The Dresden Files, book 10 : Small Favor (or Small Favour) by Jim Butcher

From the Book Description: Harry Dresden is feeling happy. No one’s tried to kill him in nearly a year, and the worst problem he’s had lately is trying to remove the stains his apprentice bungled into his carpeting. The future looks fairly bright. Unfortunately, the past isn’t nearly so optimistic.An old bargain placed Harry in debt to Mab, faerie monarch of the Winter Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness. Harry still owes the Winter Queen two favours, and it’s time to pay one of them off. It’s a small favour that he really can’t refuse, but it will trap Harry between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, stretching his skills and loyalties to their very limits.It figures. Everything was going too well to last.

This is possibly a more complex plot than Dresden has previously written and I won't even attempt to unravel it (or spoil it).  Needless to say that Queen Mab turns up to call in a favour (Dresden still owes her two).  She asks him to be her emissary and to protect Marcone (who has already apparently been kidnapped).  In this story we have Gruffs (of the billygoat variety - who are quite funny - in a respectful way), The Winter court, The Summer Court, the Denarians (some of them !),  Michael, Sanya and the usual crowd, climaxing on a (mysterious) deserted island in the middle of lake Michigan.

Possibly one of the best books Butcher has written in the series as it has a fairly complex plot, lots of character and his usual dose of humour. 

Another very enjoyable and highly recommended story.

The Dresden Files, book 9 : White Night by Jim Butcher

From the book description :- A series of apparent suicides rings alarm bells with the police. And before he knows it Harry Dresden, professional wizard, is hired to investigate. At the first crime scene he finds an unmistakable magical taint - and a message specially designed for him, referencing the killing of witches. Harry is desperate to hunt down his tormentor and halt the killings, but instead finds evidence implicating his half-brother, Thomas. To Harry, this just doesn't add up, so he must add clearing his brother's name to his expanding list. Something that didn't make the list is subtlety, and Harry's search attracts the attention of the White Court of vampires ...Soon, whichever way he turns, he faces a power struggle that will render him outnumbered, outclassed and dangerously susceptible to temptation. And if he screws up, his friends will die.

Harry is called out to an apparent suicide, apparent that is, until he finds a message hidden in the victim's apartment, a message that only a Wizard could find.  He begins to investigate and soon discovers a mysterious grey cloaked figure (much like a Warden) apears to be abducting women with magical talent. He also discovers a trail of similar deaths across the USA.  He is also unable to contact Thomas and upon investigation finds evidence linking Thomas to the dead girls, and worse, to those who have been abducted.  What is going on ?  Is Thomas feeding on the missing women ?  Harry has also taken on Molly (Michael's daughter) as an apprentice and she keeps popping up at all the worse moments and Harry is starting to get very angry about it !

Yes another thoroughly enjoyable and thrilling installment of The Dresden Files.

The Dresden Files, book 8 : Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

From the book description:- Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the Chicago phone book and consults for the police department on those so-called unusual' cases. But there's no love lost between Harry and the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined. Yet now the vampire wars have thinned the ranks of wizards, the White Council needs Harry, like it or not. He's drafted as a Warden, and assigned to look into rumours of black magic in the Windy City. And, if that isn't enough, another problem arrives for Harry in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend was the only one in the room when an old man was attacked, but in spite of this, he insists he didn't do it. What looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film turns out to be well, something quite close to that, as Harry discovers that malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago. All in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob.

Harry is called by Molly (Michael and Charity's Daughter) as she says she's been arrested and needs to be bailed (and doesn't want Dad and Mom to know about it !).  Anyway, when Harry turns up to help, things get....complicated.  He is drawn into a Horror convention where the stars of the films are coming to life and killing the convention-goers and is followed by a mysterious figure!  He investigates in his usual manner and slowly unravels a number of twisted plots which he needs to unravel quickly in order to save lives.  There is more interaction with Vampires (not saying which ones...) and both sides of Faerie (obvious from the beginning) and he makes a chilling discovery about someone he cares greatly for, something that could cost them (and him) their lives......

These books do really get better and better as you plough through them. 

The Dresden Files, book 7 : Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world isfull of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Luckily, however, he's not alone. Although most people don't believe in magic, the Chicago P.D. has a Special Investigations department, headed by his good friend Karrin Murphy. They deal with the ...stranger cases. It's down to Karrin that Harry sneaks into Graceland Cemetery to meet a vampire named Mavra. Mavra has evidence that would destroy Karrin's career, and her demands are simple. She wants the Word of Kemmler - and all the power that comes with it. But first, Harry's keen to know what he'd be handing over. Before long he's racing against time, and six necromancers, to get the Word. And to prevent a Halloween that would truly wake the dead. Magic - it can get a guy killed. 


So, Harry is blackmailed by Mavra (leader of the Black Court of Vampires) to recover the "Word of Kemmler", but isn't told what it is, or where it is.  He is harried and hunted by three groups of former disciples of Kemmler who also want the word, and the power that its knowledge will convey.  His brother Thomas is a major pain in his life, he finds a girlfriend, he is weighed down by a coward who he has sworn to protect, is hounded by someone out for revenge and to top it all off, Lasciel (of the Order of the Blackened Denarius) the demon bound to the coin he picked up at the end of Death Masks begins her seduction.  All is not what it seems in the world of Harry Dresden and this is possibly his greatest challenge to date (again)......

What more can I say, another fantastic installment in the life of Harry Dresden - it just gets better and better for the reader, and worse and worse for poor Harry.

The Dresden Files, book 6 : Blood Rites by Jim Butcher

For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a walking plant monster. Still, there's something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film's producer believes he's the target of a sinister entropy curse - but it's the woman around him who are dying, in increasingly spectacular ways. Harry's doubly frustrated because he got involved with this bizarre mystery only as a favour to Thomas, his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas's oversexed vampire family. Harry's about to discover that Thomas's family tree has been hiding a shocking secret: a revelation that will change Harry's life forever.

Harry is convinced by Thomas that he owes him a favour (and he probably does) so he hires him to protect a friend of his as people around him are getting hurt.  It turns out that his friend is a director in the adult film industry and does indeed have some kind of entropy curse around him.  Harry gets drawn into a web of intrigue and deceit, gets attacked by black court vampires set on revenge and makes a startling discovery about his family history.

Another excellent helping of Dresden slowly evolving his story and building on his previous tales.

The Dresden Files, book 5 : Death Masks by Jim Butcher

From the book description:- Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practising professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for: A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards ...Professional hit men using Harry for target practice ...The missing Shroud of Turin ...A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified ...Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semi-vampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life. Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

In this installment of the life of Harry Dresden, Harry is hired (by a priest from the Vatican) to recover the stolen Shroud of Turin, the sacred shroud that Jesus was wrapped in after his crucifixion.  He is also challenged to a duel to the death by Duke Ortega (of the Red Court) to stop the war between the Wizards of the White Council and the Red Court vampires.  He gets sucked into a deep and involved plot by Fallen Angels to reek death and destruction across the whole world with the potential to kill millions.  He is helped (and tried to be stopped by) three Knights of The Cross, including Michael.  He is tempted by the power of the fallen.

Another great year from the life of Harry Dresden.  Possibly the best book to date - Butcher is evolving into an excellent story teller.

The Dresden Files, book 4 : Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

From the book description :- Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower. The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man. And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him - and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name. It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything ...

In this, latest installment, Harry is in trouble with the White Council for starting the war with the Vampires of the Red Court.  Many members want him sacrificed to the Vampires in appeasement for starting the war to bring a ceasefire and peace.  Others think he was used by them deliberately to start the war and think that the White Council should fight.  Harry is set a task by the council, as a test of his status as a Wizard.  Failure and he will be delivered to the Vamps, success and, well, he keeps his Wizard status. 

He is also hired by Mab, the Winter Queen (or faerie) to find out who killed the Summer Knight (the Knight of the Summer Queen) !  Strange, yes indeed.  Harry gets drawn into a sinister plot to shift the balance of power between the Winter and Summer courts......but by who ?  Billy and the werewolves are in this tale again along with some more new characters.

Another gripping (and somewhat more complex) story from Butcher.

Captain America : The First Avenger

I went to see this with a friend of mine on Friday night.  We're both current, or former comic readers although not avid Captain America/Avengers.  We had both been keeping up with the press views of the film and knowing that it generally got good comments, we were expecting a really good evening.  We have both seen all of the preceeding Marvel films leading up to this - Iron Man 1 and 2, plus Thor (no that they have any significant bearing on this film (except that Tony Stark's dad, Howard Stark, is in it).

The film opens with a weedy Steve Rogers attempting (and failing) to enlist in the army to go an fight the "Nazi's".  Steve has a strong moral standing on doing right and standing up to bullies - something that continually gets him beaten up.  Then Dr Erskine sees him attempting to join again and allows him to enlist in Project Rebirth.  He goes through some kind of basic training with a load of other soldiers, who pretty much bully him right through the training, but show resourcefulness and initiative throughout together with a selfless attitude.  He is helped by Agent Carter and who seems to take a shine to him (liking him as a person despite his physical limitations) and gets picked as the first to be put through the "transformation" and reborn.

Immediately after his rebirth, Hydra (who Erskine used to work for) sabotage the facility, killing Erskine and destroying the equipment.  Rogers captures the saborager who takes a cyanide pill before he can be questioned.  Rogers is then set up as a propaganda mascot and used in shows to sell war bonds to raise money for the millitary.  This is probably the weakest part of the film, but is kept short enough, that it gets it's message across without being too frustrating.  He ends up in Europe and performing to the 107 (which his father served in and in which his best friend Bucky Barnes is serving).  Having been heckled and booed off stage, he finds out that hundreds of the unit were captured by Hydra and Dr Schmitt (Red Skull) at a facility deep in Nazi controlled territory.  Captain America (with the help of Agent Carter and Howard Stark) gets dropped near the base and single handed saves most of the soldiers.

The story escalates from here and I'm not going to go into it all (I'll be here for days).


All in all, it's very well put together, well acted and well scripted.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and it sets up things well for next year with the first Avengers film.

Overall - 4/5 - jolly good fun.

The Dresden Files, book 3 : Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

From the book description:- Harry Dresden's faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago area phone book. But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: the spirit world's gone loco. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself ...

In  this episode, Harry gets involved investigating why it seems that all the spirits in Chicago are going loco.  As the plot unfolds, it turns out that it's related to a previous case that he helped the police with, along side Michael, the local Knight of the Cross, who wields one of three Holy swords of power.  This is where the series really gets going.  Michael is a long term reocurring hero in the books and I just love his eternal, unfaultering faith in The Almighty.  Butcher writes Michael brilliantly, and his wife Charity, who, for some reason detests Dresden (you find out why much later in the series), plus there is a new character introduced that will also recur throughout books to come....  Susan bites off more than she can chew, and Harry's Godmother Leah decides that it's time she called in an overdue debt (well, pact).  Along the journey, Harry has to battle Vampires, ghosts, demons, vampires, sorcerers and vampires....  Lots of sh!t kicks off in this that will have repercussions for may books to come.....

Another really good story from Butcher.

The Dresden Files, book 2 : Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

From the book description:- 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 ...

This episode in the chronicles of Harry Dresden is about Werewolves, and all of their brethren.  Harry is called in by Karrin Murphy to help with the grizzly murder of one of Gentleman Johnny Marcone's goons who appears to have been mauled by a Werewolf !  As Harry investigates, it turns out that there are four types of werewolves and they all appear in this tale.  It's not a complicated story (probably Butchers least complicated one), but has some twists from the character's perspectives and is still a really enjoyable read.