 | |
 View Larger |
Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) By Jim Butcher ( Roc Hardcover )
Release Date: 2008-04-01
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $23.95
Price: $15.49
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|  Add to Cart |
|
|
Product Description
The new novel in the New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series.
No one's tried to kill Harry Dresden for almost an entire year, and his life finally seems to be calming down. For once, the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow.
An old bargain has placed Harry in debt to Mab, monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, the Queen of Air and Darkness-and she's calling in her marker. It's a small favor he can't refuse...one that will trap Harry Dresden between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and one that will strain his skills- and loyalties-to their very limits.
It figures. Everything was going too well to last...
|
|
 Enjoyable but jumping the shark
I think the other reviews sum up the goods and bads pretty well so I'll just add my perspective. I would classify this as 3.5 stars (but since I can't, will call it 3)
The Good:
Small Favor is definitely enjoyable and keeps you reading. Jim Butcher's humor shines through and generates many laugh out loud moments and his tension keeps you glued.
The Bad (why it may be jumping the shark)
As previously mentioned, the book is just non-stop action. Even plot development seems to just throw in every possible issue into the foray and see how it sorts out. There is no focus on Harry's spells since he now just is a human flame thrower and no focus on intelligently (or with focus) resolving the multitude of plot devices and questions. They all just come together with an aha in the last few chapters. By his own definition, Harry is now a "combat wizard". He used to be much more subtle and it required his thinking through problems. No character development.
This Harry is like playing through a video game in "God" mode. Every hit he takes, he just mans up and brushes off (but complains about the pain of course). Sure it's fun, but you don't feel a sense of danger when he just talks about how he can take it because he's used to it.
Most of the plot developments/questions just get resolved as part of the ongoing action. A few don't get resolved at all or are poorly explained (perhaps awaiting the next novel).
Overall:
Don't get me wrong, this is a really entertaining read, but if the subsequent books are all going to be like this (constant mayham, running and off course World at stake problems), it will get very old. I hope Jim brings back some of the subtlety and perhaps even an problem that doesn't threaten world existence. If you can, wait for the paperback.
|
 The best one yet...and there's more to come ( icewyche )
I've now listened to all 5 of the Dresden Files books available on audio, and Small Favor is by far the best one yet. If you've read any of the other reviews you know the plot - Harry is asked by Queen Mab to rescue an abducted gangster from the Order of the Blackened Denarius (fallen-angel empowered bad guys). What makes this audiobook so much fun is that James Marsters, who has narrated the previous four Dresden audios as well, really hits his stride with Small Favor. His voice actually changes for different characters, even if it's just a simple matter of intonation, and it makes those characters come to life in a way that a flat rote reading can't - something that was a bit of an issue for the first few of the Dresden Files audiobooks. Marsters does descend into melodrama on occasion, particularly with female voices, but on the whole I thought he did a great job with Small Favor. And better yet, Butcher has announced that three more of the Dresden Files books (Proven Guilty, White Night, and Turn Coat) will be released on audio in April of this year, with Death Masks to follow in November and Blood Rites and Dead Beat (my personal favorite) debuting in July 2010, all read by Marsters. I'm looking forward to it!
Of course I do have one small quibble...why can't Butcher release these books as downloadable audiobooks as well as CDs? 14 CDs - Small Favor's grand total - is a bit unwieldy to drag around, and it makes for a huge clump of MP3 files on my player. (Thank heavens for expansion cards.)
|
 Harry Dresden is getting smarter...
_Small_Favor_ is a great read for fans of the Dresden series. As is usual for Jim's books, the story is tightly plotted. This is definitely one of those books you can't put down. Each chapter leaves you with just enough hook to get you reading the next one. Also, the characters are fully realized. Even between the numerous bad guys, there's little chance of mistaking one for another. Each has his/her own style and goals. The descriptions are good too but I must admit that I tend to skim through them when I'm this involved in the plot except for the Faerie stuff which always enchants me. Many of the familiar elements and characters from previous books are here again with new twists to keep you guessing. Of course, Harry keeps up the snarky remarks even in the most dire circumstances. There were some great one-liners that had me chuckling out loud. Occasionally the dialogue will feel heavy-handed in how it reveals plot points or explains things, but there are still some great conversations.
In comparing this book to the previous books in the series, Butcher is improving. One could make a valid complaint that Harry's predicaments tend to be resolved by magical force or the intervention of more powerful allies. I heard one reader complain that Harry rarely uses his smarts to overcome predicaments and there's some truth to that. I always figured it was due to Butcher's background in high fantasy that he relied on muscling through for a lot of his big fights. In any case, Harry uses his noggin a lot more in this book in order to take down the bad guys who outclass him. In particular, I'm thinking about the gruffs and the big fight at the Oceanarium. There's nothing more fun to read than a hero figuring out how to outsmart the bad guys. Harry does this in spades.
Also, in the past Harry has relied almost exclusively on fire and air evocations, spitting out "Forzare!" and "Fuego!" at every turn. I can understand that a wizard would stick with what works but considering how often these spells don't work for him (bad guys too tough), you'd think he would have some back-ups. I often wished that Butcher employed more variety in Harry's magic to reflect his years of magical experience. _Small_Favor_ improves on this by adding some new spells to Harry's repertoire from an illusion to hide his identity to an electrified chain to a giant "Bigby"-style hand. I'd still like to see more of this and I'm hoping that Molly will introduce some of it since her magical style is more subtle and sneaky than Harry's. Alas, there are no potions, something I loved from the early books that added to Harry's range of abilities without seeming like a Deus Ex Machina device. There is still something knight-ish about a wizard that wades into combat with an armored duster and magic shield while flinging monsters around but maybe that's the DnD player in me who would use magic to manipulate the battlefield while staying out of harm's way.
Another of Butcher's strengths is that he isn't heavy-handed with his "messages." They progress naturally from the story and characters. This book uses a lot of Christian themes between fallen angels and the Knights of the Cross but I never felt like Butcher was preaching to me. As a non-Christian, I appreciate that.
Complaints--I don't have many but there are a couple things I wish Butcher would change. First of all, I'd like some more downtime. Tight plotting is great for keeping the reader reading but I'd really enjoy seeing some of these characters just hanging out, being themselves. When every fight is quickly followed the next, there isn't much time to just get to know the characters which is crucial in caring about them. Second, Butcher has a thing about women--they're all hotties. Even the ones that aren't love interests for Harry get elaborate descriptions of their athletic bodies and perfect skin whether they're athletes or not. Molly and Charity, for instance--there is no reason for them to be fashion models. I imagine this comes from the author's high fantasy sensibilities but it detracts from the stories for me. I'd like to see more characters who look like regular people. Of course, neither of these complaints has stopped me from thoroughly enjoying the series.
|
Worth every penny - as usual. ( mindy603 )
Once again, I am fully entertained by a Jim Butcher book. I can't wait for the next one!
|
truly great book ( son_of_j_r_bob_dobbs )
Loved it from beginning to end. Cannot wait to listen to audio book. Also got autographed copy. Dresden Files is a truly wonderful book series.
|
|
|
