Storm Front

The Dresden Files are one of the best selling fantasy series on the market today, and as of a week ago I had avoided them at all costs. I did this because I was confident that I had already covered this niche in the genre. As a Glen Cook fan, I had read four of his Garrett PI series and that was more than enough for me. I figured that if I got bored of the way Cook covered detective in magical world, then Butcher didn't have a chance. Then my brother told me to give it a chance, so I did.

Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher
Format: Audio

Fun fact. I always assumed the name Butcher was pronounced with the French pronunciation, but it turns out that it's not. The benefits of audio.
Second fun fact. This is nothing like the Garrett PI series. The Garrett PI is a noir style detective who just happens to live in a magical fairyland. Storm Front, on other hand, takes places in our own world, albeit with magic and mystical creatures.
Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. He even has an advertisement in the phonebook (the story is from 2000). The only problem is that this is the real world, where science can explain everything. Not only do few people have need of a magician, even fewer believe in magic. With his rent on the line, Harry is hired to find a shy woman's missing husband, and simultaneously contracted by the police to explain how two people's hearts exploded as though they were small bombs. Added to the mix is a street drug that can reveal the magic, some fairies, a vampress madam, and an air spirit trapped in a skull, and there are enough characters to keep everyone excited.
There are two main strengths to this story. The first of these is the world that Butcher creates. It is apparent from the first few pages that Butcher is not making things up as he goes along. He has a concrete plan of exactly who all his players are, many of which I'm sure we d not meet in this first book, and what their intentions are. This displays a mastery over the source material and Butcher's world that is rarely seen in writing. His world is different than ours, but in a well defined way, allowing the reader to suspend their disbelief and fall into the story.
The second and most important asset for the story is Harry Dresden. The story is told in first person, and so it is essential that we understand and empathize with our guide to the story. Butcher creates a wonderful balance of a character with great power, but also an inferiority complex. Dresden understands where he is on the magical food chain and that there are many things can end him. But as the book continues and we are able to watch our narrator instead of just listening to him, we see that an angry wizard is not a creature to be taken lightly. This allows Butcher to avoid cliches such as the overpowered superman while still allowing his readers to revel in badassery.
My main critique of the book would be that the world is actually too developed. There are many throw away references to other creatures or events that exist, but then nothing ever comes of it. We hear all about all sorts of creatures and the white council and "never never," but none of those are explored or developed (yet). It is a good tactic that leaves the readers wanting more and excited to continue the series, but it also leaves things a little unsatisfying.
Another problem: for such a complicated world, the plot itself was rather simple. I won't say too much, but it comes down to: there is a bad guy, he is very bad, and Harry is the only one able (for various reasons) to stop him. That summary is not quite doing the book credit, but the surprisingly banal story arc is excusable because the actions and characters are all fantastic.
The final problem: all the women are attractive. Very attractive. It's a little much.
I got nitpicky because I enjoyed the book. It was quick, only an eight hour audiobook, which is maybe 250 pages. Urban Fantasy fans should enjoy this, but wizard does not mean the same thing here as Harry Potter.
7/10

Lock In

I've been a fan of John Scalzi for a while, but didn't really feel like reading this one. I love the Old Man's War Universe, and was (and still am) waiting for the next book. I want to start raving about the episodic structure of The Human Division, but this is not the time or place.

Title: Lock In
Author: John Scalzi
Format: Audio

Twenty five years ago a disastrous epidemic known as Haden's syndrome has run rampant across the world. It started with flu like symptoms, but in others it has a second stage where the brain swells in a manner similar to meningitis. Some of these patients then fall victim to Lock In, where they lose all control over their body, though their mind remains completely unaffected. The US and allies invested trillions of dollars in research and now have developed "Threeps" or robots which can be controlled by remotely by the afflicted people. Chris Shane is a "Haden" and it's his/her first week as an FBI agent. Of course it becomes the most chaotic and exhilarating week imaginable. There's murder, suicide, corporate espionage, and more all set against a backdrop of a march to protest the impending Abrams-Ketering Bill which will soon cut off all funding for Haden care.

Let's start with the potentially confusing thing from the synopsis. No, not the pseudo science or plot, the his/her. Close investigation of the text gives no indication of Chris' gender. In fact, there are two audio versions of the book, one narrated by Wil Wheaton, and one by Amber Benson. You get to pick which gender you want Chris to be. I went with the Wheaton version, which I think was a mistake, but I'll get to that later. This genderless situation is a really cool concept for a story, and Scalzi is subtle in his implementation. Rather than this being the focus of the story, it's an added perk to a savy reader.

But rather than gushing about book, I'll get to the heart of my critique and why I think I chose the wrong version of the book to listen to. John Scalzi has a signature style. His characters are smart, fast talking, agreeable, and did I mention smart. He often runs into a problem with what we'll the call "superman complex." All his characters can do anything and come up with a solution to any problem all while being a smart ass. In each instance it is hilarious and entertaining, but when looked at together, everything seems to blend together into a similar blob of overly talented characters telling jokes. Add to this that Wil Wheaton is the voice behind maybe half of Scalzi's audiobooks and it becomes the same voice telling you about the same characters doing the same things.

This superman complex and singular style stem from a deeper problem in Scalzi's writing. His characters just aren't very complex. There are good guys and there are bad guys. The "grey" characters and still very good guys, just less good and less talented than the real heroes.

I love Scalzi's writing and his humor, but I'm also ready for something new from him. He's perfected his little niche and has the fan base. Now it's time to innovate and experiment a little. Maybe the good guys could lose the fight.
Fans of Mystery, Sci-Fi, and humor will enjoy this book. Scalzi fans know what to expect, it's more of the same
6/10
Another note. Feel free to use the comments to ask questions, disagree with me, tell me how awesome I am, or make requests for other books