In a geeky fangirl type way, I immediately liked the concept of a story about a Wizard Private Investigator. Harry Dresden, said Wizard PI, is a skilled sorcerer but he doesn't do very good business. What he does have is an in with a police department that specialises in cases of an unusual nature. Then two cases come up at once; a missing person, and a double murder. As soon as he sees the murder scene, Harry knows that there is a very powerful mage on the scene who is breaking the laws of magic. He also knows that to a lot of other people, he would be suspect number one.
As a PI story, Storm Front follows some of the traditional clichés. As a magic story, it follows some other clichés... but put the story together, and it becomes an interesting and amusing story. It is also a true ripping yarn; as the story progresses, the urge to find out what is going to happen next draws the reader through the story.
Harry Dresden is mentally tough, and he is a good conjurer. However, he is not the strongest, fittest or fastest, and I like this. He gets beat around as much as anyone else in the story, and when he fights hand-to-hand, he only does it when the element of surprise is well and truly on his side, or when there is no other option.
The other characters include an air elemental, Bob, who is imprisoned in a skull and acts as Harry's magical library. Then there is Harry's watchman, Morgan, a none-too-bright hard man acting on behalf of a wizard's council. The women in this novel are both good, strong characters, but Butcher seems to go out of his way to make them tough girls. I like them in a way; Police officer Karrin Murphy has a kickass quality about her, that makes her totally believable in the position of hard-nosed cop. Then there is the journalist who'll do almost anything to get a story... between them they provide a competent showing for the 'fairer' sex, but the more I read the more I found these characters to fall slightly towards the cliché as well. Hard-nosed cop and mercenary journalist are not exactly the most original character types.
Towards the end of the story, it seems that most of the characters are in some way out to get Harry, and this grows a little frustrating, as viewers of many TV police dramas will understand. Once the actual plot draws to a close, there is a final wrapping up chapter that stings of TV drama sum-up. In fact, Storm Front almost seems designed for TV dramatisation; and indeed it was dramatised for a while on American TV.
Don't get me wrong though; Storm Front is a very entertaining, gripping read. It was well written, and the magic is convincing. I liked most of the characters, and it was only towards the end that I found some of the plot twists predictable. Even then, it was mainly character reactions, rather than actual events, that were predictable.
The major strengths of this novel lie in Harry Dresden himself. Although he is a wizard, he is a believable person, and as his backstory slowly unfolds, it becomes obvious that there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Seeing the events through his eyes added an extra layer of interest and insight to the event. Harry's quirky, witty style of narrating made the characters rise to the front, and his way of dealing with the unfortunate series of events makes him a brilliant centre for the story.
Overall, I very much enjoyed Storm Front. If you are looking for a ripping yarn with excellent characters, Storm Front is it. I think that as a character, Harry Dresden is well worth following, and Butcher obviously has some skill at plotting and pacing a novel, which made Storm Front a very satisfying read. At some point, I will be purchasing the next in the series to see if it continues to be as beautifully executed as this.
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