Storm Front

The Dresden Files, Book 1

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under Wizards. Believe it or not, I'm the only one there.

With rent past due and a decent meal becoming an issue of some importance, Harry needs work, and soon. A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt. Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters to vampires, while he himself is under suspicion of the crimes.

©2000 Jim Butcher (P)2002 Buzzy Multimedia

LOVE Harry’s sarcasm!

Excellent book by Jim Butcher! James Marsters’ narrations get better as the series goes on. He really starts to portray the different characters and their emotions a lot better. This is my third time listening to them!

it was a lot of fun

I really liked the reading of this book. The narrator did an excellent job. this book was humorous and exciting. a lot better than I expected after someone tried to explain it to me

Spit or swallow, don't talk with your mouth full

Any additional comments?

Story isn't bad. Mainly well written and generally enjoyable, although the seemingly pointless antagonism between Dresden and pretty much everybody comes across as forced.

There is however a glaring issue... constantly having to listen to the narrator sucking and swallowing. Ask a 5 year old a question during dinner and you'll get a similar sort of sound. And then there's the regular inappropriately timed sighing. If it's that hard a job being a narrator for audible I would suggest he find another line of work.

Second thoughts... he should probably find another line of work regardless.

Reader was terrible

The story itself was pretty interesting but the reading was flat. I don't know if the character was supposed to be bored through the entire story but the reading sure was.

Love Dresden. TERRIBLE narrator!

The narrator was distractingly bad. He was fine on the basic story, but he badly and repetitively mispronounced quite a few words. His acting on the dialogue was also pretty tortured.

I Found Another Great Series!!!!

I just started listening to the Dresden Files series, and i am enjoying it so much. I loved the fact that Dresden is wizard already, not someone who doesn't know about his abilities like a lot of other books do.

Too many interesting characters in this series, and too many different ways it could lead too.. I know that my review is pretty late one, but don't blame me, I didn't get to know this series until i had a listen to the collection of short stories called "Dangerous Women". And am thankful for that.

Poor Dresden getting into a lot f trouble and has to get out of them by himself.. . One of my favourite characters in this book and am assuming he'll be there in the rest of the series is Bob.. you'll get to know Bob, and you will like him.

Already done with the 2nd book "Fool Moon", which was really good and satisfying, and now reading the 3rd book.

Good fun - adventure book for geeks

This is like a Nancy Drew book for adult geeks, I'm a 33 year old male, fairly geeky but not overly so and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Yes there is lots of sexual innuendo, perhaps too much. But it's all in good fun and I'm sure the geeky guys will enjoy it alot. The hero of the book is basically a grown up nerd (wizard), running around blasting demons, being a tough guy, saving women and generally kicking ass. A fun listen. The only annoying part about the audio is that the narrator swallows audibly and frequently.

Great Story Great Narrator

After reading a few negative comments on the story & narration I hesitated to make this my 1st purchase on Audible. Bought it anyway. All I can imagine is that the guys who were so negative must harbor some secret jealousy of the talents ( both the author Jim Butcher & the narrator James Marsters) that went into this production. After all 3 negatives and hundreds of poitives should have reassured me anyway. The story is fast paced and instantly engaging. The hero is the kind of imperfect, somewhat sarcastic, do the right thing no matter the cost kind of guy. James Marsters gives his voice a darkly smokey film noir quality and is able give all the various characters their own voices as well. You do get to hear deep sighs and other sounds which further the feeling that you are listening to the very weary Harry Dresden (the protaganist)as he goes through all the action/adventure and the aftermath. He has an amazing ability to act using sound alone. Pretty impressive for an actor who is best known for having played the hot British accented vampire Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Somebody should cast him as a wizaed detective :). I can't wait for the next book (Fool Moon) but I probably will force myself to wait till next month. Fortunately this is so good that I'll be listening to it over and over again.

Good Book, bored narrator.

I liked the book itself. The narrator however reminded me of my father when bored. There was a lot of loud sighing as if he were just so put out by something and you could hear everytime he swallowed, his mouth making this irritating wet sound. It was a bit distracting, but I was able to get past it and enjoy the book. I could not bring myself to enjoy the book again though, which is something I normally do. I hope the narrator speaks a little farther away from the microphone in the next installments.

Just fucking great

The whole fucking book was fucking great. Great fucking story, great fucking narrator, great fucking time.

If you want a fucking great audio book, get this fucking title.