A great story & brilliantly narrated

I confess that I am a great fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden series and was very much looking forward to hearing the audio version. Well, I am delighted to say that I was not disappointed - quite the reverse.

James Marsters (who played Spike in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is a superb narrator. He perfectly captures Jim Butcher's quirky, almost conversational style; he brings Harry Dresden himself brilliantly to life, as well as drawing the other characters with great aplomb; and he keeps the momentum rolling along without let-up. Great stuff.

As for the book itself, I think it is a model on how to write the first of a sci-fantasy series: it perfectly balances the need for thrills and spills, humour, human interest, goodies and baddies with developing the magical background and back-plot. The series improves with every book so I very much hope that Audible get the rest of the series after the first four, all of which are available on the US audible website.

Strongly recommended.

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60 people found this helpful

High highs and low lows

Overall a pretty enjoyable experience. What the book gets right, it's great. But where it falters it does fall flat on its face. The mystery, magic, and world building is excellent, perfectly filling a fantasy noir checkbox. The action scenes are handled evocatively, and even though the magic system is quite soft in a sense, Sanderson's first law is quite strictly upheld throughout.
While not exactly unique, the take on magic is still refreshingly familiar with its own twist. I was personally rather fond of the interpretation of vampires.
The narrator is quite enjoyable as well, being versatile enough to emote as different characters

On the other hand, there are some questionable choices made which began grating on me after a while. Firstly, there is some questionable writing of women. There are numerous female characters, and they are all in some form or another sexualised by the manner in which they are described. Male characters are not subjected to this same uniformity.
In addition, the theme of sex and lust in general is quite pervasive throughout the book, to a slightly excessive degree. The main character often internally comments on his "hormones", and a lot of the plot heavily lust which made me a little uncomfortable, not being aware of this aspect going in.
While the performance of the narrator was quite good, perhaps a bit inconsistent at times, but still easily followed, the audio work could use some work. His lip smacking was very apparent, and one could often hear the rustling of paper or the creaking of a stool in the background.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience, though I certainly would have liked it a lot more if I had been prepared for the abundance of sexuality. I will soon purchase the next book in the series.

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Great

it's an amazingly written story and I can't wait to continue the series, I can't recommend it enough

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Just the right sarcasm

Brilliant from the first paragraph to the end I laughed and got some strange looks along the way

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great story, well narrated. badly edited

someone to got to do the editing in the first past the book as it constantly brakes and repeats itself which is a shame. but I didn't ruin my enjoyment of this book which was exactly what I needed.

I've seen some comments of other reviewers referring to to sexisism, but honestly I didn't see it. he was a gentleman, and although he may be guilty of using some stereotypes that's hardly a unique flaw.

unfortunately the world is now encouraging these overly politically correct people that want to live in a world where everybody is touchy-feely super sensitive and special. I expect most of these people live boring uneventful lives and need something to complain about

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Great performance...

I've never really been a fan of book written in the first person, so this book did take some getting use to on my behalf. However, now that I've first this book I've already brought the second book in the series as the story is really interesting.

Above all, James Marsters, did a fantastic job at narrating keeping me hooked until the very end.

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A Gripping Start To A Series - I Can't Wait To Rea

Jim Butcher is a new-to-me author that I have heard lots about, with many friends recommending the series. I am glad that I finally got around to downloading this book. I also upgraded to the narration version too and alternated between reading my Kindle and listening to James Marston's narration.

I really enjoyed this story; it was a good balance of mystery, thriller, crime, detective, horror and raw emotion but with a dry humour running throughout that kept it from being too heavy. I loved James Marston's performance and felt it did the book justice.

I will definitely be adding the rest of the books in this series to my wish list.

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good read

fantastic book page turner you will not regret buying it xxxxxx xxxx xxx. 2 words

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A great start to prepare you for the Dresden Files

James Marsters is a wonderful narrator, putting emotion into his voice were it was needed and when it came to descriptive parts he kept me engaged rather than me zoning in and out.

Jim butcher is an amazing writer, flawlessly writing in a way that keeps the readers eyes on the ball. The Dresden Files is done in such a way that you dont need to be an expert in certain fields to understand, if a part comes up that may need some explaining you can bet that Mr Butcher has you covered so you dont get lost in the mysticism.

Thoroughly enjoyed the hard copies and thought I would give the audible a go so I can enjoy the storyline all over again whilst I can get things done.

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Unexpectedly superb

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, and have done so. This book for me came after the tv series and I'm always wary of reading after watching something. I ordered it on a whim and was really glad I did. The story builds slowly and of course the content of the books is so much richer than on screen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Storm Front?

The interview and date that turns into a catastrophe

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I like to drive to work to a good book so I actually want them to last as I enjoy my journey that way.

Any additional comments?

I was wary of James Marsters voice before I listened to the story, but actually after just one chapter you will find he really "gets" Harry's demeanor perfectly. He's definitely the right choice for these stories.

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