Death Masks (Dresden Files)

Great characters that hold their own. Fast paced action that's neither overly descriptive nor vague. Can see author evolve his writing style as well as the characters and macro story line. The best of the series yet. Cant wait to start the next episode.

A gripping page turner writen with dry adult humour. Harry Potter maybe for kids, but this is the adult version. Jim Butcher begins as usual in the midst of action and intruige, only to continue to build to a combustible and satisfying end.

I started reading the series and I haven't been able to put the books down. The more I read, the more I become addicted. The books are well written, and the characters are keenly developed. You could just see yourself being a part of the action. Even if you think you don't like fantasy books, I think that you would be a convert after reading these books.

I love this series. Jim Butcher is such an easy read. So much so, I feel like Dresden is one of my best friends. I can't wait to get my hands on the latest book "Ghost Stories" (13). I would recommend this series to anyone who loves good vs. evil and all the grey areas in between.

The book was good however there were pages missing. I had to figure out parts of the story on my own which was a little annoying. Other than that I am still really enjoying the series. They seem to be improving as time goes on.

Dresden (and Butcher) are settling into a good rhythm in the series: about half the book is dedicated to the "case" Dresden is working on (here: the missing Shroud of Turin), and the other half is dealing with the series largest arc of the war between wizards and vampires.

I won't repeat what has been said already about plot, but focus on setting readers' expectations.

*** Expect a thriller style tale of a wise-cracking paranormal detective. The pace is rapid as things continually get from Bad to Worse. This doesn't stop Dresden from making bad jokes. The characters are comfortable by now, both old and news ones described with enough depth that engages the reader.

Note that the two plot-lines interweave but aren't directly related. On the one hand we have Dresden chasing the Shroud of Turin amongst more world-building and recurring characters, and in the other line he's being chased by vampires in the series over-all arc.

*** Be aware that you really should read the books in order. While the first few could be jumbled, as the series progresses it build on top of events and characters from previous novels.
Also, note that Dresden's chivalry can come off as misogynistic at times. He's semi-joking about it himself and it is a trope of the genre, but some sensitive readers might find it off-putting.

*** Summary:
I really enjoyed this novel. Butcher has reached a comfortable style and pace, his characters (even the annoying ones) are drawn well, and the plots hit that exactly right level of over-the-top to keep you on the edge of your seat.

--
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: Togas, Daggers, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.

I really enjoyed this book! This was a re-read for me and I liked it just as much the second time around. I did remember some parts of the book from the first time I read the story but I had forgotten most of the details. It has been about a year and half since I listened to the last book in this series and I really enjoyed spending a little bit of time with Harry Dresden once again. This is the fifth book in the series and I do recommend that this series be read in order. This was a book that entertained me from beginning to end.

Harry has a lot going on in this book. I don't even know how he is able to keep everything straight. He has a vampire from the Red Court that wants to duel him. A priest wants his help in finding the Shroud and a few other people would like to get their hands on it as well. An old girlfriend is in town to keep things interesting. Plus there are all the other situations that Harry seems to regularly find himself in. If you are looking for a book with a lot of action, look no further because this book really never slows down.

The characters in this book almost feel real to me. One thing that I love about reading a series like this is how well you get to know each of the characters. It is almost like they are old friends and you can somewhat anticipate how they might react in certain situations. I do think it is also a lot of fun to re-read a longer series like this because the groundwork for future events is being laid. Having already read the later books, I know that some scenes will become more important later on. There are a lot of characters featured in this story that have been very important to the series. I liked seeing Michael and his family as well as the other Knights of the Cross. Thomas, John Marconi, Susan, and Karin also play important roles.

James Marsters takes this book to a whole new level. I originally read this book on my kindle but if I had known how good the audiobook was, I might have went that route the first time around. I think he does a fantastic job in bringing Harry to life. I know what Harry is feeling at times because I can hear it in his voice. I think that he does a great job with all of the characters and the dialogue in the story flows very nicely. He has a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I do recommend this series to others. I like that it is a fairly complex story with some humor worked in at just the right moments. Harry is a character that is easy to cheer for because in the end he really is a good guy. I am looking forward to continuing with my re-read of the series very soon.I really enjoyed this book! This was a re-read for me and I liked it just as much the second time around. I did remember some parts of the book from the first time I read the story but I had forgotten most of the details. It has been about a year and half since I listened to the last book in this series and I really enjoyed spending a little bit of time with Harry Dresden once again. This is the fifth book in the series and I do recommend that this series be read in order. This was a book that entertained me from beginning to end.

Harry has a lot going on in this book. I don't even know how he is able to keep everything straight. He has a vampire from the Red Court that wants to duel him. A priest wants his help in finding the Shroud and a few other people would like to get their hands on it as well. An old girlfriend is in town to keep things interesting. Plus there are all the other situations that Harry seems to regularly find himself in. If you are looking for a book with a lot of action, look no further because this book really never slows down.

The characters in this book almost feel real to me. One thing that I love about reading a series like this is how well you get to know each of the characters. It is almost like they are old friends and you can somewhat anticipate how they might react in certain situations. I do think it is also a lot of fun to re-read a longer series like this because the groundwork for future events is being laid. Having already read the later books, I know that some scenes will become more important later on. There are a lot of characters featured in this story that have been very important to the series. I liked seeing Michael and his family as well as the other Knights of the Cross. Thomas, John Marconi, Susan, and Karin also play important roles.

James Marsters takes this book to a whole new level. I originally read this book on my kindle but if I had known how good the audiobook was, I might have went that route the first time around. I think he does a fantastic job in bringing Harry to life. I know what Harry is feeling at times because I can hear it in his voice. I think that he does a great job with all of the characters and the dialogue in the story flows very nicely. He has a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I do recommend this series to others. I like that it is a fairly complex story with some humor worked in at just the right moments. Harry is a character that is easy to cheer for because in the end he really is a good guy. I am looking forward to continuing with my re-read of the series very soon.

Surprisingly, this has been my favorite Dresden book to date. Despite getting frustrated at Dresden because he is still A.) a Pervert and B.) misogynistic (Which he disguises as being gentlemanly), he is getting better however, as it is not quite pronounced in this story as the last four. I felt like the story was non stop and sometimes I wonder how Dresden gets by with so little sleep. the story despite being predictable in most areas was pretty great.

Mac was back a long with Bob and Murphy, along with some others that I won't spoil. We also meet some new comers who may or may not be the super big bads. I am really starting to like Harry's acceptance of working with people. No more keeping secrets "for their protection" which just ends up getting more people hurt, which is a overused trope a lot of books used. I will admit that while I was listening to James Marsters read Death Masks (He will always be synonymous with Buffy and Now Dresden Files) the sex scene was a bit awkward for me. It's one thing to read a sex scene, it's another thing to listen to someone else read a sex scene. I now know for sure that explicit romance novels must be read and not heard.

I can't wait to see where Dresden is in the next book, I hope he will continue his growth and stop being stupid where females are concerned.

Death Masks is book five in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.

I’ve been enjoy The Dresden Files. This time instead of reading I decide to give the audiobook a try. I have to say Narrator James Marsters was outstanding. He brought all the characters to life. Harry’s voice was just what I expected it to sound like. It was perfection. I plan to try out more in The Dresden Files series in audiobook formate. It was a superb listen.

As for the plot well several things are happening in this installment and not all of it was good. We have some grey areas, some bad, and some good. Harry’s got a lot to deal with.

Susan comes back to say good bye for good and to warn him. She’s been gone a year with no contact and just shows up out of the blue. She could have called Harry, but nope she’s back and finds herself involved in Harry’s investigation. Having her back is painful for him. I’m ready for her to go and not return. Close that door, please…

Besides Susan returning, he’s been sent out on another case to find a missing artifact and their’s a prophecy that involves him and this artifact. Oh Boy!! He’s got choices to make, but their are things that you just can’t walk away from.

And, last the Red Court still wants Harry dead and the war is going strong between Vampires and Wizards. As you can see so much to deal with. What could go wrong?

Death Masks brings us Demons, Vampires, a possible Apocalypse and so much more. I had a fabulous time listening to this story. The audio was well worth listing too. Can’t wait to see what happens next to Harry.

Rated: 4 Stars

I swear, each one of these books just gets better and better. As always, listened to this on audiobook, and James Marsters killed it! Super bummed, because my library doesn't have the next two books in audio form, and I'm going to miss his voice!

Loved that we got more Michael! And learned more about the Knights! I love his character, and I thought the knights were great in general!

The denarians were awesome! Super evil and creepy. Enjoyed that storyline and the ending of the book was chilling. You just know that thread is going to be picked up in later books!

Johnny Marcone! I quite like this character, and I liked that we got more of him + learned more about him in reference to the soul gaze in the first book.

Susan! I really liked her a lot, and I'm glad we got to see her again. The way her storyline wrapped up was very satisfying, I thought, and I really hope she makes a cameo in the future. I'm guessing we won't see her for a long while, but I'd be surprised if she doesn't come back at some point.

Murphy! I actually really like her character now. I think now that she trusts Harry and she's lost some of that judgemental dickishness, all that's left is the awesome. She's not used a ton, but she's used to good effect.

The Archive! I hope her and her bodyguard make another appearance!

Honestly, I could probably go on forever. There is always SO MUCH happening, so many threads, and they all wind together perfectly. I love the continuity, that it really feels like we're reading about the same person who remembers what happened in previous books etc.

Upon reading the Dresden Files series, I quickly found in it my new favorite book series. Death Masks is the fifth book in this mystery, action, and sci-fi blend. This book puts the reader into the mind of Chicago’s only wizard private investigator, Harry Dresden. Harry’s skills lie in finding lost items and investigating the paranormal. To that end, he often comes to the aid of those in need when local or national authorities either cannot or will not help them. This book begins as many of the others do, with an unidentified corpse dying under mystical circumstances and a request for help recovering a stolen relic. Harry quickly finds himself up against the most dangerous foes he has ever faced, and in proper Dresden fashion, makes staunch enemies of them. He then is faced with the murder and the theft to solve while his new enemies attempt to kill him and start an apocalypse.
In this book, Harry, thankfully, has the aid of the Knights of the Cross, bringing more information about their order and about the other Knights, as Michael Carpenter was introduced in a previous book. The Denarians are also introduced and shed light upon. This book contains action, gore, suspense, mystery, and, of course, magic. I have read this book, and the others in the series, many times and the lore concerning holy advocates fighting against demons is always inspiring. I highly recommend this series to any and all who love amazing books, because these books are just that.

The series is getting better. It's not quite so formulaic, and it's introducing a wide array of characters that are interesting. However, I still wouldn't say that I'm loving it. It's hovering close to the 3.5 range for me. Mostly, it's because I don't find myself craving to come back to the story, nor do I see myself ever rereading it. It's been entertaining in the first run, but if the series ended here, I wouldn't be disappointed. I could take it or leave it.

***Content Warning: All the books have a fair bit of language to them and some fairly non-detailed sexual content (all PG-13 level, I'd say), but the sex in this book was a bit much. It pushed the envelope for me. There's only one scene, so it's easily jump overable, but it was a lot more detailed than the other books in my opinion. Not quite R rating, but pushing the limits.

Note: This is the book where reading them out of order stars to do you an injustice. It does work as a stand alone to some extend, but you will get major spoilers for the previous books in the series and it also pulls in characters we have met before. So I recommend reading the first 4 books before you jump into this one.

Harry is about to have yet another tough weekend. It’s not going to be just one thing coming down hard on him. Nope. He’s going to have to deal with John Marcone (Chicago’s crime lord), hunting for the Shroud of Turin, Michael Carpenter’s fiery wife Charity, his old girlfriend Susan Rodriguez (who’s dealing with her semi-vampiric state), a scheduled duel with a Red Court vampire, and a new breed of bad guy – the Denarians. It’s amazing Harry gets to be as old as he does.

I’ve been so-so about the character Susan for the series so far. This is the book that changes my opinion of her. She took a very hard hit back in Book 3 (Grave Peril) and I can see that it sobered her. Harry had been telling her again and again that the supernatural beasties she so wanted to catch on camera and write about were very dangerous. She really didn’t take those multiple warnings to heart and it cost her dearly. So here she returns to the series with this new and weighty knowledge. She’s also learned the advantages of body armor, weapons, hand-to-hand combat training, and following Harry’s orders in the midst of a fight. She’s not a total bad ass, but she has learned a bit and she does have some vampiric strength too.

Wow! The Denarians! Let me say that these are some of the most dangerous foes yet for the series. The Denarians, lead by Nicodemus, are a collection of fallen angels/demons. Each one resides within a coin and the owner of that coin can communicate with the specific demon, gaining knowledge and power. Of course each demon does their best to insinuate themselves into their master’s life and eventually take it over. Couple that with the supposed powers of the Shroud of Turin and you have a formula for disaster for Chicago. Which means that Michael Carpenter, knight templar extraordinaire, is returned to the story. And he brought friends (Shiro from Japan and Sanya from Russia).

As always, the plot is fast-paced and with the several threads weaving in and out of each other, I was never bored. Butcher does a great job of packing character development into the little downtimes (such as driving from point A to point B) the plot permits. For instance, Charity and Harry get to have chat while making dinner together. Charity is not a fan of Harry and they get to clear the air a little.

The duel with the Red Court vampire War Lord Ortega comes up early but doesn’t happen until later in the book. This particular plot thread brings into play two very interesting side characters – the Archive (who presides over the duel to ensure fairness and record the outcome) and her bodyguard Kincaide. Also, Thomas (the white court vampire we met in Book 3) makes a reappearance. The White Council (ruling body of good wizards) are quite willing to sacrifice Harry if it means an end to the war with the Red Court vampires. Argh! Makes me want to strangle them!

Butcher ups the ante with this book, sacrificing some characters and forcing others to make tough choices. I really like how the seriousness continues to ratchet up for each series installment so far. The Denarians play rough and Harry and his friends will not get out unscathed. We also learn a very interesting thing about John Marcone that makes him a little more human. There’s very little Murphy in this book and I missed her. However, we get to meet Wizard Ebeneezer McCoy, who fostered Harry in his late teens.

So far, Harry has ended up in cuffs in each book for one reason or another. That happens again here. I find that amusing. Harry continues to grow as a character. We know he isn’t invincible and he knows it too. Yet he can’t stop helping his friends, protecting Chicago, and standing up to the bullies. The ending had a little unexpected twist for me that I expect will have major repercussions for Harry later on.

The Narration: James Marsters continues on as Harry Dresden and he does a fine job of it. In this book, his performance includes believable Spanish, Japanese, and Russian accents. I especially liked his kid’s voice for the Archive. He also does a great job with Wizard McCoy who comes from Arkansas and has that noticeable regional accent.

Death Masks by Jim Butcher is the 5th book in the Dresden Files series. I was wondering if, as I’ve started reading/listening to them in order, whether or not I’d start getting bored with them. I haven’t.

Death Masks was just another layer in the ever-evolving story-line that is Harry Dresden. Each book has it’s ups and downs for me. They aren’t perfect, but I like them more than any series I’ve read in a lot of years.

I won’t go over the details, again…it’s a Dresden book. What I liked about this one was the involvement of Harry’s friends. Sure, Harry is a great character, but when you bring in others, it develops his character even more. So, as I delve deeper into the series, I find that I am liking it more and more, instead of getting bored.

A good story.

4 of 5 Stars.

Jim Butcher is bar none one of my favorite authors and this book is a great example of why. His main character Harry is a guy just like us, with all of the same problems, but with magic and all the cool stuff--and danger--that comes along with it. His love life, through no fault of his own, became a shambles a few books ago through no fault of his own, and he has to come to terms with that in this episode. Along with that comes the reason his girlfriend is gone--vampires, and they are literally out for his blood. As if that weren't enough, Harry has to deal with demons, both literal and figuratively speaking. How does he untangle himself from all that? You'll just have to read it for yourself;-)

Jim butcher has done it again! The Dresden series just keeps getting better and better. Set in a world not much unlike our own where a secret society of mage's keeps the peace Dresden ( A PI) goes around solving crimes/ supernatural occurrences. I just cant quit reading these books!

The order of the books and a very brief synopsis of each so if you cant remember which one you last read: ( I had to look it up when reading them) [Warning this has some spoilers but will try and be bland enough you can just figure out where you have read to.]

Storm Front - First book In which Dresden fights Warlock Victor Sells and saves mob boss Johnny Marcone

Fool Moon– Second book in which Dresden fights FBI hexen wolves and Macfinn (werewolf)

Grave Peril– Third book in which Dresden unwittingly sets off a war between the Red court and the white council

Summer Knight– fourth book in which Dresden as emissary to the white court secures passage for the white council in the lands of winter

Death Masks– Fifth book in which Dresden fights a duel in wriggly field(to a draw...) One of my favorite parts of this series is in this book when Ebeneezer lands a satellite on the red court in retaliation for cheating.

Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, Book 6) – Sixth book in which Raith is overthrown by his daughter who uses him as a puppet.

Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, Book 7) – Seventh book in which Dresden uses a zombiefied T-Rex to save the day. (trust me you’d remember)

Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8) – Eighth book in which harry takes molly as his aprentice to save her from certain death at the hands of the Merlin.

White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9)– Ninth book in which Dresden fights a duel in the white courts(vampires) caves to protect fledgling practitioners of the arts.

Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) – Tenth Book in which Dresden accidentally sets up the archive to be kidnapped but manages to free her with some subtle nudging from Queen MAB. (Also sends the elder gruff on a mission to go get a donut)

Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11)– Eleventh Book in which dresden is forced by his convictions to help Warden Morgan, Anyway Morgan dies an Honorable death or some such thing.

Changes: A Novel of the Dresden Files – Twelfth book in which Dreden kills the entire red court by turning their spell around on them. (oh also he has a kid) This book ends with him being shot.

Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files – Thirteenth book in which Dresden runs around in the form of a Ghost thinking hes dead.

Cold Days – Fourteenth book In Which molly gets the mantle of the winter lady.

Skin Game – fifteenth book in which Dresden “Robs” the Vault of Hades.

For reasons known only to himself, Harry Dresden agrees to appear on the Larry Fowler TV show, where he finds himself familiar with one of the other guests--Mortimer Lindquist, a mild-mannered man who sees dead people. Harry is exercising great restraint in the form of a suppression spell to rein in his wizard powers so they don't go ballistic and destroy all the techno equipment on the set. After a commercial break, they're joined by two more guests--Father Vincent, who comes from the Vatican, and Dr. Paolo Ortega, renowned debunker of supernatural myths and legends. And, to Harry's great dismay, he recognizes him as a member of the Red Court.

Ortega tells Harry in private conversation that he's come to Chicago to kill him because of the trouble he has stirred up for the Court, and then challenges Harry to a duel. If Harry wins, the Red Court will decree Chicago a neutral territory. Harry doesn't want to think about the alternative.

Then Father Vincent wants a private moment too. Apparently Father Forthill recommended Harry to him. As they leave the studio, a hit man takes a shot, and Harry realizes he's become the target of the gangster boss of Chicago--Gentleman Johnny Marcone. But why? Things take an even more bizarre twist when Father Vincent reveals what he wants from Harry. He wants him to recover the stolen Shroud of Turin.

And then, as if things aren't complicated enough, a blast from Harry's not-so-distant past blows into town and throws his heart into turmoil. Has Susan found herself another man? What will Harry do about it? Can life get any more complicated?

You betcha.

This has to be one of the most fun-packed, thrilling, adventurous Dresden Files yet. Harry can't seem to get into trouble fast enough. Not only his body but his heart is on the line. Between preparing for a duel he isn't sure he can win, and trying to find out who stole the historic Shroud of Turin, and dodging Marcone's death threats, Harry's one busy man. Michael is there to help, despite his wife Charity's intense dislike for Harry, and Michael has two more friends, the other Knights. A familiar face from a previous book comes back and it's very delightful to see him. I have hopes we'll see more of Thomas in future volumes.

Jim Butcher is definitely in his element here. Much as I enjoyed the four books that came before, there is just something in this one that clicks on all cylinders. This book has it all and then some. It contains most of the most creative creatures I've seen in a long time, including Nicodemus and his Medusa-like daughter Deidre. This is a definite home run for Jim Butcher and a splendid addition to the series. Can't wait to read more!

To read the promotional blurb on the back of the book, you’d think this was an entry very similar to the previous four. That blurb lists five different scenarios that will envelop Harry Dresden simultaneously, which is actually one or two more than normal.

For instance, the first 35 pages of the book encompass 2 hours of time in Harry’s life. In those 2 hours, Harry is blackmailed into a duel to the death with a warrior of the Red Court, a team of Johnny Marcone’s mafia goons ambush him in a parking garage, a Vatican emissary hires him to find the stolen Shroud of Turin and Susan Rodriguez reappears on Harry’s doorstep, after more than a year’s absence, and saves him from a vampire ambush. Add 2 more hours and 15 more pages and Harry has, in the morgue, a headless, handless, flayed corpse presenting multiple plagues to identify for Chicago PD’s Karin Murphy.

Yep, it seems like business as usual for a Harry Dresden book. However, four of the five episodes actually boil down to only two situations: the Vampire Red Court’s war against the Wizard’s White Council and the theft of the Shroud.

Susan’s returning is the wild card here, not only for Harry emotionally but for Harry’s mortality. The question is whether she is there extraneously to the other events or whether she is part of the War. Since the former leader of the Red Court was originally responsible for Susan’s current half-vampire, half-undead state, we don’t truly know if she is there to help Harry or to betray him.

This entry of the series appears to be pivotal to the ongoing story arc. All of the major players seem to make quantum, but believable, leaps in character growth and progression – Harry, Susan, Murphy, even Marcone. In addition, Harry is openly challenged by more than one major secondary character to examine his motivations and determine just why he chooses to protect mortals at the expense of his own health, wealth and standing in the supernatural community.

…SPOILERS FOLLOW…

Then we are introduced to a major secondary character who seems to know more about Harry than Harry does. Nicodemus, a collaborator with the Fallen who has been alive for millennia, claims to have known Harry’s deceased mother well and tells Harry that he has siblings. This is the second time that Harry has heard talk about his mother from a demon but it is the first time he has heard that he is not an only child.

But, most importantly, Nicodemus indicates that Harry is immortal. Not that he would be if he succumbed to the demon’s demands, but that he already is.

However, due to the fact that he is being tortured by Nicodemus at the time, Harry does not appear to comprehend the statement in its entirety. But I have a feeling that statement is laying the groundwork for much more to come. Since, as I write this review in 2014, there are currently 10 more novels in the series, I expect I’ll know soon enough if I understood that scene correctly.

If Summer Knight was the first "real" book in the series then Death Masks is the book which revealed it wasn't a fluke. Summer Knight told an excellent story about fairies, world-building, character development, and past mistakes. Death Masks, by contrast, is a story which builds on the previous four books to create a story which shows how all of the strangeness so far is interconnected. It's not my favorite of the series but tells a great story while setting up the groundwork for many more adventures to come.

This book follows up on two plotlines established in Grave Peril: the war between the Red Court vampires and the White Council wizards as well as the holy sword wielded by ally Michael Carpenter. The former was left largely off-camera as there was still the possibility of negotiation or turning over Harry to stop the conflict. It's in full-swing now with the White Council doing the fighting for Harry (which I never quite liked).

A representative of the Red Court, Duke Ortega, comes to visit Harry and makes him an offer: settle this in a duel, one-on-one, and end this war now. Harry, justifiably feeling guilty for his role in starting the conflict, agrees and begins preparations for a show-down against an opponent he's woefully outmatched by.

The latter plot element expands on the mythology behind the Knights of the Cross. It turns out three individuals are armed with swords made from the nails in Jesus' cross. Surprisingly, but appropriate given Jesus' views on violence, they aren't really warriors per se but redeemers. It is the job of the Knights to gather up the Denarian Coins (Judas' coins) which cause the holders to be possessed by demons. The Knights of the Cross attempt to save the holders of said coins rather than execute them since each soul lost to the Devil is a tragedy.

I've mentioned my fondness for Michael Carpenter as one of the rare Christian characters in fiction who is neither a caricature or irreligious to the point he might as well not be one. While Harry remains as agnostic as someone can be in a world where the Archangel Michael hands out magic swords, fact he lampshades is ridiculous, Michael remains a beacon of quiet faith. Michael's compatriots play with this idea as one, Shiro, is an honorable warrior but Christian mostly because he liked Elvis' gospel music. Their companion, Sanya, is a black Russian communist who one-ups Harry by being an atheist.

The three of them join Harry in opposing Nicodemus, the leader of the Denarians. Nicodemus is as close to an arch-nemesis as Harry possesses, being a character who has opposed him across multiple books with various degrees of success. Nicodemus is a cunning and evil character with his own sense of humor as well as genre savviness. As impressive as Duke Ortega is, he's in the kiddie leagues compared to the human host of a fallen angel. Death Masks also introduces the Archive, a character who doesn't play a big role in the books but is one of my favorites. There's something awesome about a little girl with near-omniscience.

Death Masks ups the stakes considerably in terms of character danger as deaths are not uncommon in this book. These make the dangers faced by the characters considerably more real and a few of them are unexpected. In short, this book comes with a strong recommendation and it amazes me that it just keeps getting better.

10/10

Fairy tales, the old fairy tales, usually have happy endings – but they have awful beginnings and middles. No one would want to live in one – not even fairy tale characters themselves. And so they escaped from The Wild to suburbia. The Wild itself is now a small patch of greenery in Zel’s house (Who is Zel? try and guess before the reveal.) where it lives under Julie’s bed and tries to turn her sneakers into 7 League Boots. At least Julie and her brother Puss in Boots (wait, that’s taking adopting the family cat a little too far) can play with the magic toys, right? Wrong – using any magic will make the Wild grow stronger, and it was hard enough to escape the first time.
*
Then someone makes a wish on the wishing well, and Julie finds herself trapped in a fairy tale. In several fairy tales, as the Wild tries to make her FIT IN. Escaping is tough, especially when she isn’t sure she wants to escape at all.

I’m finally working my way through the back half of the Harry Dresden series. When a die hard reader is not feeling well, they generally go for tried and true comfort, or something new and interesting enough to take their mind off life’s physical and emotional discomforts. Dresden fits the bill. I laughed (and winced!) my way through this book. When you put vampires, the Mob, and the Shroud of Turin in the same city, crazy things are bound to happen. Butcher set up some interesting plot threads, and I’m intrigued to see where they go. I gave this book three stars because it was good story and fun writing.

First Thoughts: Two words that describes awesome...Harry Dresden!!! I absolutely love listening to this series!!!

The more you get into this series the better it gets as the more trouble Harry gets into. Things have been building up and Harry has gotten himself into some serious trouble since he killed a vampire and some of her followers.

Now he has to duel with a vampire to end the war between vampires and wizards! It wont end up good for Harry because there is not much of a way he will win.

Father Vincent needs Harry to find the Shroud of Torin and he is not the only one who is looking for it. Harry meets some extremely nasty Demons who wants the Shroud and don't' mind killing Harry.

There is never just one thing going on with Harry. The Knights of the Cross are around to lend a hand and his friend Micheal wants him to stay away from looking for the Shroud because of all the bad things that are going to happen but of course that wont happen. His ex-girlfriend turned vampire is back, but she only came back to tell Harry what she was going to do and it involves moving away. Now that she is here though she lends a hand to Harry when he gets in trouble. There is also some murderer going around collecting body parts and of course there has to be links to Harry.

Harry doesn't always go looking for trouble but trouble is always looking for Harry.

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than any of the others in the series, I think mainly because with each book you are getting more and more of the world building and the different creatures that in the stories. The consequences for Harry's actions in previous books are really starting to heat up with Duke Ortega coming to announce that he must duel Harry. The author does such a wonderful job of putting things all together to make an extremely interesting world.

Honestly I haven't read a lot of books where a man has written such an intense love scene. (Nope I don't read Nicholas Sparks!) So I guess I was very surprised by it and thought it was wonderfully done. It is also nice to see Susan struggling with her new vampiric nature especially when she is around Harry.

I think one of my favorite characters from this book would have to be The Archives. She is a young girl who has no name but The Archives, so Harry gives her the name Ivy (Arch Ivies).

If you have never tried this series then I would really recommend it as I just simply love it!

Narrator: James Marster

James Marster just gets better and better as Harry. He did an awesome job with this one! As far as I am concerned he is Harry!

*Book source ~ Purchased at Audible.

Harry Dresden, wizard and PI, is hired by Father Vincent to find the Shroud of Turin. Unfortunately, that’s not the only thing on Harry’s plate. The Red Court has sent Ortega to Chicago to kill Harry, either outright or in a duel. It’s Harry’s choice, but if he doesn’t agree to the duel then Ortega sees nothing wrong with killing anyone Harry cares about. Of course Harry agrees to the duel. All three of The Knights of the Cross are in town looking for the Shroud and trying to keep Harry away from it because they believe he will be killed, his girlfriend Susan is back, but not for the reason she tells Harry and the Denarians are also sniffing around Chicago. Poor Harry. When it rains, it pours.

Guest reviewers:
A ~ my 16-yr-old daughter
T ~ my 14-yr-old son
K ~ my 13-yr-old son

Ok, there is a lot going on in this book, but everyone is still loving the series. Big surprise there. Not. :D The humor continues to entertain and is a big part of why this series is a favorite. The plot had several things going and we worried Harry would drop one or more of the balls he was juggling. With help he manages to not only stay alive, but return the Shroud to the Church. How could we have doubted him?? Everyone agreed that it was nice of Harry to give Marcone the ultimatum at the end and they didn’t doubt that Marcone would comply.

New faces won approval: Kincaid, The Archive, Butters, Sanya, Shiro, Molly and even Ms. Gard. Old faces have returned: Bob, Susan, Murphy, Thomas, Michael, Marcone, Ebenezer (phone appearance) and Mac from McAnally’s. Oh, and Anna’s favorite…Mister. Can’t forget him. Some new faces were not liked such as Ortega (though we saw him very briefly in Grave Peril), all of the Denarians, but Nicodemus in particular and we’re on the fence about Martin.

Everyone thought the duel was pretty cool and that Ortega was a liar liar pants on fire. They loved meeting the other two Knights and Ebenezer impressed the crap out of them with this little thing he did at the end. I won’t say what because that would spoil it, but it’s frickin awesome. The fight for the Shroud at the end was pretty good and what’s a helicopter swooping in to fight without Ride of the Valkyries playing? Which is actually a pretty funny inside joke that will come up in a later book. K & I laughed since we’ve read the books.

Favorite quote:
“…The next time I opened my eyes, I was in the morgue. This, all by itself, is enough to really ruin your day. I was lying on the examination table, and Butters, complete with his surgical gown and his tray of autopsy instruments, stood over me.
‘I’m not dead!’ I sputtered. ‘I’m not dead!’”

The Denarians. Fallen angels battling the Knights of the Cross. Nicodemus is the leader and the best bad guy in the entire Dresden Files series. In this book, the Shroud of Turin goes missing and Dresden is hired to get it back, only to wind up working with the Knights of the Cross and Johnny Marcone to stop the Denarians from ending the world. All while dealing with his vampire ex-girlfriend coming back to town and a duel to the death with a top official of the Red Court.

Here is where the series starts to really, really, really shine. And this comes from the fact that Butcher has multiple plot lines in his books at one time. Rather than focus solely on the investigation, Dresden is forced into a myriad side situations that help develop him and the other conflicts and story arcs of the series. It keeps the books exciting, fast paced, and action packed.

Butcher's writing has gotten extremely refined compared to earlier novels and his pacing is much better. It's a fun read that really manages to capture everything I love about this series. It also has Michael in it, and Nicodemus, which makes it about a hundred times better than any of the others.

On top of that, it introduces a bevy of characters we'll grow to love later on. Molly Carpenter, Butters, the Denarians, Kincaid, and Ivy. Ivy and Kincaid are awesome characters, and Ivy especially is hilarious and scary at the same time.

Overall, an excellent addition to the series.

Books (from my favorite to least favorite)
1. Death Masks
2. Summer Knight
3. Grave Peril
4. Storm Front
5. Fool Moon

This is my second time reading this and I'm glad that I did not skip it and go to book six. I enjoyed this as much if not more than the first time. I was right Mr Butcher is getting better with each book. Harry is absolutely amazing and I do wish he was my friend even if he does have the worst luck in the whole world. The following is my review from the first time I read this and nothing has changed. So read on!

Wow, I have found another favorite author. I goofed up and read book 5 instead of 1 but that's ok it might be more fun this way. Harry Dresden gets into all kinds of trouble and he is really good at it. In this book he is contacted to retrive the shroud that has recently been stolen and off he goes. I really don't want to say any more and spoil the book for you. I picked this book because a friend told me that I would like them and was that ever true. This author hooked me from page one and I laughed, became scared for Harry, cried and enjoyed every moment reading plus happy knowing I have more of his books to read. Mr. Butcher knows how to take the characters and make them someone you either really hate or really love. He made everyone of them personal to me and I think that's what makes a very good story teller! Of course it really helps if he also writes a great story for these new friends. Check him out I don't think you will be sorry.

The Dresden Files book sequence has become one of the most popular series in the speculative fiction genre, its last few installments topping the New York Times bestseller list. At first, the series was a bit formulaic and episodic in format. Nevertheless, for all that the misadventures of Harry Dresden made for entertaining and fun-filled reads. With Summer Knight, Butcher elevated his game, bringing the Dresden Files to a higher level and setting the stage for a lot of fireworks to come!

And with Death Masks, the author raises the bar even higher. Regardless of its immense popularity, a lot of speculative fiction fans look down on the urban fantasy subgenre. But Jim Butcher demonstrates that urban fantasy can be as good and multilayered as any other subgenre.

Here's the blurb:

Harry Dresden, Chicago's only practicing professional wizard, should be happy that business is pretty good for a change. But now he's getting more than he bargained for.

A duel with the Red Court of Vampires' champion, who must kill Harry to end the war between vampires and wizards...

Professional hit men using Harry for target practice...

The missing Shroud of Turin...

A handless and headless corpse the Chicago police need identified...

Not to mention the return of Harry's ex-girlfriend Susan, who's still struggling with her semivampiric nature. And who seems to have a new man in her life.

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. No matter how much you're charging.

As always, and it's one of the highlights of the series, Death Masks features the first-person narrative of the endearing, if frequently inept, wizard Harry Dresden. More than ever in this book, Harry's heart heart is in the right place, and his flawed nature makes him one of the most likeable SFF characters out there. Doubtless, the novels wouldn't be as entertaining if we didn't witness events through Harry Dresden's eyes.

The supporting cast once again adds another dimension to this tale. The return of Susan Rodriguez was more than a little interesting. The three Knights of the Cross, Michael Carpenter, Shiro, and Sanya, played an important role throughout the book. Ortega, the Archive, Kincaid, Nicodemus, and Gentleman Marcone all bring something to this story.

In Summer Knight, the introduction of new concepts, he addition of new characters and developments hinted at the fact that this was a series that resounded with a lot more depth than met the eye. Well, Death Masks more than confirms it. Not only does the novel builds on aspects introduced in the first four volumes, but it also expends on several others. I was fascinated by everything that had to do with the Denarians and the Fellowship of St. Giles.

This fifth volume is another fast-paced urban fantasy offering. We see evidence of a bigger, more complex, and more ambitious overall story arc. Which bodes well for future installments!

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files is fast becoming one of my favorite series on the market today. Urban fantasy it may be, yet it is as good and convoluted as can be!

Check out Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

Death Masks, Jim Butcher’s fifth outing for Harry Dresden, is a well-conceived and executed fantasy/mystery/detective novel. The author has developed the character well up to this point with very few missteps along the way. A few elements in the construction of character relationships are getting a little tired—such as Susan, his half-vampire girlfriend, and Murphy the female detective. But these elements take a backseat to the Shroud of Turin, a possibly apocalyptic plague, and some serious action with the Fallen.

Harry Dresden is still given some choppy dialogue: ‘stars and stones!’ It’s here where Mr. Butcher falters on occasion—colloquialisms, clichés, and trite expressions. Sometimes reading through these is more than a little difficult.

On the whole, however, this was a pleasant and quick read. Certainly, YA readers will love this because there is no real darkness or ambiguity in the characters. Bad is always bad and good is always good—even if there are brief moments of moral hesitation. No matter what, though, Harry always ends up doing the right thing, even if it is not his choice.

‘Death Masks’ is recommended for YA readers with a penchant for fantasy-detective novels: 4 out of 5 stars.

I have enjoyed all of the books in this series more or less equally. However, I would have to say this is my favorite thus far. There is a lot less backstory in this book than previous novels of the series (a trend that started in the previous book). Even though one night of the last five I did not read at all I think this has been the fastest I have read a book in this series and that is mainly because of less backstory and more action. I think this is simply because now that we are at book 5 in the series much of the backstory has been told. Therefore, these is less explanation required of the "wizarding world" in which these novels take place. For me (who greatly prefers very fast paced books) this means that the series is just getting better.

If you are stumbling across this review before you have read the previous books I would strongly recommend that you start at the beginning just keep in mind that the pace of the novels rapidly increases after finishing book 4.

Loved this book!!! If there is only one thing to say about this it would be that I loved this book. Each new chapter in the Dresden files have hooked me more and more, but this one (so far) is my favorite hands down.

In this book Harry Dresden has even more crap heaped on his plate. Not only does the Red Court of Vampires want him dead, he is tasked with the challenge of recovering the Shroud of Turin. In the midst of all that he is challenged to a duel to the death, he accepts because he is hoping to end a war he started between the White council of Wizards and the Red Court of Vampires. To twist the knife just a bit more, Harry's girlfriend is avoiding him because of control issues. How can you not feel bad for this character?

There are several characters returning in this novel and Michael is my favorite. He is not as prevalent in Death Masks as he was in earlier novels, but I like the almost brotherly relationship the two have without even trying. It was also interesting to see the struggle Harry faces working with is ex/not ex girlfriend throughout. I'm not a fan of romance thrown in to stories like this, but I was still pulling for these two characters to figure things out.

Wonderfully written, and the sarcasm that makes Harry Dresden such an interesting character, was perfect in this and at times I couldn't hold back my chuckles, and cheers. I am not sure just how to put into words what I felt about this book. It was a wonderful ride and massively entertaining. This book pulled me out of my reading funk and I can't wait to continue the series. Love the series, Love the characters, and Jim Butcher wrote one of my favorite books with Death Masks. Read it, all I'm going to say.

This is the fifth book of Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" series about a private detective in Chicago who is also a powerful wizard. This time around Harry takes a case from a priest who wants him to recover the Shroud of Turin. He also reluctantly accepts a challenge to a duel from a vampire of the Red Court. They are at war with the White Council of wizards and it will presumably determine the outcome of the war. On top of that, as usual, multiple horrible, magical bad guys are out to take Harry down.

This review is primarily about the audio CD. The sound quality is excellent and it is unabridged. It is narrated by actor James Marsters, best known for playing the character Spike, a platinum-blond, British vampire in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel, between 1997 and 2004. Marsters does an outstanding job on every part of the reading, making listening in that regard a real pleasure. If he had not been a good reader, it would have been hard for me to sit through the full book--bad readers can destroy one's pleasure in even the most wonderful novel. I am extremely grateful for Mr. Marsters's reading talents not just for their own sake, but because experiencing this novel as an audiobook gave me the opportunity to admire Jim Butcher's writing even more than I did before--which I did not think was possible. In my experience of listening to audio versions of books, very few of them can stand up to the intense focus of being read aloud, which is much slower than reading silently to oneself. This relative snail's pace acts to draw attention to every problem of dialogue, pacing and plot.

I am happy to report that under that intense spotlight, I experienced not a single flaw in this book.

I am not a person who often reads a book more than once--too much to read and far too little time. But this book was definitely worth experiencing twice. And owning this recording means I may listen to it far more times than that in the future.

This is one of the best purchases I ever made.

I wasn't sold on the direction the love thread was taking, but after listening to this installment, I'm ALL IN. Same goes for the Knights; their holier-than-thou attitude would have tested my patience eventually, however in DEATH MASKS they demonstrate that they aren't 100% black or white either. The Archive was some freaky deaky sh*t which leads me to believe that Butcher has only dipped his big toe in this universe's scope. The punches kept on coming in book 5, and with so many secondary plots intertwining, the story left me reeling in the best kind of way. I don't know if I'll be able to focus on anything else until BLOOD RITES is on my iPhone, locked & loaded. Goodbye weekend! ~ 4.5 stars

Harry Dresden has a lot on his plate: he's been challenged to a duel to the death to determine the outcome of the war between wizards and vampires; he's been hired to find the missing Shroud of Turin; his old girlfriend Susan is back in town for unknown purposes; and, just to round things off, thirty arch-demons are on the prowl in Chicago. And that's not even mentioning a pair of European art thieves hitting town and all three Knights of the Cross turning up to confront a mutual foe.

Death Masks, the fifth book in The Dresden Files, is the busiest book in the series to date. It sports at least four distinct plot threads (along with several related subplots) which interconnect with one another in a number of unexpected ways as the novel progresses. Each one of these plots would be enough to drive a novel by itself and Butcher seems to delight in upping the ante and complexity of the series to new heights. Combined with the ongoing, series-spanning storylines, this makes Death Masks the most epic book in the series to date.

That said, Butcher takes care to ensure the story is fully comprehensible at all times, and drives the narrative forward with his customary energy and vigour. He also finds time for some accomplished characterisation, with recurring crimelord Jonny Marcone being developed particularly well. It's also good to see some other characters like Susan and Michael returning, along with the introduction of some intriguing new characters like the Archive (a mystical repository of knowledge taking the form of a little girl) and Nicodemus (a potential new nemesis for Harry). The first appearance of the Order of Saint Giles and the Denarian sect of demons also expands the scope of Harry's world impressively.

Death Masks (****) is another very strong entry in the series. New readers will be lost (I recommend they start with the first book, Storm Front) but returning fans will find yet another page-turning and entertaining urban fantasy novel. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

This is another brilliant entry into the Dresden Files for Jim Butcher. This time out, Dresden is tasked with finding the stolen Shroud of Turin, all while preparing for a duel with Professor Ortega, a Red Court Vampire Duke. This time out Dresden has the assistance of the Knights of the Cross in his search for the Shroud. Also searching for the Shroud are the Denarians, a group of Fallen Angels who possess willing humans. The Denarian's want the Shroud to use it to unleash a biblical plague on humanity. Dresden also receives help from his long lost love turned half vampire Susan Rodriguez. She returns as a member of a group of half human red vampire hunters called the Fellowship of Saint Giles. They have helped her control her hunger. Dresden has also to deal with mobsters and thieves who are looking to profit from the Shroud. Once again, Jim Butcher has crafted a humous masterful tale that keeps your attention for days. It has great wit, action, suspense and dialog. With each book I read I hold out hope that some TV producer will have the wisdom to bring Harry Dresden back to basic cable. These stories are a lot of fun and I look forward to reading more. I recommend this series to anyone who can read.

Jim Butcher introduced the idea of holy knights a few books ago, but the concept didn't fully flower until the fifth Dresden Files book, "Death Masks." It's a big dark mass of devils, divine knights and the occasional nefarious vampire -- and while one part of the story is painfully contrived, it has plenty of meaty plot mixed in there.

Harry is hired by a Vatican priest named Father Vincent, who wants him to recover a famous Catholic relic -- the Shroud of Turin -- which has been stolen and brought to Chicago by parties unknown. Unfortunately, a special group of Fallen angels called the Denarians are also pursuing the Shroud, because it can help them unleash a superplague that could kill the entire human race.

In the meantime, Harry has also been challenged to a death duel by Ortega, a vampire noble who wants to somehow stop the war. Also, his ex-girlfriend-turned-demi-vampire Susan has returned to Chicago, stirring up some old romantic feelings. As the forces of evil prepare to wipe out the human race, Harry may be the one person who can save us all... but not without some losses.

Jim Butcher has introduced three breeds of vampires, several kinds of werewolves, and two vast courts of faeries, and "Death Masks" adds Judeo-Christian angels and demons (or "The Fallen") to his world. This book introduces a lot of Roman Catholic beliefs and cosmology into the story... but don't worry, it's not preachy or anything of the sort.

No, the big draw here is HARRY DRESDEN FIGHTS DEVILS, which are truly grotesque and terrifying -- especially since they all take human form in a corrupted, malevolent human body. Butcher weaves together a bunch of strong subplots, all with a sharp dark edge as well as a touch of humor. "My faith protects me. My Kevlar helps," Michael explains in one scene, confirming why I like this particular saintly character.

The biggest problem is that the plot hinges on a really, REALLY contrived plot point. It only works because the Vatican JUST HAPPENED to send a priest who JUST HAPPENED to know another priest that Harry happens to be friends with. Um.

But Butcher doesn't fail us in the characterization. He introduces some fun new characters like the adorably buttkicking Shiro, Sanya (an atheist working for God) and the little-girly repository "Ivy," and fleshes out older ones like the cold mobster Marcone. Harry himself has become a stronger man who can now cope with his guilt over Susan, but he's also taken a darker turn (in one scene he beats a Denarian with a baseball bat).

Iif you can overlook that one huge contrivance, "Death Masks" a powerful and complex urban fantasy, with plenty of grotesque demons, vampires, and the occasional floating blob of instant doom.

I've heard great things about Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I watched the short-lived TV series on DVD and wanted more. I happened across a short in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon and loved the story, pacing and James Marsters' narration (yes, it was an audiobook). I have little time to sit and read so went to see what my local library had in it's audiobook selection. Death Masks was the oldest novel on audio so I picked it up. Perhaps I should have started at the beginning but I'm not sorry for reading Death Masks when I did. Maybe the characters and world of Harry Dresden would have resonated more richly, but it was easy to get into and even easier to enjoy. Marsters (Spike of Buffy the Vampire fame) does an amazing job of capturing the various characters, lending humor, passion and drama to the reading. You would swear his Bob is read by the same actor from the TV series. But I digress.

Death Masks is an enthralling novel that moves at a pace that very nearly leaves the ready breathless. Butcher weaves a broad range of plot points into a cohesive, gripping story that leaves you wondering how Harry manages to survive it all. In a nutshell, Harry (Chicago's resident wizard) must find the Shroud of Turn, duel with a vampire lord, fight off some truly terrifying fallen angels; all the while dealing with the return of his ex-girlfriend, how happens to be half-vampire. An that just scratches the surface. If I were Harry, I would have been down for the count after the first or second batter ...but thankfully I am not Harry. The cast of characters is memorable, friend and foe alike, and Butcher writes in such a way that lets you empathize with (if not like) each and every one of them.

If you are a fan of urban fantasy and have yet to give the Dresden Files a go, then I'm not sure what's stopping you. I feel obliged to say that you should start with book one (Storm Front), but I dove in with book five and have not regretted my decision. Now go grab your staff and your leather duster and go blast some supernatural baddies!

Jim Butcher continues to deliver. His Harry Dresden books are fast-paced, well written, and with well developed characters. What's more, they are fun with a good dash of funny.

I felt a little more apprehension and concern for the characters in this book than in previous, and there was one aspect of the ending that actually bothered me.

It is simply another positive, strong installment in this series and I can't wait to read the next one.

Chicago's only professional wizard and private investigator Harry Dresden is back in the fifth volume of Jim Butcher's ongoing Dresden Files series. In Death Masks, Dresden must tangle with a slew of evil demons bent on using a holy relic to spread a killer plague throughout the world, while participating in a duel with a count of the Red Court vampires, a duel which is supposed to conclude the war between the vampires and the wizards. Throw in a fair bit of emotional turmoil as Dresden's ex-girlfriend and pseudo-vampire Susan returns to town, and Dresden has his hands full.

If you've read through the first four Dresden books, you should have a pretty good idea what to expect. Although a bit more angst-ridden than usual, Dresden is still a gruff, witty, and likeable protagonist and narrator. The collection of magical bad guys out to get Dresden continues to grow, with fallen angels/demons hunting him, while Dresden adds some new allies, all of which helps flesh out Dresden's world and adds depth to the series. The plot moves perhaps a little slower than previous novels, but it still moves quickly and fluidly.

Of course, Death Masks continues to follow pretty much the same formula as previous books. Although this formula works, it would be nice to see Butcher shake things up a bit, particularly given that the obvious formula tends to make the novels a bit predictable. Admittedly, Butcher does a nice job of throwing in a pretty big character twist regarding one of Dresden's old nemeses, but overall there were very few surprises in Death Masks. Further, Butcher has yet to explain why the entire supernatural world seems to revolve around Dresden. As far as the reader knows, he's just a smalltime player, yet there are countless supernatural bad guys, some of whom are very powerful and important, who seem hell bent on killing Dresden at all times. Perhaps this is something that Butcher is waiting to explain in future novels, but it doesn't make much sense.

Overall, I think Death Masks is the weakest entry in the Dresden Files canon. The plot seems a bit more strained than in previous novels, the series has become so formulaic as to become extremely predictable, and little is actually done to advance the overall plot arc of the series. In fact, the novel seems more like a filler novel than anything us. But the most important thing is that Death Masks is a fast-paced, entertaining read that is well worth your time if you're a Dresden fan. Recommended.

I watched the TV series first, and fell in love. I really looked forward to reading the books, but when I tried, they fell flat. I thought they were poorly written, with a character I much like and predictable plots.

Well, the audio version went on sale, in a buy two get one free, and the I used this book as "filler" so I could get the other two I really wanted.

Then, i listened to it.

Wow, what a difference. The narrator who reads the Dresden books is amazing. The sarcasm that comes through has me laughing out loud. Harry Dresden becomes endearing, quirky and fabulous! The Dresden Files feel like a cross between Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Constantine (I'm thinking of that movie with Keanu Reeves). The mystical creatures at times are contrived and rather cartoonish, but where I found that at first to be silly and childish, I find rather dark and insidious given the evil inherent in these beings while in the trappings of fairy tales. I think it was the narrator himself who brought these nuances out for me. I have grown fond of Bob and Murphy and Harry and Thomas and the others as the series has gone on. I am almost caught up to the last book, and I will be sad when I have no more to listen to.

This is the fifth novel in the DRESDEN FILES series and takes place a short time after the events of SUMMER KNIGHT. Our hero, Wizard Harry Dresden has been hired to locate and retrieve a missing object, a fairly routine task for a private detective, even one who specializes in cases involving the magical realm. Even Harry though was taken by surprise when he discovered that the missing item was the Shroud of Turin. An even nastier surprise was that others were in pursuit of the Shroud as well, including some particularly tough demons. Harry thought he had a home field advantage when he tracked down the Shroud on his home turf of Chicago, and was even more pleased when his former lover, Susan returned from her self imposed exile. Harry soon found that his uncharacteristically good luck quickly morphed into his more usual bad sort. In addition to the competition over the Shroud, Harry found himself challenged to a duel, one that would be refereed by one of the more unusual magical creatures that Harry had encountered.

This series is a humorous, dark urban fantasy that features a Wizard, wise cracking Harry Dresden who works as a private detective in Chicago. The premise is that the magical world of fairies, demons, and vampires co-exists with the mundane one just beneath the surface. Only a few mortals are aware of this, not realizing that much of the unexplained tragedies in the news have explanations that lie in the magical world. The overall story arc of this series is quite pronounced, so much so that the novels should be read in as close to order as possible for maximum enjoyment.

I didn't care for this the first time I read it. I was a bit more impressed the second time, but now, third read, I like this a . It's a strong statement about faithful persistence. Doing the right thing or as close to right as you are able. It's tale of lost love, endings and new beginnings. I like this

If you are a fan of the Dresden Files TV series and are considering checking into the print series, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. This book is fifth in the series, preceded by, in order: :

Storm Front Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

Fool Moon Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, Book 2)

Grave Peril Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, Book 3)

Summer Knight Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, Book 4)

Also, the reality in the books is a little different than the TV series, and you won't enjoy the books if you get hung up on the TV canon. My advice is kick back and enjoy the ride, because Jim Butcher so far has not failed to disappoint. Unlike many series authors, he has sustained the quality and appeal of the series throughout.

The Dresden Files are noir detective novels in the classic vein, with a loner, wiseass private eye narrator in this case based in Chicago. Harry Dresden has an edgy relationship with the police, and between his PI practice and police consulting, is barely able to make ends meet. The twist is that the detective is also a wizard capable of calling fire and, on a good day, repelling bullets.

The writer's challenge is to provide his detective with challenges that he can't solve with a wave of his wand. These tend to be ever-increasing supernatural foes, people problems, and vexing situations that combine the two.

In "Death Masks", Dresden's challenges include an engagement to recover the Shroud of Turin, a sort-of-ex-girlfriend who is struggling with vampiric tendencies, regular human criminals, and magical duels.

Like traditional detective fiction, the Dresden Files is moralistic, with good triumphing over evil (of course, not without cost). There is character development, there is humor in many tasty flavors, and sustained enjoyment for the reader.

The Dresden Files are part noir detective story, part Harry Potter wizards and witchcraft, part horror. They're also a great distraction to lose oneself in. In _Death Masks_ Butcher mixes elements of magic, old fashioned sleuthing and supernatural beasties as consulting professional wizard Harry Dresden must simultaneously prepare for a duel while tracking down a stolen religious artifact. The plot was tightly written, the last quarter of the book was so engaging that I hardly moved from as the story's conflict was resolved while character and narrative arcs for future stories were being laid.

Aside from the great storytelling, Butcher's dialogue and banter between Dresden and other characters (good and bad guys) is priceless - darkly humorous, at times self-depreciating, and always witty, it is one of the reasons to continue reading the Dresden Files. Fans of the series won't be disappointed.

I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I have to say that this was my favorite Dresden Files book so far. Harry Dresden, wizard P.I., is hired by the Vatican to recover the Shroud of Turin, which has just been stolen and likely brought to Chicago (for reasons that only become clear at the very, very end). However, Harry has other problems. A Count of the Red Court of vampires has just challenged him to a duel to the death. Immediately after that, he was shot at by mobsters and attacked in an alley by a half-human, half-demon construct.

This book pulls together several elements from the previous volumes. Lt. Karrin Murphy, Michael and Charity, Johnny Marcone, Susan, and Thomas are all in the mix. The relationships between several characters are explored further among all the chaos that ensues, and the overall story arc with the vampire war continues to evolve. Lots of fun, some terrible puns, heartache, sacrifice, and many gray areas make this one a winner.

Jim Butcher, Death Masks (Roc, 2003)

Harry Dresden has himself a problem. Well, a trio of problems, really, but the big one is that someone has stolen the Shroud of Turin, and a priest has traced it to Chicago. Who better to pick up the trail from there than Harry? Of course, other things get in the way, like a company of thirty demons who want to either exterminate Harry or recruit him--he's not sure which--and a Red Court vampire from South America who's challenged Harry to a duel, which Harry's accepted. After all, the alternative is all-out above-ground war between the vampires and the wizards.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this series is that, while the fantasy was obvious and way-out at the beginning, it's actually gotten to the point where this stuff seems kind of plausible. Suspension of disbelief has gotten really easy here, probably because Butcher interweaves the magic and the religious with all the intimate geographic and historical details you expect from a good hardboiled detective story. It also helps that Chicago isn't as overused a private-eye destination as LA or New York, so some of this stuff is less played-out than it would be in a more well-used city. Butcher keeps the pace fast, and the characters are well-grounded enough now that we can talk about them in terms of acting in character rather than being three-dimensional. Butcher stretches that a few times in the relationship between Harry and Susan, but in the end, suspension of disbelief wins out. *** ½

When I reviewed Summer Knight, I mentioned that I did not think it was as good as the book preceding it, Grave Peril, or this one that follows, Death Masks. I could not put my finger on it at the time, but figured it out in the interim: Summer Knight has no Thomas and no Michael.

As far as supporting characters in the Dresden Files go, Michael and Thomas are pretty much my favorites. Summer Knight had neither, Grave Peril and Death Masks have plenty of both.

This time around the magical mcguffin that Harry is tasked to retrieve is none other than the Shroud of Turin! However, with an article of such power, there is bound to be a lot of bad news looking for it too.

In the midst of that, Harry is forced into a Duel against a Duke of the Red Court that could mean a lot to the War effort, the War he started. Oh yeah, and his girlfriend is back in town, nothing is ever simple for Harry :)

Death Masks introduces many new Major Players into the Dresdenverse, some of whom play key roles in later books, all of which are quality additions to the series. Even the new characters introduced for just Death Masks are excellent.

In Harry's corner we have:

Shiro- Samurai Knight of the Cross/Sword, in town to assist Michael in recovering the Shroud.

Sanya- A Russian Knight of the Cross/Sword, also in town to help out.

Susan- Harry's sorta girlfriend, now half-vampire, in town because of the Red Duke's duel.

Those who wish to destroy him include:

Duke Ortega- Vicious Red Court Vampire, in town to kill Harry, just more civil about it than most villains, hence the Duel.

Nicodemus- The Leader of the Order of the Blackened Denarius, an ancient order of Fallen Angels bound to the 30 pieces of Silver paid to Judas. Nic also wears the Noose of Judas around his neck, Major Bad News.

Quintus Cassius- A small-time sorcerer bound to one of the Coins and a follower of Nicodemus.

Deirdre- Nicodemus's daughter, and another Denarian.

And Playing the role of Switzerland in this conflict are:

Waldo Butters- the local ME who actually has an open mind to the unknown, so much so it got him demoted to night shift. Fortunately for Harry, that is when he does most his work anyhow.

The Archive- Dubbed "Ivy" by Harry, she is the vessel which holds all the accumulated knowledge of Humanity, she is also about 7 years old. She is in town to Mediate the Duel with Duke Ortega.

Kincaid- Mercenary guardian, and driver, of The Archive. An unknown quantity as yet, but we know he is lethal and likely more than human.

Add those newbies to the returning cast that includes Michael, Murphy, Bob and Thomas and you have yourself an eclectic mix.

Death Masks is the best Dresden book to this point. There are later books that are better I feel, but it is definitely the best of the first five. It is possible I am biased towards it because of all the Christianity in it, but we all have our areas of interest.

One of the things I like about the Dresden Files is it considers all Myths and Faiths. Some Fantasy has every kind of other Myth involved, but then just kind balks at Christian Myth. The Dresden Files acknowledges it all, and it addresses it with respect and consideration, even intelligence.

I enjoy the Faith aspects of the series. While Harry's Magic does not come from the Almighty, it still involves a lot of Faith in the cornerstones of Magic, embodied by his Mother's silver pentacle amulet. Faith gives people power in the Dresdenverse, Michael hums with the power of it when he prays or uses his Sword righteously. The Gatekeeper told Harry "Allah be with you" in Summer Knight, indicating he may use a Muslim Faith element in his Magic.

But I never read Butcher as too preachy either, it is only there enough to make you consider it and to give Harry some food for thought, never rammed down his throat. The respect he affords Faith and the role it begins to play in the Files is definitely one of the aspects that I feel deepens the series and makes later entries, starting with this one, have more impact.

They still have the action, the jokes, the hijinks, but starting with Death Masks, they really start to feel deeper. Since the fiends Harry faces become larger, and the stakes much higher, it only makes sense that the "food for thought" aspects of the book also need to be elevated, and I have found Butcher up to the task so far.

338 HC pages 5 out of 5 stars

The fifth in the Dresden Files pits our hero Harry Dresden, Chicago's only working Wizard - well, the only one in the Yellow Pages at any rate - against the demands of the other world, the underworld and those of his day job as a Private Investigator. The opening chapter sets up nicely the simultaneous conflicting pressures that Harry's supernatural friends and enemies place on him. And by the second chapter, there has been an attempt on his life and he's been given notice that the Red Court is threatening not only his own life, but that of those he cares about. Top that off with his human friends and their demands, and a bad day gets that much worse.
All in a days work for Harry, but that's all the better for those of us following his adventures. Here the central mystery is a couple of gruesome deaths and the theft of the Shroud (that covered Christ?s body until he was resurrected). As events move forward it becomes clear that both are linked. As usual there is much more to the book than just mystery - fantasy, adventure and an element of romance as Susan turns up in Chicago again also take precedence from time to time. This serves to heighten or slow the pace as required to drive the plot forward. There are no new threats here: it is essentially the Red Court as we have met in the previous 2 books of the series - and the mob has it?s influence too. However the danger Harry faces is very real, unrelenting as the story is told over just a few days, and from all sides. This makes for a fast paced, action packed style that any who have read the series will recognise and appreciate.
While the majority of the players are those known already to Dresden file followers, Butcher has not fallen into the trap of making his story inaccessible to potential new readers. Past events influencing the story are briefly described, but in enough detail that the book need not be read as part of the series, although as a Dresden junkie I do think that because events are so skilfully handled in the ups and downs of being Harry, the books would be best read in order.
I did find the ending of Death Masks left me feeling a bit down - the roller coaster ride of not only the dangers Harry faced but the various emotional storms carried me along and left me a little wrung out. Also, although the danger has receded for a time, like the tide it is inevitable it will resurge again - there is more to follow and the threat is still out there. Cool.

It is safe to say that Harry Dresden jumps from one challenge to another. After taking on faeries and two battling councils in Summer Knight, he has to endure various new dilemmas in Death Masks. He has been given the task of finding the stolen Shroud of Turin before either drug lord Johnny Marcone or a dangerous creature get a hold of it. To make matters worse, he has been challenged to a duel with a powerful vampire in order to end the war between the Red Court and the White Council. In better news, Susan is back in Chicago, but will she and Harry get together again? There are various twists throughout the novel.

Death Masks does not have as many overwhelming, over the top action and horror scenes in this book as the previous four books. That made this book somewhat better for me. The ending was filled with the aforementioned scenes though. I also liked that Harry resolved some of his personal issues regarding his relationships with the people he cares about and his feelings for Susan. And there are more hints in this book regarding Harry's past. His family remains an enigma, one that I would love to discover in the next book. I hope Jim Butcher does not drag that secret out for much longer. I was glad that some great characters were back in this installment, like Johnny Marcone, Susan and Michael. The one bad thing was that Murphy only appeared in a few scenes this time around. The humor remains fresh and Harry is as goofy as ever. The one thing I didn't like about this offering is that there are a few inconsistencies -- things that were mentioned and then forgotten coupled with some disjointed scenes. All in all, Death Masks is another fun Dresden book. Butcher's series has not disappointed me. I look forward to reading Blood Rites.

This is Book # 5 from the Dresden Files series. This time out, Harry is up to his eyeballs in treachery, hidden agendas and those who hide their true identities.

He is hired to find the Shroud of Turin, which has been stolen from Italy and brought to the United States to be sold to a collector. Of course the collector is not a friend of Harry's, Mob Boss Marcone. Harry is being involved from several areas : The Red Court challenges him to a duel with one of their best Vampires, Susan is back in town to help out in any way she can, Three Knights get involved to help stop the sale of the Shroud. And there are those who want the Shroud for devious purposes, for personal gain, and for personal reasons.

Harry is torn from all directions; it's hard to tell the bad guys from the worse guys in this one. But our hero prevails, with a lot of help from his friends, and we find him tempted by a coin of the Denarians, and ancient group of bad souls who can wreck havoc everywhere they wish to go.

The Archive, herself a formable character, looks deceivingly like a child, but wields much knowledge and power over many groups of Good and Evil. I am hoping that she will make future appearances since she has so much to give to the stories.

In the end everyone goes their own way to lick their wounds and plot and plan for future mayhem coming to Chicago. The only winner this time out is Harry, who manages to hang onto his life, though the temptation of the Denarians will sit and stew for a time.

The astonishing thing about Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series is that after 4 standout books, he just hits his stride with book 5, DEATH MASKS. The book opens with Harry Dresden nervously working a spell to suppress his magic as he waits to be interviewed on TV. Wizards and technology don't mix and Harry has to endure the TV host's scorn when he refuses to demonstrate magic. Then the host introduces the next guest. Harry recognizes the new arrival as an evil vampire lord. His concentration slips and he starts losing his temper...and accidentally trashes the TV studio. No other author could exhibit such a comic touch while putting his fictional hero in deadly peril.

As always the action is nonstop. But for the first time, Butcher allows us a glimpse of the inner Harry. Harry's ex-girlfriend is in town for the formal breakup. It's not going to work because she might give into her vampire tendencies and kill him. As Harry's character deepens, new philosophical depth creeps in to the other characters as well.

Other than that, Harry battles the full component of gangsters, vampires and deadly demons. The Vatican hires him to hunt for the stolen Shroud of Turin. The wisecracks never stop. Fabulous fantasy!

In this book they focus on a group called the fallen. They are humans who took up the coins that hold a demon inside each and every one of them. Eventually you will be taken over and the demon holds power over them and this group is out to destroy everything. They are old and wise because the coin allows them to take shape of monsters and animals and allow them to live forever. Micheal and the other knights need to stop this beings when they find out that their in Chicago. Because nothing they do will be anything good. If they are some where it is for a purpose and most of the time it's to destroy cities and people. Necrodamous is the leader of this group and he never dies because he has a relic hanging from his neck the noose Jesus was wearing when he was crucified. Will harry and the knights of the cross be enough to stop such evil? Read and find out.

The fifth book in the Dresden Files series, this installment brings more insight into the Knights of the Cross, who they are, what they do, and through the willingness of the Knight Shiro to take Harry's place with the demon gives us more hints to Harry's special status in the world, and this book helps to bring some resolution to the relationship between Harry and Susan. We also get introduced to The Archive, whom I hope we will see more of in later books. Like all the Dresden books so far, the last half of this book is non-stop action, and as usual I ended up staying up way later than I should to see how it ended.

Imagine Dick Tracy as a wizard. The protagonist of this fifth novel in the Dresden File series is the unapologetically chivalrous yet lovelorn Harry Dresden, the only wizard in the Chicago Yellow Pages. Dresden, a supernatural gumshoe who lives in his rundown Chicago apartment makes for a fun protagonist. While the series is driven more by a blazing plot than by characters, the characters, too, are multifaceted individuals (for the most part) who learn (or not) from real mistakes. And seriously, who doesn't love a polka-playing Medical Examiner?

I will not give a spoiler of the plot that you can find on the jacket cover or other reviews, but one of my favorite parts of this novel is that Butcher's neo-noir style narration is spiced liberally with a warm humor that only enhances the non-stop thrills. He is one of my favorite writers.

Great fun. Outstanding writing. Paced for thrills with no slow spots. Darkly urban, contemporary setting. Magical, colorful characters. What's not to like?

The series is best enjoyed by starting with the first novel, Storm Front.
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1)

Yay! A major character returns in this book. Although it doesn't quite provide any solid resolution to that particular storyline, it does help shed some light on where that thread might lead.

The Shroud of Turin has been stolen. The Red Court has issued a duel to the death to Harry. Denarians are coming out of the woodwork left and right, and the Knights of the Holy Cross are appearing like the Holy Trinity.

As always, Harry is battered and bruised, but his sardonic wit shines through making this story a very compelling addition to the Dresden Files.

And Butcher gets extra points for referencing the ever-popular Evil Overlord List!

Superb! Jim Butcher has brought Harry Dresden back with a vengeance. At the end of the fourth book, "Summer Knight," Harry's world was a tad askew. His girlfriend was half-way to becoming a vampire, he'd started a war between the Wizard's Council and one of the Vampire clans. Also, he'd been on the "list" with a Chicago mob-boss for quite a while now. He did, however, manage to play some fun D&D with a group of werewolf vigilantes. Hey, you take your victories where you can.

So, when a priest asks him to recover a stolen relic (sort of like a big white cloth, taken from Turin... uh... yeah, that one), and demons start popping up everywhere trying to pop Harry off, things are tense. Toss in a suprise visit from his Girlfriend, three holy knights with very holy swords (one of whom has a very bitter wife), and you see why Harry's day is just about as bad as any he's had.

The mystery in this one threw me for a loop (I thought I had it right, only to learn I had it way wrong), and the tone of the book was dark and fun in equal measure. The pithy one-liners are always well done, and there's enough insider-geek references to make you swell with geeky pride.

Enjoy it, enjoy 'em all, and if you've never read any of Butcher's work, you owe yourself a copy of 'Storm Front,' a hot cuppa tea, and some quiet time you'll soon fill with laughter.

'Nathan

Two extremely competent female cat burglars steal the Shroud of Turin with all signs pointing towards the icon being taken to Chicago. Evidence suggests that Chicago mobster John Marcone is the intended buyer, but the church hopes to intercept the sacred artifact before it changes hands. Father Vincent works with the Chicago police but he also hopes to obtain the assistance of local wizard Harry Dresden, a private investigator who specializes in supernatural crimes.
Harry agrees to take the case but it becomes more complicated when the Denarians also want the shroud. The Denarians are humans who chose to align themselves with the Fallen for immortality and innumerable power. They plan to use the artifact combined with some dark magic to create and spread a plague that will decimate much of the world's population. Harry and his allies, the Knights of the Cross, must stop the Denarians at all costs or Earth will undergo a tragedy more powerful than the Black Plague.
Jim Butcher has created a very powerful urban fantasy story set in modern day Chicago where the only "outed" wizard resides. Unlike many of his allies, who operate in a black and white world, Harry works in shades of pastels, never certain whether what he is doing is right or just expedient. It is that uncertainty that makes the hero a vulnerable lovable person. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Mercedes Lackey will definitely want to read all five books in the Dresden Files.
Harriet Klausner

I'm a fan of Jim Butcher's DRESDEN FILES, and this installment, DEATH MASKS was incredibly rewarding. I LOVED it. It's remarkable how each book keeps getting better and the overall story moves from one challenge/crisis in Harry Dresden's life (as the only professional wizard in Chicago) to the next. Very well done. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Sensuality level: PG-13
Language: PG-13
Violence: R

I highly recommend this series to fans of paranormal/speculative fiction, mystery, and thrillers.

The Good: I like Harry Dresden. I like his power and his willingness to get involved when others will not. The constant target on his back should be getting old for readers, but rather if they're like me, they are loving seeing Harry on his toes and overcoming obstacles left and right. I totally loved the way Marcone was worked into Death Masks and hope to see more of him interacting with Harry on that level in the future.

The Bad: Susan returning was a letdown, really. I'm sort of wishing she would just go and have Harry fully move on. The Knights aren't the most enthralling characters either, but their involvement with the missing Shroud of Turin makes sense.

Harry continues to deal with demons, werecreatures , vampires and other threats almost non stop b. He a new enemy is Death Masks, a necromancer, and some of his allies are away but he is forming new alliances. And Mouse keeps growing

This was a well written novel by James Butcher. The plot was a little weak, but the characters were strong. I like the detail he creates about his villains. But saying that, I wonder if the chief and most powerful demon of the fallen would be willing to undertake this action. So the characters are interesting and exciting, but I question their motives and likelihood to commit the actions in this story. Additionally, the end of the novel has an interesting twist that affects the follwing novels. I liked this novel, but this series is starting to annoy me. I feel the individual strengths of the novels are declining while the overall series is very interesting.

This is the best analogy to describe how I feel about the series. These novels are like a 1 hr show on TV; they are good enough, but not great. People pay forty dollars a month for cable and don't expect anything really good to be produced. They want something entertaining and they want it to be good enough that they look forward to the next episode. That describes the majority of this series. When I read the first one, it was like a movie at a theater. People pay a premium to watch it in theaters because they expect it to be great. So these are good novels, but they don't live up to their predecessor.

Harry Dresden's day starts bad and gets worse. First, there's the TV show where his magic manages to break down the cameras and put a quick end to things. Then there's the red court vampire challenging him to a duel. The priest claims to be a skeptic, but he hires Harry to help find the Shroud of Turin which has been stolen, possibly in association with Chicago's crimelord. Not to mention the attempted assassination as Harry leaves the studio or the arrival of ex-girlfriend Susan who 'wants to talk.' As Murphy points out,, women don't have to set you up for a happy-talk.

As Chicago's only Yellow-Pages wizard, Harry Dresden gets his share of weird cases. All of this happening at once, though, strains the realm of coincidence. When a fallen angel joins the attack, Dresden knows there's a connection. What, exactly, lies at the heart of the danger, though, is hard to figure.

Author Jim Butcher combines an interesting and conflicted character (can't keep a girlfriend, lives in a cellar, his best friend's wife hates him, he talks more to a skull than women), a dark-side of Chicago world, vampire wars and mythology to write a compelling urban fantasy. DEATH MASKS is a reprint of an earlier Harry Dresden and it's interesting to see where he's been as Butcher continues to develop both the character and the world in which he lives. DEATH MASKS is a strong effort with plenty of action, enough character angst to keep us interested in the people, and a nice dose of magic.

Death Masks (2003) is the fifth urban fantasy novel in the Dresden Files series, following Summer Knight. In the previous volume, Elaine helped Harry reach the Table. The spell on Lily Unraveled. Meryl took out Talos and Toot-Toot had his pixies gang up on Aurora.

Dresden woke up in his own bed in a very clean apartment. The new Lady Summer had provided him with a Brownie cleaning crew and the new Summer Knight had fixed the Blue Beetle. Elaine kissed him on the cheek when she left.

In this novel, Harry is on the set of the Larry Fowler show, trying hard to suppress his magic. He had been trying to talk to Mortimer Lindquist and the psychic had insisted on meeting here. In a few minutes, they are going to be interviewed by Larry. Later two more mystery guests will join them.

Larry and the audience enjoy laughing at the guests's babble of seances and magic. During the break, Harry asks Mort about Susan and learns that she is definitely alive and has been in Peru. After the break, Larry introduces the other two guests. One of them is Duke Ortega of the Red Court vampires. Harry's control slips and his magical field takes down one of the TV cameras with a flash and smoke.

While the stage crew rolls off the defunct camera, Ortega tells Dresden that he has come to talk to him. Then the host conducts a little more discussion of the superstitious belief in magic. A second camera blows out and Ortega continues his conversation with Harry. He has come to face Harry in single combat. The suppression spell finally breaks down and the whole studio goes dark. Harry agrees to the challenge and then the emergency lights come on, but the fire alarms start whooping.

Outside the studio, the other mystery guest -- Father Vincent from the Vatican -- also wants to talk with Harry about a job. Father Forthill of Saint Mary of the Angels has referred him to Harry. As they walk toward the Blue Beetle, some gunman starts shooting at them with a silenced pistol.

Harry digs his shotgun out of the trunk and the gunman retreats, but still fires his pistol in their direction. When that weapon runs out of shells, Harry hustles the priest into his car and putts out of the parking garage. On the way out, Harry notices several armed man and recognizes one as an enforcer for Johnny Marcone.

Father Vincent directs Harry to a motel near the airport and explains the case. The Shroud of Turin has been stolen and is probably in Chicago. Father Vincent wants Harry to find it.

In this story, Susan returns to Chicago with Martin, a coworker in the organization that Susan has joined. She has changed and is now strong enough to fight off a Red Court vampire. But she still has the Hunger and lusts after Harry. Of course, a really good wizard should be able to work around these difficulties.

Murphy calls and asks Harry to come to the Cook County Morgue. Murph introduces him to Waldo Butters and then they view a corpse without head or hands. The man had been found under a freeway overpass. Despite the horrible mutilations, he had apparently died of the Plague and other diseases. Harry examines the corpse more closely and finds a tattoo on the inside of the biceps.

As Harry is leaving the hospital, he encounters a bear-like thing and runs back toward down the alley. The thing chases him, but an old man steps out into its path and swings a katana at the beast. Then a young Russian joins the fray with a saber. Finally, a large man with a broadsword drops in and cuts off Ursiel's head.

Harry has been rescued by the Knights of the Cross, including his friend Michael Carpenter. The other two Knights -- Shiro Yoshimo and Sanya -- have come to Chicago to protect Harry from the Denarians, an order of Fallen Angels bound to thirty pieces of silver. The Denarians want Harry's soul and the Knights want him to drop the case to save himself.

This story takes Harry from the harbor to the downtown Marriott to Undertown to Wrigley Field to the O'Hare chapel. Then he gets to take a train ride. He finds himself fighting with vampires and the Fallen. Although the scenery is great, the creatures are really bad.

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of Fallen Angels, preternatural creatures, and a really stubborn wizard.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Life has its up and downs for our hero, Harry, the down-on-his-luck wizard from modern-day Chicago. Susan, his almost-vampire lost love returns, but only to say goodbye. He's challenged to a duel by a vampire champion of the Red Court, but on the good side, if he loses, the wizard-vampire war will be over. The Shroud of Turin has been stolen and shows up in Chicago, and everyone wants it: the scary gangster lord of the city, the Fallen Angels and their demon agents, the White Knights, and the Vatican, which hires Harry to find it. Along the way there are shoot-outs aplenty, strange and twisted beasties to defeat (or run away from), and Harry gets asked some questions he has a hard time answering. All told in Butcher's typical fast-paced hard-to-put-down style, from Harry's charming and sardonic point of view. If you've read the other books, don't wait, just buy this and devour it. If you've picked it up as the first book of Butcher's, go ahead, read it first. Butcher will give you what you need to get up to speed. Then go out and get the other four.

Fans of Butcher, you know you'll like it. People looking at the series, this is where things really take off. Butcher excels at maintaining the pace of the various plot threads, bouncing around but still moving the story forward. The vampire war, his relationship with Susan, the ex-girlfriend turned paranormal warrior, and of course, the demonic foes that are almost invincible and plausibly appeal to Harry's darker side.

Having read thru White Night, I find that the first 4 books lay the groundwork and the subsequent entries all continue the development of Harry's character from immature rebel wizard to somebody that is going to have a major impact upon the wizard community. Along the way, Butcher has developed some great supporting characters.

Harry Dresden's latest adventure builds upon the previous for books in Jim Butcher's series about Chicago's only practicing wizard.
In Death Masks, Harry must duel the vampire Ortega, find the missing Shroud of Turin, battle against foes both supernatural and mortal, and deal with the return of his girlfriend Susan. The fact that she's now a half-vampire and part of a secret Brotherhood makes things complicated. Butcher introduces some new nasties in the Denarians, associates of the Fallen, who gain power and corruption by possessing the thirty coins of Judas. The main thrust of the story is the search for the stolen Shroud of Turin, and trying to figure out the purpose of its theft. Butcher also throws in Gentleman John Marcone, Chicago's crime boss for good measure. Luckily Harry has help from the Holy Knights and his friend, Michael Carpenter, plus Susan with her newly suped up powers.
The story is well-paced, the action well-orchestrated, and the threads of the plot are laced together deftly. Butcher obviously takes time to piece together his stories, drawing on twists of religious history and the occult, and building on events from the previous books. Harry's world is increasingly complex, and he continues to grow as a character. I like the storyline remains interesting, and the author is having fun creating this universe.
I still find it tough to swallow when Harry always seems to be at the center of all things, as if the entire supernatural world revolves around him. Why do all of these creatures seek him out? Where the heck are all of the other wizards all of the time? There was an interesting moment toward the end with Marcone as less than adversary, but Harry seems to try to irritate people.
Finally, I didn't get a feeling of resolution with very many of the plot points. This was just a bridge to the next story in the series. But hey, I'm still hooked.

The Shroud of Turin has been stolen and Harry Dresden is on the case. Dodging demons, vampires and the police as his own past comes back to haunt him. This is another well paced installment of the Dresden Chonicles. Susan, Harry's ex-girlfriend is also back on the scene to complicate what is already proving to be another deadly assignment for Harry and his friends.
These books continue to be entertaining and well written. However, I have to say that if I had a quarter of the stress in my life that Harry has to put up with, I'd be a puddle on the pavement. I'm looking forward to the next installment of this series, and to see where the vampire war leads Harry - so far its a stalemate with mixed results, though the more you find out about the Red Court vampires you realize what a [danger] to all life they are.

Harry's back on the case in the Dresden Files, Book Five. "Death Masks" brings back many familiar faces, too - good, bad, and indeterminate. Butcher has returned to a storytelling device he pulled off perfectly in "Grave Peril:" various, apparently-unrelated bits of action are tossed together early on, leaving Harry to sort them into some kind of sense throughout the rest of the book. Not so perfectly this time. And readers who especially enjoy the more arcane aspects of Harry's exploits may feel a little deprived; the magic is slow in coming and mostly low-key.
There's no lack of plot material. A stolen Shroud of Turin and a challenge to a duel are the biggest pieces. Cops, corpses, demons, Knights, lover, mentor, mob, thieves, vampires, and miscellaneous other friends and foes figure in somewhere. It ought to work better.
"Masks" may be the least successful Dresden File to date. Butcher continues to expand his exploration into darker, more adult themes. Ambitious, but he doesn't handle the grimmer stuff as expertly as he manages the fun. He pulls his punches in a few key places, and he can't seem to decide which way he wants certain characters to go. Serious themes aren't as forgiving of weak writing as humor is.
The problems aren't limited to the darker plot lines. Overall, the story is just plain uneven. It isn't as cleverly plotted as "Peril." Its pace is choppy. The title itself isn't as evocative as usual. Continuity errors are up again, too. The biggest involves major déjà vu over the shroud's buyer in Chapter 27; been there, Chapter 19. Most are niggling annoyances, like the two times Harry drops his blasted - er, blasting - rod and fails to reclaim it before exiting the scene.
Broken-record time. Yes, it's fantasy, but Butcher still puts too much gratuitous strain on the willing suspension of disbelief. Especially if he wants to be taken seriously. Several characters strike random false notes (Michael laughs at that?). Events don't always ring true, either. Many clinkers are minor (Harry dances in those shoes?), but a few - like the whole river-jump-from-speeding-train bit - are pretty substantial.
On the plus side, Butcher doles out more tantalizing tidbits about Harry's past. Harry's present is finally showing long-overdue signs of more control over his power and his pocketbook. There's the usual fun sprinkling of future plot hints. And while Butcher needs to work on his command of mature themes like passion, sacrifice, obsession, and damnation, his grasp of the worlds of magic and mayhem remains as robust as ever. His humor, where appropriate, is in top form.
Death Masks has some great moments. Its mysteries aren't as well-executed as in Peril, but they're entertaining and absorbing. Butcher writes well, when he chooses. And the series' emerging dark side is not unwelcome. Mixing humor and drama is much harder than writing in either vein alone, but lends far more dimension to stories and characters; once Butcher gets the hang of it, readers will follow Harry anywhere.

What a ride! This series just keeps getting better. This book starts with a bang and keeps on building the mystery and the action. Some characters from earlier books return and have vital (and surprising) roles. Add in the Shroud of Turin and this book has another layer of mysticism. This one was a page turner; I look forward to reading the next book.

I started out by reading the 15th book, which was pretty good. Then I began at the beginning. So, sort of unfair to the writer. All I can say is, I plan to work my way up and probably beyond because the 15h book is pretty good, lot's happening and it made me want to know what came before that it developed into that.

Harry's up for a duel against the War Leader of the Red Court Vampires a problem he did not have intention to begin.
On top of that, he has to find the Shroud of Turin, identify a headless body, and his ex has returned - to help or harm him he does not know. Apparently, his capacity to start burning cities returns quite quickly.
Some interesting arrivals in this book include the Fallen Angels who are tied directly to the gold coins Judas was given by the Jewish Temple Guards.
The semi-religious tones are not overbearing, but rather practical and pragmatic, adding a good deal of drama to the novel.

With Death Masks Jim Butcher's modern day wizard starts to evolve and become a complex human being not so much just a cliche of superhero attributes. In Death Masks the best villians of the series are introduced, The Denarians 30 fallen angels whose posses you through contact with one of the 30 pieces of silver (or denarius as they were called orignally). Yes these are the coins that Judas was paid to betray Jesus Christ.In this book Butcher's wizard grows up and enters a larger scale of evil where the hero won't just walk away unscathed and is pressured to do things we never thought he was capable of. The book also introduces to us the rest of the Knights of the Cross which we first met in the 3rd book Grave Peril (another interesting concept I would like to see Butcher develop in a solo book series, I am fascinated by Michael and the rest the Knights). Complex characterization and above average storytelling in this book, are starting to elevate this series to mainstay status much like Parker's Spenser series or L A Banks Vampire huntress Novels. All in all a great read and fun book.

I have borrowed an audio of this book from the public library. I have noticed that when Susan Rodriguez is in the story the installment turns out to be entertaining all the time. Humor is here and there, the mood is always light and pleasant, some actions to exhilarate your nerve, and the story develops perfectly. I love the narration of James Marsters.

The series is back to being so-so for me again. After really loving the last book, I had high expectations for this one. As it could be read as a stand-alone for the most part (events from previous books are well explained) I will not be recapping the series.

Harry Dresden is a wizard. A real one, he's even got an ad in the yellow pages. Normally he just helps clients find missing items, stop small hauntings, that sort of thing. But not this time. This time Harry has been hired for a big case. The shroud of Turin has gone missing and someone in Chicago has it. And a group of grisly deaths are following in it's wake. If that wasn't enough, he has an oncoming duel with a vampire of the Red Court (a little mishap involving killing a couple of the Red Court nobles spurred it on) and his buddy Michael and a few of his friends (Members of the Knights of the Cross) are trying to keep Harry from being involved for his own safety. Then to make matters confusing, his old girlfriend Susan (who had been partially turned to a vampire) is back in town to settle a few things and then finally leave which will break Harry's heart. What's a wizard to do?

Once again Harry is not the all awesome character of the tv shows. He still has too much guilt (although he is called out on it this time), alternates between weak and strong with no apparent reason, and is way too gullible. As the hero of the story, these features can get annoying sometimes. While its great he has flaws, he just has way too many. As far as the Knights of the Cross go, I've never been a big fan of Michael, but I did like Shiro and Sanya, they weren't quite as in your face with the religion as Michael is. Shiro especially is one cool old guy. Susan was much changed in this novel and I think Butcher almost made her too powerful. While I realize she is somewhat a different creature now, she just seemed too good to be true.

Butcher is a very descriptive writer. This can sometimes be good in a world as complex as the one in the Dresden files, but when it comes to describing Dresden himself it is a little unbelievable. Since the story is written in first person from Dresden's point of view, the amount of time he spends describing himself is either unrealistic, or makes him a very conceited character. In addition, the vast majority of Butcher's characters are beyond attractive. It is rare to see just an average or even an ugly person described in these books. That's not to say it never happens, it just happens very rarely and often men are the targets instead of women.

The series is entertaining enough to read. I just wish at times it was more exciting. This one took quite a while to get started. It wasn't a bad book, but it just wasn't the best of his either. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars.

Death Masks
Copyright 2003
374 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2010

I liked this a bit more than the last Dresden book. The plot felt more solid and easier to follow, though there still wasn't enough Murphy or Bob. I really like Murphy and Bob. I'm not as big a fan of the Knights of the Cross and that whole side to the story. And I'm hoping this whole vampires vs. wizards war ends soon, because it's really being dragged out. I like Harry best when he's trying to figure out a mystery rather than running for his life. I'll continue with the series, but I'm definitely hoping for a sea change.

Harry Dresden is in for another series of events that will make you very glad that you aren't wearing his wizard shoes. Poor guy...when does he get to sleep?
This time around, Harry must face Ortega, a vampire noble, in a duel, find the stolen Shroud of Turin, and deal with "The Fallen" (as in angels). Luckily he gets some help from some special knights on that last one. Not to mention his ex is in town, and brings with her some stunning revelations and reminds Harry of his broken heart.
All this takes place at a breakneck pace, with lots of action and humor and physical punishement for Harry. In fact, maybe a bit too much physical punishment. After a while, it gets a bit over-the-top.
The humor is in top form though, with some many wonderful, subtle touches in the book. Butcher's characters (almost all) really come to life. My personal favorite is Michael Carpenter.
This book wasn't my favorite of the series, and I did have some minor quibbles. Its a bit of a letdown after the fabulous Summer Knight. But in a continuing series, there is bound to be a bit of variation from book to book. And for the most part, Butcher shows respect for his character and considerable writing ability. Most of all, he knows how to make us laugh, and have the characters laugh at themselves. Never underestimate the value of a sense of humor.
But hey Jim, where's Toot-toot? ;-)

I'm a little worried that all my Jim Butcher reviews will start the same way, so I'm going to find a different way of saying this:

Death Masks continues the Dresden tradition of being wildly paced, madhouse, magician action, complete with knights, red vampires, jade vampires, white vampires (I think I might have made some of those up)

the action is up a notch in Death Masks, and some pretty interesting sorcery is busted out mostly against our wizard protaganist. We also get some surprising character development of our favourite gangster, although he doesn't feature strongly in this novel.

A fine episode in the series.

Faster paced than Book 4 of "The Dresden Files", "Death Masks" seems to set Harry on a darker path. With the return of some favored characters from past books (Both Thomas and Michael appear), the plot moves along quickly as the mythology of the series as a whole develops a new facet.

The series as a whole seems to be more confident in its footing and to have greater direction in those earlier in the series...and it's still a fun ride.

It's been a long time since I've read a book this amazing. To be more specific, it was when I first read "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." That was seven years ago.

I forgot how good it feels to fall in love with a book.

Jim Butcher has managed to weave together everything I could possibly want from a story. His plot is well-paced, his hero is astoundingly witty, and his action scenes make me grip the pages of the book with sweaty fingers. There's beauty in every paragraph.

In "Death Masks," many of my favorite characters make a return, such as Michael (*finally*, a Christian character who is neither evil nor insane) and Thomas (how can anyone *not* love an ambiguous vampire?). We're also introduced to several new characters who are every bit as delightful as the protagonist himself. I even enjoyed the presense of some returning characters I did not like in previous books.

When I finally put "Death Masks" down, I sat in silence for several minutes, just thinking about what a great story I'd finished. Thank you, Jim Butcher.

Think of Parker's spenser and then put him in a duster with host of magicall spells and a wand battling werewolfs and vampires and associating with elfs and other interesting characters. This in essense is the heart of the Dresden series of books. I have yet to find one I did not enjoy.

I enjoy the fantasy genre as a way to escape from the day to day and not get too emotionally involved because it is all made up. Jim Butcher never disappoints. I enjoyed Death Masks and look forward to reading more.

In my opinion, this is the best book in the series, so far. Unlike the first four books in the series, I never once found myself wondering if there weren't a better way to continue the story. Harry's life keeps getting more challenging, but he's getting better at dealing with those challenges, too. And Mr. Butcher has come up with some really interesting characters to go up against Harry that keep me wanting more.

Book five of a long series. 14 books?

There are no shiny vampires in this book. There are however, some really nasty scum feasting on the poor herds of humans. To his credit, Harry realizes this and wants to change it. And I am glad to see Harry's former girlfriend back in play, almost a scooby gang member.

I was nerver really much into this type of book, till my good friend read one and recommended them. She liked them so much I read one and enjoyed the story line so well, I got the idea to buy her the set so I could borrow them to read! The set came in perfect conditon, quick deliver and on time for my friends birthday. Will check you out for future purchases!

Happy New Year!

This is the fifth in a series of books that pits Harry against the wizards, demons, and black magic around Chicago. This is a easy read that will sink it's claws into where you want to know if Harry will survive against evil.

I will refrain from comments on the story itself. I will say this however, Butcher keeps you occupied and reading. I am not much of a book reader, but I listened to the 10th book in the series, and then came back through the series reading. It took me about a week a book here in Afghanistan, considering work load and my inability to read fast this is pretty amazing. Things don't usually keep my attention, but Butcher draws you into the characters not just Dreseden, but everyone.

Great series great books.

I liked this a lot better than the last (which was still good in its own right). The action wove together a lot better--not so cluttered.

It's interesting seeing where the various threads are going. I'll be curious how things pan out, particularly in regards to Susan.

And it was an interesting twist bringing in the Shroud of Turin without it being a huge Catholic mystery. Nice job.

Well, this is the fifth book of the series and it still perfect. It is fantastic how Jim Butcher is able to keep the series on a so high level. He made only a mistake, in the book you are lead to believe that the language spoken in Brazil is Spanish. It is not, We speak Portuguese here, Spanish is not even our second language. Apart from that mistake, the book is flawless. I can't wait for the next book and I really hope Jim Butcher will keep the series as it is.

"Hell's Bells!", as Harry Dresden would say. Great fantasy, truly scary demon/evil stuff, humor to help relieve the tension, and one of the best love scenes I've read in years. Tender, lovestruck, broken-hearted Harry...You can't help but like him. And did I mention the wizard lore, action, religious undertones, a likeable mob boss, a spirit named Bob, and some vampires thrown in? Thanks Mr. Butcher, you write fun stories!

Death Masks brings back the Red Court, McCoy, Knights of the Cross and introducing the Order of the Blackend Denarians and the Archive. As if Harry didn't have his own problems with Vampires, the council, and other assorted Characters, now he has to take on the Denarians. Great concept and perfect Enemys for the Knights of the Cross. Cant wait to see more of the Archive and the Denarians. Excellent read. Poor Harry, so many things to do and so little time

"Yeah, but why take chances." -Dresden

This is by far the best in an fantastic series. Butcher turns Dresden's gritty smarm up to 11 in this one. Firmly entrenched in a captivating plot, sub-plot and sub-sub-plot are some of the best belly laugh situations I have ever encountered in a book. Don't pass this one up.

I feel like the Dresden files are getting better and better. The writing is improving and it seems to flow a lot better. I loved the earlier books but felt like I was just reading the story now I feel like I am experiencing what Harry Dresden is going through. I gave four stars because I really enjoyed it but I'm leaving room for improvement for the rest of the series.

I really love this series- the books are funny without being corny, fast-paced and full of action, and this story was moving as well. Harry is a very fallible wizard, which makes him believable and likeable. Can't wait to read the next one!

Dresden files continues to impress with the storyline and the characters. I'm by gland we got to see some of the great characters return in this story m

Dresden continues to slay with his humor as well as his magic....can't wait to start the next book

If you are like me and you need your heroes to actually be worth rooting for, I can't recommend this book. I guess it uses some kind of comic-book logic I don't understand.

The first 4 books had plenty of scenes where Harry acts like a moron, but this one takes the cake. I read the first 13 chapters and just could not stand to go any further. He constantly walks right into danger without protection and survives only because his enemies never feel like killing him off. A single sniper in almost any scene could kill him. He does almost nothing to protect himself. The first two denarians could have killed him off easily. There are 30 of them, but of course they only attack one at a time and studiously avoid finishing anyone off? He lets the two amateur thieves on the boat trick him and push him around like a child. So why is he our hero again? Wizards are supposed to suffer no fools, not be one.

On top of that, he constantly fails to explain what is going on to those around him. People build up seething anger toward him simply because he does such a horrible job of explaining himself.

Mr Butcher keeps getting better and better. This is the best yet. His characters are maturing and finding interesting things out about themselves. It is hard not to start another book right after you finish the last. Which makes it very hard to get to sleep at 2 in the morning when you finally finish one, oh try to resist starting the next. I dare yah.

I've enjoyed Harry Dresden from the first, and with this book the series just keeps getting better.
Harry has to fight his way through a world filled with magic wonder and dark, dark demons. His power is in his magic, but also in his heart.
Great mix of fun, excitement, danger, lots of narrow escapes, a little romance, plot twists, and FUEGO shooting out of Harry's blasting rod.

I read this book the fastest of all the books so far. There is a little recovering of last books information that kind of tiring but for a new reader it will get you more interested in the past (the Susan issue, Alphas and Marcone.) I have enjoyed the whole series but for some reason this one hit the spot. All the way to the last page there is something new and interesting.

Probably the best-crafted of the Dresden Files so far...it's certainly my favorite after a first read. Great dialogue, interesting new characters and lots of "cool stuff" to expand the mythos. I keep wishing I had written this stuff, or at least sat down for a few RPG sessions with the guy who had...

There is always something new in this series; it keeps you fascinated. Knights of the Cross, The Shroud of Turin & a duel with a vampire are just some of things involved/happening in "Death Masks."

In one of the weaker efforts in the Harry Dresden series, Harry Dresden is challenged to a duel to the death by the vampire, Ortega, one in which Harry is likely to lose. Ortega claims that this duel will end the war between the wizards and vampires, so Harry doesn't have much of an option but to accept. Harry has also been taken into a quest to find the Shroud of Turin, which has been stolen, at the request of his friend Father Vincent. The investigation leads him to Chicago, where demons are also trying to get the Shroud.

I don't typically find Harry Dresden to be a compelling character, and he comes off as being especially weak in this novel. The mystery involved in this story is not remotely impressive, as is the overall plot line. I found it hard to get into this novel, and there was not a whole lot to like about it. Unless you are tied into reading every Harry Dresden novel, this is one you may want to skip.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

This book is very funny, as are the other ones in the Dresden Files. It is fantasy with vampires, wizards and fairies ... but Jim Butcher writes it with a comical twist. It also takes place in the real world nowadays and not in some faraway place. I totally recommend it.

If you're waiting for the next "Dresden Files", the latest one is "Changes" (out soon). This is a reprint of a book midway through the series. They've added the "Book 5" to the title now, but too late for me, so now I've got both paperback and hardcover copies...

Jim Butcher definitely has a talent for fabricating interesting magical worlds, but just can't seem to create any interesting characters to populate it with. This book confirmed that for me. I picked up the series again because I had a good time with the role-playing game set in dresden universe. I got through the book, but just barely.

Regarding the use of this book on Kindle - it USED to be speech enabled, allowing a Kindle user to play the book in your car so you could hear it while you drove (or any other place, if you wanted to give your eyes a rest). Now, all of a sudden, it's no longer speech enabled (text-to-speech). What gives? Did the publishers suddenly change their minds? Is the support for text-to-speech disappearing from our Kindles? I bought Kindle BECAUSE it had the text-to-speech ability, and now that seems to be getting more and more useless for the books I want to buy. Horrible.

Not available for Kindle. Books before and after it in the series have been converted. Not this one. Really too bad. Won't buy the paperback, so they've missed this sale. the store/publisher, you're welcome to contact me if/when the Kindle version becomes available.