Turn Coat, Book Eleven of the Dresden Files

Turn Coat

Book Eleven of the Dresden Files

Publisher: Penguin Books USA as Roc (2009)

Author: Jim Butcher

Genre: Fantasy, Urban

Pages: 545

Price: $9.99

The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council-and there's only one final punishment for that crime. He's on the run, he wants his name cleared, and he needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Like Harry Dresden. Now, Harry must uncover a traitor within the Council, keep a less-than-agreeable Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under scrutiny himself. And a single mistake could cost Harry his head...

The Black Council finally takes center stage! After being teased with their machinations and hints at what they were trying to accomplish, the reader is finally shown a larger part of the Black Council's plan in action. When the Wardens' most highly respected and heavily decorated member is accused of murder Harry is forced to confront those responsible for many of his past's most trying times, all while protecting someone whom he has very little cause to protect. The story starts off with a bang that will knock the reader off balance, but then continues forth at a slower pace than most of the previous books

Also of note are the scenes in which we get to see some of the Senior Council members in action. Dresden has referred to their immense power in the past, and we've seen one or two examples of their capabilities, but usually the Senior Council's exploits are spoken of in passing, they show up and the tide turns on their power. In Turn Coat the reader is shown what wizards with centuries of experience are able to accomplish, and now when Harry refers to the staggering amount of power they can bring to bear, I believe him.

By the eleventh book in a series everyone knows what they are going to get from the author and main character. Jim Butcher does not disappoint, Harry is exactly as we've come to expect, a loyal friend and a man that no one would want as an enemy. My only gripe here would be that, while normally the mystery of the plot keeps me guessing until the big reveal, this time around the perpetrator was fairly obvious. Perhaps this is due to being so familiar with the world at this point, or perhaps the clues were just dropped a little too heavily along the first half of the book. Either way, the conclusion didn't carry with it the same weight as Dresden Files books ordinarily do, having been a little to easy to figure out.

Conclusion: While a little slower than we're used to, and a touch predictable this is an important book in the Dresden-verse, plans that were only hinted at previously are revealed in all (most of?) their ugly glory. Dresden and a few key allies finally seem to be planning for the worst, but in doing so could be putting themselves in greater danger.

Rating: 8.25/10