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Books by Jim Butcher

Cover of First Lord's Fury.

First Lord’s Fury

by Jim Butcher · published 2009 · read 2018-09-19

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

First Lord's Fury is the last volume in the very very excellent Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher, and it leads the six-book story to a terrifying finale. I enjoyed it a lot - we get a lot of well-thought action, and character development that builds on the established development of the previous books and avoids common tropes. The plot and the ending were both very satisfying to me. I'd have enjoyed having somebody new, like Kitai, as a POV character, for example. I think this is the first time among the six books that I thought the book was weaker than its predecessor, which is a big compliment for the series. After finishing First Lord's Fury I immediately felt the need to re-read the entire series – it's just that good.

Cover of Princeps' Fury.

Princeps’ Fury

by Jim Butcher · published 2008 · read 2018-08-06

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Codex Alera continues to be stunning Fantasy – I'm honestly not sure how this Jim Butcher is the same who wrote the Dresden Files. Those are good, but nowhere near Codex Alera. In the second to last volume, we see a great mix of character development, new characters, characters with legitimate but opposing views, and of course brilliant last minute tactics. All characters we care about get a fair bit of development, and since nearly all characters are very very nuanced, including the deeper introduction of non-human cultures, I'm more than willing to accept the one or two plain villains. Seeing an end-of-the-world level struggle on all sides of the three plots (Amara and Bernard, Isana with the frost people, Tavi on an entirely different continent) was a good mix, even though I felt the chapter endings/POV switches were not always executed at good points.

Cover of Captain's Fury.

Captain’s Fury

by Jim Butcher · published 2007 · read 2018-01-08

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Tavi finally finds out who he is (c'mon, we knew all along) and develops his furycrafting. He also saves the realm using his new-won influence, resolving a terrible war peacefully.

Cover of Cursor's Fury.

Cursor’s Fury

by Jim Butcher · published 2006 · read 2018-01-05

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Tavi's now a real Cursor and finds himself sent to the military, where he continues to save the world.

Cover of Academ's Fury.

Academ’s Fury

by Jim Butcher · published 2005 · read 2018-01-03

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Still loving Tavis way in the world – learning, finding friends in the city, loads of character development, and of course he saves the world again.

Cover of Furies of Calderon.

Furies of Calderon

by Jim Butcher · published 2004 · read 2018-01-01

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Butcher has written a mashup of the Roman Empire and Pokémon, and it works. Hell yeah it works. Much better than his Urban Fantasy, too.

Cover of Ghost Story.

Ghost Story

by Jim Butcher · published 2011 · read 2014-12-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Different angle on the ever-same story (Harry is mostly intangible for this book). We get some sudden – but well-prepared! – development, mostly in Molly. I'm very ambivalent about Molly, which is good. The Harry Dresden books aren't usually ones to foster ambivalence, to say the least.

Cover of Grave Peril.

Grave Peril

by Jim Butcher · published 2001 · read 2014-12-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This book was actually better than the first and second ones. It's as if now that he's staked his claim on all the tropes, Jim Butcher is feeling free to explore what to do with magic in this world.

Cover of Death Masks.

Death Masks

by Jim Butcher · published 2003 · read 2014-11-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I continue to go think "predictable, stock, lazy, booooring" and "ohhhh this is fun fun fun": If I was willing to feel guilty about any books, these would be guilty pleasure books.

Cover of Skin Game.

Skin Game

by Jim Butcher · published 2014 · read 2014-09-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Dresden Files go ever on and on.

Cover of Small Favor.

Small Favor

by Jim Butcher · published 2008 · read 2014-08-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I can't tell this book apart from the other ones. You gotta give it to Butcher, though: His writing is nothing if not consistent.

Cover of White Night.

White Night

by Jim Butcher · published 2007 · read 2014-08-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Stakes rise. Supernatural battles continue. The snark is tired.

Cover of Dead Beat.

Dead Beat

by Jim Butcher · published 2005 · read 2014-07-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

We get character development, which may just turn into a thing we get thrown every three books or so, so that we don't feel like we're reading the book equivalent of Fast & Furious VIII.

Cover of Storm Front.

Storm Front

by Jim Butcher · published 2000 · read 2014-07-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

It's the height of generic Urban Fantasy, complete with edgy protagonist who can't be allowed to have his shit together (very House, MD style). Stock elements taped together.

Cover of Peace Talks.

Peace Talks

by Jim Butcher · published 2020 · read 2014-05-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

More dresden files. Part 16, man, how did we get here?

Cover of Summer Knight.

Summer Knight

by Jim Butcher · published 2002 · read 2014-05-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Generick kick-ass, but kick-ass.

Cover of Turn Coat.

Turn Coat

by Jim Butcher · published 2009 · read 2014-05-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Completely predictable, but you don't read these books for the plot. Or the characters. You read them because you are into stock badass-but-broken characters, so you'll like this one just as well. Even if you can only tell it from the others because the title is even more descriptive of the story than on average.

Cover of Changes.

Changes

by Jim Butcher · published 2010 · read 2014-04-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Nothing ever changes in Harry Dresden land. Power levels slowly escalate, everything else stays the same.

Cover of Fool Moon.

Fool Moon

by Jim Butcher · published 2001 · read 2014-04-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

More of the first book. Jim Butcher has found a niche, and by god he's going to keep it.

Cover of Proven Guilty.

Proven Guilty

by Jim Butcher · published 2006 · read 2014-03-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

This week's stock trope is "past mistakes catch up to our broken-but-sympathetic hero".

Cover of Cold Days.

Cold Days

by Jim Butcher · published 2012 · read 2014-02-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Combines on-the-run stock plot with power escalation stock route and doesn't give the protagonist even the little bit of introspection time he sometimes managed to snag, because blah blah the US is about to blow up, let's defuse Lake Michigan or something.

Cover of Love Hurts.

Love Hurts

by Jim Butcher · published 2011 · read 2014-02-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Dresden novellas have become as interchangeable as the books.

Cover of Blood Rites.

Blood Rites

by Jim Butcher · published 2004 · read 2014-01-01

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

It's impressive for how long Jim Butcher can just do "more of the same, please". Come to think of it, Codex Alera was also a long series of "more of the same", only with a different set of tropes, and arguably more imagination.