Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1)
“My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I’m a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I’m the only professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages under ‘Wizards’. Believe it or not, I’m the only one listed.” – Harry Dresden (“Storm Front”)
“Storm Front” is a book that holds attention from the very start to the very end. I must say I’ve almost never read a title that is, on one hand, very “easy” to follow, and on the other hand, gradually reveals a complex world of modern Chicago in which our main hero, Harry Dresden, resides.
Harry is a wizard. Yes, you read correctly. In modern Chicago. That is, no alternative, fantasy Chicago, but this regular one. Harry has his detective agency for “supernatural situations” (yes, you read correctly, the man nicely opened up a PR agency, business registration, taxes, everything legitimate). However, the rest of the world considers him some lunatic, eccentric or fraud… or possibly an alternative to a grandma/grandpa from some godforsaken village dealing in removing black magic. And as you can assume, he’s not exactly rolling in money or clients… because magic doesn’t exist, right?
However, magic very much does exist. Although the modern world doesn’t want to acknowledge it, there’s a whole hidden world of vampires, werewolves, demons, fairies, witches, wizards and various magical rituals, which is, in principle, imperceptible to an ordinary person. Actually, the principle is like in the series “Supernatural” — you don’t believe in the supernatural until a werewolf eats you.
However, one day got quite complicated for our detective/wizard Harry Dresden. And it started so promisingly. First he was contacted by Lieutenant Karen Murphy to come to a crime scene and give his opinion. Harry, by the way, is also listed as a police consultant who’s engaged when slightly “stranger” murder cases occur. For the rest of the police, he’s more of an oddball (or psychic they engage when needed), however, Karen is the only one who’s aware that there’s that kind of supernatural world where Harry resides, but for her security, he tells her almost nothing about it.
However, the crime scene is quite twisted and disturbing. A man and woman in a love tryst. With open chest cavities. Hearts literally ripped out. Blood everywhere.
There’s no doubt, no “classic” double murder. No serial maniac-killer-pervert. Only magic (and very powerful magic at that) could have done this. Whoever the perpetrator is, they’re very powerful and dangerous.
And on top of everything, the two dead weren’t just anyone. The man was a bodyguard of Johnny “The Gentleman” Marcone, a dangerous Chicago criminal, and the girl worked for “The Velvet Room,” a company providing quality “services,” if you know what I’m implying… what only Harry and Lieutenant Murphy know is that the owner of “The Velvet Room” is one Bianca… who is, in fact, a vampire.
A serious case awaits our detective.
However, the same day he receives a clear message from Johnny Marcone to stay out of this case.
And for the day to be strange to the end, he’s hired by one Monica Sells to find her husband who has gone missing. The wife is convinced it’s not a case of him running away or an affair, but that something serious is happening and that maybe in his disappearance there are also traces of the occult.
And so our magical detective Harry Dresden begins solving these two cases… which in fact become extremely complicated… and dangerous.
During his investigation, Harry discovers that, quite (un)expectedly, there’s a connection between these two cases, but that the situation is even more complicated because a drug (“ThreeEye”) has appeared on the street that literally briefly gives people power (or better said, the feeling) as if their “third eye” opened and they can notice “something supernatural”… because of which they later go crazy. And otherwise, only wizards know how the “third eye” is activated and how that power is controlled.
And on top of all this, because of sniffing around these cases, Harry himself becomes someone’s target.
And how Harry will get out of everything, you’ll find out if you read “Storm Front”! 🙂
I couldn’t reveal more about the book to you (even if I wanted to) for the simple reason that the “Dresden Files” series has (so far) as many as 17 books and “Storm Front” is simply a gradual introduction to the magical world of detective Harry Dresden, which is obviously very complex.
Told from the first person, the author through the eyes (or better said, thoughts) of Harry Dresden gradually reveals to us what magical world hides “under the nose” of humanity. Magic is obviously complex because it expends a person’s “energy,” certain objects can have magical properties and/or “amplify” a wizard’s combat ability, and there are always the indispensable potions and various “magical runes.” Supernatural beings are obviously of various sorts… vampire, elven, golem, demonic and whatever else. And you get the impression that all of them function according to their own rules and social arrangements.
And on top of all that, over Harry’s head watches some “White Council” consisting of powerful wizards, with whom Harry already has a serious yellow card, and his supervisor/executioner Morgan has a gripe with Dresden and is convinced he’s actually a murderer. And if Morgan (who seems to be an idiot as he is) whines to “The White Council,” Harry is really in trouble.
As can be concluded, Harry is already in hot water.
Harry Dresden is quite an interesting literary hero. Sometimes witty, sometimes cynical and always sarcastic, a typical character more likely to get himself into trouble with his tongue than with magic. He comes across as a Harry Potter who borrowed money from Ron, was making out with Hermione in the bathroom, left Hogwarts after second year and decided to go into business, and moreover got somewhat disappointed in (ordinary) people and the world of magic, and fills time between jobs reading secondhand books and eating canned beans.
However, he obviously has some charisma, this clumsy fellow, because some female occasionally hangs around him, like attractive Carmen Rodriguez… whom Dresden is convinced is only pursuing him to extract some juicy story from him, since Carmen works for “Arcane,” a newspaper dealing with the supernatural and occult, but not very professionally (it’s something between a tabloid and “The Third Eye”). And Lieutenant Murphy tolerates him despite the fact that he often behaves like a lost case.
And it seems his only true friends are (ordinary non-magical) cat Mister and (unusual magical) skull Bob with a twisted sense of humor… ugh, it’s not easy for Harry either…
But don’t misjudge Harry. Although he doesn’t seem like some hero from “Supernatural” or an idealistic Sam Spade (“The Maltese Falcon”), Harry is not to be underestimated. Although he knows how to be a grumbler, he is, after all, an honorable man and has that slightly old-fashioned gentlemanly approach… sometimes. In principle he’s a capable and perceptive detective. And he’s also very talented (and dangerous) wizard, especially when he snaps. But he can’t just throw magic around whenever he feels like it, because he must comply with some special laws, which makes things difficult for him. Because of all this, Harry is also a kind of buffer zone between the magical and non-magical world that he must protect.
“Storm Front” is incredibly easy to read, holds attention and you’ll literally fly through the 250 pages of the book, and for that deserved praise goes to the author (Jim Butcher). This book belongs to the genre of urban fantasy (Contemporary Fantasy), whose heroes are adults (Harry should be 25 in the first part), have real, life-like (and magical) thoughts, easily get irritated, panicked and curse.
And because of all the above, “Storm Front” is a great book and deserves your time.
From me a recommendation, and I can hardly wait for the next book in the series, to get to know more of this magical world hiding in the shadows of our real world.
And as I can see, about 15 years ago a TV series was also made (“The Dresden Files”) which, however, only lasted one season. Hmm, interesting…
“My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. When things get weird, when what goes bump in the night flicks on the lights, when nobody else can help you, give me a call.
I’m in the book.”
And you, dear reader, have you perhaps watched the series made based on Jim Butcher’s books? 🙂
Author’s website | Book price: Žir izdavaštvo | Delfi | Vulkan | Dereta Ratings (and purchase) on foreign sites: Goodreads | Amazon | Audible | Bookdepository | Waterstones
