A Book Review: Skin Game by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #15)

Hells bells! The Dresden Files series just keeps getting better and better! In Skin Game, the 15^th installment in the series, Jim Butcher cranked up the firepower of his mad authoring skills and gave us a ripping yarn. But before I start to ranting about how good this book is, let me first establish some context. 

What is The Dresden Files?

The Dresden Files is a series of urban fantasy novels. The story is set in Chicago, it tastes strongly of neo noir, and these books feature the saga of Harry Dresden, a wizard PI who makes a living out of solving paranormal crimes with his otherworldly powers. In other words, when things go bump in the middle of the night, don't panic, steady your trembling hand, then pick up a phone and call Harry, his number is on the phone book!

So here you go, if you are craving for stories similar to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or if you ever want to read stories about wizards, detectives, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, faeries and magics galore, then The Dresden Files books could be right up your alley.

Right, now that I have given an introduction to The Dresden Files, let me begin to share my thoughts about Skin Game. Hopefully you will enjoy reading my review, and find it useful in your own honorable quest at expanding your reading world.

Synopsis:

Peter Parker may say that with great power comes great responsibilities. For Harry Dresden, however, with great power comes great slavery.

What happened to this man? Ok, the curious case of Harry Dresden went like this:

Harry Dresden spent the most of his career as Chicago's only professional wizard. While wizardry hasn't induced Harry's bank account with obesity, but it has certainly created a lifestyle for Harry as adrenaline-rushing as hanging on the bonnet of a racing Lamborghini, then flying down the road at 180 miles per hour.

Two years ago, Harry made a bargain with the Queen of Air and Darkness in exchange for the power to rescue his daughter from vampires. As Harry's business concluded, he had to fulfill his part of the bargain by taking on the mantle of the Winter Knight.

Winter Knight? Sounds cool and heroic, right? How bad can it get? Let's fast forward the time by two years. Harry is now a powerful wizard and the Winter Knight, double whammy! But Mab, who is Harry's new boss, is not really one of the good guys, and as the power of winter surges through Harry's body, it gradually erodes away Harry's self control, and turning him into a monster. Simply putting it, Harry is the kind of guy who is willing to die for doing the right thing, but his new job tied his hands behind his back, and he is often forced into doing stuff against his will.

Things got even worse, when Mab traded Harry's skills to pay off one of her debts. This time, Harry must help a group of supernatural villains and breaking into a high security vault. Harry takes two major issues against this job; 1) Harry doesn't like helping the bad buys, and 2) This group is led by Nicodemus, a dangerous demon who is also Harry's most despised enemy. But if Harry refuses this job then his new boss promises to bring upon him a very painful and slow death, leaving Harry with no other choice but to play a game of heist, Ocean's Eleven style...

My thoughts on this book:

The first thing I am going to say, is that when I read the climax of this book, I screamed: “Polka will never die!”. It was like a war cry! And I am grateful my neighbors did not call the men in white coats. Huh? What on earth am I talking about? I am going to keep my lips sealed, read Skin Game for yourself and experience a phenomenon, one that will make you giggle like a mad man and feeling a gush of satisfaction, as the words in this book's ending reach your eyes.

I hope the above paragraph has fueled your interest in The Dresden Files. Or alternatively, if you are still in the early stage of exploring Harry Dresden's world (say, at book 3 to 6), and you feel worn down and irritated by the repetitiveness of those books, then I encourage you to stay vigilant and read on. This series gets better and better as it goes along, you will see. The last 5 installments in this series have been good, but the quality of Skin Game is in a different league. This is not just a “good” The Dresden Files novel. No, Skin Game is an excellent The Dresden Files novel.

Since Changes, Jim Butcher revamped the series. Instead of following the typical story structure where Harry was given a case to investigate, in the last 4 books, each one has a unique theme/plot of its own. i.e. the theme in Changes was about Harry rescuing his daughter, Ghost Story was about Harry's experience at being a ghost, where Cold Days provided a conclusion to the story that began in Changes, but also revealed information that melted every book in this series into one major story.

So what is the theme in Skin Game? This book is basically a heist story with magical swords, angels, demons, faeries, underworld mafias, and mythological gods. Skin Game is like Ocean's Eleven meets Brothers Grimm, and it packs a Herculean punch of urban fantasy. One thing I have come to appreciate more and more about this series, particularly in Skin Game, is the richness of folklore and mythology in this series. Jim Butcher weaved folklore and mythology, brilliantly, into the fabrics of his story. The generous use of folklore and mythology, coupled with a story set in modern day Chicago, and the submersion of the story in neo noir, bring into existence an urban fantasy world that is both atmospheric and immersive for a reader.

The story itself moves at a very fast pace. The writings are crisp and energetic, and Jim Butcher's prose provided vivid and picturesque descriptions to every scene in this book. The story itself comes packed with surprises and tension, it will draw you in and keeping you turning the pages. Furthermore, Skin Game also answered a few questions that were trailing in the wake of Cold Days. For examples, what happened to Molly after Cold Days? Will there be a new Knight of the Cross? Will Harry ever be a father to his daughter? The good news is, Skin Game answered most of those questions, but Jim Butcher also cleverly left crumbs on the path to build up an epic, two-books conclusion which will (hopefully) arrive on our bookshelves in the very near future.

This also means, this series' past favorites, characters such as Michael Carpenter and Waldo Butters, returned in this book to play major roles in the story. Without spoiling the story, let me just say if you like Michael and Waldo, then you are in for a treat! For me, both Michael and Waldo have been my favorite characters in this entire series, and I was more than joyous to greet these two colorful characters upon their return. Speaking of characterization, Jim Butcher developed Harry's character steeply in Skin Game. I was especially fond of the heart warming story about Harry' relationship with his daughter. Meanwhile, Harry's ongoing struggle, against the side effects from being a Winter Knight, painted another layer to his character, and making him even more humane. When it comes to characterization, from heroes to villains, Skin Game casts a group of vibrant, memorable characters as the they bring you, the reader, an unforgettable adventure.

Sadly, Skin Game is the latest installment in The Dresden File series. This means, upon finishing this book, you will join me (and many other readers) in the painful wait for the sequels. Words on the street is that Jim Butcher is planning to conclude Harry's saga in two more books, and he is still in the process of writing them. So far, Butcher has yet to reveal any information about the sequels' release date(s), but with the way this series has been developing, I'd wager the next two books will be nothing short of amazing in quality. In the meantime, if you have not read The Dresden Files, then I would highly recommend picking up this series. If on the other hand, you have already stepped into Harry's wonderful and magical world, then continue reading the series, because the latter installments in this series are about the best books you can get in this genre.

A Book Review: Cold Days by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files #14)

I have had a love and hate relationship with The Dresden Files novels. This urban fantasy series, featuring the spell slinging, ass kicking, wizard PI Harry Dresden, have spanned over the length of 15 books and it is still ongoing. Some Dresden Files novels completely blew my mind with their sheer brilliance, but on the other hand, my thought about some other Dresden Files novels, especially the earlier installments, is a “meh” at the best.

It suffices to say that not all books in this series are the same quality, but I'd say as the series goes on, these books are getting better and better. By the time the series hits its 14^th installment, Cold Days, the story tingles and burns as a finely aged Scotch.

Synopsis:

Harry Dresden, Chicago city's only wizard PI, is a specialist of many otherworldly skills. Harry just added another competency to his list of ever growing supernatural talents – resurrection.

What? Other than shooting columns of fire from his fingertips, Harry has also acquired the power to bring dead people back to life? Well, not quite... You see, one year ago Harry died in an assassination. Just as Harry was resting in peace, and thinking that death was kinda cool, he suddenly woke up in a winter wonderland. Apparently 12 months have gone by since Harry died, and Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, brought Harry back to life and made him an offer he cannot refuse. Basically, Harry has no choice but to take on the mantle of Winter Knight and become a servant to Mab.

Mab wasted no time at cashing in the benefit from her latest weapon. She immediately charged Harry with his first mission. After all, Mab has plotted, long and hard, at snaring Harry into her service and now she is finally ripping the reward from her hard works. What is Harry's first assignment? Would it surprise you if I reveal the mission involves assassinating someone? I guess not, because Harry's new boss is supposedly one of the bad guys. But does this mean Harry has joined the dark side?

Questions, and more questions, let's hope answers will be revealed, as Chicago embraces its cold days.

My thoughts about this book:

Cold Days is an excellent addition to The Dresden Files series. This book did two things to the series that made Harry Dresden's compelling saga even better than before. Firstly, Cold Days wrapped up the “sub-series” that began in Changes in a spectacular fashion. By the time the story reached this book's end, it answered many questions and tied up a handful of sub-plots that began in Changes. Yet, this is not all; this book also revealed a major plot point that basically glued all previous 13 Dresden Files novels into one, cohesive story. Meanwhile, Cold Days also dropped hints at a bigger storm yet to hit Harry's world and it will leave you edging to read the next book. So, if you are a veteran to the wonderful world of Harry Dresden, then Cold Days should be sitting on your list of must read books.

Cold Days also provided a much welcomed change to its settings. Before Cold Days, a handful of installments were overloaded with stories about vampires. It got stale and repetitive. A wind of change is finally uplifting this series as Cold Days is dropping us back in the middle of a century old conflict between the winter and summer faeries. I, for one, really liked the settings in this book, because it shed lights into the hearts of many characters, both old and new, good and evil. I was particularly fond of the parts where the story focused on the uneasy, boss and servant relationship between Harry and Mab.

The Dresden Files is a very successful series. Even if you have only read one book in this series, I'd wager that you would find the characters memorable and likable. Furthermore, set in Chicago, this series comes with a strong neo-noir flavor that many people found highly attractive. This series' true strength, however, lies in Jim Butcher's ability to tell better and better stories as the series goes on. That's right! The later installments in this series are so much better than the earlier ones, especially when it comes to storytelling. Let me give you an example; in the earlier installments, Harry frequently found himself outgunned by monsters who were way stronger than him. How did he get out of these tight spots? He reached into his 'inner strength” and suddenly (and miraculously) found some power that helped him won the fights. When Jim Butcher used this “finding inner strength” plot device in the first 2 books, it was tolerable. However, when Butcher began to duplicate this deus-ex machina plot device, too many times, to get his hero out of tight spots, then it soon became old and cliched. It almost felt like the story was cheating you. In the latter installments in this series, however, Butcher slayed the monstrous head of cliche that was budding in these books, when he began to let Harry's nemesis, those whose powers were way above his league, to beat him bloody and senseless. In latter books, when Harry got himself into tight spots, his get out of jail cards were either his wits, or his friends. This change of storytelling added twists and surprises to the stories, but it also shrouded our heroes in a real sense of danger. 

In Cold Days, Jim Butcher took his storytelling up a notch, because this time, not only does this relentless story move at a lightning fast pace, but the plot itself is utterly unpredictable. Just as when you think Harry has got everything under control, a surprise would suddenly seize the story in the next paragraph, then doing a plot 180. Up to date, I think Cold Days tells the most compelling story in all of Harry's sagas. Reading this book brought me lots of fun, and it entertained me from the moment I cracked open its first page until closing off its last.

Simply put, Cold Days is an excellent addition to The Dresden Files series. This book is smoking good! So good that I would rank it as the second best in the whole series after Dead Beat - Why? Because Polka will never die! (what on earth am I talking about? Read Dead Beat and find out for yourself). Cold Days scores big on characterization and its twisted plot would blow your cranium right off your skull with a gusto of surprises. If you have already ventured into the dark and strange world of Harry Dresden, then keep at it; good stuff, golden stuff, awaits for you. If you have yet to step into the daring, magical life of Chicago's only wizard PI, then do your imagination a favor, trek to a library or a bookstore near you and grab a copy of Storm Front, the book that started the tale of Harry Dresden.

A Book Review: Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Have you ever trusted in something, so faithfully and fiercely that you made it the centre of your whole being, only to discover that the truth is not what you think it is?

Perhaps it was a time when you devoted your whole heart to a belief system; a belief that you served devotedly, a belief that you thought was infallible and righteous. Then your heart was ripped out from your chest, when evidences began to surface, showing you that your belief system is in fact, fallible and harmful. What a traumatic experience it must be!

Have you had that experience? If your answer this question with an yes, then you have a lot in common with a man called Leo Demidov, who is a fictional character and the protagonist in Tom Rob Smith's award winning thriller novel, Child 44.

Last year, Hollywood adapted Child 44 into a movie and it attracted mostly negative reviews. I have not seen the movie so I am not fit to comment on the film. Yet, critics and audiences both rated the movie poorly. The general consensus is that something from the book was lost during the process of creating a movie adaptation. In other words, if the story of Child 44 interests you, then you should read the book before watching the movie.

I read Child 44 this weekend and loved every page of it. This unrelenting thriller is now sitting on my list of favorite books. I am writing a review to recommend this book to my fellow readers, because I think Child 44 is simply too good a novel to be missed out on.

Synopsis:

The Soviet Union, governed by Stalin, is a crime-free paradise!

Crime? Crime only happens in the West because of their corrupted ideologies. This is why, comrade Demidov, working for MGB means you are serving a higher purpose. In MGB, we are fighting for Soviet Union, the last bastion standing against the invading darkness of western democracies. So, comrade Demidov, as a MGB officer you must be ready to arrest, silence, and denounce any potential enemies or traitors in our great state, for the greater good.

It was a cold and wintry day in Moscow when Leo Demidov, a war hero and a rising star in MGB, stepped out of his office to investigate a new case. Leo loves serving the state as an MGB officer, he arrested enemies of the state, by the hundreds, and his career is lit with promises of great things to come. Leo cannot be more certain that Soviet Union's system is infallible. It is a system that has created the best place in the world, and its citizens are living in an eternal status of joy and harmony.

But Leo has a new case. One of Leo's subordinates, a lower ranking MGB officer, is grieving for the death of his son. The poor boy's body, cruelly and horribly mutilated, was discovered next to the railway, and the father asserts that his son was murdered. Murdered! But surely, crime doesn't exist in Soviet Union so this father is spreading dangerous falsities about the state. Such falsehoods about Soviet Union must be silenced. Leo's new assignment, is to convince the boy's father that his son's death is an accident.

So Leo tread the snow-ridden streets of Moscow to visit the grief stricken family and investigate the case. Little did Leo know that this visit is about to turn his world up side down, where his estranged wife would become his only ally, and together they would discover the shocking truth about a killer and his beloved state...

My thoughts on this book:

Child 44 is a thriller novel, but exactly what kind of thriller is it? I would say this book is multifaceted, and it encompasses the best features of several genres; it is a political thriller, a conspiracy thriller, mystery/detective fiction, and it is also historical fiction. While I was writing this review, I did some research about this book. I discovered that Tom Rob Smith performed extensive research into the era's history, a time when Stalin reigned over Soviet Union. Based on his historical research, Smith build a world that captured, so vividly, what life was like for ordinary citizens who were living under Stalin's Soviet Union. With striking, and evocative depictions, Child 44 immerses its readers in an unforgettable journey, the words on the white pages turn the clock back to Soviet Union in 1953. Readers are planted at the front seat, and experience the constant fear for being denounced as the enemy of state, then being traumatized by the culture of paranoia, while being subjected to a systematic indoctrination about the infallibility of the state and its leader. Child 44 provided a picturesque narrative about living in a mind control system, a system that demanded total obedience from its subjects while using fear to silence all criticisms and questions.

Smith maintained a very high level of suspense in this book. Child 44 spins a brilliantly executed story that will grip you with its sheer suspense. This is a tale that will keep you biting your nails, squirming at the edge of your seat as you eagerly flip through the pages to find out what will be happening next. Layers of mystery, in the form of subplots, encircled a centre piece puzzle. As the story unfolds, these subplots began to resolve, unveiling their secrets and surprising readers with many unexpected twists and turns. For an example, the story sent a chill down my spine when it finally revealed why the book is titled “Child 44”. This book marks the beginning of a trilogy, but there is no unresolved plot at this book's end, so it is a stand alone novel. I was really impressed by Smith's ability to weave and connect all subplots, so intricately, with the main story. In every chapter, the transitions from subplots to the main story (and vice versa) flowed seamlessly. I almost couldn't distinguish the subplots from the main story because the entire book felt like one brilliant and complex story. When I turned over the last page in Child 44, I sat back and reflected on this story, then a sudden realization struck me as I began to comprehend the true complexity lying behind the story's structure. Subsequently, I came to appreciate Smith's masterful storytelling even more because he presented a very complex story in a way that was also very easy to follow.

Leo Demidov plays the role of the protagonist in this book. In a way, Child 44 is a story about a man seeking redemption. A man, who, discovered his blind faith and unquestioning servitude to a monstrous system has harmed numerous innocents, so now he is seeking some form of redemption by trying to do what is right. Leo seeks redemption even if it means going against the all powerful system that he served previously, at the cost of his own life. I like Leo's character because he made a very deep impression on my mind. Smith's masterstroke for his portrayal of Leo lies in the depiction of his internal struggles, they are powerful and moving. The second protagonist in Child 44, is Leo's estranged wife, Raisa. Leo and his wife live in a very dysfunctional marriage. This book depicted very powerfully and hauntingly, how, living in a mind controlling system/society deeply scarred and poisoned their relationship. I think it suffices to say, Child 44 excelled at characterization. Every character, from the protagonists, supporting characters, to the villain, they all cut marrow deep impressions into my mind.

I do need to send a word of caution to those would-be readers for Child 44: The murder scenes in this book are very graphical. I do not think the author intended to use shock factors to attracting readers. Instead, I think the graphical depictions for the murders were aiming to convey the sense of horror, despair, the fears, and the hopelessness that ordinary people, living under an oppressive regime, felt as they dealt with tragedies that plagued them on daily basis. However, I speculate those who are sensitive to graphical depictions for mutilated bodies may feel a bit uncomfortable, or disturbed even, when encountering several key moments in this book.

I have read a lot of thriller novels. Just to name a few authors; Fedreick Forsyth, Steve Berry, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and James Rollins. Out of all these thrillers, Child 44 occupies a special place on my list of favorite books. But what made this book so good? Is it because Child 44 executed a nail biting story brilliantly? Or perhaps it is because this book is a page-turning adventure full of suspense and mystery? I think this book has all those strengths, but I think Child 44 stands out as a remarkable thriller because at its core, it narrates a very human, and very realistic story - That regardless of how powerful or unrelenting the forces of indoctrination and oppression may be, the truth will always win in the end.

A Book Review: The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry

On 17^th July, 1918, Bolshevik troops murdered Tsar Nicholas II and his entirely family. This harrowing murder would go down in the river of history, it played a vital role in the formation of the Soviet Union. Decades have passed, countless speculations and rumors have emerged regarding the possible survivors of the tragic execution. While we may never know if any of Nicolas II's children survived, but one man, Grigori Rasputin, arguably the most controversial and enigmatic character from the last century, painted further mystery to this already horrific murder. Apparently, two months before Rasputin was assassinated in 1916, he allegedly prophesied the execution of Nicholas II and his family.

Did Rasputin really prophesied the murder of the imperial family? We may never know the truth behind these supernatural allegations. But the sheer weight of this tragic incident, compounded with its mysterious nature, certainly makes excellent materials for a conspiracy thriller. One author performed extensive research into this dark history, and exercised his colorful imagination to weave a conspiracy thriller that will keep Dan Brown's fans up and reading the whole night. The author's name is Steve Berry, and this novel is called The Romanov Prophecy.

Synopsis:

Grigori Rasputin, a saint, a madman, or a charlatan? In 1916, this mythical faith healer made a prophecy; should he be murdered in the hands of a relative to the imperial family, then everyone in Nicholas II's family would die within 2 years.

On a July's night, 1918, the White Army approached the town where the Tsar and his family were being held captives. A squad of Bolsheviks, supposedly under the order of Lenin, and led by Yakov Yrovsky, executed the entire imperial family, wiping out Nicholas II's line of direct descendants from history

Almost a century later, Miles Lord, an African American lawyer from Atlanta, is partaking in Russia's historic moment – after the fall of communism and a succession of weak governments, the Russian people have voted to resurrect the monarchy. The new heir, chosen by a special commission, and favored by a group of western business tycoons, is a distant relative of Nicholas II. Miles' job, is to perform the background check on this successor.

Miles' exciting new job pushed him into a storm of political conspiracies and assassinations. It all began, when an assassin tried to gun down Miles on a city plaza. Soon, Miles found himself pursued by a group of dreadful henchmen across the Russian continent. As Miles searched for the identity of the one who ordered his death warrant, he encountered a mysterious order, its leader pointed him to the cryptic writings of Rasputin. From here, Miles realized the answer to his salvation lies in solving a historical puzzle – what really happened to Russia's last Tsar?

My thoughts on this book:

Lilies of the Valley Egg - used in
the plot in this book

 Blending history into fictions, The Romanov Prophecy is a conspiracy thriller not dissimilar to Dan Brown's novels. Steve Berry researched, extensively, into the era's history, and he crafted a fictional story based on a very interesting premise. I believe readers will find many of the historical facts in this book fascinating.

Steve Berry is most well known by his Cotton Malone series. Cotton Malone, a retired Justice Department Operative, possesses the intellectual prowess that can only be matched by Robert Langdon. In comparison to Malone and Langdon, Miles Lord, the protagonist in this book, comes across as a fairly average person with no superhuman powers of any sort. i.e. unlike Malone and Langdon, Miles does not possess eidetic memory, nor is he a trained military operative with weaponry skills. In this book, Miles is just a lawyer, who, by accident, entangled himself in a political conspiracy and he is fighting for his life. This also means, from the actions to the puzzle-solving, The Romanov Prophecy narrates a very realistic story. There is no over the top action in this book, and Miles Lord behaved very human like. He is no genius, under the stressful conditions, he made a bagful of mistakes and paid for them with consequences. This is why I like Miles Lord, here is a believable story about an average Joe trying to survive an extra-ordinary event, his tale emanates a real sense of danger and a reader (such as I) rooted for him until the end of the story.

When it comes to storytelling, The Romanov Prophecy tells a gripping story. Not only did Steve Berry weaved layers of mystery into the story, but he also successfully maintained a high level of suspense throughout the book. He kept the story's big twist, the ace, face down until reaching the very end of the story. However, The Romanov Prophecy is not without flaws. In fact, this book suffers from an uneven pace and it is preventing it from being a master piece in the thriller genre.

Allow me to explain. The Romanov Prophecy counts to 380 pages. It is by no means a long book, but the story took its first 170 pages to build the momentum. The first half of the book felt cluttered and slow because it spent too much space building Miles' background story, and it took long to establish the worldbuilding. The meat of the story, the mystery and the suspense, were only served on the plate after passing the books' halfway mark. Once the story got going, however, it moved at a lightning fast pace. That was when the nail-biting adventure, promised on the book's cover, truly began (although it came a bit late). Perhaps the author had to pace the story in this fashion because there is too much content in the story? I don't know, but I would describe The Romanov Prophecy as a heavily loaded train climbing a hill. It carries too heavy a cargo and it struggled on its way up. Once it is over the hill, gravity does the work and eventually the train rages down the hill at a dam-bursting momentum.

In other words, while The Romanov Prophecy suffers from a pacing issue, but I still think it is a fun and exciting thriller. I believe most readers will appreciate the realistic portrayal for Miles Lord's character, and then find intrigues in the historical facts mentioned in this book, facts that may prompt its readers to do further readings on the enigmatic Rasputin, Russian history, and the tragic story of its last Tsar.

Lovers of conspiracy thrillers, don't miss out on this book!

The Romanov family