Posted 03 August 2011 - 06:08 AM
JUST FINISHED
okay people, we are thru the looking glass and balls out for spoilers from here down...
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
UNBLOCKED AND UNDEAD GHOST STORY SPOILERS
SPOILERS
WILL SPOIL YOU IN THE MOST INTIMATE AND NAUGHTY OF WAYS YES THAT'S
RIGHT SPOILERS YOU POOR FRIKKIN BUTCHER LOVING DRESDENCRACK ADDICTS SPOILERS
FOR SWEET FUCK'S SAKE SPOILERS AFTER HERE
SPOILERS
Damn but i do so love my yearly Dresdencrack fix, and Jim 'da Pusher' Butcher delivered yet again.
Was this the bestest dresdencrack ever? No, oh hell no. We've had better, even WAY better, but this was solid Dresden with some great twists and turns, good fun, the usual supporting cast in full glory, more movie refs than you can shake a bag of popcorn at and a whole lot of fun that still moved the characters and story foward ever forward. Seven tail shakes out of ten.
BEST NEW CHARACTER: Sir Stuart. As ghosts go he just chewed scenery every time, even after his death.. ummm his undeath... his semi-memory-sorta-death... oh whatever he was great fun and i'm glad Uriel threw him a second... umm... third... maybe fourth?... chance or whatever at the end.... "Will there be fighting?". Oh yeah.
BEST NOT SO NEW CHARACTER: I want to give this to RagMolly but Mort has to take this hands down. A complete turnaround from the character we've seen before, and Butcher even gave him the dramatic fuck you badguys i'm here to chew gum and kick ass moment at the end. And how!
BEST ACTION SCENE: Surprisingly for the book the follow the sheer explody destructo feste that was CHANGES, this book had a fair share of awesome action... from the ghost fight chez Mort at the start, to Molly and Harry against the Fomor servitors, to Daniel's knifefight against old nasty wizard dude, to Dresden and the Lechter Spectres (can we take a moment to point out how GREAT a team name that is?!) storming the Nevernever to every beat of the finale against Corpsetaker, the book delivered big on the kaboom. In fact, for a book where the protagonist couldn't directly touch anything, there was a fuck of a lot of things being broken, sploded and destroyed.
SHOULD'VE GHOSTED ME WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE AWARD: It's not like anyone was surprised when Harry came back as a ghost, or even that he got rebodied at the end (although i did wonder whether this Harry would turn out to be the 'memory' ghost that Mort thought he was and end up actually dissipating and have the next book pick up with Harry recovering with no knowledge of this book's events), but I give Butcher props for setting up a situation where Dresden was genuinely challenged to deal with the tasks in front of him. There was also a bit (tiny, tiny) bit less of the 'the clock is ticking' sense that CHANGES and some other books have, that allowed the reader to enjoy the situation Harry was in without wondering how he was going to wrap it up in two hours or whatever. All of which is to say i think this was a nicely done story about a dead man's ghost trying to help his friends that really took advantage of the 'dead man's ghost' part and i think few authors could have pulled it off nearly as well.
SOB SNIFF AWARDS GALORE: Seriously, this book made me weep (in an entirely manly way)... Mister recognizing Harry, Murphy and co reacting to Harry, virtually every scene between Harry and Molly, "Chewbacca is with her", Murphy not getting to say goodbye, Harry visiting his brother (Justine for the bisexual lingerie model cure win!) to that last scene with Mouse and then Maggie... oh Butcher you bastard you played my heartstrings like the cheap ukele in a hillbilly town and i love you for it.
BLAST FROM THE PAST AWARD: Dumorne really was a bastard and we see why. Harry's first meeting with He Who Watches Your Behind was veddy interesting and every bit as suspicious as Lea thought it was.
THE I'M WITH CRAZY AWARD goes to Lea, who continues to chew scenery every time she show up to great great effect. Loved her training Molly, loved her baragaining with Harry, just loved her in general. This cannot be healthy for me.
THE I'M WITH EVEN MORE MORE CRAZY AWARD goes to Molly for simultaneously seriously losing her shit and taking a serious power-up in the process. Her battle against Corpsetaker was awesome. And then we found out why...
BEST WHODUNNIT EVER: Oh, that was sweet... Kincaid, of course it was Kincaid... but the why of it... Harry calling in a favour like THAT... oh fuck me that was a great twist and maybe some of you saw it coming but i sure as fuck didn't and i loved it.
ONLY IN THE MOVIES: I think this book hit a new record for movie quotes, references and one-liners... seriously, i lost track amidst all the Trek and Star Wars but it was a lot of fun even so.
BEST BADDIE: Corpsetaker was an entirely satisfying baddie, but i have to give this to Kemmler/Bob... the whoe nazi necromancer disembodies skull spirit thing was just visually appealing and his lines were pretty much all Evil Overlord Overload. Hope we get to see him again.
BEST ONE-LINER: There were a lot, but i have to give it to Uriel for 'If only i had arranged for some agent to come to her assistance.' just as Mort walks in and saves Molly by dropping a screaming hell-bound freight train of hungry wraiths down Corpsetaker's throat. Boo-yah.
OTHER BEST ONE LINER, PARAPHRASED: "BOO!".... because of everything that went into the delivery. Hah!
BEST MASTERPLAN THAT WASN'T: Butters tried. He really really tried. His warden disguise was clever, brilliant even. Execution... not so much, but points for trying.
TO BE CONTINUED DUH: So of course Harry was brought back, but right into Mab's lap with Deamonreach standing by... ohh... that was creepy and cool and all kinds of psyche up for the next book rolled into one. And Uriel's seven words were a nice touch.
All in all, i'm a satisfied junkie customer and will try to keep the shakes under control until the next fix.
I look fwd to reading what the rest of you addicts thought.
- Abyss, just needed a hit to take the edge off, man...
THIS IS YOUR REMINDER THAT THERE IS A
'VIEW NEW CONTENT' BUTTON THAT
ALLOWS YOU TO VIEW NEW CONTENT