It’s long overdue, but my review is finally here of Jim Butcher’s “Skin Game”, book 15 of the Harry Dresden Files.
The review in one sentence: Damn, I have got to go back and read the whole thing again.
“Skin Game” opens with Dresden, now the Winter Knight, training alone on the island of Demonreach, in the middle of Lake Michigan. Harry is putting himself through physical trials to keep himself in great shape, all while acting as warden of the supernatural prisoners trapped on the island. Meanwhile, there is something of a parasite inside of his brain, a force of magic that might just kill him in a matter of days.
Dresden is called on by the Faerie Queen, Mab, who announces that she has a job he is to perform. Unfortunately for Dresden, the job isn’t something as simple as a hit or retrieval of some magical artifact. Instead, Mab is loaning him out. Harry’s on the hook to assist Nicodemus Archleone, a Knight of the Blackened Denarius, holder of one of the 30 coins that houses an archangel. Nicodemus wants to complete a heist, and he’s assembling a team to do it. Why Harry? Because the Winter Knight is needed to overcome one of the obstacles on the way into the vault.
The target isn’t just any vault, but a vault in the Underworld…one owned by Hades himself.
Nicodemus gathers his team, including his daughter, the demon named Dierdre, a summoner known as Binder who could call an army of supernatural troops in an instant, and his partner Hannah Ascher, a wizard as talented with fire as Harry is with ice. The extended cast includes Anna Valmont, the safecracker, a shapeshifter named Goodman Grey, Harry’s ex-cop buddy Karrin Murphy, and a mystery guest that eats a couple of goats each day for show.
The partnership isn’t just tentative, it’s downright poisonous. Each of the players knows that betrayal is coming. The question is when. Will Harry survive the double cross? What about the mission itself? The journey to the Underworld is going to be treacherous, and it will require sacrifice. Will the Winter Knight survive his journey, and outsmart the bad guys? It’s going to take more than just wits and a few spells to make it out of this one.
“Skin Game” is book fifteen in the Dresden Files (fear not, Butcher has 20 listed already on his site). At this point, he’s primarily writing to fans of the series, and the story works best for those already familiar with the events that have transpired so far. (In other words, this one is fantastic, but don’t start here. Work your way here from the beginning, Book One (“Storm Front”)). Those familiar with the series will love the (once again) sleight of hand that Butcher uses to unravel events. A talented author enjoys putting his character through challenges, and Butcher is simply the best at torturing his hero. Dresden fans will find themselves cheering out loud for the man, while trying to predict the double cross before it goes down.
To learn more about the Dresden Files and all of Butcher’s works, check out Butcher’s site.
