On The Nightstand – Brief Cases – 6/24/2018

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve missed Harry Dresden. I picked up “Storm Front” in 2000 when it was first released and was immediately hooked. Over the course of 15 years and 15 books, I gradually fell in love not just with Harry but with every odd-ball member of his extended family – Karin Murphy, his Chicago Police Lieutenant friend – Bob, his skull bound “Spirit of Intellect” sidekick – Thomas, his White Court Half Brother Vampire – Molly Carpenter, his apprentice, aka Grasshopper or Palawan – Michael Carpenter, Molly’s father and a Knight of the Cross – Gentleman Johnny Marcone, the ruthless and oddly principled leader of the Chicago Underworld – Mouse, Harry’s dog – and Waldo Butters, the polka loving, computer gaming, closet-nerd Chicago Coroner who ultimately takes up Fidelacchius, which manifests for him as a Light Sabre, and enters into service as the newest and oddest of the three Knights of the Cross. I read a lot – I’ve read so many good books and so many good, extended series – and I can honestly say – with the possible exception of Steven Brust’s “Vlad Taltos” books – that no collection of stories and no collection of characters has brought me more joy than “The Dresden Files”. I even tried very hard to like the crushingly mediocre TV adaptation that was released a decade ago.

Every new “Dresden Files” release is – for me – cause for celebration. I buy them the day they’re available and I read them the day they arrive. In addition to the humor they deliver, the extremely well constructed supernatural universe that exists side by side with our own mundane world, the quality of the mystery at the heart of every story – the books are about heroes – and not just super-charged practitioners of magic – but mundane, normal, human heroes like Karin and Butters who still find a way to face fear, confront evil, loyally serve and ultimately triumph. They’re also about both friends and family and the strength that comes those critical relationships. I see a fair number of posts by my fellow bloggers asking the question – what fictional world would you choose to live in if you could. For me – there are only three – Harry Dresden’s Chicago, Vlad Taltos’ Adrilankha and – of course – Middle Earth. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than be a member of Harry’s posse.

Having said all that – I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a bit of concern when this book was released. Butcher’s last full length Dresden File novel – “Skin Game” – was released three years ago in 2015. I’ve been expecting the next installment for quite some time and was starting to wonder whether Butcher was getting tired of Harry or if he’d written himself into a corner and couldn’t write himself out. When “Brief Cases” – a short story collection – was announced, those worries started to intensify and while I went into the book with hope intact – I was also prepared to be disappointed.

I really shouldn’t have worried. While this was a different experience, while the first story in the collection was a bit of a disappointment, while three of the stories had already been released in a short publication called “Working For Bigfoot” – I have to say I loved the book and I loved it for two reasons. First – it gave me some really enjoyable short pieces about several members of Harry’s crew – a great story about Johnny Marcone that helps you understand why we like him in spite of the life he leads, an interesting story about Molly that filled in some narrative holes between “Changes” and “Ghost Story”, a second very good story about Molly that shows her beginning to grow into her role as the new Winter Lady of the Unseelie Court and a very fun story about Butters and the first time he’s called to serve as a Knight of the Court. If you are – as I am – a true and devoted baseball fan – you won’t help but be able to love the story about the Cubs World Series Curse. Finally, it all came together beautifully in the end with Zoo Day – the story that shows Harry grappling for the first time with the challenges of parenthood. I went in wondering what I would find. I ended with a huge smile on my face after reading a book that was all about family and how it sits at the center of all we are.

One final element of the book that I really enjoyed – Butcher prefaced every story with a brief prologue that allowed him to explain his love for the characters he’d developed, how they’d come to be and/or what he was attempting to do with his narrative. I’ve never taken the time to read anything from Butcher about his own writing and what was propelling him and I found these short prologues to be both entertaining and insightful – in a way that left me loving the stories and the characters that much more.

I’m still anxiously awaiting his next Dresden novel but this was more than enough to tide me over.

Thank you Jim – for a great day and for making that flight much shorter than it otherwise would have been. 😀