Death Masks, Book Five of the Dresden Files

Death Masks

Book Five of the Dresden Files

Publisher: Penguin Books USA as Roc (2003)

Author: Jim Butcher

Genre: Fantasy, Urban

Pages: 451

Price: $9.99

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for.

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice...

The missing Shroud of Turin...

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

I know, book five of a series is a strange place to begin reviewing it, but it's where I was when I started this adventure. It seems appropriate that since the Dresden Files is one of my favorite series that it would be the first book I reviewed.

For those new to the series, Harry Dresden is a wise-cracking, spell-slinging private investigator that gets drawn into increasingly dangerous and important situations. He defeats beings much more powerful than himself through a unique mix of guile, determination and destructive capabilities. Death Masks is the first book of the series to feature the Denarians, human hosts of Fallen angels who have been imprinted upon thirty pieces of silver (as Harry would say; yes, those pieces of silver). It's in this book that I feel the series really takes off, Mr. Butcher seems to have really hit his stride with not only the descriptive writing, but also with Harry's special brand of wit and sarcasm.

The supporting cast of characters is also top-notch. The reader is introduced into several peripheral characters that will be fun to see pop up again throughout the series. Aside from Harry's friend and Knight of the Cross, Michael, we meet his fellow Knights. Shiro, one of the Knights, is a very interesting character that I wish we knew more about; I've always thought a short story or two detailing his exploits as a younger man would be very fun. We learn more about one of Harry's mortal adversaries in 'Gentleman' Johnny Marcone. Finally the book ends in a set-up for an intriguing arc that will carry over for a few books when Harry protects Michael's son from a badguy's parting shot.

Conclusion: Tons of fun, Death Masks features everything that the Dresden Files has come to embody; fast-paced action, laugh out loud moments and an overwhelmed protagonist winning the day against the odds. I highly recommend this series, it supplies some of the most fun I've ever had reading a book.

Rating: 9/10