Skin Game (Dresden Files) - Butcher, Jim Review & Synopsis

 Synopsis

Chicago's only professional wizard is about to have a very bad day in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files...

As Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry Dresden never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it's something awful.

 Mab has traded Harry's skills to pay off a debt. And now he must help a group of villains led by Harry's most despised enemy, Nicodemus Archleone, to break into a high-security vault so that they can then access a vault in the Nevernever.

 Problem is, the vault belongs to Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld. And Dresden is dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess...

Review

A martial arts enthusiast whose r�sum� includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. Jim is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera novels, and the Cinder Spires series, which began with The Aeronaut's Windlass.

ROC

One

There was a ticking time bomb inside my head and the one person I trusted to go in and get it out hadn't shown up or spoken to me for more than a year.

That's a lot of time to start asking yourself questions. Who am I? What have I done with my life?

Who can I trust?

That last one is a doozy. It haunts you in moments of doubt. Sometimes when you wake up at night, you wonder if you've put your faith in the right people. Sometimes when you find yourself alone, for whatever reason, you review every little thing you know about someone, searching your memory for small, subtle things that you may have missed about them.

It makes you scared. It makes you think that maybe you've made some horrible mistakes lately. It drives you to do something, to act-only when you're stuck on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan, you're kind of limited in your choices of exactly what you can do to blow off steam.

I'd gone with my usual option. I was running through long tunnels filled with demons and monsters and nightmares, because it was easier than going to the gym.

The tunnels were big, the size of some of the substreets beneath the city of Chicago, their walls made of earth and stone, wound through with things that looked like roots but could not possibly belong to any tree this deep in the earth. Every few yards, more or less at random, there was a mound of luminous pale green quartz crystals. Inside every crystal mound was a recumbent, shadowy form. Some of the mounds held figures no larger than a medium-sized dog. Some of them were the size of houses.

I had just finished climbing over one of the huge mounds and was sprinting toward the next, the first in a series of three mounds more or less the size of my deceased Volkswagen.

"Parkour!" I shouted, and leapt, hitting the top of the mound with my hands and vaulting over it. I landed on the far side, dropped into a forward roll over one shoulder, and came up running.

"Parkour!" I shouted at the next mound, putting one hand down as I leapt, using it to guide my body up to the horizontal at the same level as my head, clearing the next mound, landing, and staying on the move.

"Parkour!" I screamed again at the third, and simply dove over it in a long arc. The idea was to clear it, land on my hands, drop into a smooth roll, and come up running again, but it didn't work out that way. I misjudged the dive, my foot caught a crystal, and I belly flopped and planted my face in the dirt on the far side of the mound.

I lay there on the ground for a moment, getting back the wind I'd knocked out of myself. Taking a fall wasn't a big deal. God knows, I've done it enough. I rolled over onto my back and groaned. "Harry, you've got way too much time on your hands."

My voice echoed through the tunnel, number seven of thirteen.

"Parkour," said a distant echo.

I shook my head, pushed myself up, and started walking out. Walking through one of the tunnels beneath the island of Demonreach was always an experience. When I ran, I went by the mounds pretty quick.

When I walked, the prisoners trapped inside them had time to talk to me.

Let me fulfill your every desire, crooned a silken voice in my head as I went by one.

Blood and power, riches and strength, I can give you all that you-promised the next.

One day, mortal, I will be free and suck the marrow from your bones, snarled another.

Bow down in fear and horror before me!

Loathe me, let me devour you, and I will make real your dreams.

Release me or I will destroy you!

Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Sleep and let me inside you . . .

Bloodpaindeathbloodfleshbloodpaindeath . . .

BLARGLE SLORG NOTH HARGHLE FTHAGN!

You know.

The usual.

I skirted around a fairly small mound whose occupant had simply sent me a mental picture that had kept me up for a couple of nights the last time I walked by, and passed one of the last mounds before the exit.

As I walked by, the mound's occupant projected a mental sigh and an unmistakable image of a man rolling his eyes. Ah. A new one.

I paused and studied the mound. As a rule, I didn't communicate with the prisoners. If you were locked up under Demonreach, you were a nightmare the likes of which few people could really understand-immortal, savage, and probably foaming-at-the-mouth, hair-on-fire crazy to boot.

But . . . I'd been locked up almost as well as the prisoners for months, trapped on the island and in the caverns beneath. There wasn't a lot of choice. Until I got the thing in my head out again, only the island had the power to keep it in check. I had visitors sometimes, but the winter months were dangerous on Lake Michigan, both because of the weather and because of the ice, and spring had only barely begun to touch the world again. It had been a while since I'd seen anyone.

So I eyed the mound, one about the size of a coffin, and said, "What's your problem?"

You, obviously, replied the occupant. Do you even know what the word stasis means? It means nothing is happening. You standing here, walking by, talking to me, for God's sake, buggers that up entirely, the way you novices always do. What was the phrase? Ah, yes. Piss off.

I lifted my eyebrows. To date, every single prisoner who had tried to communicate with me had been pretty obviously playing to get out, or else howling nuts. This guy just sounded . . . British.

"Huh," I said.

Did you hear me, Warden? Piss. Off.

I debated taking him literally, just to be a wiseass, but decided that body humor was beneath the dignity of a Wizard of the White Council and the Warden of Demonreach, thus disproving everyone who says I am nothing but an overgrown juvenile delinquent.

"Who are you?" I asked instead.

There was a long moment of silence. And then a thought filled with a terrible weariness and purely emotional anguish, like something I'd experienced only at the very lowest moments of my life, flowed into me-but for this being, such pain wasn't a low point. It was a constant state. Someone who needs to be here. Go away, boy.

A rolling wave of nausea went through me. The air was suddenly too bright, the gentle glow of the crystals too piercing. I found myself taking several steps back from the mound, until that awful tide of feeling had receded, but the headache those emotions had triggered found me nonetheless, and I was abruptly in too much pain to keep my feet.

I dropped to one knee, clenching my teeth on a scream. The headaches had gotten steadily worse, and despite a lifetime of learning to cope with pain, despite the power of the mantle of the Winter Knight, they had begun kicking my ass thoroughly a few weeks before.

For a while, there was simply pain, and aching, racking nausea.

Eventually, that began to grow slowly less, and I looked up to see a hulking form in a dark cloak standing over me. It was ten or twelve feet tall, and built on the same scale as a massively muscled human, though I never really seemed to see much of the being beneath the cloak. It stared down at me, a pair of pinpoints of green, fiery light serving as eyes within the depths of its hood.

"WARDEN," it said, its voice a deep rumble, "I HAVE SUPPRESSED THE PARASITE FOR NOW."

"'Bout time, Alfred," I muttered. I sat up and took stock of myself. I'd been lying there for a while. The sweat on my skin had dried. That was bad. The ancient spirit of the island had been keeping the thing in my skull from killing me for a year. Until a few weeks ago, when my head started hurting, all it had to do was show up, speak a word, and the pain would go away.

This time it had taken more than an hour.

Whatever was in my head, some kind of psychic or spiritual creature that was using me to grow, was getting ready to kill me.

"ALFRED," the spirit said soberly. "IS THIS TO BE MY NEW NAME?"

"Let's stick with Demonreach," I said.

The enormous spirit considered that. "I AM THE ISLAND."

"Well, yes," I said, gathering myself to my feet. "Its spirit. Its genius loci."

"AND I AM ALSO SEPARATE FROM THE ISLAND. A VESSEL."

I eyed the spirit. "You know the name "Alfred' is a joke, right?"

It stared at me. A wind that didn't exist stirred the hem of its cloak.

I raised my hands in surrender and said, "All right. I guess you need a first name, too. Alfred Demonreach it is."

Its eyes flickered brighter for a moment and it inclined its head to me within the hood. Then it said, "SHE IS HERE."

I jerked my head up, my heart suddenly speeding. It made little echoes of pain go through my head. Had she finally responded to my messages? "Molly?"

"NOT GRASSHOPPER. GRASSHOPPER'S NEW MOTHER."

I felt tension slide into my shoulders and neck. "Mab," I said in a low, hard voice.

"YES."

"Fantastic," I muttered. Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, mistress and mentor of every wicked being in Faerie-my boss-had been ignoring me for months. I'd been sending her messengers on an increasingly regular basis to no avail. At least, not until today.

But why now? Why show up now, after all those months of silence?

"Because, dummy," I muttered to myself, "she wants something." I turned to Demonreach. "Okay, Alfred. Where?"

"DOCK."

Which was smart. Demonreach, like practically every prison ever, was just as well suited to keeping visitors out as it was to keeping them in. When a freaking Walker of the Outside and his posse had shown up to perform a massive jailbreak on the island's prisoners, they had been beaten back, thanks to the efforts of the island's defenses and several key allies.

I'd spent the last year acquainting myself with the island's secrets, with the defenses that I hadn't even known existed-defenses that could be activated only by the Warden. If the Walker tried that play again, I could shut him down single-handed. Even Mab, as powerful as she was, would be well-advised to be cautious if she decided to start trouble on Demonreach's soil.

Which was why she was standing on the dock.

She expected me to be upset. Definitely, she wanted something.

In my experience, when the Queen of Air and Darkness decides she wants something from you, it's a good time to crawl in a hole and pull it in after you.

But my head pulsed with little twinges of pain. My headaches had slowly gotten worse and worse over several years, and I had only recently discovered their cause-I had a condition that had to be taken care of before whatever was hanging out in my noggin decided to burst its way out of my skull. I didn't dare leave the island until that happened, and if Mab had finally decided to respond to my messages, I had little choice but to meet with her.

Which was probably why she hadn't shown up to talk to me-until now.

"Freaking manipulative faeries," I muttered under my breath. Then I headed for the stairs leading out of the Well and up to the island's surface. "Stay nearby and pay attention," I told Demonreach.

"DO YOU SUSPECT SHE MEANS YOU HARM?"

"Heh," I said, starting up the stairs. "One way or another. Let's go."

Two

My brother and I had built the Whatsup Dock down at the shore at one of Demonreach's three little beaches, the one nearest the opening in the stone reefs surrounding the island. There had been a town on the hillside up above the beach maybe a century before, but it had been abandoned after its residents had apparently been driven slowly bonkers by all the dark energy around the hideous things imprisoned below the island.

The ruins of the town were still there, half swallowed by the forest, a corpse being slowly devoured by fungus and moss. I sometimes wondered how long I could stay on the damned island before I was bonkers, too.

There was an expensive motored yacht tied to the dock, as out of place as a Ferrari in a cattle yard, white with a lot of frosty blue chrome. There were a couple of hands in sight, and they weren't dressed in sailing clothes so much as they were in sailing costumes. The creases were too straight, the clothes too clean, the fit too perfect. Watching them move, I had no doubt they were carrying weapons, and practiced in killing. They were Sidhe, the lords of Faerie, tall and beautiful and dangerous. They didn't impress me.

Mostly because they weren't nearly as pretty or dangerous as the woman standing at the very end of my dock, the tips of her expensive shoes half an inch from Demonreach's shore. When there's a Great White Shark in the water with you, it's tough to be worried about a couple of barracuda swimming along behind her.

Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, was wearing a tailored business suit somewhere between the color of smeared charcoal on newsprint and frozen periwinkles. The blouse beneath was snow-white, like her hair, which was bound up in an elaborate do that belonged in the forties. Opals flashed on her ears and at her throat, deep colors of green and blue, matching the shifting hues of her cold, flat eyes. She was pale, beautiful on a scale that beggared simple description, and I harbored a healthy and rational terror of her.

I came down the old stone steps in the hillside to the dock, and stopped an arm's length away from Mab. I didn't bow to her, but I inclined my head formally. There were other Sidhe there, on the boat, witnessing the meeting, and I had worked out a while ago that though I was no danger to Mab's pride, she would not tolerate disrespect to her office. I was pretty sure that if the Winter Knight openly defied her in front of her Court, it would basically be a declaration of war, and despite what I now knew about the island, I wanted nothing of the sort with Mab.

"My Queen," I said pleasantly. "How's tricks?"

"Functioning flawlessly, my Knight," she replied. "As ever. Get on the boat."

"Why?" I asked.

Her mouth turned down into a slight frown, but it was belied by the sudden pleased light in her eyes.

"I'm predictable, aren't I?" I asked her.

"In many ways," she replied. "Shall I answer you literally?"

"I'd like that."

Mab nodded. Then she leaned forward, very slightly, her eyes growing deep, and said in a voice colder and harder than frozen stone, "Because I told you to do so."

I swallowed, and my stomach did this little roller-coaster number on me. "What happens if I won't?" I asked.

"You have already made clear to me that you will resist me if I attempt to compel you directly to obey my commands," Mab said. "Such a thing would render you useless to me, and for the moment, I would find it inconvenient to train a replacement. I would therefore do nothing."

I blinked at that. "Nothing? I could deny you, and you'd just . . . go?"

"Indeed," Mab said, turning. "You will be dead in three days, by which time I should have made arrangements to replace you."

"Uh," I said. "What?"

Mab paused and looked over her shoulder. "The parasite within y...

Storm Front

'The Dresden Files is my favourite series ever' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind ***THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLING SERIES*** Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry's business as a private investigator has been quiet lately - so when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, he's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. Magic - it can get a guy killed. The first case file of Harry Dresden, private investigator and wizard, Storm Front is the first novel in the Sunday Times bestselling Dresden Files series, perfect for fans of Supernatural and urban fantasy fiction by authors such as Benedict Jacka and Ben Aaronovitch. 'Butcher's storytelling is satisfying on a level that's bone-deep' io9 'One of the most reliable post-Buffy supernatural thriller series on offer' Time Out 'Dresden has a vitality that few urban fantasy heroes can match' SFX The Dresden Files novels begin with STORM FRONT, and continue with FOOL MOON, GRAVE PERIL, SUMMER KNIGHT, DEATH MASKS, BLOOD RITES, DEAD BEAT, PROVEN GUILTY, WHITE NIGHT, SMALL FAVOUR, TURN COAT, CHANGES, GHOST STORY, COLD DAYS and SKIN GAME. For more of Harry Dresden's adventures, check out the Dresden Files short story collections SIDE JOBS and BRIEF CASES.

'Butcher's storytelling is satisfying on a level that's bone-deep' io9 'One of the most reliable post-Buffy supernatural thriller series on offer' Time Out 'Dresden has a vitality that few urban fantasy heroes can match' SFX The Dresden ..."

Dead Beat

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world isfull of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Luckily, however, he's not alone. Although most people don't believe in magic, the Chicago P.D. has a Special Investigations department, headed by his good friend Karrin Murphy. They deal with the . . . stranger cases. It's down to Karrin that Harry sneaks into Graceland Cemetery to meet a vampire named Mavra. Mavra has evidence that would destroy Karrin's career, and her demands are simple. She wants the Word of Kemmler - and all the power that comes with it. But first, Harry's keen to know what he'd be handing over. Before long he's racing against time, and six necromancers, to get the Word. And to prevent a Halloween that would truly wake the dead. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world isfull of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans."

Proven Guilty

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry has no friends on the White Council of Wizards, who find him brash and undisciplined (and they may have a point). However, now vampire wars have thinned out the wizards a little, they need him. So before he can blink, he's assigned to investigate rumours of black magic. Harry's other problem is an old friend's daughter - all grown-up and in trouble already. Her boyfriend insists he's innocent of something resembling a crime straight out of a horror film. This first impression turns out to be . . . well, pretty accurate, as Harry discovers malevolent entities feeding on fear. All in a day's work for a wizard, his dog, and a talking skull named Bob. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans."

The Dresden Files Collection 13-15

Wizard for hire Harry Dresden has become a legend amongst the paranormal population of Chicago. Discover why in this thrilling collection of books 13 - 15 in the #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series—available together for the first time! GHOST STORY COLD DAYS SKIN GAME

Discover why in this thrilling collection of books 13 - 15 in the #1 New York Times bestselling urban fantasy series—available together for the first time! GHOST STORY COLD DAYS SKIN GAME"

Small Favour

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry Dresden is feeling happy. No one's tried to kill him in nearly a year, and the worst problem he's had lately is removing stains his apprentice bungled into his carpeting. The future seems bright. Unfortunately, the past isn't looking nearly so optimistic. An old bargain placed Harry in debt to Mab, faerie monarch of the Winter Court and the Queen of Air and Darkness. Harry still owes her two favours, and it's time to pay up. It's a small favour he really can't refuse, but it will trap Harry between a nightmarish foe and a deadly ally, stretching his skills and loyalties to their limits. It figures. Everything was going too well to last. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Harry still owes her two favours, and it's time to pay up. It's a small favour he really can't refuse, but it will trap Harry between a nightmarish foe and a deadly ally, stretching his skills and loyalties to their limits. It figures."

Cold Days

You can't keep a good wizard down - even when he wants to stay that way. For years, Harry Dresden has been Chicago's only professional wizard, but a bargain made in desperation with the Queen of Air and Darkness has forced him into a new job: professional killer. Mab, the mother of wicked faeries, has restored the mostly-dead wizard to health, and dispatches him upon his first mission - to bring death to an immortal. Even as he grapples with the impossible task, Dresden learns of a looming danger to Demonreach, the living island hidden upon Lake Michigan, a place whose true purpose and dark potential have the potential to destroy billions and to land Dresden in the deepest trouble he has ever known - even deeper than being dead. How messed up is that? Beset by his new enemies and hounded by the old, Dresden has only twenty four hours to reconnect with his old allies, prevent a cataclysm and do the impossible - all while the power he bargained to get - but never meant to keep - lays siege to his very soul. Magic. It can get a guy killed.

You can't keep a good wizard down - even when he wants to stay that way."

Changes

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. But even a career of narrow escapes and supernatural shenanigans hasn't prepared Harry for this. A vampire with a grudge has kidnapped his daughter. A daughter he never knew he had. Furthermore, this vampire plans to use her blood in a violent ritual sacrifice - designed to kill Harry, his ex-partner Susan and their child. As allies are perilously thin on the ground, Harry must find a new source of strength. In the past, there had always been a line he wouldn't cross, and he's never given in to the full fury of his own untapped dark powers. But then, only his own life was at stake. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans."

Turn Coat

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry has always tried to keep his nose clean where the White Council of Wizards is concerned, but past misdeeds haven't gone down well. Which places him in an awkward position. Morgan, formerly his chief persecutor on the Council, has been wrongly accused of treason. Facing the ultimate punishment, Morgan needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog, however much that someone isn't interested. Soon, Harry is working to clear the less-than-agreeable Morgan's name, hiding from the Council and bounty hunters alike and seeking the true turncoat. A single mistake may mean that heads - quite literally - could roll. And one of them might be his. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans."

Summer Knight

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry's been down and out. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't recall his last shower. Then when things are at their worst, the Winter Queen of Faerie saunters in with an offer Harry can't refuse. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Knight, the Summer Queen's right-hand man, and clear the Winter Queen's name. It seems simple, but Faerie politics seldom work out that way. Then Harry discovers the fate of the entire world rests on this case. So no pressure . . . Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Then when things are at their worst, the Winter Queen of Faerie saunters in with an offer Harry can't refuse. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Knight, the Summer Queen's right-hand man, and clear the Winter Queen's name."

Blood Rites

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Harry's had worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Dodging flaming monkey poo, for instance. Or going toe-to-leaf with a plant monster. Still, there's something troubling about this case. The Producer believes he's afflicted by an entropy curse - but it's the women around him who are dying. And Harry only got involved as a favour to Thomas, his flirtatious self-absorbed vampire acquaintance. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't work out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas's oversexed relatives. Harry's about to discover the skeleton in Thomas's family closet: a revelation that will change Harry's life for ever. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans."

Furies Of Calderon

A compulsively fast-paced fantasy adventure, set in Alera, a 'great world in which any reader can get lost' (SF Site) For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water and metal. But now, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, grows old and lacks an heir. Ambitious Lords manoeuvre to place their Houses in positions of power, and a war of succession looms on the horizon. Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, young Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat - return to the Valley, his world will change. Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave. But Amara is actually a spy, seeking intelligence on possible Marat traitors to the Crown. And when the Valley erupts into chaos - when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies - Amara will find Tavi invaluable. His talents will outweigh any fury-born power - and could even turn the tides of war. 'Butcher has created a wonderful new world of fantasy...This first book in the series introduces all the main characters and the creatures and events that make Alera a great world in which any reader can get lost' --SF Site

'Butcher has created a wonderful new world of fantasy...This first book in the series introduces all the main characters and the creatures and events that make Alera a great world in which any reader can get lost' --SF Site"

Brief Cases

Magic. It can get a guy killed. Return to the world of the Dresden Files with Harry Dresden (the only wizard in the Chicago phone book) and friends as they solve supernatural mysteries, protect the helpless, and fight evil. Brief Cases is a new collection of Dresden Files stories which will include an original novella, from international bestseller Jim Butcher. Stories included in this collection: 'Curses', 'AAAA Wizardry', 'Even Hand', 'B is for Bigfoot', 'I was a Teenage Bigfoot', 'Bigfoot on Campus', 'Bombshells', 'Jury Duty', 'Cold Case', 'Day One', 'A Fistful of Warlocks', 'Zoo Day' (original novella taking place between Skin Game and Peace Talks)

Stories included in this collection: 'Curses', 'AAAA Wizardry', 'Even Hand', 'B is for Bigfoot', 'I was a Teenage Bigfoot', 'Bigfoot on Campus', 'Bombshells', 'Jury Duty', 'Cold Case', 'Day One', 'A Fistful of Warlocks', 'Zoo Day' (original ..."

Skin Game - 101 Amazing Facts You Didn't Know

What are the amazing facts of Skin Game by Jim Butcher? Do you want to know the golden nuggets of facts readers love? If you've enjoyed the book, then this will be a must read delight for you! Collected for readers everywhere are 101 book facts about the book & author that are fun, down-to-earth, and amazingly true to keep you laughing and learning as you read through the book! Tips & Tricks to Enhance Reading Experience • Enter "G Whiz" after your favorite title to see if publication exists! ie) Skin Game G Whiz • Enter "G Whiz 101" to search for entire catalogue! • Tell us what title you want next! • Combine your favorite titles to receive bundle coupons! • Submit a review and hop on the Wall of Contributors! “Get ready for fun, down-to-earth, and amazing facts that keep you laughing & learning!" - G Whiz DISCLAIMER: This work is a derivative work not to be confused with the original title. It is a collection of facts from reputable sources generally known to the public with source URLs for further reading and enjoyment. It is unofficial and unaffiliated with respective parties of the original title in any way. Due to the nature of research, no content shall be deemed authoritative nor used for citation purposes. Refined and tested for quality, we provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back.

" - G Whiz DISCLAIMER: This work is a derivative work not to be confused with the original title. It is a collection of facts from reputable sources generally known to the public with source URLs for further reading and enjoyment."

Princeps' Fury

After bitter fighting, Tavi of Calderon has eventually forged an alliance with Alera's oldest foes, the savage Canim, and he must escort them on their long sea-voyage home. This will strain their fragile accord - but the worst is yet to come. The inhuman Vord have spent the last three years laying waste to the Canim homeland, making it a desolate place indeed. Then the Alerans become stranded there, cut off from their ships. The Canim alliance will be tested as they enter the killing fields together, depending on each other's strengths if they both are to survive. For a thousand years, Alera and her furies have withstood every enemy, and survived every foe. The thousand years are over.

After bitter fighting, Tavi of Calderon has eventually forged an alliance with Alera's oldest foes, the savage Canim, and he must escort them on their long sea-voyage home."

Summary of Skin Game (Dresden Files)

Summary of Skin Game (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher: Trivia/Quiz for Fans Features You'll Discover Inside: - A comprehensive guide to aid in discussion and discovery - 30 multiple choice questions on the book, plots, characters, and author - Insightful resource for teachers, groups, or individuals - Keep track of scores with results to determine "fan status" - Share with other book fans and readers for mutual enjoyment Disclaimer: This is an unofficial summary, analysis and trivia book to enhance a reader's experience to books they already love and appreciate. We encourage our readers to purchase the original book first before downloading this companion book for your enjoyment.

Summary of Skin Game (Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher: Trivia/Quiz for Fans Features You'll Discover Inside: - A comprehensive guide to aid in discussion and discovery - 30 multiple choice questions on the book, plots, characters, and author ..."

Academ's Fury

For centuries, the people of Alera have relied on the power of the furies to protect them from outside invaders. But the gravest threat might be closer than they think. Tavi has escaped the Calderon Valley and the mysterious attack of the Marat on his homeland. But he is far from safe, as trying to keep up the illusion of being a student while secretly training as one of the First Lord's spies is a dangerous game. And he has not yet learned to use the furies, making him especially vulnerable. When the attack comes it's on two fronts. A sudden strike threatens the First Lord's life and threatens to plunge the land into civil war. While in the Calderon Valley, the threat faced from the Marat is dwarfed by an ancient menace. And Tavi must learn to harness the furies if he has any chance of fighting the greatest threat Alera has ever known . . .

For centuries, the people of Alera have relied on the power of the furies to protect them from outside invaders."

Island Genres, Genre Islands

The first book length study of the conceptualization and representation of islands in popular fiction.

 Nora Roberts , Dance Upon the Air , Three Sisters Island Trilogy (New York: Jove Books, 2001), 5. 2. Message on Goodreads, 24 June 2009 (at 6:01 p.m.), accessed 4 May 2015, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29236469. 3."

Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests, 8th Edition

Librarians who work with readers will find this well-loved guide to be a treasure trove of information. With descriptive annotations of thousands of genre titles mapped by genre and subgenre, this is the readers' advisor's go-to reference. • Helps librarians answer the challenging question "What should I read next?" • Helps LIS students understand popular genres and better select books for which readers are looking • Serves as a starting point for library patrons looking for their next read

 Castillo , Linda . Kate Burkholder Series (2009–). The series started with Sworn to Silence (2009) in which Police Chief Kate Burkholder of Painters Mill, Ohio, investigates a serial killer whose modus operandi is shockingly similar to ..."

Peace Talks

HARRY DRESDEN IS BACK AND READY FOR ACTION, in the new entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files. When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago—and all he holds dear?

 Jim Butcher . ALSO BY JIM BUTCHER THE DRESDEN FILES STORM FRONT FOOL MOON GRAVE PERIL SUMMER KNIGHT DEATH MASKS BLOOD RITES DEAD BEAT PROVEN GUILTY WHITE NIGHT SMALL FAVOR TURN COAT CHANGES GHOST STORY COLD DAYS SKIN GAME SIDE JOBS ..."

Battle Ground

THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET SERIOUS FOR HARRY DRESDEN, CHICAGO’S ONLY PROFESSIONAL WIZARD, in the next entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files. Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. The Red Court of vampires. The fallen angels of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. The Outsiders. But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago, and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way. Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan. And the attempt will change Harry’s life, Chicago, and the mortal world forever.

 Jim Butcher . ALSO BY JIM BUTCHER THE DRESDEN FILES STORM FRONT FOOL MOON GRAVE PERIL SUMMER KNIGHT DEATH MASKS BLOOD RITES DEAD BEAT PROVEN GUILTY WHITE NIGHT SMALL FAVOR TURN COAT CHANGES GHOST STORY COLD DAYS SKIN GAME PEACE TALKS ..."

Small Favor

In this novel in Jim Butcher’s #1 New York Times bestselling series, an old debt puts Chicago wizard Harry Dresden in harms way... Harry’s life finally seems to be calming down. The White Council’s war with the vampiric Red Court is easing up, no one’s tried to kill him lately, and his eager apprentice is starting to learn real magic. For once, the future looks fairly bright. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow. Mab, monarch of the Sidhe Winter Court, calls in an old favor from Harry. Just one small favor he can’t refuse...one that will trap Harry Dresden between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and one that will strain his skills—and loyalties—to their very limits. And everything was going so well for once...

 Jim Butcher . ALSO BY JIM BUTCHER THE DRESDEN FILES Storm Front Fool Moon Grave Peril Summer Knight Death Masks Blood Rites Dead Beat Proven Guilty White Night Turn Coat Changes Ghost Story Cold Days Skin Game Side Jobs ( Anthology ) THE ..."

Ghost Story

Chicago wizard Harry Dresden gets a taste of the dead life in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. In his life, Harry’s been shot, stabbed, sliced, beaten, burned, crushed, and tortured. And after someone puts a bullet through his chest and leaves him to die in the waters of Lake Michigan, things really start going downhill. Trapped between life and death, he learns that his friends are in serious trouble. Only by finding his murderer can he save his friends and move on—a feat which would be a lot easier if he had a body and access to his powers. Worse still are the malevolent shadows that roam Chicago, controlled by a dark entity that wants Harry to suffer even in death. Now, the late Harry Dresden will have to pull off the ultimate trick without using any magic—or face an eternity as just another lost soul...

 Jim Butcher . ALSO BY JIM BUTCHER THE DRESDEN FILES Storm Front Fool Moon Grave Peril Summer Knight Death Masks Blood Rites Dead Beat Proven Guilty White Night Small Favor Turn Coat Changes Ghost Story Cold Days Skin Game Side Jobs ..."

Many Bloody Returns

Thirteen new and original vampire tales of Birthdays with Bite! Charlaine Harris (the Sookie Stackhouse novels) and Toni L.P. Kelner (the Laura Fleming mysteries) have gathered together another 11 writers with serious vamp credentials to provide a baker's dozen tales. Meet Sookie Stackhouse, who, as the only non-vampire at a 'Dracula's birthday ball' soon finds that's she's the one on the menu, and Harry Dresden, who drops by a role-playing game to find himself dealing with deadly party crashers. In P.N. Elrod's 'Grave-Robbed', which mixes pathos and comedy, vampire PI Jack Fleming busts a phony medium mid-séance. Tanya Huff's 'Blood Wrapped' has Henry Fitzroy searching for the ideal gift for a vampire's 40th mixing with his pursuit of a human kidnapper. And Christopher Golden takes birthdays to heart in his poignant coming-of-age story 'The Mournful Cry of Owls'.

Charlaine Harris (the Sookie Stackhouse novels) and Toni L.P. Kelner (the Laura Fleming mysteries) have gathered together another 11 writers with serious vamp credentials to provide a baker's dozen tales."