Publisher: Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 1 April 2008)
Series: Dresden Files – Book Ten
Length: 13 hours and 49 minutes
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. In a very special Throwback Thursday, I present reviews for four books in the legendary Dresden Files urban fantasy series by Jim Butcher starting with the 10th book in the series, Small Favour.
Over the last few years, I have been having an absolute blast getting through the outstanding and highly addictive Dresden Files urban fantasy series by Jim Butcher. Following a maverick wizard as he investigates supernatural crimes in Chicago while also facing all manner of dark threats, the Dresden Files books are some of the best urban fantasy novels out there and I have had such a great time reading the rest of the series. All the other Dresden Files novels I have read, including Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Death Masks, Blood Rites, Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, White Knight, Battle Ground and The Law have gotten a full five-star rating from me and I have been very eager to continue this great long-running series. As such, when I was travelling around and needed an audiobook I could listen to extremely easily, there was no better choice than the next Dresden Files book, Small Favour, which really did not disappoint.
Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard and protector against the supernatural, has been enjoying a period of rare peace and productivity in his chaotic life. But nothing ever lasts forever, and soon Dresden finds himself thrust into a dark battle between dangerous old enemies with the fate of the world at stake.
Thanks to a debt from his reckless youth, Dresden owes three favours to Queen Mab, manipulative monarch of the Winter Court of the fae, who seeks to turn Dresden into her greatest weapon. Her latest favour sees Dresden drawn into a surprising conflict surrounding his old rival, Chicago crime boss John Marcone. Marcone has been kidnapped by another deadly foe of Dresden’s, the Denarians, fallen angels who are determined to turn Marcone into a new host for one of their brethren.
Strongarmed by Mab, Dresden reluctantly agrees to help save Marcone from his fate and begins a new search for his foe throughout Chicago. However, his acceptance not only forces him up against the Denarians and their twisted leader, Nicodemus, but also puts him in the sights of Mab’s rival, the Queen of the Summer Court, who sends her deadliest servants to kill him. Caught between two unstoppable mystical forces can Dresden and his allies survive their deadliest battle yet, especially when Nicodemus’s full destructive plot is unleashed?
Unsurprisingly I loved Small Favour, which is easily one of the better Dresden File books in this already excellent series. Combining a fast-paced story with elaborate world building, amazing action sequences and great characters, Small Favours masterfully builds on so many of the previous books and proves to be a highly addictive read that gets another five-star rating from me.
Butcher came up with an extremely amazing story for this 10th entry in the series, and I deeply enjoyed the elaborate and complex narrative that emerged. Once again told solely through the troubled eyes of protagonist Harry Dresden, Small Favour sees the protagonist immediately under attack again as he is dragged into a deadly series of confrontations. Thanks to a long-running story arc surrounding his relationship with the Winter Court, Dresden is forced to save his least favourite person in the world while also contending with the deadly Summer Court and his old enemies the Denarians. Butcher does a great job of setting up this compelling scenario, and the early action scenes where Dresden faces down gun-wielding fairies really gets you caught up in the excitement. Thanks to the inclusion of several excellent supporting characters, as well as some of Butcher’s best antagonists, the story moves along at a cracking pace, and there are two excellent, elaborate and bloody set pieces near the centre that really caught my attention, including a dark supernatural brawl at a train station, and a parley turned war at an aquarian, both of which are very well set out and which consistently raise the stakes again and again.
After the big twist in the middle of the book, where the antagonist’s full plot is revealed, the last third of Small Favour has a desperate and dark feel to it as Dresden and his allies attempt to save the day, while also dealing with darker concerns surrounding the protagonist. There are several interesting reveals here, as well as good closure to several long-running storylines surrounding the attempted corruption of Dresden. Everything leads up perfectly to the big final confrontation where Dresden and his allies face off against all manner of foes in his usual flippant and creative way. There are some great moments here, including tragedies, sacrifices, intriguing confrontations, tricks, and Dresden finally getting his own against a superior foe. I was one the edge of my seat the entire way through this massive confrontation and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. The reader comes away from this part of the book very satisfied, if a little traumatised by certain heartbreaking moments, and Butcher really pulls together a great ending for Small Favour.
One of the things that I really like about the Dresden Files books is that Butcher has an effective and distinctive style that will be instantly recognisable to anyone reading one of his novels. This style, which focuses on the first-person perspective of the protagonist, really brings out the best of the story and you are always guaranteed a great blend of action, adventure, comedy, mystery and impressive character moments while Butcher constantly builds up his extended universe around the story. Small Favour is a great example of this as Butcher pulls out all the stops to make his excellent story even more enjoyable. The action is fast-paced and powerful, the world according to Harry Dresden is both dark and hopeful, and the humour is continuous and hilarious as the main character constantly seeks to make light of all the terrible things he encounters. I particularly enjoyed how well several of the major action pieces came together (the dark scene in the subway station is just amazing), and I loved the undercurrent of suspicion and dread that surrounded many of the scenes and this book can get quite bleak at times. I also need to highlight a very clever bit of writing that Butcher worked into the story where certain typical elements of Dresden’s usual magical practice are missing, hinting at some darker elements behind his actions. These writing elements and more really help to turn Small Favour into an excellent read and I had such a great time getting through it.
Like most of the books in the Dresden Files series, Small Favour can easily be read as a standalone read and Butcher does a great job recapping key events from the prior novels that are necessary to the main story. However, the further you get into the series the more certain characters and storylines keep recurring, so dedicated fans of the series are probably going to get the most out of reading this novel. Small Favour also proves to be an intriguing overall novel in the wider series, especially as Butcher introduces some key story elements and settings, as well as masterfully expanding on several characters from the previous novels. There is a certain sense of a bigger evil starting to stir here (something that is explored a lot more in the next couple of books) and there are some very cool developments here as a result. However, this is one of the easier books to start the Dresden Files series on then some others later in the series, although I will always recommend starting at the beginning to get the full impact of Butcher’s masterful work.
One of the true highlights of the Dresden Files series has to be the excellent characters featured within it. Butcher builds up a complex and powerful cast in each novel, including several recurring characters, and it is always a real joy to see how they develop and grow with each book. Of course, most of the focus is on the wise-cracking wizard protagonist and narrator Harry Dresden, who is such a fantastic character to focus on. Witty, loyal, highly perceptive and utterly disrespectful of every evil creature he encounters, Dresden is an outstanding protagonist to set this series around, especially as Butcher always effectively dives into his deeper psyche. Despite his comedic and irreverent exterior, which is responsible for most of the book’s humour, Dresden is a deeply troubled and damaged figure, having been forced to deal with so much pain and suffering throughout the series, all of which leaves a mark on him. Small Favour really dives into his past trauma, especially when it comes to looking at certain dark influences that he only recently threw off, and Butcher manages to put some real unease around Dresden motivations and actions as a result. I also liked seeing the continued growth of Dresden’s magical abilities, and the fun story around Dresden being forced to save one of his rivals is quite entertaining at times. This works wonderfully along Butcher’s typical excellent portrayal of Dresden to tell a brilliant character-driven story ,and I really enjoyed some of the complex development that occurred around the protagonist as a result.
In addition to Dresden, Butcher did an excellent job utilising an extended cast of supporting characters and villains in Small Favour, and I really enjoyed how the author was able to weave them into his elaborate tale. Many of Butcher’s best recurring characters make an appearance here, although I think the best in this book was Michael Carpenter, the calm and redemptive Knight of the Cross who serves as a voice of reason to Dresden’s more reactive desires. Butcher has made great use of Michael in several of the previous novels, although this is probably one of his best, especially as he is forced to deal with both Dresden’s erratic behaviour and the return of his mortal enemies. This leads nicely into the main antagonists of the story, Nicodemus and the Denarians, who are some of the more insidious foes in the series. The Denarians have had one major appearance in the past and Butcher nicely expands on them here in Small Favour, diving into their motivations, introducing new members, and showcasing just how sinister, manipulative and destructive they can be. The physical, mental and moral threat they represent to both the protagonists and the world are really well built up, and I loved the complex plan that Butcher attributed to them. Throw in the assassins of the Summer Court, the Gruffs (based on the Three Billy Goats Gruff), who get bigger and more deadly with each appearance, and this was an excellent group of characters who really enhanced and already great story.
As with all the other Dresden Files books I have enjoyed so far, I chose to listen to Small Favour on audiobook. This once again proved to be an outstanding choice, as the audiobooks are so damn good. This is primarily because of narrator James Marsters, who is perfect for this series. Marsters, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators at the moment, does such a great job when reading these books out, and I love how enthusiastically he dives into the story and the characters. Each of the figures in Small Favour is given a perfectly fitting voice, and I have so much love for how well he encapsulates protagonist Harry Dresden and his unique personality. Marsters clearly has a lot of fun narrating these amazing books, and it proves near impossible to stop listening to his work as he narrates this cool series. Coming in at just under 14 hours, this was an easy audiobook to get through quickly, and I cannot recommend this format enough to anyone interested in checking it out.
Jim Butcher does it again as his 10th Dresden Files book, Small Favour, proves to be another epic read. Featuring a clever and compelling plot, loaded with emotion, action and complex characters, Small Favour was an addictive read from start to finish which I really could not stop enjoying. I can think of no higher praise for this book than to say that the second I finished Small Favour, I immediately dove into the next book in the series, Turn Coat, because I wanted more Dresden Files goodness, and I ended up continuing and reading four Dresden Files books in a row.
The Unseen Library 