Review: Cold Nights

I got Jim Butcher's Cold Nights on Wednesday. It sat unread as I finished Red Country and handed that off to friends to read.

Thursday night I started the 515 page beast. I was feeling a little iffy so I crashed out early, promising myself that I was going to pace reading this book.

Yesterday, after work, I took it to the local bar and read for a few hours.

Tipsy, I went home and continued to read. Late.

Today, I read, took a few breaks, read some more, then about five minutes ago, I finished it.



Damn.

The latest in the Dresden Files series has Harry Dresden returning to the story after the crazy events in Ghost Story (which, I have to say, was not my favorite of the series).

Without spoiling things too much, the story has Harry paying for a bargain he made a couple of books back. A bargain with the Fae.

The story is, like many of the Dresden Files stories, a series of crazy events culminating in some pretty epic insanity.

Butcher does this well. I'm inclined to think he's one of the better authors for building up a story and giving a satisfying conflict with a satisfying resolution.

Cold Nights isn't like most of the previous books. There's a greater intensity to the narrative in this one. The stakes stay pretty crazy from the get-go and keep going higher into nutsville.

I vaguely recall somewhere that Butcher intends to make the Dresden Files a 20-novel series. I will be curious to see him carry that out.

And I intend to read every damn one.