Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10)

I first picked up one of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files a few years ago. At the time I didn't know it was a series, but I enjoyed the read. There's humor, philosophy, and a morality I can buy into thrown into an entertaining, fast paced story. As long as the genre does not throw you all on its own, you'll enjoy the stories of the wizard Harry Dresden, as he becomes more seriously involved in countering ever darker foes. As for the writing, the first couple books were either a little above or below par for the course among new urban fantasy writers. I'd say which, but I can never remember which means good. Golf metaphors confuse me. Anyway, each book in the series actually got better, and considering that most series get steadily worse, and that even the earliest books were quite enjoyable, that's saying something.

As he goes on, Butcher moved from good to great, from "I'll certainly read that when I have time" to "I pre-order his books with overnight shipping and don't make any other plans for the day after they release." If you're new to butcher, go buy the rest of the series and read them in order; you'll really get a lot more out of them, and then buy this, and each new book as he writes them. If you know you like butcher, you're not reading this review...you've already read the book, love it, and are counting down the days till the next release. If you're not sure if this genre is for you, and to be honest some people just have trouble getting the combination of fantasy and the real world, go read some of his short stories in "Side Jobs" or one of the other anthologies.

To me, it's good escapism, thought provoking without being preachy. It's far enough from the real world to not sound like a news story, without becoming a frilly fantasy tale we can't relate to seriously.

I have the entire series. These are fun, books. I loved the TV show and was disappointed when it stopped. I hope they bring it back. In the meantime, the books are great.

Another Dresden Files book. Slightly weaker than the ones right before it, but a weak Dresden Files book is a lot better than a lot of other books I have read.

I'm sure you read the basic plot from the other reviews, so I'm getting straight to why it disappointed me a little...for some reason, I found it hard to stay with this story. Maybe because it had so many names and references from previous stories, and I was getting everyone mixed up. I didn't quite get the Marcone kidnapping part, and exactly WHY were the fey involved? I don't believe it was properly explained. The main reaso why I am disappointed is MURPHY DID NOT TAKE THE SWORD!!! I just knew she was going to be knighted with this book!! When Dresden threw the sword to her and it lighted up, I'm like "YES, FINALLY!" ans SHE DECLINED! Also, I didn't like that Murphy was getting all sweet on Kincaid, and Dresden with his captain. C'mon, Butcher, you know the two are meant for each other!! Find a way to make it happen!! lol

Though this is the 10th in the series it was the first one I read. I must say it was pretty confusing in parts because I didn't know much about all the magic or the different characters and they past they had with Dresden so I found it somewhat hard to grow particularly close to anyone person in the book. However, other then that I really enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series. I liked the way that it was written and the different way that it approached the field of magic with, wizards having different specialties and was of progressing. I think that if you were to start reading these books though, I would say start from the beginning I think that it would be more enjoyable and easier to follow.

Like his earlier books in the series, the continuation is just as thrilling, gripping, suspensive, artful, and humourous as the beginning of the series. The book can be read without the rest of the series but does leave some gaps if done that way. It is always infinitely more pleasurable to read, watch, experience, and live with the character as he develops through the series.

I'm not too sure what to think of this edition of the Dresden Files. While it was well written, it seemed a little too fast paced to keep up with all the detail. While these books should be read in order, due to the numerous books in the series, I'm not going to bother recapping them. The most important things about these books is that Harry Dresden is a wizard, a real one with his own ad in the Chicago yellow pages.

Due to an exchange with a faerie, and in turn getting his debt sold to the Queen of faeries, Dresden owes Queen Mab a favor. It isn't enough that he has to go rescue someone he doesn't like from the dangerous Demon Denarians however, once again someones trying to kill him. For as of yet unknown reasons, the Summer Faeries are out for his blood and sending the Gruff brothers (each one bigger than the last) after him to take his life. With the Gruffs behind him every step of the way, he has to wheedle and deal with the Denarians in order to retrieve the Archive. As always, he and his friends are in danger the entire time.

Harry's character fell a little flat in this one. He still had his humour and aptitude for magic, but he didn't seem as personal as he usually is. It was harder to connect with him in this book. Murphy also has a lesser part and isn't described as well in this book. Usually she has a lot of imagery associated with her and that just wasn't there this time. Michael and Sanya were ok, but surprisingly didn't play a very big part in this book even though it involved the Denarians. Everyone else played minor roles as well.

Butcher is normally a very descriptive writer; and while he still is in this novel (its one of the longer ones) it just seemed to fast and the detail wasn't in the important parts. Regardless, the plot was interesting and one of his better ones. I just wish he had fleshed it out more. All of these books involve a world that is very involved. While it does mirror the regular Chicago, Butcher's Chicago takes in account the magic that permeates all of Dresden's life. And he does a good job of it. He makes it very believable and especially because its written in the first person, we see it all in Harry's view.

Overall I greatly enjoy the series and look forward to the next. There's only three more so far to go so I'll have to make sure to savor each.

Small Favor
Copyright 2008
541 pages

Review By M. Reynard 2010