Dead Beat
5 out of 5 Necromancy Stars
"Death. You can't escape it. You. Will. Die."
Best. Dresden. Book. Ever. Well, at least out of the first seven. Seriously, Dead Beat blew me away. I can normally make some pretty good guesses about what's going to happen in a The Dresden Files novel, and although I'm not always right in figuring out the mystery, I get pretty close. However, I was constantly surprised throughout this whole novel, and there's one part that I never saw coming and actually had me flipping around in the previous pages to try and figure things out. Absolutely brilliant. Butcher has completely outdone himself in this seventh installment, and I'll be remembering Dead Beat for a long, long time. Even the freaking title is awesome once you start reading the book; it's the perfect choice. I'm still mind-blown by what has occurred in this chapter of Harry's life.
"If some part of me didn't want it, why didn't I pick up the kid instead of Lasciel's coin?"
Plot-Line:We're picking up several months after Blood Rites ended, as per usual for Butcher. Thomas is living with Harry, Mouse has grown to the size of a mountain, and Murphy is taking a vacation out of town for a bit. Things are starting off pretty calm, until Harry gets a letter in the mail from Black Court vampire Mavra. She wants to have a face-to-face, and has some pretty incriminating blackmail that forces Harry to the meet (which is of course at his grave that Bianca had made for him years ago). It's there that Mavra tells Harry to get her The Word of Kemmler, a book written by an insane black warlock back in the 1940s. It's on his search for this powerful book that Harry ends up facing off against some terribly formidable and crazy dangerous new foes. Specifically, necromancers and disciples of Kemmler. The Word will lead to a rite of ascension, upgrading the heir of Kemmler to god-like power. It took enough White Council members to defeat Kemmler himself a couple decades ago, and letting one of his disciples get his or her hands on The Word isn't a option. Harry quickly realizes that he's in way over his head, but the stakes are too high to back down -- not that Harry even knows the meaning of those words. It's going to take all of his power and then some to stop the Kemmlerites from laying waste to Chicago, making Harry question how far he'll go in order to stop them.
"I'm not some kind of superhero. I'm just me. And I didn't want any of this. I don't want to die."
Notable Parts:
I don't even know where to begin, this whole freaking novel is so insanely awesome. I guess I'll start off with the reappearance of Butters, who has been helping Harry take care of his burned hand and learning some very interesting information about the longevity of wizards in the process. He plays an important role throughout Dead Beat and it's nice seeing his character evolving. Billy and Georgia also make appearances, helping out Harry a bit and also having him questioning his decisions and actions. See, Harry hasn't quite been himself lately, and his friends are starting to notice. He's been struggling over controlling his power more frequently, and it's shown. The difference between white and black magic is becoming steadily blurred into shades of grey, and Harry finds himself questioning the uses of dark magic. Add in the PTSD over using fire, since his hand was so badly burned, with these questions of morality, and Harry's got a lot of personal crap to deal with. Thomas's Hunger is explained through a brutally harsh way, and we're introduced to some new characters of the White Council who are actually pretty awesome. And of course the battle/actions scenes are as epic as ever. If you thought Blood Rites was a game changer, think again; the end of Dead Beat is going to have some major changes in Harry's life, changes he never thought would happen.
"I wasn't ready. God, even to save lives that included my own, I wasn't sure that I would be able to call up fire again. I stood there feeling helpless and angry and afraid and stupid -- and most of all, ashamed."
Overall:One of the many, many reasons I love The Dresden Files is because of how real it is; the characters face real challenges along with all the preternatural ones. It also helps that the stories themselves are awesome. There is never a dull moment throughout Dead Beat; it's crazy intense and constantly surprises me at every turn. I can't wait to see how the changes in this novel affect Harry in the future. By far my favorite Dresden book to date. Harry faces so many challenges throughout this installment, both within himself and by facing so many dangerous enemies, and I know I'll be thinking about what happened in Dead Beat for a long time to come. The Dresden Files is quickly becoming one of the best Urban Fantasy series I have ever read.
"One of the coldest, most evil souls I have ever encountered once told me that the reason I fought so hard to do what seemed right was that I was terrified to look within me and see the desire to cease the fight and do as I would, free of conscience or remorse. And now I could see that he had been right."
