Grave Peril
4 out of 5 Ghostly Stars
"Vampire Court is now in session."
Jim Butcher does not disappoint in this continuation of his series, The Dresden Files. He delivers non-stop action, presents his characters with seemingly-impossible decisions, and sucks his readers into each scene, having his audience feel like they're fighting right along with our hero, Harry Dresden. We're told even more about the magic in this world, ranging from earth magic, evocations, thaumaturgy, sorcerers, vengeful ghosts, and faerie godmothers. Well, technically sidhe godmothers,
"Working on the assumption that some sadistic higher power would make sure my evening got as complicated as it possible could, I had formed a plan."
The Plot-line:
Grave Peril starts off with our favorite wizard Harry zooming down the street in his Blue Beetle with his friend Michael, speeding to get to a hospital before the sun sets. I admit, for awhile there I was confused on what was happening. Who is this Michael person? What's going on at the hospital? However, by the end of the second chapter, things become clearer; the border to the Nevernever is in a state of flux, making it easier for ghosts to travel to the human world. And some of these ghosts are acting pretty pissed. Harry soon finds out that these ghosts are being tortured, having black, ice-cold barbed wire wrapped around them from neck to ankle, and the pain is causing these ghosts to go mad. Who is behind this black magic? And why are they targeting these ghosts at Harry and his friends? While Harry is dealing with the spirit-world acting all crazy, he also has to deal with the vampires of the Red Court, whose leader Bianca has invited Harry to witness her elevation in rank to Margravine of the Vampire Court. Nothing suspicious there at all. And then there's his evil sidhe Godmother, who is hellbent on making Harry uphold a bargain he made years ago. Harry's got a lot on his plate in this novel, and he better watch his back, or he may wind up becoming a ghost himself.
"Hell's bells," I swore. "I hate it when I don't figure out the mystery before it's too late."
Notable Parts:
There are some great metaphors and similes in Grave Peril, and I found myself really liking them -- enough for me to mention them. Butcher's writing style really flows throughout his novels, making them easy and enjoyable to read. His signature blend of humor and wit mixed with action and mystery makes his books very entertaining. We're also introduced to some new characters, one being Michael (mentioned above), who happens to be the Fist of God and wields a very powerful magical sword, named Amoracchius. There's also Thomas, a vampire of the White Court, who may not be half-bad. Murphy doesn't play as large a role as she normally does, while Susan becomes very important during the second half of the novel. Some tough decisions are made towards the end of the novel, and the effect of these choices will play a large role in the next novel, Summer Knight. We also get some interesting scenes and information about ghosts that I think is pretty cool. The foreshadowing throughout Grave Peril is great; the readers cannot disregard anything -- everything Butcher writes, he writes for a reason. This makes solving the mystery that much more fun.
"I felt guilty for that -- maybe irrational, true, but if I'd been a little smarter or a little faster, maybe I could have saved those people's lives. No one else saw it that way, but I did."
Reason for knocking-off 1 star:
*see quote above* I am not fond of all this self-blame that Harry irrationally feels over every bad thing that happens. Bob and others even tell Harry that he's being irrational, but Harry seems stuck in his ways of feeling responsible for everything that happens to everyone he knows. He even admits to himself at times that he's being irrational, and yet he continues to blame himself. This character trait doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon -- or ever -- so I guess I'll have to learn to look past it. Harry is also still 'chauvinistic' to a fault, even stating that character fault himself: "I hate it when a woman asks me for help and I witlessly decide to go ahead and give it, regardless of perfectly good reasons not to." If Harry himself notices these things, why doesn't he try to change them? He gets himself into some sticky situations that could easily be avoided if he didn't try to console and/or reason with the evil females in this novel and just do his job. This probably will not change either, so I'll learn to deal with it. The Dresden Files are an amazing-enough series that I will look past these annoying character faults, because everything else is awesome.
“I'm not a philosopher, Harry," [Michael] said. "But here's something for you to think about, at least. What goes around comes around. And sometimes you get what's coming around." He paused for a moment, frowning faintly, pursing his lips. "And sometimes you are what's coming around.”
Overall:
Grave Peril is great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Harry and friends are interesting characters that are placed in tough situations and have to rely on their unique skills to save themselves and others. Butcher is a very talented writer, and he knows what his audience wants to read. I can't wait to start the next book in The Dresden Files, called Summer Knight. To anyone who hasn't started this series yet, I strongly suggest picking up Storm Front right away; to those that are caught up in the series, no spoilers!; and to those keeping pace with me, know that Grave Peril is a great installment in a top-notch urban-fantasy series.
"Magic defines a man. It comes from down deep inside you. You can't accomplish anything with magic that isn't in you, somewhere."
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