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

Can't wait to see what happens next

Others here have written stellar reviews and I won't try to duplicate. I just want to say WOW. I just finished the book because I decided to start the series over and hold the new book out like the last morsel of some incredibly rare treat. So I've been totally immersed in Dresden's world for awhile now and I'm feeling a little bereft. I can't wait for the next book! I listened to this series more often than anything else I've ever owned and they just don't get old.

I absolutely HATED the book where Harry was dead. I didn't hate the book as a book, I mean it is a well-written piece of fiction by one of my absolute favorite authors, I mean I just hated Harry being dead! In retrospect I think it is perfect that the other guy did the narration for it. So now when we hear his voice well, it's because Harry is dead! I hope that poor guy gets work on other books that aren't quite as well established because he has talent and didn't deserve the thrashing he got here... but thank you James Marsters for coming back to life along with Harry!

My admiration for Jim Butcher has only increased with this installment. As others have noted, most series are losing steam and direction by book 14 but it seems that Mr. Butcher has lots left for our wizard. It must be so incredibly satisfying to be the creator of such a body of work and have such a loyal following. Good for you Mr. Butcher! Thank you.

I have to put a plug in here for his Codex Alera series too. Even if you're not a huge high fantasy fan these are worth a listen. Same high quality writing and character development.

Dresden as the Winter Knight? What could go wrong?

Butcher continues to amaze with this great story and our boy Harry Dresden is bigger and badder than ever. As the Winter Knight (and Mab's play thing), Harry has to battle not only the Winter Knight's Mantle that is trying to take him over, but Mab, Maeve, and seemingly the entire Winter Court. Throw in Outsiders, Demonreach, and oh, Harry trying to deal with all the relationships he had before dying and coming back, Molly, Karrin, and Thomas, and you've got a fast paced roller coaster ride that seemingly will never end as more and more obstacles get thrown in Harry's path.

If there is one problem I have with this book (and it's happened in several of the other Dresden books, though not frequently) is that Butcher seems to continue to pile on Harry's troubles. There is the requisite "issue" Harry is dealing with, and the little subplots that surround it, but then Butcher just keeps adding more and more roadblocks, issues, and problems that seem to stretch Harry beyond his capacity. It just feels, I don't know, like he's making it overly dramatic just for the sake of doing it. It always ends up working out in the end and I do realize that it all has a purpose in moving the story forward. Butcher also does this thing where he puts Harry up against immortals and such that severely outclass him, and Harry even says in the books "there is no way to beat such and such a creature" and yet, in the end, Harry miraculously prevails and finds some loophole. It's a minor gripe, and doesn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. This is still an excellent book and great continuation of the series. I can't wait for the next book!

James Marsters narration gets better and better with each book and he does an excellent job reading Cold Days. When I first started listening to this series I wasn't crazy about him, but now, he IS Harry Dresden!

Just me?

Any additional comments?

Is it just me or does James Marsters sound different from all his other readings?

Things are coming together!

Dresden is back with some new skills and an impossible task to perform. We are giving a better look at things which have been hinted at throughout the series. A few more clues about the black council and deeper look at the fairy queens.

As I read and reread the Dresden files, it becomes clear that Jim Butcher had this series sketched out very well before he wrote the earlier books. He does a great job of pointing out that Dresden was getting clues about all of this stuff as early as Storm Front.

Just gets better and better

Best reader ever. Cannot wait for the next Jim Butcher Dresden Files novel. Great follow up
to Ghost which was a little shaky.

Awesome story, and great to have Marsters back

Any additional comments?

I had been worrying how Harry Dresden would pull off sticking to his moral and ethical stances once he is sworn to his post as the Winter Knight. I did not want Harry to make choices that I couldn't at least defend to an extent, as part of why I love him as a character is that I can understand his thought process and how he makes decisions when things fall apart. I can relate to his moral prerogatives and concerns, and even when he makes mistakes, they aren't the sort that make me feel like he has irreversibly betrayed some precious moral code.

I found myself liking how Jim Butcher handles Harry's role as the Winter Knight, since luckily Harry manages to maintain a grasp on his moral compass. Furthermore, Harry is never subservient by nature, and even when under the thumb of queen Mab, he finds ways to do things his way.

I do see that Harry is having some changes, mostly becoming more primal and angry in heated moments, so I hope that Jim Butcher does not keep Harry committed to the Winter Knight post too long. I continue to dread the day that Harry's character loses his grip on his moral senses entirely and does something that will make me feel distaste and disappointment with the series. So far, it's been a tight rope walk that keeps me guessing but which has ended to my satisfaction, but the Winter Knight business is the biggest threat yet to Harry's moral compass.

I love having Marsters back as Harry's voice, I do not want the series to stray from Marsters again, as one of the biggest attractions of the audio books has been the fantastic performance that Marsters does. I have a huge crush on Harry Dresden, because I have had a huge crush on Marsters ever since he was Spike in Buffy.

The series continues to tease us about whether Harry finds a happy, romantic outcome with Karen Murphy. Harry has been single way too long, but his life is complicated, and his feelings for Karen have continued to develop. I have my hopes up that the moral, stabilizing force of Karen in his life will help Harry in the future, especially if the personality changes brought on by being the Winter Knight continue to progress.

goofy fantasy

These books are a lot of fun. The author has a great sense of humor and the plot keeps you intrigued. Just don't expect anything high brow.

Amazing as always

I know James has had a decade and more to work on these characters voices but he just keeps getting better he really is Harry dresden and these books just keep getting better too amazing additions to the already rich universe

Must listen

Any additional comments?

This really is a must listen series. The series never gets old even if you binge listen to three books in a row. In this installment, the summer and winter ladies are out to save the world--or are they? Harry reunites with his posse and saves the world while introducing us to new foe. James Marsters rocks as always. Thank goodness he is back.

Harry's back. So is James Marsters?

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

Love the whole Dresden series. Books 12 and 13 were getting a little stale. And the change in reader in book 13 was definitely a bummer. In Book 14 Dresden begins to be his old sarcastic but loveable self. It's great to have Marsters back as the reader!