This is the third book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.
I really liked the short lived Dresden Files TV series - they should bring it back - and the first two books were very good. This third book was good, but it could have been better.
In this installment, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only resident wizard detective, fights an evil thing called the Nightmare. It takes a while for him to even figure out what the thing is, much less how to get rid of it. In many ways, this was a very clever plot device.
Murphy from the Chicago police plays only a small role in the story as the creature attacks her, and she is put out of commission for most of the story. Harry works mostly with a Knight of some type named Michael instead - as in Knight with a holy sword. Susan, Harry's girl friend has a big part, and there is some tragic consequence there that I think resurfaces in at least one much later book from what I have heard. Other important characters are Lydia - Dresden needs a damsel in distress, and she is ONE of them in this story. There are also the vampire Thomas and his human girlfriend Justine. Bianca the vampire is also heavily involved in the story - and unlike in the TV series, she REALLY hates Harry. Harry's godmother - who is actually a fairy - is also involved; I was confused about a wicked fairy godmother, but that is kind of how she is. Lots of others too play parts like the evil wizard Kravos.
Given all the characters, it is not surprising that the plot is fairly complex; this is just a very brief sketch. Something has stirred up the ghosts in the Never Never and all hell breaks loose. Harry finds out that this thing dubbed the Nightmare is the culprit, but he does not know exactly what this thing is. Keep in mind that the name is very appropriate. He and Michael work together to fight it. Before long, they end up at Bianca's vampire party and things turn really ugly. Eventually, Harry saves the day, but not before Susan gets in big trouble and stays in trouble in part, and he is left to figure out how to get her the rest of the way out as the book ends. Murphy is healed by the end though. The bad guys are vanquished, but it is not exactly a happy ending for Susan - at least for the time being anyway.
The plot being very complicated was kind of a drawback. There was so much action going on that it got almost exhausting at times - too much of a good thing you know. Maybe the author had so many good ideas that he just had to use, and the publisher would not let him have any more pages so he could space things out. Seems there was not much time for Harry to tell the reader things about his life and all that - kind of chat with the reader as he did in the earlier books which I liked.
I have heard that the next books avoid some of the issues in this one, so I will keep reading. In any case, this book did have its good points; it just was not as good as the others I have read in the series. Read it and move to the next.
I really liked the short lived Dresden Files TV series - they should bring it back - and the first two books were very good. This third book was good, but it could have been better.
In this installment, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only resident wizard detective, fights an evil thing called the Nightmare. It takes a while for him to even figure out what the thing is, much less how to get rid of it. In many ways, this was a very clever plot device.
Murphy from the Chicago police plays only a small role in the story as the creature attacks her, and she is put out of commission for most of the story. Harry works mostly with a Knight of some type named Michael instead - as in Knight with a holy sword. Susan, Harry's girl friend has a big part, and there is some tragic consequence there that I think resurfaces in at least one much later book from what I have heard. Other important characters are Lydia - Dresden needs a damsel in distress, and she is ONE of them in this story. There are also the vampire Thomas and his human girlfriend Justine. Bianca the vampire is also heavily involved in the story - and unlike in the TV series, she REALLY hates Harry. Harry's godmother - who is actually a fairy - is also involved; I was confused about a wicked fairy godmother, but that is kind of how she is. Lots of others too play parts like the evil wizard Kravos.
Given all the characters, it is not surprising that the plot is fairly complex; this is just a very brief sketch. Something has stirred up the ghosts in the Never Never and all hell breaks loose. Harry finds out that this thing dubbed the Nightmare is the culprit, but he does not know exactly what this thing is. Keep in mind that the name is very appropriate. He and Michael work together to fight it. Before long, they end up at Bianca's vampire party and things turn really ugly. Eventually, Harry saves the day, but not before Susan gets in big trouble and stays in trouble in part, and he is left to figure out how to get her the rest of the way out as the book ends. Murphy is healed by the end though. The bad guys are vanquished, but it is not exactly a happy ending for Susan - at least for the time being anyway.
The plot being very complicated was kind of a drawback. There was so much action going on that it got almost exhausting at times - too much of a good thing you know. Maybe the author had so many good ideas that he just had to use, and the publisher would not let him have any more pages so he could space things out. Seems there was not much time for Harry to tell the reader things about his life and all that - kind of chat with the reader as he did in the earlier books which I liked.
I have heard that the next books avoid some of the issues in this one, so I will keep reading. In any case, this book did have its good points; it just was not as good as the others I have read in the series. Read it and move to the next.
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