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Magic and mystery mingle in Dresden Files
Review by LEE CLARK ZUMPE
| Article published on Monday, April 13, 2009 |
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| “Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files,” by Jim Butcher, available April 7 from Roc Hardcover. |
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There probably won’t be any midnight book release parties celebrating the newest book by Jim Butcher. Those types of things are reserved mainly for the other bestselling wizard named Harry.
Don’t fret much, though: Butcher’s Harry Dresden has attracted an ever-growing legion of fans. “Turn Coat,” the 11th novel in the series, lives up to its predecessors, adeptly weaving magic spells with gumshoe mystery. Butcher is the reigning king of urban fantasy, depicting buzzing Chicago nightclubs and dank and dirty inner-city alleys as vividly as the scenery of the spectral Nevernever, a world “of ghosts and spirits and fantastic beings” which “exists alongside our own mortal reality.”
A quick primer for those unfamiliar with the series: Butcher has developed the Dresden Files as a blend of fantasy and mystery, with each novel narrated from the point of view of private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden. Butcher has crafted an intricate world of wizards, vampires, werewolves and other supernatural entities in a modern, real-world setting.
But it’s actually the hardboiled detective aspect of the books that make them so appealing. Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe would fit right into Dresden’s world.
In “Turn Coat,” Dresden reluctantly becomes the protector of Warden Donald Morgan, a man who had previously pursued Dresden’s persecution before the White Council of Wizards. Morgan claims he has been wrongly accused of treason, and asks Dresden to help clear his name.
“Turn Coat” is a page-turner, with good pacing despite the necessary background information which provides a handy synopsis for newcomers and quick cues for diehard fans. The action heats up early on with a battle involving a Native American nightmare known as a skinwalker or naagloshii, something Butcher picked up from Navajo folklore.
The author throws in some other interesting allusions, incidentally, including one tip-of-the-hat to H.P. Lovecraft’s Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young. It’s always nice to see today’s writers paying discreet tribute to those whose works inspired them.
While “Turn Coat” is an excellent continuation in the Dresden saga, one word of warning: It’s probably best to start at the beginning with this series. Butcher is all about long story arcs. There are character traits and relationship details that will be lost on the casual reader. Likewise, there are hints of things yet to come, including more insinuations about the Black Council.
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Article published on Monday, April 13, 2009
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