Twelve Months (Dresden Files #18), by Jim Butcher
The Book
Synopsis:
Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day—but, in this powerful entry in the Dresden Files, can he save himself?
One year. 365 days. Twelve months.
Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.
Harry lost people he cared about in the battle, and that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild, but it’s a heavy load. He needs time.
Time is one thing Harry doesn’t have, however. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and killing innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.It’s been a tough year.
More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of him to rise to the challenge?
My Review
Twelve Months is the eighteenth novel in the urban fantasy series the Dresden Files, written by Jim Butcher, published by Orbit. A book that serves as a transition/bridge novel after the big events of Battle Ground, taking a sweet time to explore the aftermath of the conflict while we get to see the more human side of the most famous wizard in Chicago.
Chicago has been left in ruins, and Harry's life is not an exception; he's doing as much as possible to keep as many safe, but with many sides trying to test his power, this is not the easiest of the tasks. The Winter Queen has ordered him to marry Lara Raith, all to seal the alliance between Winter and the White Court; Tomas is dying, and Harry doesn't know how to cure him. After so much loss and grief, is there enough of the Harry that once saved Chicago?
This novel is quite focused on the dynamics between Harry and the rest of the characters, how he's quite deep into his grief; but we also see a Harry that becomes more methodical in his approach to certain problems, having to also take difficult decisions in order to keep others safe. He also takes a bit of the role of father and mentor, which is a sweet change. The rest of characters pale a bit in comparison, but Lara manages to steal the scene a few times.
The action is still excellent, and you can certainly spot those tropes that are already familiar to the saga lovers; the pacing is a bit slower than in other instalments, but I was particularly thankful for the change of the beat in this novel.
Twelve Months is a great instalment of the Dresden Files; there's not much I can say of the series at this point, except that if you want to read well-written urban fantasy, Harry Dresden is there for you!
The Author/s
Jim Butcher
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 home town of Independence, Missouri.