Magical Book Noir OR The Maltese Wizard

We're gonna look at another book this week. Well, technically a series of books. I recently started reading them courtesy of my local library, and was quite impressed.

They are.....

The Dresden Files

Bringing you quality dramatic trench coat shots since 2000.

Genre - Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:
(From Wikipedia)

"The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago."

Key Point of Fascination - The Variety

The magical and fantasy world has a LOT of aspects to it, as many as there are mythologies. There's vampires, wizards, faeries, mythical beasts, demons, angels, spirits, pagan gods, and multiple version of each of them.

Jim Butcher could have made it JUST about wizards. No one would have blamed him. After all, James Bond deals with megalomaniacal villains intent on destroying the world, why not have Harry Dresden face wizards and wizards only?

Because it would be less awesome. That's why.

Allow me to illustrate:

Vampires (the emotion kind)

Holy warriors
& vampires (the demon kind)

Werewolves (several kinds)

Ghosts

Evil wizard

Faeries (The scary kind)

And I didn't even go into the sub-plots in these.

My point it that I'm through six books, and every time am impressed by his imagination and creativity. That covers both subject and technique. There's a splendid long-running plot that he resolves in a really creative way. I knew where he was heading, but how he got there was really impressive and unexpected.

I'd say more, but that would only ruin the surprise.

Fascinating Excerpt - The "Tracer Bullet" Intro

Calvin & Hobbes had a Calvin alter ego named Tracer Bullet. He'd launch into a film noire, hardboiled detective case about minor things like solving math problems or breaking a lamp.

As a kid, this was my introduction to hardboiled detectives. When I got older I saw the old movies that introduced me to the real hardboiled detectives, but Tracer Bullet was always the go-to guy.

This is that introduction, from the first book Storm Front:

"My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I’m a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I’m the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under ‘Wizards’. Believe it or not, I’m the only one there. My ad looks like this:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.

Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.

No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

You’d be surprised how many people call just to ask me if I’m serious. But then, if you’d seen the things I’d seen, if you knew half of what I knew, you’d wonder how anyone could not think I was serious."


The guy keeps up this style through six books and counting, only improving on it as he goes along.


Recommended for those Fascinated by...

Imagination. Heroes with a past of darkness, instinct for violence, and a heart of gold. People who love Chicago and fantasy, and would love to see the two mixed together.

Guards! Guards! OR Holy Flaming Lizards, Batman!

Welcome to the first post in the new Fascinating Reads category! Since I do write (and am actively working on getting paid for it), I therefore read a lot. Thus in my quest for blog variety, I have decided to mention some of the books that fascinate me, whether new, old, or somewhere in between.

For my first post in the category, I'd like to highlight a great book by my favorite author, and a splendid introduction to my favorite series:

Guards! Guards!  by (Sir) Terry Pratchett.

The dragon who would be king...
...And the worthless men trying to stop it.

Genre - Fantasy (But funny & poignant fantasy...)

Synopsis:

(From Good Reads)
"Here there be dragons . . . and the denizens of Ankh-Morpork wish one huge firebreather would return from whence it came. Long believed extinct, a superb specimen of draco nobilis ("noble dragon" for those who don't understand italics) has appeared in Discworld's greatest city. Not only does this unwelcome visitor have a nasty habit of charbroiling everything in its path, in rather short order it is crowned King (it is a noble dragon, after all . . .)

"Meanwhile, back at Unseen University, an ancient and long-forgotten volume--The Summoning of Dragons--is missing from the Library's shelves. To the rescue come Captain Vimes, Constable Carrot, and the rest of the Night Watch who, along with other brave citizens, risk everything, including a good roasting, to dethrone the flying monarch and restore order to Ankh-Morpork (before it's burned to a crisp). A rare tale, well done as only Terry Pratchett can."

Key Point of Fascination - Beginnings

This is the 8th book of the Discworld series, and Sir Terry has clearly hit his stride.(Side note: Judging by the latest Discworld novel released last year, he's still in his stride twenty years later. The man is a writer's equivalent of a multi-gold medal marathon runner.)

The Discworld series itself has several different character groups. There's a group of witches, the wizards, the metaphysical personifications such as Death...

...And the Night Watch.

This is the Night Watch's beginning. There have been seven more books since this one with that cast of characters. They're all spectacular books in my opinion. (And if you didn't come here for my opinion, you may be in the wrong place.)

But what's most intriguing is that the basic character traits for all seven books are still there in this one. I've read the last book, then gone back to Guards! Guards!, and I don't see "characters who would be fleshed out later." I see "people who have a long road ahead of them."

It's an incredibly impressive piece of writing.

Fascinating Excerpt - The Introduction of Carrot

One of my favorite characters of Discworld is Carrot. He's a wonderfully complex character that starts out as a very simple character who somehow, and this is the tricky part, stays simple even as he gets more complex.

I could write an essay on this guy.

But I won't. Instead I'll give you his introduction in this book:

"The young man is called Carrot. This is not because of his hair, which his father always clipped short for reasons of Hygiene. It is because of his shape."

and later...

"It wasn't only the fresh mountain air that had given Carrot his huge physique. Being brought up in a gold mine run by dwarfs and working a twelve-hour day hauling wagons to the surface must have helped.

"He walked with a stoop. What will do that is being brought up in a gold mine run by dwarfs who thought that five feet was a good height for a ceiling."

Recommended for those Fascinated by...

A great deal of imagination, quite a bit of fantasy, a large helping of humour (note spelling: He is a British author), and a good-sized chunk of heart.