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

F Bomb is gaining ground

If you could sum up Cold Days in three words, what would they be?

Imaginative, exciting, friends

Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't have one, they are all old friends. Surprisingly, Thomas, a vampire is one too.

Which character – as performed by James Marsters – was your favorite?

Bob, I think. James Marsters sounds like a completely different person. He takes me back to my childhood because Bob sounds a lot like the Great Kazoo from the Flintstones cartoons.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Completely different from the TV show. Karen Murphy was not the Karen Murphy in the books.

Any additional comments?

One thing I especially liked about Jim Butchers books has been they have minimal swearing. This book has gone beyond his norm. If this trend continues, I will have to leave the books on the shelf rather than bring them home.

There is far less swearing than many best sellers. The frequency of the F bomb has increased for his books.

This is what an audio book should be

Note about the narration: James Marsters absolutely owns the vibe of the Dresden Files. He is able to capture the essence of a great cast of characters as well as the intensity of a Jim Butcher plot.


Jim Butcher once again cranks up the intensity of the Dresden Files with Cold Days. Harry is back from the dead, literally, but that does not mean that anything has calmed down in his world. He awakens to find himself fighting to survive his new role as Mab's Winter Knight, as well as trying to maintain his identity and integrity.

As usual, political intrigue is the rule of the in the realm of faerie and Harry must figure out which side is least wrong. At the same time, there is a crisis brewing at Demon Reach, the island with which he is bonded. As if those two things are not enough, the crap just keeps piling on.

This book felt a bit transitional, preparing the reader for the books to come. While there was a complete plot arc to this story, so many more threads were opened than answered. The stakes have gotten high in the series, as Butcher prepares to take it into what rumor says will be the final six books.

One thing that I loved about this book is how much it demonstrates Harry's growth throughout the series. In the past, he fought so hard to keep his friends out his troubles. However, in this installment, he accepts their assistance with grace, allowing them to decide to accept the danger or not. Harry also has a new dimension, struggling with the dark nature of the Winter Knight mantle.

The action in this book in incredible. Butcher maintains a breathtaking level of intensity through the entire book. Even at the end, I am already chomping at the bit for the next installment.

The most awesome book since Changes

What did you love best about Cold Days?

I liked all the really twisty turns in this book that turned in ways I didn't expect and I really like how James Marsters is really putting his all into improving his voices. I mean butters was different and very distinct this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cold Days?

Kris Kringle hangs out at the Winter Fey court.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where we finally get to see the Outer Gates and get a real understanding of the Outsiders and their threat to Dresdan's world. It really showed the Lovecraftian influence.

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

Yes, yes a thousands times yes. I got it midnight as it was released Tuesday morning and have been listening to it almost non-stop since Tuesday and today is Wednesday at 8:30 PM.

Any additional comments?

Buy the book, buy the whole series on audio. Its fun and interesting and it only improves with each book. But do yourself a service and make sure to start at the first couple so you get all the in jokes in the later books. But even if you don't each book is a pretty good place to start since Jim Butcher really prepares the reader with information at important scenes so new readers aren't lost.

Decent but preachy

Was good but got a little too preachy at times for my taste. There seemed a taint of 'common sense is best' running throughout the story and that intellect needs to take a back seat to emotion.

Great

This was a great followup to a slow book (ghost story) really moved the story along and shed light on a lot of lingering questions.

Dresden with a Twist

I found Cold Days to be a fun and engaging book that I am sure Dresden fans will enjoy. Cold Days manages to retain what fans know and love about the Dresden series while adding new powers and responsibilities to shake things up a bit (no longer just fire magic, along with a new boss to answer to). One of the things I enjoyed the most about Cold Days was the introduction of various characters ranging from Christian lore to Grimm's fairy tales. What I found fun about the book was the author's use of magic, compelling dialog, and seemingly unpredictable plot twists. The book ultimately brought so many interesting elements together that I found myself listening for hours at a time.

Performance:

In terms of narration, James Marsters performs the role of Harry Dresden as if he is the man himself. It really is difficult to explain it any other way. One positive aspect for me is that it feels as though Dresden is reading his tale, rather than a narrator just reading a book. Simply put, James Marsters narration of Cold Days (or the Dresden series in general) personifies the voice of Dresden and makes for a singular audible experience that I always look forward to.

Questionable Points:

While Cold Days is fun, I believe it remains plagued by common problems that have existed throughout most of the series. One problem in Cold Days in particular is that the main character, Dresden, is routinely ineffective and usually succeeds only by sheer luck. That may be part of the book's charm, but I found that it often made my eyes roll or just frown when I realized his magic was nullified, useless, or he just simply lost a fight/encounter due to his general ineffectiveness. It seems that Dresden routinely relies on allies, or sudden bursts of magic/happenstance, to save him from certain doom just moments before it is too late. There are other questionable points with the Dresden series, including Cold Days, that has often left me with a "this feels phoned in, thrown at a dart board and then written" feeling (quality of writing fluctuates, characters not that likable, narration can come off as sleepy at times).

Even though I have my criticisms, I still believe there is a lot to praise about the stories and world that Jim Butcher has created. When compared to the works of other authors, Cold Days, and the Dresden series as a whole, remains one of the most comforting, entertaining, and unique book series I have had the pleasure to enjoy.

Same old Butcher, fun page turner, end's a letdown

the book was fun the concepts were interesting the characters were great and then about 83% through the story as is standard for Jim Butcher the ending began and it was completely uninspired I think this is the last butcher book I'm going to read for a while

foul language - out of character

Would you consider the audio edition of Cold Days to be better than the print version?

I am not a prude, and I think that the audio editions of Jim Butcher's work are always wonderful, but this one had a lot of F words in it, and I was surprised, quite frankly. It didn't seem to fit the character Dresden has been in previous books, seemed like they were just 'stuck in'.I had been enjoying the series specifically for the love of the characters, and the fact they had so little swearing, which sets them apart in this day and age, but the addition of bad langueage sure didn't add to this book. It was disappointing.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jim Butcher? Why or why not?

probably.

What about James Marsters’s performance did you like?

always a good performance and he does a super job with extra voices.

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

yes

Any additional comments?

The foul language sounded like it was added as an afterthought - put in by an editor or whatever, but it sure was a surprise in this book after so many without the F word. It would be nice to find a book by an author as fine a writer as Jim Butcher without the bad language. I get tired of it.

The twists!

This book has so many twists and unexpected surprises. Really a highlight of the whole series and the author’s ability to find the unpredictable.

Curiouser and curiouser!

I can't decide whether this is done Quixote the Lord of the rings Alice in Wonderland or even the wizard of Oz.

But it does seem to me is that it's a buddy book with me against the whole freaking supernatural universe.

Harry Dresden does it again using brains maybe not brains intuition and phenomenal bad luck. I can honestly say that by the end I didn't see it coming in at the way it did.
Mr. Marstens does a bang up job portraying a deeply conflicted, charismatic, immensely powerful and pretty clueless Harry Dresden:perfect match up! Totally enjoyable.