Reddit reviews Storm Front (Dresden Files)
We found 34 Reddit comments about Storm Front (Dresden Files). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
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Reddit reviews Storm Front (Dresden Files)We found 34 Reddit comments about Storm Front (Dresden Files). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Step 1: Purge the TV show from your memory.
Step 2: Pick up Storm Front and enjoy!
I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher. The protagonist is a wizard who works with Chicago PD on magic related and other supernatural cases. There are some strong female characters, a sort of Scooby gang eventually, lots of vampire intrigue, and while the sense of humor isn't exactly the same, I find it to be in the same neighborhood, just a little geekier. Here is a link to the first book in the series.
In all honesty, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are pretty tough to get into, since they are practically the ur-examples of fantasy, written back when a lot of commercial fiction methodology was still being developed.
When i read a book, I worry first and foremost if I'm entertained, if I am, I'll give it my recommendation, regardless of the flaws. These are the ones I think you'd find best for jumping in with.
YA/Middle Grade Books
Fantasy
Discworld by Terry Pratchet (I'd recommend not starting at the beginning.)
Sci-Fi
Urban Fantasy
Thrillers/Suspense
This is true. That said, one can always introduce the magic into the mundane - a passing reference to a spell in the opening paragrah or page and you're good.
Or read the first two pages of the first book of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series for another, more direct approach:
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0451457811
> But at least have enough class not to advertise that you did it.
Hey, Jim. Long time fan of the Dresden books; I usually use them as a case example of showing people what it's like for an author to improve over time, because I think it's very clear to the reader how consistently you get better as a writer from book to book (although you rely on the word 'literally' far too often for my taste). I understand your point of view on people sharing your books for free, but I cannot support your attitude that there is anything remotely shameful about it, any more than there is shame in lending or giving a book to a friend - it is simply a fact that a digital book can be given away without the giver no longer having it, which shouldn't have any impact on the morality in question.
Some of your pirates truly can't afford your books, and you should not consider them a loss of sales in any way. Many, like thefran has strongly implied he is, struggle with inadequate service - information in the digital age is always in competition with free, and sellers who do not realize this make poor decisions that cause piracy. theFran has straight-up admitted that he had to buy a bootleg because, for no good reason, he could not buy your product when it released, as it was delayed in his country. In the internet age, that is straight-up inexcusable. This is your publisher's fault, not yours, but you should understand that he was out to enjoy your work, not hurt you, and as a group, the people involved in selling him the book dropped the ball collectively.
If you're serious about wanting to sell more books to internet denizens, 1) make absolutely sure digital copies of your book release no later than the physical book does, 2) in every format used by a digital reader, 3) on widely accessible markets, 4) for a reasonable price (this means less than the physical copy; 5 dollars is about right). This shit, where the digital copy costs MORE than the paper copy, is just going to lose you sales. http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Book-Dresden-Files/dp/0451457811
I realise you're the author, but you're big enough to tell your publishers to stop being idiots. Get on the phone with them and start making yourself more money and your internet readers happier.
If you like fantasy, check in with the folks over at r/fantasy. That being said, Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind is phenomenal epic fantasy with beautifully crafted storytelling. If you want fast paced urban fantasy, check out Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, which is about a magic wielding private detective with an irreverent sense of humor.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Dresden files
Are you looking for straight comedy or just things with comedic elements? Do you have any specific genre preferences?
For example, Steven Brust's Jhereg series has a very snarky protagonist, but it's not a comedy.
Same would be true for the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, if you like urban fantasy.
Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...
Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.
Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D
Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!
Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!
Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)
Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.
Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!
I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!
Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).
Start reading The Dresden Files
Book 16 isn't due out until 2015, so you may be able to catch up in time.
This is very much a "just trust me". Book 1 isn't the best of the series, but everyone has to start somewhere. Very quickly it becomes an addiction.
Click Here for the amazon link. You can buy it in almost any format.
For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name.
If you liked Sanderson for his straightforward style and fun tone, I recommend Jim Butcher. You can read the Codex Alera for epic fantasy or his more popular Dresden Files, which is urban fantasy.
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is your thing if you like a character who would die for the principles. It's hard to explain it without spoilers, but several times he choose principles over the easy way out.
Start with Storm Front.
http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780
http://www.amazon.com/Hitchhikers-Guide-Galaxy-Douglas-Adams/dp/0345391802/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376093747&sr=1-2&keywords=hitchhikers+guide+to+the+galaxy
http://www.amazon.com/Mistborn-Final-Empire-Book-No/dp/0765350386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376093807&sr=1-1&keywords=mistborn
http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Book-Dresden-Files/dp/0451457811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376093895&sr=1-1&keywords=storm+front+jim+butcher
I came here to say the same thing. Start with The Atrocity Archives and then The Jennifer Morgue. Also, the Dresden Files have always felt X-Files-ish to me. Start with Storm Front.
The Devil and Daniel Webster is short. Though if you're interested in recommendations for books that are longer that you may like check out these:
The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass
On Basilisk Station
The Hobbit
The Dresden Files 1, 2, 3. (The first two books of the series are the weakest, the quality jumps tremendously in Book 3 and each one is better then the last after that.)
The Lost Fleet
Ok, you like a lot of the authors I do so Imma try and throw a couple out there.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi Set in future Thailand where global warming has run rampant, the oceans have risen, and gene companies produce food seed continuously to keep ahead of genetic plagues that destroy anything edible. It's some solid hard scifi and if you like Gibson and Dick it should do ya well.
Red Thunder by John Varley Set in the near future the Chinese are clearly going to win the spacerace to Mars and a small group decides to build a ship to beat em. This is the first in a three part series (which I just learned had a third part lookin up that link) and I enjoyed it.
As for fantasy...
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with ghouls, vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, zombies and other mythical monsters. Harry Dresden works to protect the general public, who are ignorant of magic and the dark forces conspiring against them. This makes it difficult for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. The Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit, when led by Karrin Murphy, regularly employs Dresden as a consultant to help solve cases of a supernatural nature. I love this series, whenever a new book comes out (and hes up to 14 not counting a few short story collections and such) I read it almost nonstop.
Crossbow, bolts, and the first book of the Dresden Files.
What sort of fantasy do you think you would like? High fantasy, modern day real world fantasy, steam punk, romance, adventure, coming of age?
If you are looking at staying with a Young Adult fantasy theme, I would suggest Cassandra Clare's series, [The Mortal Instruments] (https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Mortal-Instruments-Cassandra-Clare/dp/1481455923/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1478740289&sr=8-3&keywords=the+mortal+instruments) and it's prequel series, [The Infernal Devices] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481456024/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1481456024&pd_rd_r=H6XGB69FAEC3097ZA851&pd_rd_w=lLXM8&pd_rd_wg=MOvOs&psc=1&refRID=H6XGB69FAEC3097ZA851) . The prequel series is actually my favorite of the two. It is steam punk fantasy while the other is not. I also would recommend [The Dresden Files] (https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Butcher/dp/0451457811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478740351&sr=1-1&keywords=dresden+files), by Jim Butcher even though they are not Young Adult. They contain every type of fantasy creature and setting you could imagine. It's a series about a private detective in modern day Chicago who also happens to be a wizard.
If you want to delve into a zombie genre, I have enjoyed [The Forest of Hands and Teeth] (https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478740244&sr=8-1&keywords=forest+of+hands+and+teeth) series by Carrie Ryan as well as [The Enemy] (https://www.amazon.com/Enemy-new-cover-Novel/dp/1484721462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478740190&sr=8-1&keywords=the+enemy+charlie+higson) series by Charlie Higson.
I will second The Lies of Locke Lamora (part of the Gentleman Bastard series) as an excellent choice.
If you like Percy Jackson because it is fantasy mixed with the real world (i.e. urban fantasy genre) you might like The Dresden Files or the Iron Druid Chronicles
You might also look at branching into historical fiction, maybe? There are a lot of books using real historical military campaigns as backgrounds that are very entertaining - if that is of any interest to you, start with The Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield.
I'm really surprised that nobody has mentioned this one yet, but you should check out the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Storm Front is the first book in the series. Don't quit after only reading the first one! The series gets better as you go!
Also, I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 and loved it :)
EDIT: If you read a lot, I would really recommend using PaperBack Swap! (gotta be honest, this is a referral link through me!) They have a ton of great books available for around $3.45 per book (with shipping) at the most, and that's if you actually purchase credits.
I've read the preview of this book and it looks pretty good, especially since I love well done urban fantasy story's. You'd probably really enjoy the Dresden Series... about a badass wizard detective living in Chicago.
Here's a link to the first book if you want to check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811
Ya know, I'll order a paperback edition of a Madness of Angels from amazon right now if you promise to take a look at the Dresden Series. Deal?
Tell us a little bit more about yourself. What entertainment genres do you like? Are there any subjects you want to learn more about?
Here's a few good books I've read recently:
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is one of my favorite series. It's less scifi and a bit more on the fantasy genre, but still really good. It's much less high fantasy than the Game of Thrones series and set in Chicago in today's time. Plus the main guy gets to ride a zombie t-rex.
Most of this is copypasta from another reply on this thread, since it seemed silly to just rephrase all the things. Please note the last paragraph if none of these seem fun. I read a lot, mostly exclusively SF/F (both adult and YA), and boy do I have opinions on it. And if you're not a reader starting with YA is a thought. There's a lot of fun, intelligent YA out there now as publishers realize teens don't actually want to be treated like they're stupid.
For a low commitment (i.e. not part of a series), humorous start there's Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. I like a lot of Gaiman's work, which ranges from the strange and humorous (see: GO) to the strange and creepy (Anasazi Boys), but what I'd recommend from him depends on what you're looking for.
In the funny but harder scifi range I'd rec the beloved classic Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. This is seriously one of the wittiest books I've ever read besides being an action-packed scifi romp.
If you're interested in urban fantasy I have all the recs. Everything from Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series Book 1: Storm Front, for the grown-up wizard, to Seanan McGuire's October Daye series Book 1: Rosemary and Rue, if you're more into fae.
For the dark and more sexual (seriously, there is sex in these books) I highly recommend the Fever Series by Karen Moning, Book 1: Darkfever.
If you like SF/F books (like Discworld, Animorphs, etc.) let me know what subgenres (e.g. hard scifi, urban fantasy, urban scifi, fantasy romance, young adult _____ ) you think you might like and I guarantee you I have a recommendation or two. I read a lot.
If you are looking for an action-packed easy-read then try out the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Almost ideal for reading when not quite up to 100% in recovery.
I really loved Ender's Game, but I know its not everyone's cup of tea. You should read The Dresden Files. It is a really good mix of fantasy/magic and detective/action types.
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series. The first book is called Storm Front.
There are more books in this series than I can remember so it'd keep her busy for the forseeable future.
You should definitely check out Dresden Files. Please dont base it on the horrible TV series they made the books are fantastic.
http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Book/dp/0451457811/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291817709&sr=8-1
also the audio books are great, read by James Marsters.
Ok, sorry it took so long, but maybe try Spice and Wolf light novels, Konosuba, Death March to a Parallel World, and No game no life.
If the manga light novels aren't your style, then perhaps The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, or The Passage by Justin Cronin.
The Dresden Files Book 1
The Iron Druid Chronicles Book 1
I have lots more, just ask for a genre.
Any relation to The Dresden Files ?
Full disclosure: I've talked about these books before. It's hard not to talk about them again, because I love reading books!
The dated but still fun modern-fantasy SERRAted Edge series written by Mercedes Lackey and others starts with Born to Run. They tackle some serious issues and have serious moments, but they're generally a nice light read.
Dana Stabenow's Alaskan murder mystery Kate Shugak series starts off with A Cold Day For Murder -- and it's free if you have a Kindle/other e-reader. The main character Kate and her half-wolf Mutt have a lot of suspenseful, yet occasionally hilarious, moments. There's even a bit of romance thrown in here and there.
David Weber writes a space-opera series that's on its ... twentieth? novel. It all started off with On Basilisk Station and The Honor of the Queen -- both of which are free as well through the Kindle store! (HotQ is probably my favorite in the entire series.) This series is less humor and a little more cerebral (especially once you get to 'recent events' and end up re-reading the entire series to spot the plot setups...) but honestly, how can you argue with a main character whose primary companion is a six-limbed, arboreal, prehensile-tailed, thumb-wielding, telepathic cat?
Maggie Furey wrote a magic-fantasy quadrilogy that I discovered years ago when I read Aurian. It's actually been long enough since I've read it that I don't remember tons of the details, but it's currently very high on my to-read (again) list.
Naomi Novik writes an alternate history Napoleonic-era Britain (with dragons!) that starts with His Majesty's Dragon. I highly recommend the first three. It's sort of sea-and-sky-opera with some lighthearted fun thrown in.
A new addition to my recommended list is the modern-fantasy Dresden Files, written by Jim Butcher and starting with Storm Front. Private investigation meets spellslinging, with sometimes unpredictable and often hilarious results.
It is. Plus the author has a great sense of humor and lets it color his writing. I've turned quite a few people on to the series with no complaints. To be fair, all of those people did enjoy books of a similar nature. Good luck and let me know what you think if you read them. The first book is Storm Front. They're pretty expensive right now on Kindle so I linked the paperback edition for you. My local library always has the books available, so I'd check there as well - free is a great price as well :).
I have trouble listening to the Dresden books. It's just so breathy that it annoys me.
You can hear a sample here: Amazon
The numerous audible inhales and exhales just grate on me.