Growing up I cut my literary teeth on a mixed diet of high fantasy, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, swords & sorcery, and science-fiction topped off with a garnish of hardboiled detective fiction in the shape of such classics as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon (which I couldn't follow, but still enjoyed).In later years this hardboiled sweet-tooth paved the way for James Ellroy's 1950s tales of corrupt policemen and brutal murders (White Jazz, The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential) and Charles Bukowski's down-and-dirty stories of life on the street.
I list this pedigree as an illustration of why I was surprised that I hadn't encountered Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden any sooner - as he seems to tick all the boxes. And to top it off Jim Butcher sounds like a neat kinda guy: he's a role-player and comic book fan who lists fencing as a hobby (I used to fence, but have, sadly, had to give it up because of my illness). A fellow geek!
Storm Front is clearly an example of a writer still learning his craft, but for the few rough edges, the multiple plots (double homicide by black magic, supernatural drug dealers and a missing person) all converge into a fantastic, visual climax when Harry fronts off against the Big Bad.
It's also a compelling read - you really want to know what's going to happen next - and an easy one to boot; no long rambling complex sentences or pretentious pontificating for Jim Butcher, but genuine Chandleresque punchiness.
This is pure pulp fiction - with all the right ingredients; an urban fantasy with a disheveled hero who happens to be the 'best at what he does' but it doesn't always work out for the best. Along the way Harry has problems with women and regularly gets a beating from multiple bad guys, monsters and goons, his apartment and car get thrashed, but he always comes through in the end.
Storm Front was an enjoyable read that made me hungry for more insight into Harry's world. So I have already jumped ahead in the series to book five - Death Masks - as this is a fan favourite and will report back when I've finished that.
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