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clevermird's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Harry Dresden is dead, but he's not about to let that stop him.
After sacrificing nearly everything to save his daughter, Chicago's only professional wizard found himself shot and killed by parties unknown. But instead of eternal reward, unending punishment, or oblivion, he instead wakes up in. . . Chicago? Turns out, his job isn't done yet and he has a choice: move into the hearafter and take what comes, or return as a ghost to pick up the pieces he left behind and save his friends from one last mortal danger. And of course he takes the latter.
Ghost Story is a necessary book, but not necessarily a good one. Well, that isn't entirely fair. This is Dresden Files, after all, and there hasn't been a truly bad book yet. But this is definitely one of the weaker ones. The story is forced to spend a lot of time on the mechanics of ghosts in the Dresden-verse and on catching us up with what the supporting cast has been doing since Harry's death, which interferes with the level of attention that can be spent on the plot itself, to the point that I didn't realize that there was a "big bad" with a specific plan (as opposed to a collection of smaller plotlines and character dramas) until they actually appeared in the story.
Worse still, the ostenisble goal for Harry's return - to find his killer - gets heavily sidelined throughout the book until it is suddenly returned to focus in the last few chapters. While there is an in-universe explanation for this, it contributes to an overall sense that the book is unfocused.
On the bright side, the character development and subplots in the book are quite good. Harry's ghostly status gives him an outside view of how his friends (many of whom are basically family at this point) are dealing with things - both his death and the repercussions of his actions against the Red Court, and his existance as memories brings out some previously-unknown details about his life before the start of Storm Front. Butcher has built a cast of characters that I genuinely care about here. It's messy, it's moving, at times it's heartbreaking, and it's always far more intriguing that the actual plot of the book. When I say that Ghost Stories was necessary, this is what I meant - the story benefits greatly from the chance to have a metaphorical reaction shot to everything that went down in Changes.
While Ghost Story is far from the strongest book in the series, the emotional payoffs make it well worth the time all the same.
After sacrificing nearly everything to save his daughter, Chicago's only professional wizard found himself shot and killed by parties unknown. But instead of eternal reward, unending punishment, or oblivion, he instead wakes up in. . . Chicago? Turns out, his job isn't done yet and he has a choice: move into the hearafter and take what comes, or return as a ghost to pick up the pieces he left behind and save his friends from one last mortal danger. And of course he takes the latter.
Ghost Story is a necessary book, but not necessarily a good one. Well, that isn't entirely fair. This is Dresden Files, after all, and there hasn't been a truly bad book yet. But this is definitely one of the weaker ones. The story is forced to spend a lot of time on the mechanics of ghosts in the Dresden-verse and on catching us up with what the supporting cast has been doing since Harry's death, which interferes with the level of attention that can be spent on the plot itself, to the point that I didn't realize that there was a "big bad" with a specific plan (as opposed to a collection of smaller plotlines and character dramas) until they actually appeared in the story.
Worse still, the ostenisble goal for Harry's return - to find his killer - gets heavily sidelined throughout the book until it is suddenly returned to focus in the last few chapters. While there is an in-universe explanation for this, it contributes to an overall sense that the book is unfocused.
On the bright side, the character development and subplots in the book are quite good. Harry's ghostly status gives him an outside view of how his friends (many of whom are basically family at this point) are dealing with things - both his death and the repercussions of his actions against the Red Court, and his existance as memories brings out some previously-unknown details about his life before the start of Storm Front. Butcher has built a cast of characters that I genuinely care about here. It's messy, it's moving, at times it's heartbreaking, and it's always far more intriguing that the actual plot of the book. When I say that Ghost Stories was necessary, this is what I meant - the story benefits greatly from the chance to have a metaphorical reaction shot to everything that went down in Changes.
While Ghost Story is far from the strongest book in the series, the emotional payoffs make it well worth the time all the same.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
alex_wordweaver's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had this book almost spoiled for me, or at least the part I should've guessed from the title. I was able to figure out the twist on my own, through sheer stubbornness. Nice to Uriel again!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Body horror, Gun violence, Vomit, and War
sexualedward's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.25
Butcher knows how to keep things fresh. The idea of Harry coming back as a ghost to solve his own murder is exactly what the elevator pitch of this series entails. That being, “A wizard/detective solving cases related to magic.”
The twist was something I was NOT expecting and I can’t wait to see where it takes everything.
Nice seeingCarmichael again.
This book acts as an epilogue to the last arc and a prologue to the next. It shows where Harry’s choices have taken both his friends and the rest of the world to, and what’s coming over the horizon next.
It also continues the trend of Butcher taking a character I didn’t care for and giving them buckets of personality. In this case, Mort.
The characters have changed in the wake of everything Harry’s done. Molly is in tatters, Butters has grown grown into another person, and Thomas is an absolute wreck. I wish there was more to Thomas than what we got, but I can see how that can make the book bloated. Could also be saved another time.
I’d love if Fitz could get some time in stories to come. He sounds awesome and, since Molly’s training is almost over, could be Harry’s new apprentice. If Molly was Harry’s apprentice in magic, maybe Fitz could be his apprentice in detective work?
The twist was something I was NOT expecting and I can’t wait to see where it takes everything.
Nice seeing
This book acts as an epilogue to the last arc and a prologue to the next. It shows where Harry’s choices have taken both his friends and the rest of the world to, and what’s coming over the horizon next.
It also continues the trend of Butcher taking a character I didn’t care for and giving them buckets of personality. In this case, Mort.
The characters have changed in the wake of everything Harry’s done. Molly is in tatters, Butters has grown grown into another person, and Thomas is an absolute wreck. I wish there was more to Thomas than what we got, but I can see how that can make the book bloated. Could also be saved another time.
I’d love if Fitz could get some time in stories to come. He sounds awesome and, since Molly’s training is almost over, could be Harry’s new apprentice. If Molly was Harry’s apprentice in magic, maybe Fitz could be his apprentice in detective work?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
saffire_sky's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail