Storm Front by Jim Butcher

I just read Storm Front by Jim Butcher. One of my library regulars asked me to read the book and I read it without expecting much. It was great. It reads like an old hardboiled detective novel with some wizards and magics. And because of the "film noire" aspect of it, it doesn't have the old standys in most urban fantasy. No descriptions of clothing that go on for pages and pages - stuff like that. Harry Dresden is just this old crusty guy who happens to be a wizard.

There were some people complaining about the chauvanism and sexism in the book. I just didn't get that vibe. I dunno why people thought that this was more offensive than Twilight . I actually lost my temper reading that book a few times. I guess it's OK to have a weak female character if she's the main character?

I thought the sexism in this book was a "Harry Dresden" thing. He seemed so clueless about women and the sexism was just part of that. I thought we were seeing women through his eyes and that's what he saw. And I've met a lot of Harry Dresden type guys. Like him or not, he's a very real person.

Harry Dresden is a great character. He's a total loser. He can't get a date and knows almost nothing about women. He has no money, lives in squalor and can't even work basic electrical appliances without them going wonky. But he's really good at being a wizard. I get tired of reading books where the wizards are just super powerful and amazing at everything. Harry is powerful with magic, but kind of pathetic otherwise. It makes him more real than other wizards I've run across.

I love Harry Dresden. Hell's bells!