[Abyss]

I didn't realize AFTERMATH was that long. Plus i actually bought BACK-UP, so it was formatted as a book.

@QT - you're entirely normal(ish).

Now we enter the long harsh period where i have to watch for AFTERMATH spoilers, because i've already read everything else in SIDE JOBS and my copy won't arrive for a little while. Oh, the dresdencrack withdrawal... it ITCHES.

On the bright side i can then read the entire CODEX ALARA series start to finish.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 26 October 2010 - 06:55 PM, said:

I didn't realize AFTERMATH was that long. Plus i actually bought BACK-UP, so it was formatted as a book.

@QT - you're entirely normal(ish).

Now we enter the long harsh period where i have to watch for AFTERMATH spoilers, because i've already read everything else in SIDE JOBS and my copy won't arrive for a little while. Oh, the dresdencrack withdrawal... it ITCHES.

On the bright side i can then read the entire CODEX ALARA series start to finish.

Part of me is VERY jealous that you get to read CODEX for the first time. The first one is like Storm Front, the second amps it up a bit and is like Fool Moon (I mean the story structure and one offness of the plots)...and then CURSOR'S FURY comes along and it will whip you ass with how kickass awesome it is....by the end of which I was experiencing what I could only deem as CODEXcrack withdrawal that made me hike out in a snowstorm to get CAPTAIN'S FURY.

Enjoy!!

[Salt-Man Z]

Abyss, on 26 October 2010 - 06:55 PM, said:

Plus i actually bought BACK-UP, so it was formatted as a book.

Well, I checked Backup out from the library in book format, so there. Yeah, it's like 70 pages, but there's not a lot on those pages.

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 26 October 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

Abyss, on 26 October 2010 - 06:55 PM, said:

Plus i actually bought BACK-UP, so it was formatted as a book.

Well, I checked Backup out from the library in book format, so there. Yeah, it's like 70 pages, but there's not a lot on those pages.

did SIDE JOBS include the rather sweet Mignola art?

[Zanth13]

I just read the Post "changes" short story,

had some time to kill before a movie so I sat down in Barnes and nobles and read it...

From Murphy's point of view... it was ok... I wont spoil it...

I enjoyed a brief description of Harry from someone elses point of view...

Did Thomas get his own short story? I think I remember reading the start of one but now I cant remember if i finished it or if it really ever even happened.

[MTS]

Having just started Changes (yes, I know I was only up to White Night 4 days ago ), will I have missed out on much reading the short stories now? Would it be like reading all the Erikson novels then going back to NoK?

[Chance]

MTS, on 27 October 2010 - 02:39 AM, said:

Having just started Changes (yes, I know I was only up to White Night 4 days ago ), will I have missed out on much reading the short stories now? Would it be like reading all the Erikson novels then going back to NoK?

They are mostly irrelevant to the main plot so you have missed very little.

However they are referenced now and then (rarely) in the later books so some things doesn't make as much sense without them. Some of them are also kinda nice such as the Gard one or Marcone one even if Butcher is a lot better in the novel formate.

[Abyss]

MTS, on 27 October 2010 - 02:39 AM, said:

Having just started Changes (yes, I know I was only up to White Night 4 days ago ), will I have missed out on much reading the short stories now? Would it be like reading all the Erikson novels then going back to NoK?

You're likely going to SPOIL a MAJOR event in CHANGES for yourself if you read AFTERMATH.
(i assume, not having read AFTERMATH yet))

[Pig Iron]

Heh I was in agony the whole time whether to jump ahead and read Aftermath or save it to last. I held out

[Imperial Historian]

Just read through this, great anthology, aftermath was worth the price of the book on it's own, but the rest of the stories were pretty good too, especially back-up and heorot. It was good to see Harry from another point of view. One disappointment was that the marcone story even hand slipped out of the anthology since I last checked the contents, but other than that all good.

Oh and I skipped straight to aftermath, and I loved it Really looking forward to Ghost Story, we don't get much hints as to what is to happen next yet, but it looks like things are going to be really interesting.

[Abyss]

i can't recommend the 'Dark & Stormy' anthology it's in, but if you can get your hands on EVEN HAND i really REALLY recommend it. Butcher does Marcone's pov SO WELL.

[Tsundoku]

Bought yesterday, looking forward to it.

After Side Jobs, are there any other Dresden short stories (or stories in general) out there? I already have the Welcome to the Jungle GN.

[MTS]

I don't think so, Side Jobs is the definitive anthology of all the short stories to date.

[QuickTidal]

Sombra, on 14 December 2010 - 01:54 PM, said:

Bought yesterday, looking forward to it.

After Side Jobs, are there any other Dresden short stories (or stories in general) out there? I already have the Welcome to the Jungle GN.

The Marcone one that is in Dark and Stormy Knights anthology, EVEN HAND, is not in SIDE JOBS...and well worth a read.

[End of Disc One]

MTS, on 14 December 2010 - 02:36 PM, said:

I don't think so, Side Jobs is the definitive anthology of all the short stories to date.

Not true, it doesn't have the Marcone story.

[Imperial Historian]

I tracked down and downloaded the even hand story in ebook form, and it was brilliant, well worth the effort to find it, shame it wasn't included in Side Jobs.

[Abyss]

Just finished it....

SPOILERS
SPOILERS SIDE JOB SPOILERS
WILL SPOIL YOU
SPOILERS
FOZARE MUTHAFUCKAHS SPOILERS
SPOILERS

I had read most of these (only LOVE HURTS and AFTERMATH were new to me) over the past year via my local library, so only some of this book was new to me. Still, it's really great to have this all in a collection, even if it means i now have two versions of BACK-UP.



BACKUP actually remains my favourite of the collection. i think Butcher stretched himself a bit with Thomas' pov and it worked, i liked the White Court backstory and the way the story weaves itself around a Harry story so nicely that you're almost getting two stories in one. And the payoff at the end with the stygian was a nice touch, reminding us that at heart Thomas can be a fairly nasty creature.

The stories vary from great to good to Butcher-ok (ie: better than most urban fantasy but not his best work) but it's a good collection for the casual fan or the shaky drescrack addict who needed a fix until GHOST STORY is out. I think readers were horribly cheated by EVEN HAND being left out, and suspect that DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS was just too new to release the strongest story in that book elsewhere. Too bad tho', especially since AFTERMATH builds on EVEN HAND, albeit sideways and minor.


AFTERMATH... i appreciate Butcher trying out Murphy's voice as a narrator but this didn't work nearly as well for me. I think i just preferred dresden's perspective on Murphy over the reverse. Her 'men are martians and this is how they speak' thing read more silly than clever.
It was still a fun story, i enjoyed Murphy and Will's interaction and the other bits (Marcone, the ref to the Sword, Marcone, the Fomor baddies...), and the finale was a great great action scene - especially in showing how thoroughly Murphy is out of her league in dealing with the supernatural yet still manages to handle it - and no matter how i felt about the story, the DAREDEVIL reference and 'Justice League Chicago' were too funny not to enjoy.


BEST LINE: HEOROT - "I hit him in the fire extinguisher." *wince*

BEST OTHER LINE: from SOMETHING BORROWED, paraphrased - "I let out a battle cry. To an uninformed observer it may have seemed like an unmanly scream of pure terror but trust me it was a battle cry.".

BEST CHARACTER IN NEED OF A FREQUENT VICTIM REWARDS CARD: Georgia, who was damsel in distress not once but twice (SOMETHING and AFTERMATH) - tho to be fair she revenged herself nicely each time. Screw you Jenny Greenteeth.

BEST SIDEKICK WHO WASN'T MURPHY OR MOUSE - Gard in HEOROT was awesome. Extra cool points for the "Though he does like us to call him 'Daddy' sometimes." line. I also loved her trying to recruit Muprhy in AFTERMATH. On some level i think Butcher really really likes having a Valkyrie in his supporting cast.

BEST FUNNY MOMENT HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING: AFTERMATH - Gard passing Hendricks $20 when Murphy figured out Marcone's source in less than a minute.

BEST PURELY HARRY MOMENT: Harry losing his cool with Georgia's step-mom in SOMETHING BORROWED.

BEST FLASHBACK: RESTORATION..., Murphy jumping on the troll's back with a nightstick. Oh, how far we've come...

BEST HUMEROUS FORESHADOWING OF BAD THINGS: poor Kirby... he really did have a big ugly target on him going into TURNCOAT didn't he?


- Abyss, ...just finished it.