REVIEW: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
Publishing Information: 2001 (first publishing) 2001 (current edition)
Publisher: Roc Fantasy, Mass-Market Paperback, 439 pgs
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-45844-5
Series: The Dresden Files Book #3
Reviewer: Andy
Copy: Out of Pocket

Synopsis: (from back of book): Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant Scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book. But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone-or something- is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....

Given the serialized nature of a series like Dresden, the biggest danger is falling into the formula trap. When an author is producing 1.5 books of a series per year, all somewhere between 380-500 pages, its easy to simply repeat what has been done before and write self-contained novels that don't push a larger story forward. For example, the comfort of watching a popular sitcom on television is that each week you know that characters will be right back where they began at their natural standpoint as if nothing ever happened. This creates a sense of familiarity at the expense of character development.

I sincerely hoped Butcher would not fall into that trap. Butcher could produce a one-shot mystery for us each time without a deeper storyline, but in that case his novels wouldn't have much more substance than Nancy Drew. Thankfully, Grave Peril, Butcher's third novel in the Dresden Files, indicated that it is willing to take the series in new directions. A new partner, by the name of Michael is introduced, a pious and holy cross between a character from Camelot and a character from Highlander. Michael deepens the religious themes in the series, as he constantly cautions Harry against premarital sex and lying. The moral rigidity of Michael adds a nice foil to the rule-bending and brash maverick Harry.

And even better, we begin to explore Harry's past. Apparently, Harry owes some kind of soul-debt to a creepy fairy godmother that pesters him throughout the novel. There is a strange sexual tension between the two characters and this is complicated by Harry's growing affection for reporter Susan Rodriguez. We learn more about vampire politics and the various vampire factions that compose the vampire underworld. These elements enrich the Dresden universe while adding enough intrigue and character development to keep the series fresh....

Still though, this series causes me minor annoyances on many levels. There are constantly monotonous info-drops in every novel, the serve to fill first time readers in on Harry and his modus operandi. Butcher attempts to be clever with quite a bit of the dialogue, but often ends up sounding cornball. The 1st-person Harry has a flare for the dramatic, as he tries to explain his life in the most dramatic way possible, and often ends up sounding like someone with a deeply constructed narcissistic narrative about themselves. Meanwhile, there are knockout femme fatales that make eyes at Harry around every corner, even offering him sexual favors. This charade gets tiresome quickly and makes you wonder if the novel's target audience is teenage boys or Butcher is simply playing out his personal fantasies. More mature readers may roll their eyes during these moments.

Still, there is plenty to like about the Dresden series. It's fun urban fantasy, with a pulp noir and a horror twist and this novel might open the story up a bit for future books.

Plot……….7/10

Characters………6/10

Style……….5.5/10

Overall……….6.5/10

REVIEW: The City & The City by China Miéville

The City & The City by China Miéville
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (UK) (15 May 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405000171
ISBN-13: 978-1405000178
Copy: Bought On-Line
Reviewer: Yagiz

When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Besźel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984 , "The City & The City" is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.

On the surface, The City & The City is a detective novel. It is told in the first-person and its narrator is Tyador Borlú of the Besźel Extreme Crime Squad. Borlú investigates the murder of a young foreign woman. Her body is found in Besźel but the investigation slowly reveals that the case spans both cities. As the case progresses, the focus of the story shifts to the setting. For a while, the reader doesn't really comprehend how exactly these two cities are connected. In the beginning it is easy to suspect various possibilities, especially for the readers who already know how unpredictable Miéville's imagination can be.

At its core, Miéville's 2010 Clarke Award-winner book is the tale of two cities: Besźel and Ul Qoma. The author doesn't reveal the exact location of these cities but given the references to some eastern European countries like Turkey and Bulgaria, the reader's mind places them on the eastern edge of Europe. The truly unique setting is executed brilliantly and Miéville masterfully reveals how intertwined his twin cities are.

The readers who have read the author's previous books may be surprised or even disappointed in the lack of strongly weird and fantastical traits. As Miéville seems to like to experiment with different concepts in his books, one may expect to encounter highly surreal aspects. However the setting and its execution are what make this book unique. Furthermore the characters are very satisfactory. As usual, the prose and the author's style don't disappoint.

I also think that The City & The City is a thought-provoking book. Before moving to a relatively small Irish city, I had only lived in very large cities, including Istanbul, the fourth largest city in the world with its 13 million inhabitants. Miéville made me think about the cities contained in these metropolises. I'm not only talking about China Town or Little Italy, but he made me think about the inner-cities with financial, cultural, religious or educational frontiers set by their inhabitants. It was about the beggar or the drunkard that we unsee in the corner of a street or about the districts we avoid at all costs.

With his amazing imagination and talent, Miéville continues to be unconventional. His astonishing ability to confuse and surprise his readers persists in his award-winning The City & The City. I would highly recommend this truly unique book.

Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Style: 9

Overall 9/10

Reviewer: Tyson

The City & the City is my first experience with Miéville and I came into this book not knowing what to expect. What I had after I had finished the book was a top-notch detective story with elements of the fantastical.

While it takes a while to figure out just what the heck is going on between the two cities, you do see a lot of parallels to life in a large city, I live in one of the largest cities in the world, Seoul. Seoul has one of the largest population by density and in order to survive the rigours of daily life you have to blank or zone out some of the seedier elements of the city. In The City & The City you are required to forget or un-see the other city or face the possibility of punishment, imprisonment, or far worse.

The City and the City was an exceptional detective novel with a great twist. It was a great introduction to Miéville and does an excellent job of showing us why it is the award winner that it is.



Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Style: 9

Overall 8.5/10