapidly takes of with Harry learning about the different types of werewolves (Bob informs us that there are three types of werewolves that he's aware of: lycanthropes, hexenwolf, and loup-garou; btw, if you want to know the differences, read the book).
My Likes
This book opens fast! This is because we've already met Harry and know about him and Murphy. Mr. Butcher does expand on both of these characters and once more you can see that Mr. Butcher pours some of himself into Harry. In addition, we have Marcone (a crime lord), Susan (Harry's girlfriend), and Carmichael (Murphy's second).
I also love how Mr. Butcher is expanding Harry's magic and our understanding of magic. Instead of casting lightning bolts or fireballs (ala Merlin) Harry's magic seems a little more mundane; control of inanimate objects, protection, and various potions Harry brews up with Bob's help (btw, the potions are interesting to say the least or at least their ingredients are).
The biggest seller is the werewolves. I'm amazed at how much Mr. Butcher put into this. When you read about Bob describing the different types and later have interactions with them it's very impressive. I can also say that Mr. Butcher does a great job bringing this to the reader and interweaving it into the story in a believable way.
My Dislikes
The books seemed a little long and contrived at points. I believe that this was because Mr. Butcher wanted to show us as much about werewolves as possible. Because of the different types and the need to have Harry interact with them the story drags a little from time to time. I can't say I was bored by it, but I really wanted to find out what the center of the story was. Is this really that bad? Only because it took a little to much time.
Mr. Butcher stated at one point that one of the werewolves served in Vietnam in the Army. I'm sorry, there's no real way this character would have been able to have gone thru the training the Army requires and have made it to Vietnam without discovery, especially given the type of werewolf he is. This is further complicated when Mr. Butcher informs us that Harley MacFinn was the sole survivor of his unit in Vietnam due to Vietcong actions against his unit. I'm sorry, given the type of werewolf and all it was totally unbelievable.
My last dislike was what happens to Carmichael. While heroic and all, I felt that Carmichael made a nice counter piece to Harry for Murphy. A little on the abrupt side for a character like Carmichael in my opinion.
The Rating
Four stars! While the story line was more mature than Storm Front, I felt that Mr. Butcher got wrapped around his story a little to much. A lot of things happen here and Harry's a little on the unbelievable side due to the actions he takes and the time covered by things. That said, I was highly impressed with Mr. Butcher's werewolves and the interactions they have with Harry. While the story is a little long, it's not totally predictable and there are some nice little surprises.
Book Review: Good Story, but ...
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Overall, I liked the book, but it has some weak spots.
Before I forget, if you have not seen the TV series, I highly recommend it. I think only Book 1 actually was made into an episode, but the other episodes followed the basic plan of the book series. Too bad there was only one season. So much bad TV, and this gets canceled - go figure!
Back to the book. In this installment, Harry Dresden, a wizard detective, gets involved in a case involving different sorts of werewolves. I never knew this, but there are more or less four types: classic werewolf, hexenwolf, lycanthrope and loup-garou. The classic transforms via simple magic, while the hexenwolf transforms via a charmed wolf skin belt; the lycanthrope is human in appearance, but acts wolf-like and beserker. The loup-garou is the most dangerous and is a truly monstrous wolf creature. All four are in the book.
Needless to say, there are dead bodies all over the place with all these werewolves running around, although, some aren't as bad as others. There is a lot of description of the killings, but the author does know how to stop before going too far. He had to explain it in some form, or the book would lose its punch.
I really liked the Dresden character as I did in the first book and the TV series. He is a powerful wizard, but somehow still a regular, good guy. He does need to get his act together, but this may be one reason he is so likeable. It is the way his life is off kilter that makes this so; he is not a loser. Read the books, and you will see what I mean.
The Murphy character is great in the TV series and OK in Book 1, but I wanted to strangle her in this book. She was a total unreasonable witch. I hope Butcher fixes this in later books. Enough said.
Maybe it was just me, but I thought I detected inconsistencies in this book and between it and Book 1. They were not major, but see what you think.
The book was well written, however, at least in the sense that it made me want to keep reading. How is Dresden going to get out of this situation? I kept asking myself over and over. Somehow he did.
Mostly the way was clever and still believable, but a few times, it seemed a bit contrived. It was also a little bit tiring as there were a few too many of these situations, and the fight scenes went on a little too long in some cases. Also, Harry just got beat up too many times in too short period of time. I think the author should have cut the book down 50 pages or so, and it would have been a much better book. Or, he could have filled the space made this way by having Dresden interact more with Bob - their interactions are always great. Of course, this is an early book in the series and maybe the author has gone a better way in later books. Still, the story as written did hold my attention and was very entertaining.
The parts of the book written from or describing the viewpoint of the werewolves was really well done. However, this was also very disturbing in what it showed. You just have to read the book to see what I mean.
All in all, it is a good story, and I recommend it.