Why Proven Guilty may be my favorite novel of all time.

So many spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. There are a lot of reasons as to why this is the case, but mostly I just want to talk about the awesome things in this particular novel.

It started with the opening lines of the book, which are among my favorite, ever. “Blood leaves no stain on a Warden’s grey cloak.” Wow, do I love the symbolism of this. Combine that with the fact that the first scene of the book is the Warden’s of the White Council was executing a young man that had broken the laws of magic. Obviously Harry felt sickened by this as he was in the same position as a child. What an awesome way to start the story.

That is crazy. The parallel of how he went through that, and then at the end when he was willing to die to keep any harm coming to Molly?? That is some powerful stuff right there. Standing up against things knowing that odds are that you will not succeed? Wow.

But not that that, also realizing that he had to forgive Mccoy for what he did. The end of the book ended with him and his mentor going to get some food. But before that it was just kind of emotional realizing that Mccoy did what he had to do with the Ortega in Death Masks. He is the Blackstaff after all.

But more on just themes on how his friendship with Murphy has grown over the year to the point where she is there battling with him every step of the way. Them realizing why they have never been together as Harry cannot casually commit to anything. Realizing how sad that moment was.

The moment when he found out why Charity despised him all those years? Wow. Afraid of her own magic and he was always a reminder of it? Her accepting this and then lowering those walls between them and the actually became closer.

I cry so many times when I read this book.

Other awesome things:

Them attacking heart of Winter, trying to get Molly back.

The phobophages being from horror movies. Awesome.

Harry almost getting sold on Ebay.

Michael just being Michael and awesome.

Splattercon!!!

The master/apprentice thing that starts here

Murphy losing SI, and finding out there are consequences.

Harry's relationship with the fallen angel Lasciel. 

Molly. Fucking love Molly so much. 

I don’t know if this is my FAVORITE books of all time, but is up there. The pleasure I get in reading this each and every time never gets old and it always gets me in an emotional. There is a reason this is my favorite series of all time.

I will leave you with this. It gets me every damn time. 

We looked at each other for a long moment and my old teacher bowed his head to me. It conveyed a lot of things. Apology. Gratitude. Happiness. Forgiveness. Affection. Pride.

Ranking the Dresden Files novels part 2

Ranking the Dresden Files from least to most favorite. This was not easy as I love this series more than any other. Yet, something has to be the best/worst right?

So, I decided to break it up into two posts. First ranking them from #15 to #6, and then from #5 to #1. That way the post isn't just HUGE.

You can check the first post out here. Part 1

Don’t hate on me for this. :)

5 Cold Days Book #14 of the series So, Harry is the Winter Knight. D’oh! So, what does Mab have Harry have do first? Kill Maeve, which is sort of impossible. A lot is explained about actions of the Fae in previous books and how they were affected by something called Nemesis. But Harry coming back from the dead is not easy for his friends to deal with. That and a huge ass battle with the outsiders….you know to save the world. Oh and now Molly’s life has changed yet again. That girl could use a bit of therapy.

4 Skin Game Book #15 of the series This was a heist book, which was handled pretty well with a few twists and turns. You also had to love the cat and mouse between Harry and Nicodemus. But what made this book great was different interactions between the players. Harry with Murphy. Murphy and Butters. Harry and Michael about hubris and arrogance was maybe my favorite scene in the entire series. It was handled so perfectly and Michael may be the only person that could say what he said. Harry and his daughter Maggie. I love emotion and this book was the most emotional in the series. Oh, and Michael took up the sword again! Butters + Star Wars=Epic.      

3 Turn Coat Book #11 of the series It is so easy to hate Morgan as a character. But him asking Harry of all people to help him was in a word, awesome. The two at least grew to respect each other over the years, yes they still hated each other, but that is life. The traitor in the Council sets things in motion which lead to a free for all battle on the “Island. Harry has to fight something horrible…a skinwalker and it was truly evil. But you go Injun Joe! SO much going on here as you find out who the traitor is (a bit obvious to me) and poor Anastasia. It was sad to see how Morgan died at the end, but it was really fitting.

2 Changes Book #12 of the series Holy shit. So much “changed” in this book as the Red Court kind of declared war on Harry. They took his daughter (the one he did not know he had), destroyed his car, burned his home, and crippled him. Wow. Add that with Susan coming back, and there was a lot of drama going on here. Yet, Harry would do ANYTHING to save his daughter. He made a deal with Mab, and with what has to be the craziest moment in the entire series…he helped Susan “sacrifice” herself and wiped out the entire Red Court. Oh and cliffhanger galore as someone shot Harry at the end.

So much happened in this book that just took my breath away. A killer pace and a crazy ass ending. The entire direction of the series changed in this book.

1 Proven Guilty Book #8 of the series

This may be the book that made this my favorite series. Love, love, love, Molly. The idea of the horror creatures being used to terrorize the Splattercon!!! Convention was nice. But this was about Molly and the similarities of her situation with what happened to Harry with Justin DuMorne. He was almost executed, she could have been executed. The arrogance of the White Council. I also loved how Charity became a character in this book. More than just Michael’s wife. She had her own story and her own fears.

But the reason why this one wins, is even though I have read this series many times, I always get the feels when I read it.

Ranking the Dresden Files novels part 1

Ranking the Dresden Files from least to most favorite. This was not easy as I love this series more than any other. Yet, something has to be the best/worst right?

So, I decided to break it up into two posts. First ranking them from #15 to #6, and then from #5 to #1. That way the post isn't just HUGE.

Don’t hate on me for this. :)

15 Fool Moon Book #2 of series I have always liked this one the least. The characters were not really well developed yet in the series, and the FBI agents who were the “villains” were not that interesting. Also, too much werewolf for me. You were kind of beaten over the head with them. The Loup Garou was awesome though.

14 Storm Front Book #1 of series The First book in the series and a nice introduction to the series. Not the best written, but it got things going. Always enjoyed Victor Shadowman and the idea of third eye was cool. A drug that lets you have the sight? Also, Morgan was a dick and you got a glimpse of how the White Council worked. Death by lightning storm? Yes, please.

13 Blood Rites Book #6 of series I also struggled with this one a bit. Part of it is that I have never been THAT into the White Court stuff. I felt like both book 4 and 5 were much better and this one stepped back a bit. Now saying that, finding out that Thomas was Harry’s brother was a game changer in both of their character’s development.

12 Grave Peril Book #3 of series Ah, Susan. This is where the series started to take off for me. The Nightmare was a cool thing as it could take power from Harry. But the best part was Harry’s unwillingness to give in to the Red Court. It brought about the war and it was such a great moment. Is still maybe my favorite quote came from this moment. Also, the introduction of Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross.

11 Summer Knight Book #4 of series Elaine is alive? What the What? The Introduction of the Summer and Winter Fae. Also, Harry’s chance to get rid of his debt to his Fairy Grandmother. This was also significant because he finally brought Murphy in and let her know what was going on. She had been following him blindly before and this needed to happen. Oh, and Harry killed the Summer Queen, Aurora. No way that will come back as a problem later, right?

10 Dead Masks Book #5 of series Nicodemus and the Denarians vs the Knights of the Sword. My love of Michael as a character really took off here. Nicodemus may be the most evil character in this series and the sacrifice of Shiro was a lot more impactful then you would have thought for a character you did not know for long. Harry picking up the coin so Michael’s son didn’t brought us future drama with Lasciel.

9 Small Favor Book #10 of series Gruffs! They were kind of bad ass. It also brought the return of Nicodemus and his attempt to use Ivy in his plans. Kincaid is still lethal and Luccio had a huge part in this story. Yet the biggest moment was the shooting and almost demise of Michael Carpenter. That scene kills me every time.

8 Ghost Story Book #13 of series Wow, so Harry died…and now is a ghost. Weird, huh? Having to solve your own murder can never be a good thing I would think. Things have changed since the Red Court is gone. Who would have thought that things could get worse with them gone? Poor Molly and Karen, as they both struggle with Harry’s death.

7 White Night  Book #9 of the series I love Elaine. The scenes with she and Harry are really good. Someone is killing lower level practitioners and it was obvious that it was the White Court. Still, Thomas was strong in this one and I liked in spite of the White Court Stuff. Lash, sacrificing herself for Harry was a cool thing to witness. Their interactions have always been interesting as they were both influencing each other.

6 Dead Beat Book #7 of the series Harry rides a T-Rex. Harry rides a T-rex!!! I feel like you could just stop there, but alas there was quite a bit more going on with other scions of Kemmler in town. Wow, Cowl is really kind of bad ass and I wonder if he ends up being a major player toward the end of the series. Add the wardens coming to help and the emergence of Butters as a character. Harry officially became a Warden…with a paycheck and everything.  Only down side? No Murphy.

My favorite Dresden Files quote from each book

This is a list of my favorite quote from each book.

Storm Front

Best quote. “Where instinct fails, intellect must venture.” 

Fool Moon

“‎It isn't enough to stand up and fight darkness. You've got to stand apart from it, too. You've got to be different from it.” 

Grave Peril

Bianca's eyes widened. "You are mad," she said. "You would flirt with chaos, destruction--with war, for the sake of this one wounded soul?"
I smote my staff on the floor, reaching down for power. Deeper than I have ever reached before. Outside, in the gathering morning, the air crackled with thunder.
Bianca, even Ortega, looked abruptly uncertain, looking up and around, before focusing on me again.
"For the sake of one soul. For one loved one. For one life." I called power into my blasting rod, and its tip glowed incandescent white. "The way I see it, there's nothing else worth fighting for."

Summer Knight

“Wait. You don't understand. I just wanted it to stop. Wanted the hurting to stop."
I smoothed a bloodied lock of hair from her eyes and felt very tired as I said, "The only people who never hurt are dead."
The light died out of her eyes, her breath slowing. She whispered, barely audible, "I don't understand."
I answered, "I don't either."
A tear slid from her eye and mixed with the blood.
Then she died.” 

Dead Masks

“I am blind and limited. I would be a fool think myself wise. And so, not knowing what the universe means, I can only try to be responsible with the knowledge, the strength, and the time given to me. I must be true to my heart.” 

Blood Rites

“Love is another kind of power, which shouldn't surprise you. Magic comes from emotions, among other things. And when two people are together, in that intimacy, when they really, selflessly love each other it changes them both. It lingers on in the energy of their lives, even when they are apart.” 

Dead Beat

“Fear is a part of life. It's a warning mechanism. That's all. It tells you when there's danger around. Its job is to help you survive. Not cripple you into being unable to do it.” 

Proven Guilty

“A bolt of warmth, fierce with joy and pride and gratitude, flashed through me like sudden lightning. I don’t care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching—they are your family. And they were my heroes.” 

White Night

“Being a wizard gives you more power than most, but it doesn't change your heart. We're all human. We're all of us equally naked before the jaws of pain.” 

Small Favor

“Body or mind, heart or soul, we're all human, and we're supposed to feel pain. You cut yourself off from it at your own risk.” 

Turn Coat

There's power in the night. There's terror in the darkness. Despite all our accumulated history, learning, and experience, we remember. We remember times when we were too small to reach the light switch on the wall, and when darkness itself was enough to make us cry out in fear....” 

Changes

“But there were some things I believed in. Some things I had faith in. And faith isn't about perfect attendance to services, or how much money you put on the little plate. It isn't about going skyclad to the Holy Rites, or meditating each day upon the divine.
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.”

Ghost Story

“Courage is about learning how to function despite the fear, to put aside your instincts to run or give in completely to the anger born from fear. Courage is about using your brain and your heart when every cell of your body is screaming at your to fight or flee - and then following through on what you believe is the right thing to do.” 

Cold Days

“No one just starts giggling and wearing black and signs up to become a villainous monster. How the hell do you think it happens? It happens to people. Just people. They make questionable choices, for what might be very good reasons. They make choice after choice, and none of them is slaughtering roomfuls of saints, or murdering hundreds of baby seals, or rubber-room irrational. But it adds up. And then one day they look around and realized that they're so far over the line that they can't remember where it was.” 

Skin Game

I want to read this a second time to figure this out.

My review of Skin Game

So, the latest Dresden Files novel came out Tuesday, and here is what I thought about it.

In a word, amazing.

I was blown away. I know there have been people that have not loved the most recent books, especially since Changes at the entire series got turned upside down with the death of the Red Court and even Harry as well. But Changes was one of my favorite books and I really have enjoyed each book since. People are just picky.

But back to this book. Here is why it was awesome.

Michael Carpenter. He has always been one of my favorite characters in the series. But after he was seriously hurt in Small Favor, he has not been around much at all. So, getting him to take up the sword again and fight Nicodemus? Wow. Yes, it was only going to be temporary as Uriel only gave his grace for a period of time (even though that made the angel pretty much mortal).

Between that the conversation he had with Harry about his arrogance. That was one of the best conversations in a long time in the series. Yes, Harry is awesome, but he can be a bit of an idiot when it comes to how people view him. Harry wondered why no one ever came to the island, and when Michael said that the island is what gave him nightmares, that said a lot about what it must be like for anyone to be there. Molly, Murphy, and Thomas came anyways. Michael is maybe the only person (other than man maybe Murphy) that can talk to him that way. It was a really nice moment.

Murphy. She fought Nicodemus! Yes, he eventually hurt her pretty badly, but it was just damn cool to see her fight him that way. She managed to hold her own for a bit and he is one of the more dangerous characters in the entire series. She has really matured as a character and is more of a partner to him, rather than backup like it used to be. It was also nice to see them finally be on the same page about how much they care for each other. Life is too damn short.

Also loved the conversation between Murphy and Butters as well. A valid point can be made that people become monsters faster because people start seeing them that way. Their dynamic has always been interesting, but especially since Ghost Story. 

Butters. He is a knight of the sword! What? When you think of who he was way back in Dead Beat. Hell, Thomas was worried that since he was such a coward that he would end up getting Harry killed. He has really stepped up (especially in Ghost Story). I like how he really is kind of afraid of Harry. Harry can be a very scary person and everyone wonders if he will turn into something horrible. I dig this.

The Jedi thing was a bit cheesy, but I can live with that. 

The Heist. It was such a different approach to how the stories are usually told. Having to work with Nicodemus and Deidre was really interesting. Throw in the rest of the crew, and you knew there was going to be high drama and more than a few double crosses.

So, I did enjoy that quite a bit. I did NOT see the Goodman Gray thing coming. Doublecross! I did see him being betrayed Ascher, but not that she took up Lasciel’s coin.

I also like how he went back and explained how it happened. These are all so much different from what was before. The conversation with Hades made me laugh a few times as well. Getting past the trials was handled well too. I can see why everyone may not have loved that part, but I did.

Maggie. If that did not touch you, maybe you should stop reading this series. It was very touching to see him interact with his daughter and he needs that to survive what he is going through. Yes, that may put her in danger, but he needs to be reminded of what he is fighting for sometimes. I am really wondering what will happen next here.

Emotion. This book made me cry so damn many times. So much with characters I love, and that is something I LOVE about the series. Things we care for should be out emotion, and this series does this like nothing else ever has (except maybe Harry Potter).

What was missing. Would have liked a bit more of Molly, but with there being so much Michael, I can live with it. I still wonder if he will end up with her at some point as his relationship with Murphy may be epic, but she is human after all. But in the mean time I love Harry and Murphy together. 

Why I love the Dresden Files

So, for those of you that may or may not know me, I am a HUGE Jim Butcher Fan. Especially the Dresden Files (although I also love the Codex Alera as well). 

But occasionally, I get asked why I am a fan of them. I was asked this just a few days ago.

Well, it is never an easy thing to explain why you love something so much. About 3/4 of my life, my favorite books were the Lord of the Rings. They shaped me in a way that few other things in my life ever have. I still love them, but as I get older, they are just getting harder to read (I have a thought on this, but that is for another day). I still read them, and still love them. But I was introduced to the Dresden Files by a couple of friends of mine, and I have never looked back. 

So, why?

It starts with Harry. I am a smartass, and I can relate to him. His mouth gets him in trouble, and he has to fight his way out of situations because of this. Still, my love of fantasy comes from characters doing the right thing...regardless of the cost. Now, a lot of us wish they could be that way when the darkness comes...and throw snappy one liners at them! Ha!

But that isn't just it. The books tell a story. Of good people fighting the fight. It isn't just Harry. There is also Murphy, and Butters, and Elaine. Molly, and Michael, and Thomas. I could go on and on naming each character I love. :) You see, I am a character driven reader. Yes, writing style, plot, and setting are important. But I read to connect with characters. I did from the beginning. Now the first couple of books are not great, but things picked up at the third book, Grave Peril.  Then again at book seven, Dead Beat. From that point that series is amazing. Hell, once Harry rode a zombie t-rex into battle, it was pretty much over for me. 

But I sit here reading White Night, and a scene explains why I love this so much. You see, Harry is getting together with Ramirez, and they are about to go take on the White Court. In comes his apprentice Molly, who wants to help, but has repeatedly not listened to Harry. He has never been worried about her power, but her not understanding the consequences. 

Here is the text.

“But… all I said was that I was scared." 

After what you got to experience? That's smart, kid," I said. "I'm scared, too. Every time something like this happens, it scares me. But being strong doesn't get you through. Being smart does. I've beaten people and things who were stronger than I was, because they didn't use their heads, or because I used what I had better than they did. It isn't about muscle, kiddo, magical or otherwise. It's about your attitude. About your mind." 

She nodded slowly and said, "About doing things for the right reasons." 

You don't throw down like this just because you're strong enough to do it," I said. "You do it because you don't have much choice. You do it because it's unacceptable to walk away, and still live with yourself later." 

She stared at me for a second, and then her eyes widened. "Otherwise, you're using power for the sake of using power." 

I nodded. "And power tends to corrupt. It isn't hard to love using it, Molly. You've got to go in with the right attitude or…" 

Or the power starts using you," she said. She'd heard the argument before, but this was the first time she said the words slowly, thoughtfully, as if she'd actually understood them, instead of just parroting them back to me. Then she looked up. "That's why you do it. Why you help people. You're using the power for someone other than yourself.” 

This sums it up for me. That scene makes me tear up every damn time I read it. Her realizing she wanted to help, even if it was in the smallest way because she could not sit at home and do nothing. God, I love that shit! :) Every damn time. 

Yes, there are other reasons why I love the books. But the main reason? They touch me in a way that most novels do not. I love that and live for it.