Death Masks / Jim Butcher

Death Masks

category: fantasy, action, author:

Jim Butcher

book 5 of The Dresden Files
original copyright 2003,
read in May 2011

Agamedes' opinion: 8 out of 10

After a few rather disappointing books -- it's great to get back to an enjoyable author! I've read a few of Butcher's books and enjoyed them all. Action, humour, magic and great characters...

I've categorised Death Masks as "fantasy, action"... I don't (yet?!) have a category for "crime". The whole Dresden Files series is gumshoe: hard-boiled private investigator with dames, booze, thugs and scheming evil villains... Philip Marlowe, I think, is the original. (Must read some Philip Marlowe books!)

The Dresden villains are particularly evil. When bad guys can be demons and other supernatural creatures, evil is easy to arrange. On the other hand, there are also some really, really, good, good guys. Ones who work for the angel who reports directly to God, for example.

Amongst all this, the author -- via PI and wizard Harry Dresden -- maintains an almost science fiction attitude: all these gods, demons, faeries, ogres, they are just creatures from alternate universes -- or planes of existence -- with their own powers and drives and rules.

It's the rules which make life bearable for ordinary mortals. There may be vampires but they act subtly, or risk an all-out war with the wizards of the White Council. Even in book five -- where Harry started a vampire versus wizard war in book four -- there are rules of engagement.

It's all complicated but well controlled. There are mysteries to solve and innocents to save. With Harry being bashed -- and slashed, and burned, and cursed -- regularly. He survives, and wins.

While making enough immortal enemies to guarantee more tough times for all the future books.

The hero is a wizard with both morals and a strong work ethic. It's enjoyable action with occasional touches of humour -- in the hard-boiled gumshoe style.

You can read this book alone. Or start with book one and work forward. They are all a lot of fun, though the darkness varies from book to book. (I seem to remember that it gets less dark as the series progresses.)

Good characters. Good plot. A good book.

..o0o..

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