Review: Side Jobs by Jim Butcher

Book Details:
Hardback
432 pages
ISBN 9780451463654
26 Oct 2010
Roc
18 - AND UP

Description:

As Chicago's only professional wizard, Harry Dresden has had cases that have pitted him against insane necromancers, power-hungry faerie queens, enigmatic dark wizards, fallen angels—pretty much a "who's who" of hell and beyond—with the stakes in each case ranging from a lone human soul to the entire human race.

But not every adventure Harry Dresden undertakes is an epic tale of life and death in a world on the edge of annihilation.

Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher—a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre ofa llies managed to close in record time. With tales ranging from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious—including an all-new never-before-published story—this is a must-have collection for every devoted Harry Dresden fan.

First Impression:
Each story in this book is preceded by a few words from Jim Butcher, explaining how the story came to be and his thoughts on the story in question. It also lists where it was originally published and where each story would fit in the overall timeline of Harry Dresden (ie. between which books). This is a great feature.

Lasting Impression?:
Harry Dresden just might be my new literary crush! At 6 1/2 feet tall with a sense of humour and self-admitted fallible nature, he seems almost perfect...apart from the fact that he's not real and seems to like much, much older women (centuries old).

Overall:

I knew I wanted to read Jim Butcher's series about a wizard detective but hadn't had the opportunity until now. I have to say, I truly enjoyed delving into the world of Harry Dresden. He is a tough man (you'd have to be to battle with trolls, vampires and other scary paranormal creatures) with a sensitive side. He has no problem laughing at himself, which in turn, makes the reader laugh too.

The world that Jim Butcher has created is very cool. With small details, like Harry's powers creating problems with electricity, make his existence almost plausible. The fact that he uses a Mickey Mouse alarm clock just adds to his adorable factor. Plus, why his brother needs to pretend to be a gay hairdresser is something I will need to find out more about (hopefully that information is out there). I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, which was nice. Each story featured a tidbit about Harry's wizard powers, how things work and why, which made for smooth reading

All in all, I really enjoyed this collection of stories; they gave me enough of a glimpse into the Dresden Files to want me to read more of them...ok ALL of them! If you like paranormal with a hint of humour, you'll like this book too.