twelve months

twelve months by jim butcher

Book…18? Man, is it really book 18? Yeesh! Book 18 of the Dresden Files. I’ve been trying to take my time, read a little slower, savor the language a little more and sit in my thoughts about what I’m reading, but I tore through this book in a single evening. I think I did the same with Peace Talks and Battle Grounds as well (the only Dresden books released since I picked up the series), although thankfully I started earlier in the evening this time around, so I wasn’t reading until the middle of the night. If I remember correctly, I finished Peace Talks at 3 in the morning, and Battle Grounds in the same way.

17 books of buildup and backstory give this book extra weight, but I found it less repetitive than previous Dresden books (I’ve found in the past that Butcher sometimes assumes you haven’t been paying attention, and reexplains chunks of his world the same way in each book), and I feel like the change in formats was really welcome. Rather than taking place over a short adventure (typically “the worst week of Dresden’s life” every time), spreading it out over a year gave elements more time to develop. I like that characters moved beyond their misunderstandings and miscommunications, getting back to their real feelings for each other. I also appreciate that we’re developing Drakul over the course of the book as a new villain — I think the strongest Dresden villains build up over multiple books, so neat to see another vampire villain here. Harry and Lara are interesting together, and the machinations of Mab feel sufficiently sophisticated for a wicked fairy queen. World is still so compelling, I like how things are progressing in this large epic story, and I’m ready for Mirror Mirror. I had a great time with this book.