Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There are two reasons for reading this book. The first is that all the previous Harry Dresden short stories are gathered together in one place, including the first, apparently unpublished short story that comes before Storm Front and whose relatively lesser qualities betray its status as one of Butcher's first stories. And yet it also contains some very good sections and passages. Putting this story first gives a real feel for how Butcher has grown as a writer, and would probably be inspiring to any novice writers out there. But you have "Vignette," "Something Borrowed" (in which Harry for once is intentionally, and quite effectively, rude to a wicked stepmother), "It's my birthday too," "Heorot," "Day off" (the only genuinely comedic Dresden work), "Backup," "The Warrior," (perhaps the most philosophical of the Dresden works), "Last Call," and "Love Hurts." Each is marked by the books which bracket it and they come in chronological order. Along the way it's not hard to be reminded of Butcher's penchant for homage to his favorite stories, films, and TV shows, as well as his gift for creating effective scenes of tension between main characters. Pretty much everyone in Dresden's Chicago appears at one time or another, and some side plots and characters get fleshed out in these stories in ways that would be hard to duplicate in the main novels. The second reason for reading this book is, of course, the final story in the book. "Aftermath" takes place shortly after the end of "Changes," a book certain to win the World Fantasy Award for Most Apt Title. There are no spoilers in this review, but it is probably influenced by the peculiar fact pattern: due to a death in the family of a close friend, I had taken Monday off from work, and somebody at the post office screwed up and delivered my copy one day early. Perhaps the coincidence between external loss and Harry Dresden's situation at the end of "Changes" colored my appreciation, but I was actually kind of grateful for this story. It's at one and the same time unusually interesting and deeply unsatisfying, a change of pace and a coy hinting at future directions -- much in the manner of a funeral, I realize. Butcher carries on the narrative from a wholly unexpected point of view, which I found both refreshing and convincing. He answers few of my questions - well, none, actually - while raising still more. What I valued about this little intermezzo was the way it deepened some of the characters in the Dresden universe, central and peripheral, hero and villain. It doesn't really satify my hunger for the next novel, yet it's a healthy dissatisfaction after a worthwhile read. These are all fun stories, sometimes comedic, sometimes thoughtful, and at the end rather wistful. Thanks, Mr. Butcher. You made one rather bad day a little better.