Silberlinge: Die dunklen Fälle des Harry Dresden 5

[Cross-posted to Knite Writes]I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Butcher has been using the last few books to build a world where multi-mythos entities are destined to collide in an epic battle for the fate of the world. First, we got vampires. Then faeries. Now fallen angels. And not for one second does Butcher let you believe a single one of them won’t be showing up again in the future. As with Summer Knight, Butcher allows the events of the previous books to continue interfering with Harry’s life even though the current installment’s focus is an entirely different subject. Harry now has enemies coming from several directions, all of whom have different motivations, goals, and tactics. Harry has to split his attention, his time, and his energy to fight multiple enemies at once — most of whom aren’t even remotely related to each other.And that’s what making each subsequent installment so much more exciting. In Storm Front and Fool Moon, Harry only really had to worry about one major force at work. Those simple days are long gone. Butcher has added numerous dimensions to his world and consistently tied them together via his protagonist, and at this point, the potential for any number of great overarching plot lines has grown exponentially. You cannot entirely predict what will happen in any single future book or overall in the series, even if you catch the foreshadowing here and there. There is simply too much to decode, too much to predict. And really, that’s what making me like this series more and more as time goes on.I’ve spent several years bemoaning the fact that a lot of books I’ve been reading are unacceptably predictable. The Dresden Files is not. Butcher has created a world that he can pull so many different ideas from that it is quite frankly impossible to entirely predict anything that will happen in the series. It’s always, to several degrees, a mystery.Throw in his excellent characterization skills — his villains are particularly well done in this book — and omnipresent drama-balancing humor, and you’ve got a great series that gets stronger as time goes on. Which is a high step above many series, where the sequels fall flat and fizzle out.Anyway, Death Masks was great. That is all.

Another brilliant read from Jim Butcher. Although you know that Harry will survive everybody else is fair game and I spend the whole book thinking no you can't kill him or her either.

The Shroud of Turin is missing and Harry must recover it before a group of fallen angels, called Denarians, find it. He is aided by the Knights of the Cross, led by his close friend Michael. Not only that, but Harry is challenged by a high ranking Red Court vampire to a duel. Susan temporarily returns to Dresden's life, and we get to see a small glimpse of Marcone's deepy buried past. A solid book from start to finish.

I think at this point I've met the major groups for the rest of the DF if I read a forum post correctly (White Council, vamps, faerie, and now Denarians...) This one was okay- interesting, but for whatever reason didn't grab me as much as Summer Knight. Looking at the other reviews, seems I'm in the minority (maybe if I listened to the audio book instead?). Still a decent story though, and one that kept me up late finishing it.

Am I the only one who wishes Dresden would realize how awesome he is and people around him would stop keeping him in the dark and keeping him down. I'm looking at you white council. Oh Susan you're breaking my heart!
Also boo about the coin

I can’t rememeber how I stumbled upon this series of books, but I’ve been listening to them on audio throughout the last year and have been enjoying them. They remind me of Buffy the Vanpire Slayer (read: 90s tv) but with a wizard fighting off bad guys and bad magic instead of a girl fighting off vampires. The books are read by James Marsters and that alone makes it worth the listen (and maybe explains the Buffy vibes).

This series just keeps getting better and better. Harry Dresden, professional wizard, is hired to locate the stolen Shroud of Turin. At the same time a vampire approaches him with a proposal to end the war between the White and Red Courts- a duel to the death. Things go from bad to worse when it turns out that not only Harry and the human buyer want the Shroud from the thieves; a gang of the nastiest demons are after it as well. Michael and the other knights would prefer it if he could leave the business to them. Complicating matters further Susan, Harry's ex and a partially-turned vampire, is back in town.The Dresden Files are a fine example of a series which manages to include both absolute good and evil and a realistic amount of moral ambiguity in between them.

Jim Butcher once again has wrote an excellent addition to the Dresden Files. In Death Masks, Dresden is hired by Father Vincent to find the stolen Shroud, the cloth that is thought to be the one that was wrapped around Jesus's body when he was laid to rest in the tomb and raised from the grave three days later, leaving the Shroud behind. As usual, not all is what it seems to be, and just as all of the previous books in the series, I did not see the ending happening the way it did. A good book, I definitely recommend it.

I don't know what it is about the Dresden files books but I really enjoy them despite not really liking the main character and some real clangers in Butcher's writing.

I really liked the plot of this book in The Dresden Files series. The new characters that were introduced in this installment were quite intriguing and I cannot wait to see what happens when Harry must face them once again. I also really liked the interaction between Susan and Harry but to be honest, I wish they were still an item. We shall see what happens in the rest of the series!

Another fun romp through the streets of Chicago. Harry is a bit less masochistic & the action was great. Such an interesting world that Butcher has come up with. On to the next.

I wasn't sold on the direction the love thread was taking, but after listening to this installment, I'm ALL IN. Same goes for the Knights; their holier-than-thou attitude would have tested my patience eventually, however in DEATH MASKS they demonstrate that they aren't 100% black or white either. The Archive was some freaky deaky sh*t which leads me to believe that Butcher has only dipped his big toe in this universe's scope. The punches kept on coming in book 5, and with so many secondary plots intertwining, the story left me reeling in the best kind of way. I don't know if I'll be able to focus on anything else until BLOOD RITES is on my iPhone, locked & loaded. Goodbye weekend! ~ 4.5 stars

The Shroud of Turin has been stolen, and Harry teams up with three paladins to try to keep it out of the hands of one of the most dangerous among the Fallen-- and scheduling in a duel with a representative of the vampiric Red Court.

As usual, loved this book. I love Harry period !!

Harry's doing better for himself, and has got over his self-loathing. Which is lucky because some seriously bad-ass demons are on his case now, trying to use the Turin Shroud for major evil. On the plus side Susan comes back, still 'infected'. On the bad guys side, the Red Court are really quite pissed off with him. Fortunately more than one Knight of God carrying a magic sword is there to save Harry's arse again. Not my favourite in the series, the writing is better than the early books, but this plot doesn't quite hang together. It is even less complicated than the last book - no doubts as to who is on whose side. There are supposed to be several really seriously major bad demons, and they still can't manage to kill Harry. The sense of escalation of enemies book to book is getting faintly ridiculous. For the purists there is also a well written but kinky sex scene.After re-read:I think I prefered the less complicated plot this time around, and the writing is certainly less annoying than the early books. The inept enemies are still a major cause of annoyance though. Overal light hearted - some great one liners from Harry, fast and enjoyable. It leaves a few questions open regarding Harry's moral status.

Harry is challenged to duel a vampire lord, purportedly to end the war, but things get complicated when the Shroud of Turin is stolen and every baddie in the world wants to get their hands/paws on it. Another action-packed and funny installment in the series. Harry is still sarcastic and manages to stumble into more trouble than usual. Luckily, Michael Carpenter and the other knights are there to help out and even Chicago mob boss, Marcone, gets a chance to lend a hand (and a helicopter). Good installment in a solid series.

Harry Dresden's pockets are emptier than usual--to the point where he agrees to go on The Larry Fowler Show for a bit of cash. As it turns out, however, all three of the other guests on the show are there to see him: his old acquaintance to update him on the disappearance of his girlfriend, Susan, a priest from the Vatican to hire him to find a precious stolen artefact,...and a warlord of the Red Court of vampires has come to kill him.

Dresden's life is about to turn upside down again. Duke Ortega of the Red Court forces him to agree to a duel by threatening the lives of his friends. Lt. Karrin Murphy, Harry's friend on the police force, has a corpse on her hands that has apparently died of every plague in existence. The Denarians, a bunch of baddies with fallen angels whispering in their ears, are in town and want to add Harry to their gang. Harry's part-vampire ex-girlfriend is back--and with a man, the monotonous Martin, in tow. And if that is not enough, the artefact his client has hired Harry to find is the Shroud of Turin.

I have mixed feelings about Death Masks--not as in lukewarm feelings, but as in intense enjoyment and intense dislike of various portions of the book. My partitioned feelings match the book itself pretty well. The two separate plot threads, the vampire duel and the Denarian-shroud-debacle, intersect but remain distinct. Both parts swing into quite a bit of James Bond spoofing--Dresden even wears a tux at one point, although he spends time wolfing down snacks rather than drinking, he does end up both shaken and stirred. I really like Ortega as a baddie. He's complex--he wants to protect his people, and is willing to put his life on the line to do it. Machiavellian at heart, he believes that the ends justify any means, and his motivations are complex enough that I still don't completely understand them. The Denarians, on the other hand, are straightforward evil-for-the-giggles types. I find those characters to be superficial and irritating. I also don't find them to be particularly scary--evil girls with steel knives instead of hair, bears with horns and four eyes, and half-snake-half men just don't do it for me--they sound too much like something faked up with a bit of plasticine on the front page of the National Enquirer. Only Nicodemus, a smooth, affable (and, of course, British) gentleman whose shadow can jump out and grab you, struck me as even mildly frightening. The Denarians' motives seem forced to me. Who, in real life, does evil just for the fun of it? People have motives--power, etc--and twist them in their minds until they believe they are doing the right thing. However, even if the Denarians feel unrealistic, they provide extremely fun and altogether random interjections of gratuitous stock villain moments.

I like Susan better in this book than in her last appearance, Grave Peril, where she ditsily, selfishly, and stupidly wandered into a vampire fest and got bitten, leading to events that threw the whole world in chaos. Although she's not my favorite character, at least she's got guts and knowledge now, and is willing to assist Harry rather than just be an obnoxious whiner who complains about him missing their dates to save lives. I really, really don't like...um...a particularly explicit and rather (to me) disturbing BDSM scene that occurs in this book, but your mileage may vary. If you like romances and can tolerate Shades of Grey style scenes, you'll find this part fun. As with most of the Dresden Files books, there are some cringeworthy moments; in this case, although kudos to Mr. Butcher for having a Hispanic character, the descriptions of Susan always "exoticize" her by racial type. In addition, it turns out that in the Dresdenverse, South America is full of backwards people ruled by red court vampires.

I also enjoyed the reappearance of Michael Carpenter, with the addition of his compatriots, the other Knights of the Sword. The bunch, Michael, Shiro, and Sanya, are generally enjoyable characters and reassuringly straightforward, although a bit stereotyped (along with rather strong racial stereotypes, which grated on me) for my liking. A new character--the scarily intelligent child Archive--adds additional laughs. There's also a totally amoral blonde British cat-burglar who manages to twist Harry around her little finger, leading to completely hilarious scenes.

The writing style is workmanlike, although I do propose the following:
The Dresden Files Drinking Game!
Take a drink every time one of the following is used:
-"arched an eyebrow"
-"shambled"
-"basso"
-"confirmed"

Overall, the book has its fair share of totally awesome moments--cabbage patch homunculi, holdup via plastic duck, and more. Dresden continues to grow on me as a character and a narrator, and although I found myself wincing at times and agreeing with Marcone that he is "diplomatically challenged" and "should be in a shelter for the tactless," I found several of his quips genuinely funny, such as, "The next time I opened my eyes, I was in the morgue. This, all by itself, is enough to really ruin your day." The book also contains a few minor details that, in retrospect, I think were positively brilliant. hover for spoiler It might have what I thought were some rather uncomfortably icky scenes, and some of the characters were rather flat, but even if not the same quality as some of the other books, it's still a fun read.
Oh, one last repetition of my constant refrain: these books are better on audio. In this book, Marsters has really started to get into the swing of audiobook narration and has started to have a little fun with it. James Marsters is a brilliant narrator; he so captures the character that he is the voice of Harry for me even for the books that I read in print. So, as I say, these books are better on audio.

Harry has to duel a vampire, find the Shroud of Turin, deal with relationship issues, and that's just to start. Well rounded addition to the series, one of the best so far.

it was the weakest of these I have read so far. Some of the imagery is getting a bit tired. I think I need to take a break from these (had the same issue with the discworld novels).

As entertaining as previous Harry Dresden novels. I find that the books in these series are getting better. Not a masterpiece but fun to read.

Not necessarily my favorite in the series so far, but still a damn good read! The cast of characters introduced in this one are amazing, we get to meet Michael's fellow Knights, a bunch of the fallen, some nasty vampires from the red court, and Susan finally shows up again (reunited? or not, duh duh duh...)! When the shroud (the blanket that cloaked Jesus on his death) is stolen from Rome, Dresden is approached by a foreign priest to help get it back. When he signs on for the job he has no idea how much danger he has put himself in, demons from hell (way cooler description in the book than I can accurately summarize here) are intent on retrieving it first. As if that's not enough to worry about, Susan is back in town (with a man!), and Dresden has been challenged to a duel by a warlord in the red court. Soo many things going on and Dresden has to somehow keep it all straight and not get killed. Wickedly funny, sexy, and adventurous, it's another great installment in the series.

Ok. These are just fun. Nonstop action, a witty imperfect do-whatever-it-takes hero with integrity and a knight-in-shinning armor complex, all kinds of magic and nasty nasty monsters. What's not to like? The plot is involving enough so it doesn't matter if there are convenient escapes now and again because there is always another crazy situation around the corner. Butcher gives his characters unique voices and motivations so you can't help but like Harry, Susan, Bob, Murphy, Thomas even Marcone. I highly recommend this series if you're looking for an action-packed, often humorous thrill-ride.

Wow, this series keeps getting better and better. The fifth book of the Dresden files has intensity, character depth, passion, and intrigue. I read this one seemingly faster than the previous four. Will Harry and Nicodemus meet again soon? Can't wait to find out.

This fifth Dresden tale has our intrepid hero hot on the trail of the stolen Shroud of Turin. However, Harry being Harry there are a few bumps along the way in the form of a challenge from the leading Red Court warrior/vampire, the return of his half-vampire sometime girlfriend, and goons galore. That's not even taking into consideration all the other super-charged demons that are also intent on getting the Shroud.It has been quite a while since I read my last Dresden story so some of the details are a little hazy. Luckily this book does a good job of re-capping without seeming too redundant all the while moving forward with the well paced plot. There were a few different things going on in the book and I have to say I completely forgot about one plot thread (the duel) in the midst of the other so, I was surprised when it came up again in the middle of everything. It was nice to have the unexpected twists and turns. I was also happy with the appearance of White Court vampire, Thomas Raith, who I have a particular interest in after reading (completely out of order) the novelette, Backup, in which Thomas featured.I really do enjoy this urban fantasy series. It is a lot of fun, very exciting and Harry is a very catchy character with his mixture of humility, confidence, bad jokes and kick-butt supernatural powers. A very highly recommended set of books thus far.

This series just keeps getting better and better. In book five, the war between the Red Court vampires and the White Council wizards continues. Harry has to fight a duel and stave off the apocalypse. Susan's back, there are three Knights of the Cross to help Harry, and some truly bad-ass bad guys called the Denarians. This book rocked.

The series do get better and better, BUT please tell me that Harry will give in to the dark side at some point! A dark, spiraling, out-of-control Harry would be so much fun! As to the other characters, Susan has become so much more fun, a little backstory of Marcone's evilness was really called for, Ivy has got to be the cutest thing ever, and the bad guys get more evil with every passing day! Behold the excitement! And the subtle hints about Harry having a sibling makes me think whether all this will turn out Supernatual-style - two siblings hunting monsters. Awesome and light read, as always!

This was far from one of my favorite books. In fact, it was painful to slog through at points Part of me is ready to give up on this series. I am disliking Harry more and more each book I read. He's turned into a simpering, sniveling, whine-ass and irritates me greatly. It's going to be a while before I attempt the next book of the series, I hate to say.

This series has definitely gotten better with Death Masks. While I enjoyed the previous entries, this one is definitely my favorite. Looking forward to the rest of them.

There is a point in this novel when Harry is asked why he does what he does ... it's a good question for the character and a good one for the series. Why does Harry get involved in life or death situations with no apparent reward? This, more than the action, makes the series compelling for me.

This is were things start really getting interesting for Harry Dresden. Susan is back in town and wants to talk. Michael shows up trying to protect Harry and with not one more but the two other Knights of the Cross Shiro and Sanya. And the Vatican wants Harry to find the missing Shroud of Turin. All the while Harry has to deal with the Duel from Duke Palo Ortega of the Red Court. And deal with some fallen demons called the Order of the Blackened Denarius. There are 30 of them to co-inside with 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid. Their goal is to bring about destruction by tempting human's to join them. Nicodemus is the leader of this plot to use a spell that brings about every disease. He needs the Shroud to do it. Also John Marcone wants the Shroud of Turin and no one knows why!This is a more straight forward plot. There are a few twists and turns but not as many as Fool Moon or Summer Knight. Harry is really starting to work better as a team and rely on other people aside from himself. Butcher also really turns up the humor on this one. Even in the most serious battles Harry and company are making jokes. Marcone even has one or two 1-liners. By now the series is really starting to come together. Though the reader and Harry still don't see the over reaching arch yet. Soon though! Keep reading and enjoy this. Nicodemus is probably one of the best villains in the series. And he will be back.