Reading Advent Calendar 2023 - Dec 16

Happy Saturday. Here is your Advent Calendar book for today.

Dec 16 - Summer Knight by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #4 / 2002).

"Over the past 20 or so years, I've enjoyed a few series that are set in the faerie, supernatural worlds, or more appropriately, set in the normal world, but peopled with vampires, faeries, weres, etc. You can see this in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and also her Merri Gentry books, Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse and Midnight, Texas books, or Mike Carey's Felix Castor series... to name a few. I've enjoyed them all. Added to this list is Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series. Of course this list isn't all inclusive, just provides some ideas. Butcher has written 15+ books in the Dresden Files series. 

So far I've read 4 books in the series, not in any particular order (although I am trying to rectify that). Summer Knight is the 4th book in the series and the 5th that I've enjoyed. As I look through those books, I seem to grab one every three or four years. I will say it doesn't seem to matter how much time it takes between books as when I pick up a Dresden book, I find myself right back into his world and just enjoying the characters, the world Butcher has created and the story itself.

Let's see. In this story, we find the Wizard's Council in a battle with the vampires, due to an incident in a previous story in which Harry played a key role. Harry is struggling with the loss of his fiancé, who has been touched by the vamps and is now away, trying to sort her life out. The Wizard's council is being attacked by vamps and they want Harry. Part of the council is in favor of giving Harry up, but if he takes on a mission for them and succeeds, Harry will be freed from this obligation.

Harry is hired by the Winter Queen to find out who murdered her right hand man, the Summer Knight and she will free him from a debt he owes her. Harry reluctantly agrees and this is the basis of this story. With help from my favorite character Lt Murphy of a special police squad that investigates supernatural  happenings and a group of Alphas (young werewolves), Harry tries to straighten out his life and stop a war between the two branches of the faerie world, the Winter Sidhe and the Summer Sidhe.

Let's just say that the story is a complex, entertaining, action-filled story with just 'neat' stuff going on all the time. Harry and his friends travel between our world and the faerie world as he tries to solve the mystery, battle with all sorts of beings, especially a ghoul of a hit-person, literally a ghoul, and just so on and so on. Pure entertainment and a fantastic, entertaining fantasy. (4.5 stars)"

Have a great weekend.