Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)

Continuing on with The Dresden Files, now onto book number four: Summer Knight.

Summer Knight

5 out of 5 Sidhe-ful Stars

"I had to wonder: What do you wear to a war?"

Jim Butcher had added another great installment into his widely popular urban-fantasy series. Summer Knight may be one of the best Harry Dresden stories told yet (up to book 4). The action is better, the mystery is better, and the execution of the story is better. Considering the high caliber Butcher has established in these aspects of his previous novels, this is a great feat to accomplish.

“You’d think as long as I was gambling with my soul, I would have thought to get Mab to throw in fifty bucks an hour plus expenses.”

The Plot-Line:

Harry's choices in the previous novel, Grave Peril, have an important impact in Summer Knight. The White Council has come to Chicagoland to discuss the war with the Red Court, and they are not happy with what has occurred. To make matters worse, just before leaving for the meeting, Harry is approached by a most interesting character: Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness, Monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe herself. Harry doesn't want any involvement with faerie politics, but he doesn't have much of a choice with this situation. After the White Council suffered a devastating blow from the vampires, the Red Court has proposed that if they are given Harry, they will cease fighting. Because of the fear the vampires have instilled in members of the Council, handing over Harry becomes a very real possibility. In order to prove himself to the White Council and avoid being handed over on a silver platter, Harry must complete a formal Trial to establish his rank as a wizard. This Trial includes honoring Mab's request of Harry in exchange for her promise of safe passage through the Nevernever for the Council, an essential part of defeating the vampires. Harry agrees and finds himself searching for the Summer Knight, whose murder has allowed a powerful mantle to go missing from the Summer Court. If Harry doesn't solve the mystery behind this murder, and fast, not only is he faced with death by vampire, but the whole world could perish, too. 

"The strong conquer and the weak are conquered. That is Winter. That is what you have learned," she said, "That is what makes you dangerous."

Notable Parts:

We're given so much more information about the world of The Dresden Files, from the White Council, to the Sidhe and the other faeries of the Nevernever. We're introduced to Ebenezer of the White Council, who has connections to Harry and allows us to learn more about Harry's past, along with other Senior Council Members Martha Liberty, Injun Joe, and the Gatekeeper, who I definitely hope to read more about. The development of the Sidhe courts, of the Knights, Emissaries, Lady's, Queens, and Mothers (one of each for Summer and Winter) may replace my love of the werewolf development back in Fool Moon. And speaking of werewolves, Billy and the Alphas are back! These characters have really grown from their last appearance, and become an essential asset to Harry. We're told about other types of magical creatures, such as wyldfae, ogres, ghouls and changelings, and something happens with Murphy that has taken way too long to happen. Finally, there is an appearance of a character you would never expect, although you can probably guess from the foreshadowing that is used, and said character changes the course of the whole novel, of what Harry has believed to be true for over a decade. Also, Harry has an awesome line that pretty sums up the whole book towards the end of the novel, which I really want to cite, but will not in order to avoid spoilers. You'll know it when you read it.

"The only people who never hurt are dead."

A Curious Observation:

Was it just me or did Butcher start using the word 'basso' a lot? He's never used it in the previous novels and then bam, it's popping up everywhere. Just thought that was funny. Also, we're always told about Harry wearing his leather duster and sometimes cowboy boots, but there is never any mention of a cowboy hat. On all the covers for The Dresden Files, Harry is always wearing a hat. Which leads to the question: does Harry even own a cowboy hat? An important question that must be answered, Mister Butcher.

“All of those faeries and duels and mad queens and so on, and no one quoted old Billy Shakespeare. Not even once.” 

Overall:

Summer Knight is an amazing story, and even though each novel has it's own separate mystery, Butcher continues to tie everything together in an almost effortless way. I wish I could plan out novels like he does! Harry's self-blame is not as evident as it normally is, and when it is present, it's justified in a reasonable way. Also, Murphy's button-nose is not mentioned! Huzzah! Everything about Summer Knight is great, and us readers can tell that Butcher is really coming into his own with The Dresden Files, making each novel more and more complex, and in turn making them that much more fun to read. I can't wait to see how the next novel, Death Masks, plays out.

“I don't believe in faeries!”