Small Favor (The Dresden Files #10)

The Harry Dresden series is really amazing. Terrific plots that grow and develop both the main and supporting characters. A talking skull, a 30 pound cat, a huge dog named Mouse; a powerful and complex wizard at the heart of everything, Murph the tough and tiny cop who is willing to actually see the reality of supernatural characters in everyday life and many more characters you will grow to love and hate. This series simply does not get stale. In each succeeding book Butcher keeps my interest with interesting plot twists and just plain good writing. The action is fast furious and within the universe of Harry Dresden, completely plausible. In the midst of all this, there is so much humor that I find myself laughing in the midst of Harry’s chaos. And there are a good number of times when Butcher waxes philosophical, and it rings true both in the context of the character, and just in general. I’m binge reading all 15 of the books. They start a little slow in the first three, but then Butcher just takes off and the books get better and better.

Harry Dresden is a wizard and a moving target for just about any supernatural entity there is. The Winter Queen Mab wants him to pay part of his debt (2 out of 3 favors), which involves battling demonic creatures, and Summer entities keep chasing him on behalf of their queen. There is not enough mess in the magic world if it involves Harry. And it is again a great mess, fast paced with a lot of weird things happening at the same time and more secrets revealed regarding the Black Council. A big war is building up and I cannot wait to read more about it. By the way, James Marsters’ reading of this book is superb as always.

Another solid entry in the Dresden Files. I would say this one is a very soft five. I did really enjoy it but after some of the other entries that have me squealing like a fanboy, this is one is just solid. I do enjoy that Dresden keeps the story intertwined and fresh. He lays foundations in other books, just to have them take shape now. It has been present in all of the books so far and it is such a highlight for me.

Small Favor brings back Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness, into Harry’s life only to bring, yes you guessed it, chaos. Because what else would Mab do. This all brings back some of my most loved characters to the forefront like Michael, Molly’s father, and the Archive, or Ivy. The case was very engaging and the action as always is top notch. Jim Butcher if anything can write and execute one heck of a thrilling Act 3. I find myself constantly and utterly lost in the pages when I reach the ending. So so good.

However with the end of Small Favor comes Turn Coat which means CHANGES is right around the corner and my mind, body, and soul are not ready!!!!

Wizard Harry Dresden has a major problem: He owes Mab, the manipulative fairy Queen of the Winter Court, a couple of favors. And in the dead of winter during a brutal snowstorm, Mab comes calling to cash in on a favor: Rescue mobster kingpin Johnny Marcone from his unknown kidnappers–kidnappers with enough supernatural powers to destroy Marcone’s near-impenetrable safe house. Enlisting the aid of his brother, Thomas, Karrin Murphy of the Chicago PD, Michael and Sanya, the remaining two Knights of the Cross, Molly, his eager apprentice, Anastasia Luccio, the Dean of the White Council Wardens, the Archive, the human retainer of all knowledge, and Kincaid, a deadly mercenary, Harry embarks on a remarkable series of adventures–against some very nasty bad guys–to rescue Marcone. His exploits fill the pages of SMALL FAVOR, the tenth installment of Jim Butcher’s fun-filled Dresden Files fantasy series.

To fully appreciate SMALL FAVOR, it is vital the reader has read

Death Masks

, the 5th volume of this series. It is in this novel the reader is introduced to Nicodemus and his lethal gang of Denarians–demons who possess some of the thirty ounces of silver once given to Judas for his betrayal. Nicodemus and his ilk wield enormous power; they’re the most difficult adversaries Harry does battle with. And when the Denarians’ ultimate plans are revealed (they want to kidnap the Archive and make her take a silver coin), Harry and his allies wage some serious battles–from Chicago’s train station, to the Windy City’s Oceanarium, to a remote island in the vast expanse of frigid Lake Michigan. All the while, Harry must deal with some agents from the Summer Court of Fairies sent to interfere with his task–primarily a series of Gruffs (supernatural Billy Goats).

At more than 500 pages, SMALL FAVOR is a lightning fast read–and one of the best volumes in this remarkable franchise. Why? Because of the whirling vortex of subplots, including a budding romance with Luccio, sexual tension with Karrin, a life-threatening injury, and Harry’s ongoing suspicion that some of the members of the White Council are in an unholy alliance with evil. Yet through it all, Harry never loses his self-deprecating humor (“Oh, look,” he quips to Karrin upon observing a sleeping Kincaid, “he’s got a teddy Glock.”). Harry may be facing a snarling pack of Denarians, but he’s never going to take matters seriously. There’s always an off-the-cuff quip at the ready. The action starts from the first page and never lets up; Butcher has a knack for telling a fast-paced tale that never takes its foot off the gas. SMALL FAVOR will reward fans of the Dresden Files series with a grand, exciting read, and entice them to be looking forward to the next installment.
~D. Mikels, Esq.

I started reading the first book and was hooked from that moment. A book has to be really good for me to spend more than $5 on it. These books are sooo worth it. I love Dresden’ s personality. This series is very well written so that reading them not only is easier, but helps to picture what’s happening more exciting. I can’t imagine how the details of creatures and situations can come from one person. The descriptions are so detailed that I can actually picture them and they seem so real. As I was reading Book 10, I started imagining these books as a Netflix series. I imagined Keanu Reeves as Dresden, Alex Skarsgard as Thomas, and Chris Hemsworth as Michael. Still working on the others. (Just putting it out there) Going to stop for now; the adventures of Book 11 is calling to me. Hope Bob and Mouse are in it!!!!

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