Wizards, Magic, and Things That Go Bump in the Night

I feel like Jim Butcher is the male counterpart to Kim Harrison -- or maybe it's the other way around, technically, since Butcher's Dresden books started before the Hollows.

Either way, Butcher's Dresden is wizard to Rachel Morgan's witch. Wouldn't it be cool if they got together in a book?

I've had Storm Front for quite some time now, and actually reviewed it for the BB site back when I first began doing reviews. For me, because I was already hooked on Harrison, it was a little harder to get into Dresden's stories. But, it's my own loss.

I handed Mike Storm Front just before our move when I came across it while packing. He'd just finished reading a recent horror purchase of mine (much to my surprise), A. Lee Martinez's Monster, and Lincoln Child's Terminal Freeze. So I figured he might be up for Butcher (I'd tried before and he'd passed for one reason or another). Lo and behold, he later tricked me into buying the next two books in the series for him! (I guess that means that they're technically mine, right?) And now we're working our way through the tv show on dvd (he prefers the book Dresden to the tv Dresden -- says he's more of a badass on the page than the scree, though he also says Harry gets laid more in the show!).

Anywho, Butcher's been going strong for almost 10 years now and currently has 11 titles in the series (number 12 is due out next year). He's also the author of the Codex Alera series and has a new title due out in November.

Here's some info about Storm Front:

Harry Dresden is a wizard: he doesn't do children's parties or love potions, but he is pretty good with finding lost things, especially people. He also occasionally helps out the local police with any suspicious and possibly supernatural crimes. When the bodies of Jennifer Stanton and Tommy Tomm -- an upscale call-girl and a bodyguard for notorious mobster Johnny Marcone -- are discovered dead, their hearts having exploded out of their chests, the Chicago PD has no choice but to call in Dresden. Harry's involvement in the case becomes more than a consultation when a demon comes knocking on his door. Soon, the White Council, the governing body of over all wizards, is after him as well. See, Harry may well be the only wizard capable of such murders. With more bodies piling up, and more evidence pointing in his direction, Harry must discover the true killer, or die trying.

Butcher's plot is fast-paced and Harry is a witty character. Readers who enjoy a paranormal twist on the traditional PI novel will love the Dresden books. (As a side note, I miss the old covers like the one above. I thought they were very catchy and much less Sci-Fi channel than the new ones. Although, I think I would like the new ones if I had never seen the old ones in the first place.)

Butcher's wife, Shannon, is also an author. You can check out more about here at her website here.