The Jim Butcher Files: Dresden . Codex Alera . Cinder Spires & More

[zespectre]

I discovered the Harry Dresden series by accidentally picking up Summer Knight late 2002 or early 2003. When I finished the book and realized there were others I went back to the first one and have been reading ever since.

Now for the somewhat amusing "hey isn't that strange" part.

From 1999 to 2001 I was a "volunteer warden" and used to give walking tours of a small wildlife preserve/animal shelter. Often in the fall the weather was less than hospitable so I used to dress for wet and slippery trails with a rainproof hat, coat, and a beautiful carved walking stick that a friend and fellow hiker gave me years before.

In short, this was me on a tour about three years before I'd ever heard of Jim Butcher or "Harry Dresden".



Just as a note, the carved staff has a "compass rose" symbol carved into the top by my friend (it's hidden under my hand). He also filled in carving with glow-paint so in faint light the compass glows slightly...it's pretty neat.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by alansplace

i've said this in earlier posts in other threads, but i think that here and now it is worth repeating.

over the chronology span of the short story volume 'side jobs' and the 13 published dresden files novels, the main characters all change as they age and mature, as we all do in real life.

Yeah, I know. You did say she would grow/change/mature. She is obviously a good cop, maybe even a great one. My issue with her, however, is that she does not give what she expects demands to receive. She goes to him, pulls him into these situations that she damn well knows she can not handle on her own without his help and expertise, then she tries to dictate the situation making demands and preventing him from doing his best work. If she wants Harry to be able to trust her enough to bring her in, then she has to trust him enough to do what he needs to do instead of flying off the handle, putting Harry and herself in more danger, unnecessarily. It just annoys me to no end (as you can tell ). The scorpion scene I described in the other thread is a prime example.

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Murphy has made me grumble to myself on more than one occasion. I remember almost yelling "Are you kidding me!?!" while reading Storm Front, when:

Spoiler:

She gets attacked by the scorpion in his office, and as he gets down to check on her she handcuffs him!

What is it with her handcuffing or arresting him at the worst possible moments?

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Yeah, I know. You did say she would grow/change/mature. She is obviously a good cop, maybe even a great one. My issue with her, however, is that she does not give what she expects demands to receive. She goes to him, pulls him into these situations that she damn well knows she can not handle on her own without his help and expertise, then she tries to dictate the situation making demands and preventing him from doing his beat work. If she wants Harry to be able to trust her enough to bring her in, then she has to trust him enough to do what he needs to do instead of flying off the handle, putting Harry and herself in more danger, unnecessarily. It just annoys me to no end (as you can tell ). The scorpion scene I described in the other thread is a prime example.

i agree wholeheartedly. i guess you could say, from your point of view, that she has lots of room to grow.

[Nyssa]

Yes, and I am very happy to hear that they will get there, or at least close to it.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Yes, and I am very happy to hear that they will get there, or at least close to it.

most likely everyone doesn't end up going where you'd like them to.

on another note concerning the tv series, morgan is going to be a bit of a surprise and the actress valerie cruz [connie murphy] originally tried out for the role of susan rodriguez [who becomes quite important in the novels] in the pilot episode that became [highly cut down] episode 8, storm front.

[alansplace]

wallpaper for you...

[alansplace]

am i alone in this thread?

just finished re-reading storm front, loved it....again! now starting fool moon for a re-read.

[zespectre]

You're not alone, but I'm totally paranoid about voicing spoilers since Jim does such a nice job of intertwining things from book to book.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by zespectre

You're not alone, but I'm totally paranoid about voicing spoilers since Jim does such a nice job of intertwining things from book to book.

just put the spoiler text in between:

(SPOILER] and [/SPOILER) - make the two parentheses square brackets

and it'll work like this:

Spoiler:

text to be hidden

[Filark]

Originally Posted by alansplace

great idea, i'll be hanging around, hmmmm.....maybe i'll re-read the series and re-watch the tv series. yep, that's what i'll do.

Sounds good to me! I think I've forgotten enough that I could start over at the beginning. Otherwise I'm all caught up and will have to wait another year or so for news of Harry.

My favorite character is Thomas. Oh, and the Carpenters. And -- aw heck, I like them all!

If you haven't read the series, you are missing the boat (yes there will be boats!).

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by alansplace

am i alone in this thread?

just finished re-reading storm front, loved it....again! now starting fool moon for a re-read.

Of course you're not alone!! I just have more questions than discussion points after only reading the first 2 books.
So, I'll ask some questions but if the answers are to spoilerish then please don't answer. Okay?

So, did re-reading book 1 feel any different this time around? Did you notice anything new or was it more like visiting an old friend?

Do we find out how/why Harry has Bob and why Bob has to listen to him?

Do Harry and Morgan ever become friends or at least friendly?

Do Harry and Susan last as a couple? There's something I like about her, but I'm not quite sure what it is, yet. Maybe her ability to believe and willingness to give Harry help & support.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Of course you're not alone!! I just have more questions than discussion points after only reading the first 2 books.
So, I'll ask some questions but if the answers are to spoilerish then please don't answer. Okay?

ok

So, did re-reading book 1 feel any different this time around?

yes & no.....liked it as much, appreciated it more, i think

Did you notice anything new or was it more like visiting an old friend?

sure & yes....er......both

Do we find out how/why Harry has Bob and why Bob has to listen to him?

oh yes, definitely....

Do Harry and Morgan ever become friends or at least friendly?

not really.....but...

Do Harry and Susan last as a couple? There's something I like about her, but I'm not quite sure what it is, yet. Maybe her ability to believe and willingness to give Harry help & support.

big spoiler, cannot even begin to answer

[Nyssa]

Ah, glad to hear that it holds up to re-reading. I tend to do that with particularly long series, and at 13 books now (?), this one will definitely count.

Glad to know we find out more about Bob. I didn't quite get what was said so far, other than he's been passed down through the centuries. I'll admit I was more concerned about the intimidate goings on than about Bob at the time.

Not too surprised by Morgan and Harry. Morgan comes across as "Lawful Good" vs Harry's "Chaotic Good". I'll explain that more clearly if necessary.


Hmm...interesting. I hope whatever happens with Harry & Susan is more good than bad. But then again, I'm very much a "happy ending" kind of girl. Either way, I'm sure I'll be quite invested in whatever their relationship turns out to be.

Thank you Alan!

[Asawi]

Am I the only one who started reading Storm Front and didn't like it at all? I do understand that this thread is primarily for discussions between people who do like the series, but I'm still a little curious.
(Why I didn't like it? Felt a bit too much like a somewhat paranormal Mike Hammer-book to me. Yeah, read those when I was young, many, many moons ago...
Might give it another go some other time. Depending on what goes on around me I like/dislike different books/genres at different times.)

[siraks]

Originally Posted by Asawi

Am I the only one who started reading Storm Front and didn't like it at all? I do understand that this thread is primarily for discussions between people who do like the series, but I'm still a little curious.
(Why I didn't like it? Felt a bit too much like a somewhat paranormal Mike Hammer-book to me. Yeah, read those when I was young, many, many moons ago...
Might give it another go some other time. Depending on what goes on around me I like/dislike different books/genres at different times.)

the first book was ok, it wasn't amazing but it was decent. the second book 'fool moon' was better IMO. i'm going to give grave peril a go starting sometime this week. since i'm on the dresden kick why not continue