Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2) by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)
Book Review: Seriously chilling wolf action and Harry in trouble...again!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first was exposed to THE DRESDEN FILES via the tv show (which I don't like), and then picked up the first novel (which I loved), and decided to ditch the show and stay with the books.
Number two in the series affirms I made a good decision. FOOL MOON took me a while to get into. I just don't go for werewolf stories. I've read a couple of wolfish novels and they didn't work for me. But I plugged along and soon enough the Harry magic took over.
In this installment, Harry basically makes enemies of just about everyone (except hot reporter Susan). Murphy wants him behind bars, an assortment of wolfen characters--from all the branches of werewolfdom--are out to get him, and even a demon summoned for aid ends up showing a nastier side than Harry expects. One thing Butcher is a master of is getting Harry into the worst scrapes imaginable, so that we, the readers, think, "Oh, no, he's doomed!" even when we know he CAN'T BE DOOMED, cause, hey, he's the protagonist. And yet, there it is. Harry...rock..hard place...and a really creepy loup garou baring its fangs. Add the reappearance of Gentleman Johnny Marcone up to his usual no-good, and Harry is having a very, very , very bad series of days.
But it's such fun to see how he'll survive.
This book has some incredibly exciting moments. The rampage in the police station is harrowing. REally, really harrowing. The demon summoning is informative and, in Butcher's usual fashion, mixes the dark with the humorous. And the climactic battle brings everyone in for the big and bloody fight, and it shows us a side of Harry we haven't seen yet, and one that was exciting and scary to behold.
The ending portends even greater trouble ahead for our dear, battered, bruised, lacerated, depleted, but still up for a Susan-snog Harry. Woohoo. I can't wait.
So, okay, there's at least one werewolf novel that I truly enjoyed. Color me surprised.
Can't wait to get into Dresden #3. This series is addictive. (Unlike the tv show, which just doesn't grab me, though I've tried, really tried, to get into it.)
Mir
Book Review: More Fun with Harry
Summary: 5 Stars
As a second book in a series, Fool Moon does not disappoint. Much simplified, the plot involves Harry Dresden attempting to figure out what werewolf-type entity is killing people around Chicago. And there seems to be a very large pool of suspects. (Who would think you could have that many werewolves in one area and not notice? Of course, I suppose you could ask the same question regarding the vampire population...) Following the tone of the first book, Dresden gets beat up more than once. (A couple times... A few times... Okay, maybe more than a few times. >_>) As always, he soldiers on when he really should give up and go to the emergency room. If you're timid about violence, perhaps this is not the right series for you. He even ends up behind bars at one point, having completely lost the trust of the Chicago PD. (Way to go, Harry.) In the end, things get confusing, things resolve, and all is right in Chicago... at least for a little while.
I particularly enjoyed the unique werewolf lore Jim Butcher invented for the series. (More than one way to make a werewolf, apparently. And none of them involve biting people.) Also, several new characters are introduced who will play key roles in later Dresden Files books. I am actually quite fond of a couple of them. This book isn't one of my absolute Dresden Files favorites, but all the books in the series rank highly on my "amusing reading" list. If you enjoy the mysteriously narrated, the sarcastically humorous, and the occasionally painful, just keep reading.
Just in case this needs to be said, you should definitely read the first book in the Dresden Files series, Storm Front, before reading this one. It isn't that the book can't stand alone, but everything just makes more sense when you read a series in order. ;)Book Review: No "sophomore slump" for this series
Summary: 5 Stars
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only openly practicing wizard, is called on once again to consult on a case for Special Investigations. It seems simple enough at first. A dead body. Bloody paw prints. A full moon. You do the math. But nothing is as simple as it seems in Harry's world, and the killer might not be who, or what, you think.Karrin Murphy, head of Chicago PD's Special Investigations Unit, has seen enough to realize that monsters and magic are very real, and that Harry knows more about it than anyone she knows. She's just not sure she can trust him, especially with Internal Affairs breathing down her neck about using the services of a "charlatan" who many think has mob connections.
This novel has a "noir" feel to it, with a healthy dose of Harry Dresden's patented sarcasm and dark humor. Such as this line from a villain: "Dresden. I should kill you right now." Which is followed by Harry's response: "Try it," I said, and thumbed back the hammer of the gun. "But after the loud noise, remember to keep going down the tunnel and toward the light."
We get more tidbits about Harry's past including hints of the events surrounding what happened that led to the Doom of Damocles (basically a wizard form of probation) being placed upon him, though the whole story is still unclear. Some of the information revealed even Harry himself didn't know, and hopefully will be followed up in future books.
Though I don't think it's required to read Storm Front to understand the story of Fool Moon, I highly recommend reading them in order. Actually, I just recommend reading them as soon as possible, and I look forward to seeing what chaos Harry Dresden finds himself in next.
Book Review: Supernatural Fiction at its' best
Summary: 5 Stars
The claw marks, footprint, and carnage look as if a werewolf is on the loose even though most Second City residents scoff at the notion of a shiftchanger. After working with wizard Harry Dresden on a previous case, Special Investigative Officer Karrin Murphy accepts that the supernatural is real. She believes a werewolf committed the killings. She turns to Harry as America's only wizard to come out of the closet to help her on the Chicago werewolf killings.However, Internal Affairs and the local FBI want Murphy and Dresden kept out of the investigation. The honorable Harry would love to walk away and allow the humans to make a mess of things, but in good conscience knows an "I told you so," means nothing. Harry and Karrin track the werewolf to environmentalist Harley MacFinn, but just because he is one doesn't necessarily mean he is the killer. Perhaps his shapechanging girlfriend or a teen group receiving special tutoring on the finer points of lycanthropy 101 is the culprits. As a dark side of a bruised Harry surfaces, he struggles to survive a war not of his making.
Harry Dresden is a unique character in the urban fantasy sub-genre. Harry is a maverick whose mouth seems to get him in as much trouble as his actions. He is a smart know-it-all, but cannot stop himself from saving humanity in spite of mankind's ridicule. FOOL MOON is a fast-paced fascinating noir thriller that keeps readers interest so that the new fan will seek out the previous novel, STORM FRONT and the old reader will re-peruse their copy.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Jim Butcher has a winner with Fool Moon
Summary: 5 Stars
The highest compliment I can give a book is its characters become real to me. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden now lives with my other literary friends who have reached this status. Harry Dresden is an often misunderstood wizard. His heart is in the right place but people tend to misjudge him. Take Karrin Murphy, Director of Special Investigations for the Chicago Police Department. When a case comes across her desk that is supernatural in origin, Harry is her man. Unfortunately, she doesn't trust Harry because sometimes he isn't forthcoming with all the information she needs to solve the crime. She doesn't know Harry has to answer to the White Council, a "policeman" for those with supernatural ability and it's against the rules to let common mortals know about them. It doesn't help that most people don't believe in the supernatural and think Harry is a scam artist or worse. When corpses begin turning up with shredded and chewed up body parts, she has no choice but to turn to Harry again. It doesn't take Harry long to figure out a werewolf is killing people. Harry really wants to help out and stop the killings but roadblocks hamper his investigation at every turn. Throw in mobsters, being arrested, beat up, chased, confrontations with hungry werewolves, mad FBI agents,and nearly getting killed several times, and you have a glimpse of what Harry's life has turned into. All in all, a very good read and I recommend it very highly.