Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Fool Moon (Review)

(The Dresden Files, #2)

Published: January 9th, 2001
Genre(s): Adult Urban Fantasy/Mystery

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

Fool Moon—in the most simplest terms—is a remarkable sequel. After giving such high praise to Storm Front I wasn't sure how the next installment would measure up but it did, and surpassed any and all expectations. Harry Dresden is an offbeat wizard who deals with supernatural problems and in the process of solving them creates even more for himself. Fool Moon takes place months after the last events occurred, and we find Harry in his favorite haunt—a bar. It's there Murphy shows up with a new case for him—after weeks of not calling—and the scene that they arrive at is straight from a horror novel.

Harry Dresden, a Chicago-based wizard is back, and it has been weeks since he's had a paying job. SI detective Murphy calls him in on a case when she finds a body
and someone Harry knowstorn to shreds. It appears these killings are occurring around full moons and he has a pretty good idea it's werewolves, or something related. As he gets put on the case things instantly start to go wrong, and Dresden finds himself getting beat-down, arrested, and threatened but not necessarily in that order. With a creature offing people around the city in a grisly manner Harry has no choice but to find out what's going on and stop it. Of course it turns out to be much more complicated than that.

Fool Moon is chock-full of action, mayhem, and twists till the last page. Quite a few characters I liked from Storm Front return including Murphy and Susan. Murphy's actions put me off a little in this book while Susan's surprised me in a good way. As can be expected from Harry Dresden he is always getting into trouble and screwing things up and that keeps the story from ever going into the direction of dull. Things never go as planned and nothing is predictable. Dresden has a long list of enemies and many of them are gunning for him in this novel. With every book Harry gets closer to losing himself to dark magic, often he walks a fine line between what's right and wrong.

My favorite thing about each is that small pieces of Harry's past are revealed, and more questions keep surfacing about it. A newly introduced character Tera was an exciting addition and at first I didn't care for her but as the story went along I grew to like her and Harry's odd relationship. I do hope we'll see her brought back later in the series, and the same goes for the teenage wolf pack because they were amusing individuals. The cases always seem cut and dry until investigated then they turn out to be very intricate. In the beginning we see an all-powerful Harry and by the end a powerless and desperate Dresden which is a huge contrast. I couldn't stop turning the pages because it kept getting better and better as I read on. There are a lot of bad guys, even a familiar one on his trail, and he has to face them all while being at his most vulnerable.

After finishing Fool Moon I bought the next couple of books straightaway. The Dresden Files is an extraordinary urban fantasy series with an abundant amount of action, magic, supernatural components, and tension. Harry Dresden is a irresistibly entertaining and potent protagonist to read about.
Butcher is proficient at wielding words, and he executes them in an artful way. He paints the reader a magnificent picture, imbuing the pages with wit, and smart dialogue. This is now one of my favorite series, and I'd recommend it to all urban fantasy fans!

Synopsis:

Harry Dresden--Wizard
 
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...


READ MY REVIEW OF THE FIRST BOOK STORM FRONT HERE!

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !

2 comments:

  1. I have such a hard time with the Harry Dresden books. I started to read them because I loved loved loved the show on the SyFy channel. Of course, it was canceled after one season. The problem comes in because the stories are great, but the writing is not.

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  2. I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the series. I actually watched the first few episodes of the show and didn't care for it as much as the books. I also watched the show before I read them too. I think you either love Jim Butcher's style of writing or you don't, I happen to think he writes very well but I also understand that not everyone likes the same things. I am however going to give the show another try once I catch up on the latest Dresden Files books. I really love the actor Paul Blackthorne who plays Harry in it! Thanks Joanne for sharing your opinion :)

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