Cold Days

The Dresden Files, Book 14

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Dresden lives!

After being murdered by a mystery assailant, navigating his way through the realm between life and death, and being brought back to the mortal world, Harry realizes that maybe death wasn’t all that bad - because he is no longer Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard. He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness.

After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill. Guess which one Mab wants first?

Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own… his soul.

©2012 Jim Butcher (P)2012 Penguin Audio

he did it

Where does Cold Days rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

towards the top

What did you like best about this story?

Jim butcher managed to make this story good even after he kind of jumped the shark with having harry killed and wondering around as a ghost during the last book. overall it is a good book and getting back to what we all love about the dresden files. I look forward to the next chapter.

Jim Butcher never misses...

Would you listen to Cold Days again? Why?

I stumbled onto the Dresden Books by chance and now I seem to fight with myself in putting anything different in my player. The latest addition, Cold Days, has been listened to about 3 times already since I got it and each time I catch clues and hints that I have missed before.

What did you like best about this story?

If people are reading this wondering IF they should get it...you are not a fan of the Dresden story line. I can not, in good faith, give out any spoilers. All I will say is that Harry is made of stronger stuff then even he thought. I do have to add I love Butchers lore of the Kingdoms of Winter and Summer.

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

Marsters IS the voice of Harry. He is a very skilled story teller that pulls no punches. The voices, inflections and emotions are perfect...you could almost slip in the puddles of sarcasm James (Harry) comes up with. If they were to change performers they would have a VERY hard act to follow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The only true listing time I have is on the commute to work so I got Cold Days twice a day for 45min. I found it a health dose...or I would have never slept until it was over.

Any additional comments?

Be aware that the Dresden Books can be addictive and are important to read in order. Don't forget the short stories between books too ;)

Thank you Mr. Marsters!

Any additional comments?

For those who've been through the Dresden Files starting at book one, the voice of James Marsters has become very familiar. I was heartbroken when I picked up book 13 to discover a new narrator.

John Glover is a talented man. I still remember his Devil character from Brimstone. And his reading of Cold Days was good. If he'd read the twelve books before it, I'd probably be fine with him. But he didn't, and when a new voice comes out of someone's mouth, it's jarring. Harry, Murphy, Molly...no one sounds the same and the cadence of the narrative voice is a little different as well. Marsters has a rhythm to certain phrases that Butcher uses regularly, such as when Harry sarcastically points out his shortcomings by saying, "(adjective), that's me."

But the return of James Marsters to narrate the series is like wrapping one's self in an old familiar sweater and settling in by the fireplace in a nice tall chair. It's familiar and comfortable. Returning to Dresden's Chicago with Marsters feels...right. It's as though everything has gone back to the way it's supposed to be. Which is an odd thing given the contents of the story.

Butcher is in top form. He makes big decisions about the direction a story will take and he sticks to them. As a fan of comic books, nothing annoys me more than when writers decide to ret-con a bold decision out of existence, or rewrite entire back-stories. Ok, technically Butcher had a character come back from the dead, but we all knew that was going to happen. In the end, the early events of the series shape the way later stories will unfold, and while Butcher will sometimes leave a few threads hanging, it is not without reason and he never discards them. For example, while the Black Council does not feature as prominently in this story as it has in others, it's clear that they are still out there and will no doubt feature in future novels.

Like so many other Dresden Files books, I finished this one and immediately went online to see if there was any release date for the next one. I also thought about starting it over again immediately. Even though they're mysteries and I know what's going to happen, I still love this series. I've been through books 1-13 at least twice (some three times), and I'm one who rarely rereads (re-listens to?) books.

If you've come this far in the Dresden universe, you will not be disappointed. If you're new to the series, what are you doing reading a review of book 14?! Go back and start at 1. What's wrong with you?

...ok I'm starting this one again right now.

Dresden & Marsters are Back!

What made the experience of listening to Cold Days the most enjoyable?

Having Marsters back in the Dresden driving seat brought the characters back into focus. Not that Glover was bad... just not right.

What did you like best about this story?

Butcher has ramped up the stakes in the Dresden-verse. It would be to easy to spoil it by bringing up the best moments in this story

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

It is also worth mentioning again, that with all of the character development Marsters put into the voices, It was amazing "seeing" them again.

They just keep getting better!

Jim Butcher does it again. He has managed to escalate the story to new heights in a natural way. I had my doubts that he would be able to keep the momentum he has built in the previous books up, but thankfully, I was wrong. This series is just amazing. :)

Another great audiobook

What made the experience of listening to Cold Days the most enjoyable?

The dresden files series is a great book series, but James Marsters performance makes them that much more enjoyable. The audiobooks are how I "read" the series.

Have you listened to any of James Marsters’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This reading is about par with his other more recent work. Par for James Marsters though is quite excellent. At the begining of the Dresden Files his performance was good, but over time it has become exceptional.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If you had the time it would be fantastic, but it is about 18 hours of time. The book breaks up into nice larger chunks through plot, if you simply do not want to read chapter by chapter.

The best so far

This is by far the best book in the series can't wait to see where it goes from here.

Indiana Fan

I absolutely love this series! The last two books drew tears. On to the next.

Awesome!

Full of twists and turns. A really great listen! I have grown to love James Marsters as Harry.

Another Great Book feature Wizard Harry Dresden

I was wondering what was going to Happen after Harry spent most of the last book dead. But Butcher pulls it off and we find Harry finally working as Mab's winter night.

This is my all time favorite book series.