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

Boyfriend's childhood book

I know.. i was surprised when he told me that he listen to this in middle school and his mom recommended it o.o but I loved the story. at one point I zoned out and couldnt grt back into it until the last chapter but the forst 5 chapters were awesome! we started listening to it on a roadtrip and finished it at home with a cup of coffee, I cant wait to read the other books in the series! (16 more books!)

Proto Harry

A good start, looking back a bit rough and unpolished. For James more readingthan preformance.

Couldn’t put it down

Roughly 8 hours after starting up this audiobook, I found myself finished and wanting more. The Dresden Files are a fantastic blend of classical noire and modern fantasy that I can heartily recommend anyone with at least a passing interest in both.

Loved It!

"Easter has been cancelled, they found the body." I must have that Tshirt. Harry's Awesome!

A treat!

I've read all the Dresden books to date, but haven't had any time to sit and reread. But I've had plenty of time in the car on my commutes. I already loved Jim Butcher's writing, and I'm a James Marsters fan since his days on Buffy (too bad Harry isn't British...) Together it's a great match. I know a lot of reviews have come down hard on the narration, indicating that James has a lot of heavy sighs and some swallowing. Honestly, I think Harry heaves a lot of heavy sighs, so I didn't feel particularly bothered by this. The narration got significantly better towards the end of the recording, which leads me to think perhaps James was becoming more familiar with the process of the storytelling, or that he made sure to read ahead so he was more confident in what he was saying.

In either case... Harry is a WONDERFUL character. I find myself smirking a bit at this first book, knowing how these characters are going to grow and change. I'd almost forgotten how it all started and it's a delight to listen to one of my favorite voices give life to one of my favorite series.

Love for the Dresden Files

What did you love best about Storm Front?

Harry is a great character. He's a little bit smart-aleck but all heart.

What other book might you compare Storm Front to and why?

I'm not sure. Harry Dresden is in a class by himself. There aren't too many wizards out there.

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

I love James Marsters. For the first few minutes of each book I have to remind myself I'm not being read to by Spike. But, if you aren't a Buffy fan, you should be fine. If you are, you'll love it even more. But, on the serious side, Mr. Marsters is a very good narrator. His voice is very pleasant to listen to. Good pacing, inflections and intonations are done well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

This is a good mix of paranormal and normal. I realize that sounds odd, but if someone is unsure of trying out a paranormal book, this might be a good one to try.

Cool twist on classic detective story.

I appreciated that the main character wasn't perfect. He relied on his smarts more than his powers to overcome the bad guy. Good read!

Dresden does it for me

I loved this book. I have yet to read one of these books myself and my initial intro to this world was through TV. This Harry is my favorite. I picture him much different and really much more bruised. Total fan( as in I do frequent conventions and special functions with him as a guest) of James Marsters who was my main draw to try the audio book. His voice and Butcher's writing seems to give Harry a bit more vulnerability than the television counterpart. I will admit though there are some very distracting clicks and sounds that seem to be sporadic through out the recording. I like to think it was sound editing but not sure. I was only a tad distracted and was glad it was infrequently through out. FYI although the series has many many more books Buzzy Entertainment didn't produce them all. ( This may give credence to my theory it was sound editing.) Don't want to sound too corny but this audiobook reltationship I've started with Harry Dresden is really magical. This is the guy I love taking a road trip with..

Great start of what seems like a fun unique series

Really liked this book that takes you on Harry Dresden's quest, into the world of wizards faries vampires demons and other mythical creatures. Jim Butcher does an amazing job blending a noir crime drama with the world of fantasy, which I found original and enjoyable. I will definitely continue the series. Character and world building is on par with great writers and the book is paced very well. The series is now i believe 10 books in and even spawned a tv show comic book and games, so I was a little late to the party, but hopefully this review will encourage others to join late too. The narrator also performs brilliantly and really added to the feel I thought the author was going for.

3 hours into the book and thinking about stopping.

Would you listen to Storm Front again? Why?

NO, reading perhaps. NOT listening.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is well written so far. There's enough wit in the text to keep me hooked.

Would you be willing to try another one of James Marsters’s performances?

If he uses the same style in different books, absolutely not.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I had an awkward stress-like cringe in my stomach because of the narrator.Why? This is how this story is narrated:Imagine a man who just woke up on a lazy Sunday. He's not yet fully awake and is lazily gaping and stretching out. While doing this he has a nonchalant conversation with himself, pondering what he should do today. Sighing all the while and mumbling off into the distance with a mouth full of saliva.Well, to me that's exactly how this book is read. Every bit of tension or mood in the book is reduced to absolute nonchalance.

Any additional comments?

Additional comment: I read many comments about the bad narrating. Recording studio: "WTH are you doing?"