Book Review: Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Skin Game by Jim Butcher

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Book 15 of Dresden Files

Publisher: Roc (May 27, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 4 of 5 stars


Let’s face it, there’s really no such thing as a bad Dresden Files book – but some are better than others. For me, this series reached its peak round book 5 or 6. I loved Death Masks and Blood Rites, and though everything since has been very enjoyable, there are still times I get nostalgic for the days where Harry’s life was a lot simpler. Well, relatively simpler. The point is, each installment has added another layer of complexity and drama, until each book became a tangle of White Council politics, vampire mischief and Fae court shenanigans, and basically if you haven’t been following the series you wouldn’t have a snowflake’s chance in hell of figuring out what’s going on if you’d only jumped on board at this point.

I understand it had to happen. Change is a good thing, especially when it comes to a long running urban fantasy series, otherwise things would get old quick. But gone are the days when we used to get fun things like cases that send Harry to a horror film festival, or like, to the set of a porno flick. After about ten books, the inevitable bloat happened. The series was in need of a reset button, or at least a way to start tying things together.

For me, Changes was that reset button. And Ghost Story and Cold Days did the tying up. These books marked an important transition for the series, one that I felt was needed and that this handful of novels achieved quite well. However, it wasn’t until Skin Game that I felt that we were finally taking the first real step in this new direction. I have not enjoyed a Dresden Files book this much in a while, and I’m convinced now that the series has regained its feet at last. Sure, we still have the White Council politics, vampire mischief, Fae Court shenanigans, and what have you, but once more we’re back to having a very tightly focused story around a single EPIC situation – it’s heist time, baby!

Ever since he took on the mantle of the Winter Knight, Harry’s life has taken some pretty dark turns. Mab still has him bent over a barrel, but that hasn’t stopped him from fighting back, looking for ways to push the limits of her authority. So when the Queen of the Winter court orders him to aid the big bad Nicodemus and his gang of fallen angels, Harry finds himself in quite a jam. The Denarians want to break into Hades’ vault and steal the Holy Grail, and Harry’s service to Mab requires him to help, but who’s to say Nicodemus will honor his bargain and keep from killing them all after the job is done? And that’s assuming the job CAN be done.

Ah, I love heist stories. It’s a bit of a niche topic in fantasy, but it gets me excited every time. And everyone knows that a good heist story needs a posse, so of course we have a wonderful cast of characters with us on this particular adventure. Some old friends come along for the ride, as well as a few new faces. Among this team of talented individuals, we have the thief Anna Valmont, the rogue warlock Hannah Ascher, the wizard mercenary Binder, a shapeshifter named Goodman Grey, and even a forest creature called a Genoskwa. And of course, Harry, Karrin Murphy, and Michael Carpenter. They are led by the nefarious Nicodemus and his daughter Deirdre. As a result, we have a good mixture of humor and easygoing camaraderie with savage, violent action. Whenever the Denarians get involved, you also know we’ll get our fair share of treachery, deceit, and unexpected twists and turns.

The other great thing about this series is the continued development of Harry’s character. He’s a far cry from the simple wizard he used to be; along with this series, his role has ballooned into epic proportions, albeit he is still very humble and self-deprecating about it. For this reason, I loved a couple of the conversations he has with Michael in this novel. For all his denials, we know Harry is special, but he’s been beating himself up over the last fifteen books and it’s time someone really put it into perspective. Jim Butcher really does a stellar job with these heart-to-heart talks.

Also, completely unrelated but just have to say this – boy, can the man can write one HELL of a sex scene. In the end, the circumstances aren’t really what you think and Harry might have to wait a little longer in the love department, but still. Wowzas.

This book was just pure fun, harkening back to the days when I could enjoy a good Harry story without having it spin out of control into half a dozen different directions. For the first time in years, I finished a Dresden Files book without feeling mentally exhausted. Finally, the next stage for this series has become fully realized right here in Skin Game, I’m hoping the trend will continue into the next book Peace Talks and beyond.

Waiting on Wednesday 12/25/13

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy's Pick

Skin Game by Jim Butcher: May 27, 2014 (Roc)

The next Dresden Files book finally got a release date, and oh it is going to be a long wait until May.

"Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….

Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

He doesn’t know the half of it….

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance…."

Comic Review Bites

Artesia by Mark S. Smylie

Artesia is an epic, Eisner-award nominated masterpiece of story and art. The world, its people and its pantheon are so richly detailed, but as the title says, this story is about Artesia. What an incredible character she is, embodying all aspects of the female, from priestess to warrior to daughter to sister to concubine and eventually, reluctantly, queen. As both concubine, priestess and captain to the king, Artesia begins the story obviously wielding a lot of power and influence. Even the gods have touched her and those that follow her do so out of the purest respect. She may seem too perfect, which is exactly why certain people want to see her brought down. But the conflict they bring is only part of her struggle. The inner journey that she takes as she struggles to accept all that is thrown at her, and more importantly, all that is expected of her, whether she wants it or not, is beautifully depicted in word and images.

Star Wars Legacy II: Prisoner of the Floating World by Corinna Sara Bechko and  Gabriel Hardman

One hundred and thirty-eight years after A New Hope, Star Wars Legacy II mercilessly jumps right into the aftermath of Legacy with exciting lightsaber battles, dogfights, political conflict and more. It wastes no time on exposition, which means that yes, you need to read Legacy, both for backstory and for awesomeness. The Galactic Fleet, the Empire and the Jedi are clinging to their tenuous triumvirate in an attempt to bring order back to the galaxy after the death of Darth Krayt. Meanwhile, on some backwater planet, the feisty young salvager, Ania Solo, finds a lightsaber that inevitably leads her and her friends, a Mon Cal refugee and an assassin droid with morals, into a whole lot of trouble and brings her to the attention of, well, everyone.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Ania. I didn’t want her simply to be Girl Han of the Future and I didn’t want a repeat of Cade Skywalker’s struggles with the legacy of his surname. Skywalker is, after all, a pretty big name in this universe, even a hundred years later, but Solo is not necessarily the name bad guys remember and fear. Fortunately, within five issues, there was only one small motivational speech involving Ania’s ancestor.

If you enjoyed Legacy as much as I did, then this is definitely going to grab you. If you’re a Star Wars fan and haven’t read Legacy yet, then get on it! The series is a refreshing take, breaking out of the standard trappings of the Star Wars universe.

With thanks to NetGalley and DarkHorse Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

Dresden files: Ghoul Goblin by Jim Butcher and Joseph Cooper

A small town cop requests Harry Dresden’s aid in a pair of grisly murders that seem different in M.O. but share one important factor: a family curse. Dresden is struggling in the aftermath of werewolf events that got his best friend Murphy’s partner killed. Murphy no longer trusts Dresden, and on top of that, he’s developed a nasty head cold. But ever the good guy, Dresden joins Pres and stumbles into the typical small town strangeness as he tries to solve the mystery.

There’s not a lot of meat to this rather predictable story, but it was still enjoyable and definitely worth the read for any Dresden Files fan. I was worried that the art would lean too much into the bulky, over-muscled superhero type that is sort of implied in the covers, but Joseph Cooper did a great job of making sure Dresden’s appearance matched his self-deprecating manner. And of course, there was the obligatory trench coat. 

With thanks to NetGalley and DarkHorse Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

X-Men Vol.4 #4 by Brian Wood and David Lopez

The X-Men book featuring an all female cast has failed to impress me, relying on a typical big bad storyline and lots of explosions and lots of opportunities for the ladies to show off powers that we’ve seen a million times already. (Although Rogue getting to play with Psylocke’s recent medieval psionic adventures in the Danger Room was pretty cool). What I really care about is the interpersonal relationships between the characters, which I’m just not getting enough of. I don’t necessarily want a ladies night out, but I also don’t want issue after issue of things exploding and the women worrying about the expense. Storm and Rachel do end up having a disagreement over Storm’s decision to risk Karima’s life in the previous issue, but Rachel’s tirade felt forced and petulant, especially with her questioning Storm assuming the role of team leader. This was sort of resolved by the end of the issue and hopefully it won’t be too much of a dominant issue.

The best part about this issue is right there on the front cover. If there’s one thing I love about Wolverine, it’s how he deals with his girls. From Kitty to Oya and here, back to Jubilee, who is compelled to visit her old life, including, fittingly, the mall where she first saw the X-Ladies and wanted to have their babies based on their sheer awesomeness. Logan chauffeurs Jubilee and baby Shogo around, offering some touching moments and encouraging words on her new status as a mother.

Hawkeye vol.2: Little Hits by Matt Fraction and David Aja

I <3 Hawkeye. Perhaps not as much as Pizza Dog, his tenants/neighbours and the women in his life, but enough to make sure this series is always on my shelf. This is all about Clint Barton and what he does when he’s not Avengering. Most of the time, that means getting himself into a lot of trouble and increasing his collection of bandages by doing the sort of wrong thing for the the sort of right reasons. I adore that entire issues of the this volume were dedicated to time spent with the neighbours in his apartment. As usual, Kate Bishop is a constant fixture in Clint’s life, doing her best to keep him from getting run over. She gets to have a few moments of glory to herself. As does Pizza Dog in a dog’s eye view story that deals with a particular plot that would have gone completely differently had Pizza Dog not gotten involved. My only frustration is the art, which keeps changing from Aja’s perfection to the harsher lines of the other artists which, while good, just don’t hold the same casual vibe that permeates the book, literally from cover to cover.

Cyberforce: Rebirth vol.1 by Matt Hawkins and Marc Silvestri

Image fans will remember this shiny, perky team from the ‘90s, but they definitely didn’t look like this. This is a very gritty reboot that changes everything we once knew about them, save for that fact that they are still cyborgs. Formerly soldiers of a corrupt leadership, Morgan Stryker’s team are escaped refugees, struggling with their cybernetic implants. Meanwhile, the evil corporation is set on weeding out the less fortunate and the obsolete in order to usher in a new era of blah blah blah. There are some mildly interesting twists and turns and its great to have Marc Silvestri’s art back, but otherwise, the story is fairly typical and filled with lots of violence, epic posing and cheesy one liners. In other words, it’s a reboot that tries to bring this story into the new century by being more brutal, but is still solidly grounded in the ‘90s superhero style of storytelling.

The entire five issue series and this volume are available for free on Comixology thanks to Kickstarter funding.

Audiobook Review: Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

I seem to have developed a habit of reading the first book in a series then skipping a whole bunch to read from the series again. It worked well for me with Star Wars: A New Jedi Order and I can’t complain about my recent run with The Dresden Files.

So now, ten books after Storm Front, Harry has gained an apprentice, werewolf friends, a vampire brother, a warden girlfriend, fae connections, a pizza lordship and subsequent army and a promotion to the White Council. But Harry is still good old snarky, sarcastic, self-deprecating Harry and the man you can turn to and count on when you are in desperate need of help and can’t trust anyone else. Which is exactly what Morgan does when he’s framed for murdering a White Council Wizard. Harry agrees to help him, but doesn’t count on Morgan being trailed by a very powerful, very deadly skinwalker.

I’ve definitely missed a lot – White Court Vampire wars, teenagers becoming werewolves, a big fairy battle – but Butcher does a great job of filling me in on just enough details to make sure I wasn’t completely in the dark, without overloading me or giving away too much. I’d like to think that the balance works well for readers who have been with Harry all the way through. No one wants a full recap of the “previously on” every time they read a new book in the series.

One of the changes that definitely stuck out for me was the increased sexuality. Blame it on the damn vampires, who can’t seem to exist in an urban fantasy setting without bringing all their kink with them. Harry is a male with standard male urges, but they weren’t as prominent in the first book as they are now. At least Harry is a gentleman and apparently so is Butcher. There is a lot of look and appreciate, but no touchie touchie in the sexual interactions. As in, the sex doesn’t take over the plot as it does with certain unnamed urban fantasy writers who shall not be named and shall remain nameless.

It was fun meeting all the new characters and seeing how they interacted. Shout outs go to Mouse, Harry’s dog, who really held his own in all the scenes he appeared in. Man’s best friend brings me to the overall theme of relationships and especially loyalty that runs through this book (and perhaps the series?). Harry’s loyalty to those he cares about and those who put their trust in him remains stellar. Mouse and some of his other companions, like the stalwart Murphy, are unquestionable friends, but the loyalty of others – to Harry, to their respective ruling bodies, to each other is all over the place. At the heart is Morgan’s apparent betrayal and the fact that many of the Council members don’t believe he’s guilty, but are willing to let the steadfast warden take the fall for the greater good unless Harry can find the traitor in the ranks.

Since I’m unfamiliar with the players and the political machinations of the various councils and courts, nothing was overly predictable for me. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy the show. Credit also must go to James Marsters, the narrator of the audiobook, who really nailed Harry’s nonchalant attitude.

4 of 5 stars

Audiobook Review: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

I'm not much of an audiobook person, but I need to do something with this Audible account. After unsuccessfully trying to listen to N.K. Jemisin's The Killing Moon, due to not caring for the narrator's voice, I decided to give Jim Butcher's Fool Moon a chance. It's narrated by James Marsters (yes, of the BtVS fame).

The second book in The Dresden Files takes place a bit after the events in Storm Front. After business slows down resulting in Harry taking some odd magical jobs here and there, Karrin Murphy contacts Harry for his help on a murder case. She takes him to a crime scene where one of Marcone's men has been brutally murdered and strange paw prints are left at the scene. Add the fact similar murders have been taking place during and around the full moon for a few months, and you have a formula.

I've read the first book twice now, and even though I liked it, I hadn't ventured any further in the series until now. I just get so bogged down with other books I want to read. I had to work out of town for two days, and I figured this would be the perfect read for my trip since I wouldn't be able to do much book reading. I try not to listen to anything too heavy and this was the perfect audio book with it's fast, easy pace. I found myself quickly caught up in the story.

I thought Butcher's take on werewolves was refreshing, especially how he used "lycanthropes," who aren't really werewolves, but people born with the ability to tap into the spirit of rage. When they are under the power of the spirit, they are more aggressive, stronger, and they heal quickly. His four definitions of werewolves in the story gives them real weaknesses and strengths (other than the silver bullet bit, but it comes into play as well) with the werewolves we typically think of, called loup-garou, not being as common in Harry's world as the other three types.

And Harry, good ol' self-deprecating Harry. He had me arguing with him so much in this book. His sense of heroic honor seems to make him do the dumbest things and aptly illustrates the point in one of my favorite quotes about just how much dumb luck the good guys have. I'm sure I would've been much more annoyed with him if I'd been reading this instead of listening to it because I would've spent a ridiculous amount of time rereading and trying to make sense out of the Harry's madness.

Regardless, I can't help but like the guy, even when I wish I could reach my hands into the book and throttle him while screaming, "Why would you do that?" That means I care about the character. It's only the characters I don't want to suffer so much that I argue with. But I do have to give him credit for the really ingenious things he did do during the course of this story. Also, he half quoted Spider-Man when he went on his "Knowledge is Power. And Power comes with responsibility!" rant. How can I hate a man like that?

Also, I'm glad that Harry was able to understand that he shouldn't withhold information about the supernatural from people like Murphy. They need that information to have a fighting chance. It's not enough to say, "It's dangerous," and leave it at that, especially when Murphy's job is to deal with the unknown. They may not use this information as intended, but he would be giving them the knowledge they need to try to stay alive. I'm not saying that he should spill everything he knows. He knows what's pertinent and what's not. How can he expect anyone, such as Murphy, to truly understand the gravity of the supernatural when he is only giving them half-information?

James Marsters is a wonderful narrator. True, I did balk a little at first, and I'm sorry for that. I was one of those people who got into the series because of the old Syfy show, and it's pretty much branded into my mind that Harry is Paul Blackthorne. Marsters really brought the characters to life for me after we crossed that Blackthorne hurdle. He did his best to give each character a distinct personality and a distinct sound, even the women. I loved the voice, the clipped, immaculate pronunciation, he used for Tera. It was like someone who learned English as a second language and still doesn't understand all the nuances of the English language, which I guess that would describe Tera to a "T." I love his Murphy as well.

I heard one glaring mistake, though. When the lycanthropes captured Harry, during that moment when he was goading Parker, he called Parker by Marcone's name. It wasn't dialogue, just Harry's narrating/thinking part. He said, "Instead Marcone spun in his heel, picked up a tire iron, and turned back to me..." He meant Parker spun on his heel. Marcone hadn't even showed up yet at this point. But overall, Marsters' narrating pretty much made this story for me. I've already decided that I'll listen to the rest of the series, except for the book he didn't narrate.

Story:

3 of 5 stars

Performance:

4 of 5 stars

Final Verdict:

3.5 of 5 stars