Introducing Harry Dresden, Chicago's only Wizard for hire as a detective. Karrin Murphy, a Special Investigations police director who regularly hires Harry for his supernatural assistance on her murder cases. Warden Morgan of the White Council. Johnny Marcone, Chicago's mob boss. Giant Scorpions, and a Demon. The plot is entertaining, the character building is obvious, and the showdown inevitable. Not sure I'm a fan of all the fighting, but it would make a box-office hit in cinemas. ( )

(2000)Very good fantasy. 1st in Dresden Files series about a wizard who is a private detective and uses magic against magic and demons. Harry Dresden tries to solve a double murder in present day Chicago that could have only been done with magic and also a seeming unconnected case of missing person. Turns out the missing man got into magic and was the murderer. Harry must use magic to save himself and capture the other wizard.

Just OK. Mindless, fluff with a mix of murder and magic. I didn't totally hate it but I'm not in a hurry to read more. ( )

Yeah...ok. I'm told you have to get to about Book 4 for it to get really good. It wasn't bad. Just...ok. ( )

My introduction to the character of Harry Dresden actually came from the short-lived TV series. So I had a good idea what the stories are like. But I didn't know how delightful Jim Butcher's narrative is. Harry's first-person narration is funny, warm, and engaging. His descriptions of places are evocative without disrupting the story flow. And Butcher's pacing is a wonder to experience. Were it not too late to do so, I would have gone to the bookstore tonight to get the next in the series. Ah well, there is tomorrow... ( )

this book came recommended by a friend. He said if I enjoyed paranormal romance and thrillers I would enjoy this one. He was right. Harry is funny witty and has this nerdy charm about Him. I havent decided yet if I will be reading the rest of the series I have a long list of stuff I want to get read before the end of 2015 so we will see how it goes. ( )

I acquired this audiobook from one of the Audible sales, based primarily on the strength of the positive user ratings and because I thought a wizard PI sounded amusing. But I'm not a big fan of hardboiled crime fiction, so I had fairly low expectations. Harry Dresden was a pleasant surprise. This unkempt, socially maladept, dryly funny wizard caught my attention and my sympathies right away. I loved that his magical world seemed real enough to believe in. James Marsters brought him to life with such an excellent performance that I didn't even notice the editing flaws that so many Audible reviewers complained about. And I'm delighted to see that there are twelve more books in the series, and that Jim Butcher is still writing them. I've found a new favorite. ( )

Take your standard noir detective with a sarcastic frame of mind and a weakness for helping damsels in distress, add in wizardry, vampires, werewolves, talking skulls, pizza loving fairies and all things paranormal and this is what you get. It might not be original but its tons of fun. Storm Front's story is a delirious mishmash of noir and cop show clichés, by way of epic fantasy, and set-dressed by the art department of Hammer Horror, which means it was totally written for me. I look forward to reading more in the The Dresden Files series.

8/1/2021: Re-read. This series and this book is still highly entertaining and a great quick read. ( )

I love Harry Dresden as a character. He is comedic,witty and he deals with magic which is always a bonus in my fantasy driven mind. I also love the story line so far. I love crime shows and this has the same kind of feel too it ( )

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a (perpetually) down on his luck wizard for hire. Named after three popular magicians it's no wonder the guy became a wizard. First, let me say that I really liked this book. Harry was a really likable character and I just felt so bad for him because the poor just couldn't seem to catch a break. He is currently a month behind rent and struggling to get work. When two jobs fall in his lap the same day it looks like things may be looking up on the money front.
The first case should be open and shut, a woman trying to find her husband, all signs point to a man trying to sow his wild oats. The second case is a bit much, helping the police solve two brutal murders.

Butcher is very believable in his bringing magic into Chicago. It almost makes me believe there could be wizards and witches out there. Butcher also doesn't bore us with too much backstory instead sprinkling it in in a way that encourages you to keep reading.

All side characters were great and surprisingly fleshed out. My favorites were Mister, Bob, and Mac. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and with the series totaling about 13 books, I know I can turn to the Dresden Series when I need to get back into reading. ( )

This is the first Harry Dresden book I've read and really enjoyed both the storyline, and Harry Dresden himself.

I'll definitely be reading more in this series. ( )

Starting to write reviews here to mark which books I've read. I quite enjoyed this, it's a good blend of fantasy, humor and crime/noir-ish story and does a good job of setting up a series/world. I actually read this a while ago, haven't gotten around to continuing the series but I'd like to, at some point.
It definitely delivers on its premise, so if my above description of genres/themes is what you're looking for, I'd recommend it. ( )

I am so glad I finally decided to give this book series a chance. I enjoyed so much about it and was interested from start to finish. The author drops the reader right into the middle of this magical world, which feels very real, due to the way Butcher mostly explains some of the magical mechanics almost off-handedly, rather than as a big info dump. It almost felt like I’d jumped into the middle of an ongoing series, even though this is book #1, but not in a bad way that made me feel like I was struggling to understand. I did have some confusion early on, but not enough to lessen my enjoyment.

The mystery/detective side of the story was interesting in its own right, but add in the vampires, fairies, and demons, and it was more of a thrill ride. I also really appreciated the wit throughout the story, which I picked up on in the first few chapters. And I have a feeling that Bob could become a favorite of mine.

I knew what I was getting into, as far as content goes, but for anyone who doesn’t really know—there is quite a bit of sexual content, though nothing gratuitous. Even when Dresden spends a decent stretch of time naked, the reader isn’t reminded of it constantly, and in fact, I forgot a few times that he was naked. There’s also some language, but not actually as much as I anticipated. And there’s certainly some violence, but again, it’s not gratuitous. All of these content issues together aren’t enough to discourage me from continuing the series (and my tolerance is fairly low, especially compared to the average reader).

I listened to the audiobook narrated by James Marsters, which I’ll admit went a long way to pushing me to finally start this series. I highly recommend the book in general, and his narration specifically. If you’re a fan of mystery and detective noir novels, and enjoy or at least can tolerate the addition of supernatural elements (and the content warning I gave), you should give this book a read. ( )

3 stars because it would have been 5 without the misogyny

TBH I did actually like how the story carried itself--Harry is always in some kind of deep shit, and I did like how the magic system was constructed. Haven't really got anything to base this off of, I haven't really read any mystery thrillers / Noire novels to base off of it, and I'm easy to entertain. ( )

Puerile
I tried this book because I read a short story in Unfettered by Butcher based in this same world that was really good! SADLY,this isn't.
Should be listed as young adult. And even at that i wouldn't rate it higher. Facile reasoning was bad enough, but I tried slogging past that, since it had soo many good ratings...
NOPE. After I made it 80% through, the facile reasoning turned into my pet peeve, plot errors for the sake of action/ drama.
Didn't finish the last 15 percent ( )

This was so fun! ( )

This was okay. Some moments of fun and humour but a lot of moments of cliche. I know it's a first book, so perhaps all settles down as the series continues.

That said, it was a fun little book to read and a good distraction from real life. :) ( )

These should really all vary between about 2.5 and 2.75, but goodreads doesn't do partial stars. ( )

Reading it was a chore, but the audiobook was OK ( )

little dry for my taste. ( )

Cringeworthy, sexist drivel. I held out for about a third of the book but eventually I just couldn’t go on. See this review (not mine) for examples about why: https://www.thefandomentals.com/storm-front-study-sexism/ ( )

For all its inevitable faults I stand firmly by my opinion that it is still one of, if not The Best of the Dresden Files. It achieved exactly what it set out to do, which is be an urban-fantasy-neo-noir-comedy (what a mouthful!). It's original, witty, and well-paced. You aren't about to scale the depths of the human psyche here. Jim (whether aware of it at the time or not) is saving that journey for later. Sure, I could sit here and criticize the sexist over AND undertones, the predictability, and the "beach-read" vibe of the prose. In fact, I did just that after the first time reading through it 5 years ago. But what I didnt realize at the time is that this story (and the next 4 books, while we're at it) due to its roots in the historically chauvinist and utterly misogynistic noir genre shouldn't necessarily be held to a higher moral or artistic standard. It's fun! It's just plain old ass-kicking fun! Storm Front offers a story where you can revel in the unashamedly basic stock-characters and their frustratingly delightful tropes with the promise of something more, something truly innovative just around the corner. ( )

I don't usually read fantasy and wizardry books but I thought I would expand my horizons. I found it to be enjoyable and engaging with a good dose of humour and very well narrated in audio format. 3.5 stars. ( )

Listened to the audio version and enjoyed it (thanks JM). There are parts of this series that I really like (wryness, setting), and parts that annoy me quite a bit (every gendered interaction). Generally enjoyable. ( )

Not a bad light read. Harry Dresden is going to have to become a bit of a more interesting character, his quips (and the writing in general) a little better and the stories a little more carefully plotted to keep me interested in the series, though. ( )