Storm Front by Jim Butcher

I finished the first book of the Dresden Files, Storm Front, by Jim Butcher last night.  Luckily it was Saturday and not that late when I started reading, ’cause I couldn’t find a place where I wanted to stop when it was usually my bedtime!  This book (well, series really) was recommended by a friend of mine a little while back.  And I was not disappointed!

Harry Dresden is a wizard.  A real live one practicing as a magic PI of sorts in Chicago.  He’ll find lost things for you or something similar, and he sometimes even helps out the police when they find incidents that aren’t explained by the stuff they’re used to seeing.  

The book starts out with Harry reading a book ’cause business has been a little slow lately.  Matter of fact, it’s been so slow that he’s been having trouble making rent.  Well, that’s not a problem for him after the first day of the book.  He gets a call from a lady who’s husband has gone missing.  She’d like Harry to find him for her.  Before Harry can meet with her though, he gets a call from his contact at the police department, who also needs him to help with a murder case.  Hijinks ensue!  (I have to admit that it wasn’t a secret to me that the cases would eventually link up.  Then again, it probably wasn’t really supposed to be a secret!)

Harry has a worse life at times than Jack Bauer, I swear!  Jack’s bad days only last for 24 hrs where poor Harry in this case was going on full bore for more like 4 days.  Oy!  I have to say, I hope that some of the future novels are a tad bit more forgiving for Harry than this one.  I’m not sure I can take the stress of reading about a character not eating or sleeping for a couple days at a time!  😉

On the plus side (spoiler alert!) Harry did at least get to solve one of his overall problems with this story.  In saving the day at the end (oh come on, you had to see that coming!), he got to have the Doom lifted from him that was placed there by the White Council when he had to kill his prior mentor using magic (which is strictly forbidden).  Since he claimed self defense and there were no witnesses to dispute that claim, the Doom was his sentence.  Basically, he was watched at all times to make sure killing people wasn’t something he did on a regular basis.  His warden, Morgan, who while highly suspicious of Harry, saw the end of the book go down and had to report to the Council that Harry wasn’t misusing magic.  (However much Morgan would have liked to report otherwise, it just wasn’t in his nature to do so.)  The Council then lifted the Doom and at the beginning of this next book Harry is at least free from that weight.  However, Morgan and his faction on the Council, still think Harry is someone they need to watch out for, so I suspect Harry will still be under suspicion, even if it isn’t official anymore.

Anyway, on to the next book:  Fool Moon!  *giggles*

Also, the Science Fiction Book Club has 4 omnibus books of the first 9 books of the Dresden Files.  I’m actually reading A Wizard for Hire which has the first three books in it:  Storm Front, Fool Moon, and Grave Peril.