Rating: 
Summary: Loved It! A Captivating Read!
Review: "Summer Knight" by Jim Butcher is the fantastic fourth instalment in the Dresden Files series, and it may just be the best book to date. Butcher has once again created a hugely entertaining mix of genres, blending fantasy, mystery, horror and comedy into one witty and compelling tale. "Summer Knight" is a fun-filled and riveting read that had me turning pages all through the night, and I can't recommend it enough!"Summer Knight" begins with our hero, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, in a deep depression. He has spent nearly all his time of late down in his sub-basement lab, trying to find a way to reverse what happened to his girlfriend Susan, who he lost to the vampires in the last book, "Grave Peril". Not only is he mourning the loss of the woman he had just discovered he loved, he is also dealing with the guilt of starting a deadly war between the White Council of wizards and the Vampire's Red Court. Attempts on Harry's life come almost daily, and he is barely able to survive them in the sorry state he is in. Harry still has a few friends left in the world, including the Alphas, a group of young adult werewolves who we first met in "Fool Moon", and Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, head of Special Investigations in the Chicago PD. But Harry's few remaining friends aren't going to be able to save him from his own people. The White Council is coming to Chicago to deal with Harry and the mess he has caused with the Vampires, and they are none to pleased with him. And when you factor in Harry's less stellar past with the White Council, it seems Harry may not have to worry about the bad guys at all. Because unless he can figure out something fast, the White Council is going to get rid of Harry permanently. Then Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie, makes Harry a proposition he literally can't refuse. All Harry has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's Knight, retrieve what was stolen from him, and prove that Mab isn't responsible. If Harry can do that, Mab will give the White Council free passage through the land of Winter Faerie in the Nevernever, which would give them a huge edge in their war against the vampires. Harry needs to do this to keep himself from being executed by the White Council, but getting involved in faerie politics is a potentially fatal endeavour. Not that Harry has much of a choice in the matter. So Harry sets about trying to solve the mystery of the Summer Knight's death, enlisting the help of the Alphas and Murphy whenever possible. But someone definitely doesn't want Harry to figure this out. Attacks on Harry and his allies occur with a frightening regularity. In addition, Harry must speak with the five other Queens of Faerie, each of whom might just murder him on sight! With so many complications, Harry has to pull himself together and think fast, which he does. In "Summer Knight" Harry seems to come into his own, finally taking charge and giving the bad guys a run for their money. And it's darn important that he does so, because the fate of the mortal world depends on Harry solving this mystery and preventing the impending war between Summer and Winter! "Summer Knight" is action-packed and filled with thrills and excitement. The suspense builds to a gripping final showdown that will have readers tearing through the pages. Harry's wonderful self-depreciating sense of humour and dry wit are present throughout, creating the perfect atmosphere for the story. Butcher has penned an absolutely fabulous tale, with a well-thought-out out plot and characters who readers can't help but be intrigued by. "Summer Knight" is an all-around excellent read, and you'll be sorry if you miss it. I guarantee you'll love Harry Dresden and all his adventures, so buy this book today!
Rating: 
Summary: These faeries are NOT about sweetness and light....
Review: After the first book in the series, Jim Butcher established a pattern in his Harry Dresden novels. In each volume, detective/wizard Dresden faces off against another genus in the family of magical beasties. In the second volume, it was werewolves; in the third, it was vampires. This time around, he is confronted with creatures which (unless you're big on Celtic myth) you may not think of as scary: faeries.
These faeries are not (for the most part) sweet little Tinkerbelles or Fantasia-inspired sprites. They are creatures of what Harry calls the Nevernever who are nonetheless closely tied in with the elements of the natural world. In particular, they are connected with the seasons. Still trying to help end the war between wizards and vampires that he helped start at the end of the previous book (without being offered up as a blood sacrifice by the wizards' White Council), Harry gets sucked into a power struggle between the two rival Faerie courts of Summer and Winter. The Summer Knight has been bumped off, his mantle of power stolen, and the Winter Queen, Mab (remember her from Romeo and Juliet?), wants Harry to prove that her side wasn't responsible. In the mean time, Harry's girlfriend has skipped town and his first love unexpectedly appears--but on whose side?
The action in Summer Knight is fast-paced, without being quite as horrific as in Grave Peril (Book 3); nor is it as formulaic as it was in Fool Moon (Book 2). Butcher continues to weave in threads from Harry's past, and to expand the reader's understanding of the parallel universe that Harry inhabits (both in Chicago and in the Nevernever). He returns here to something more closely resembling the gumshoe/whodunit form with which he began the series so wonderfully--a cross (as I have said before) between Dashiell Hammett and JK Rowling. Shakespearean references abound (beginning with the punning title), which Butcher manages to be very sly about... until the very end. Ah, well. All's well that ends well. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: A Fairie Fight
Review: Butcher continues his Dresden Files with another breathless installment that begins bad (bad for Harry, good for us) and the tension rarely slackens. Harry's caught in the middle in a war between vampires, wizards, and fairies that may be all his fault ... but can he stop it from getting even more out-of-hand than it already is? If you've read the others, you know what you're in for. This is somewhat less tense, strangely, than Book 3 (other than the wonderful trial sequence at the beginning) but still a darkly comic thrill-ride of a book. Not the world's greatest literature, but unputdownable, and that's fine by me. Note: a 3 star ranking from me is actually pretty good; I reserve 4 stars for tremendously good works, and 5 only for the rare few that are or ought to be classic; unfortunately most books published are 2 or less.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner
Review: Can Butcher do no wrong? The man has a real sense of imagination, wonder a fine way of molding a modern hero. A brief overview. This is the fourth book in the Harry Dresden Files, by newcomer Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden is Chicago's only openly practicing wizard. A member of the White Council, a governing body for wizards, he is down on his luck after his girlfriend Susan gets turned to a vampire in the previous novel. Still searching for a cure he has alienated everyone who cares about him, while still trying to dodge hitman hireed by vampires, and trying to keep out of the way of Morgan a warder for the White Council bent on seeing him pay for past deeds. In order to truly appreciate this novel you must read the first three. In this novel we see the return of some great characters from the first three novels. Butcher not only continues to shine more light on the modern day wizard (he introduces the White Council and several of it's key members in the first 4 chapters alone), but he dives into the realms of fairie, with his usual flare. The novel goes from the political infighting of the White Council, to the potentially earth shattering intrigues of the Courts of Fae and a war that cannot afford to be won or lost by either side. This is the best out of all the books. Well plotted and well written. I cannot wait to read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Dresden casts a spell on reader!
Review: Harry Dresden is one of the most interesting characters I've read about in a very long time. Combining magic, mystery and humour this grown up version of Harry Potter is a fascinating read. In a world inhabited by vampires, faeries and wizards, Harry stands out head and shoulders above the rest. In this latest novel Jim Butcher takes his character to the next level of his development and we learn a little bit more about Harry's youth as well as meeting the infamous White Council. Structured as a good old fashioned detective whodunnit, this is the sort of book you read from cover to cover in one sitting, arriving late for work, cranky and bleary eyed. Summer Knight is pure magic!
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Summary: Dresden takes on Faeries...
Review: Harry Dresden isn't the same after he fights ghosts and vampires in Grave Peril. After Susan leaves town to deal with her new bouts of blood lust, Harry isolates himself from everyone and everything. He has not worked in a long time and is in danger of losing his apartment and his office, but his depression is so strong that he does not care. He hasn't even taken a shower in days! But when the White Council pays him a visit and almost decide to hand over to the vampires, Harry has no choice but to again defend his life. He also has to clean the name of a manipulative faerie who also happens to be the Queen of Air and Darkness. A faerie known as the Summer Knight has been murdered, and Harry has to solve the case to both free himself from the faeries and clear his name for the White Council. There are various twists throughout the novel.
The supernatural beings in this series -- save for the teenage werewolves -- are evil to the core. The faeries, vampires and ghouls are very dark creatures -- nothing benign about these monsters! And that's what makes this series different from the ones authors Laurell K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris write. Summer Knight is my second favorite book of the Dresden Files (my favorite thus far is Fool Moon). Harry feels like a puppet, for the faeries and the White Council want different things from him. He is more vulnerable in this installment than in the other ones, but still as self-deprecating and goofy as ever. I thought the scene where he tries to speak in Latin to the White Council was hilarious. There are more comic scenes and quips in this installment. The characters are great here, especially Billy and Murphy, and the new characters seem promising. But Michael and Susan are absent in this one. I hope that they will make a comeback soon. I am loving the Dresden Files and I cannot wait to read Death Masks soon.
Rating:
Summary: Murder in Faerieland!
Review: Harry Dresden, our wizard gumshoe is back and up to his neck in trouble again! This time is targeted by the vampire council for destroying their leader in the last book and this causes a war between the wizards and vampires. To save himself from being turnover to the vampires and to stop the war he must solve the murder of Summer faerie's queen summer knight and he must do it or the courts of Summer and Winter will go to war and that's bad for the planet! Butcher's Harry Dresden series is gripping mix
of film noir thrills, fantasy and witty dialogue as Dresden's deadly new case will have him come face to face with a lover from his dark past who betrayad him and now seeks his help and he must deal with the deceptive faerie courts who uses humans as playthings. Butcher's knows how to write action scenes like a deadly battle between Harry and cop friend Murph against a deadly ghoul hitwoman and lethal plant monster that comes to life
and incredible battle between the faerie courts! Butcher is giving Laurell Hamilton and Tanya Huff some compeition in the dark fantasy detective genre. I hope Butcher is writing the next Dresden's adventure because this one was a corker!
Rating:
Summary: They Keep Getting Better and Better
Review: Harry Dresten's girl friend was been turned half way into a vampire when he really [made them mad] by killing one of thier leaders, burning the place down (While saying "Burn Baby,Burn.") and starting a war between the wizards and the vampires. Assains are getting braver and a cold fairy queen has come to collect on a deal that just may kill him. The wizards think Harry has evil plans and can't decide if he should be exicuted or passed over to the monsters. The vampires will call the war off if the wizards just give Harry to them so they can try him in thier (Kangaroe) court and kill him horribolly or worse. And you thought you had problems? Ha! By the way the Fairies are planing thier own war. One that will end the world as we know it. Great book. One of those few that I will reread more then twice. Every thing in it seems like it could happen and magic is not the answer to everything. This book really should be made into a movie. Lots of explosions and such. It would be great. Really. Also by Jim in order are: Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Death Masks
Rating:
Summary: Clever magic and guts to the rescue, again!
Review: Harry is in worse trouble then usual. His girlfriend is now a vampire. The vampires have put out a contract on him. The white council is deadlocked trying to decide whether to let the vampires kill him or do it themelves. It's raining frogs and someone just sold the mortgage on his soul. What could be worse? Well, if he doesn't crack an unsolvable crime in the next couple of days then it's the end of civilization (and life) as we know it. As usual Harry is out classed, out gunned, out muscled and out magiced. If straight forward magic won't see him through then maybe imaginative magic, unexpected resources, dirty fighting and being just too plain stubborn to realize he's beaten might save the world. The best in the series so far!
Rating:
Summary: This series is great.
Review: I am re-reading this whole series again. And everytime I read this series it gets better and better. I will not go into a big synopsis of this book let's just say these key words White Court,Red Court. Toot-Toot makes a great renewed appearance in this story and we finally get to meet his first love Elaine and how his young life revolved around her. Start with first book in the series you will understand better about the situation. But, read this series it's great.
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