Skin Game: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Skin Game: A Novel of the Dresden Files

By Jim Butcher

How do you review a book like this without giving spoilers? I just loved it. I want to tell you all the wonderful, funny, unbelievable stuff that happened, but I won’t.

Jim Butcher is probably my current favorite author. He consistently writes at a level that I can only aspire to at this point. The books are deep and rich while being action packed.

Harry Dresden is a wizard in modern day Chicago and currently the Winter Knight for Queen Mab. He doesn’t really want to be but a wizard’s got to do what a wizard’s got to do, right? His character has developed throughout the fifteen book series, facing new challenges and growing. The twists and turns the books take are believable and yet surprising.

One of the things that I think makes these books so enjoyable is the “warm point of view” that Butcher talks about in his LiveJournal on writing.  That means that although there is a lot of action, there is a lot of time spent on Harry reacting to what happened, worrying and generally feeling.

And there’s a lot for him to worry about in this book. His friend, Michael, is taking care of his daughter, Maggie, whose mother he had to kill in the last book when she became a vampire. He has no real contact with Maggie, hasn’t even told her he is her father. Meanwhile, there’s a parasite in his head that’s giving him terrible headaches only Demonreach, the island, can suppress.

Then Queen Mab lends his services to his enemy, Nicholas Archleone, for one job in payment of a debt she owes. Archleone is a Knight of the Blackened Denarius and partners, you might say, with a Fallen angel. The job? Break into Hades vault in the Never-never and steal THE Grail. Harry is quite sure that Archleone has no intention of him surviving the job. Harry has other plans.

Hell’s bells. It’s another excellent book and the narration is good too if you prefer to listen. Enjoy!