Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Fool Moon by Jim Butcher starting November 23, 2021.

Re-reading Storm Front this weekend, to get ready for this… Storm Front is probably my least favorite book of the series, but it introduces some important characters…

Fool Moon in better, but things “get good”, in my opinion, with book 3…

Timelord Iain wrote: "Re-reading Storm Front this weekend, to get ready for this… Storm Front is probably my least favorite book of the series, but it introduces some important characters…

Fool Moon in better, but thin..."

Well at least I won't suffer through this alone lol. The first book wasn't that good IMO either, but really hoping for things to get better as we keep reading the series.

The series really is worth it... altho I've become more aware of Dresden's problematic tendencies, as I've had them pointed out to me, over the years...

Like the introduction of Murphy in book 1... it's kind of a travesty... much better in later books...

Overall, it's kind of impressive how many long-term characters are introduced in the first book... considering how many more weren't...

I like the 2nd book more than some, mostly from a concept standpoint, than a strong story standpoint...

Strong stories start creeping up in book 3-4... and it just gets better and better from there, for the most part...

Finished my re-read, already...

The audiobooks are also great... narrated by James Marsters... Spike from Buffy...

Good to know I am not the only one not looking forward to the second book. I almost cried thinking I had wasted my money on this series. I have up to book 3 on audio. So I can hopefully get through it. At present, I'm only here for Bob - as terrible as he is.

Saying "wait until book 3-4" can be rough... it's alot of commitment to give to a series you don't even like, yet...

But the series really does improve... ALOT... the best aspects are the characters and things that build over time, independent of the main mysteries/stories...

Petrik read the series last year, and said he felt like the first 3 books were just setup for book 4, the first real payoff in the series... there are several "payoff books" throughout the series, that have more impact, the biggest is book 12 (so far)... it even breaks the usual naming convention of the series (2 words, same amount of characters for both words)

Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Dead Beat, Blood Rites, etc etc etc... Changes... etc etc etc...

Bob the Skull, like everyone, gets more character development... book 7 is a big Bob book...

I'm joining in for this buddy read (my first one in this gr group)! I read the first book last month and thought it was quite okay.
I first thought about not continuing in this series bcs only the first book is available in my library and also the German publisher decided no to continue translating. But oh well, I couldn't resist to buy the English ebook of Fool Moon in a sale. So here I am 😊

I re-read Storm Front recently and found that I really disliked the subject matter but I do realize that my reading preferences have changed over the years. I plan to start Fool Moon later today.

Ohh! Loving the excitement for this one!! :D

I'm slacking with my current reads. So I'm going to try and finish them up and get to this book early next week! So I might be a little behind ^^;

Starting Storm Front today for the first time in prep for the buddy read. I have heard good things about the series and I am hoping I will like it as well. So excited for the chance to finally get into the series!!

Also this is my first time doing a buddy read in this group. I hope I can catch up with with everyone.

We believe in you...

Just use spoiler tags as needed < spoiler > and < /spoiler > without the spaces...

And use chapters or general % of book to indicate where you are, or what you're talking about... can also list topics/characters, after giving a general idea of how much of the book you've read so far and are talking about...

You'll get an idea once others start commenting... or by skimming other BR threads...

My few thoughts after reading Chapter 6 (view spoiler)[This story has grabbed my attention and I feel it is a fast paced read so far. I am really glad to see Dresden and Murphy working together again. I think they make a good team and werewolves are always fun in a story.

In Chapter 6 I was surprised that Harry said that the pack didn't seem mean enough to be the killers. I am looking forward to seeing if he is right or not. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Storm Front today. I started on Fool's Moon right away. I liked the first book and felt the themes and certain aspects similar to Hyde by Craig Russell and the Kingdom of the Wicked series by Kerri Maniscalco.

So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. (view spoiler)[I am getting frustrated with Murph and her getting into wrong conclusions. Also what's up with Harry constantly trying to keep info from people. Did he not learn his lesson the last time? (hide spoiler)]

Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I agree with you about Murph. I feel like Harry wants to keep his friends safe but by not giving out information he ends up hurting them. (hide spoiler)]

RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Murphy: (view spoiler)[early Murphy seems to be one of the roughest characters, as I'm noticing on this re-read... definitely improves as the series goes on... also without Rudolph underfoot being a skeptical ass all the time... (hide spoiler)]

Harry: (view spoiler)[is definitely a frustrating secret-keeper at times... part of it being his Sword of Damocles, rules of the Council, and constantly being spied on by Martin... also improves over time, as he keeps dealing with bigger and bigger threats, with the help of his friends/allies... (hide spoiler)]

I'll be starting my re-read soon... several great new characters in this book, from what I remember...

Author/worldbuilding: (view spoiler)[one of my favorite things about this series, that's really showcased in this book, is how Butcher doesn't peruse mythologies and just pick one source material for his inspiration of mythological creatures... he "kitchen sinks it" and includes a bunch of different types... (hide spoiler)]

RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

I know!! I just wish they would communicate better. I have seen female characters in other books as well, where they are constantly defensive and are always trying to prove their worth and often end up making ignorant or rash decisions without communicating with their team members.

Timelord Iain wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Murphy: [spoilers removed]

Harry: [spoil..."

I do understand his reasons, but it's frustrating to see the same mistakes being made or situations repeating.

Also, what do you all think about Harry's approach towards women? I have heard previously that his behavior and actions have made people not want to continue after book 1. I don't know if I missed something or read a different book.

Timelord Iain wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Murphy: [spoilers removed]

Harry: [spoil..."


Does each book have a new species of supernatural? I am curious. That would be fun to explore.

Fazila wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

I know!! I just wish they would communica..."

Murphy has some family-related hangups that get explored in later books that explain some of it...

Fazila wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Murphy: [spoilers r..."

Not EVERY book... there are alot of books in this series (18, with about 7 left to go in the story, if I remember correctly)...

But the first 6 or so definitely do, before the story starts revisiting enemy types and mixing and matching them in new and dangerous combinations...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Fazila wrote: "Timelord Iain wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Murp..."

That sounds great.

Timelord Iain wrote: "Fazila wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "Fazila wrote: "So I am at chapter 13 of Fool's Moon. It is a fast-paced book like the first one. [spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

I know!! I just wish they ..."

makes sense.

The series is really good at introducing characters that seem like the Ultimate End All Dangerous Big Bad... only to introduce something scarier a few books later, lol... it's great...

Along the way, Dresden has to get more powerful, and find more powerful allies to have any chance of winning...

Jim Butcher is the crazy person that took a writing class around 1999, wrote the first book as a class assignment, got a critique from the teacher, and went and wrote a 20 book series outline... and has managed to successfully publish said series... the 20 book plan has stretched to 25 books over the years, as things shifted a bit, like book 17 being split into 2 books last year (17 & 18 now)... and the addition of a new book 18/19 next, that wasn't in the plan, to allow for some narrative housecleaning...

Butcher's writing speed over the past decade hasn't been ideal, but he did a great job of releasing the first 12 books in 11 years total, so he hooked me...

Wow! That is some journey! Can't imagine that. The books were entertaining and fun to read. I am enjoying it so far.

Finished Fool's Moon. I liked it. (view spoiler)[I was about to yell at Murphy, but then thought maybe she has her reasons and man! I am glad I waited, because that was a good reason as any to do it. Felt bad for Tara. Kind of found it funny the cubs were looking up to Dresden as their hero/mentor. I am guessing it's Elaine (girl from the past trying to kill Dresden) (hide spoiler)]

Just started, and in Murphy’s defense, (view spoiler)[Dresden does alot of suspicious stuff… I’d forgotten about the paper scrap with the containment circle she picks up at the start of this book…

For all the first book indicates they’ve been working together awhile, the series treats that as pretty superficial, and these early cases cement their trust in one another for the future… (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 20: (view spoiler)[I have been really enjoying the book until I hit this chapter and Harry is talking to his double while he is unconscious. I can't quite put my finger on why I feel annoyed by him having a conversation with his double but I feel like it doesn't really add anything to advancing the story. I am curious to find out what type of non-human Tera is. She seems pretty indestructible. (hide spoiler)]

I just read chapter 5 - It's really like coming back to a new season of a tv show you are following 😁 I love how we are immediatly thrown into the plot, so engaging.
Also, I am happy to see that the English version is so much better than the translation to German, which had a lot of mistakes and weird sentence structures!

If translations are bad then it does take us out of the story. I am glad everyone's having a good time with this.

RachelG. wrote: "Chapter 20: [spoilers removed]"

Just a warning, this won't be the only time this happens throughout the series... altho some are more interesting/impactful than others...

This one kinda did seem like (view spoiler)[a bit of a deus ex machina way for the author to give some plot details and maybe some course correction on the Harry/Murphy relationship? (hide spoiler)]

Fazila wrote: "If translations are bad then it does take us out of the story. I am glad everyone's having a good time with this."

On the audio, I found it funny listening to James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) saying "good thing I'm not Spike" regarding the murder victim...

Also... on the topic of translation issues, I noticed him say Marcone once, when he meant to say Parker... and just a couple weird word pronunciations like "sigil"...

Heard the audio was fantastic. I should definitely check it out. I rarely listen to audio books. With kids around, it's hard to concentrate and get the most out of the story.

Also the whole talking to (view spoiler)[himself was quite odd. It is an interesting choice for the author to add in details to the story. (hide spoiler)]

I finished the book and enjoyed it. After reading Fazila's question about how Harry treats women I started paying attention and (view spoiler)[I would love to see a strong female character who is not some sort of supernatural creature. It seems like a lot of the woman are not really leaders in this book with the exception of Tera. (hide spoiler)]

RachelG. wrote: "I finished the book and enjoyed it. After reading Fazila's question about how Harry treats women I started paying attention and [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Murphy's about the best/only option you're going to get, in that regard... Harry doesn't interact with many straight-up humans... especially in the heat of investigations/battles...

Actually, there IS Charity Carpenter, but she's a pretty minor character, pagewise... I'll see what you think in a couple books, when you meet her... (hide spoiler)]

I agree with RachelG. This is not just a problem with this book, the need to show female characters as strong doesn't translate in stories despite the intention. Even stories written by women are failing to show women's strengths and often show them competing with men than working with them. With all of that they end up making decisions that are not good or smart. It's frustrating to watch especially when it's characters in leadership positions who do this the most to prove they are badass. Can we have female characters who are badass without the author having to constantly beat us over the head with how strong they are or how awesome they are?

Gonna start today....hopefully! And read everyone's thoughts :D

@Fazila ~ I totally agree with this sentiment. My gosh. People aren't writing female characters very well in television either. They always say they're tough. Then fail at displaying it. More often than actions speak louder than words. Just show us what they can do. Let them be. We know they're badass already. lol.

Katie wrote: "Gonna start today....hopefully! And read everyone's thoughts :D

@Fazila ~ I totally agree with this sentiment. My gosh. People aren't writing female characters very well in television either. They..."

I'm a tiny bit late to the party as well, started on Sunday, but whooshed through 60% of it by now. So far I'm enjoying this a lot more than the first book, although the sexism is still insanely strong with this one and not just in the way Dresden views women, but also they way they are written. Let's take two prime examples from until chapter 21.

(view spoiler)[Kim and Murphy. Both of them said to be very capable adult women and both acting like total morons and total, pardon my french, bitches. Kim gets killed for her stupidity while Murphy gets half the police station killed. I'll go into a tiny bit more detail, because this just annoyed me so much.

Kim. She was taught by Dresden and even if she's a novice, should know at least that much by now that magic is no joke, not a plaything. She shows Dresden the drawing of the circle, which from his reaction IS A REALLY DANGEROUS THING AND WAY ABOVE HER LEVEL. What would a normal adult do? Maybe, just maybe explain the damn situation to her mentor and ask for help from a professional, especially if said professional is obviously telling her how dangerous the things she wants to know more about is. What does Kim do? Withholds said information and walks out on the mentor like a sulking teenager. I mean, what? And the whole part where Dresden felt responsible for her death was just kinda ugh... Like, how would you be responsible for someone if they are not telling you what they are trying to accomplish? If a driving instructor isn't willing to teach a student how to drive on a highway at 120 km/h during their first lesson, but said student does it anyway and dies, is the driving instructor to blame? I don't think so.

And Murphy, the worst detective I've ever read about. She acts NOTHING like a cop, but more like a typical Hollywood rom-com woman trope. Or like a damn tsundere from any anime/manga. During the beginning she finds the piece of paper that Dresden threw away AFTER OBVIOUSLY HAVING MET SOMEONE and then later when the whole thing comes up, she just bulldozes over Dresden and even beats him up for... What exactly? She didn't tell him about the murders until after he met Kim and she found the drawing. IF Dresden was in any way connected to the whole thing and was trying to hide it from her, why would he just throw evidence away so casually? My question I had during the first book keeps popping up again: How did this person become a super capable detective if she is this dumb and (obviously) emotionally unstable? Not to mention the part where she locks a monster into their human jail... When she KNEW from murders beforehand how dangerous the loup garou was. I just... can't anymore.

Of course there is the rest of the cast and I've yet to meet a woman who is more than a walking, talking set of boobs just ready to set aside their own capability to become the damsel Harry needs to save in the end. Rant over. (hide spoiler)]

I am really hoping this gets better later on, especially Murphy's character, because so far I'm just rolling my eyes constantly whenever she appears and that makes reading kinda difficult. Other than that, the story is pretty exciting so that keeps me going. And there were also some pretty fun and crazy moments that were quite entertaining. Love the world, love the lore and all that.

Yea... (view spoiler)[I feel like Dresden's "chivalry" would be more tolerable, if he didn't keep explaining it in minute detail, as well... just let me gloss over it and move on...

And I love this series, but had mixed feeling about the arrest, as well... I was like, "his case would be thrown out for police brutality, right?"...

And arresting the loup garou like a human just looks worse, when you later learn she read the report and made the silver bullets... which loops back around to not trusting Harry, but trusting his report... (hide spoiler)]

Anyway, in some ways, the series gets better later on by (view spoiler)[involving the police less directly in cases... (hide spoiler)]

slagathor wrote: I'm a tiny bit late to the party as well, started on Sunday, but whooshed through 60% of it by now

I totally agree with you. I had the same feelings reading this book.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm constantly telling people... "wade through the shit... it gets good"... I really just want people to like the books I like... in this case, the mythology is great, and the writing improves.. and the sexism becomes less in your face?...

I'm too invested to quit... and there's more good than bad...

I plan to continue on in the series. I watch lots of shows with this kind of premise so it feels familiar.

Speaking of, has anyone else watched the television version of Dresden Files? I enjoyed it years ago. I am also curious about the graphic novels and might pick one up from the library.

Totally agree with everything all of u said. I did enjoy the story and apart from me wanting to strangle the female characters, it was fun. Do women need to be so idiotic all the time??

I have read books written by female authors who have done very similar stuff which makes me think, being badass is all talk and no walk for them.

I don't want future books to have the female characters continuing the same idiotic behavior.

Fazila wrote: "I don't want future books to have the female characters continuing the same idiotic behavior."

Preach! Yes. It's terrible how some female authors follow the same trend you mentioned. Ugh. Frazila, have you read any well written female characters lately? If so, where?

@Rachel ~ I think I watched the pilot before for the Dresdon Files tv show. I can't remember it quite well, but I liked the actor they cast :D

RachelG. wrote: "I plan to continue on in the series. I watch lots of shows with this kind of premise so it feels familiar.

Speaking of, has anyone else watched the television version of Dresden Files? I enjoyed ..."

I watched Dresden before reading the books, on Hulu back in 2007?... anyway... they make tons of changes to save money... Harry's tools are random yard sale items like a hockey stick staff... and Bob is a ghost I think, instead of an animated skull (that way they can just show an actor talking)... I enjoyed it... only lasted a dozen episodes... pilot followed first 3 books a bit, then it kinda did it's own thing?...

Katie wrote: "Fazila wrote: "I don't want future books to have the female characters continuing the same idiotic behavior."

Preach! Yes. It's terrible how some female authors follow the same trend you mentioned..."

Yea... I was interested when I saw the same actor playing the detective dad to the important blond sisters on Arrow (Black/White Canary)

@Timelord, Right? That's where I recognized him too! :D

Oh cool! I'll have to check it out on Hulu after I get more into the series ^^