White Magic with a touch of Noir

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher has managed to write a set of novels for a very particular set of readers and still be successful. The collective Dresden Files can only be described as wizard noir. Harry Dresden is a paranormal private eye, and the only wizard listed in the phone book. He is wry, sardonic, and witty. He is faithful, archaic and the consummate underdog.

Harry is the everyman, with magic.

Butcher brings us Harry Dresden assuming his readers know fantasy. He doesn’t bother to explain what Harry’s wizardly probation, the Doom of Damocles, is a reference to. Nor does he explain why it is clever for his “probation officer,” Morgan, to carry a sword (here's why).

He doesn’t bother to explain vampires or werewolves (unless he is delineating his classifications), he uses high fantasy terms like sidhe (Fairies) and references both the Winter and Summer Court (part of high fantasy’s sidhe lore).

What Butcher does for his fellow fantasy lovers, is throw in a bit of the classic noir style murder mystery. Harry often meets, and feels compelled to save, smoldering femme fatales. He has his own sense of justice. He tends to stumble and bumble at times, but pulls through with the quality white magic when the need arises. He has self doubt. He is a flawed hero in a leather duster.

The Dresden Files reads quickly. Butcher is, among other things, an expert at pacing his novels. They don’t take a lot of thought, but they damn sure are entertaining.

I recommend the series, with this caveat: know your high fantasy, it makes the books better.

You should read this.