Storm Front introduces us to Harry Dresden, a wizard for hire and occasional police consultant for anything weird and unexplained. He is in need of money, can't be too close to electrical equipment and his car is constantly getting the better of him by breaking down. On top of that, he is also on his last chance with the White Council, who will execute him if he makes even one tiny magical mistake. Harry is in desperate need of a break. He is called into a case to look at a double homicide, one that will result in him being threatened by mobsters, hungry toad demons and an unhinged black magician. Seemingly all in a day's work for Harry Dresden.
First and foremost, I devoured this in a couple of sittings. Storm Front is ridiculously fast paced and almost impossible to put down, I always wanted to know what came next. Jim Butcher never dawdles with the telling of the tale and for this sort of novel, that's just perfect.
As for Harry, named after a few famous magicians (Harry Houdini being one of them, NOT Harry Potter), he is a brilliant character and reminded me in places of a bumbling, socially adept academic and in others of a wisecracking detective. Harry is a varied and well formed fellow and it is hard not to feel some sort of empathy for him, he receives far more beatings than is normal for someone outside of a boxing ring. He is not Prince Charming however, he doesn't respect women particularly well and every woman in this narrative becomes a victim in some way or another. This becomes more noticeable the more you think about it and is my only niggle with Butcher's storytelling. I am hoping that in a later novel a magic wielding, vengeful woman comes in and kicks Harry's ass. Fingers crossed.
Harry is of course only one of many characters, and you invest enough thought into all of them to have concern over their well being, or in the black magician's case, their demise or capture. I loved Murphy, the detective who calls Harry in to consult on a visually disturbing homicide. She is bossy and slightly scary, perfect for her role and happy to give Harry what for when he is being a bit of a wally. Bob, a talking skull, was hilarious, he is excessively pervy and indulges in sexual voyeurism whenever he is allowed time outside of the skull (he is a caged air spirit, not technically a 'talking skull', but near enough).
Butcher's imagery is compelling enough to make the reader feel quite unwell at the beginning, the double homicide is somewhat savage, even Harry vomits into a thoughtfully provided bucket. The narrative drive is that an evil practitioner of magic is making people's hearts pop out of their chest cavity, leaving a bloody mess at the crime scene. Storm Front is very much a magical whodunit. A whole host of creatures make their way into the telling, they are imaginatively rendered and leave a lasting image. Toot was adorable, a small, forgetful, yet informative fairy who loves pizza. The toad demon was vile and terrifying and I still can't quite shake the scene in which Harry is stark naked with his staff pointed at the electrical storm above (not a euphemism) with his other arm stretched in the direction of the demon, hoping to smite it with the power of the storm, brilliant.
Storm Front is by no means a literary breakthrough but it is a novel that stands out from the rest of those categorised as urban fantasy, this is obvious in the series' success alone. The storytelling is sharp and events tie up neatly, and the style reminded me of Laurel K. Hamilton's 'Anita Blake' novels and also the work of Ben Aaronovitch. There is no doubt that I will be hunting down more of Butcher's Dresden novels, and I hope to enjoy them just as much as I did this one. Overall, a super sharp magical roller coaster and an enjoyable introduction to the series.
