Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

“Any good fictions lately?” I asked Kid recently; she read 150 books a year, mostly fictions. “I liked the Dresten Files,” she replied. Hmm… So I checked. If Jim Butcher published a series of 8 books, the first one must sold quite well. Kindle retrieved the first two chapters in seconds. Few hours later, I bought the book. Last night, 4 days since, I stayed up way too late to gobble up the finish.

Storm Front, volume one of the Dresten Files, is a whodunit with a twist of wizardry. Harry Dresten, the protagonist, is an openly practicing wizard in Chicago. More precisely, he is a mortal wizard: a flesh and blood with some unique talents such as manipulate energies like storms or emotions. Like a mortal, he needs money to pay for foods, water, and shelter. For that, he does private investigation.

Mr. Dresten was no James Bond, more a clumsy Indiana Jones. He struggled to get anything: paying rent, getting fed, brewing potions, or, of course, keeping relationships. The plot was also Indiana Jones like — ever more difficult hurdles leading to the final movie-like climax. Most supporting characters are one-dimensional. I kept on hoping to get to know Murphy better, but Butcher created too many female characters and diluted her.

I enjoyed this book and can see the justification for sequels. This sub-genre is clever and should attract a large enough population. But I will pass for the rest of the series.