Changes by Jim Butcher

Title:  Changes
Author:  Jim Butcher
Publisher:  Roc
Publication Date:  April 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 448 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  The Dresden Files (Book 12)

The Vampires of the Red Court have taken Harry Dresden's daughter.  How far will Harry go to get her back?

Changes is the perfect title for this book.  Harry's entire world changes when he learns that he has a daughter and she is now in the hands of some of his worst enemies.  He must determine which lines he will cross in order to get her back safely.  What is he willing to sacrifice to keep her alive?  Jim Butcher truly pushes Harry to his limits in this book -- emotionally, physically, and magically.

Dresden and his friends are in constant danger as someone (or something) tries to kill him with all manner of attacks.  Once again, we see who will stand with Dresden even in the face of certain death and who will abandon him to save their own skin.  Politically, Dresden is a step behind as usual but he generally figures it all out just in time.  Of course, what he figures out this time leads to some even larger questions and the choices he makes along the way have far reaching consequences.

I love the non-stop action in the Dresden books.  Although Dresden has a lot to think about and many choices to make, he rarely has the time for serious contemplation.  Dresden's humor is another of my favorite things about this series.  He rarely knows when to stop with the wise-cracks, even in the most serious of situations.  He faces death with sarcasm and quotes from Star Wars.

I think this book may be my favorite in the series so far because we learn so much about who Harry Dresden truly is and what he stands for.  Butcher ends Changes with a serious cliff-hanger and I cannot believe I have to wait until July 2011 for Ghost Story to come out!

Changes was purchased for my personal collection and no one anywhere had any expectations of a review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

Title: Turn Coat

Author: Jim Butcher

Publisher: Roc

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Format: Hardcover, 432 pages

Age Group: Adult

Series: The Dresden Files (book 11)

In Turn Coat, the eleventh book of The Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, wizard, is once again battling dark forces to save the lives of innocents... and his own. Donald Morgan, Warden of the White Council, stands accused of murdering a senior member of the Council. Despite his long standing distrust of Dresden, Morgan feels forced to turn to Dresden for help in proving his innocence and exposing a traitor within the White Council. As with the previous books in this series, nothing is exactly as it appears and Harry is generally struggling to fit all the pieces together while keeping at least one step ahead of those trying to kill him.

Turn Coat keeps the action moving and increases the political intrigue while providing some comic moments via Dresden's inability to control his smart remarks as people repeatedly threaten him. Harry is again surrounded by familiar friends and allies - Murphy, Thomas, Molly, and Mouse all take center stage at various points in the book. Although Harry has been hardened by the events over the years covered in the books, he has grown considerably. He is now able to connect seemingly isolated events together to form a larger picture and he has realized that, as much as he hates putting his friends in danger, he does need help to prevent the crazies from killing more people.

Each book in The Dresden Files keeps getting better as the reader is able to see the development in the larger situation and the growth in Harry's character. The relationships between characters grow stronger as well as they learn more about each other and face deadly situations together where they are forced to rely on each other for survival. I can't wait to read the next book in the series, Changes, which is due out in April of 2010.