And I love horror movies because?
Rougly a year after his escapes in Dead Beat, Harry Dresden is back. We open in the middle of a warehouse, Harry and several other Wardens tight in a circle, all staring down at a young man, a wizard who used his magic for darker purposes. Found guilty, he is beheaded, as is the direction of the White Council. If a wizard is proven guilty of breaking one of the seven laws of the White Council, if sentenced to death, it is carried out immediately. And this seriously disturbs Harry. To Harry, the young man was no more than a child in wizard age, and was never taught right from wrong. But a soulgaze on the young man proved there was no helping him and it had to be done. Still, it doesn't sit well with Harry.

As he is leaving, he is handed a note from the Gatekeeper. Black magic is afoot in Chicago, and as the regional Warden, it is his duty to find out the who, why and stop them. And just when Harry is about to start his investigation with a new and powerful `toy', Molly, the daughter of Michael, an longtime friend of Harry's, calls, begging for help. And true to Harry's form, he can't pass up a `damsel in distress' and, against his own judgement, runs to her aid. However, she isn't the one in trouble. Her boyfriend, Nelson, is. Seems he was arrested for beating up an older gentlemen, simply because he was the only one in the room. No blood on his clothes, no break in the skin of his knuckles... Something is very strange, and Harry's determined to find out what's going on.

The first of many areas, Harry glimpses around the bathroom of a conference centre in a hotel, using his Sight. What's disturbing is the residual reflection he sees - and doesn't like it one bit. The hotel is very busy, what with the SPLATTERCON!!! horror convention going on, and while talking with Rawlins outside the bathroom, something else goes down, and Harry runs to find out what.

With more questions and answers, the attacks are made by phonophages, made to look like the `bad guys' fron the horror movies. Phonophages are sprirtual entities that feed on fear and are being either pulled or pushed from the Nevernever. The higher the fear, the more powerful they become. Harry needs to do two things. Stop the phonophages from attacking and find out who's sending them.

The deeper we get into the story, the more complicated it gets. Just when Harry thinks he's got it beat, a twist slaps him back - Molly has been kidnapped by more phonophages and is now being held in Winter's Queen Mab's `headquarters', Arctis Tor, and with the help of Molly's mother Charity, Murphy and Thomas, Summer Lady Lily and Summer Knight Fix, they go in and get Molly back. Once they've retreated and hare back with Father Forthill, Molly is given a choice, one that she has to make up herself. Can Harry handle what the Council might do to her?

Oh, how I love this series! Nothing is ever as it seems, and Harry is constantly battling others as well as himself. He relies heavily on his instincts and does the best he can with what he's got. Considerate as he is, he'll do whatever is necessary and deal with the consequences later.

Non-stop action, the plot not only keeps Harry on his toes, but the reader as well. No one can predict how the story is going to turn. Add in horror movie characters, add in magic and control of that magic and it makes for one heck of a story. What I truly like is how his personal life is entertwined with all that action, between Harry and Murphy, Harry and Molly and her family, Harry and Thomas, and Harry and his feelings of the Wardens and the White Council, Harry and Ebenezer, you not only get a real sense of what Harry's dealing with, but you truly understand what it is about him; why he is the way he is, why he thinks the way he thinks. As a bookaholic who loves many different genres, Harry is one of the top characters where a reader truly gets the `inside look' at the main character.

I can't ask for better. I can only ask that Mr. Butcher keeps Harry coming. Serve me up more, please!

(4.5 stars) Hurray for Dresden!
Another great Dresden novel! It was no "Dead Beat" or "Summer Knight" but great none the less. Can't wait to get my hands on the next one.

Another intriguing Harry Dresden adventure
Book 8 in the Dresden File series; another fine addition to Jim Butcher's ongoing series featuring wizard/detective Harry Dresden.

Something unusual is happening at a local horror film festival and Harry is asked to check it out. From there Harry, Murph, Bob (everyone's favorite, well OK mine at least, libidinous skull), Thomas and Mouse (his dog) go from bystanders to main combatants as they delve into the ever expanding 'Horror' situation.

This is my 4th Dresden novel and it continues to use the same simplistic format that has worked well with the rest of the entire series. The outline of this story is identical to the previous books; Harry gets involved with an unusual occurrence, Harry discovers an underlying sinister plot, Harry faces astronomical odds against survival, and finally Harry saves the day. But instead of a rather boring rehash, each new work brings something fresh to the table that provides an unexpected, pleasant revelation of sorts.

Conclusion:
Basically, I like Harry and the host of other characters that Jim Butcher has produced in this entertaining series. The story is fun, fast paced and keeps those pages turning. And for light read, who could ask for more than that.

Ray Nicholson

Back on track
Having read all the previous books in the Dresden Files series I found book 7 to be the weakest and was worried that Jim Butcher was losing interest in the story line. Proven Guilty put my fears to rest.
Dresden is in the thick of it from beginning to end.

Do you know the experience of getting to the last pages of the book, and all the characters are coming to that final confrontation? You are so excited you don't want to put the book down, or if you have to put it down you can't wait to pick it up again. I felt that way with Proven Guilty starting at the half way point in the book, and straight on till the end. Butcher does a great job of weaving in plot lines and characters with enough twists to keep you on your toes.
In short, I loved it.
Great job Jim Butcher.

A Wiseguy Gets Wise
In the eighth installment of the Dresden Files, Chicago's favorite wizard battles creatures from famous horror flicks in desperate battles in and around Chicago (including the Winter Kingdom which must be a northern suburb). Handicapped by a shriveled hand and an inner demon who tempts him to the dark side, Harry Dresden steps out of his role as lone wolf and actually asks for help from the dishy Lt. Karrin Murphy.

Jim Butcher has always portrayed Harry as a balancing on a sharp edge. As a young wizard, Harry fell into the hands of an evil master. His first contact with so-called "good wizards" was a tribunal trying him for killing his master in self-defense. That bit of personal history comes full circle as Harry discovers that Molly, the daughter of his friend Michael Carpenter, has magical talent inherited from her mother Charity. Furthermore, Molly has, with all the best intentions in the world, broken one of the Seven Laws of Magic that could earn her an automatic death sentence. In a very real sense of the world, Harry's battle to save Molly is a struggle to save himself.

This looks less like boffo fantasy and more and more like literature. Am I still allowed to read this for fun? Is there a category called kicka** literature?