No Spoilers here...you want spoilers to ruin this read, go
to
another reviewer. This story should be experienced.
For Harry Dresden, the only advertised PI/Wizard in the
Chicago phonebook, life has never been easy. At one time
his foster father-mentor tried to murder him for his
abilities. Then his own wizard council, the Grey Wardens,
wanted him dead. He has watched his friends be harmed or
destroyed by standing by his side. Yet through it all,
Harry has weathered the difficulties with the relentless
valor of a true self-sacrificing hero. Almost always
turning away from the darkness that could consume him and
standing for what was right, no matter the physical or
emotional cost was to him. Hey, he is only human.
Now one of those sacrifices has re-emerged, and Harry has
found that this cut is the deepest. Harry receives a phone
call from his ex-girlfriend Susan Rodriguez, the lost love
and deep guilt he carries for the attach that made her half-
vampire. The call alone is shocking, but that pales in
comparison to her asking for his help because their
daughter has been kidnapped by the Red Vampire Court. A
daughter Harry never knew anything about and his life
starts to drastically change. Harry must now come to terms
with Susan's deception, of the simple fact of being a
father, and the danger that this child is in for being his,
all while forces are at play to destroy Harry's life from
all angles. With no support from the wizard council Harry
has fought tirelessly for in the war against the Red Court,
Harry is forced to turn to 'other' resources, some
nefarious, to defeat the godlike power that he will be
facing. Harry must decide how far he is willing to go to
save the life of his own child and where that decision will
take him, and his friends who are always there to support
him.
Jim Butcher has led us through eleven books up to now with
Harry Dresden. Through each he has skillfully navigated
Harry's world of magic and blended it into our own reality
to make a wildly entertaining ride. His books normally
wind you up and down like a roller coaster, slowly building
to the powerful climax. With CHANGES, book twelve of the
series, however, he never descends. The story is
constantly moving upward in tension toward the crescendo,
with an occasional plateau so not to wear out the reader.
Harry's mess of emotional control rides you to the end as
well as the continually action. Harry's cocky wit and
pulp fiction literary references throw humor in at just the
right pacing and the monsters can be truly frightening if
not in physical description but in actions as well. And
with Harry, you know there is never a perfectly happy
ending; the struggle must continue, but in this instance,
Mr. Butcher has left us with a cliff hanger that will have
readers salivating for the next book.
For me, this is the best one so far of the Dresden Files
series. If you are a fan of the series, it is a must not
miss read. If you are new to the series, I definitely
recommend you read the full eleven previous books for the
full experience, as you have references all the way to book
one in this story. If you don't have the time for the full
catch up, then book five, Death Masks, is a
pre-requisite.
Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden's lover-until
she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between
her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red
Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she
could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her
with it.
Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered
a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use
it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no
choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped
dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...
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