Book 11, Turn Coat: The Dresden Files

Turn Coat: A Novel of the Dresden Files, Well Jim Butcher does it again! Another Great Dresden Files book. This is an awesome series of books, I love the way the man can tell a story! Start with Book 1 and work your way through the series and you wont regret it.

This incredible page turner has fantastic all over it. The 11th novel in the 'Dresden Files' series puts Harry in the position of having to protect and defend Morgan.. that age long pain in his backside. It only gets worse from there. I can personally recommend this book to any avid Dresden fan out there; and even though i read it in a mere 16 hours (i really get into certain books), the story was easy to follow, had great flow, and resolves a lot of nagging questions that have been popping up for the past few books; and yes,I will read it again, once my wife gets to it and reads it. Thank you Jim for an yet another entertaining and involved book from a great series..keep it up!

Starting with book 3, "Grave Peril," the main story arcs of the Dresden files begin to take shape. Books 1 (Storm Front) and 2 (Fool Moon) are excellent reads, introducing and building the main characters for the reader through creative story telling, but Book 3 begins to take Harry in a different direction, and by the time you get to Turn Coat, the story has hit the freeway and the pedal is to the floor. So, hang on and enjoy the ride!

exceptional, the building of the story and mystery of what all was going on behind the scenes was good. A little predictable, but after 10 books, it wasn't too hard to figure out who the unlikeable "good guy" was.

The whole Dresden Files series is a great escape reality read. The stories are engaging and you identify with the main character. If you think you've had a bad day it is nothing compared to what Harry Dresden goes through.

The style of writing about this character has me hooked.It is nice that each story is it's own epic,and the writer isn't always using a majority of time on past books as "Terry Goodkind"(looser) did. Hats off to "Jim Butcher"!

These things get better with each book. This is the best so far. Of course you get all kinds of action and trademark wise-assery, but we resolve a LOT of plot points, and set up the next roller coaster ride.

Butcher has created an excellent character and each book is an exciting adventure. All my friends have been reading the series and I recently ordered books (that were previously shared among my friends) to complete my personal collection of all the Dresden Files books.

I've been reading through this series one right after the other and can't put any of them down for long. This one is no different and had me staying up late turning page after page to find out what was going on. If you're a fan of the series you won't be disappointed!

Summary:
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The 11th novel by Jim Butcher, Turn Coat, in the Harry Dresden Files is a very enjoyable book that fits nicely into the series. Harry is slowly become more introspective, more humble (in some ways) but always up for tilting at evil windmills that come his direction. Harry's moral compass is strong and that is good thing considering the bold moves by the Black Council.

Plot:
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Harry find the nearly dead, Warden Morgan, at his literal doorstep. Harry quickly realizes that Morgan is on the lamb from the White Council....this is not going to end well for someone. Harry's past with Morgan is a strong undercurrent. The main plot is to find out which of the White Council member is a the traitor and do it in 2 days. The premise is a bit hard to swallow but as a reader you quickly suspend your disbelief.

Many plot lines are tied up with an interesting twist -- Harry claims the mysterious island in Lake Michigan as his sanctum (clearly another book will be based on exploring this very interesting plot point). Harry's love life sucks again -- he nevers gets a break.

Many of the minor characters make well-timed appearances but also continue to evolve.

Action:
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The action is done well and crisply. It keeps the story moving while showing the increasing power and violence of what Harry is dealing with. The increasing power of the villians makes sense but also shows how fragile life for the unprepared are in the Dresden Milieu. The skinwalker is a very well developed monster...native-american bogeyman...very nasty.

Character:
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Harry develops quite a bit in the book through several devices: 1) Molly - his apprentice is used as a foil, model of good and bad behavior; 2) Thomas -- Harry's need for family shows his loyalty and willingness to sacrafice himself; 3) Morgan -- doing the right thing for the greater good despite the personal cost; 4) Ana -- maturity in romantic relationships; 5) how you handle yourself when you are helpless in a potentially lethal situation.

Prose:
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Jim Butcher's writing style is mostly the same with an improvement in not explaining everything Harry does "off-camera". The tactic sets up some nice plot twists while building up a desperate feel to the book. The adjusted style give Harry a more human and vulnerable quality while showing how creative and smart Harry is.

Plot: 4 stars
Characters: 4 to 5 stars
Action: 4 stars
Prose: 4 stars
Overall: 4 to 4.5 stars

Harry is nearly destroyed but wins in the end. Morgan almost apologizes. His brother vamps out. His love life changes. He gets a new mentor, maybe. And he doesn't kill his apprentice. Oh and the bad guy is who I thought it was.

The noir detective has to prove an innocent man is innocent while saving his own skin. It's an old plot, but a good plot. Overall, this book does a great job with it; it's cinematic, with several unexpected twists and answers to several questions that have been piling up for the whole series. A lot of big plots finally get some payoff, and all the little ones are neatly tied up... With a huge helping of tragedy, of course.

The only thing really against this book is the depiction of a figure from Native American spirituality which apparently most NA folks would rather not see trivialised into a simple villain for Dresden to "Fuego" to death. However, I personally thought Jim Butcher handled it quite well, and it was nice to see Harry so outclassed for once. It was a nice gesture when a particularly relevant character took a moment explain to Dresden how to treat the creature with respect. Then again, issues of what is appropriate in a religion other than mine aren't really my issues to comment on.

I just quite enjoyed this one, ok? It was nice to see him do a more straightforward investigation again, after so many books of vampire vs. fairy vs. wizard hijinks. Also the Denarians weren't in this one, thank gods. Was going to give it four stars, but it gets five just for not including that merry band of incestuous horrors.

The characters in the story are all very well developed. Character motivations are well thought out and personalities explained. I don't want to say to much or give examples because then I would have to say Soiler Alert and I hate those. ;-)

this book will keep you guessing until the very end but keeps poking at your interest until its over, for those of you that have read the previous Dresden files, this is a must and not simply because of the opening :D which sets the first hook from page one, but because of the depth of character that goes into the story as well, the unexpected twists that keep you turning the page and curiosity to know what will happen next coupled with the Dresden style comedy and slapstick hi-jinks associated with the Character line make it a must read

I really looked forward to reading this Jim Butcher novel, and was far from disappointed. It was a page turner, and very well written, as all the Dresden books are. There hasn't been a Dresden book yet that I haven't liked. Definitely recommend this book and the entire series.

One of the best books of an incredible series. This was written while Butcher was in his prime as a story teller. He may, or may not, still be in that state now but this was at the peak of his writing prowess.

I thoroughly enjoy the sense of humor, vulnerabily, courage, and resoursefulness of Dresden! Each story is unique and yet ties into previous and future stories. The reader cannot help but be enthralled, entertained, and rewarded with satisfaction with each novel.

Another fast-paced action-filled page turner with fully fleshed out (tho' they don't always stay that way) characters. After 11 books I was afraid they would start to run together, repeat story lines or just bore me. Nothing could be further from the truth. Can't wait for #12!

This is the best yet. Long and absolutely action packed. I kept thinking "Wow, this showdown is so cool, it has to be near the end (not even close to the halfway mark). Now, this one, it rocks, so we have to be coming to a close (um, nope, not past 50%), etc. etc. Seriously cool, all the way through.

I feel The Dresden Files books are gradually getting better as time goes on. The writing quality improves with each passing novel. The only disappointment I have with Turn Coat is that I can't help but feel bad for the character Thomas. I won't spoil what happens to him but I just hope things improve for that character. He's such a tragic figure in The DresdenVerse.

The one major flaw I have with this book is the lack of real research into magical belief. In this book you see a means of avoiding a tracking spell (done with someone's hair) by shaving your head. Because apparently you aren't tracking the psychic energy of that person, you aren't tracking the person's residual psychic imprint or aura radiation. No, you're tracking other hairs! What the?! Jim, you need better books on the occult if you think that's the case. Tracking spells are done with pieces of the person or a personal belonging, NOT because the person is carrying around other similar objects, but because of the connection TO the person. This made the occultist in me wince.

Jim Butchers character development is amazing. His books just keep getting better and better. The only problem I have with the books is the wait until the next one is released. I have yet to be disappointed with any of his writing.

I love this book series and they keep getting better and better. Already downloading the next one and a little scared because I only have three more before I'm caught up with the whole series. What will I read when I'm done?!