I really wanted to like The Dresden Files, I really did. If for no other reason than to access the various crossover fics there are.

But the series just isn't clicking for me so far. The first book wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I would say just below average. It also did quite a bad job of explaining things, it felt like I'd started in the middle of the series than the beginning of it (I checked, I hadn't). I have barely any idea who the White Council is, what they do and if normal people even know about magic. Murphy does but Fool Moon shows that some don't and Dresden has so far not explained it properly.

I'm on Fool Moon now and it isn't looking any better. I was told Dresden is a fairly strong (Both literally and figuratively) protagonist but near the end of Chapter 4 (Approximately 11.4% into the book), he physically cowers at the mere thought of a werewolf.

I mean, I don't mind if my protagonists aren't all fearless but the above reaction is taking it a bit far. This is a werewolf that has no interestin him at all, has no idea he exists and is probably dozens of miles away.

I just want to know: Does it get beeter? If so, when?

 

It gets a lot better. For most people that point is book 4 Summer knight. I think that book as also been recommended as a good starting point for the series.

 

General consensus is that either book 3 or 4 is where it really gets going (personally, I like the first two, although they're not the strongest entries in the series).

As for Dresden being terrified of the werewolf...well, first actually finish Fool Moon (his fear is totally justified), and then read the rest of the series. He takes several levels of badass.

 

Fool Moon is bad.

I'd suggest skipping it and reading Grave Peril then Summer Knight, which are the start of the good Dresden books. Anything you need to know from Fool Moon (basically nothing) will be referenced later anyway.

 

Summer Knight. There it stops being serials of Dresden vs. Monster of the Week and starts playing the Big Game. Plus the Fae are just awesome. Plus Murphy stops making your ears bleed every* time she opens her donut hole.


* Just most of the time.

 

General consensus and my personal opinion is that Fool Moon is the weakest book in the series.

I always recommend folks start with Book 3 - a couple of events in that book resonate through the rest of the series, and it's where we meet Michael Carpenter, who is arguably the most important supporting character - but besides that, Butcher finally found his stride as an author, and the writing itself just improves immensely.

 

Fool moon is the worst, and it really makes it tough to like Murphy as a character, and she gets shoved down your throat for the entire series.

Jim Butcher personally recommends that you start on book 7, which I do find laughable, but I can't help but agree since book 6 is quite bad as well.

 

The early books are a chore but they're worth it in the long run. Denarians, Far, Mouse. All good stuff. Unfortunately if you ever want to have a hope of liking Murphy as a character Butcher is probably right and you shouldn't start before book 7.

Also.

The dude rides a zombie T-Rex. That's enough said.

 

As someone who hasn't read the third book, I'd agree with this.

I read the first two and got bored, so skipped the third book and jumped straight to the fourth. Now - don't get me wrong. The fourth book was awesome, and actually kicked off the series really well. But I really feel at some points that I'm missing a lot of context from the third book, because actual shit happened there that doesn't really get explained elsewhere.

I don't think this is the case with the first two books - you can probably skip them just fine and go about your life.

 

Fool Moon isn't just bad, it fucking sucks. Really. Grave Peril is number three and of the three I've read so far (btw, I was supposed to be reading Summer Knight, damn you real life) it's the best one. I guess push through Fool Moon, Grave Peril is an order of magnitude better.

 

This is a common reaction and gets asked a lot.

Like everyone is saying, the first two books suck. It was Butcher's first real work (published), he was young, blabla. Third is when I (and a lot of people) really got into the series, and four is really good. After that, the only disappoinment was Ghost Story, which is waay down the line.

Also, Harry Dresden starts off as a very normal, realistic twenties? something wizard in a world where millenia old monsters ruthlessly prey on humanity. This isn't HP fanfiction where super!Harry pwns the world at sixteen. It's a very ruthless and realistic world, and barely being considered an adult, but still mostly a young, naive kid by the experienced wizards, isn't a situation where you're an unstoppable badass. Harry starts kinda weak, just barely into the real world. But he grows, massively and immensely. It takes a long time, there are a lot of books, but in the later ones he's a credible, feared badass.

 

Spoilers for Fool Moon ahead:

One of the Alphas is named Georgia. She is hawt. Dresden gets no piece of her.

Another of the Alphas is named Andi (though unnamed in FM). She is also hawt. Dresden gets no piece of her, either.

Werewolves are genuinely terrifying and Murphy is bitchy. Harry suspects the werewolves are part of something bigger.

Congrats, you can now go to Grave Peril assured that you haven't missed any other relevant backstory.

 

I will be genuinely surprised if there's more than a handful of female characters in the series who aren't describe as hot. Like, there's Murphy, and then that's the whole list.

 

Trololol. Murphy's looks are described "like a favorite aunt."

Also, Demonform!Tessa. Not hawt.

 

I suppose there's Martha Liberty, but I recall Ancient Mai being a bit ambiguous (damn asians).

 

Ancient Mai is described as that one withered old asian woman you always see on the corner in Chinatown or whatever. She's most decidedly not hot, though she might have been once upon a time.

 

I dunno if even she is exempt from the 'everybody must be hot' thing. I read a scene once where it seemed like she was trying to seduce Dresden, and for the life of me I honestly cannot remember whether it was canon or a fanfiction. o______o

 

I think I remember a scene in (might have been Awaken Sleeper) where her nipples are described in detail.

 

Afair, Ancient Mai was described as old but beautiful. Like, imagine those 40-50 year old Asian total milfs who look like in their mid 20s.

 

I looked up the Dresden wiki.

Source.

It's official. Not even 400 year old women are exempt!