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bluegargantuaHi,
So...first up: Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first in a fairly popular series of modern fantasy/mystery books revolving around Harry Dresden, professional wizard. Anne really likes the series and I thought I should dip into it a little bit just to see what's up.
The book is pretty good, it certainly kept me turning the pages. But the solution to the mystery is pretty obvious about a quarter of the way into the book and completely revealed about 2/3rds of the way in. That still leaves the final magical showdown and it's a dozy, but as far as a mystery goes, it's a bit flat.
It's also unclear just how much slippage there is between the normal, mundane world and the magical one. The idea is that magic is a hush-hush kind of thing, but since our protagonist openly sells his services as a wizard and since he's on retainer with the local police force...it's not clear what the real dividing line is. Perhaps later books flesh it out. I'm interested in reading another, but in no hurry to do so.
Taking a break from books we turn to music and The Hard and The Easy by Great Big Sea. This is a great CD. It's got two songs in it about horses falling through the ice in a lake. It also marks Great Big Sea's serious return to their Newfoundland Folkmusic roots. The early CDs were mostly folk tunes with some of their own compositions thrown in. Over time, their compositions took over and they strayed from their folky roots to some sort of quasi-pop sound that was too bland to be borne (I didn't even pick up their previous CD), but this release has all the good stuff. Nothing but traditional folk tunes set to the Great Big Sea style. I really like it.
later
Tom
So...first up: Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first in a fairly popular series of modern fantasy/mystery books revolving around Harry Dresden, professional wizard. Anne really likes the series and I thought I should dip into it a little bit just to see what's up.
The book is pretty good, it certainly kept me turning the pages. But the solution to the mystery is pretty obvious about a quarter of the way into the book and completely revealed about 2/3rds of the way in. That still leaves the final magical showdown and it's a dozy, but as far as a mystery goes, it's a bit flat.
It's also unclear just how much slippage there is between the normal, mundane world and the magical one. The idea is that magic is a hush-hush kind of thing, but since our protagonist openly sells his services as a wizard and since he's on retainer with the local police force...it's not clear what the real dividing line is. Perhaps later books flesh it out. I'm interested in reading another, but in no hurry to do so.
Taking a break from books we turn to music and The Hard and The Easy by Great Big Sea. This is a great CD. It's got two songs in it about horses falling through the ice in a lake. It also marks Great Big Sea's serious return to their Newfoundland Folkmusic roots. The early CDs were mostly folk tunes with some of their own compositions thrown in. Over time, their compositions took over and they strayed from their folky roots to some sort of quasi-pop sound that was too bland to be borne (I didn't even pick up their previous CD), but this release has all the good stuff. Nothing but traditional folk tunes set to the Great Big Sea style. I really like it.
later
Tom
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 01:07 pm (UTC)so, give it another couple of books, but don't stress about it.
The Hard and the Easy
Date: 2006-03-16 01:55 pm (UTC)Re: The Hard and the Easy
Date: 2006-03-16 02:06 pm (UTC)Shhhh...let's not spoil the surprise.
heh
Tom
no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 02:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 02:02 pm (UTC)Also, SciFi Channel is doing a miniseries later this year based on the books. Hopefully they'll do a decent job of it.
As for the dividing line: Yes, magick exists, but the general public at large is in disbelief/denial about it. It's almost like an SEP Field until it happens to them. The public think that Harry's a crackpot and a loony calling himself a Wizard, basically.
I don't know if Butcher has gone into too much detail about it in the past, but it seems like the number of spells or workings that Harry knows is quite limited. I've seen him use a firebolt (Fuego, focused through his blasting rod), summon wind (Vento Servitas), light candles (Flickum Bickus), and use a Shield bracelet that has charges. Oh, and he's done one demon summoning. The rest of his workings have been alchemical in nature. Oh, and his residence has protective wards. I guess that's enough, or he's got talents that he has yet to show as yet.
But, to conclude, reading the books is very much worth the time, in my opinion. Definitely one of the best urban fantasy series that's out there. It toppled Laurell K Hamilton from being high on my list, that's for sure... well, other factors helped with that as well...
no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-16 05:26 pm (UTC)No need, Anne keeps up to speed on them.
thanks though
Tom
Celtic Podcast
Date: 2006-03-22 04:35 am (UTC)Thanks
Wendy Donahue
Cleveland Celtic Podcast