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: More Fun with Harry
Summary: 5 Stars
As a second book in a series, Fool Moon does not disappoint. Much simplified, the plot involves Harry Dresden attempting to figure out what werewolf-type entity is killing people around Chicago. And there seems to be a very large pool of suspects. (Who would think you could have that many werewolves in one area and not notice? Of course, I suppose you could ask the same question regarding the vampire population...) Following the tone of the first book, Dresden gets beat up more than once. (A couple times... A few times... Okay, maybe more than a few times. >_>) As always, he soldiers on when he really should give up and go to the emergency room. If you're timid about violence, perhaps this is not the right series for you. He even ends up behind bars at one point, having completely lost the trust of the Chicago PD. (Way to go, Harry.) In the end, things get confusing, things resolve, and all is right in Chicago... at least for a little while.
I particularly enjoyed the unique werewolf lore Jim Butcher invented for the series. (More than one way to make a werewolf, apparently. And none of them involve biting people.) Also, several new characters are introduced who will play key roles in later Dresden Files books. I am actually quite fond of a couple of them. This book isn't one of my absolute Dresden Files favorites, but all the books in the series rank highly on my "amusing reading" list. If you enjoy the mysteriously narrated, the sarcastically humorous, and the occasionally painful, just keep reading.
Just in case this needs to be said, you should definitely read the first book in the Dresden Files series, Storm Front, before reading this one. It isn't that the book can't stand alone, but everything just makes more sense when you read a series in order. ;)Book Review: Dresden is back, and the series is on the upswing
Summary: 4 Stars
Jim Butcher caught me with "Storm Front," the first in the series of the Harry Dresden mysteries. Dresden is a wizard for hire, who usually spends his time finding lost things and working with the vastly underfunded and undereducated paranormal branch of the police. Sometimes he can even afford to pay his rent.Once again, a series of very grisly murders pit Dresden with the police as they try desperately to figure out if there's a werewolf out there taking out the citizens of the fair city. What Dresden can figure out - with the ever-wonderful help of Bob the skull-shaped oversexed air spirit - only seems to increase the danger.
Werewolves, Hexenwolves, Loup-Garous and worse abound in this novel where anything that can walk on furry feet during the full moon is suspect, and where Dresden's police friend might just lose her career. Asuming she lives through the night...
As always, it's Harry Dresden's wit and sarcasm that carries the tale, but the mystery in "Fool Moon" was quite a bit ahead of the tale in "Storm Front." Butcher's various supporting characters are coming to life, with backgrounds and personalities that don't seem as forced as they were in the first tale. All in all, this series is going places. I devoured "Full Moon" overnight, and grabbed "Grave Peril" (the third in the series) the next day.
Fans of Tanya Huff will love Butcher's quirky wit, and Laurel K. Hamilton fans will find the paranormal mystery as good as the earlier Anita Blake books (albeit usually a whole lot less gorey and angsty). Regardless, if you're looking for a fun mystery with a paranormal twist, give both "Fool Moon" and "Storm Front" a go!
'Nathan
Book Review: No "sophomore slump" for this series
Summary: 5 Stars
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only openly practicing wizard, is called on once again to consult on a case for Special Investigations. It seems simple enough at first. A dead body. Bloody paw prints. A full moon. You do the math. But nothing is as simple as it seems in Harry's world, and the killer might not be who, or what, you think.Karrin Murphy, head of Chicago PD's Special Investigations Unit, has seen enough to realize that monsters and magic are very real, and that Harry knows more about it than anyone she knows. She's just not sure she can trust him, especially with Internal Affairs breathing down her neck about using the services of a "charlatan" who many think has mob connections.
This novel has a "noir" feel to it, with a healthy dose of Harry Dresden's patented sarcasm and dark humor. Such as this line from a villain: "Dresden. I should kill you right now." Which is followed by Harry's response: "Try it," I said, and thumbed back the hammer of the gun. "But after the loud noise, remember to keep going down the tunnel and toward the light."
We get more tidbits about Harry's past including hints of the events surrounding what happened that led to the Doom of Damocles (basically a wizard form of probation) being placed upon him, though the whole story is still unclear. Some of the information revealed even Harry himself didn't know, and hopefully will be followed up in future books.
Though I don't think it's required to read Storm Front to understand the story of Fool Moon, I highly recommend reading them in order. Actually, I just recommend reading them as soon as possible, and I look forward to seeing what chaos Harry Dresden finds himself in next.
Book Review: Amusing.
Summary: 3 Stars
Jim Butcher, Fool Moon (Roc, 2001)
The second book in the Harry Dresden series is even more readable than the first, even as it sometimes stretches credulity even farther. (In short: the climax was just painful to read.) Still, when you're in the midst of a dozen or more heavy books, something that can be read over the course of a few hours is sometimes the perfect antidote to all the heaviness, and Jim Butcher's books fill that role on an admirable level.
Harry's work has dried up after the case we saw in Storm Front. Murphy is treating him with a great deal of suspicion, his relationship with Susan is on the shaky side, and no freelance clients are showing up. However, there are some cases Murphy just can't work without Dresden, and one crops up: it seems as if a werewolf is wandering around Chicago killing folks during the full moon. Worse yet, according to Bob, there are multiple types of werewolves, and it seems a number of different ones might be in residence-- so who's the actual killer? As if to make matters worse, the initial corpse Dresden is called in to look at is Spike, one of Johnny Marcone's bodyguards (whom we met in Storm Front). And-- cherry on top of the sundae, here!-- the FBI are involved and trying to muscle out the local talent, including Murphy-- who's in the midst of an internal affairs investigation-- and Dresden.
Lots of stuff going on here. Much of it predictable, more of it contrived, but man, Jim Butcher can write a page-turner like nobody's business. I just kept overstaying my breaks and reading at my desk to get in one more chapter. Ultimately, it's empty calories; it tastes good going down, but your hips will regret it later. ***
Book Review: Cops, Firemen, Paramedics, Oh My
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the second in the series, the Dresden Files. The main character of the series is Harry Dresden, the only self-proclaimed wizard listed in the Chicago phone directory.
Harry spends much of his time and earning power working for the Chicago Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. Here he helps Lt. Karrin Murphy figure out how to defeat all the nastier from the Never Never who wreck havoc on the citizens of Chicago. This includes all of the demons, vampires, werewolves, etc. and that humans generally don't believe exist.
By creating a world where such creatures are "real" and blending them with the efforts of the police and the Wizard Consultant to defeat them, Butcher has created a world of semi-believability.
In this episode, Harry has to deal not only with shape shifting werewolves but a really nasty character called a loup-garou. In addition, we have FBI agents who are trying a new technique for taking down the bad guys, turning themselves into werewolves as well.
Harry must sort out the good guys from the bad guys, keep out of jail himself, and make amends with Lt. Murphy and keep his girlfriend, Susan from getting hurt or killed. All in a days work for a wizard of Harry's ethical standards and capabilities.
I especially like the way characters are introduced in each book of the series, and how they play an ongoing role in future books. I would suggest you start at the beginning of the series and read through each book in order. It makes more sense that way as each successive book leaves us with tantalizing snippets into the next volume.