Proven Guilty
by Jim Butcher
Dresden Files (11?)
fantasy
copyright 2006
read in December 2013
rated 6 / 10: read to pass the time
The future is an unknown country. The past... is not a safe place to visit.
I've read and reviewed ten books from the Dresden Files. Enjoyed every one of them. Rated them highly.
Now I've read Proven Guilty and been... less impressed.
Still enjoyed it -- just less impressed by the writing style. There are strong signs of the series' comic book origins.
Each chapter is comic-book action, wipe out the baddies... With the last page devoted to a quick glimpse of the next wave of baddies... Who are even tougher and meaner.
Oh no! says the hero, It's a fetch... And sure enough, it is a fetch. First problem, a "fetch" copies humans, not cgi movie monsters. Second problem is, what is his source of knowledge ?
Dresden has no books on the supernatural. None that are mentioned. There is no time spent in quiet reflection. Certainly no spare time for reading. Just, off the top of his head, Oh no it's a fetch...
The action is described with an artist in mind. Very visual. No spell will work unless it is accompanied by flashing light and Kaboom!! in bright text across the top of the page. And the characters are dressed to look good in either black and white or full colour.
Why have I -- only now -- noticed all this ?!
I have read a few more books which have grown from "graphic novels". Some good, some bad. Proven Guilty is a good one. But in the grand scheme of books-that-I-have-read, it is let down by its style.
Oh, and the sex is aimed at horny teenage boys. Much like the rest of the book. By "sex" I mean, reference to, missing out on and bravely turning down good offers which would only lead to bad consequences.
So I enjoyed the book. Much as I enjoyed the previous ten. It's just not safe to revisit a series from the past...
I have moved from pure enjoyment to critical analysis. The joy of a new series has been replaced by the cold hard analysis of comparison.
A thoroughly enjoyable book. For the horny teenage boy. For the boy with a strong Walter Mitty complex.
Ah well. I'm still looking forward to reading Ghost Story :-)
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