Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Side Jobs: By Jim Butcher

SIDE JOBS

SUMMARY

Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher-a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre of allies managed to close in record time. The tales range from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious. Also included is a new, never-before-published novella that takes place after the cliff-hanger ending of the new April 2010 hardcover, Changes. This is a must-have collection for every devoted Harry Dresden fan as well as a perfect introduction for readers ready to meet Chicago's only professional wizard.

REVIEW

Jim Butcher is a fantastic author. His books have repeatedly hit #1 on the NYT Bestsellers list. He has creative and in depth plots, his characters are both 3D and engaging, and his books always end in a level of suspense leaving the reader wanting more.

All in all there is very little disagreement whether Butcher is a great author.

What readers may be curious about is how well he can tell his stories through short stories and novellas. To answer that readers would need to read Butcher’s latest book Side Jobs.

Side Jobs is an collection of all of Butcher’s previous short stories as well as a brand new novella that takes place hours after the end of Changes. And while everyone may have different opinions about this book, I personally had mixed feelings.

I wanted to love it because I’ve loved almost every other book Butcher has written, but I really feel part of his magic is in the buildup in his stories. Because of this I never felt the real punch Butcher was going for in his stories. They were nice enough, and it’s always great to read more about the world of Harry Dresdan but all in all it didn’t do it for me.

Now, I could also be a little disappointed because the novella at the end that fans such as myself have been waiting months for, was not nearly the story I was looking forward to. I love reading about Murphy through Harry’s eyes but for some reason I never really felt the connection with her character as she helped Billy solve the mystery of Georgia’s disappearance.

Because of that and my natural dislike of most short stories I was unimpressed with the book but still can’t wait for the next novel, Ghost Story.

RATING
6 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: Rock Hardcovers

Published: November 2, 2010

Price: $25.95

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