Occult Fiction: Novels for Your Private Collection, Part 2
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No contemporary Occult fiction collection would be complete without Jim Butcher’s “Harry Dresden” novels. This series is so popular with dark urban fantasy fans that a television show, “The Dresden Files,” has been created from the concept.
So far Butcher has written eight novels in the series, and I hear he envisions twelve more. Certainly good news for Occult fiction fans!
Harry Dresden is a Wizard, the only one in Chicago who advertises his services, working from a sparsely furnished office, the level of disarray always dependent upon whether his latest visitor was human or not. He scrambles to make the rent every month, since his cases rarely turn out the way he imagines. This is due partly to a steady stream of questionable clients, but mostly to Harry’s heart, which shimmers with gold and never considers the current state of his wallet.
Harry lives in a basement apartment with no electricity. He uses candles for light and suffers through cold showers, since electrical appliances tend to misbehave in the presence of a Wizard’s energy field. Harry’s “lab” sits beneath the apartment, stocked with hundreds of items used for spellcasting. Here you’ll find Bob, an ancient air spirit who inhabits a dusty human skull and is the source for most of Harry’s spells. Besides being a virtual encyclopedia of magick, Bob possesses a wry wit, providing the perfect touch of reality and humor to Harry’s chaotic days.
Butcher has succeeded in creating a cast of delightfully complex characters, yet each scene in these novels flows as smoothly as city water from the tap. I cannot say enough about his talent as a novelist. Butcher wrote the first book in this series while he was still in school. It was awful. But he continued to tweak the story for several years until it reached the high level of craftsmanship fans of Occult fiction demand. And the rest is publishing history.
Any reader who values expertly written dark urban fantasy, dazzling magick, a fast-paced plot, and hilarious characters should definitely consider Jim Butcher’s “Harry Dresden” series as an essential part of their Occult fiction collection. I know I do.
Laura Stamps is an award-winning novelist, as well as a Wiccan and feral cat rescuer. The recipient of a Pulitzer Prize nomination and seven Pushcart Award nominations, she is the author of a popular series of Occult Novels for Women found at www.KittyfeatherPress.blogspot.com
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