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Changes
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Changes
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Changes
Audiobook15 hours

Changes

Written by Jim Butcher

Narrated by James Marsters

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

"A can't-miss entry in one of the best urban-fantasy series currently being published."-Booklist (starred review)
 
Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry's Dresden's lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her caught between humanity and the relentless bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. She disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it. Now, she needs Harry's help more than ever.
 
For the vengeful Duchess of the Red Court has discovered a secret Susan has long kept from everyone-including Harry-and she plans to use it. To prevail, Harry may have to unleash the full fury of his untapped power-and he may have no choice but to embrace the darkness within himself.
 
Because this time, he's fighting to save his child.


From the Paperback edition.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 15, 2010
ISBN9781101154861
Unavailable
Changes
Author

Jim Butcher

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. 

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Reviews for Changes

Rating: 4.402461790276923 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

1,625 ratings110 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I remember the author saying he wanted this series to continue through 24 books. Halfway through, this book is in the relationship-shifting, romantic, darkness of The Empire Strikes Back. The character cast can never be the same after this book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    HARRY DRESDEN, WIZARD is the entry in the phone book should you need to contact him. He’s great at finding things or people should the need arise and you’re lucky enough to have an article that will link to the person. In this case, Harry has to find his daughter. A daughter that he never knew existed until his former lover, Susan Rodriguez, calls and tells him she’s been taken by the Red Court. What is the Red Court? Vampires, what else! It appears that Duchess Ariana Ortega is determined to settle the score she holds against him for killing her husband several years back.

    Harry doesn’t know what to believe when he’s first informed with the news. Eventually he decides that even if this is not his daughter there is a little girl out there who needs his help. He begins to channel through his contacts in order to gain the help he will need to rescue the girl from the Red Court. It ain’t gonna be easy! Harry knows he’s gone up against many competitors that were far stronger than he is and he’s been lucky. To pull this off he will have to pull out all the stops and try and bring down the entire vampire court. He’s gonna need lots and lots of back up. His only dread is that his back up consists of those he loves and wants to protect most in the world. So far, Harry has never compromised his integrity to win a fight. Now he must make the hardest decisions of his life if he wants to save the girl. Alliances are formed that he would rather not have had to make, but is it worth it?

    Jim Butches is an exceptional writer. I love his Dresden Files series and am always scrambling on release date to pick up the latest copy. Lucky for me there are now digital ebooks and I can simply purchase, hit download, and jump into Harry’s world of mayhem and menace. I think this might be the best Harry book yet and it is the first time Jim has ever left us flittering on a cliffhanger. I didn’t know if I should be shocked or appalled. In the end, I decided that shocked was the way to go and I’m very saddened that I have to wait at least another year for the next installment. Woe is me; however, even through all of the woes I am anxiously awaiting what happens next.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]Wow! What a great installment of the series!Jim Butcher really ups the ante with this book. Instead of letting the series stagnate at any particular status quo, Butcher drives up the stakes to an all-time high for Harry and introduces major shifts in the story that will have ripples on every single sequel to come. This book isn’t called “Changes” for nothing — it’s a MAJOR turning point in the series that reshuffles nearly every aspect of Harry’s life in order to prepare for the descent into the much darker and far-reaching plot points that follow in subsequent books.This book is really what the series so far has been leading up to in its entirety. The Red Court issues from Grave Peril finally come full circle. Mab’s continual involvement in Harry’s life finally reaches a point of no return. Harry’s familial backstory is finally explored to a much higher degree than it has been in books past, giving the reader a better understanding of the family-related issues and events that led to Harry’s life becoming what it has been so far.This installment takes characters from every single other book and brings them together to form a complex plot, where Harry’s previous escapades determine who he can turn when for help, who gives it, who doesn’t, and who ultimately impacts the book’s finale. Butcher doesn’t leave anyone (or anything) out, tying together Harry’s various relationships to create the most precarious situation the wizard has ever encountered. And one that will have permanent effects on his life for the rest of the series.Some people have criticized Butcher for turning away from the idea of “wizard PI” as the series has progressed, especially with this book, which diverges so far from that original premise that the series can never return there. But, personally, I wouldn’t fault Butcher that — because, from the very beginning of Storm Front, Butcher has been slowly but surely building an overarching plot that has always been greater than simply “wizard PI.” And I’ve been invested in that promise of something greater for the entire series; for me, Changes is where that promise finally begins to develop. From this point on, the Dresden Files is a whole different monster. And I look forward to getting to know that monster in the subsequent books.So, in my opinion, Changes is awesome. An excellent installment of the series that keeps things fresh and new while bringing together ideas from Butcher’s complex, multi-book world-building in a way that creates a story environment similar to but different enough from any we’ve seen so far that the book is propelled to a whole other level while still retaining the core aspects that make it a novel of the Dresden Files.Great book, all around!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Further developments in the Dresden File with the conspiracies growing deeper and Dresden getting into further compromising positions. Still a real struggle with the presentation of masculinity in these books but they are primarily brain-candy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Figured I should bump this off my currently reading list (a placeholder for where I was in the series), but then got hooked in finishing and essentially read it in 1.5 days.

    It's hard to describe what I liked without spoilers, so the tl;dr is Harry family plots, taking out an entire faction for the future, and a cliffhanger that I'm sure will be resolved as quickly as Arya's blindness in the next book.

    Probably. Maybe?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Interesting story a little wordy at times, yet at other times hard to put down. MAkes you want to know what happened next, after the book ends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wow! What a doozy of a book. I've been thinking for a few books now that I can't imagine what else could happen to Harry, and how in the heck does he keep getting out of such crazy circumstances. The title of this book is particularly apt - Harry loses his office and his home. He meets up with and then ultimately sacrifices his love, Susan. He discovers he has a child, but his life means that he is going to lose her as well. This is definitely a turning point in the series. Can't wait to see what happens next. In this novel he takes on the Red Court and travels to Mexico.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of the impressive things about this series is I can pick up at book 12, after not reading the other books in years, and mostly remember who is who among the vast cast of characters. Jim Butcher has a knack for writing fast-paced and witty plot lines with constant twists and turns; those stakes are greatly escalated here. There is a major cliffhanger at the end, but it's one I've been aware of for many years. Even though I anticipated it, I was still surprised by how it played out.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    CLIFFHANGER! Aargh.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Shark = jumped.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In this volume of The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher tries to shake things up a bit. On the first page, Harry Dresden finds out he's a father. Of course, the surprise is not as simple as that. He also finds out that his child is six years old and has been kidnapped. This makes the situation more dire than Harry's past adventures. It makes him push harder, suffer more, and cross some lines to try and rescue the kid. In the process, secrets are revealed and some of the familiar elements elements of the series are changed forever. Well, maybe not forever, this being in a fantasy series. But I digress. All in all, it wasn't my favorite Dresden novel, but it did disrupt the status quo and got me wondering what Mr. Butcher is going to do in the next installment.--J.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Oh. Dayum.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wow, this book really helped tie together so much of the series. And if I'm being honest, it's one of the best ones in a while. Dresden finds out that he had a daughter with Susan and that she's been kidnapped by the red court who want to murder her to complete a blood sacrifice. So once again, stupid Susan is on my list. UGH. Obviously shit hits the fan and it takes a whole crew to help Harry out because he is in waaay too deep. It's a non-stop action ride with everyone's favorite wizard kicking ass and cracking jokes. I can't wait to read the next in the series because this one totally ended on a cliffhanger. Amazeballs!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The best book in the series thus far.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first novel by Jim Butcher that I've read, but I have to say I really enjoyed it. This is the 12th book in the series so I jumped right in the middle of it, but I never felt like I had to put it down and start at the beginning. This is fast paced, well written and entertaining. I reminded my in style of Kevin Hearn's Iron Druid series, with the similar setting of an almost modern day world mixed with magic and fantasy creatures. There's lots of action, heroism, sacrifice and a bit (not too much) of romance. A fun read and I'd read more of this series any time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very exciting book. Harry must rescue his kidnapped daughter.Some favorite quotes:Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others-even when there's not going to be anyone telling you what a hero you are.One which is scarier evil or stupid - "Stupid, Hoss. Every time. Only so many blackhearted villains in the world, and they only get uppity on occasion. Stupid's everywhere, every day."
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I've read a bunch of these now, and they're pretty reliably entertaining. They all follow a similar formula, but that's part of what you expect (and want) from series like this. A good thing to throw in among more serious reading if you need something plot-driven and undemanding.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Several times in previous books, Harry has threatened that if an enemy touches someone he loves, he will pick up every weapon he can use to go after them, no matter the cost. In this book, he proves it.

    His old lover, Susan Rodriguez, suddenly drops in and tells him that the daughter he never knew existed has been kidnapped. Characteristically, Harry is savage and single-minded in his urge to protect and save her: she is a child, a girl, and, most of all, his own kin. Changes is the darkest, most intense book yet. The title is not merely ironic; practically everything in Harry's life is altered as he takes up weapon after weapon, uses person after person, to save his daughter. The book is bittersweet and heartbreaking at times, horrifying at others, and intense throughout. The book not only changes Harry and his life, but also how we view him as a character.

    I was a little skeptical when I started the novel--probably just like everyone else, it got David Bowie running through my head...and given this book's more serious tone and often frenetic pace, "cha-cha-cha-chaanges" doesn't really work as background music. However, although not a good book to start the series with, Changes is a fantastic read for anyone familiar with Dresden's world. Basically every character, major and relatively minor, makes at least a cameo appearance in the book, and a lot of offhand comments from previous books take on a whole new significance in Changes. There are tons of explosions and standoffs, a fun new monster of the week that Dresden names "the Ick", and several hilarious, touching, and heartbreaking moments. There are even a few puns that actually made me giggle--for instance, at one point, Dresden literally "treads the primrose path"...and given it's Dresden, the "everlasting bonfire" isn't far behind.

    For me, Dresden's savagery makes this a difficult and not particularly fun read, but it is probably necessary for the series as a whole. One slight nitpick is that the Black Council subplot is not directly advanced and some of the plot threads thrown out at the end of Turn Coat aren't picked up. In Turn Coat, Murphy was left with a phone and a set of numbers; this isn't even referenced here.

    This isn't a book I exactly enjoyed reading, but I also couldn't put it down, and that speaks volumes for how good the series is. I really, really don't like it when Dresden turns cold and savage, killing without remorse or thought. Typically when that happens, I just disassociate from the character and end up putting the book down as dull. I couldn't put Changes down, despite my revulsion, because Dresden's savagery is mixed so well with his humanity that I could not disassociate with him.

    My major issue is that everyone in his world seems to take Dresden's actions as the right course. I would argue that there is no good or just course here and every path leads to necessary evil. Dresden risks everything to save his child...how are those actions not inherently selfish? They may be human, but makes a decision about which innocents will live and which will die, and he makes it biased on his own personal desires. He is willing to sacrifice countless others for his child to live.
    The argument is explicit in one scene in the book:

    Merlin: "Uncounted billions, born and unborn, will be saved....no one life, innocent or not, is worth that."

    Dresden: "No life is worth less."


    I'm not sure what we, the readers, are supposed to think. Are Dresden's action supposed to be noble? At one point, he tells Murphy that he doesn't care if the world burns; he and his child will roast marshmallows, and she responds that he is a good man. At another, he explicitly states that he will be willing to murder millions of people to gain the power he needs to rescue his child. Maybe I might be able to buy some definition of shortsighted nobility if the child were not his, but as it is, I feel Dresden is placed in a position where no good choices are available. Choosing to protect his family over countless other lives is not a noble action, it is a human one. He is willing to directly cause the destruction of others to save one he cares about. He weighs the life of his child to be greater than that of the uncounted billions. This moral struggle, for me, is a powerful, meaningful, and unresolvable conflict in the book, and I hope the author doesn't just cop out by arguing that Dresden's decisions are the right ones.

    hover for spoiler
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is well-titled. Lots of changes. Lots. It may be the twelfth or so in the series, but somehow Butcher manages to not ever get stuck in a rut. He doesn't do anything that seems to be done already. There are new problems, although this time not necessarily new enemies. The long-term arc that runs through the series comes more into play this time, with more questions answered, more secrets revealed, and yet, we still get some bombshells. There are a few things in this one I just did not see coming. In fact, neither did Harry! I mean, wow. No spoilers. Just, wow.Some changes I suspected, some were long overdue. But there was a hint for something else quite unexpected that, if it does happen at some point, I would NOT be happy to see. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!I had thought, optimistically, most of the changes for this story would be for the better. That perhaps one of the changes might be between Murphy and Harry. Instead, everything else about Harry's life changed. He lost everything: First a daughter he never knew he had, then his office building, his car, which had his staff, so that's gone too, And then his house. Not to mention any remnants of what was between him and Susan. His losses continued when he became paralyzed from the waist down. I was worried for a time that he might lose the bag that was hidden in the Nevernever -- which included Bob. I would never forgive Butcher for that!But no, it got worse, far worse. The losses kept piling up for Harry and culminated when he gave up his freedom. He went over to the dark side when he pledged himself to Mab -- I mean, the Winter Knight! She's going to own him. I'm thinking that's going to leave a mark.I wish I could say I'll wait to see how Harry's going to get out of his promise, but one thing Jim Butcher does well -- that's good for his readers but bad for the characters -- is he doesn't just return things to the status quo at the end of each book. The characters live with the consequences of what they've done. Which is going to suck monkey balls for Harry if he really has to be Mab's Winter Knight. I'm betting he will too. Butcher doesn't let his characters off easy. Harry was willing to pay the price of selling his soul knowing full well what he was doing. He committed murder (twice), although he did it for Maggie. He decided he'd give up himself, his principles, his freedom, for her. He was told twice, by Bob and Ebenezar, that this challenge would show him who he was, what his principles were, and what lines he would cross. He certainly found out and crossed those lines. Turns out, there wasn't much he wouldn't do. I held on to hope to the end for a change between Harry and Murphy. It was clear she would lose her job. I figured that would be what pushed her to take up the sword. But she's still resisting that one. And of course, I want her with Harry. If Butcher puts Harry with Molly that will be a great disappointment -- a first in this whole series. It will be the first out of character move the author has made. It would be all wrong for Harry and for the story arc.What we did get was a tease of potential between Murphy and Harry, then Harry loses the only thing he has left. He's SHOT and KILLED. Maybe this way he'll get out having to be the Winter Knight?It's telling also that even when I was nearly at the end, I couldn't say whether Harry and company would succeed in saving his daughter or not. In fact, I was rather terrified that he wouldn't. I didn't think he'd handle it too well. He already had so much rage. He had already stepped a bit over the line of sanity. He gave up so much, made deals with the devil -- then to fail -- it would have been too much.And I don't think he's getting Murphy ever -- that's my latest prediction. I think they're a couple who will never be, and that's sad. Harry will be the Winter Knight now. He won't be able to be with her. He even told her about his will. He'd never been so sure he wouldn't make it -- or at least, as he said, he won't be around after. I felt real grief for Harry during this story. Yes, for a fictional character. Thank you, Jim Butcher.Some good lines:Merlin: Uncounted billions now living and yet to be born will be saved if we stop the Red Court from feeding on humanity ever again. No one life, innocent or not, is worth more than that.Dresden: You've got it backward, you know. No life is worth more than that? No, Merlin. No life is worth less.Butcher knows how to use dialogue to express the essential nature of a character.Sanya to Harry: If you turn into a hideous monster and I am sent to slay you, I will remember this and make it as painless as I can, out of respect for you.Always good to know.I enjoyed their Lord of the Rings discussion , but it was sobering when Harry remembered Gollum's role. His mindset was clear from his next line: And right now, I didn't give a damn about good and bad. I just wanted a little girl home safe. END SPOILERSAgain, I must thank Jim Butcher. Thank you -- with a large dose of hate you, hate you, hate you! thrown in. Thank you for creating characters so full and real I've come to care about them and their fates. I grieve for them and with them. It's what every writer aims for, and I am telling you, you've exceeded your goals. Superb, even though this last story has me out of my mind.But I DON'T thank you for that ending. Are you out of your mind!!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love the series, but I think this is one of my favorites. Bob is back, and Dresden's godmother, so as dark as it is, there is some good humor here. I feel Butcher made a lot more pop culture references, Star Wars in particular. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it just gave the book a different feel since I don't recall Harry mentioning things like that so often in past books. Cannot wait to read #13!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. I need to start taking the titles of each book a lot more seriously. Very intense "Changes". Be prepared people..
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was the best Dresden novel yet. Butcher's writing is getting better and better and the story just took a very interesting turn.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I like Harry Dresden. The books are fun. Mainly due to the narrative voice of Harry Dresden himself. I have tried other books in the "urban fantasy" genre and none of them can make the setting work. Jim Butcher throws every bot of mythical beast and monster you have ever head of into the mix and somehow manages to create a credible and enjoyable read held together by Harry's monologue and the characters' dialogue.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    All Harry Dresden's novels are pretty even in terms of quality. Sometimes I find some of them slightly more entertaining, and some - including this one - a little less. I thought it was a bit slow until the final battle, which was all action.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm so invested in this character, these characters. I nearly cried a few times at some of the events in the story, and the revelations were stunning but so obvious, thereafter. Can't hardly wait for the next chapter in Harry Dresden's... well, that's a spoiler...
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love this book so much I'm afraid that I'm going to have trouble writing a reasonable review of it. Part of it may just be that it has to do with fathers and daughters, which is a big thing with me. But I love that in the Dresden Files there are real prices to pay, and how even though there is always hope, Harry suffers real damage along the way. He does have a habit of gaining the powers he needs, but the costs are substantial. And I love that when they are heading off to a real possibility of death, Harry's friends are arguing about which of them would be which member of the fellowship of the ring- and especially whom they cast Harry as. (Hint- it's not Gandalf.)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A worthy conclusion to a lot of "loose ends" from earlier. I think this was the book I had been waiting for during the last two. I enjoyed the conclusive nature of a lot of factors... and then the end... luckily because I am reading these in sequence I have the next book to go onto immediately
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Susan Rodriguez shows up at Harry's door to beg his help with getting her daughter back from the Red Court who plan to sacrifice the girl in a ritual. The clincher? The Red Court is actually getting at Harry's bloodline, because the girl is none other than Harry's daughter. This is a brilliant installment in a series which never disappoints when it comes to characters (both friends and foes), plots, or stakes. The title is particularly apt as Harry's whole life is changed when Susan reveals her secret and, in order to be powerful enough to rescue the girl, Harry goes along with Queen Mab's request to make him her Knight. There's a major game-changer at the end of this book as well, so make sure to have the next one in the series ready to go once you finish this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    his is the pivotal novel in this series that I've been waiting for. Harry basically loses everything in this book, but in the process saves one family member at the expense of another. Gut-wrenching...I can't even imagine where this series goes from here. These books would make great movies.....instead of cheap, crappy sci-fi miniseries.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Every one of these Dresden books is the same. They all blur together. I have no way to tell them apart. I've read about 6 of these books, and they really are pretty good. But, they are all in the average category. None of them stand out as really that awesome.

    After reading this particular book, I was like, why the fuck did I read this? Oh, yea. Fucking airplane. Okay, it kept me from wanting to kill the guy sitting next to me. Other than that? Meh.