Storm Front (Book Club)

[dwndrgn]

Start here.

 

[littlemissattitude]

Okay. To begin with, I love noir, and Jim Butcher has done a good job with it in "Storm Front". That had me hooked right away. But he also seems to know his way around a good story of wizards and magic and all that comes along with that. So, yes, I liked the book very much. A few thoughts about story, characterizations, etc.

Characterization...Harry is great. It occurs to me that he is sort of the Jim Rockford of wizards. (If any of you have ever watched "The Rockford Files", you know that Rockford gets knocked around in just about every episode, just as Harry seems to do.) But that is a good thing. Okay, so Harry is, oh, a little irresponsible in some ways, maybe a bit dysfunctional. But he's a good guy; he has his priorities mostly straight, even though (like all good noir detectives) he tends to get himself in trouble with the authorities from time to time (another thing he has in common with Rockford). And with two sets of authorities to deal with (the cops and the Council), that plays an even more important role here. I don't want to stretch the Harry/Rockford connection too far, but it was something that definitely came to mind as I read. Some of the other characters were a bit on the stock side but, again, that's noir for you. It's almost required, it seems like.

Story...Interesting. Not too complicated. A bit formulaic...but noir is often that. I mean, how many noir novels of any kind don't start out with a seeming damsel in distress seeking out the detective, who doesn't figure out until it is almost too late that she's been hiding something all along?

Use of magick...Often novels like this don't work for me because I don't believe the magical elements. This one worked. I think it was because the magick didn't always work quite like Harry (or other characters, for that matter) intended for it to. Makes it more realistic, IMO.

 

[rune]

I agree with a lot of what has already been mentioned This was the first mystery/fantasy novel I had read and was not disappointed. Strangely enough I dont like mystery as a rule, but I think the magical edge to the plotline is what makes this enjoyable. The magic is used well, doesnt always work and does have that element of belieavability that other stories don't always manage

I thought a wizard, working in Chicago as a PI was quite a unique idea and one that works very well. Harry, our wizard, isn't always such a nice man, but that does make him interesting. I like the idea of his dark past, made him mysterious in some ways

Biggest thing I loved about this book is that the author encorporates detail without slowing the pace (horray ). For the first book in a series it's pretty good, but some of the books that follow I feel a better and I got so caught up in them that my eyes hurt with reading.

I thought this was a great little read from an author I feel is very clever in how he writes his characters. Harry I think is just the coolest wizard around, he is so funny at times. Does anyone else appreciate that dry humour? And has mentioned he does get in trouble, lots of it

 

[polymorphikos]

This book wasn't quite so funny as i'd been led to believe, but made-up for it with being well-written and having a decent pace. The book really does ride on the likeabilty of Harry, but it also melds a believable world with a reasonable (if unremarkable) plot. These elemants, none of which is a hit maker, combine to form a genuinely-good novel.
I also like the way that he doesn't blatantly mine the genre for laughs. He uses just enough humour for people who might take this too seriously to realise it's all in good fun, and not throw it away in disgust at the improbability of it all. I also really like the Vampire, who was genuinely creepy and mad.
All in all a fine book, IMO. I'm going to track the sequel down when I finish my current hit-list.

 

[polymorphikos]

Almost time to nominate again...

 

[dwndrgn]

You're right. I'll post up a plea for suggestions.

As far as this book went, I didn't read it this month as I had read it several months prior and had given my copy to the library (gotta give back so I can keep taking ).

However, I did find it to be an enjoyable book. I also thought the fact that the magic was so unpredictable was a definite bonus for the story and found the idea of the 'council' to be fun too. What I also found to be interesting was the bit of magic 'history' kept in his lab and wanting out for a bit of a fling...it was unique and familiar at the same time and brought a fresh change from your everyday magic amulets and wands...

 

[rune]

You're right. I'll post up a plea for suggestions.

As far as this book went, I didn't read it this month as I had read it several months prior and had given my copy to the library (gotta give back so I can keep taking ).

However, I did find it to be an enjoyable book. I also thought the fact that the magic was so unpredictable was a definite bonus for the story and found the idea of the 'council' to be fun too. What I also found to be interesting was the bit of magic 'history' kept in his lab and wanting out for a bit of a fling...it was unique and familiar at the same time and brought a fresh change from your everyday magic amulets and wands...

This different and fresh approach to magic is I think what makes this book and the series successful.