Storm Front

A house on a lake.  Behind it a cityscape and lightning bolts streak through the night sky.  What an intriguing cover.  That’s what first drew me to this book and this awesome series.

Storm Front introduces Harry Dresden, a wizard in Chicago who helps the Chicago P.D. with those cases that defy everyday logic.  When the police discover a grisly double murder, Karrin Murphy of the Special Investigations unit calls Dresden in.  It’s murder by black magic.  Now Dresden must solve the case before a black magic practitioner targets him as the next victim.

I tend to buy my books and choose what to read at whim.  So it was a while before I read this.  Then that cover drew me in again, and I choose to read it on a trip to Toronto.  I loved it!  I ended up reading the whole thing on the drive up–don’t worry I wasn’t driving–and finished the book as we arrived in Toronto.  Since it said on the cover it was the “first in a new series,” I had to get the rest of the books.

This was some years ago.  To date, I’ve read every book, except the most recent, Side Jobs, which is at the top of my “To Read” pile.  Each book focuses on a mystery of who’s the big bad behind the current story’s plot, but there’s also a larger storyline arc that emcompasses all the books.  I don’t want to give away too much, so you’ll just have to read them.  I recommend reading them in order though.

As a library employee, I’ve often recommended the Dresden Files to readers.  I’ve yet to encounter someone who hasn’t liked them.  Fans of urban fantasy, paranormal stories, or grown-up fans of Harry Potter would love this series.  I consider these Jim Butcher books some of the best written in the genre.  While other series have lagged, this one continues to get better and better.  Since reading Changes earlier this year, I am anxiously awaiting the next book, likely due out in April 2011.  In the meantime, I plan to enjoy Side Jobs, the collection of stories released this past October.

Put these books on your reading list!