Summer Knight (The Dresden Files) (MP3 CD)

The Summer Knight of the title has been killed, and Harry's faerie godmother has given over Harry's debt (from Grave Peril) to the Winter Queen, who has been accused of killing the Knight. Winter has much to gain by the death of someone who holds a portion of Summer's power, the power which has not travelled to the next vessel once the Knight died, but is no missing, lost. The balance of power between Summer and Winter has shifted, and they are no longer equals. A battle of potentially apocalyptic proportions is about to begin. You'd think things couldn't get much worse for Harry, but you should know better!

I find with each book in the Dresden Files that Harry continues to grow and develop. His girlfriend left some months earlier after being infected by the Red Court, and Harry is obsessed with finding a cure for her. His friends the werewolf pack are worried about him, as is Murphy. Murphy herself retains some damage from the battle with the Red Court - another whip of guilt for Harry to flog himself with. By the end of the book while much is still unresolved, in just a few days Harry's actually at a healthier place, and I'm glad for him.

Harry always seems to perform well under stress, and here we meet more of the White Council. While Harry doesn't consider himself at the top of his profession, it is interesting to see how he is perceived by other wizards and supernatural creatures. I'm glad he's not 'super wizard', but it's kinda sweet to know he's more feared / respected by others than Harry perceives himself. Butcher does not 'talk down' to his readers, but allows them to draw their own conclusions that even Harry seems unaware of.

I highly recommend the book, and the series, to anyone who enjoys good writing, mystery, and the supernatural.

Be warned.
Summer Knight is fantastic.

Since the earlier reviewer talked about the plot, I should tell you that Summer Knight has literally laugh-out-loud bits(Harry's awful latin for example)which really add punch and color to the narrative.
VERY cool to actually meet the White Council in this book. Fans of the previous Dresden books will remember mentions of them but this is the first book where you really find out what they're like in person. And you're always finding out more about Harry's past.

Harry really thinks on his feet. His presence of mind in Oh-No-What-Now situations makes you cheer.
I only wish there'd been a bit more of Mab.

Anyway, these are great books for Laurell K. Hamilton fans who
a)are waiting for the next Anita Blake book and
b) miss the zip and vinegar of the early Anita books( ie before all the complications)
In fact, I read about Jim Butcher on an Anita Blake fansite at first.

Read ALL the Dresden Files!!!!!!