I am in bed. I feel terrible. I feel like last night I went out and drank an awful lot, then came back and drunk some more, then not happy with that decided to wash it all down with extra alcohol. I did none of that, although I still tentatively plan to do so this evening. Last night what I actually did was; go to the supermarket with friends to be stocks for this evening’s very small soiree’ and also purchrased some sweeties for our impending trip to the cinema.
The plan was to revel in the 3D awesomeness of Avatar, but due to our friends’ chronic disorganisation and a touch of something ugly we missed the film. So we came back and watched the first installment of the Rocky box-set I got for Christmas. I had forgotten quite how little happens in that first film. To stave off my hunger for the eye-lid cutting and the shouting, not to mention the montage, I stuffed my face with two people’s worth of confectionary. Which is why I now feel rough. Very rough. Still I’m sure it’s nothing 6 hours stood in the cold talking nonsense to people followed by hearty amounts of celebratory booze wont fix.
Genre: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, dark fantasy, mystery, paranormal
Series: The Dresden Files; 2
ISBN: 9780451458124
Intended audience: Adult
Number of pages: 342
Setting: Chicago, IL and outskirts (Chicagoland)
Time period: Fall 2000
Plot summary: Work has been slow for Harry Dresden, the country’s only practicing wizard – so slow that he’s been living off of ramen noodles and spaghettiOs for months. When a friend offers him a steak dinner in exchange for some information, he can’t say no, at least not until he realizes the level of danger his friend will be in with the information she is seeking. Following an awful exchange, Harry’s evening gets worse. After months of the cold shoulder, Karrin Murphey from the Special Investigations unit of the Chicago PD finally reconnects with Harry about a case. But it’s a gristly case and Dresden needs to address Murphey’s lack of trust in him.
Appeal factors:
Pacing: Incredibly fast paced. After the first few chapters, Dresden literally doesn’t have time to think through his actions before having to face some new danger.
Characterization: Told in first person through Harry. A few familiar characters reappear from the last book, including Murphey, Susan, Marcone, and (my favorite) Bob, the skull.
Frame: Gristly murders, Chicago politics, and more werewolves than one can shake a stick at make this an incredibly dark story. But Harry’s humor and demeanor lightens the dark much like a fat, full moon illuminates a night landscape.
Story line: A fast, funny, dark story about good and evil, friendship, magic, and werewolves.
Subject headings:
From PCPL:
Supernatural — Fiction.
Werewolves — Illinois — Chicago — Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.
Occult fiction.
From NoveList:
Detectives — Chicago, Illinois
Wizards — Chicago, Illinois
Policewomen — Chicago, Illinois
Murder investigation
Werewolves
Magic
Police — Chicago, Illinois
Dresden, Harry
Chicago, Illinois
Fantasy fiction, American
Urban fantasy fiction
Similar authors: Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Rob Thurman, Charlie Huston, Charlaine Harris
Personal notes: So far I’m loving this series! Had a couple laugh out loud moments when reading this book (the most memorable on p. 42 – probably funnier for me from having lived in the Chicago area). I also really enjoyed the scene where Harry converses with his subconscious. I’m curious to know more of the details of Harry’s dark past, but that’s part of the hook of the series – we only learn a little bit in each book.
Other (themes, diversity): Diversity – Wizard, female detective, werewolves, demon, spirit, organized crime boss
Museltof! As the Black Eyed Peas would say. I think that song is hilarious, simply for that one Yiddish interjection. I think all songs should be retro-fitted with arbritrary Jewish slang “We are the champions my friend…Gazuntite!” Class.
Anyway, tonight is indeed the night. “The night of what?” you cry, “Calm down” I reply I’m getting there. Tonight is the night of Bon Bon’s Christmas Baubles; the festive installment of the cabaret night that New Old Friends perform our hilarious sketches at. I say hilarious, they were hilarious last time around. It’s at about this point that I start doubting the material. We’ve got one or two sure-fire winners in there, the opener for example is pretty much nailed on considering our audience.
You see, these nights are a fund-raiser for a festival called “Widcome Rising” and as such are generally attended by middle-class dahlings from Widcome. The average age is certainly 40+ so most of the cock gags and really cutting stuff are shelved. This lot are more of a Radio 4 audience, only not listening as hard. We open with a musical number; a singer is hired to sing a song for a ‘festive’ party, he opens with White Christmas but is repeatedly stopped because Christmas is un-PC to say, as is white, as is dreaming – it offends insomniacs apparently. Eventually he asks if there is anything else, the nerdy organiser replies
“Just one little thing…could you sing it a bit more…black.” “Black?”
“Yes, black. At the moment you’re singing it in a very, you know, white person’s style. We’d prefer it to sound more black.”
“But I’m a white singerr. Why didn’t you just hire a black singer?”
“Well we thought that would be patronising.”
Tadaa!
I’m going to try to get the whole thing filmed and if I’m succesful will relay the results to you. I don’t have a video camera as yet but I’m working on it.
There are a load of people coming to read what I write. I haven’t been this popular since I lost my bikini top on the water slide!! It was nearly five minutes before I found it, and I discovered that every boy who came down behind me was throwing it behind them, keeping it away from me up the slide!!
Anyway, thanks for visiting, it is nice to see you all here.
Click through and have a look at our toys, you are anonymous!! Unlike the boys in the pool…
