Cold Days by Jim Butcher

This entry is part [part not set] of 13 in the series The Dresden Files
Book Review
Book Review

Book Review of Cold Days: 3 Treasure Boxes
Book Fourteen of The Dresden
Publisher: Roc; First Edition edition (November 27, 2012), Hardcover: 528 pages, ISBN-10: 0451464400, ISBN-13: 978-0451464408

Harry is no longer dead, no longer a warden of the White counsel and no longer a professional wizard for hire. Instead, he has a new job and a new identity; he is now the Winter Knight for Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. The Winter Knight is a tool of death that the Queen dispatches with a whisper and his first assignment is the assignation of an immortal. Not only does Harry need to discover how to kill an invincible being, he also has to investigate the threat of a devastating magical explosion.

Cold Days is the fourteenth book in The Dresden Files. Jim Butcher is currently working on book fifteen, Skin Game. He has also written six books in the Codex Alera Series, which is closer to high fantasy than The Dresden Files. See my review of these books at https://books-treasureortrash.com/series/codex-alera-series/ The Dresden Files are considered contemporary fantasy and are sometimes referred to as urban fantasy. They also fall into the detective genre since Harry is a detective, who is also a wizard, and in each book he solves a case involving the supernatural. These stories are told in the first person narrative from Harry Dresden’s point of view.

When Harry first returns from the dead, he needs to recover from his ordeal, which he does in Arctis Tor, the capital of the Winter Court of Faeries in the Nevernever. He spends his first three months preparing for his new job by recovering his strength, doing physiotherapy, and fending off frequent, deadly surprise attacks from his new boss. A few new characters are introduced: Sarissa, a woman indebted to Mab the Winter Queen who helps Harry during his initial recovery; Cat Sith, a vicious faerie who is available at a moment’s notice to help Harry; Lacuna, a fairy of the little folk, who Harry has taken as a prisoner; and He Who Walks Before, who is related to He Who Walks Behind and is an outsider.

This book really moves the plot along and provides a lot of information about the outsiders, who they are, where they come from and what they are trying to do. Additionally, more information is released about the Adversary. However, I did feel that a few of the solutions to some of Harry’s predicaments were a little too pat. Harry has his own personal struggle dealing with the mantle of the Winter Knight including the predatory feelings that this magical position inspires, but Harry is still the smart-mouthed character that I have grown to love. There was plenty of action throughout this novel, it started in the beginning at Harry birthday party and continued pretty much up until the end. The suspense kept on building and building and the ending was shocking. I never saw it coming and was really surprised by the final outcome.

Cold Days is a standalone story, yet it is also part of a larger tale. I found the book hard to put down, and I recommend it as a very good read. All the books in this series are well written with great characters within a fascinating and unique universe. I am anxious to see what is going to happen next, and am waiting for the release of the next book in the series, Skin Game.

 

 

To Purchase: “Cold Days” click here or on picture above

Series Navigation

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.