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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Not The Best But Still Great, 8 Jun 2007
While Night is yet another great volume of the on-going Dresden Files. As always however, I'll start with an advisory for those who haven't read any other books in the series or have only watched the (substandard) TV adaptation; don't start here. Go a start at the beginning with Storm Front. This is not a series you just dip into and enjoy.
For those who are up to date however, I can highly recommend this latest book. Its not quite up to the very high standard of my favourite Dresden adventures such as Summer Knight, Dead Beat and Proven Guilty, but its extremely good none-the-less.
I will not risk spoiling things by going into too much detail regarding the plot, except to say that it revolves around the ongoing war between the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court of the Vampires and sucks (if you'll pardon the pun) in the Vampires of the White Court. Beyond that its the usual mix of neo-noir detective story and gory supernatural violence. Putting in an appearance are many familiar characters, including Harry's half-brother Thomas, Chicago PD Detective Karrin Murphy and Mouse, the giant Temple Dog, along with some less familar ones such as gangster Johnnie Marcone, warden Ramirez and Lara, Thomas' sister and head of the White Court.
It all makes for a further satisfying adventure for Harry. If I have any criticisms of the book its the fact that, having set up a host of new plot strands in his previous book, Proven Guilty, Jim Butcher doesn't really progress the overarching story a great deal. Yes, some bad guys from the past reappear and in one excellent flashback we get to witness firsthand the sharp end of the Vampire/Wizard war, but for all the action involved, by the end wider events haven't progressed greeatly. Whilst its a pleasure to have an ongoing backstory developing behind more immediate events in each book, the speed at which it is doing so is becoming a tad frustrating. Sooner or later Butcher will have to deliver the goods and give loyal readers resolutions to at least some of the plots he has set up.
Apart from that White Night maintains Jim Butcher's batting average and fans will not be disappointed. Now if only they could make the TV show just as good....
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