Comments on: Jim Butcher: Storm Front

By: Dad

Dad — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:21:57 +0000

I think your question about Harry’s uniqueness needs explaining, itsself. But later volumes slowly reveal Harry’s complex heritage, and that may answer your question. The mystery in Storm Front is, indeed, dull, but the series improves, cf. your essay on Sandman. And then there’s LoTR’s slow windup, which defeated you for years.

By: Michael Rawdon

Michael Rawdon — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:05 +0000

June: The problem with that explanation is it doesn’t explain why Harry is the only one who sets up shop in this way. It suggests that Harry is the first wizard – or at least the only wizard of his generation – interested in connecting with the mundane world. Which begs the question: Why is not a single other wizard interested in doing so? What makes Harry different? That’s what’s not explained.

Essentially, Storm Front introduces elements of the wizarding world without any significant explanation of why it works the way it does. So the story is split: The mystery is the driving force of the story, but the mystery is not very interesting; Harry’s background is much more interesting, but isn’t explored in any depth and mainly serves as a cheap way to ratchet up the tension on the main story. It’s the worst of both worlds.

By: June

June — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:13:24 +0000

FYI The reason for others not setting up “shop” was given. Wizards are not supposed to reveal themselves or the magical world to those who you term mundanes for the sake of safety.Both the safety of the wizards and the mundanes. At some point in the books some character explains that revealing too much to humanity is like unleashing a nuclear holocaust, nobody wins. Things like the inquisition and the witch trials are mentioned. Harry is a bit of a rebel with a cause. Even with the proverbial sword of Damocles perilously close he wants to help people and also pay the rent. Setting up shop so to speak has gotten him into trouble with the White Council although they do not expressly forbid it they certainly frown on him pushing the line.

By: Dad

Dad — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:49:57 +0000

Right the second time

By: Subrata Sircar

Subrata Sircar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:24:54 +0000

Aside from noting that I really like this series, I realized that I picked up the first three books in one SFBC omnibus and read them at a single sitting. It’s quite possible that the rest of the books are considerably better – for example, I know that Dresden’s backstory and why he’s set up shop the way he has gets revealed over the course of multiple books – and that the second and third books are considerably better. Or maybe it’s just not to your taste and is to mine. Or you’re just weird :<)

By: mo pie

mo pie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:07:17 +0000

I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated by James Marsters (who played Spike on Buffy). Audiobook hides a lot of sins. At one point my disk was scratched, so I cleverly “searched inside the book” on Amazon to read the paragraph or two that I’d missed. On the page, the weaknesses were obvious. But listening to it was fun!