Summer Knight
Ratings429
Average rating4
Gave up at 37%.
I was so disappointed reading this after the great 3rd book. It was just ... messy and boring at the same time. Maybe I'll try the 5th book sometime. Maybe not. It has no priority right now at least.
Felt like it took a bit for this one to get rolling after the last-book-induced moping. It ended up being an interesting enough little detective story, though for some reason I couldn't keep any of the faerie characters straight.
I love the setting, I do not love the main character and the tone of the writing. But I am curious about the world so I will read more.
Why did this took me so long to read, I will never know.
Yet another great, fast-paced entry in this lovely series.
The plot thickened and the cast expanded. I really liked where the story went and the things we learned.
I do wish the author had spend a bit more time on the outcome of the story, but other than that I had a great time.
Can't wait to get to the next book in the series!
P.S.: I really love the werewolves and am happy Butcher kept them in the roster!
This Dresden book did not click with me. It has all the witty banter and passable action that you would expect from our favorite urban fantasy miscreant, but the story was not as cohesive and exciting as I expected.
// Dresden is on the hunt for work to pay his bills when he gets embroiled with a faerie who wants him to complete three favors. Her name is Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness and Monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe. Along the way, he meets with friends of the past as they try to solve a power struggle within the courts. //
My main problem with the book was the way in which it just meanders through. You meet a character that's in trouble, Dresden initially does not want to help or does not have the means to, but accepts it nonetheless. Rinse and repeat. The scene setups were not all that intriguing and when Dresden does go out to do investigative work, it was a bit too similar to past novels. There is quite a bit of info dumps that had me scratching my head as well. Maybe it's the faire factor that just doesn't do it for me. I'm just not sure. Some of the jokes landed and made me laugh, and there were some truly touching parts with Murphy. Apart from that, I believe this is my least favorite. One and two were excellent, three was adequate, and this one just falls a bit short. I'm still intrigued by the series and plan to continue reading.
// “It's a rational sort of fear that puts a lawn chair down in the front of your thoughts and brings a cooler of drinks along with it.” //
──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── Other books in the series ──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗──
Storm Front –⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fool Moon - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Grave Peril - ⭐⭐⭐
// “For me chivalry isn't dead; it's an involuntary reflex.”//
──∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗── Extra
This 4th book in The Dresden Files is the best one to date. As usual, Harry Dresden is in the middle of a mess that is far bigger than him, but into which he is intimately embroiled. At risk: Not only his own life (which is forfeit from any number of directions), but also the balance of the entire realm of Fairy. Billy and the Wolf Gang are there to help along with a number of other, new, friends.
With every book I read in this series, I find myself more and more glad I got it started! Definitely worth the time. These books are fast and fun, very creative and impossible to put down.
Wow, it was kind of boring in the beginning, but it did get moving at the end.
Oh yeah, this fourth book in the Dresden Files series is my favorite so far. Yes, Harry and the writing were still annoying to me in many of the ways I found annoying in the first three, but the fantastical world-building, plot and characters were much stronger than the first three books and overall I really liked it.
Hallo? Wat? Een boek met zowaar een plot dat niet zomaar een opeenvolging van korte toneeltjes is? Een niet dramatisch slecht geschreven boek? Met slechts 17 keer “Hell's Bells” erin?
Ik had al bij de eerste zin het gevoel dat het iets anders was van kwaliteit:
It rained toads the day the White Council came to town.
Het begon ook met zeer veel vaart, en het bleef maar voortdenderen. In boek drie is er een conflict tussen rode vampieren (don't ask, er zijn er ook witte en zwarte) en tovenaars, en ze proberen het allemaal op Harry Dresden te steken. Cue een proces waar hij zichzelf moet verdedigen: ik vond dat niet eens verkeerd gedaan.
En OK, er blijven dingen die dom zijn. Iemand wordt vermoord, en zijn naam is Ronald Reuel. Ah ha ha,
...dubbel irritant als hij een poging tot referentie doet.Ronalds appartement omschrijft Butcher alsdus:
What I could see of the apartment could have been imported from 429-B Baker Street. Dark woods, fancy scrollwork, and patterns of cloth busier than the makeup girl at a Kiss concert filled every available inch of space with Victorian splendor.
The third was the brawny, homely young woman with the muddy green hair and heavy brow. She had on a pair of jeans tight enough to show the muscles in her thighs and a khaki blouse.
Elaine may have been slender, but she had too much muscle to be light. She'd always had the build of a long-distance runner, long and lean and strong.
The perfection of her form was complemented by features of feminine loveliness
I had trouble enjoying this one as much as the first few books. It was the one I put down the most. That being said, I believe this one had some of the biggest stakes and pay off. I love the White Council, the Faeries, the Knights of the Cross, the Summer and Winter Knights. I love the story, the twists, everything.Still a 5 star book.
It's been quite a while since I last read a Dresden book and I was concerned that I was re-reading the last one I had read. But no, this was new to me.
I enjoyed it but kind of lost track of some of the characters.
This is actually common for me.
In real life, I forget peoples names almost as soon as I hear them.
So for me, there were too many named entities in the book.
Also, even though I have lived near Chicago for well over 30 years, I had never heard of the Chicago Pedway.
Something new to explore someday.
Wow what a thrill ride! Butcher just keeps cranking out the hits for Harry Dresden. Check out my more detailed review here https://youtu.be/iTH2SWxh9xg
I don't know if it's just me, but I think the stories in this series are starting to follow a kind of rote fill-in-the-blank kind of structure.
We begin: Dresden, [explain how he's a wizard/detective/wizardetective] whose life is a mess [insert comments about coke cans and stale pizza and Mister], is presented with a crappy case [insert blase description of supernatural thing here]. Dresden is not prepared for this [insert how he's sick, tired, meh], and now he's screwed unless he [insert supernatural deadly stakes here].
[insert Mandatory Murphy Time]
[insert deadly person with great boobs, described at length]
[insert some kind of sidekick to be a foil for Dresden]
[insert an existential crisis for Dresden putting people in danger. He does it anyway]
[insert Dresden reaching his limits and finding inner reserves over and over again]
[insert it's all cool back at home scene at the end. Cue Mister.]
While still not heavily invested in Dresden and his adventures I'm still finding the series enjoyable enough to continue on. There's something about adult books about faeries though that bore me. The endless back and forth negotiations maybe? There's just too much thought involved in a single conversation so it feels like a minute takes an hour.
A fun book with lots of action and more scenes with the White Council. More of Harry's past comes to light and the Alphas make a comeback ^_^
This isn't my favorite UF series, but it is fun and enjoyable to read while also bringing new perspectives to the table for me. I think what makes this more difficult to read is the way in which women are portrayed or described. I still can't quite put my finger on what it is that irks me, but I'll figure it out more eventually. It doesn't help that Harry even called himself chauvinistic.
I amost wanted to give up on summer knight. I lost interest after marathon reading the Dresden files. I also forgot things about this series after the long break. The tor re-read blog posts helped a lot. I think that I'm more a fan of the undead , ghouls and shifters than the Fae in this series.
The burn out and not loving the Fae as much resulted in a 3 star rating. A highlight is the stronger bond between Harry and Murphy
I have to admit that I am a bit biased when it comes to this addition to the Dresden Files series, as I am a huge fan of stories about the fae. Combine the ethereally scary realm of faerie with Harry Dresden's charm and humour and I couldn't help but love this addition to the series. Fast paced from the first page to the last with almost non-stop action, Dresden's trademark humour and just about every fantasy character you can imagine shoved into a tight knit story and I just can't think of anything bad to say except that I wished it had lasted a bit longer.
Short Review: Summer seems designed for paranormal mystery series. This fourth book comes about six months after the last. Dresden is a mess. He hasn't been making any money because he is searching for a way to cure his (now ex) fiance so she doesn't become a vampire. He is wracked with guilt because she gave herself to save him. And the Red Council (the vampires) are pissed because Dresden stopped their plans in the last book.
So now the Red Council has declared war on the White Council (the wizards). And the White council leadership is inclined to throw Dresden to them to keep piece. And the Winter Queen (a fairy) has forced Dresden to solve the murder of the Summer Knight (a human that serves the Summer Queen Fairy). So either the vampires will get him, or the fairies will kill him if he doesn't solve the crime, or the White Council will sack him. Oh, and an assassin is after him as well.
I have been reading these books at a pace of about one a year and they are quite enjoyable. Not sure why I am reading them so slow.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/summer-knight-jim-butcher-dresden-files-4/