The Dresden Files

At work I volunteered to run the Book Club. I spend a lot of time each month looking over the bestseller lists, Barnes and Noble, the Library websites and Amazon, trying to find a great book. I do a lot of research, a lot of mulling and then select a book that's different that I think most everyone will like. For October I wanted to try a different genre, so I looked into the Fantasy category and stumbled across the Dresden Files.

The best way I can describe the Dresden Files is that it's a Harry Potter series for adults. The main character is a wizard named Harry Dresden, who advertises himself as such in the phonebook and occasionally helps out the Chicago PD with "Special" cases. Everyone lists it as a Sci-fi genre, but it's really more Fantasy. Its a veritable shopping list that includes pretty much every aspect of anything fantasy, faeries, demons, vampires, werewolves, angels, exorcisms, magic, sorcerers and so much more. Of course, since it's Harry Potter for adults, there is swearing, sex, violence and gore; all things that make a book good.

The first book was just ok, the dialogue was rather cliche, but it was interesting enough for me to read the second and third books. I just finished the third today, Grave Peril, and they just keep getting better and better. I've made a little (DF) next to the Dresden File books in my book review section. Harry keeps developing as a character and you slowly find out more and more about his past. The plots gets so much more interesting and complex, and I loved the third one so much that I finished it in two days! There are 10 books in the series so far, and the 11st is slated to come out April next year.

They made a TV series following the books, but I don't know how good it is. They also came out with some graphic novels, if that's more your thing.

If I had to compare them to something already out there; I would say it's a cross between Harry Potter, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King and a really suspenseful Dean Koontz book. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a good series to start, and I can't wait to keep reading them!