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It makes for interesting reading. Firstly, there are a couple of very specific plot points that are predicated on events from the previous two books (this goes beyond the normal level of background carryover from previous books). Secondly, and most interestingly, Butcher is bringing up a lot more of the philosophy behind the choices Harry has to get through regarding good/evil and power. "Dead Beat" is the 7th in Butcher's "Dresden Files" series (which starts with Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) if you haven't read any of the series). So, I rate this at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5. And, once again, if you liked the previous Dresden novels, you'll like this one. It takes place about a year after the events in the previous book (Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6)). There are a couple of stylistic differences in this book, though.
All these problems notwithstanding - it is still a rip-roaring good read and I can't get enough of Harry Dresden. I can forgive the author almost anything and give this book 5 stars for using the reanimated corpse of Sue the T-Rex to defeat an army of zombies. It's True - this seventh installment of the series about Chicago's wisecracking supernatural gumshoe drags in places, some favorite characters are missing, Harry seems to be going off his rails and the author again stretches credulity to the limits by allowing our hero to defeat bad guys who are way too powerful.
But the stakes kept getting higher with each encounter he had with an opponent.Mr. I liked the Dresden series when it first started. Okay, Mr. And why he didn't end the whole thing a lot sooner.
And a TV series.I wish I could applaud Mr. Butcher's success, but instead, I wonder how he allowed this delightful series to get so far away from its original ideas. A new Dresden novel every six months. Butcher was churning out books purely for the sake of making money, and to heck with quality.
But he still got most of the action right. By the time I got to chapter 30 of book 7, I lost complete interest in Harry Dresden and decided that like so many others writers, Mr. It was witty, fun, interesting, and the characters felt very much alive. Butcher's style became more and more like hack writing.
At first, I thought it was because Harry was into trouble way beyond his ability to handle. Butcher still can't figure out which part of your hand you use to pull the trigger of a pistol, and which part you use to pull back the hammer. And the descriptions of Chicago were amazing, making me feel like I was right there.Then around book 5, the story began to feel more and more contrived.
Can Harry track down the artifact and stop doomsday. Harry Dresden, Wizard-for-Hire and self-assigned protector of Chicago, gets called upon by an old foe and blackmailed into hunting down an old relic. The only catch is that there are three other necromancers also fighting with Harry for control of the object, and whomever gets it will have access to harness the power of undeath.
This book also has my favorite fight scene from the series, which I will not reveal because it would be a major spoiler. I didn't have a problem understanding the characters and the world without having read the background, which I think is rather rare in a series. The magic in Butcher's books takes a lot more effort, willpower and knowledge to achieve. I'm also a fan of Laurell K.
First off, I confess to a literary sin- I did not begin reading this series with book 1. I'm so lucky to have randomly picked up this book. It comes off as more realistic, if I can use such an adjective for a fantasy book. I saw Dead Beat on a library shelf and decided to give it a try.
Hamilton, but in her books Anita's necromancy just comes naturally as an extension of herself. It was wonderful and Butcher just keeps getting better. This book totally hooked me, I immediately set out to read all of the books (this time starting with book 1). In comparison to the rest of the series, this book stands out as unique to me because of the element of necromancy that was conceived in a more interesting fashion than in any other fantasy books I've read.
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