How in the world is this called "a not great Dresden book?" You got a lot of answers about Thomas and Harry's relationship, Mouse is introduced, Harry takes on a nest of vampires, and you have the reformation of the White Court's power structure. Yeah, the original case is kinda secondary, but not written badly, and it sets the scene for Harry to meet Lara/the White Court and find out about his relationship with Thomas. Love it!
@@mikesbookreviews It's hard to say there's any book in the series that's "bad." Is this one on the level of Changes in terms of "oh crap, what just happened?". Maybe not. But it is definitely a solid addition to the series. Plus, you get to see Murphy in a dress. When else does that happen, lol
This book may have more character development for Harry than any other book in the series so far......and its due to him being hired to keep a porn set safe? Yeah, Butcher takes a 2-dimensional idea and blows it apart with depth and amazing character scenes. This was Butcher moving out of his 20's into his 30's and tossing a lot of his juvenile ideas out the window. This is one of my top five in the series because of the characters evolving from the first line to the last line.
Agree! This is the book where it clicked for me that the "case" was a way for Harry to learn lessons and show growth and deeper meanings. Showcases what a good writer Butcher really is.
I actually liked the case, for the funny gags and sense of realistic adsurdity or absurd reality. Brought the PI thing back to basics. Harry's irreverence and the witty banter in these books makes them so much fun. The solid character work, lore and emotional plot can take you by surprise. On to the next one .. when yer free of wot. 😂
My god you are so lucky to read it all for the first time. I love your reactions, you have no idea how much more awesome this series is going to be and I'm so jealous ;-p
I never looked at TDF as a a series on great intrguing case studies but more as a look at Harry Dresden's life and the key people who drive his personality.
This book is an odd place in the series, because of sort of the transition from case files to a longer plot. Made worse because Dead Beat is kinda designed as an "on-boarding" for people coming to the series late who might want to skip the weaker start and get straight to the "big" plot. And also sandwiched between two of the best books in the series. Oh, and of the best opening lines of the series (definitely the best until Changes). "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."
My thoughts on what to expect from you going forward, non-spoiler Blood Rites Review: Chacter building this book was good Dead Beat Review: New favorite book, this book was awesome! Proven Guilty Review: Series is changing, for the better! White Night Review: I'm really loving all these characters, this book is great! Small Favor Review: New favorite book in this series, this book was awesome! Turn Coat Review: Wow! Never expected that, this book was great! Changes Review: ... ... ... ... ... I don't even know where to start...
Oh man, so jealous of your journey right now. I discovered and binged the entire series just prior to Skin Game's release, and mate, you have got some fun times ahead of you. I 100% agree with your take on Butcher landing emotional beats as the series goes on. There's a scene in Skin Game that had me just bawling like a little kid, and I know from your reviews so far that you'll love it as I did. I'm loving these reviews and I look forward to following your reading - and discussing that scene when you get to it. Happy to have stumbled upon your channel. Cheers
Still palate cleansing at Changes? I think not. And in that, I do think Dresden does something unique: It shows the organic growth of a local detective into someone whose choices change the world. And every step of the way, it's believable and consistent with who Dresden is.
I like that in a book most people crap on, you change the focus to the gems in it. Keep up the great work. Also Butcher does a good job of giving Harry payoffs when he is at his lowest ebb and needs them.
I've had a great time with all of these books. When I put the "review goggles" on I'm going to nitpick but usually find the redeeming qualities as well. The big moments are big in this.
First time I knew about Dresden Files was watching a TV series but It got canceled. Then I saw the books ( in English ) in a bookshop and I started to read them and I am hooked! I've finished Skin Game recently and now I am reading Side Jobs. I love these books 👍 Nice to see more people with the same interest. " What I wouldn't give to be in your shoes! " Bob
Great review. I like him too. I think it's because I see him as a stubborn everyday guy who tries to do the right thing, but struggles with his own weaknesses. Oh and he happens to be a wizard.
This is actually one of my favorite books in the series. I like the white court, I like to Thomas and that’s really what made this one my favorite. The whole dynamic of Thomas and Harry is what sold it for me. I hope you continue to enjoy the series! *talk to text is buggy*
This is considered one of the weaker books stuck before one of the top 3 Dresden file books in Dead Beat. Mavre is a recurring character/villian. Mouse. God you finally got to mouse. So friggin awesome. Kincaid rocks..... 4 or 5 books for Murphy yeah about that..... Laura is friggin scary... Wampires, blampires, rampires.... Thomas yeah good times... Wet works everyone needs wet works guy.... so much learned yet nothing really learned....
Everything having to do with Thomas is apart of the case mike.Lol the first mention of He Who Walks Behind since the first book. You find out about more about Harry’s fam. That is all tied into the case.
@@mikesbookreviews Right....because how else to best explain exactly how the white court vampires work. There was no part of the case that did not explain who Thomas and his family was.
I concede that I have a love hate relationship with Dresden. I have my issues with Harry swinging back and forth Between cunning genius and Wile Coyote stupid but I ended up liking Death Masks last 100 pages or so. I wasn't going to continue but somebody said " damn next book is the vampire porno syndicate" and such a combination of words is hard to ignore. Think I actually liked this book most so far and feel like I actually understand Harry a lot more. He hasn't really reflected on growing up an orphan that much which I really enjoyed learning more about, and I thought the reveals in Blood Rites were also really well done and how Harry responds to it.
A bit of miss for me, but still fun. Best parts were Thomas/Harry brother reveal and the whole Ebenezar and Kincaid backstory. I never had a problem with Harry's "male gaze" because of the first person perspective, Butcher treated his female characters fairly and they always had a strong influence on Harry, BUT the whole scene with Murphy taking of her jeans to slide under the laser was Butcher putting a strong character in a embarrassing situation just so the guys can have some fun. Your telling me that little piece of fabric is making the difference to sliding under the lasers, hmm I think not. Hopefully that was the last of that kind of bull.
Yeah. I don't know what Butcher was trying to do with that. Fan service? Possibly. But also looking that this book has a lot of sex themes, I think he was trying to approach that maybe Murph has repressed/locked away her sexuality to become a cop (the scene with her ex, how much different she is with her sister and at the end with Lord Raith), also her comments about the motorcycle and Kincaid "de-pantsing" her. I don't know.
I know I'm a year late to the party, but I had to say, I'm always shocked that people don't mention Hellboy when Harry had to fight monsters while holding a box full of puppies. That subway scene with the box of kittens and Hellboy fighting the resurrection hound is always the first thing that piss into mind when I reread that scene
I know you're powering through the main books, but don't forget about the two compilation books Side Jobs and Brief Cases. Both books are side stories that happen between some of the books that are sometimes referenced in the main stories. Butcher has also had graphic novels published in the Dresden world and website micro fiction that contain content mentioned in the books.
I recommend reading Side Jobs and Brief Cases where they fit in with the publication order. There are some important things in Side Jobs, especially Aftermath in the wake of Changes, really helps to set up Ghost Story.
Inari is my favorite character and also my favorite sushi! Jk You have an awesome opening to the video. Lots of great books. I see Secret History up there, and Shallan. Your sp review of this book was great! I am definitely going check out some of your other videos! I'll try to keep the corny jokes to a minimum. :)
Good review, but I can't help feel you missed something. It seemed to me that everything after book 5 gets more complicated and more intertwined. Harry has always been kinda like Indiana Jones being chased by a giant boulder. In blood rights we get to see Dresden's choices start to come home to roost as week as get a glimpse of the future. Ultimately Blood Rites ushers in the next phase of the series where Dresden's life becomes more complicated. Ultimately the book is not about the porn set investigation, rather the investigation serves as a vehicle to complicate Dresden's life with family as well as introducing a new Big Bad in Lara Wraith.
Sure, I'm always going to miss stuff in these reviews because I do them live with just notes I scribble down while reading. I do wish I had remembered to bring up Harry' hand though.
@@mikesbookreviews oh yeah man. I totally get it and I'm not knocking your review. Admittedly I've also read/listened though the books multiple times, and I know how the plots stack and build on eachother. Keep putting these out Mike, you've got a new fan.
@@mikesbookreviews technical gremlins are never fun. Since you like the Dresden Files I have a reccomendation. Look at the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. First book is called Midnight Riot.
I liked that Jim Butcher hinted at reasons Thomas had to like Harry better than we'd expect. I didn't see the brother thing coming but I feel like I should have. I liked the interactions between Thomas and Justine as well and Lara as the rising star. Also.. your friends are absolutely right. After this, this series becomes a freight train... Thank you for reviewing. :)
You didn't mention Harrys burned hand. I thought that that was kinda big, seeing a main character we love get maimed to that extent. Liking your reviews so far, its like reading the books again
I think it was brilliant to separate out the 'case file' from the far reaching aspects of this book. It is what should be recommended on the first few books. Problem is, you don't really know what to separate out on those first few, until you get further into the series...and if you are told what to focus on, it spoils the organic aspect of learning the stuff later. Glad that you are still enjoying the series, almost guaranteed you will enjoy it the rest of the way. I know your views aren't as strong on the Dresden stuff, but as a Dresden fan, I appreciate these videos.
So crazy mike I just finished this one tonight (listening to them on audiobook at work), and before we I even heard your order it was the same exact as mine wow…5,3,4,1,6,2… I’m really curious if by the end of we are still this aligned on our fans to least favs..also agree fool moon the least but I still really enjoyed it :)
"I don't know if it's that Butcher is becoming a better writer . . . if I'm just getting more emotionally invested in these characters or what, but this is the second book in a row where I've felt that . . . but then these emotional beats happen and it hit you right here" Oh my :) Jim Butcher has (at this time) three micro-fiction pieces out on the internet. The third one is called "Goodbye". Butcher is going to crush you with this one (in such a wonderful way) with just a page or two of text :D I would definitely recommend start reading the micro-fictions after Skin Game.
The adult film aspect bothered me quite a bit, but the shocking revelation kept me going. Just started Dead Beat and excited to see what Dresden will do.
And you are up to the arrival of Best Boi! Yes, Mouse is just the greatest, fluffiest, most awesome puppers ever! Eh, the case did tie into the main story, well the White Court part of it, the Black one was the bit out on it's own, though still epic. "Kincaid! Bolshevik muppet!" But the porn movie plot was part of Lord Raith's scheme, and that it relied on such cheesy, ridiculous tactics to get the goal he wanted was part of what tipped Harry off to his condition. He Who Walks Behind... demon...... yes, right, totally right.. hehehehehehehehehehehehe
@@mikesbookreviews I think the reason that's happening is that long time fans have been rereading the series, so we have a lot of memories of "wow, that thing here was building to that there!" Built up. And it means that books which seem innocuous on a first read become much more significant once the plot threads from it get brought back. Like how a certain hooded figure in dead beat calls back to grave peril explicitly, and other things call back a little more implicitly
“What’s the point of having the license to ignore the will of council if you’re not going to use it!” A favorite line during the revealing of the identity of powerful Blackstaff wetworks man.
Great you're enjoying the series! And also sad that people spoil so much stuff in comments: "Oh, you'll find out", "It's a big book with the important stuff", "He's a recurring villain". Same thing happens in Buffy reactors comments, people just can't enjoy what they are given and to talk about the thing at hand, they need to get emotional satisfaction from demontrating how much they know and seeing how others react to what they've written :(
I always knew if the channel started to gain more viewers this would happen. I'm just glad no one is spoiling the huge moments in Wheel of Time for me. Yet. The whole "fact-checking" thing is the worst in my Cosmere videos. It's fine though. I never claimed to be a historian, just sharing how I felt while reading them. But I'm always grateful for the feedback.
@@mikesbookreviews That's great! Hope you won't be harassed to much by people in the future. If you'll ever have problems with spoilers, you can make some people moderators, and they will be able to mark comments for you to skip/
@@nathanliteroy9835 Except your first two examples aren't actually spoilers? If you're not saying something concrete, it's not a spoiler. I agree, calling someone a recurring villain can be considered spoilery.
@@Demonreached It is a spoiler, because some things might be left unexplained altogether or in the books that are published by now, and because "big stuff" describes content of the book. It literally describes something you haven't read yet. Why talk about future books if a person will read them anyway? For your own emotional satisfaction?
@@s.miklaski2286 Ghost Story is one of my favorites. The change in tone is jarring the first time, but the story gets more compelling with every subsequent reread.
@@Demonreached I think rereading this series is a must to fully appreciate how great the story is. So many times I see people comment skip books 1 and 2 or start with book 7 wow I couldn't disagree more. The funny part is almost all up to date fan comments I've read ALL talk about rereading it (and then searching for more, such as reviews) lol. I've never understood the ghost story hate, but did notice this series has a very fluid "favorite" ranking list. I will say changes/aftermath (because that's one story) is my #1 and I love the rest equally for the whole.
This book is just one of those go with the funny and remember that the most powerful women are those who can embrace both their power And sexuality and ask No-one’s approval or validation for it. Discount Lara’s power at your own peril. Spoiler alert: Harry’s injury, very important plot element. This book is incredibly pivotal in so many ways that keep paying off.
>Spoiler alert: Harry’s injury, very important plot element Why do you need to do that? He will read the series anyway, what do you get out of those poiler ramrks? -_-
I'm eternally pleased you are enjoying your trek through the Dresden Files. Once you assemble the pieces such as Harry, Bob, Mister, Mouse, Thomas, Karrin, Molly, Butters, Michael, Anastasia Luccio, and others, you assemble the Avengers level and Hell breaks loose. May you find water and shade....FORZARE!!! Personally, I was worried you might DNF the series here in book 6. Infamous cringey porno book 6. It hits folks differently, I felt like quitting at times. But I stuck it out and once Harry took on a Padawan, I was irrevocably committed. For Life.
I loved the Black Court beat in this book. Anything Vampire Court is right up my alley. The skin flick part though... not really what I was looking for.
Get ready, you're entering a whirlpool of emotions in the rest of the series. Mouse is the best. Like you said, the ''cases'' in Blood Rites are the week point of the story, but everything else will play majorly for the rest of the series. Dresden's relationship with Thomas, now that he has family, which he never had before, the growing trust between him and Murphy and then all the introduction of major recurring characters in Mouse, Lara & Ebenezer. Those are all the saving grace of this book. of all the 15 main stories, I would put Blood Rites at the bottom. I enjoyed this book more on my second read of the series because of all the repercussions the sub plots have on the rest of the series. to give an idea of the power of Ebenezer ''Black Staff'' McCoy, remember at the end of Dead Mask when he tells Harry about an asteroid he and Dresden found in the sky was actually a Russian satellite. The same that fell on Ortega's secret fortress. The guy pulled a satellite out of orbit to pin point hit a mansion!!! (you'll find out later the real reason why Ebenezer actually did this).
Inari is not a succubus she is a baby vamp that hasn't fed yet, and if is truly in love then she feeds first time it will kill her demon and she will be a mortal
Just finished this book. Overall I liked it. I wish Harry wasn't always being looked at by the police. That kind of gets old. The way the case was intertwined with Raith was a bit convenient. The final battle here kind of reminded me of the final battle in Summer Knight. I think in the first two books Harry was depicted as being a more powerful wizard but since then, he's just barely getting by. He always needs a lot of help and gets dizzy or nauseous a lot. Those are the only minuses for me, otherwise, it was a quick and enjoyable read.
This was the book where the best character got introduced. If Butcher kills Mouse, I'm going to find him an give him a piece of my mind (non-violently of course)!
I agree, the Porn star case wasn't that interesting but all of the other character developments with Harry and Thomas, Harry and Ebenezer made this book one of my favorites. This book also still has my favorite opening and ending lines for books.
That stuff was great. But in a ranking, something has to go towards the bottom, even if all the books in the series have been really good up to this point.
Whew. Just finished last night. I usually take a couple days to think about it first. Also, got to do New Spring first. So I'd say early next week for KoD. The kids being home for spring break has really hampered my recording schedule.
I'd put this one near the bottom, if not at the bottom. Its saving grace is that it brings in some really cool bits of lore, and the occasional excellent scene, but it felt like a slog between those moments. Not a bad book, but nothing that had me feeling too motivated to keep reading. The stakes just weren't there, or well executed, and the whole mystery was intensely transparent from the get go so it lacked tension there as well. Ultimately, there was some fun humour here and there, some good bits of lore, the occasional good scene, but that all doesn't outweigh the boring narrative and the headscratching sexism. I've always accepted Dresden's internal sexism as part of his character, but Murphy needing to lose her jeans for a laser grid? Yeah, no, that was just bad, not even laughably so. I'd have this below Grave Peril and Ghost Story, probably tied with Fool Moon for the worst in the series. It's unfortunate, because I loved the scene with his mom, I liked getting more of Thomas and Ebenezer. But I couldn't care less about any of the rest of it, really.
I never felt any "slog" to it since his books are always a quick read, but I didn't find myself pondering upon trying to solve the case as I usually do in his stories. But the White Court stuff definitely was the best parts.
You're not alone in liking Harry, I think he's an incredible character! I really liked how the "porn film" angle was handled. It showed real people just doing a job and being a looked down upon group (except by Bob) and how it creates that strong bond between them because of it. Loyalty strong theme for me, and directly relates to Harry being looked down upon by most. Couldn't believe how not gross those scenes actually were written, and thought it showed exactly how NOT consumed by sex Harry is. But I guess I'm in the minority there, people always want to say he's sex crazed or something I just don't see the evidence for it though. How do you write about something without describing it lol. Connections connections connections looking back wow there are so many in every one of these stories I love it! How Harry looks at Thomas or rather down on him ties right into this theme and SHOWS his character growth and where he learned this lesson without flat out saying it. The mirror scene was very emotional and interesting and SHOWS Harry and Thomas's desperate need for belonging and the need to be understood. How could you not talk about Harrys hand lol. Calling Eb sir and Murphy's reaction to that. Sorry about the intro getting corrupted I LOVE those!!!! Another great review thanks
I find it funny that people always say he is sex obsessed. The book is written from inside his head. When you are in a man's head there are thoughts of sex. The fact that despite these thoughts (and the always available Laura who would happily provide him with intense pleasure as she destroys him, not to mention all of the random women he could have hooked up with if he chose to pursue it) he still goes years with out having sex. That is kind of the opposite of obsessed.
hEs sO CHauVinIst! I'm so sick of hearing of that just because he finds beautiful women beautiful. If this is the case, 100% of the hereto male population is chauvinist.
This book... I've been waiting for this review. This is the book that almost turned this series into dnf. First I will say I struggle with how Butcher writes anything sexual, it skeeves me out. I came to terms with this being POV and Harry being a horny guy, to be fair if all my thoughts were out there for everyone to read I would probably come off that way too, touche. That being said, let's set this case on a friggin pornset, not enough cringe? Ok pile on top that White Court intrigue ( ya know the vampires that feed off sex) Not gonna lie, this was tough read. On to the good stuffs: Thomas! I really dig this bromance, I like how it fleshes out Harry as character. And yeah Mouse is cool, but we already have Mister who is nice enough to let Harry and co live with him. Dead Beat is by far my favorite in the series and can't wait for the review (that's saying a lot cause from here on out..👍👍) Edit: wrote this while watching, and wanted to add that I agree 100% a faithful adaptation would be legit! There are fan made vids on YT that are better then that steaming pile a certain network made..
@@mikepicioli1100 I think it's worth it and not going to take near the commitment Dresden Files is with only 6 books. I was looking for more Butcher while I waited for Ghost Story and went into it blind. I think it started out as a bet to combine two bad ideas into something good and we got Pokémon vs The Lost Legion. There's a lot of tropes and I don't think too many surprises but there's a couple that looking back I felt silly for not seeing but I did enjoy my time and gave me a different perspective on Jim's writing.
So many people shit on this book that I almost skipped it because I'm eager to get to the good stuff. Luckily I already spent an Audible credit and gave it a chance. I started it wondering why Harry didn't fuego Thomas' head off for rubbing it in about Susan when he is the mfer who kicked her into a pit of angry vampires. I said if their relationship made sense by the end of the book it would be worth it even if it was more of the same like people said. And boy did that pay off lol. The other two main vamp courts got fleshed out, Murphy and Ebenezer got good development, and the action keeps peaking in this series imo. Im left assuming this book gets so much hate because of people hung up about the sexualization and a plot where thats more relevant than ever pushes them over the edge. Maybe I just went in with sufficiently low expectations, but I think people are too hard on these early books.
This book gets alot of hate but I enjoyed it as much as any of them. The porn case seems very lowkey for harry but the larger plot soon takes over and the Kincaid-Black Court angle and Raith stuff was all awesome
Hi, I'm new to your channel and so far I'm loving it. But I wanted to know if you've read The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon? I'd be interested in your review if you haven't. Keep up the good work
Ooooooooh! Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series is my favourite Military Sci-fi of all time. Sorry Red Rising 😅. John Scalzi's Old Man's War is very cool also, in comparison. I enjoy Elizabeth Moon's writing style very much. Too much some people complain. Her Serrano Legacy series was really good as well but Kylara Vatta is really well done. Imho.
Jim Butcher employs beta readers. He's honed his emotional gut punching skills on a live audience. He takes a lot of pride in them. He's also a huge Buffy fan. He likes to troll James Marsters with Buffy references. He's said so. Thanks for making such enjoyable content!
This is the book I started with and I liked it a lot but I think if I read it coming off of Death Mask I would have been disappointed. I still like how lowkey the case is because I think Harry needs a break from large scale cases every once in awhile.
@@mikesbookreviews But who is the actual monster in this book? Think about how Harry feels at the start of the book and then at the end. What would you write in your diary if you were Harry.....what had you been wrong about.......all of your life? This is a cosmic shift in Harry's character and I loved how it was done.
Enjoying these reviews alot and understand that you are really rushing through these books so you can be forgiven for missing some things but the two big ones are that Ebenezer IS the Blackstaff not was and besides being the White Council's wetwork man he is given authority to break the rules of magic and Kincaid is definitely part demon and is still Known as the Hellhound
@@mikesbookreviews sorry man didn't mean anything by it I just figured with how fast your going through them plus the other books you got you might have missed something and oh boy are you about to hit the best part of this series no spoliers but the books up until now have been mostly building the stage now it's time for the show to begin!
@@elis.5350 That's my fault, I didn't realize how snappy my comment seemed until reading it back just now. I certainly didn't mean it that way. I'm about halfway through Dead Beat and still enjoying it immensely.
Hey mike, I recently started reading again and fell in love with Dresden files. Ive read the series twice now and I am looking for a new series to read. I was wondering if you had any suggestion to anything similar to dresden files! thanks man
Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko - more thoughful, a little bit less action. Alex Verus series - Butcher himself recommends it, it's more action oriented. Laundry Files - the main here there is an actual geek and it's sci-fi/fantasy hybrid, but it's most mature portrayal of the internal world of the person in a stressful situation
It's not as good, but the Iron Druid series is obviously inspired by dresden files, and was an entertaining read, even if I feel like the author couldn't figure out how to properly drive his main character to the plot he wanted after the first book and it sorta suffers for it
@@mikesbookreviews i figured they would. its the internet after all and no one is allowed to be wrong, but i didnt see any comments bringing it up figured better safe then sorry . :)
Yeeeaaa, Bloodrites is kinda...not the best. But Deadbeat? Deadbeat, the seventh book in the series is really... something. Alot of new lore about specific magics. It also has one of the best set of villains so far, almost as good as the Denarians. And the most kick-ass finale i have witnessed in a long time. Do not falter, keep going, it IS worth it.
If they ever do films, tv series of Harry Dresden, it has to be like the book's!! This is what makes the book's so good!! And most importantly, no fck ing woke,metoo,feminist, sjw,snowflakes shite!!!
He's repeatedly said he's story-arced the entire series following Dresden through twenty books give or take plus something he calls the BAT, Big Apocalyptic Trilogy which will end the series. He's also working on the CinderSpires series and hinted he may want to revisit Alera. And he's said he'd like to write four or five more stories following Lucio. I don't think he'll leave Dresden's world, but I do think he genuinely means to end The Dresden Files themselves.
@@mikesbookreviews I mean, he also likes to lie, so anything he says is kind of a 50/50, but this feels like an honest thing. The most recent word I've seen now that peace talks is two books instead of one, is he might try to push it to 22 case files and make it a 25 book series. But who knows, really
@@savingpyro Interestingly, butcher recently said that dead beat was the first hard cover book, and his editor wanted to put out a big, massive story as a draw for it, so Jim reordered the series and placed Proven Guilty as book 8 instead of book 7. And that makes so much sense to me
You mention quite often in these reviews that you're not a fan of the actual case files. It comes to a point where they are all connected behind the scenes, so the cases are somewhat important.
I really REALLY did not like the first 2/5 of this book and then BAM Chapter 20. Maybe I am overreaching with my analysis, but I think the overly sexualized portion of the book was to contrast the family element/person being set up for Harry. Went from "I dont like this" to "this is a pretty good one" for me.
Like I get that the porn part isn't really that interesting as a 'case file' it's more for comedy and I appreciate that there's this hint of social perspective that the sex workers are legitimate human beings. But it's also entirely the White Court. The white court runs the pornography business. The murders are convoluted because the White Court only acts indirectly. All of these things are huge later on. But the case is Thomas getting Harry to investigate a minor White Court political maneuver because his father is going to ruin a man's life for political gain whom Thomas genuinely just likes as a person.
I really felt like the case being based on a porn film set was Butcher responding to the criticisms of Harry being a walking hard-on and that he was, above it all, a professional.
Yes, lets wait for a FAITHFUL adaptation of this book, because the one they tried to do was God Awful!!! A straight up bastardization of the subject material.
Completely disagree. I think blood rites has deep themes, and is far deeper than other books in the series. It explores love vs lust, and in my opinion is the best harry dresden files book in the entire series. I guess art is subjective.
Ya, Blood Rites is one of the most formulaic and generic of the Dresden Files, and is in my opinion probably the worst entry. That being said, it comes directly before some of the absolute best of the series, Dead Beat is regarded as one of the absolute best, Proven Guilty has some fantastic developments in character relationships, Small Favor is absolutely amazing, Turn Coat has some of the best moments in the whole series, and Changes.... Well, Changes is Changes, you'll find out what that means when you get there.
I really like this book but oh man the third act is weak, Lord Wraith is a poor villain, Mavre is more interesting and has serious presence. Lord Wraith just sits in his man cave while Mavre actively seeks Dresden out. Everything with Thomas is great, Kincaid is fun and Ebeneza has that big reveal that adds to the world. But the final part of the book soured me and jeez it treats Murphy so poorly sometimes.
Hey bookworms! I apologize about the lack of a reading excerpt intro for this one. The file corrupted and I just ran out of time to remake it.
I just started Storm Front, so I got a lot of reading to do before i watch this lol
What would the excerpt have been?
It was Thomas reciting Corinthians about love and hope.
Enjoy the ride!
Mike's Book Reviews how far have you read in the series so far?
"Hey Thomas, why did you get the Large Breed dog food?"
heh heh heh...
I figured Mouse was going to be the "that's funny because the dog is massive" gag.
Large breed puppy chow
he still knows who is the real boss is :)
Did you forget about Death by Flying Turkey Missile? Because I will never be able to forget Death by Flying Turkey Missile.
LMAO entropy curse be like
Ha ha, I did! Dang.
For my next trick, anvils.
Guided frozen turkey missile........ My God I just realized how crazy and silly this sounds when spoken aloud
There are some things, no matter how ancient you are, you will never see twice.
In 2020 I think Harry Dresden is lovable too!
Definitely. Folks just look for stuff to be mad about these days.
How in the world is this called "a not great Dresden book?" You got a lot of answers about Thomas and Harry's relationship, Mouse is introduced, Harry takes on a nest of vampires, and you have the reformation of the White Court's power structure. Yeah, the original case is kinda secondary, but not written badly, and it sets the scene for Harry to meet Lara/the White Court and find out about his relationship with Thomas. Love it!
I've come around on it a lot in hindsight and would definitely put it in the middle tier of Dresden books.
@@mikesbookreviews It's hard to say there's any book in the series that's "bad." Is this one on the level of Changes in terms of "oh crap, what just happened?". Maybe not. But it is definitely a solid addition to the series. Plus, you get to see Murphy in a dress. When else does that happen, lol
This book may have more character development for Harry than any other book in the series so far......and its due to him being hired to keep a porn set safe? Yeah, Butcher takes a 2-dimensional idea and blows it apart with depth and amazing character scenes. This was Butcher moving out of his 20's into his 30's and tossing a lot of his juvenile ideas out the window. This is one of my top five in the series because of the characters evolving from the first line to the last line.
Agree! This is the book where it clicked for me that the "case" was a way for Harry to learn lessons and show growth and deeper meanings. Showcases what a good writer Butcher really is.
I concur.
I actually liked the case, for the funny gags and sense of realistic adsurdity or absurd reality. Brought the PI thing back to basics.
Harry's irreverence and the witty banter in these books makes them so much fun. The solid character work, lore and emotional plot can take you by surprise.
On to the next one .. when yer free of wot. 😂
I mean, it wasn’t unreadable. Just nothing I felt needed to bring the review up to 45 minutes over.
My god you are so lucky to read it all for the first time. I love your reactions, you have no idea how much more awesome this series is going to be and I'm so jealous ;-p
I am on pins and needles.
I think Harry is lovable too☺️ also very funny! And can’t get a break ....
I have no issue in admitting that Mouse is my favourite character by far. He is best boi
I am a fan. Especially after finishing Dead Beat.
I never looked at TDF as a a series on great intrguing case studies but more as a look at Harry Dresden's life and the key people who drive his personality.
For sure. The case being a good one is just a bonus.
This book is an odd place in the series, because of sort of the transition from case files to a longer plot. Made worse because Dead Beat is kinda designed as an "on-boarding" for people coming to the series late who might want to skip the weaker start and get straight to the "big" plot. And also sandwiched between two of the best books in the series.
Oh, and of the best opening lines of the series (definitely the best until Changes). "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."
I can certainly see that given Dead Beat is as good as I’ve been told.
My thoughts on what to expect from you going forward, non-spoiler
Blood Rites Review: Chacter building this book was good
Dead Beat Review: New favorite book, this book was awesome!
Proven Guilty Review: Series is changing, for the better!
White Night Review: I'm really loving all these characters, this book is great!
Small Favor Review: New favorite book in this series, this book was awesome!
Turn Coat Review: Wow! Never expected that, this book was great!
Changes Review: ... ... ... ... ... I don't even know where to start...
I'm looking forward to finding out.
Oh man, so jealous of your journey right now. I discovered and binged the entire series just prior to Skin Game's release, and mate, you have got some fun times ahead of you. I 100% agree with your take on Butcher landing emotional beats as the series goes on. There's a scene in Skin Game that had me just bawling like a little kid, and I know from your reviews so far that you'll love it as I did. I'm loving these reviews and I look forward to following your reading - and discussing that scene when you get to it. Happy to have stumbled upon your channel. Cheers
The emotional beats are getting me more and more with these books so I don't doubt one will get me eventually.
love this series 😂, it's not like mind blowing or pushing the bounds of writing or anything - but it's like comfort food ;P
Everyone needs a good palate cleanser now and then. These are perfect for that.
They're both fun and deep enough, plot wise, to really sink your teeth into. Great combination.
Still palate cleansing at Changes? I think not. And in that, I do think Dresden does something unique: It shows the organic growth of a local detective into someone whose choices change the world. And every step of the way, it's believable and consistent with who Dresden is.
I like that in a book most people crap on, you change the focus to the gems in it. Keep up the great work. Also Butcher does a good job of giving Harry payoffs when he is at his lowest ebb and needs them.
I've had a great time with all of these books. When I put the "review goggles" on I'm going to nitpick but usually find the redeeming qualities as well. The big moments are big in this.
First time I knew about Dresden Files was watching a TV series but It got canceled. Then I saw the books ( in English ) in a bookshop and I started to read them and I am hooked! I've finished Skin Game recently and now I am reading Side Jobs. I love these books 👍 Nice to see more people with the same interest. " What I wouldn't give to be in your shoes! " Bob
Rather amazing that 20 years later this series is still hooking new fans.
@@mikesbookreviews Stars and Stones!
Great review. I like him too. I think it's because I see him as a stubborn everyday guy who tries to do the right thing, but struggles with his own weaknesses. Oh and he happens to be a wizard.
I really don't understand folks that hate read this series because they don't like Harry.
This is actually one of my favorite books in the series. I like the white court, I like to Thomas and that’s really what made this one my favorite. The whole dynamic of Thomas and Harry is what sold it for me. I hope you continue to enjoy the series!
*talk to text is buggy*
Thomas is awesome.
This is considered one of the weaker books stuck before one of the top 3 Dresden file books in Dead Beat.
Mavre is a recurring character/villian.
Mouse. God you finally got to mouse. So friggin awesome.
Kincaid rocks.....
4 or 5 books for Murphy yeah about that.....
Laura is friggin scary...
Wampires, blampires, rampires....
Thomas yeah good times...
Wet works everyone needs wet works guy.... so much learned yet nothing really learned....
I’m glad I paused before Dead Beat because it sounds like I won’t be able to stop when I get there.
@@mikesbookreviews you're right, you wont be able to stop
Finished it yesterday. Wasn’t weak to me. I loved it. So much fun.
Everything having to do with Thomas is apart of the case mike.Lol the first mention of He Who Walks Behind since the first book. You find out about more about Harry’s fam. That is all tied into the case.
Yeah I know. I just didn’t care for the porn director job.
@@mikesbookreviews Right....because how else to best explain exactly how the white court vampires work. There was no part of the case that did not explain who Thomas and his family was.
I concede that I have a love hate relationship with Dresden. I have my issues with Harry swinging back and forth Between cunning genius and Wile Coyote stupid but I ended up liking Death Masks last 100 pages or so. I wasn't going to continue but somebody said " damn next book is the vampire porno syndicate" and such a combination of words is hard to ignore.
Think I actually liked this book most so far and feel like I actually understand Harry a lot more. He hasn't really reflected on growing up an orphan that much which I really enjoyed learning more about, and I thought the reveals in Blood Rites were also really well done and how Harry responds to it.
A bit of miss for me, but still fun. Best parts were Thomas/Harry brother reveal and the whole Ebenezar and Kincaid backstory.
I never had a problem with Harry's "male gaze" because of the first person perspective, Butcher treated his female characters fairly and they always had a strong influence on Harry, BUT the whole scene with Murphy taking of her jeans to slide under the laser was Butcher putting a strong character in a embarrassing situation just so the guys can have some fun. Your telling me that little piece of fabric is making the difference to sliding under the lasers, hmm I think not. Hopefully that was the last of that kind of bull.
Yeah. I don't know what Butcher was trying to do with that. Fan service? Possibly. But also looking that this book has a lot of sex themes, I think he was trying to approach that maybe Murph has repressed/locked away her sexuality to become a cop (the scene with her ex, how much different she is with her sister and at the end with Lord Raith), also her comments about the motorcycle and Kincaid "de-pantsing" her. I don't know.
My favorite book series!
Of all 6 Dresden reviews I've done, this one seems to be the most divisive.
Enjoyed it man! Keep up the reviews
Thanks!
I know I'm a year late to the party, but I had to say, I'm always shocked that people don't mention Hellboy when Harry had to fight monsters while holding a box full of puppies. That subway scene with the box of kittens and Hellboy fighting the resurrection hound is always the first thing that piss into mind when I reread that scene
I know you're powering through the main books, but don't forget about the two compilation books Side Jobs and Brief Cases. Both books are side stories that happen between some of the books that are sometimes referenced in the main stories. Butcher has also had graphic novels published in the Dresden world and website micro fiction that contain content mentioned in the books.
I decided I’ll read those when I’m current.
I recommend reading Side Jobs and Brief Cases where they fit in with the publication order. There are some important things in Side Jobs, especially Aftermath in the wake of Changes, really helps to set up Ghost Story.
Inari is my favorite character and also my favorite sushi! Jk
You have an awesome opening to the video. Lots of great books. I see Secret History up there, and Shallan. Your sp review of this book was great! I am definitely going check out some of your other videos!
I'll try to keep the corny jokes to a minimum. :)
Hey, I'm the dad of two young boys. Dad jokes are always welcome here.
Can't wait for your review of Book 7 (Dead Beat). So much goes on in it... and it really kicks the 'big' story that's going on behind the scenes.
My hype for book 7 is through the roof.
Good review, but I can't help feel you missed something. It seemed to me that everything after book 5 gets more complicated and more intertwined. Harry has always been kinda like Indiana Jones being chased by a giant boulder. In blood rights we get to see Dresden's choices start to come home to roost as week as get a glimpse of the future. Ultimately Blood Rites ushers in the next phase of the series where Dresden's life becomes more complicated. Ultimately the book is not about the porn set investigation, rather the investigation serves as a vehicle to complicate Dresden's life with family as well as introducing a new Big Bad in Lara Wraith.
Sure, I'm always going to miss stuff in these reviews because I do them live with just notes I scribble down while reading. I do wish I had remembered to bring up Harry' hand though.
@@mikesbookreviews oh yeah man. I totally get it and I'm not knocking your review. Admittedly I've also read/listened though the books multiple times, and I know how the plots stack and build on eachother. Keep putting these out Mike, you've got a new fan.
@@davidlosey431 For sure. I think the technical problems I kept having with this video got me kind of short with it by the end.
@@mikesbookreviews technical gremlins are never fun. Since you like the Dresden Files I have a reccomendation. Look at the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. First book is called Midnight Riot.
My favorite book so far.
I liked that Jim Butcher hinted at reasons Thomas had to like Harry better than we'd expect. I didn't see the brother thing coming but I feel like I should have. I liked the interactions between Thomas and Justine as well and Lara as the rising star.
Also.. your friends are absolutely right. After this, this series becomes a freight train...
Thank you for reviewing. :)
In hindsight I should have seen that there was more to Thomas than just a friendly vampire to Harry. It's brilliantly done.
@@mikesbookreviews agreed :)
dead beats is fantastic. definitely my favorite even if it may not be the absolute best
Seems to be the consensus.
@@mikesbookreviewsI would gush more but that would mean spoilers.
Dead Beat is a third favorite imo. Cold Days is my favorite, and second is Summer Knight. But dead beat always hits me
Dresden finding out he has a brother really hits you in the feels.
It floored me.
@@mikesbookreviews Me, too. But in a good way. Now Dresden isn't so alone. He has a brother.
You didn't mention Harrys burned hand. I thought that that was kinda big, seeing a main character we love get maimed to that extent. Liking your reviews so far, its like reading the books again
The building was on fire. It wasn't my fault..... Epic start
It's a great line.
I think it was brilliant to separate out the 'case file' from the far reaching aspects of this book. It is what should be recommended on the first few books. Problem is, you don't really know what to separate out on those first few, until you get further into the series...and if you are told what to focus on, it spoils the organic aspect of learning the stuff later. Glad that you are still enjoying the series, almost guaranteed you will enjoy it the rest of the way. I know your views aren't as strong on the Dresden stuff, but as a Dresden fan, I appreciate these videos.
I'm loving the series. Am I coming off as being indifferent?
@@mikesbookreviews Oh no not at all. You are great. Wow, I worded that badly. I meant 'view count'. :)
So crazy mike I just finished this one tonight (listening to them on audiobook at work), and before we I even heard your order it was the same exact as mine wow…5,3,4,1,6,2… I’m really curious if by the end of we are still this aligned on our fans to least favs..also agree fool moon the least but I still really enjoyed it :)
I'm so happy to see people are still reading up on dresden. New Book on the 20th of July!!
Better late than never.
@@mikesbookreviews Indeed! I've waited for so long for this! Also thanks for bringing people here
there's loads of reference humor, even one that someone else makes that Harry's pissed that he doesn't get
"The *special* Hell"
You finally got to lara!!!
And Sue.
The short stories are also good to read because they are sometimes brought up in the book
"I don't know if it's that Butcher is becoming a better writer . . . if I'm just getting more emotionally invested in these characters or what, but this is the second book in a row where I've felt that . . . but then these emotional beats happen and it hit you right here"
Oh my :)
Jim Butcher has (at this time) three micro-fiction pieces out on the internet. The third one is called "Goodbye". Butcher is going to crush you with this one (in such a wonderful way) with just a page or two of text :D I would definitely recommend start reading the micro-fictions after Skin Game.
Good book and great review Mike!
The adult film aspect bothered me quite a bit, but the shocking revelation kept me going. Just started Dead Beat and excited to see what Dresden will do.
And you are up to the arrival of Best Boi! Yes, Mouse is just the greatest, fluffiest, most awesome puppers ever!
Eh, the case did tie into the main story, well the White Court part of it, the Black one was the bit out on it's own, though still epic. "Kincaid! Bolshevik muppet!"
But the porn movie plot was part of Lord Raith's scheme, and that it relied on such cheesy, ridiculous tactics to get the goal he wanted was part of what tipped Harry off to his condition.
He Who Walks Behind... demon...... yes, right, totally right.. hehehehehehehehehehehehe
I don't think the Blackstaff is something you walk away from. There's no "former" about it.
Very good point.
I just finished this book today and really enjoyed it, i’m super interested for your perspective in this video!
the ones you rank lower are the ones that are feeding more into the later books
Something has to go there. But like I said, they've all been great.
@@mikesbookreviews I think the reason that's happening is that long time fans have been rereading the series, so we have a lot of memories of "wow, that thing here was building to that there!" Built up. And it means that books which seem innocuous on a first read become much more significant once the plot threads from it get brought back. Like how a certain hooded figure in dead beat calls back to grave peril explicitly, and other things call back a little more implicitly
great video, as always. :)
Gracias.
“What’s the point of having the license to ignore the will of council if you’re not going to use it!” A favorite line during the revealing of the identity of powerful Blackstaff wetworks man.
Great you're enjoying the series!
And also sad that people spoil so much stuff in comments: "Oh, you'll find out", "It's a big book with the important stuff", "He's a recurring villain". Same thing happens in Buffy reactors comments, people just can't enjoy what they are given and to talk about the thing at hand, they need to get emotional satisfaction from demontrating how much they know and seeing how others react to what they've written :(
I always knew if the channel started to gain more viewers this would happen. I'm just glad no one is spoiling the huge moments in Wheel of Time for me. Yet. The whole "fact-checking" thing is the worst in my Cosmere videos. It's fine though. I never claimed to be a historian, just sharing how I felt while reading them. But I'm always grateful for the feedback.
@@mikesbookreviews That's great! Hope you won't be harassed to much by people in the future.
If you'll ever have problems with spoilers, you can make some people moderators, and they will be able to mark comments for you to skip/
@@nathanliteroy9835 Except your first two examples aren't actually spoilers? If you're not saying something concrete, it's not a spoiler.
I agree, calling someone a recurring villain can be considered spoilery.
@@Demonreached It is a spoiler, because some things might be left unexplained altogether or in the books that are published by now, and because "big stuff" describes content of the book. It literally describes something you haven't read yet.
Why talk about future books if a person will read them anyway? For your own emotional satisfaction?
Next book Dead Beat was amazing one of my favorites. The only ones that are better is the everything past and including Changes (except ghost story).
I've heard it only gets better from here, which is saying something since I've liked all the books up to this point.
I loved Ghost Story. Different was needed there. No spoilers so I'll wait to say more though.
@@s.miklaski2286 Ghost Story is one of my favorites. The change in tone is jarring the first time, but the story gets more compelling with every subsequent reread.
@@Demonreached I think rereading this series is a must to fully appreciate how great the story is. So many times I see people comment skip books 1 and 2 or start with book 7 wow I couldn't disagree more. The funny part is almost all up to date fan comments I've read ALL talk about rereading it (and then searching for more, such as reviews) lol. I've never understood the ghost story hate, but did notice this series has a very fluid "favorite" ranking list. I will say changes/aftermath (because that's one story) is my #1 and I love the rest equally for the whole.
This book is just one of those go with the funny and remember that the most powerful women are those who can embrace both their power And sexuality and ask No-one’s approval or validation for it. Discount Lara’s power at your own peril. Spoiler alert: Harry’s injury, very important plot element. This book is incredibly pivotal in so many ways that keep paying off.
I had the whole thing about his hand in the notes and I just got sidetracked and forgot. Derp.
>Spoiler alert: Harry’s injury, very important plot element
Why do you need to do that? He will read the series anyway, what do you get out of those poiler ramrks? -_-
I'm eternally pleased you are enjoying your trek through the Dresden Files. Once you assemble the pieces such as Harry, Bob, Mister, Mouse, Thomas, Karrin, Molly, Butters, Michael, Anastasia Luccio, and others, you assemble the Avengers level and Hell breaks loose.
May you find water and shade....FORZARE!!!
Personally, I was worried you might DNF the series here in book 6. Infamous cringey porno book 6. It hits folks differently, I felt like quitting at times. But I stuck it out and once Harry took on a Padawan, I was irrevocably committed. For Life.
Nah, nothing here has been bad enough for me to even take a break much less DNF. I'm in for the whole ride.
I loved the Black Court beat in this book. Anything Vampire Court is right up my alley. The skin flick part though... not really what I was looking for.
Get ready, you're entering a whirlpool of emotions in the rest of the series. Mouse is the best.
Like you said, the ''cases'' in Blood Rites are the week point of the story, but everything else will play majorly for the rest of the series.
Dresden's relationship with Thomas, now that he has family, which he never had before, the growing trust between him and Murphy and then all the introduction of major recurring characters in Mouse, Lara & Ebenezer. Those are all the saving grace of this book.
of all the 15 main stories, I would put Blood Rites at the bottom.
I enjoyed this book more on my second read of the series because of all the repercussions the sub plots have on the rest of the series.
to give an idea of the power of Ebenezer ''Black Staff'' McCoy, remember at the end of Dead Mask when he tells Harry about an asteroid he and Dresden found in the sky was actually a Russian satellite. The same that fell on Ortega's secret fortress. The guy pulled a satellite out of orbit to pin point hit a mansion!!! (you'll find out later the real reason why Ebenezer actually did this).
If Blood Rites is the worst this series has to offer, I'm in for a hell of a ride.
I consider this a "breather-episode" between big blockbusters. A book where new plotlines are seeded that will pay off later.
Perfectly stated.
I think you glossed over the addition of the outsiders, as the villains of the story. He who walks behind was definitely a monster as a big bad.
Just finished it and I loved it :D And I also Love your Reviews/Spoilers keep on doing that :D
I love thomas so i liked this book explaining his origin so it was great for me though i understand the hate for this book i love the ending
Inari is not a succubus she is a baby vamp that hasn't fed yet, and if is truly in love then she feeds first time it will kill her demon and she will be a mortal
*potential succubus is what I guess I should have said.
Just finished this book. Overall I liked it. I wish Harry wasn't always being looked at by the police. That kind of gets old. The way the case was intertwined with Raith was a bit convenient. The final battle here kind of reminded me of the final battle in Summer Knight. I think in the first two books Harry was depicted as being a more powerful wizard but since then, he's just barely getting by. He always needs a lot of help and gets dizzy or nauseous a lot. Those are the only minuses for me, otherwise, it was a quick and enjoyable read.
All the white court are succubi my dude
Good point.
This was the book where the best character got introduced. If Butcher kills Mouse, I'm going to find him an give him a piece of my mind (non-violently of course)!
I agree, the Porn star case wasn't that interesting but all of the other character developments with Harry and Thomas, Harry and Ebenezer made this book one of my favorites. This book also still has my favorite opening and ending lines for books.
That stuff was great. But in a ranking, something has to go towards the bottom, even if all the books in the series have been really good up to this point.
Disagree. I think it's the best book in the series. It is much deeper, and I relate to it more as a porn addict.
Yeah Dead Beat is pretty great.
So I hear.
Ah, the introduction of Lara. She's my very favorite monster.
When will your review of Knife of Dreams be out?
Whew. Just finished last night. I usually take a couple days to think about it first. Also, got to do New Spring first. So I'd say early next week for KoD. The kids being home for spring break has really hampered my recording schedule.
I'd put this one near the bottom, if not at the bottom. Its saving grace is that it brings in some really cool bits of lore, and the occasional excellent scene, but it felt like a slog between those moments. Not a bad book, but nothing that had me feeling too motivated to keep reading. The stakes just weren't there, or well executed, and the whole mystery was intensely transparent from the get go so it lacked tension there as well. Ultimately, there was some fun humour here and there, some good bits of lore, the occasional good scene, but that all doesn't outweigh the boring narrative and the headscratching sexism. I've always accepted Dresden's internal sexism as part of his character, but Murphy needing to lose her jeans for a laser grid? Yeah, no, that was just bad, not even laughably so.
I'd have this below Grave Peril and Ghost Story, probably tied with Fool Moon for the worst in the series. It's unfortunate, because I loved the scene with his mom, I liked getting more of Thomas and Ebenezer. But I couldn't care less about any of the rest of it, really.
I never felt any "slog" to it since his books are always a quick read, but I didn't find myself pondering upon trying to solve the case as I usually do in his stories. But the White Court stuff definitely was the best parts.
You're not alone in liking Harry, I think he's an incredible character! I really liked how the "porn film" angle was handled. It showed real people just doing a job and being a looked down upon group (except by Bob) and how it creates that strong bond between them because of it. Loyalty strong theme for me, and directly relates to Harry being looked down upon by most. Couldn't believe how not gross those scenes actually were written, and thought it showed exactly how NOT consumed by sex Harry is. But I guess I'm in the minority there, people always want to say he's sex crazed or something I just don't see the evidence for it though. How do you write about something without describing it lol. Connections connections connections looking back wow there are so many in every one of these stories I love it! How Harry looks at Thomas or rather down on him ties right into this theme and SHOWS his character growth and where he learned this lesson without flat out saying it. The mirror scene was very emotional and interesting and SHOWS Harry and Thomas's desperate need for belonging and the need to be understood.
How could you not talk about Harrys hand lol. Calling Eb sir and Murphy's reaction to that.
Sorry about the intro getting corrupted I LOVE those!!!!
Another great review thanks
I find it funny that people always say he is sex obsessed. The book is written from inside his head. When you are in a man's head there are thoughts of sex. The fact that despite these thoughts (and the always available Laura who would happily provide him with intense pleasure as she destroys him, not to mention all of the random women he could have hooked up with if he chose to pursue it) he still goes years with out having sex. That is kind of the opposite of obsessed.
@@toddjackson3136 Proof I'm not alone thanks!
hEs sO CHauVinIst! I'm so sick of hearing of that just because he finds beautiful women beautiful. If this is the case, 100% of the hereto male population is chauvinist.
@@toddjackson3136 NAILED IT.
This book...
I've been waiting for this review. This is the book that almost turned this series into dnf.
First I will say I struggle with how Butcher writes anything sexual, it skeeves me out. I came to terms with this being POV and Harry being a horny guy, to be fair if all my thoughts were out there for everyone to read I would probably come off that way too, touche.
That being said, let's set this case on a friggin pornset, not enough cringe? Ok pile on top that White Court intrigue ( ya know the vampires that feed off sex)
Not gonna lie, this was tough read.
On to the good stuffs:
Thomas! I really dig this bromance, I like how it fleshes out Harry as character.
And yeah Mouse is cool, but we already have Mister who is nice enough to let Harry and co live with him.
Dead Beat is by far my favorite in the series and can't wait for the review (that's saying a lot cause from here on out..👍👍)
Edit: wrote this while watching, and wanted to add that I agree 100% a faithful adaptation would be legit! There are fan made vids on YT that are better then that steaming pile a certain network made..
The Raith stuff was awesome and Thomas is almost up there with Michael as my favorite secondary character.
@@mikesbookreviews Thomas Wraith > Michael Carpenter all day every day
Have you read Codex Alera? They feel different and I think that's because the point of view is different.
@@DougTurley no, should I put that on my tbr?
@@mikepicioli1100 I think it's worth it and not going to take near the commitment Dresden Files is with only 6 books. I was looking for more Butcher while I waited for Ghost Story and went into it blind. I think it started out as a bet to combine two bad ideas into something good and we got Pokémon vs The Lost Legion. There's a lot of tropes and I don't think too many surprises but there's a couple that looking back I felt silly for not seeing but I did enjoy my time and gave me a different perspective on Jim's writing.
So many people shit on this book that I almost skipped it because I'm eager to get to the good stuff. Luckily I already spent an Audible credit and gave it a chance. I started it wondering why Harry didn't fuego Thomas' head off for rubbing it in about Susan when he is the mfer who kicked her into a pit of angry vampires. I said if their relationship made sense by the end of the book it would be worth it even if it was more of the same like people said. And boy did that pay off lol. The other two main vamp courts got fleshed out, Murphy and Ebenezer got good development, and the action keeps peaking in this series imo. Im left assuming this book gets so much hate because of people hung up about the sexualization and a plot where thats more relevant than ever pushes them over the edge. Maybe I just went in with sufficiently low expectations, but I think people are too hard on these early books.
very nice
This book gets alot of hate but I enjoyed it as much as any of them. The porn case seems very lowkey for harry but the larger plot soon takes over and the Kincaid-Black Court angle and Raith stuff was all awesome
Hi, I'm new to your channel and so far I'm loving it. But I wanted to know if you've read The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon? I'd be interested in your review if you haven't. Keep up the good work
I have not. But I’ll look to add it on Goodreads.
Ooooooooh! Elizabeth Moon's Vatta's War series is my favourite Military Sci-fi of all time. Sorry Red Rising 😅.
John Scalzi's Old Man's War is very cool also, in comparison. I enjoy Elizabeth Moon's writing style very much. Too much some people complain. Her Serrano Legacy series was really good as well but Kylara Vatta is really well done. Imho.
Jim Butcher employs beta readers. He's honed his emotional gut punching skills on a live audience. He takes a lot of pride in them. He's also a huge Buffy fan. He likes to troll James Marsters with Buffy references. He's said so.
Thanks for making such enjoyable content!
That is such a great idea. And anyone who loves Buffy is basically family to me.
This is the book I started with and I liked it a lot but I think if I read it coming off of Death Mask I would have been disappointed. I still like how lowkey the case is because I think Harry needs a break from large scale cases every once in awhile.
Yeah I look at it as a monster of the week episode after a long arc. Those are good to reset the table once in awhile.
@@mikesbookreviews But who is the actual monster in this book? Think about how Harry feels at the start of the book and then at the end. What would you write in your diary if you were Harry.....what had you been wrong about.......all of your life? This is a cosmic shift in Harry's character and I loved how it was done.
I'd let that Lara Raith feast on me!
BTW... keep your eye on Mouse.
Enjoying these reviews alot and understand that you are really rushing through these books so you can be forgiven for missing some things but the two big ones are that Ebenezer IS the Blackstaff not was and besides being the White Council's wetwork man he is given authority to break the rules of magic and Kincaid is definitely part demon and is still Known as the Hellhound
I don't think I'm rushing anything. I just made an assumption. That's what folks do in their first reading.
@@mikesbookreviews sorry man didn't mean anything by it I just figured with how fast your going through them plus the other books you got you might have missed something and oh boy are you about to hit the best part of this series no spoliers but the books up until now have been mostly building the stage now it's time for the show to begin!
@@elis.5350 That's my fault, I didn't realize how snappy my comment seemed until reading it back just now. I certainly didn't mean it that way. I'm about halfway through Dead Beat and still enjoying it immensely.
Is it Justine‘s choice tho? Is it?
Hey mike, I recently started reading again and fell in love with Dresden files. Ive read the series twice now and I am looking for a new series to read. I was wondering if you had any suggestion to anything similar to dresden files! thanks man
Not really since I'm so new to it. Other have rec'd a bunch in the comments though.
Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko - more thoughful, a little bit less action.
Alex Verus series - Butcher himself recommends it, it's more action oriented.
Laundry Files - the main here there is an actual geek and it's sci-fi/fantasy hybrid, but it's most mature portrayal of the internal world of the person in a stressful situation
It's not as good, but the Iron Druid series is obviously inspired by dresden files, and was an entertaining read, even if I feel like the author couldn't figure out how to properly drive his main character to the plot he wanted after the first book and it sorta suffers for it
Alex versus series is good, first book is fated. First book is ok but gets wayyy better. And alot darker
mouse = best boi. mccoy is still the black staff
Oh, folks have let me know about my Ebenezar slip up.
@@mikesbookreviews i figured they would. its the internet after all and no one is allowed to be wrong, but i didnt see any comments bringing it up figured better safe then sorry . :)
*it's not former.
Yeeeaaa, Bloodrites is kinda...not the best.
But Deadbeat? Deadbeat, the seventh book in the series is really... something. Alot of new lore about specific magics. It also has one of the best set of villains so far, almost as good as the Denarians.
And the most kick-ass finale i have witnessed in a long time.
Do not falter, keep going, it IS worth it.
Deadbeat is when the heroin addiction begins. Each book gets better and better.
I feel like that is unanimous. Dead Beat is almost always listed in top 1-3 for every list I’ve seen.
Deadbeat is good but the character growth, in this book, makes Deadbeat feel like a comic book....which was the point. Its cool but its not as deep.
FORZAREEEEEE!!!
*Mouse wakes up, looks around, goes back to sleep*
@@mikesbookreviews ...
*Mister batting around puppy Mouse so he knows who is boss of Harry's flat when the dog becomes enormous.*
If they ever do films, tv series of Harry Dresden, it has to be like the book's!!
This is what makes the book's so good!!
And most importantly, no fck ing woke,metoo,feminist, sjw,snowflakes shite!!!
*Twenty-three book series
*believe it when I see it. (meaning I don't think he'll ever end the series and I'm okay with that)
He's repeatedly said he's story-arced the entire series following Dresden through twenty books give or take plus something he calls the BAT, Big Apocalyptic Trilogy which will end the series. He's also working on the CinderSpires series and hinted he may want to revisit Alera. And he's said he'd like to write four or five more stories following Lucio. I don't think he'll leave Dresden's world, but I do think he genuinely means to end The Dresden Files themselves.
@@Labradorite_Honu Okay. I trust you longtime fans on these things. Hope he stands by it.
@@mikesbookreviews I mean, he also likes to lie, so anything he says is kind of a 50/50, but this feels like an honest thing. The most recent word I've seen now that peace talks is two books instead of one, is he might try to push it to 22 case files and make it a 25 book series. But who knows, really
how far are from finishing Dead Beat?
Finished it today!
@@mikesbookreviews Can't wait for you to read Proven Guilty. Or the rest honestly.
@@savingpyro Interestingly, butcher recently said that dead beat was the first hard cover book, and his editor wanted to put out a big, massive story as a draw for it, so Jim reordered the series and placed Proven Guilty as book 8 instead of book 7. And that makes so much sense to me
You mention quite often in these reviews that you're not a fan of the actual case files. It comes to a point where they are all connected behind the scenes, so the cases are somewhat important.
Just a couple of times. I usually like most of the cases. Blood Rites and White Night were the exceptions.
Was Jim's original title Tripple Ex?
Tripple Ex, on account of the porn director's three evil exes and ... you know... because of the porn.
I really REALLY did not like the first 2/5 of this book and then BAM Chapter 20. Maybe I am overreaching with my analysis, but I think the overly sexualized portion of the book was to contrast the family element/person being set up for Harry. Went from "I dont like this" to "this is a pretty good one" for me.
Something happened to the end of the video.
Technical difficulties, please stand by...
Your wizard powers have corrupted your video Mike.
I was having all kinds of technical problems with this one. Just one of those days.
Like I get that the porn part isn't really that interesting as a 'case file' it's more for comedy and I appreciate that there's this hint of social perspective that the sex workers are legitimate human beings. But it's also entirely the White Court. The white court runs the pornography business. The murders are convoluted because the White Court only acts indirectly. All of these things are huge later on.
But the case is Thomas getting Harry to investigate a minor White Court political maneuver because his father is going to ruin a man's life for political gain whom Thomas genuinely just likes as a person.
I really felt like the case being based on a porn film set was Butcher responding to the criticisms of Harry being a walking hard-on and that he was, above it all, a professional.
Yes, lets wait for a FAITHFUL adaptation of this book, because the one they tried to do was God Awful!!! A straight up bastardization of the subject material.
Six books in and you haven't said anything about Mouse or Mister 🤨
I talked about Mouse in this one. I just didn’t know his name yet.
Completely disagree. I think blood rites has deep themes, and is far deeper than other books in the series. It explores love vs lust, and in my opinion is the best harry dresden files book in the entire series. I guess art is subjective.
Ya, Blood Rites is one of the most formulaic and generic of the Dresden Files, and is in my opinion probably the worst entry. That being said, it comes directly before some of the absolute best of the series, Dead Beat is regarded as one of the absolute best, Proven Guilty has some fantastic developments in character relationships, Small Favor is absolutely amazing, Turn Coat has some of the best moments in the whole series, and Changes.... Well, Changes is Changes, you'll find out what that means when you get there.
I've been told it only goes up from here. About 40% through Dead Beat right now and having a great time, as usual.
I really like this book but oh man the third act is weak, Lord Wraith is a poor villain, Mavre is more interesting and has serious presence. Lord Wraith just sits in his man cave while Mavre actively seeks Dresden out. Everything with Thomas is great, Kincaid is fun and Ebeneza has that big reveal that adds to the world. But the final part of the book soured me and jeez it treats Murphy so poorly sometimes.
This is my favorite beginning to the books but this is my least favorite book in the series.
It had great moments but the case was pretty meh.