The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

L. Frank Baum

Kindle Book

In a terrifying instant of darkness, a tornado snatches up Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto, whirling them on the wild wind out of Kansas and straight to Oz. 
In this wondrous world of sorcery and danger, Munchkins, flying monkeys, talking mice and fighting trees, all Dorothy wants to do is go home...

Together with the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin Man who wants a heart, and the Cowardly Lion who wants courage, Dorothy and Toto must follow the Yellow Brick Road to find the Wizard of the Emerald City. But before the wizard of Oz will grant their wishes, Dorothy and her friends must do the impossible--Destroy the all-powerful Wicked Witch of the West... 

Everyone knows the story of the wizard of Oz – Kanas and the tornado, Dorothy & Toto wanting to go home, Scarecrow looking for a brain, Tin Man wanting a heart and a cowardly lion needing courage plus a couple of wicked witches, flying monkeys and the wonderful wizard himself. It’s been made famous by several films – the most famous being the Judy Garland one, had a hit musical Wicked and a glorious 3D adventure earlier this year with Oz The Great and Powerful, but with all this going on I realised I hadn’t read the original story itself. Oh, I thought I knew it but in my ongoing attempt to squeeze some classics into my reading schedule , this seemed like a nice ‘light’ classic for kids that I could pick up on holiday. While it is certainly an easy read aimed at children I found myself completely enthralled in Dorothy and her companion’s adventures while delighting in this world that the films I’ve seen have barely touched upon.

 I really enjoyed Dorothy’s friends exploits on their adventures that aren’t frequently covered on screen or stage with the Scarecrow thinking their way out of various problems while still lamenting his lack of a brain, the Tin Man saving various creatures while wishing he could feel more while the lion protects the group from various dangers while still feeling scared. All are smarter, more caring and braver than the film has ever portrayed them and really made me warm to them. I loved some of their escapades that aren’t well known including being chased by Kalidah – huge monsters crossed between a tiger and a bear and the background to the flying monkeys. The world is much more complicated than it first appeared and I felt like it was a real metaphor for life. Dorothy didn’t develop too much character apart from being a ‘good girl’ – and at one point she wanted to steal a china princess to take home with home her! Still she is more like our guide than a real person and it never bothered me too much.

This is a fun read which doesn’t disappoint if you love the films and world from other media. It is still surprising and fun with lots of pleasant twists on characters you think you already know. L. Frank Baum wrote a wide selection of other stories about Oz and I certainly plan to pick up a couple more and explore this wonderful world in more detail. 

Recommended for fans of Rudyard Kipling and Gregory Maguire. 8 out of 10

Audio Review: Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2)

Fool Moon (Dresden Files #2)

Written By Jim Butcher

Narrated by James Masters

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work—magical ormundane. But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses;and the first two don't count...

It’s been a while since I listened to an audible book as I haven’t been able to concentrate on listening to anything – I have a terrible habit of drifting off into my own thoughts and not actually listening to the story. So in order to try and get back into the habit, I decided to try the second Dresden Files book as I love the series and have read the book before so it wouldn’t be too difficult to focus on the story. Plus it’s read by James Masters who I have adored since his Buffy days!

James Masters manages to bring to life Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only wizard and his trials and tribulations. It’s helped by the first person narrative, but mostly I think James just manages to capture the voice of a world weary, trying his best wizard who has the weight of Chicago on his shoulders. Harry is an old fashion guy – always protective of women and trying his best to do right and protect as many people as possible including his police friend Lt Murphy, who is in a lot of political trouble for assisting Harry in the past. Added to which the supernatural world doesn’t take kindly to mortals learning too much about them.

That’s not to say that this is perfect. Actually, Fool Moon is one of the weaker stories in the series with an awful lot of info dumping near the beginning – included a long explanation of several different types of werewolves. This is interesting as it adds a lot of colour and texture to the traditional werewolf myth in Harry’s world, but seems a little unbelievable that Harry ends up coming across every type of wolf in the next twenty-four hours! Harry’s relationships with Murphy and Susan are not particularly deep, but nonetheless there is a spark with each of them that could lead to something meaningful.

There is plenty of action with Harry literally being thrown to the wolves on multiply occasions. The mix of magic and physical fighting is well balanced and if some of the motives behind the actions are a little weak then the pacing and amusingly wry observations by Harry more than make up for it. As with Storm Front, this is a Harry Dresden that is still finding his place in the world but all the basic ingredients for one of my favourite Urban Fantasy series are there. They just need a little more seasoning and more mixing.

Recommended for fans of Ben Aaronovitch and Patricia Briggs. 8 out of 10

Taken (Alex Verus #3) Review

Taken (Alex Verus #3)

Benedict Jacka

Publisher: Orbit

Welcome to Fountain Reach. Ancient seat of the Aubuchon dynasty. Majestic setting of the White Stone tournament. 
Alex Verus' (not necessarily reliable) reputation attracts all sorts. Most are plain bonkers. Yet there's one invitation he just can't refuse. At Fountain Reach, Alex is perfectly placed among the noted and notorious to figure out why apprentices have been vanishing. But the tournament is a minefield of ancient grudges and new threats and Alex can't afford to miss a trick as his elusive adversary stays one step ahead in this most dangerous of games...

This series is starting to growing on me. I have got my head around Alex Verus gift – as a diviner he can see the future – but only in the short term if a decision is made and only if he is focusing on it. Otherwise he can be surprised as much as anyone else. With Luna now officially his apprentice and the change this has brought to their relationship, Alex is much more involved in the world of wizards and the Light Council affairs. So when apprentices start to go missing, Alex is asked to investigate.

Alex has been slowly gathering his own ‘scooby’ gang of friends and acquaintances who also become involved in his adventures and these characters are fascinating; Luna with her unique curse, Sonder and his book-learning, Arachne and her tailor skills. This time round we are introduced to two other apprentices – Anne and Viriam who are just as appealing and different. I love the different relationships Alex has with each of them and they have with each other. It really fleshes out the world and anchors Alex. Alex himself is still a bit of a mystery. He had a tough upbringing and doesn’t trust easily. He protects his own fiercely – whether that’s his life or his friends and doesn’t hide from conflict – but prefers to be sneaky as it gives him an edge. I think that element alone makes him fairly unique in protagonists. He has no ‘honour’ as such. That doesn’t mean that him won’t stand up for himself, but he will try to do everything to give himself the advantage.

The investigation and action are neatly intertwined and the plot pacey. The pages were easily swallowed up as I became engrossed in the story. The writing has become smoother and the plotting more natural as the series as progressed (It wasn’t bad before but you can tell this is an author relaxing into his craft and evolving). The magic system is one I like especially the changes in how Luna can control and manipulate her curse now.

There is one thing that bugs me slightly – some of the bad guys always manage to escape at the end which makes it feel like there are a lot of loose endings. I can understand the reluctance to kill of an intrigue foe but after three books in the series, it seems a little repetitive – like always playing the same attack in a game of chess. However, overall this is series is evolving and I look forward to the next instalment – I’ve even pre-ordered it from Amazon already!

Recommended for fans of Suzanne Johnson and Ben Aaronovitch. 7.75 out of 10

Dark Alchemy Review

Dark Alchemy

Edited by Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Throughout the ages, the wizard has claimed a spot in human culture-from the shadowy spiritual leaders of early man to precocious characters in blockbuster films. Gone are the cartoon images of wizened gray-haired men in pointy caps creating magic with a wave of their wands. Today's wizards are more subtle in their powers, more discerning in their ways, and-in the hands of modern fantasists-more likely than ever to capture readers' imaginations. 
In Neil Gaiman's "The Witch's Headstone," a piece taken from his much-anticipated novel in progress, an eight-year-old boy learns the power of kindness from a long-dead sorceress. Only one woman possesses two kinds of magic-enough to unite two kingdoms-in Garth Nix's "Holly and Iron." Patricia A. McKillip's "Naming Day" gives a sorcery student a lesson in breaking the rules. And a famished dove spins a tale worthy of a meal, but perhaps not the truth, in "A Fowl Tale" by Eoin Colfer.

This is anthology with a lot of top fantasy writers contributing stories and like many anthologies, it’s only as strong as its weakest story. For some reason the theme of wizards and magic didn’t grab me – I only started reading the book when I finished a book sooner than expected and needed something to read on the way home. Unfortunately that lack of need to read all the stories meant it took me a few weeks to finish this and there was some spark missing to make this a top notch anthology.

Only a few of the stories stick in my mind – The Ruby Incomparable by Kage Baker which follows the life of a girl who learns magic but fails to connect to her mother. The emotional heart of that story was about more than the magic and the lovely ending lingers in my mind. I also really enjoyed Tad Williams’ The Stranger’s Hands which tells the story of two vagabonds who bring with them some unusual gifts when they arrive in a new area. This was an easy read, which surprised me as I struggled with the one Tad Williams book I’ve read before and makes me wonder if I should give him another chance. The Neil Gaiman story was warm and focuses on friendships – but was one of the chapters in The Graveyard Book which I read previously.

The other stories aren’t bad – but they just aren’t particularly memorable and cover a number of different wizards stories – some set in the modern time and some in fantasy worlds but in each occasion the use magic changes the world: sometimes for one person and sometimes the whole world. This was an entertaining enough read but not a book to move to the top of the TBR pile.

Recommended for fans of David Eddings and Terry Brooks. 6.5 out of 10

The Song of the Quarkbeast Review

The Song of the Quarkbeast (Last Dragonslayer #2)

- Jasper Fforde

Publisher: Hodder

As the background Wizidrical Power slowly builds after the Big Magic, King Snodd IV of Hereford realises the man who controls Magic controls almost anything. But one person stands between him and his plans for power and riches: Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam. It may involve a trip on a magic carpet at the speed of sound to the Troll Wall, it may involve a second Quarkbeast sniffing around town. It might also involve the mysterious Transient Moose, and a powerless sorceress named Once Magnificent Boo. But one thing is certain: Jennifer Strange and her faithful assistant Tiger Prawns will not relinquish the noble powers of magic to big business and commerce without a fight.

This is the second visit to the weird and wonderful world of Jennifer Strange, foundling and acting manager of Kazam, a magic agency which delivers pizza via flying carpet and finds lost objects through spells. Once again Jennifer has a lot on her plate – King Snodd of Hereford wants a competition between Kazam and their magical rivals iMagic to see who will Court Magician. The twin of Jennifer’s Quarkbeast is being hunted around town and the future of magic could be at stake. So like any other day really.

I love that so much of the joy of this series is from acting sensibly in a ridiculous world. Jennifer and her fellow foundling ‘Tiger’ Prawns are the only sensible people who behave in a way we would find normal – and this makes them geniuses – or close to it. There is a lot of fun from the silly situations such as the mysterious X’s outing to the zoo to the transient Moose’s appearances around the hotel. The plot is simpler than The Last Dragonslayer, but fast paced and never less than interesting.

Jasper Fforde has one of the most fascinating comic writers – he seems to be able to take some as simple as building a bridge and base so much plot and intriguing plot elements on it to make it the most interesting story. Some elements are laugh out loud funny, while others are wry smiles, but either way you are left entertained and wanting more amusing adventures!

Recommended for fans for of Robert Rankin and Amanda Ashby. 8 out of 10

Fated Review

Fated (Alex Verus #1)

-          Benedict Jacka

Publisher: Orbit

Alex Verus is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London. And while Alex's own powers aren't as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future--allowing him to pull off operations that have a million-to-one-chance of success. But when Alex is approached by multiple factions to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever's inside must be beyond powerful. And thanks to his abilities, Alex can predict that by taking the job, his odds of survival are about to go from slim to none

A new urban fantasy set in London that is similar to the Dresden Files? How was I going to resist that? I am unashamedly biased towards my home town and any stories set there give me a little shiver of pleasure and pride – especially when the details are done right.

Upon meeting Alex Verus for the first time, we find a relatively isolated mage living in Camden who happens to be able to divine multiply future probabilities and learn from them. After some trouble in his past, he keeps mostly to himself and tries not to get involved in the magical community too much. That is until several parties want to use his gifts in order to retrieve a rare item and his almost-apprentice brings him a special type of magical object…suddenly Alex is a very popular man and it might just get him killed.

This is the first in a new series and there is a lot of world building as Alex introduces us to his world. The beginning of the book especially has a lot of ‘to a mages eyes the world looks different’ phrases that can throw you out of the story as you are being told rather than shown the differences. However, this soon settles down and we really get to see the world. Alex’s gift for divining the future is a little erratic – it only works when he concentrates on it so he can be surprised – and would make for a dull book otherwise! While I liked Alex I never really felt like I got to know him particularly well. Some of the smaller characters really stood out – I loved Luna and her curse makes live very interesting while Archane makes me almost like spiders again. In later books I would love for Alex to let his guard down a bit more and relax so we can get to know him better.

The story is pretty quick with plenty of different scenes and some really interesting concepts – the dream walking and labyrinth in the relic are wonderfully described – I almost felt like I watching a film at time. They had very cinematic aspects to them and I can’t help thinking Alex Verus would make a wonderful movie hero – similar to Nicholas Cage in National Treasure! Overall, this is a decent to a new series – and like some of my favourite series has a lot of potential. Both the Dresden Files and Kate Daniels books weren’t strong starts to the series but rough cuts to what have become must-buy books. I think this has the same sort of potential and I will be looking forward to the next book in the series, Cursed which is currently sitting on my TBR pile…

Recommended for fans of the Dresden Files and Ilona Andrews. 7 out of 10

Side Jobs Review (Dresden Files)

Side Jobs (Dresden Files Anthology)

- Jim Butcher

Publisher: Orbit

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. 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..

This is an anthology of some of Harry Dresden’s side adventures taking place in between the usual adventures. Harry is Chicago’s only Wizard in the phone book, using his magic to investigate and keep his city safe from the monsters in the shadows. For those who aren’t following his story – I really, really urge you to do so as this is one of the most consistently good and frequently excellent UF series out there. The first couple of books really set the scene, but after the end of the third book the major plot arcs are in place for one hell of a wild ride. Like one of my other favourite series, Kate Daniels this is a series that really matures and grows.

As this is an anthology, there are some great tasters of the kind of trouble Harry frequently finds himself in, and I think most of these can be read without having read the rest of series. However, you do get so much more from the stories if you are following the series – from seeing Billy and Georgina’s wedding, getting to know Mac better and seeing what Thomas gets up to when he isn’t helping Harry out. I have read most of these stories before in other anthologies (I like reading anthologies when I can’t focus for a long time!) so this was like falling back into a comfy sofa with a mug of cocoa – warm, soft and cosy. There were a couple that I haven’t read before and I think they stick in mind more as they were brand new to me. The first story – A Restoration of Faith recounted the first meeting between Dresden and his police contact Karrin Murphy. While it isn’t as sophisticated as some of the later stories, it seems to fit perfectly who Harry was at the start of the series and the core elements of Dresden and Murphy are still recognisable. Comparing this against Love Hurts, one of the latter stories where their relationship has deepened changed makes you really feel for them both. In many ways Dresden’s worse enemy is himself and his conscience.

There is a brand new story set just hours after the end of Changes, Aftermath which focuses on Murphy. This is the story that I really bought the book for and I loved seeing Chicago through Murphy’s eyes – and meeting ‘Will’ again. It really is a big teaser for the latest book Ghost Story – but I don’t want to give anything away for those who haven’t read Changes so I have to keep shum. But it is great! As I said at the beginning if you want an Urban Fantasy series with plenty of investigation and action, light on the romance side (but still there occasionally!) then this is the series for you.

Recommended for fans of James R Tuck and Kelley Armstrong. 9 out of 10

Audiobook Review: Storm Front

Storm Front (Dresden Files 1)

Written by Jim Butcher

Read by James Masters

My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under Wizards. Believe it or not, I'm the only one there.
With rent past due and a decent meal becoming an issue of some importance, Harry needs work, and soon. A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters to vampires, while he himself is under suspicion of the crimes. One thing is certain, if he can't stop whoever is on this killing spree, Harry will be the next victim.

In the interest of full disclosure I have read all the Dresden files books previously and think these books are one of the strongest Urban Fantasy series available. However, I have always thought Storm Front wasn’t one of the strongest books in the series – just a good starting point. So when I decided to trial Audible Storm Front is the first book I wanted to listen to, mostly because it is read by James Masters who I have loved ever since he rocked into Sunnydale early in season two of Buffy.

Harry Dresden is an openly practising wizard in Chicago (you can find him in the book) who occasionally consults of the police for those cases of a ‘different’ nature. When he is called to a murder scene, he discovers a couple who have been murdered by a black wizard and has now set their sight on Harry. Harry is a lonely figure with few friends in this book and a lack of social life and the sword of Damocles handing over his head. As a result it is a little difficult to warm to him, but as the story is told in first person we can see the heart behind the quick quips.

Personally I think this particular story works much better in audio than it does in written word, James Masters captures Dresden’s world weariness and cynical perfectly – and this does give more depth to the story. A large proportion of the story is Dresden running around being beaten up or going up against various supernatural threats. Butcher’s take on vampires is scary and different with Madam Bianca coming across as a frightening vamp – in more than one way! The action is swift and exciting, while the magic system is interesting – with plenty more left to explore.

Overall this is a decent start to a great series – brilliantly read by a great narrator. The story is probably only a worth a 7 but I had to add an extra point for the narration!

Recommended for fans of Kevin Hearne and Kate Griffin. 8 out of 10.

Moon Over Soho Review

Moon Over Soho (Peter Grant 2)

-       Ben Aaronovitch

Publisher: UK – Gollancz

BODY AND SOUL

The song. That’s what London constable and sorcerer’s apprentice Peter Grant first notices when he examines the corpse of Cyrus Wilkins, part-time jazz drummer and full-time accountant, who dropped dead of a heart attack while playing a gig at Soho’s 606 Club. The notes of the old jazz standard are rising from the body—a sure sign that something about the man’s death was not at all natural but instead supernatural.
Body and soul—they’re also what Peter will risk as he investigates a pattern of similar deaths in and around Soho. With the help of his superior officer, Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, the last registered wizard in England, and the assistance of beautiful jazz aficionado Simone Fitzwilliam, Peter will uncover a deadly magical menace—one that leads right to his own doorstep and to the squandered promise of a young jazz musician: a talented trumpet player named Richard “Lord” Grant—otherwise known as Peter’s dear old dad

PC Peter Grant, trainee wizard is back, this time investigating the mysterious deaths of Jazz musicians in Soho. Peter is a typical twenties lad – interested in football, women and doing his job – in fact despite his magical abilities Peter is refreshing ordinary and as has been pointed out to him, not actually very good at police work. He is however keen to make magical measurable someway and his experiments and practise session give the world a solid grounding. No-one is suddenly brilliant at anything but the skills come with practise and familiarity.

A lot of police is dull paper work and while that comes across, it is also told with a dry wit that could give Stephen Fry a run for his money. Peter is very self-deprecating and normal but has a delicious talent for taking everyday observations and making them seem ridiculous. I love his voice and his lack of thoughts about the wider world. Leslie and even his boss, are not as big a presence in this book after the events of Rivers of London, but I enjoyed the freedom this gave Peter.

The writing is easy to follow and obviously written by someone who loves London and knows it well – I could follow the chase scenes vividly with my own knowledge. I was intrigued to learn something of London’s Jazz culture – something I’m not familiar with myself and I’m sure the attacks on men by the ‘Pale lady’ will have more than one man crossing his legs uncomfortably. There are enough chases and attacks to keep most action hunger satisfied while not all threads are wrapped up neatly, leaving the Folly with some very intriguing and dangerous enemies out there. I personally can’t wait until the next books, Whispers Under Ground comes out!

Recommended for fans of Jim Butcher and Neil Gaimen. 9 out of 10.

Early Review: Royal Streets

Royal Streets (Sentinels of New Orleans 1)

-          Suzanne Johnson

Publisher: Tor- Published on 10^th April 2012

E-Arc Courtesy of netgalley and Tor

As the junior wizard sentinel for New Orleans, Drusilla Jaco’s job involves a lot more potion-mixing and pixie-retrieval than sniffing out supernatural bad guys like rogue vampires and lethal were-creatures. DJ's boss and mentor, Gerald St. Simon, is the wizard tasked with protecting the city from anyone or anything that might slip over from the preternatural beyond. Then Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans’ fragile levees, unleashing more than just dangerous flood waters.While winds howled and Lake Pontchartrain surged, the borders between the modern city and the Otherworld crumbled. Now, the undead and the restless are roaming the Big Easy, and a serial killer with ties to voodoo is murdering the soldiers sent to help the city recover. To make it worse, Gerry has gone missing, the wizards’ Elders have assigned a grenade-toting assassin as DJ’s new partner, and undead pirate Jean Lafitte wants to make her walk his plank. The search for Gerry and for the serial killer turns personal when DJ learns the hard way that loyalty requires sacrifice, allies come from the unlikeliest places, and duty mixed with love creates one bitter gumbo.

I have a new favourite author! For a debut book, Royal Street is remarkably accomplished, managing to effortless build a fantastical setting set very much in the real world. New Orleans has long been a favourite setting for novels with a touch of magic, but this is the first time I’ve read anything set there during Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath. This firmly places the whole setting in our world and the details of how New Orleans struggled to recover are heartbreaking on their own. All those deserted homes, the gradual creep of damp and yet a newspaper manages to survive the flood and is found in the front yard. The empty ruins make from a truly creepy and atmospheric novel.

In addition to this beautifully haunting background, there is a unique magical system with wizards strengths based on the type of magic they have – ritual, physical, mental. The sentinels patrol the barriers between our world and the neighbouring grey – like magical border control.  DJ was only an assistant sentinel until the man who raised her goes missing in the aftermath of Katrina and the barriers between worlds start to wobble. DJ is mostly reliant on ritual magic so she can struggle to hold her own on a physical fight, but her determination, stubbornness and ingenuity more than makes up for her physical short comings. Searching for her mentor, DJ finds herself crossing paths with a variety of different friends and foes, from gun toting enforcer, the elder council, historical pirate Jean Lafitte, a young Louis Armstrong and a voodoo god. There is so much going on, but the story never feels over complicated.

The writing has a fresh and invigorating air to it and I found myself swept up with DJ’s voice and her adventure. By the end I was really sorry to say goodbye – for now (there will be at least two more books!) and I felt like I had made a new friend. For a fun and exciting read, you can’t get much better than this!

Recommended for fans of Jaye Wells and Patricia Briggs. 8.5 out of 10

Check back tomorrow when I have the author herself, Suzanne Johnson will be dropping by!

Changes Review

Changes (The Dresden Files 12)

-       Jim Butcher

Publisher: Orbit

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. But even a career of narrow escapes and supernatural shenanigans hasn't prepared Harry for this. A vampire with a grudge has kidnapped his daughter. A daughter he never knew he had. Furthermore, this vampire plans to use her blood in a violent ritual sacrifice - designed to kill Harry, his ex-partner Susan and their child. As allies are perilously thin on the ground, Harry must find a new source of strength. In the past, there had always been a line he wouldn't cross, and he's never given in to the full fury of his own untapped dark powers. But then, only his own life was at stake. Magic - it can get a guy killed.

First I have to confess that I am a HUGE Dresden files fan. These books just seem to get better and better as Harry’s character evolves and learns while his skills increase as does his enemies. This is the twelfth book in the series and if you haven’t yet discovered this series, start with Storm Front and you’ll have a fantastic journey ahead of you. Trust me. J

As such, Changes probably isn’t a book you can leap into without having read the previous books. Pretty much every friend and foe Harry has ever encountered over the last ten years either cameos or is mentioned at some point – which gives you a great feeling of the depth and range of Harry’s adventures thus far as well as how desperate he is now.

Usually Harry’s travels are limited to Chicago and parts of the Never-Never, but this time Harry travels to Mexico which adds to the scope of the story. While the adventure is bigger and bolder than before, this is also one of the most intensely personal stories with Harry struggling to contain his feelings from the beginning. He makes some tough decisions here that will impact his future and will break your heart. I can’t count the number of times I was on the edge of my seat while reading this – my heart was in my throat on numerous occasions and it was one of those occasions where I literally could not read fast enough.

The title says it all, this is where everything changes for Harry – and I really have no idea where it will go from here – but I am desperate to find out! If you like a white knight in a leather duster who has to make decisions of such morale greyness, then Harry Dresden is the wizard for you.

Recommended for fans of Ben Aaronovitch and Mike Carey. 10 out of 10.