Peace Talks

Dresden Files, Book 16

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Dresden is back and ready for action, in the new entry in the number-one New York Times best-selling Dresden Files. 

When the supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago - and all he holds dear?

©2020 Jim Butcher (P)2020 Penguin Audio

well...

6, 7 years and we get half a book?

I have missed Harry... and this is very much our Harry...

But to pay full price for a book and get half a book in return...

Only to be hyped, by the publisher, that another one is "coming soon" smacks of dividing one book in half and charging full price x2.

I'm not a fan of stuff like this.

Jim has earned enough of my good will to get a pass.

Once.

Continuity Errors and Incorrect Voices abound

Mab sounds like Cat Sith, Carlos sounds like Harry and sometimes Ebenezer. The recording sounded like James doing it at his own home, which he very well might have. But whomever did the editing did NOT tell Marsters to redo lines so that when he took a break and came back, his inflections and tones would be the same. It's VERY clear when the recording stops and starts again. The voices are very off, to the point I couldn't focus when those characters interacted. It's very bothersome

Enjoyable but Incomplete and Unpolished

As the first half of a major conflict, there are many moments in Peace Talks that fit Dresden to a T. However, the unusual pacing of this story leaves the "climax" unsatisfying compared to the vastly more important conflict foreshadowed for the next book.

Several technical problems with the audiobook (ranging from mismatched characters and accents to notable transitions between recording takes) and factual inaccuracies with the story (contradicting past books and events) make Peace Talks feel far less polished than previous instalments.

For as short as Peace Talks is, there are scenes that feel extraneous and sluggish when compared to the larger plot of the book. Scenes like watching Butters spar or lifting weights with Michael have value in a vacuum, but conflict with the urgent gravity of the story's central conflict. While I enjoyed the character moments and worldbuilding accomplished in these scenes, I couldn't help but notice how much of the audiobook's runtime was spent on side plots. Should those scenes be removed and the book be streamlined, I'm not sure the resulting text would have qualified as a full novel, and that sentiment only makes the cliffhanger ending more frustrating.

In summary, my initial reading of Peace Talks feels like I've just read one half of a book. While the next Dresden story may smooth the conflicts of the narrative and tie up existing plot threads, Peace Talks is a less effective standalone novel than Changes, an equally dramatic and consequential Dresden story released more than a decade earlier. I'm glad I spent an audible credit on this book and not cash, as the latter would have felt like buying a ticket to a rollercoaster and being kicked off before the big drop.

Weakest work in the series.

The book feels forced, rushed, and cobbled together with a deus ex machina ending in place of the detective dresden debriefing and reflection that the other novels have executed well. An argument could be made that this is a part 1 installment, but the book is short and plot points feels undeveloped compared to previous installments. There is also more repitition of description in this novel. Dresden spends more time comparing himself to marvel comic super heros than he does devoting any cognitive effort toward solving the problems he is presented with. Combat exchanges in this novel are superficial and devoid of dresden's trademark cleverness. This book has an abundance of what I assume is fan service, and I'm disappointed in the final product.

And you thought 2020 couldn't get any worst!

After years of waiting, rereading and listening to the series over and over again. All the discussion and speculations with family, employees and friends. Surviving the Glover narrate and digging through anthologies for little tid bits of story. The day finally arrived, "Peace Talks".
The story as a whole felt so weak that the over abundance of past characters and references to past events was an obvious attempt to hold the two book ends together. With unfinished plot lines cramped together it reads more like a collection of prelude stories than a true novel.
After asking others I realized it wasn't just me that heard the extreme volume changes and odd voice in flections that let you know when there was a break between recording sessions, even mid-sentence.
Hells bells guys if you needed a few more years to bring focus back to Dresden Files we would've waited. DISAPPOINTED!

I waited 74 months for this drivel???

First let me say that James Marsters gave another great performance. However, even his talent couldn't save this blathering drivel. 90% of this book was Harry's meandering philosophical musings about every subject you could possibly imagine. I'm actually surprised he didn't give us several pages about how your shoes take you on your life journey etc....it was that bad. Then we were treated to yet another heavy dose of Dresden self flagellation. He takes personal responsibility for every bad thing that happens to everyone around him. But, to be honest, the author has been playing this same tune for the last 15 books. Why would he try anything new now.

After a 6 year hiatus I really expected a better effort. This was extremely disappointing.

half a book only

half a book only, it's really noticeble that this and battlegrounds was originally one book

Underwhelming.

A thoroughly disappointing and meandering plot. Not at all what I was expecting, that's not a bad thing in and of itself, but an almost "Jumping the Shark" moment rendered the first half of the story pointless.

Something is wrong with James Marsters, for some reason he's using very different voices for characters that we've heard before, in earlier recordings. I know it's been awhile, but it's very distracting. Also, something sounds wrong with the recording itself, sometimes overly loud or quiet, other times fuzzy or muffled. This might not be James's fault, but it does detract from the overall performance.

All in all, I got the impression that this book isn't finished, more like it was thrown together over six months, not six years.

I don't understand. I've loved the Dresden files for years, and I think James Marsters performance in all of the other audiobooks has been excellent. So in summation (if any actually reads this far down), I am very confused, and very worried for Battle Grounds.

No where near as good as the previous books

I love Jim Butcher and have enjoyed all the books. This one though... not so much.

Nope- not this time hoss

I think I'm done with this series...after all this time I think that says most.