by Jim Butcher
June 5, 2018
June 5, 2018
448 pages
Publisher: Ace
ASIN: B077WYGXPP ISBN: 9780451492104
The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection.
From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.
With twelve stories in all, Brief Cases offers both longtime fans and first-time readers tantalizing glimpses into Harry's funny, gritty, and unforgettable realm, whetting their appetites for more to come from the wizard with a heart of gold.
The collection includes:
* "Curses", from THE NAKED CITY, edited by Ellen Datlow
* "AAAA Wizardry", from the Dresden Files RPG
* "Even Hand", from DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS, edited by P. N. Elrod
* "B is for Bigfoot", from UNDER MY HAT: TALES FROM THE CAULDRON, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT
* "I was a Teenage Bigfoot", from BLOOD LITE 3: AFTERTASTE, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT.
* "Bigfoot on Campus", from HEX APPEAL, edited by P. N. Elrod. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT.
* "Bombshells", from DANGEROUS WOMEN, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
* "Jury Duty", from UNBOUND, edited by Shawn Speakman
* "Cold Case", from SHADOWED SOULS, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes
* "Day One", from UNFETTERED II, edited by Shawn Speakman
* "A Fistful of Warlocks", from STRAIGHT OUTTA TOMBSTONE, edited by David Boop
* "Zoo Day" - brand-new novella, original to this collection
Jim Butcher has a new short story collection, set in his Dresden Files world. Most are reprints, first appearing in various anthologies. The last tale is an original, titled “Zoo Day.” This was my favorite of all the stories included in this book. It is about Harry Dresden, now a father, taking his young daughter, Maggie, to the zoo, along with his dog, Mouse. The story begins in Harry’s POV, changing once his portion of the story is done, to Maggie’s, and ending with Mouse’s. Each has a different “bad” to contend with. Harry’s is a young teenage warlock, while Maggie must face off what she calls “Haunts,” and Mouse finds a long-lost littermate, now working for evil, shadowing him and his humans. All three plot threads end at the same place. I won’t spoil it for the reader—you need to read it yourself, but it worked well for me.
Publisher: Ace
ASIN: B077WYGXPP ISBN: 9780451492104
The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection.
From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.
With twelve stories in all, Brief Cases offers both longtime fans and first-time readers tantalizing glimpses into Harry's funny, gritty, and unforgettable realm, whetting their appetites for more to come from the wizard with a heart of gold.
The collection includes:
* "Curses", from THE NAKED CITY, edited by Ellen Datlow
* "AAAA Wizardry", from the Dresden Files RPG
* "Even Hand", from DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS, edited by P. N. Elrod
* "B is for Bigfoot", from UNDER MY HAT: TALES FROM THE CAULDRON, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT
* "I was a Teenage Bigfoot", from BLOOD LITE 3: AFTERTASTE, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT.
* "Bigfoot on Campus", from HEX APPEAL, edited by P. N. Elrod. Republished in WORKING FOR BIGFOOT.
* "Bombshells", from DANGEROUS WOMEN, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
* "Jury Duty", from UNBOUND, edited by Shawn Speakman
* "Cold Case", from SHADOWED SOULS, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes
* "Day One", from UNFETTERED II, edited by Shawn Speakman
* "A Fistful of Warlocks", from STRAIGHT OUTTA TOMBSTONE, edited by David Boop
* "Zoo Day" - brand-new novella, original to this collection
Jim Butcher has a new short story collection, set in his Dresden Files world. Most are reprints, first appearing in various anthologies. The last tale is an original, titled “Zoo Day.” This was my favorite of all the stories included in this book. It is about Harry Dresden, now a father, taking his young daughter, Maggie, to the zoo, along with his dog, Mouse. The story begins in Harry’s POV, changing once his portion of the story is done, to Maggie’s, and ending with Mouse’s. Each has a different “bad” to contend with. Harry’s is a young teenage warlock, while Maggie must face off what she calls “Haunts,” and Mouse finds a long-lost littermate, now working for evil, shadowing him and his humans. All three plot threads end at the same place. I won’t spoil it for the reader—you need to read it yourself, but it worked well for me.
My next favorites were the three stories concerning Bigfoot. That’s right—Bigfoot. The tales are “B is for Bigfoot,” “I was a Teenage Bigfoot,” and “Bigfoot on Campus.” A Bigfoot father hires Harry to help his son, Irwin, at different stages in his half-human life. Another story I enjoyed was not a Harry Dresden story. “A Fistful of Warlocks,” has a female wizard assisted by Wyatt Earp taking down some warlocks in the Old West. “Jury Duty” is another fun one in the collection. Harry gets jury duty and realizes the accused may be innocent and that something supernatural is the real culprit. The rest were also great reads and kept my eyes glued to the pages, but these particular stories were the best of all twelve included in the book.
Whether a read for the beach this summer or a timely one for the cooler, spooky autumn or even from the comfort of your chair in a warm house during the cold of winter, these stories are a glad return to Dresden’s world for fans. They make great, shorter jaunts for new readers wanting to try out Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels.
I give Brief Cases (Dresden Files) 5 sheep.
About the author:
Whether a read for the beach this summer or a timely one for the cooler, spooky autumn or even from the comfort of your chair in a warm house during the cold of winter, these stories are a glad return to Dresden’s world for fans. They make great, shorter jaunts for new readers wanting to try out Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files novels.
I give Brief Cases (Dresden Files) 5 sheep.
Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney
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Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his hometown of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990’s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually, only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
blog
Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his hometown of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990’s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually, only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
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