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The Dresden Files Omnibus #3
Wizard at Large
Contains:
book 6: Blood Rites and 7: Dead Beat.
book 6: Blood Rites and 7: Dead Beat.
740 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Jim Butcher
201 books52.3k followersJim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 28, 2015
Harry Dresden's life is basically an example of the ancient curse, "May you live in interesting times." And nowhere is that more evident than in "Wizard At Large," an omnibus containing Jim Butcher's "Blood Rites" and "Dead Beat" -- two wonderful books that fling Harry into the fun world of vampires, zombies and necromancy. Also, ZOMBIE T-REX.
"Blood Rites" has Harry being hired by the quirky vampire Thomas Raith. Apparently a porn director (who works for the Raith porn empire) is being hit by an entropy curse that has killed two of his assistants. But the stakes turn out to be even higher than Harry expects, and he uncovers not only a grotesque occult plot, but a secret from his own past.
And "Dead Beat" has Harry being blackmailed into finding the "Word of Kemmler," a deadly book of necromancy wanted by the vampire Mavra and a gang of necromancers. With zombies pursuing him and a fallen angel tempting him, Harry must locate the Word and somehow keep it out of evil hands. Otherwise, y'know, the world might end.
Jim Butcher's got the hard-boiled noir thing down, even in modern Chicago -- dark rainy streets, femme fatales (some literally!), and some literally fiery climaxes to Harry's adventures. This omnibus has two of the most brilliant Dresden Files books he's written to date, with complicated plots and big slews of magic from all sides -- faeries, mobsters, demons, curses, vampires and the Wild Hunt. Also: ZOMBIE T-REX.
Butcher fills it with plenty of fiery, whip-fast action and some spectacularly gross action scenes (one involving Thomas with a sawed-off shotgun -- hardcore splattergore!), and snappy dialogue ("You intend to murder me in cruor gelidus?" "No, I'll do it right here"). But it's also very funny -- how many other authors write about vampires being killed by critical-velocity frozen turkeys? Or one-man polka bands helping power zombie dinosaurs? NONE!
Harry has even more problems to deal with than usual, and he handles them as gracefully as he can. But there are some new developments with far-reaching consequences for him -- particularly, he discovers some shocking new information about his family, and attains a new position of authority that you NEVER would have thought our lovably lone-wolfy wizard would ever attain.
"Wizard at Large" brings together two brilliant urban fantasies that have just the right mix of action, humor and magic. Also, ZOMBIE T-REX.
"Blood Rites" has Harry being hired by the quirky vampire Thomas Raith. Apparently a porn director (who works for the Raith porn empire) is being hit by an entropy curse that has killed two of his assistants. But the stakes turn out to be even higher than Harry expects, and he uncovers not only a grotesque occult plot, but a secret from his own past.
And "Dead Beat" has Harry being blackmailed into finding the "Word of Kemmler," a deadly book of necromancy wanted by the vampire Mavra and a gang of necromancers. With zombies pursuing him and a fallen angel tempting him, Harry must locate the Word and somehow keep it out of evil hands. Otherwise, y'know, the world might end.
Jim Butcher's got the hard-boiled noir thing down, even in modern Chicago -- dark rainy streets, femme fatales (some literally!), and some literally fiery climaxes to Harry's adventures. This omnibus has two of the most brilliant Dresden Files books he's written to date, with complicated plots and big slews of magic from all sides -- faeries, mobsters, demons, curses, vampires and the Wild Hunt. Also: ZOMBIE T-REX.
Butcher fills it with plenty of fiery, whip-fast action and some spectacularly gross action scenes (one involving Thomas with a sawed-off shotgun -- hardcore splattergore!), and snappy dialogue ("You intend to murder me in cruor gelidus?" "No, I'll do it right here"). But it's also very funny -- how many other authors write about vampires being killed by critical-velocity frozen turkeys? Or one-man polka bands helping power zombie dinosaurs? NONE!
Harry has even more problems to deal with than usual, and he handles them as gracefully as he can. But there are some new developments with far-reaching consequences for him -- particularly, he discovers some shocking new information about his family, and attains a new position of authority that you NEVER would have thought our lovably lone-wolfy wizard would ever attain.
"Wizard at Large" brings together two brilliant urban fantasies that have just the right mix of action, humor and magic. Also, ZOMBIE T-REX.
August 10, 2012
2012 reread:
We pause from our regularly scheduled Red Court vs. White Council program to give you the following updates: family history, vampire jobs, Bob's history, sexual tension, temptations, and a zombie T-Rex. Thank you for your patience.
Despite the general information necessary to really enjoy these two books (Blood Rites and Dead Beat), these are two of the books that argue against the "reading in order" theory. Sure, we have some revelations in them, but they are generally fun. They have little to do with the Vampire War story, little to do with the still unknown grand story arc, and really are just there to have some fun. Oh sure, there are many different pieces in these two books that we later see the effects of. And sure, there are hints and aspects of the two big story arcs given in this (probably the first neon light pointing to White Council espionage is in Dead Beat). Overall, though, they are just meant to create an interesting story.
Blood Rites taps a little into the "red-light district" of the pulp genre. While nowhere near as detailed as other pulps will go; there's still enough flesh around to get the point across while keeping it Dresden-PG. Dead Beat, despite the darker material and big choices made in it, returns a bit of the silly flavor from Storm Front again and has my favorite moment in the series ... Sue. It is interesting to see DB as a midway point to Changes, especially given the mantles Dresden is given/takes up in the book.
So the series plods along, throwing some fan service here and there. And maybe I'm looking for more story than there should be. Maybe this is just the literary equivalent of the anime series "Cowboy Bebop" which, while it helps keep characters straight if you watch it in order, there are really only three episodes where order matters.
We pause from our regularly scheduled Red Court vs. White Council program to give you the following updates: family history, vampire jobs, Bob's history, sexual tension, temptations, and a zombie T-Rex. Thank you for your patience.
Despite the general information necessary to really enjoy these two books (Blood Rites and Dead Beat), these are two of the books that argue against the "reading in order" theory. Sure, we have some revelations in them, but they are generally fun. They have little to do with the Vampire War story, little to do with the still unknown grand story arc, and really are just there to have some fun. Oh sure, there are many different pieces in these two books that we later see the effects of. And sure, there are hints and aspects of the two big story arcs given in this (probably the first neon light pointing to White Council espionage is in Dead Beat). Overall, though, they are just meant to create an interesting story.
Blood Rites taps a little into the "red-light district" of the pulp genre. While nowhere near as detailed as other pulps will go; there's still enough flesh around to get the point across while keeping it Dresden-PG. Dead Beat, despite the darker material and big choices made in it, returns a bit of the silly flavor from Storm Front again and has my favorite moment in the series ... Sue. It is interesting to see DB as a midway point to Changes, especially given the mantles Dresden is given/takes up in the book.
So the series plods along, throwing some fan service here and there. And maybe I'm looking for more story than there should be. Maybe this is just the literary equivalent of the anime series "Cowboy Bebop" which, while it helps keep characters straight if you watch it in order, there are really only three episodes where order matters.
March 30, 2011
I mentioned that these (the first 4 omnibus editions from Science Fiction Book Club) are the way I first read the Dresden books that were out when I discovered Jim Butcher's Professional Wizard for hire. I was hooked on the books right away. This volume is the third omnibus edition and has books #6 and 7 (Blood Rites and Dead Beat) in it.
Blood Rites is a sort of "interlude" in the flow of events with us moving back into Harry's investigator gig. Of course the job he's involved in (seeking out who's throwing nasty curses around on the set of a porn movie) bleeds over into far more than it was supposed to be drawing Harry deeper into things involving the vampires and of course events that transpire here are important to things that will transpire later... Good book.
The second book in this volume is Dead Beat. Here Harry crosses metaphysical swords with powerful and very nasty necromancers and the zombie action is like none you've seen before. The Dresden Files as these books are called are some of my all time and overall favorite books and I think if I were asked to pick a favorite book from the series (as hard as that would be to do) Dead Beat would be in the running. Maybe my favorite Dresden book.
Great read.
Blood Rites is a sort of "interlude" in the flow of events with us moving back into Harry's investigator gig. Of course the job he's involved in (seeking out who's throwing nasty curses around on the set of a porn movie) bleeds over into far more than it was supposed to be drawing Harry deeper into things involving the vampires and of course events that transpire here are important to things that will transpire later... Good book.
The second book in this volume is Dead Beat. Here Harry crosses metaphysical swords with powerful and very nasty necromancers and the zombie action is like none you've seen before. The Dresden Files as these books are called are some of my all time and overall favorite books and I think if I were asked to pick a favorite book from the series (as hard as that would be to do) Dead Beat would be in the running. Maybe my favorite Dresden book.
Great read.
November 17, 2016
I have to be completely honest, if I judge books by their covers, The Dresden Files wouldn't interest me at all lmao. The 4 Omnibus Volumes published by Science Fiction Book Club Fantasy, however, have book covers much more appealing imo. So yeah, if I were to physically own books from this series, this edition is the most ideal... So sad they didn't continue publishing the remaining series (as of now.)
My reviews for individual books included in this volume:
June 3, 2018
Entertaining as all get out, though I'm sad to say the character of Dresden is mildly problematic. The older I get the more I see the creepy fedora neckbeard "m'lady" maladaptive traits and it makes me sad. Hopefully it's just the earlier works and it gets better because I have so many fond memories of the series.
February 3, 2022
My husband & I read the Dresden Files several years ago and loved them. Reading them again and find them just as wonderful. Very creative, great grammar and vocabulary, well edited. I definitely recommend reading them.
March 23, 2018
Rainy day reading.
May 28, 2024
Who doesn't like an over-tired, beat up, frustrated wizard riding a dinosaur?
July 11, 2011
Rereading Blood Rites and Dead Beat again helped me gain new insight to Harry's character and principles. In Blood Rites, we see that Harry gains something that he's longed for family ~ a brother in Thomas Raith. Harry is also tested in this capacity too, how much does family mean to him and what he is willing to do. We also see the estrangement of Harry and his mentor McCoy which shakes the very foundation of everything that Harry believes in about magic and himself. In Dead Beat, we see another come to pass with many changes in Harry's life such as Thomas is still living with Harry and Murphy is going on a vacation with Kincaid much to Harry's surprise. An old enemy, Marva comes to town blackmailing Harry into doing what she wants or she'll harm Murphy and her career for good. Harry is caught between a rock and hard place though he needs his allies yet cannot afford to bring them into the situation either. We see new villianious characters come into play as well such as Cowl, Kumori, Grevane, Li Xian, and Corpsetaker. They are all after the same thing Power which leaves our beloved hero the only one able to help stop them. In Dead Beat, we see Waldo Butters take center stage thorough out the book learning how to cope with his fear and resolving to help Harry out in the very end of the book no matter what. It is such a great evolution of character that is like a lovable oaf in many ways.
September 6, 2010
BLOOD RITES: 4 Stars - Not the best Dresden story like Summer Knight, but still a really good book. Once started, you are not able to put it down until you’ve finished it. I believe that Blood Rites is the story that needed to be told for a while now.
Harry is hired by Thomas, a vampire of the White Court, to help the target of an entropy curse. Bonus!!! The target is the producer of adult XXX films. Dresden’s investigation puts him in the house of a vampire family, where he'll learn about his past. What Harry doesn’t realize, is how his life is about to be changed forever!
DEAD BEAT: 5 Stars - By far, the most dangerous and deadly Dresden book yet! Mavra blackmails Harry to get the Word of Kemmler for her, or she ruins Murphy. There are other necromancers also after the Word. Comically, Harry is teamed up with Butters, the polka loving medical examiner. Harry’s true nature comes to life in this book, as he truly struggles with himself and Lasciel. The White Council will suffer a devastating blow, as Harry learns of how the war with the vampires is tied in with the dark magic happening in Chicago. Is a 65 million year old dinosaur, Sue enough of an advantage, with what’s left of the Wardens, to defeat the necromancer’s purpose and save thousands of innocents lives, on Halloween night?
Harry is hired by Thomas, a vampire of the White Court, to help the target of an entropy curse. Bonus!!! The target is the producer of adult XXX films. Dresden’s investigation puts him in the house of a vampire family, where he'll learn about his past. What Harry doesn’t realize, is how his life is about to be changed forever!
DEAD BEAT: 5 Stars - By far, the most dangerous and deadly Dresden book yet! Mavra blackmails Harry to get the Word of Kemmler for her, or she ruins Murphy. There are other necromancers also after the Word. Comically, Harry is teamed up with Butters, the polka loving medical examiner. Harry’s true nature comes to life in this book, as he truly struggles with himself and Lasciel. The White Council will suffer a devastating blow, as Harry learns of how the war with the vampires is tied in with the dark magic happening in Chicago. Is a 65 million year old dinosaur, Sue enough of an advantage, with what’s left of the Wardens, to defeat the necromancer’s purpose and save thousands of innocents lives, on Halloween night?
November 8, 2013
I just, I can't y'all. I tried. I tried so hard. I love the world that Jim Butcher has built. I love the supernatural system and the secondary characters and the factions. I love everything about it-- except Dresden. Dresden, as a character, I enjoyed for the first few books. But as soon as Jim Butcher started doing more of the "nice guy chivalry" shit, I can't handle it. I pushed through the porn company story, hoping that Dresden's "nice guy" bullshit would have worked itself out, but then, in the very next story, there's Dresden, eyeing up a minor while chastising himself for doing so and reacting paternally towards the kid. Seriously? Can't Dresden just treat women as humans instead of some damsel he needs to save, or a carnal sex-vampire that wants the d, or an adolescent whose struggle to identify and express herself is somehow for Dresden's benefit? I know some of y'all will think that I'm just being an angry feminist about this, but I don't need that in my life. I'll go buy the Dresden Files RPG and tell my own stories in the wonderful Dresdenverse and leave the fedoras at home.
February 9, 2010
Two more books in the entertaining Dresden files series. Somehow I came to own the omnibus of the sixth and seventh books rather than the individual paperbacks. In any event, I enjoyed both of these books, either of which could be read as a standalone. Neither Blood Rites nor Dead Beat really spent much time on the larger story arc of Dresden's political intrigue with the paranormal universe. Instead, both were solid installments of the wry, aw-shucks, wizard-for-hire investigative business that make Harry Dresden a likeable character. Recommended for fans of the series and even recommended for those unfamiliar with the other Dresden Files books.
December 27, 2011
I am completely enchanted with Butcher's universe. The more of the Dresden novels he turns out, the more complex, fleshed out and realistic-feeling it becomes. I love the way that Harry has developed as a character -- he's a wiseass anti-hero, and yet, he's also vulnerable and lonely and honor driven to protect people. The relationships that have developed between him and Thomas, Murphy, and the rest of the regulars have a very realistic feel to them as well. I have especially enjoyed Butters, the newest addition to the gang. Starting on the next two books now, as I can't wait to see what happens!
April 18, 2013
The Dresden books never disappoint when it comes to over the top plots, action and some of the most fascinating magical characters in fiction. In this volume, Harry discovers he has a brother, his enemies are even more pissed off at him and are dead set on destroying all the things he holds dear. Unlikely allies spring up all over the place, most deadly and dangerous, but our crazed hero seems to be falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, and where he lands is anyone's guess at this point. In other words, I love these books and can't wait to get my hands on the next volume.
June 11, 2022
Первая попроще и лишь закуска, но с важными ингредиентами, для последующего пира. Если в "ритуалах" искали виновника срыва рабочего процесса на съёмках фильмов для взрослых, и можно было спокойно отложить книгу, чтобы заняться делами, то "Барабаны" задали такой темп с первых страниц, что оторваться очень и очень сложно и мысли все в книге. И юмор, и битвы, и герои из предыдущих книг серии, поиски, погони, противостояние. Пока самая крутая в цикле.
5 из 5 за весь омнибус.
5 из 5 за весь омнибус.
April 18, 2013
Butcher continues his blend of the genres of detective fiction and fantasy in this collected edition of the 6th and 7th "Dresden Files" novels. Butcher strikes the right balance between paying homage to both his genres and developing an interesting, flawed, but ultimately heroic protagonist. A fun read, overall.
August 7, 2010
I enjoyed these two novels, and I felt they weren't as formulaic as some of the others in the series. At one point in the first novel, I thought I had stuff figured out, the way it all ties together; but I was wrong. That's a good thing.
October 19, 2012
book started out good but it got really boring after the first hundred pages most of the big words arnt even used right some parts sounded like they were wrote by a two year old "my feet where nocked out from under me and i fell down" really?
April 17, 2013
I had read both of these books before but I certainly did not remember every event. Re-reading made sense of things in other books that I had forgotten. Plus, I enjoyed reading them again immensely. Can't say that I won't do it again sometime, just for the fun of it.
July 21, 2013
This was one of the really good books in the series. All I have to say is zombie dinosaur.
September 1, 2013
The Dresden Files Books 6-7
September 23, 2013
I've reviewed these separately at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/fant...
May 25, 2016
Just finished reading this book and I have only one thing to say. I like Butters.
Read
March 10, 2018The image that got me reading the Dresden files in the first place. Comes from a great book. Go Waldo!
March 22, 2019
This volume collects books 5 & 6 of the series, and Harry coming a bit more into his own power as a character. I've reviewed these books individually.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews