Book Review: "Cold Days" by Jim Butcher

Cold Days by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My husband got this book for Christmas, and we both have finished reading it. Yes, the book is that good, that engaging, and that... well, for lack of a better word, that awesome.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not read through the end of "Ghost Story", please stop reading this review.

Okay, for everyone else, Harry Dresden is most definitely not dead, though he feels that way in the beginning of the book. After being in a coma for several months, Harry needs some time to recover. It's a rather strenuous recovery, though, because there is trouble building up that needs attention from Harry. Pronto.

Jim Butcher has revived Harry Dresden from the clutches of certain doom (otherwise known as jumping the shark) in the reading universe. Up until now, every book introduced newer, tougher, smarter, and more powerful villains, until it felt to me as though Harry only won through luck and trickery. Or if felt like a contrived win, instead of a natural flow of events. In "Cold Days", Harry now is fighting villains who might outgun him, but who lack Harry's tactical thinking and wit. Harry also faces a few people with major mojo, but as the Winter Knight Harry now has some major mojo as well. So the story is less of running around trying not to die, and more running around trying to figure out what is going on.

While Mr. Butcher included several people from previous stories that I remember clearly, I ended up researching Harry's relationship with a few characters because I just did not remember enough of the character to make sense of the current interactions. But Mr. Butcher did a great job with continuity, which is not easy with such a large series.

I laughed out loud several times while reading, because Mr. Butcher included so many good jokes and one-liners. I love that about Harry Dresden; he has such a good sense of humor, an achievement when you consider his life so far.

If you like the series so far, I think you will love this book. I don't want to include any real spoilers, because there is just so much goodness here you need to read it yourself.

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