Read All About It: Storm Front

This is my first run at Jim Butcher's prolific series, The Dresden Files, which I have heard mentioned as inspiration for the many other similar stories that have followed it. In all honesty, I think I prefer the other stories. Not that I didn't like this novel, but it didn't pull me in like other urban fantasies have, and while it has an interesting premise, the language was a bit problematic for me.

Other than that, I enjoyed the narrative. Harry Dresden is an interesting character with a shadowed background and some unique magic. It's a fun, quick read (it took me a little less than three hours), and the plot is complex enough to keep you guessing about the big bad and the real threat.

Harry Dresden is the only openly-practicing wizard in Chicago. As a consultant for Chicago P.D., he works with the stranger cases that come across their desks, and he tries to help. The world is full of magical creatures and items, and Harry is there to help. However--the wizarding business isn't very lucrative, and Harry usually takes whatever jobs can pay his rent. This latest case with Chicago P.D. looks likes it's gonna pay that rent, but there's black magic behind these murders, and Harry is in just as much danger as these victims.

Storm Front is a good look at urban fantasy, and definitely has potential that was clearly realized, judging from the success of the rest of the series. There are currently 17 novels, with plenty of short stories as well. This prolific series began here, and I can see why it took off. There's a good protagonist, some attractive sidekicks, several powerful organizations that are looking for a chance to pull the rug out from under that protagonist, and there's plentiful and interesting magic.

I like Harry as a character. He's awkward, magically powerful, morally lawful neutral, and has a problem with technology. It's not hard to empathize with him because he's definitively on the good side, and is being looked at harshly from all angles by others. It's harder to look at him objectively because he's kind of pathetic, and that makes you want to empathize with him immediately. But he's also kind of problematic in how he looks at women.

The major problem I had with this one was that the language was, frankly, sexist. Every woman that Harry interacts with is described in meticulous detail, evaluating her based on Harry's attraction to her. We get repeat descriptions that focus on the details of their clothing, their hair, their lips (so many lips). I like that there is a good amount of female characters, but I wish they were treated as well as the men. Also, this book didn't make it clear: are women also wizards? Are women on the White Council?

Of course, this is only the first novel of the series, and the other two are sitting on my shelves waiting for their turn in my reading list, so we will find out together! Until then, keep an eye out for those wizards. They're strange folk.