Storm Front by Jim Butcher

You readers probably don't follow me on Goodreads, but if you do, you know I've fallen behind on my reading schedule. However, the blog hasn't caught up. I decided to take some time away to do a game jam (which I won), and as you know, it's hard to jump between modes of activity. Working on one game naturally sparks ideas for a lot more games. Before the game jam, I blasted through this book by Jim Butcher. My first taste of Butcher was int he audio book of The Aeronaut's Windlass, which really rocked my socks, so I was excited to check out his acclaimed Dresden Files.

And this introductory story of Harry Dresden delivered on all fronts. Harry Dresden is an old soul and wizard-for-hire in the city of Chicago, a big town bursting with character. You can tell Butcher is an avid player of table top games. His narrative voice connects so easily with our memories of that competent nerd who keeps surprising you with their hidden brilliance. Dresden is the wizard within all of us who love fantasy and consider ourselves a bit more wizardly than our typical entourage. He's not espcecially Woke, but even the most progressive of us like to get comfy sometimes, especially with a good story in our hands.

I wouldn't say the story of Storm Front is perfect, but it scratches an itch while, most importantly, begs us to keep reading.