A review by bigbookslilreads
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
3.0
First Jim Butcher read, and I was hooked.
As a first book in a long series, Storm Front starts off Harry Dresden's story as an entertaining and fast-paced read that got me wanting to pick it back up every time. However, it is not without its flaws.
The book picks up some of the stereotypical detective and noir tropes: a lone man doing investigation for the police gets involved in more danger than he can chew right off the bat, getting in trouble with the mob, with the police, and with a number of attractive women. However, it also includes elements of urban fantasy, with the detective being a self-proclaimed wizard investigating the supernatural in our regular old-world. As someone who reads more fantasy than detective stories, this mix of genres was what I was looking for the most.
Even though this hasn't been explored in a completely unique way so far, it has opened up interesting possibilities for future instalments.
Because of the utilisation of the above-mentioned tropes, Storm Front's fast-pace does not hide its predictability and sexism. The twists didn't feel like twists at all. The characters were also prone to stereotypes and a certain blandness: the tough female cop with a heart-of-gold and a motherly and soft touch for the MC, the journalist seducing the MC for a story (not to mention plenty of other women trying to seduce the MC just because he's apparently that sexy-but-geeky-knight)... The MC is, in my opinion, the most interesting character introduced here, with a talent for stupidity but also self-doubt and humility that allows one to feel some tension throughout the story. He is fallible, often in a hilarious manner, but can also pull through with the use of some intelligence and experience
However, the case for sexism cannot be solved here. I heard about others saying it was handled tactfully, but I have to disagree. Every time a female character was introduced she was reduced to her looks or her feminine traits. There was even the case of a powerful supernatural female being that couldn't stand the MC because he saw her at her most "bestial" and "ugly" self. I would find myself trying to excuse this prevalent aspect of the book because of the noir aesthetic the author was trying to create, but I feel this wasn't an essential component of that, and it could be made more current. However, it just remained an offensive cliché.
I was still very much entertained by this story and I plan on continuing with the series. Especially because even most fans agree that this first book is the weakest. However I do hope that it improves in terms of world-building and characterisation.
As a first book in a long series, Storm Front starts off Harry Dresden's story as an entertaining and fast-paced read that got me wanting to pick it back up every time. However, it is not without its flaws.
The book picks up some of the stereotypical detective and noir tropes: a lone man doing investigation for the police gets involved in more danger than he can chew right off the bat, getting in trouble with the mob, with the police, and with a number of attractive women. However, it also includes elements of urban fantasy, with the detective being a self-proclaimed wizard investigating the supernatural in our regular old-world. As someone who reads more fantasy than detective stories, this mix of genres was what I was looking for the most.
Even though this hasn't been explored in a completely unique way so far, it has opened up interesting possibilities for future instalments.
Because of the utilisation of the above-mentioned tropes, Storm Front's fast-pace does not hide its predictability and sexism. The twists didn't feel like twists at all
Spoiler
as I was foreseeing some interlinking between cases from the startHowever, the case for sexism cannot be solved here. I heard about others saying it was handled tactfully, but I have to disagree. Every time a female character was introduced she was reduced to her looks or her feminine traits. There was even the case of a powerful supernatural female being that couldn't stand the MC because he saw her at her most "bestial" and "ugly" self. I would find myself trying to excuse this prevalent aspect of the book because of the noir aesthetic the author was trying to create, but I feel this wasn't an essential component of that, and it could be made more current. However, it just remained an offensive cliché.
I was still very much entertained by this story and I plan on continuing with the series. Especially because even most fans agree that this first book is the weakest. However I do hope that it improves in terms of world-building and characterisation.