The latest issue of Publisher’s Weekly has a review of the latest Dresden Files book, Dead Beat. This is in many ways fantastic news, since they haven’t reviewed anything in the series since Grave Peril.
However, fans of the series should do their level best not to seek out this review and read it! The review spoilers at least half a dozen plot points, one of which is a major revelation from later in the story. Caveat reader!
22 thoughts on “Warning about review in Publisher’s Weekly”
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Useless information–if you wanted to go all Latin, I believe the phrase is ‘caveat lector’.
Cyrano – “caveat lector” (If that is the right phrase.) means “buyer beware” and whoever wrote the update means “reader beware” instead.
ummm… caveat emptor is “buyer beware” lector is a person who reads… not sure on latin conjugation, but I think Cyrano is correct
I don’t know about everybody else, but I’m told not to do something I always feel more tempted to do it. 🙂
Go right ahead, Grog, but I kid you not, it will change how you view the entire book and will ruin a very nice surprise from towards the end.
https://www.jim-butcher.com/news/000013.php
It’s been more than a year since the news about the scifi channel pilot. I’m not a regular here, I just dig the books, and was looking forward to the show. Has there been any new developments on this?
This being the latest blog thread, I’m gonna jump off topic and ask here:
Now that Harry’s finally enchanting his most common items of clothing to protect him, could Harry weave a ring of copper wire into the brim of his hat? You’ve always said that a circle acts as a wall extending upwards…does it extend downwards as well? It’d be a last-ditch defense, of course, since he’d have to stand really really still and couldn’t hold his staff…and when does Harry *ever* need a desperate magical defense without his staff 😉 But it’d repel a magical adversary long enough to risk a few bullets fired from the hip.
The cover of Dead Beat brought this to mind. Harry needs some protection from a mystical sniper headshot and copper wiring is right in his price range.
So how do I get there to read it
Another review to avoid: Fangoria’s May issue’s book review. Not because of any spoilers, but because the “reviewer” is a tasteless, untalented hack who bashed Dead Beat for no good reason.
He claims that the Dresden Files series is a knock-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer because of a few surface similarities– vampires, spooky relatives, etc. (which is about as valid as saying strawberries are an obvious knock-off of apples, since they’re both red, sweet, and fruity.)
The so-called reviewer also kvetches about “gratuitious fight scenes”, “stuttery pacing”, “thin plots” and “cliches and anachronisms.” I’m not sure what book he read, but I’m sure it wasn’t Dead Beat!
Sorry if I’m the bearer of bad news here; I’d prefer not to be. But, it fits in with the “caveat lector” theme… What’s the Latin for “beware of evil untalented critics”?
man thats totally stupid, these books are the first series ive been interested in for over 2 years. the only thing id compair these books to is the dead untill dark series by Charlaine Harris. yah so you have a buffy actor reading the series and they make one mention, (proably to amuse the “wanna be vamps”) about buffy somewhere in one of the books.. i think it was death masks. other then that no.. this is a unique series and fangoria (whos magz are only bought because of the grousum pictures) can just shove off it. keep up the cool stories i gotta read more of this….
Oh, it’s much worse than “stupid”. The so-called reviewer compared Mavra to Drusilla. I don’t know which is worse– that he’s unfamiliar enough with Jim Butcher’s work to make that comparison, or that he’s unfamiliar enough with Buffy to think that the two characters are anything alike. Yes, they both have similarities– but only on the surface. At the risk of another fruit metaphor– Buffy and Harry Dresden are like apples and oranges; both sweet and fantastic, but completely different. And any reviewer who doesn’t take the time to notice *that* loses all credibility with me.
Personally, I’d compare Jim Butcher’s series to Laurell K. Hamilton’s “Anita Blake” series, since both have strong, witty first-person characters solving crimes in some truly scary situations (at least until LKH’s swerve into heavy romantica in the last few AB books. If you don’t like that sort of thing, stop after you read “Obsidian Butterfly.”)
Another thing I’d definitely recommend is Simon R. Green’s “Nightside” series. It’s also noir-ish detective-fantasy, but in a darker vein. (And there’s praise from JB on the covers, too.)
Hope you appreciate the suggestions. I don’t know if it’s proper etiquette to bring up other authors on this site… but Jim Butcher’s suggesting other works… and we need SOMETHING to read until “Dead Beat” comes out!!! (No, I’m not frantic for it at all, can’t you tell? :^D)
On the plus side, Dead Beat got a glowing review in the Romantic Times Book Club magazine. It received 4 and 1/2 stars– their second highest rating– and lots of lovely compliments. (I’d quote it, but I don’t have it with me.) Now that’s more like it!!!
I rarely read book reviews for the simple reason that their opinion of good isn’t always the same as mine. Rave reviews for 2 series of books turn out to be utterly boring and a complete waste of money, and thankfully i didn’t bother wasting any more money buying the rest, won’t mention titles at the risk of offending anyone who actually liked them. If the back of the book catches my attention i’ll read it simple as that, yes i admit that method does produce a few dudes but at least i know that i wasn’t basing my choice on what someone else said about it. I say keep up the great work Jim, you’ve got us hooked regardless of what some book publisher says. And i’d love to see you team up with Simon R. Green, Harry Dresden and John Taylor would make an awesome team.
Loyal Fan
Jordan
Itotally agree with Crusher Jen. I adore Buffy and Harry, but they are only superficially alike. They are both the good guys, do a thankless job trying to save the world, and trying to protect their less “super-powered” friends. And Mavra/ Drucilla, they’re alike in that they are both old, creepy, and scary. Last time I checked Mavra didn’t talk to the stars during the day and speak in nonsense. And Buffy was mentioned once in both Death Masks and Blood Rites.
I like the idea of the copper wire woven into the hat brim. Kudos on that one!
*We don’t need no stinkin reviewers!!*
It leads to alot of disappointment… Instead, I go for things recommended by friends and my favorite authors.
Just keep hooking us in with the preview chapters on the website…
I’ve loved Jim’s books from day one and can’t wait to read the newest. I lucked out and actually found a copy of Dead Beat on the shelf at Borders. I did the snoopy dance all the way to the counter!!!!
Wait, Dead Beat is OUT!!!?!?!?!?! I thought it wasn’t supposed to be out until May!
Dead Beat is captivating. I and four other people bought the book and immediately plopped down in the store to read. Jim Butcher is able to escalate the conflict of Harry’s struggle with himself,isolation, and his latest adversary. Dead Beat centralizes the story around Harry. Summer Knight, Death Masks and Blood Rites introduced to the series numerous characters,if they were present in every subsequent book they could distract from the main story. However,Jim deftly wove every new character into each plot. This feat shows he is a good storyteller, or has a great editor.
The conclusion of Dead Beat leaves me wanting to read more Harry Dresden Files.
dang…HOW did u guys get it so early?
Great Book. Borders’ IN the Quarry ( San Antonio) had it on Friday too. I have twice since getting.
I wasn’t going to get Dead Beat until it came out in paperback. I’ve liked your earlier books, but not enough for my underemployed self to plunk down 23 bucks for hardcover. But a sudden windfall coincided with my trip to the bookstore, and I said what the hey. And I’m glad I did.
This book is a step up from your earlier books. I’ve always liked this series, please don’t get me wrong. But I’ve stepped from liking to loving with this book. Before, I’ve picked up the book, read a few chapters, then gone on to something else. It didn’t linger, making me wonder what happened next. This is the first of your books that I had to postpone plans for, read while I was cooking dinner, kept in the car for a quick sneak peek while the traffic light was red and got honked at by the car behind me when I couldn’t stop reading.
It’s good. It’s beyond good.
And I think it’s the character of Butters that did it for me. He’s really a diamond. Polka will never die.
Although there are two lady characters who compete in my affections, too. Well, you can’t quite call either one a lady.
Hm. Don’t want this review to get spoilerriffic. But I’ve got to say that Sue was a stroke of genius. I want one.
Thank you for a great reading experience, and please do keep up the good work. I’m teetering on the edge of buying Alera in HB now, and I NEVER buy first-books-in-a-series in HB. You evil man, you – my budget now hates you.