Harry Dresden

''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/ mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, '' Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was published in 2000 by Roc Books.

The books are written as a first-person narrative from the perspective of private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in modern-day Chicago. Butcher's original proposed title for the first novel was ''Semiautomagic'', which sums up the series' balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction.

As of 2021, Butcher has written 17 novels set in the ''Dresden Files'' universe, as well as a number of short stories (some of which are collected in the anthologies '' Side Jobs'' and '' Brief Cases''). The series has also been released in audiobook format, narrated by James Marsters. Other works set in the same fictional universe include graphic novels (several new stories in addition to adaptations of the first two novels), and ''The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game''. In 2007, a television series based on the novels aired for one season on the American Sci-Fi Channel.

Plot summary

In the world of ''The Dresden Files'', magic is real—as well as vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, ''outsiders'' and other monsters—while the supernatural is widely discredited. Additionally, large portions of the globe (such as much of Central and South America) are largely under the control of supernatural factions. The White Council is an organization of human wizards, noted to wield significant economic power in the world, along with their supernatural power. Each species in the series (humans, faeries, vampires, etc.) has its own political and societal rules and organizations. The human wizards depend on the White Council, while faeries mostly belong to either of two Faerie Courts, or none at all (Wyldfae). Vampires belong to any of the four mentioned vampire courts. Other non-human creatures from a range of mythology make appearances.

Harry Dresden works as the world's only "consulting wizard", accepting supernatural cases from both human and nonhuman clients, as well as the Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit. As the series progresses, Dresden takes on an increasingly important role in the supernatural world at large, as he works to protect the general public, making getting by as a working wizard and private investigator difficult for him. He finds himself facing off against an increasing variety of creatures (including other wizards), while facing the realization that his various cases may all be tied together behind the scenes and that his role might be even greater than he is willing to admit.

Main characters

* Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a detective and wizard. He works as a self-employed supernatural private investigator in Chicago, dealing with paranormal crimes and consulting for the Chicago Police Department.
* Bob is a "spirit of intellect" who inhabits a skull most often perched on a shelf in Harry Dresden's secret lab. He is bound to the skull and its owner's commands. He is free to leave the skull if given permission by his owner, but he will die if exposed to significant sunlight without a host body. His usual vessel is Harry's cat, Mister, who does not seem to mind Bob's presence.
* Karrin Murphy is a Chicago Police Department officer who leads the Special Investigations (SI) division, handling cases in which something unexplainable or supernatural is involved.

Publication history

Jim Butcher decided to become a professional author at the age of 19. He wrote three novels within the fantasy genre, one of which he has classified as paranormal. He went on to describe all three books as being "terrible". In 1996 he enrolled in a writing class, where he was encouraged to write a novel similar to the '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series by Laurell K. Hamilton, rather than the more traditional high fantasy that had been his focus in the past, as Butcher had previously stated that he enjoyed the Anita Blake series. Despite initial resistance, he wrote the first book that semester, closely following the instructions of his teacher, author Deborah Chester.

The result was ''Semiautomagic'', later to be retitled as '' Storm Front''. His writing teacher declared it to be publishable, and Butcher started looking around to do just that. Butcher failed to secure a publisher for two to three years. During this period, he completed the second novel, '' Fool Moon'', and had made significant progress on the third, ''Grave Peril''. Deciding to focus on agents and editors who had already published similar novels, Butcher targeted Ricia Mainhardt, the agent representing Laurell Hamilton, and submitted a copy of his manuscript. It was not accepted. Finally, Butcher met Hamilton at a convention, and was invited to lunch along with Mainhardt and a second agent, Jennifer Jackson. Mainhardt agreed to represent him, and six months later ''The Dresden Files'' was sold to ROC, an imprint of Penguin Books

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