jethrien

Title: Changes
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Urban Fantasy (Book 12 of continuing series)
Thingummies: 4.5

Synopsis: Harry Dresden is a wizard. In modern Chicago. In this series, he solves mysteries, fights crime, and makes poor decisions regarding who to be a jerk to. The series started out as episodic paranormal mysteries, has become increasingly myth-arc focused, and in this book finally gives up any pretense at being episodic. The first sentence is a spoiler for much of the earlier parts of the series. Harry and Susan's daughter is kidnapped by the Red Court vampires. Harry calls in pretty much every favor anyone has ever owed him to help rescue his kid. But even that doesn't seem enough to win a happy ending when you're going up against nigh-gods.

Thoughts: I adore the Dresden Files. I find that Butcher is a master of blending humor with pathos, which gets me every time. (See my love of Buffy, later Terry Prachett, better Peter David, and anything Gail Simone has ever written.)

There really isn't a way to talk about this book without spoilers. This is the first Dresden book that does not have a two-word pun title. It's pretty accurate, too--by the end, Butcher manages to bring up nearly every minor character, recurring villain, and unresolved plot arc, and change Harry's relationship with just about all of them. And then he ends on a cliff-hanger. (Don't look up a synopsis of the book coming out in July unless you want that completely spoiled as well. Although I'm really curious to see where he's going with this, given that he ) We have at least passing references to Susan, Martin, Mab, Maeve, Marcone, Murphy, Molly, the rest of the Carpenters, Nicodemus, Father Forthill, Captain Luccio, the Merlin, Injun Joe, Ebeneezer, Toot toot, the rest of the younger Wardens, Sanya, the Erlking, Gard, Ivy and her bodyguard, Randolph, the FBI werewolves, the human sacrifice guy, Bianca, Ortega, the rest of the Red Court, Thomas, Lara, the rest of the White Court, the White Council, the Black Council, the Grey Council, Harry's mother, and Butters. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. Really, the only people I can think of who weren't involved somehow were the Summer Court and the Black Court. And that dragon who showed up at the Red Court party in like the second book and has never been seen again.

Almost all the plot hooks get wrapped up. The only big mystery left I can think of is what's up with that island off the coast of Chicago.

So SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS Butcher upsets everything--ends the war that's dominated the series, makes Harry the Winter Knight like he's resisted for nearly as long, gives the childless orphan a kid and a grandfather, resolves Susan and sparks something with Murphy--and then promptly negates it all by killing Harry on the very last page.

Apparently, he's a ghost in the next book. Butcher says he's got ideas for books numbered into the 20s. Anyone want to take bets on whether Harry acquires a body again, and how?

Oh, Jim Butcher, I hate you.