PDF Download Skin Game: a Novel of the Dresden Files

SKIN GAME: A NOVEL OF THE DRESDEN FILES PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Jim Butcher writes great characters and very entertaining conversations. While the book isn't as epic in scope as a few previous books, I feel it is much better written. Still leaves a lot of openings for the next book in the series. Butcher writes the character of Harry Dresden so well he could have him on a shopping trip to the local grocery store and it would be entertaining reading. What makes volume after volume of The Dresden Files so impressive is he places Harry in a fantastic world of reality meets supernatural, with engrossingly enjoyable reading results. This one is no exception, with Harry caught between two very powerful spiritual figures Mab and Nicodemus in a high stakes game of theft and betrayal in the Underworld think Hades. Harry has to rely on old friends and new suspicious allies to survive and make the ultimate decision about his and his family's future against some extremely dangerous and powerful forces. I keep saying this would make an outstanding series hello, HBO? As a novel series it remains at or near the top of continuing series I have read, ANY genre. Here at Walmart. Your email address will never be sold or distributed to a third party for any reason. Sorry, but we can't respond to individual comments. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Customer Care. Your feedback helps us make Walmart shopping better for millions of customers. Recent searches Clear All. Enter Location. Update location. Learn more. Report incorrect product information. Jim Butcher. Out of stock. Delivery not available. Pickup not available. Add to list. Add to registry. About This Item. We aim to show you accurate product information. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it. See our disclaimer. Specifications Series Title Dresden Files. Write a review See all reviews Write a review. Most helpful positive review. Average Rating: 5. See more. Most helpful negative review. Average Rating: 2. Butcher's latest entry in the Dresden Files revisits the ill-conceived Knights of the Black Denarius and Knights of the Holy Cross, with a bit of George Lucas' tired Star Wars mythology thrown in for good sport, because really? Why not? Once again, we visit the holy Carpenter family, who is being protected by a circle of heavenly host. Although apparently only from supernatural threats, so towards the end of the book - the fairies put their on detail to the task. That's not really a spoiler. And the wicked Nicodemus who houses the fallen archeangle Anduriel and rules the brothers of the Black Deniaurus. There's a few plot twists, which sort of fall in out of the sky and are hard to care too much about. Neither are built well. And yes, like all the novels that feature the Knights, this one smacks of sexism. The loyal Murphy makes an appearance but is taken out early in the proceedings and replaced by the far more capable Michael Carpenter, and eventually, forensic specialist, Walter Butters - who bumbles his way into becoming what amounts to another Knight. As the guys fist bump each other in brotherly bonding. There's romance, but it's really not the focus, and Butcher clearly is uncomfortable with sex scenes even if they take place in dreams. He'd much rather write fight scenes - and lots of them. As a result, Harry gets beaten up a lot - and I do mean a lot. Throughout the book - he's on the verge of keeling over at any moment - yet he manages to hold his own against assorted and sundry villainy. It's sort of like watching a battered Energizer Bunny on Steroids. While enjoyable in places, it drug in others and took far too long to get to the point. The writer had the character keep too many secrets - from his readers. Which works well in third person pov but not so much in first. Also, one too many fight scenes, and most did little to move either the character or action forward - feeling more like pointless filler. There is a bit of set-up here for the next novel. While I'll most likely check out the next one, I'm beginning to think this series has been stretched a bit too thin and should be nearing the wrap up stage by now. Frequent mentions. May 20, Written by a librarything. January 21, Reviewed by quiBee quiBee. September 17, August 13, Reviewed by renbedell renbedell. December 4, Reviewed by utbw42 utbw See all 54 reviews. Ask a question Ask a question If you would like to share feedback with us about pricing, delivery or other customer service issues, please contact customer service directly. Your question required. Additional details. Send me an email when my question is answered. Please enter a valid email address. I agree to the Terms and Conditions. Cancel Submit. More than I like Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. More than Gaiman's Sandman. More the Lord of the Rings. I said it. That's something I haven't done since high school. I don't have time for that shit. Nevertheless, I did it. For this book, Skin Game, I would probably have done the same thing again. But this time my obsession went even further. I decided to viciously abuse my meager power as an author. I contacted Jim's editor and begged for an advance reading copy. She graciously gave me one, probably because the intensity of my request frightened her. Plus nobody wants to see a big beardy man cry. It's just not an appealing thing. So what did I think of this book? I loved it. I won't spoil anything. I don't go in for that sort of thing. I'll just say that I loved it. It's everything I'd hoped for. And that Jim made me cry, like, four goddamn times in this book. You're walking a thin line, Butcher. I'd hate you if I didn't love you so much… View all comments. Shelves: fantasy. Loved this book, as usual. We get to see a little bit more of that, we get to see a little bit more of him stopping that. And you get back to Chicago to the Scooby Gang and so on. Of course he's not going to bend to her whim as was demonstrated in Cold Days. Now Mab has him in a bigger quagmire when she loans out his services to Nicodemus and his Denarian followers. Harry is now at odds since he has to follow Mab's order and his conscience is revolting against the very thought of being in the same room as Shiro's murderer. Nicodemus has plans to raid Hades' vault and grab the most famous chalice in recorded history. Harry is back but has never had to take part in a heist and one in which his conspirators might just be more tempted to bag him rather than Christ's cup. Harry's in a bind and almost without any allies Now if you are reading this book, you know what to expect in a Harry Dresden story, Jim Butcher piles up the comedy Parkour! Firstly, I think this book rocks so much because of Nicodemus and the Denarians. As far as the villains of this series go, Nicodemus and bunch are pretty much at the top of the sociopathic heap. What makes Nicodemus so intriguing is that he's a willing partner with Anduriel and so far has been the one guy who rivals Harry in his determination! Johnny Marcone is another fascinating rival for Harry but he's not the subject of this book. Nicodemus and the Denarians are possibly one of the best creations that have sprung from Jim Butcher's imagination. These folks kill, murder, and torture but ultimately they are all heading towards an unseen goal that Harry hasn't been able to decipher. Whenever they have appeared in the series, those books Death Masks, Small Favor have been fantastic. Nicodemus does that in spades for Harry, so far his despicable actions have made him a universally hated figure and with this book, he will go a few steps further. These were some huge revelations that shook up the story told so far. This book doesn't have that many revelations; to be fair it has almost next to none when compared with those of Cold Days. Then why would I say that this book was better than Cold Days? Simply put this book has all that magic literal and figurative that the earlier books White Night, Changes, Dead Beat, Small Favor, etc. This book does all that and marks a return to form by the granddaddy of urban fantasy. There have been various events that we have been waiting for: - Will we get to see a new knight of the cross? There are a few new characters introduced in this one that I hope make a reappearance in the future such as antagonist Goodman Grey and plus with all the previous Denarian stories, there is the re-appearance of the characters whose lives were affected previously. This might be easy to figure out but you might get one character right and another one wrong. With the last couple of books the comedic aspect of the books was toned down as the plots didn't quite gel with it. The books have taken a strong jump into Christian theology with regards to its mythos. With this book, that trend continues and it can get confusing as to whether the author is implying that this theological tract is the only correct one in this universe. Skin Game has a heist plot that runs along the line of most heist stories but what strongly differentiates this one is Jim Butcher. Skin Game continues in that rich vein and if you are a Dresden fan then you will love it. The fifteenth volume was a bit delayed but fans can rejoice as the book more than makes up for the wait. Jim Butcher is back, boys and girls, and Skin Game will have you rejoicing and gallivanting like none other. I highlighted some great quotes so it's time for me to add them to Goodreads. View all 21 comments. I have a Booktube channel now! No, never once. After the previous three books that were darker and more serious in tone, Skin Game is bringing the tone of the series back to pre- Changes novels. The differences, though, Butcher managed to maintain all the superb characterizations, engaging writing, and most of all, the significantly improved action sequences of the previous three books into this book. Oh man, it actually annoyed me how much I want to say here. Although justice, power, faith, hope, and family are constantly recurring themes throughout the series, I think these themes in the narrative of Skin Game were some of the most emotional and memorable yet. Sometimes, the darkness only makes it easier to see the light. Magic, mythologies, monsters, angels, and other creatures were here, it was non- stop engaging actions with high stakes, and the last quarter contained one of the best chapters within the entire series so far. Picture: Octokong by Mika Kuloda. Peace Talks and Battle Grounds awaits, and I will binge read them back to back early next month. Hands that guide us to shelter, to comfort, to food. Hands that hold and touch and reassure us through our very first crisis, and guide us into our very first shelter from pain. You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing! View all 18 comments. Oct 19, AM. Nov 28, Eric Allen rated it it was amazing. I understand that there are a lot of Dresden fans that have been rather abhorred over the very dark turn that the series has taken during and after Changes. I, for one, don't really understand why these people didn't see it coming. I mean, in the very first chapter of the series he goes to a murder scene where two people had their hearts exploded out of their chests with black magic. That should have been a pretty good indicator as to where things could be expected to go in the future. I think that there's a bit of a misconception amongst these people. They're looking at each book individually, rather than at the story as a whole. They're missing the overarching character development that Dresden is going through, and how this patch of darkness is a necessary thing. How can he overcome and shine more brilliantly, if he's not dragged through the mud, after all? The tension and drama in a story come from caring about the characters, and how much it hurts to see them suffering. And really, in a series that has now reached it's fifteenth volume, to keep things fresh and find new ways for Dresden to develop as a person, this sort of thing really needed to happen. Because he's already faced all of the things he was able to face. Now he has to face the things he couldn't face before. The things that he fears within himself. It's the reason he does what he does, helping others at little or no gain to himself, because he abused his power once, and he is terrified of doing it again, and of the monster that he could very easily become. There is something coming on the horizon. Many people have hinted that Dresden has a destiny to fulfill. Before he meets it, he has to meet the darkness in himself and overcome it. So again, I don't get what all the complaining amongst Dresden fans is all about. Anyway, on with the review. Harry Dresden, Wizard for hire, and Winter Knight, has a bit of a problem. He has a psychic parasite growing in his head, and in three days it's going to pop out, kill him, and kill everyone he knows and loves. Using this as leverage, Mab has loaned him out to Nicodemus, one of his many, many enemies, to fulfill one of her debts. If he succeeds, the parasite will be removed. If he fails, he and everyone he loves will die. No pressure. Nicodemus is setting up a good old- fashioned heist to steal the Holy Grail from Hades, lord of the underworld, and must have the power of the Winter Knight to do it. But, as with just about everything Harry has ever encountered in his entire life, things are not as they seem. The good? When a series starts getting up into the double digits usually one of two things happens, either the story seems to lose track of itself and it wallows directionlessly under its bloated weight, or the characters stop developing because the author has run out of ideas on how they can continue to grow, so they stagnate, never learning anything new, and basically becoming a stereotype of themselves. Lucky for us, Butcher has not done either. Every book in this series is entertaining in its own right. Every book has its own contained little story that comes to a satisfying conclusion, while also moving the bigger story encompassing them all along to the next step. Dresden learns, grows and develops as a character in new and interesting ways in every single volume. Butcher manages to keep going, keeping things fresh with new ideas, new stories, new things to be overcome, and new internal struggles for Dresden to deal with. Each new volume has something new, that tries and tests Dresden in new and interesting ways. There is no sign of the stagnation that seems to seep into series that run this long, and that, my friends, is probably the biggest accomplishment a writer can possibly make. This book is amazingly entertaining. It has the right mix of action, humor, drama, tension, emotion, quiet moments, and everything else. Dresden deals with a lot of the baggage that he has been carrying around since Changes. It is, basically a story about Harry coming to terms with the choices that he's made, and coming to realize that he doesn't have to bear that burden alone. That he has friends that he needs, and who need him. And that becoming a monster somewhere down the line can only happen if it is by HIS choice. He still fears it, but it seems to me that he's finally beginning to get a handle on the wreck that was made of his life. I really like how authors in the fantasy genre have been reaching out and pulling in more types of stories into this genre of late, rather than reusing tired old tropes. Jim Butcher and Brandon Sanderson have both used the Heist plot very effectively in their fantasy novels, and Butcher added the private detective element as well. These seem like no big deal to people these days, but let me tell you, even just two decades ago, they would have been seen as HUGE innovations within the genre. These guys are the trailblazers, showing the world that they don't have to stick to their little corner of the fictional realm in their fantasy books, but can reach out and tell other types of stories within their fantasy setting. And I, for one, really enjoy where they are taking the genre. Michael completely steals the show in this book. He's probably my favorite Dresden sidekick, and has been since he first made his appearance back in Grave Peril. This book seems like it's more his story than anything else, which is strange, because he's only in about half of the book. It is probably one of the more fangasmic moments in the entire series, in my opinion. It feels like the perfect bookend for his character arch throughout the series. One final ride for the old and broken Knight. Like I said, there was a pretty large outcry from many of the fans about how dark things started getting during and after Changes. A lot of people didn't like what becoming the Winter Knight was doing to Dresden. There are some places in this book where it really seems like blatant damage control to soothe those fans who were upset over it. Where people council Dresden, and make his situation out to be less terrible as it seemed in the previous book. In my opinion it somewhat cheapens his growth as a character through this patch of darkness in his life, but hey, the publishing industry is a business, and a chapter or three to reassure fans that everything will turn out all right in the end is better than Butcher losing a goodly portion of his readers, I guess. So eh, whatever. It wasn't too bad, but it really did feel as though Butcher chickened out a little, rather than plunging in deeper like I thought he was going to. We'll see what happens next, I suppose. In conclusion, this book is highly entertaining. It is well written, and even after fifteen books, Butcher finds new and interesting things for Dresden to do and face. Many writers just can't do that. They try and they fail, but Butcher has certainly succeeded. A lot of the rifts between Harry and the supporting cast are repaired to some extent, and he finally begins to heal after some of the terrible things he's chosen to do in the past. This one is a definite must for any Dresden fans. Anyone who has been complaining about the downward spiral into darkness that the series has been taking can rest assured that it appears as though good old Harry Dresden is finally pulling through it, as he always does in the end. I can't wait for the next one. Check out my other reviews. View all 20 comments. I don't think I cried reading it first time but this time around Michael you made me cry! His kindness, forgiving nature, sacrifices, and his faith, it was just too much to read and not have tears in my eyes. He was remarkable in every book that he has appeared so far but for he outshines Harry here. View all 5 comments. My love for this series is now almost unprecedented, and quite irrational. My objectivity makes a mad dash for the nearest exit any time Harry Dresden is concerned. Because Harry and I? We have been through some tough shit together, and that is the friendship that's truly unbreakable. The savior complex. The not-so-rare deus-ex- My love for this series is now almost unprecedented, and quite irrational. The not-so-rare deus-ex-machina. The neverending wiseass banter at the least appropriate times. The 'great power, great responsibility' repetitions. The pure entertainment quality of these stories. Yeah, I know, I know. But guess what - to me, despite all, they are still near damn perfect. Jim Butcher has set up a series that fifteen books in is still going strong, is still gathering steam. The small pseudo-noir series about a wisecracking and goofy and ultimately good to the bone Chicago wizard detective has expanded in scope tremendously, gave us some major character growth and managed to build up an impressive overall arc while never failing to deliver a satisfying complete storyline in each installment. It gave us the neverending moments of sheer hilarity, the awesome quotable moments, the fun and well-written action scenes, and even quite a few slightly-choked-up 'I'm not crying; I've just been cutting onions' moments. It saw Harry Dresden grow and mature, gain everything and lose everything, build up amazing powers and yet never fail to remember where he comes from and who - always 'who' and never 'what' - is truly important to him. While, of course, consistently remaining a wisecracking guy who can never quite keep his mouth shut while accidentally or on purpose blowing up buildings with his magical thuggishness. And people who really need it. And when it suits me to be so. Karrin Murphy, Waldo Butters, and Michael Carpenter - all of them make a strong reappearance, in their humanity serving as Harry's ties to the human world, the place with which he worries his connection may become too tenuous at times, given that he's now a substantial force in the world of the supernatural. Your ghost showed up claiming you had died, and got us all to do things. You were here for a day before Molly was gone, with freaky Winter faerie powers of her own. Not the you we all know. And comes with a boss you'd never want to offend - Mab, the Winter Queen, who defies the simple characterization of good or bad. Mab, who gives Harry a task that seems near impossible to complete - and who always appears to have her own coldly calculated hidden motives. The question remains, however, - how much is it going to cost him and his friends, and how much mental strain, self-doubting and always keeping himself in check against the never-ending temptation of power he can take before the cracks begin to show. Restating his humanity and refocusing - that's what this book seems to have at its core. And Harry deals with it - as before, with a little help from his friends, because despite this best and often misguided intentions, he's not alone. But the danger of seductive power remains, and it's hanging over him even in the happiest moments. What happens if she does it? What happens if she turns me into her personal monster? What is she going to do with me then? He looked at me, his face serious, even worried. To me, you are perfect. View all 19 comments. Pick your favorite way to read a book, E- Okay Pick your favorite way to read a book, E-book, print book, audio book and go immediately to your favorite bookstore or download sight and buy them Right now. Do it I'll wait Now start with the first Storm Front which is a good to excellent book. You have one of the most enjoyable reading experiences imaginable before you and you can't imagine how much I envy you the chance to read them all for the first time. The books hit their stride somewhere in the first few a lot of us disagree whether they cross into the exceptional range in book 3 or 4 and they just get better. This one is I think the best yet This book may just set the standard for popular fiction. I love this book! We have often discussed the failings of our 5 star system here wishing for half stars or a 10 star system. A friend of mine suggested that we might assign the stars Gold and Silver ratings so you could have a 5 silver stars as opposed to a 5 gold stars rate. Here I'd have to go 5 Platinum stars. From the first humorous lines to the last touching yet foreshadowing scene the book never once falters or gives a false note. For me and others who have read all these books this is a visit to friends we've made over years. We know Harry will inevitably say something he just shouldn't when being a wise-ass can only make things worse. We know that Karen has depths she's been holding in Butcher brings my favorite supporting character back into the fray here and does it as close to perfectly as I think any writer could. Reading this book I was brought to tears no less than 3 times And really, I'm a macho manly man I drink sippin' whisky note spelling straight, I can shoot out a fly's eye at yards I cried like I would at a good steak. If you haven't read the Dresden books get them all. This book gets my highest recommendation The story here picks up with Harry in the situation where we left him. Something is trying to get out of his head. Demon Reach and Mab have told him it will blow his head apart. He's been living on the Island unable to leave it as Demon Reach is keeping the thing in his head at bay. Then Mab shows up I have one other thing to say but I'll put it under a spoiler warning: view spoiler [ The character who comes back "into play" here is Michael. I won't say how as it's not necessary for what I want to talk about and I want you to have the pleasure of reading all you can as it comes. That said I'm a Christian Don't come here for theology or something like that. The relationship with angels and the way Grace works as well as God's plan aren't what you come here for. Study that on your own. All that said Mr. Butcher treats Christianity with respect and dignity you often don't see. I'm a Pastor and I just wanted to say thanks Mr. Update, Jan. Jim, it's come to our attention that you're working on a new series. Could be good news, but sheesh, I'm 62 years old update Aug. How long can I have to wait on the rest of the series Jim. I mean do you really need to take vacations? View all 49 comments. Apr 12, Luffy rated it it was amazing Shelves: fantasy , best-of , superb-characterization , 5-star , page-turner , dresden. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the first time I've read Skin Game. I think the world of it. I think it should be taught in schools. I think it should be adapted onscreen by the best of the best. It should have won a Hugo award at least. In comparison all the subsequent books I've tried to read pale in comparison. So, Harry Dresden's latest adventure - until Peace Talks comes out on July the 14th - has more twists than a slinky. It has more drama than Hamlet, and more revelations than The Book of Three. I was voluntaril This is the first time I've read Skin Game. I was voluntarily spoiled regarding the story because I thought I'll never read it. I was deterred by the first chapter Parkour! The book picks up from the point where Harry has resided on Demonreach island for a long time. Mab comes roiling by and offers Harry a mission. From then on it's wall-to-wall thrills. There are a few references to movie lines the ones onscreen not those waiting to gain entry and the one I like the most is from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I cried when Butters became a Knight of the Cross. I was told about the resuscitating Sword. Butt I still shed tears of wonder and excitement when the event occurred. And the event occurred at the right time. I feared Butters would accomplish this feat when chased by Dresden and co. But this story was tighter than super glue on a bullet wound. I was happy that Dresden did not really tap Murphy when we thought he had. That too showed remarkable restraint by Jim Butcher. A plot device that has been on since the first book. It has been 20 years since that book got printed. It shows stamina. Creativity under duress. Frankly, I don't see any other book besting Skin Game this year. The author can write the odd putrid story, and I'm first to criticize him when I think he deserves it. But this book is the best of the series so far and from now the only way is down. Especially for us fans waiting for Peace Talks. Since the book after the latter will be called Battle Ground, it presupposes that the peace talks will have been in vain. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Toodle-oo for now. View all 8 comments. New book this year!! Update: 13 Nov , uh, what?! It's not going to be released Dec 3rd? So I've been lied to for months now?!!! Someone's gonna have to die for this treachery! Update: 6 Jan Official release date May 27th. Well, well, well. What a game. Mab, you wicked faerie. This book was very good, plenty of action, development for the series, and for Harry in particular. It made it me cry at least twice, maybe three times. Hard to do. My only c New book this year!! Five stars. View all 12 comments. Mar 11, Evgeny rated it liked it Shelves: fantasy. Mab a fairy Winter Queen gives Harry Dresden as assignment he cannot refuse for numerous reasons. Not only it is highly dangerous, but poor Harry has to work with one of his worst enemies helping the latter. If you read the blurb for this book, you might as well skip reading the real thing altogether as it gives away practically everything - who the heck wrote it??? I thought it would be fun to make a short quiz about the book instead of forcing people who will be unlucky enough to read this revi Mab a fairy Winter Queen gives Harry Dresden as assignment he cannot refuse for numerous reasons. I thought it would be fun to make a short quiz about the book instead of forcing people who will be unlucky enough to read this review to see my boring thoughts about it. Answer: view spoiler [A hide spoiler ] a quiz spoiler only Question 2: Who gets to have more sex: A or C? Answer: view spoiler [C hide spoiler ] a quiz spoiler only To continue the theme of sex in the series here is another question: Who is this? Remember, your answer must be related to the series. Answer: view spoiler [The ugliest woman in the world of Harry Dresden. I tried to find a single plain-looking woman in the whole series, not to mention an ugly one. I failed miserably: there is none in all 15 books, period. This combined with Harry's complete inability to get laid despite the fact that quite a few drop-dead gorgeous women literally throw themselves at him in every story makes the series look like it was written by a sexually frustrated teen boy I am talking about a very young teen here. Every single book follows the same tried-and-true formula please do not hate me for spoiling all fifteen books of the series. Harry gets beaten up again and again and again and again Final showdown comes up; Harry gets beaten practically to death, but he pulls up a hidden reserve from his ass at the very last moment, so he survives. The task is done; the bad guy is put to shame and escapes. Did you notice the part about escaping villain? They are quite happy for come back to another round of kicking Harry around. One more complaint about this book in particular: Harry became unreliable narrator. This is the first time he did, and it is a little late in the series for him to become such. The only reason for this was to pull yet another last-minute escape from out of nowhere and this really looked lame. There is an overall plot in the series, but I feel like it went south a couple of books ago. I still insist that book 12 Changes would be a really good place to stop. Anything that came up after it seemed like the author painted himself in the corner and has no clue what to do next. Case in point: the big plot only gets briefly mentioned in this book, so do not expect any development in here. Speaking about development: Harry Dresden is still the same as he was in the very first book; he gets exactly zero development. On the other hand, Butters develops here, but I would rather he stayed the same: Butters the action hero really does not work and looks completely artificial. We finally came to my biggest problem with the series. I see every single book as a proof that Harry Dresden gets severely punished for choosing to be a good guy. His life would be so much easier if he succumbed to the Dark Side. It seems like every installment in the series is a case study of how much shit the main character can be put up with for remaining a good guy; sometimes this looks outright sadistic. Can somebody name a single reward Harry ever got? I am sorry for giving the book such a low rating, but I am done with Dresden Files. I would be the first to admit the series had its moments and that one scene in book 7 Dead Beat beats everything else I saw in urban fantasy in terms of epic-ness view spoiler [Sue hide spoiler ] , but I can read about Harry getting beat up only for so long. My actual rating for the series is 2. View all 42 comments. Apr 21, Adrienne rated it it was amazing. Anyone else really looking forward to Dresden's next encounter with Kincaid? I think as moments go, 'priceless' would be an understatement :. View 2 comments. What a delightful surprise when Skin Game turned out to be one of, if not my favorite Dresden book so far. It had a strong plot complete with an interesting bad guy , a good integration of the many fantastic side characters, and, of course, a ton of that snarky humor. Skin Game reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the series and I am genuinely excited to see where the story goes next. May 27, Anne rated it really liked it Shelves: jim-butcher , kindle , urban-fantasy , read-in , paranormal. Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. Book 15, already? Well I guess since I've been reading these books for years now, that sort of makes sense. How did Skin Game hold up to scrutiny? It was classic Dresden. And you can take that whichever way you want. If you're a die-hard fan of this series, and you still enjoy Butcher's books about the wacky but lovable wizard, who can't help getting himself in over his head However, if you were hoping for something differ Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. However, if you were hoping for something different this time around? What it was is what it still is. Skin Game is the same high-octane novel that I've come to expect from this author, and from this series. And, just like all the other novels, the action never lets up enough for you to catch your breath. Also, if you were hoping there was some resolution to Harry's multiple problems? Forget it! Looks like book 16 will hit the stores sometime in , but I'm not counting on that one laying anything to rest, either. If you've ever read a book from the Dresden Files, then you know there's not really a way to coherently explain everything that goes on in the story. Too much! However, I can say that it involves robbing Hades of the Holy Grail, a parasite that may explode from Harry's head, a hilarious sex scene with Murphy, Butters and Bob's skull on a magically powered skateboard, Michael with the power of an archangel, an Honest-To- God lightsaber, and Santa Clause vetting for a mercenary. And really, that just scratches the surface Sound like your cuppa tea? If so, then I suggest you go grab a copy. However, be warned that this is not a series that you can plunk down in the middle of, and hope to catch up. If you're serious about starting this one, you've got a whole lotta reading to catch up on! View all 11 comments. Jun 30, Nana Devourer of Tomes rated it liked it Shelves: , , urban-fantasy , books-i-own. May 28 HOLY. I knew this book was going to be good but I never expected it to go to that level of epic. God, I love them. They're the creepiest, nastiest villains I've come across in literature lately bar the Naagloshi. The only thing that I was a bit disappointed at was the lack of Toe-mas. Be prepared for loads of feels btw. Might be the best book in the series so far. And now I'm sad cause I have years ahead of me until the next one. Time to read the rest of the series again. May 27 This is moi today: May 22 I can't. What else do you need world? So I'll listen to James reading it to me and then when the physical copy arrives I'll admire it on my bookshelf. May 10, Brandt rated it it was amazing. In it, we find out that Mab has various debts which she has incurred over the years and Mab is very keen on getting her debts paid, and when one of the people she owes shows up and asks for a favour, she loans him Harry Dresden in order to help him. View all 7 comments. Oct 20, Emma rated it it was amazing Shelves: urban-fantasy , re-read , fantasy , magic , fae. It was what I started with myself. As many before me have said, this series just gets better and better. One of the things I love is the payoff from previous books. Character development over the series is phenomenal, not only for Harry Dresden, but all the rest of the cast too. With each book, more of the back story is threaded in. The Parcour! There are no wasted pages and no down time with any of the books, and particularly not in this book. I have slowly over a couple of years worked my way through the series. Too much happens in each one to want to rush through the whole lot too quickly. And the audio is excellent. Jan 13, Experiment BL rated it liked it Shelves: reviewed , recently-reviewed , paranormal-mystery. Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. I had several issues with the characters. I know it's a personality flaw and it's never leaving because it's book fucking 15 and still no sign of self-esteem growth but I really wish it would. I'm tired of Urban Fantasy protags hating themselves for simply existing. Secondly, he spent a year in Demonreach and all he learned was parkour. Granted, he did display a fe Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. Skin Game : A Novel of the Dresden Files - -

Murphy is as loyal as ever, but even that is tempered with some caution. She has a deep respect and serious feelings, maybe even love, for Harry yet she stands as her own character. In the earlier books I was afraid she would be pigeonholed into the "Skeptic" or "Love Interest" boxes and never get to move beyond them. Luckily, I've always felt she stood apart as her own character. She is strong and capable yet has real fears about the world Harry moves around in. Butters feelings are a little different. He is flat out afraid of Harry well, mostly , and of the power he holds as the Winter Knight. He sees Harry as just another villain or at least someone headed that way. And the thing is, you can see his side! He has a couple of different points in the story where he has a chance to explain himself and his feelings and they are all pretty reasonable. This book is full of deep characterizations for many different characters. I mean, even Nicodemus gets some! I really did love this book a lot. I think it is a great addition to the series. Fantastic continuation of the adventures of Harry Dresden. This is one of the better books in the series. Plenty of witty banter, action, and character development for Harry and the supporting characters. Jim Butcher writes great characters and very entertaining conversations. While the book isn't as epic in scope as a few previous books, I feel it is much better written. Still leaves a lot of openings for the next book in the series. Butcher writes the character of Harry Dresden so well he could have him on a shopping trip to the local grocery store and it would be entertaining reading. What makes volume after volume of The Dresden Files so impressive is he places Harry in a fantastic world of reality meets supernatural, with engrossingly enjoyable reading results. This one is no exception, with Harry caught between two very powerful spiritual figures Mab and Nicodemus in a high stakes game of theft and betrayal in the Underworld think Hades. Harry has to rely on old friends and new suspicious allies to survive and make the ultimate decision about his and his family's future against some extremely dangerous and powerful forces. I keep saying this would make an outstanding series hello, HBO? As a novel series it remains at or near the top of continuing series I have read, ANY genre. Here at Walmart. Your email address will never be sold or distributed to a third party for any reason. Sorry, but we can't respond to individual comments. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Customer Care. Your feedback helps us make Walmart shopping better for millions of customers. Recent searches Clear All. Enter Location. Update location. Learn more. Report incorrect product information. Jim Butcher. Out of stock. Delivery not available. Pickup not available. Add to list. Add to registry. About This Item. We aim to show you accurate product information. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it. See our disclaimer. Specifications Series Title Dresden Files. Write a review See all reviews Write a review. Most helpful positive review. Average Rating: 5. Armed with this knowledge, Dresden hides three artifacts in Valmont's bag and one in his sleeve before Nicodemus and the others arrive to claim the Grail. Nicodemus takes the Grail and turns on Harry and Michael after Harry makes a last appeal to Nicodemus's humanity, as Valmont has gone back to the vault's entrance. Hanna Ascher and the Genoskwa an aggressive Bigfoot are revealed to be the new hosts for Lasciel and Ursiel, respectively, and Nicodemus orders them and Goodman Grey to attack. It is then revealed through a flashback that Harry had earlier hired Grey to back him up in anticipation of this fight. After Dresden manages to bury Ascher in a rockfall and Michael sends Nicodemus running, Grey blinds the Genoskwa, allowing the three of them to escape. On the way out, Dresden activates the Gate of Ice to crush the pursuing Genoskwa. Dresden opens a Way and the four of them depart the Nevernever, but before they can close the Way, Nicodemus escapes and heads for Michael's house. With Binder's help, Harry and his team get out of Marcone's vault. Harry and Grey then leave to confront Nicodemus at Michael's home. During the final fight, Butters takes up the broken Fidelacchius, which emits a lightsaber -style blade, and chases off Nicodemus again. He agrees to become a Knight of the Cross. Afterwards, the group divide up the backpack full of diamonds Valmont stole from Hades' vault. Grey turns down a share of them, instead accepting one dollar from Harry as his fee, and Harry uses that share as a " weregild " to pay for the death of Marcone's vault guard. He then visits Karrin in the hospital and the two share a passionate kiss and agree to try an actual relationship. Talking with Michael that evening, Harry reflects over the events of the past few days, and together they worry about a few things including Harry's future as the Winter Knight. The book debuted at number 1 on the New York Times best seller list the week of June 6, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I would be the first to admit the series had its moments and that one scene in book 7 Dead Beat beats everything else I saw in urban fantasy in terms of epic-ness view spoiler [Sue hide spoiler ] , but I can read about Harry getting beat up only for so long. My actual rating for the series is 2. View all 42 comments. Apr 21, Adrienne rated it it was amazing. Anyone else really looking forward to Dresden's next encounter with Kincaid? I think as moments go, 'priceless' would be an understatement :. View 2 comments. What a delightful surprise when Skin Game turned out to be one of, if not my favorite Dresden book so far. It had a strong plot complete with an interesting bad guy , a good integration of the many fantastic side characters, and, of course, a ton of that snarky humor. Skin Game reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the series and I am genuinely excited to see where the story goes next. May 27, Anne rated it really liked it Shelves: jim-butcher , kindle , urban-fantasy , read-in , paranormal. Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. Book 15, already? Well I guess since I've been reading these books for years now, that sort of makes sense. How did Skin Game hold up to scrutiny? It was classic Dresden. And you can take that whichever way you want. If you're a die-hard fan of this series, and you still enjoy Butcher's books about the wacky but lovable wizard, who can't help getting himself in over his head However, if you were hoping for something differ Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. However, if you were hoping for something different this time around? What it was is what it still is. Skin Game is the same high-octane novel that I've come to expect from this author, and from this series. And, just like all the other novels, the action never lets up enough for you to catch your breath. Also, if you were hoping there was some resolution to Harry's multiple problems? Forget it! Looks like book 16 will hit the stores sometime in , but I'm not counting on that one laying anything to rest, either. If you've ever read a book from the Dresden Files, then you know there's not really a way to coherently explain everything that goes on in the story. Too much! However, I can say that it involves robbing Hades of the Holy Grail, a parasite that may explode from Harry's head, a hilarious sex scene with Murphy, Butters and Bob's skull on a magically powered skateboard, Michael with the power of an archangel, an Honest-To- God lightsaber, and Santa Clause vetting for a mercenary. And really, that just scratches the surface Sound like your cuppa tea? If so, then I suggest you go grab a copy. However, be warned that this is not a series that you can plunk down in the middle of, and hope to catch up. If you're serious about starting this one, you've got a whole lotta reading to catch up on! View all 11 comments. Jun 30, Nana Devourer of Tomes rated it liked it Shelves: , , urban-fantasy , books-i-own. May 28 HOLY. I knew this book was going to be good but I never expected it to go to that level of epic. God, I love them. They're the creepiest, nastiest villains I've come across in literature lately bar the Naagloshi. The only thing that I was a bit disappointed at was the lack of Toe-mas. Be prepared for loads of feels btw. Might be the best book in the series so far. And now I'm sad cause I have years ahead of me until the next one. Time to read the rest of the series again. May 27 This is moi today: May 22 I can't. What else do you need world? So I'll listen to James reading it to me and then when the physical copy arrives I'll admire it on my bookshelf. May 10, Brandt rated it it was amazing. In it, we find out that Mab has various debts which she has incurred over the years and Mab is very keen on getting her debts paid, and when one of the people she owes shows up and asks for a favour, she loans him Harry Dresden in order to help him. View all 7 comments. Oct 20, Emma rated it it was amazing Shelves: urban-fantasy , re-read , fantasy , magic , fae. It was what I started with myself. As many before me have said, this series just gets better and better. One of the things I love is the payoff from previous books. Character development over the series is phenomenal, not only for Harry Dresden, but all the rest of the cast too. With each book, more of the back story is threaded in. The Parcour! There are no wasted pages and no down time with any of the books, and particularly not in this book. I have slowly over a couple of years worked my way through the series. Too much happens in each one to want to rush through the whole lot too quickly. And the audio is excellent. Jan 13, Experiment BL rated it liked it Shelves: reviewed , recently-reviewed , paranormal-mystery. Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. I had several issues with the characters. I know it's a personality flaw and it's never leaving because it's book fucking 15 and still no sign of self-esteem growth but I really wish it would. I'm tired of Urban Fantasy protags hating themselves for simply existing. Secondly, he spent a year in Demonreach and all he learned was parkour. Granted, he did display a fe Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. Granted, he did display a few new spells throughout the book, but these ice spells were still the same blunt force type as his fire spells. He should have learned other types of spells, types that would allow him to detect enemies e. There's more to magic than calling up a buttload of fire and ice to blast at enemies. For fuck sake, learn a healing spell already! I couldn't believe parkour was all that he learned. Dresden is a piss-poor wizard. I hate how Dresden uses the excuse that he might kill people if he goes all out because of his inner demon. Yeah, right. It's not as if burning enemies to cinders or icing them to shards aren't deadly, which Dresden does with no hesitation and does often. Dresden had access to Demonreach, an ageless entity of immeasurable knowledge, and he did nothing with it. For someone who believed the Winter Knight job would make him dark and twisted, he didn't research a way out of it. For someone who regularly told the reader Mab is vindictive and merciless, he put more effort into antagonizing the queen faerie than following his common sense. I still like Dresden but he disappointed me greatly. The only reason he did not anger me as much as he could have was because I was too busy being annoyed with Nicodemus and infuriated with Butters. Plus, there was mpreg, which was hilarious. There were several ways I thought Nicky could have screwed Dresden. For instance, he could have made Dresden, as his oath-bound accomplice, kill Butters under the idea that Dresden needed to put down anyone who threatened the heist. And not just Butters, Nicky could have twisted the oath in a way that would force Dresden to choose between his friends and obeying the oath where Dresden would obviously choose his friends but would then die for his choice. Nicky regressed severely. Instead of delicious deception, most of his evil acts were all blunt force that is emblematic of a mortal muscle-head. What little deception he did was predictable which totally defeated the purpose of deception. Finally, sacrificing that one person was the stupidest thing he could have done. He couldn't bring some of his fanatics along and sacrificed one of them? Trust was the only requirement, and the fanatics have immense trust in him. You gotta be if you're going to dedicate your life to a demonic cult and allow your tongue to be severed. It's not the first time his fanatics died for Nicky in a mission. Then, at the end he got rewarded and Murphy is on the out? WTF is the Christian God thinking? The dude will barely last a second. The only reason Butters got one over on the bad guy was because of divine intervention so unless the Christian God plans to intervene every time Butters is in a fight, a big fat NO. Worst idea ever. It was bad enough I was already upset with Butters in the beginning of the book for thinking Dresden was his bitch. They have a life of their own and crap to deal with, especially the perpetually unfortunate Dresden as you very well know. Every time you meet Dresden, you are sewing his insides back inside. And of course, the answer to your question about what he's doing now is paying a debt. No, he doesn't have time to play superhero for the city again! Good gracious, if Butters wasn't Dresden's go-to doctor, I would have told the dude to fuck off. I half wanted him to die during that stunt. Anyway, I hope poetic justice will be served in future books now that Butters, in his new role as a hero instead of just as a sidekick, will experience the shit Dresden and others go through. Be happy for now with your new metaphorical giant penis, Butters. It's all shitstorm from thereon out. It's like no matter how strong the woman is, she still needs Dresden to rescue her. Can the damsels rescue themselves for once? At least Valmont was not as bad as what's-her-name in the last book who was so annoyingly helpless and gloomy to the point where I just wanted her to die as soon as she was introduced. Ascher wasn't a damsel but I hated how at the end she was treated as one by Dresden. Woman made her life choices just like her partner, Binder, made his choices. I hate how Dresden is pissy towards Binder but not towards Ascher as if both were not similar in many ways. I wish Dresden's bleeding heart quit its sexist tendencies. Poor Murphy. I love the idea that vanilla humans can be on the same playing field with the mighty supernatural. Damn Butters for taking that idea away from me. Anyway, I hope Murphy goes back to being a cop. I hate how she is unemployed and lacking a future other than being a sidekick for Dresden when he needs her. Yeah, that's a pathetic future. I also don't care for the potential romance between them for all the reasons a character listed in the middle of the book. It was good to see Michael temporarily in action again. I always thought it was silly how he retired because of his injuries in a world where magic exists and it's possible to come back from death. Seriously, why are healing spells non-existent? The Worldbuilding The series wandered in Greek mythology, Hades and his underworld to be specific. It was odd that the reader got to meet Hades, another deity, but still not the Christian God. Instead we meet again one of his lackeys, Archangel Uriel, who made a less than impressive impression. So much for the idea that the enigmatic character knew what was he was doing. Anyway, I wish the series dial down the Christian elements or dial up the other supernatural elements. Conclusion I rate Skin Game 3-stars for I like it. I might rate it up a star for re-readability; we'll see. I was disappointed we didn't learn more about the Outsiders and the Black Council. It made only an inch of progress in the story arc. How long is this reckoning going to be delayed? Anyway, the book was enjoyable but it could have easily been better. View all 51 comments. Jan 19, Carly marked it as to-read Shelves: urban-fantasy , uf-gotta-catch-em-all , muf , trenchcoat-brigade. This is Harry Dresden. This is Harry the Bolshevik Muppet. Put them both in dusters and there really isn't much difference, especially now that Mab is pulling Dresden's strings. They even have the same hair. He is described on the wiki as, "An unkempt figure with wild eyes and a mad cackle, he delights in blowing things up. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few This is Harry Dresden. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few months. It doesn't. Despite a certain amount of ambivalence about Faustian bargains and cold days, I'm dying to read this for a rather random reason. If the books stay true to pattern, then this is a Denarian book, so hopefully one of my biggest questions since Small Favor will finally be answered: who, who picked up the Denarian coin? Seriously, it wasn't a very big helicopter. Practically a locked-room mystery. But I have no idea. I vote all three. Otherwise, I want to know: view spoiler [ --Hey, remember the Fomorians terrorizing Chicago? About them How's that going, then? Still waiting for an explanation of the fetches. Please, please don't say God. I suspect the explanation starts with "Uh View all 15 comments. Jan 24, Heidi The Reader rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , fantasy-and-sci-fi. Harry Dresden, wizard-for-hire and Winter Knight, joins a group of unsavory characters to pay off a debt owed by Mab and to steal something incredibly valuable from a god. And he thought he had bad days before this. At least he still has a way with words. Nicodemus is a murderous murdering murderer," I said. Can he even trust himself with the strange "parasite"-thing growing in his head? Any guesses on what they're going to be stealing? He's famous for it. Art, treasure, gems, jewels, antiques, you name. Skin Game is a clever mix of heist and The Dresden Files. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now my heart is broken because the next book isn't written yet. We were finally getting somewhere with Harry's relationships with his friends and a certain someone in particular. No spoilers! Harry was learning how to juggle his "mantle of power". Molly was coming into her own unique situation. We've learned about angels, demons, fairies, pixies, gods and more in this series. I've really come to enjoy the world and the strange things that happen in it. I love the shifting balance of power and how when Harry's up, he's really up. And when he's down I think all of the readers are wondering that too. Not that we're complaining because this series seems to have such staying power. I really wish it would keep going for awhile longer, just spit-balling here, how about another 15 books? I like being in this world and I think plenty of other readers do too. Jim Butcher, give the people what they want. Write, please. Write now! View all 6 comments. Jan 10, Heather K dentist in my spare time rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , urban- fantasy , narrator-amazing , favorites , not-a-romance-book , loved-it , paranormal. Part of that is because the audio of this book is so good I could cry. The audio of this series, especially the later books, is simply the gold standard of what an audiobook can be. The audio for this book was astonishingly good, and I think even if the book was terrible, I could never do anything but love it. The story was exciting, Harry was impressive, and the audio was divine. Now I just have to suffer and wait for the next book to come out. View all 4 comments. Jul 15, Steven rated it it was amazing Shelves: read-in , read-in , favorites , reread. Again, Butcher blows me away with his ability to craft an amazing story that ends in one book but pushes forward a much larger story arc. Loving these books! Sad now that I'm caught up and have to wait for more. At least I can always reread. Apr 19, William rated it it was amazing. Holly Crap!!!!!!!!!!!! Feb 20, Regina rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorite-series , favorite-authors , urban-fantasy-uf , favorites , arc- publisher-netgalley-edelweiss. Giveaway of this book here. Skin Game is really good. I mean really good. Jim Butcher gets better with every book. It had a little bit of Murphy and a little bit of Michael. This is one of the best books I have read this year. Skin Game is brilliant, it is amazing and so worth the long wait 18 months! The main problem with reading Skin Game is the wait for the sequel Peace Talks 16 , which as of right now has an estimate of an August release. At this point, while Goodreads has August 20 Giveaway of this book here. At this point, while Goodreads has August listed as the release date, late or early sounds more realistic given past release dates. Harry Dresden returns in Skin Game. He is in the flesh, still has his silly musings but he is more confident and stronger. Skin Game brings back Michael, Molly, the Deanrians, Karen, and many others that I don't want to spoil for readers because the scene of their appearance is somewhat of a surprise. Butcher draws on Dresden's history and includes characters that mean a lot to Dresden and me as a reader. Every page was rewarding, reminiscent and new. Not surprisingly, Skin Game involves moral questions. I say not surprisingly because readers should know that when the Denarians and Michael play a role in the book, Harry's moral compass is pushed and questioned. I love Michael and the balance he brings. But I wonder what his belief system means for the Dresden Files world? Butcher has said that the final 3 books in this series will be an apocalyptic trilogy, following books the number has varied. I think Michael, the angels, the swords will play a role in the end of this series. No matter what is mixed in to the Dresden files, there is good and bad fighting each other. What Butcher does so well though, is that he has plenty of gray areas and so many of his characters believe they are the moral authority but their actions are so hurtful. Murky moral areas make the best stories. But at the same time, when Michael is present I do feel some hinting at an ultimate good and powerful being by Butcher. Anyone else? So if Michael and Karen are in the story, I know readers are wondering -- what happens with the swords? There are no spoilers in this review, but I will say the swords are back. The ultimate wielder is very unexpected but Deathhollowish in resolution and the result of the wieldings is surprising. So Skin Game is number 15 in the Dresden Files. Think about that number Factor in that Butcher releases decent short stories every year in the Dresden world, writes a fantasy series Codex Alera -6 books and is starting a new series The Cinder Spires -- August Sounds like a recipe for disaster or boredom. Except, that it isn't. Jim Butcher is somehow able to continuously write a book set in the same world, which advances the story line, progresses the characters, stays consistent with the world he constructed over a decade ago and is still brilliantly interesting. I need to say this at least once in this review: Jim Butcher you are amazing and I think I love you? How does an author do this? Thinking about series that have existed this length in time and in page count, there are few that maintain consistency, interest and growth. Who would like this book? Harry Dresden fans will not be disappointed and should read this immediately. New readers who want to start the series fans of fantasy books and urban fantasy books should read this series should start at the beginningish, not here. Note: the television series will not prep readers for the series at all. There are very little consistent storyline cross overs. So don't skip just because you watched the mediocre one season only series. This is hard. But I will just say it and most of know it is true, books 1 and 2 are not great. I am not sure what happened, author growth? A better editor? But books 1 and 2 in the Dresden Files do not represent the series at all. There are references to the events in these books throughout the series, but they are not important to read for the story arc. I worry that when readers start 1 and 2, they may never come back. It is easy for someone to say, keep with it! It gets better! But it is harder for the reader to accept that the writing and story doesn't actually represent where the series goes. Books 3 and 4 represent a strong shift in how Butcher tells his stories. They stories are more complex, the overall story arc begins and there is character growth. Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15) by Jim Butcher

I read a lot of books and a lot of authors but only a select few do I read over and over again. Jim Butcher and his books are among those few. I'm not only speaking about his Dresden Files books either, I also love his Codex Alera books as well and am eagerly anticipating his newest series, the Cinder Spires. Skin Game is the 15th book in the Dresden Files and I loved every minute of it. The plot is this: Harry is tasked by Mab to take on a new job for her as the Winter Knight. This job is of course very dangerous and life threatening as usual with plots behind plots and double dealing going on all over the place. What's the job? Oh just the small matter of teaming up with past bad guy Nicodemus Archleone to steal a priceless artifact from Hades himself. No big deal. Harry is of course as well characterized as ever. He has real problems and fears and the book lets you see them and experience them with Harry. He is afraid of his new title of the Winter Knight and all the dark thoughts and urges that go along with the title. He is afraid of moving his relationship with Murphy to a deeper level. Not out of commitment issues really, but rather a desire for her to stay away from him and the monster he could easily become working for Mab. Harry also is afraid of seeing his daughter again. He thinks she will remember what happened in the book "Changes" and resent or fear him because of it. Although the book is still the super fun heist book I wanted from Butcher, with plenty of laughs and double crosses, these deeper issues are what keeps me reading and re-reading this series. I love that Harry is just this normal guy who can use magic, but is also grounded with real life issues you can empathize with. This book also features a glimpse of how a few of his old friends see him now. Murphy is as loyal as ever, but even that is tempered with some caution. She has a deep respect and serious feelings, maybe even love, for Harry yet she stands as her own character. In the earlier books I was afraid she would be pigeonholed into the "Skeptic" or "Love Interest" boxes and never get to move beyond them. Luckily, I've always felt she stood apart as her own character. She is strong and capable yet has real fears about the world Harry moves around in. Butters feelings are a little different. He is flat out afraid of Harry well, mostly , and of the power he holds as the Winter Knight. He sees Harry as just another villain or at least someone headed that way. And the thing is, you can see his side! He has a couple of different points in the story where he has a chance to explain himself and his feelings and they are all pretty reasonable. This book is full of deep characterizations for many different characters. I mean, even Nicodemus gets some! I really did love this book a lot. I think it is a great addition to the series. Fantastic continuation of the adventures of Harry Dresden. This is one of the better books in the series. Plenty of witty banter, action, and character development for Harry and the supporting characters. Jim Butcher writes great characters and very entertaining conversations. While the book isn't as epic in scope as a few previous books, I feel it is much better written. Still leaves a lot of openings for the next book in the series. Butcher writes the character of Harry Dresden so well he could have him on a shopping trip to the local grocery store and it would be entertaining reading. What makes volume after volume of The Dresden Files so impressive is he places Harry in a fantastic world of reality meets supernatural, with engrossingly enjoyable reading results. This one is no exception, with Harry caught between two very powerful spiritual figures Mab and Nicodemus in a high stakes game of theft and betrayal in the Underworld think Hades. Harry has to rely on old friends and new suspicious allies to survive and make the ultimate decision about his and his family's future against some extremely dangerous and powerful forces. I keep saying this would make an outstanding series hello, HBO? As a novel series it remains at or near the top of continuing series I have read, ANY genre. Here at Walmart. Your email address will never be sold or distributed to a third party for any reason. Sorry, but we can't respond to individual comments. If you need immediate assistance, please contact Customer Care. Your feedback helps us make Walmart shopping better for millions of customers. It is the 15th novel in the series. Harry Dresden , still living on the island of Demonreach, is unable to reach his allies and plagued by increasing headaches. Queen Mab demands he undertake a job, but in return offers her aid with his headaches. Harry is to help Nicodemus steal something from the vault of Hades. Wary of the potential for betrayal, he enlists the aid of Karrin Murphy to watch his back. Harry and Karrin meet Nicodemus and his crew, which includes Binder and a female warlock, Hanna Ascher, and soon Anna Valmont , the only surviving member of the group of thieves who had stolen the Shroud of Turin in Death Masks. Harry and Karrin accompany Deirdre and the shape-shifting Goodman Grey, to collect a sample from an insider, who is immediately killed when Tessa unexpectedly intervenes. Dresden learns that the heist's target is the Holy Grail. At the third meeting, they realize that they are being spied upon by Waldo Butters. Giving chase, Harry manages to keep Binder's henchmen from catching him with the help of Bob. Nicodemus catches up with Dresden, Murphy and Butters on the street in front of Michael Carpenter 's house, and a fight ensues. Murphy draws Fidelacchius and is tricked into using the sword to attempt to kill him while defenseless , which results in the sword's shattering and Murphy being badly wounded. Michael then appears, offering to leave his angel-protected house in exchange for the release of Harry, Karrin and Butters. Nicodemus accepts the deal, but before Michael leaves, Uriel appears, giving Michael Amoracchius and his own Grace. Nicodemus surrenders the fight and agrees to accept Michael as Harry's replacement for the wounded Murphy. That night while recovering at the Carpenters', Harry reconnects with his daughter Maggie for the first time since he saved her life at Chichen Itza in Changes. As the heist begins, the group breaks into a high security vault owned by John Marcone , where Dresden opens a Way to the true vault in the Nevernever. I was told about the resuscitating Sword. Butt I still shed tears of wonder and excitement when the event occurred. And the event occurred at the right time. I feared Butters would accomplish this feat when chased by Dresden and co. But this story was tighter than super glue on a bullet wound. I was happy that Dresden did not really tap Murphy when we thought he had. That too showed remarkable restraint by Jim Butcher. A plot device that has been on since the first book. It has been 20 years since that book got printed. It shows stamina. Creativity under duress. Frankly, I don't see any other book besting Skin Game this year. The author can write the odd putrid story, and I'm first to criticize him when I think he deserves it. But this book is the best of the series so far and from now the only way is down. Especially for us fans waiting for Peace Talks. Since the book after the latter will be called Battle Ground, it presupposes that the peace talks will have been in vain. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Toodle-oo for now. View all 8 comments. New book this year!! Update: 13 Nov , uh, what?! It's not going to be released Dec 3rd? So I've been lied to for months now?!!! Someone's gonna have to die for this treachery! Update: 6 Jan Official release date May 27th. Well, well, well. What a game. Mab, you wicked faerie. This book was very good, plenty of action, development for the series, and for Harry in particular. It made it me cry at least twice, maybe three times. Hard to do. My only c New book this year!! Five stars. View all 12 comments. Mar 11, Evgeny rated it liked it Shelves: fantasy. Mab a fairy Winter Queen gives Harry Dresden as assignment he cannot refuse for numerous reasons. Not only it is highly dangerous, but poor Harry has to work with one of his worst enemies helping the latter. If you read the blurb for this book, you might as well skip reading the real thing altogether as it gives away practically everything - who the heck wrote it??? I thought it would be fun to make a short quiz about the book instead of forcing people who will be unlucky enough to read this revi Mab a fairy Winter Queen gives Harry Dresden as assignment he cannot refuse for numerous reasons. I thought it would be fun to make a short quiz about the book instead of forcing people who will be unlucky enough to read this review to see my boring thoughts about it. Answer: view spoiler [A hide spoiler ] a quiz spoiler only Question 2: Who gets to have more sex: A or C? Answer: view spoiler [C hide spoiler ] a quiz spoiler only To continue the theme of sex in the series here is another question: Who is this? Remember, your answer must be related to the series. Answer: view spoiler [The ugliest woman in the world of Harry Dresden. I tried to find a single plain-looking woman in the whole series, not to mention an ugly one. I failed miserably: there is none in all 15 books, period. This combined with Harry's complete inability to get laid despite the fact that quite a few drop-dead gorgeous women literally throw themselves at him in every story makes the series look like it was written by a sexually frustrated teen boy I am talking about a very young teen here. Every single book follows the same tried-and-true formula please do not hate me for spoiling all fifteen books of the series. Harry gets beaten up again and again and again and again Final showdown comes up; Harry gets beaten practically to death, but he pulls up a hidden reserve from his ass at the very last moment, so he survives. The task is done; the bad guy is put to shame and escapes. Did you notice the part about escaping villain? They are quite happy for come back to another round of kicking Harry around. One more complaint about this book in particular: Harry became unreliable narrator. This is the first time he did, and it is a little late in the series for him to become such. The only reason for this was to pull yet another last-minute escape from out of nowhere and this really looked lame. There is an overall plot in the series, but I feel like it went south a couple of books ago. I still insist that book 12 Changes would be a really good place to stop. Anything that came up after it seemed like the author painted himself in the corner and has no clue what to do next. Case in point: the big plot only gets briefly mentioned in this book, so do not expect any development in here. Speaking about development: Harry Dresden is still the same as he was in the very first book; he gets exactly zero development. On the other hand, Butters develops here, but I would rather he stayed the same: Butters the action hero really does not work and looks completely artificial. We finally came to my biggest problem with the series. I see every single book as a proof that Harry Dresden gets severely punished for choosing to be a good guy. His life would be so much easier if he succumbed to the Dark Side. It seems like every installment in the series is a case study of how much shit the main character can be put up with for remaining a good guy; sometimes this looks outright sadistic. Can somebody name a single reward Harry ever got? I am sorry for giving the book such a low rating, but I am done with Dresden Files. I would be the first to admit the series had its moments and that one scene in book 7 Dead Beat beats everything else I saw in urban fantasy in terms of epic-ness view spoiler [Sue hide spoiler ] , but I can read about Harry getting beat up only for so long. My actual rating for the series is 2. View all 42 comments. Apr 21, Adrienne rated it it was amazing. Anyone else really looking forward to Dresden's next encounter with Kincaid? I think as moments go, 'priceless' would be an understatement :. View 2 comments. What a delightful surprise when Skin Game turned out to be one of, if not my favorite Dresden book so far. It had a strong plot complete with an interesting bad guy , a good integration of the many fantastic side characters, and, of course, a ton of that snarky humor. Skin Game reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the series and I am genuinely excited to see where the story goes next. May 27, Anne rated it really liked it Shelves: jim-butcher , kindle , urban-fantasy , read-in , paranormal. Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. Book 15, already? Well I guess since I've been reading these books for years now, that sort of makes sense. How did Skin Game hold up to scrutiny? It was classic Dresden. And you can take that whichever way you want. If you're a die-hard fan of this series, and you still enjoy Butcher's books about the wacky but lovable wizard, who can't help getting himself in over his head However, if you were hoping for something differ Also reveiwed for Addicted2Heroines Wow. However, if you were hoping for something different this time around? What it was is what it still is. Skin Game is the same high-octane novel that I've come to expect from this author, and from this series. And, just like all the other novels, the action never lets up enough for you to catch your breath. Also, if you were hoping there was some resolution to Harry's multiple problems? Forget it! Looks like book 16 will hit the stores sometime in , but I'm not counting on that one laying anything to rest, either. If you've ever read a book from the Dresden Files, then you know there's not really a way to coherently explain everything that goes on in the story. Too much! However, I can say that it involves robbing Hades of the Holy Grail, a parasite that may explode from Harry's head, a hilarious sex scene with Murphy, Butters and Bob's skull on a magically powered skateboard, Michael with the power of an archangel, an Honest-To- God lightsaber, and Santa Clause vetting for a mercenary. And really, that just scratches the surface Sound like your cuppa tea? If so, then I suggest you go grab a copy. However, be warned that this is not a series that you can plunk down in the middle of, and hope to catch up. If you're serious about starting this one, you've got a whole lotta reading to catch up on! View all 11 comments. Jun 30, Nana Devourer of Tomes rated it liked it Shelves: , , urban-fantasy , books-i-own. May 28 HOLY. I knew this book was going to be good but I never expected it to go to that level of epic. God, I love them. They're the creepiest, nastiest villains I've come across in literature lately bar the Naagloshi. The only thing that I was a bit disappointed at was the lack of Toe-mas. Be prepared for loads of feels btw. Might be the best book in the series so far. And now I'm sad cause I have years ahead of me until the next one. Time to read the rest of the series again. May 27 This is moi today: May 22 I can't. What else do you need world? So I'll listen to James reading it to me and then when the physical copy arrives I'll admire it on my bookshelf. May 10, Brandt rated it it was amazing. In it, we find out that Mab has various debts which she has incurred over the years and Mab is very keen on getting her debts paid, and when one of the people she owes shows up and asks for a favour, she loans him Harry Dresden in order to help him. View all 7 comments. Oct 20, Emma rated it it was amazing Shelves: urban-fantasy , re-read , fantasy , magic , fae. It was what I started with myself. As many before me have said, this series just gets better and better. One of the things I love is the payoff from previous books. Character development over the series is phenomenal, not only for Harry Dresden, but all the rest of the cast too. With each book, more of the back story is threaded in. The Parcour! There are no wasted pages and no down time with any of the books, and particularly not in this book. I have slowly over a couple of years worked my way through the series. Too much happens in each one to want to rush through the whole lot too quickly. And the audio is excellent. Jan 13, Experiment BL rated it liked it Shelves: reviewed , recently-reviewed , paranormal-mystery. Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. I had several issues with the characters. I know it's a personality flaw and it's never leaving because it's book fucking 15 and still no sign of self- esteem growth but I really wish it would. I'm tired of Urban Fantasy protags hating themselves for simply existing. Secondly, he spent a year in Demonreach and all he learned was parkour. Granted, he did display a fe Book 15 was enjoyable but it was not one of the best books of the series. Granted, he did display a few new spells throughout the book, but these ice spells were still the same blunt force type as his fire spells. He should have learned other types of spells, types that would allow him to detect enemies e. There's more to magic than calling up a buttload of fire and ice to blast at enemies. For fuck sake, learn a healing spell already! I couldn't believe parkour was all that he learned. Dresden is a piss- poor wizard. I hate how Dresden uses the excuse that he might kill people if he goes all out because of his inner demon. Yeah, right. It's not as if burning enemies to cinders or icing them to shards aren't deadly, which Dresden does with no hesitation and does often. Dresden had access to Demonreach, an ageless entity of immeasurable knowledge, and he did nothing with it. For someone who believed the Winter Knight job would make him dark and twisted, he didn't research a way out of it. For someone who regularly told the reader Mab is vindictive and merciless, he put more effort into antagonizing the queen faerie than following his common sense. I still like Dresden but he disappointed me greatly. The only reason he did not anger me as much as he could have was because I was too busy being annoyed with Nicodemus and infuriated with Butters. Plus, there was mpreg, which was hilarious. There were several ways I thought Nicky could have screwed Dresden. For instance, he could have made Dresden, as his oath-bound accomplice, kill Butters under the idea that Dresden needed to put down anyone who threatened the heist. And not just Butters, Nicky could have twisted the oath in a way that would force Dresden to choose between his friends and obeying the oath where Dresden would obviously choose his friends but would then die for his choice. Nicky regressed severely. Instead of delicious deception, most of his evil acts were all blunt force that is emblematic of a mortal muscle-head. What little deception he did was predictable which totally defeated the purpose of deception. Finally, sacrificing that one person was the stupidest thing he could have done. He couldn't bring some of his fanatics along and sacrificed one of them? Trust was the only requirement, and the fanatics have immense trust in him. You gotta be if you're going to dedicate your life to a demonic cult and allow your tongue to be severed. It's not the first time his fanatics died for Nicky in a mission. Then, at the end he got rewarded and Murphy is on the out? WTF is the Christian God thinking? The dude will barely last a second. The only reason Butters got one over on the bad guy was because of divine intervention so unless the Christian God plans to intervene every time Butters is in a fight, a big fat NO. Worst idea ever. It was bad enough I was already upset with Butters in the beginning of the book for thinking Dresden was his bitch. They have a life of their own and crap to deal with, especially the perpetually unfortunate Dresden as you very well know. Every time you meet Dresden, you are sewing his insides back inside. And of course, the answer to your question about what he's doing now is paying a debt. No, he doesn't have time to play superhero for the city again! Good gracious, if Butters wasn't Dresden's go-to doctor, I would have told the dude to fuck off. I half wanted him to die during that stunt. Anyway, I hope poetic justice will be served in future books now that Butters, in his new role as a hero instead of just as a sidekick, will experience the shit Dresden and others go through. Be happy for now with your new metaphorical giant penis, Butters. It's all shitstorm from thereon out. It's like no matter how strong the woman is, she still needs Dresden to rescue her. Can the damsels rescue themselves for once? At least Valmont was not as bad as what's-her-name in the last book who was so annoyingly helpless and gloomy to the point where I just wanted her to die as soon as she was introduced. Ascher wasn't a damsel but I hated how at the end she was treated as one by Dresden. Woman made her life choices just like her partner, Binder, made his choices. I hate how Dresden is pissy towards Binder but not towards Ascher as if both were not similar in many ways. I wish Dresden's bleeding heart quit its sexist tendencies. Poor Murphy. I love the idea that vanilla humans can be on the same playing field with the mighty supernatural. Damn Butters for taking that idea away from me. Anyway, I hope Murphy goes back to being a cop. I hate how she is unemployed and lacking a future other than being a sidekick for Dresden when he needs her. Yeah, that's a pathetic future. I also don't care for the potential romance between them for all the reasons a character listed in the middle of the book. It was good to see Michael temporarily in action again. I always thought it was silly how he retired because of his injuries in a world where magic exists and it's possible to come back from death. Seriously, why are healing spells non-existent? The Worldbuilding The series wandered in Greek mythology, Hades and his underworld to be specific. It was odd that the reader got to meet Hades, another deity, but still not the Christian God. Instead we meet again one of his lackeys, Archangel Uriel, who made a less than impressive impression. So much for the idea that the enigmatic character knew what was he was doing. Anyway, I wish the series dial down the Christian elements or dial up the other supernatural elements. Conclusion I rate Skin Game 3-stars for I like it. I might rate it up a star for re-readability; we'll see. I was disappointed we didn't learn more about the Outsiders and the Black Council. It made only an inch of progress in the story arc. How long is this reckoning going to be delayed? Anyway, the book was enjoyable but it could have easily been better. View all 51 comments. Jan 19, Carly marked it as to-read Shelves: urban-fantasy , uf-gotta-catch-em-all , muf , trenchcoat-brigade. This is Harry Dresden. This is Harry the Bolshevik Muppet. Put them both in dusters and there really isn't much difference, especially now that Mab is pulling Dresden's strings. They even have the same hair. He is described on the wiki as, "An unkempt figure with wild eyes and a mad cackle, he delights in blowing things up. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few This is Harry Dresden. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few months. It doesn't. Despite a certain amount of ambivalence about Faustian bargains and cold days, I'm dying to read this for a rather random reason. If the books stay true to pattern, then this is a Denarian book, so hopefully one of my biggest questions since Small Favor will finally be answered: who, who picked up the Denarian coin? Seriously, it wasn't a very big helicopter. Practically a locked-room mystery. But I have no idea. I vote all three. Otherwise, I want to know: view spoiler [ --Hey, remember the Fomorians terrorizing Chicago? About them How's that going, then? Still waiting for an explanation of the fetches. Please, please don't say God. I suspect the explanation starts with "Uh View all 15 comments. Jan 24, Heidi The Reader rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , fantasy-and-sci-fi. Harry Dresden, wizard-for- hire and Winter Knight, joins a group of unsavory characters to pay off a debt owed by Mab and to steal something incredibly valuable from a god. And he thought he had bad days before this. At least he still has a way with words. Nicodemus is a murderous murdering murderer," I said. Can he even trust himself with the strange "parasite"-thing growing in his head? Any guesses on what they're going to be stealing? He's famous for it. Art, treasure, gems, jewels, antiques, you name. Skin Game is a clever mix of heist and The Dresden Files. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now my heart is broken because the next book isn't written yet. We were finally getting somewhere with Harry's relationships with his friends and a certain someone in particular. No spoilers! Harry was learning how to juggle his "mantle of power". Molly was coming into her own unique situation. We've learned about angels, demons, fairies, pixies, gods and more in this series. I've really come to enjoy the world and the strange things that happen in it. I love the shifting balance of power and how when Harry's up, he's really up. And when he's down I think all of the readers are wondering that too. Not that we're complaining because this series seems to have such staying power. I really wish it would keep going for awhile longer, just spit- balling here, how about another 15 books? I like being in this world and I think plenty of other readers do too. Jim Butcher, give the people what they want. Write, please. Write now! View all 6 comments. Jan 10, Heather K dentist in my spare time rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , urban-fantasy , narrator-amazing , favorites , not-a-romance-book , loved-it , paranormal.

Skin Game (The Dresden Files) - Wikipedia

Nicodemus orders them and Goodman Grey who had supposedly killed Valmont to attack. At this point, Dresden remembers his first stop with Mab after their meeting with Nicodemus, where he had hired Grey to back him up prior to the planning of this mission. They then gather up the still-living Valmont and make their escape from the nevernever, but not before Nicodemus escapes and heads for Michael's house. With Binder's help, they get out of Marcone's vault and confront Nicodemus at Michael's home. During the final fight, Butters takes up the broken Fidelacchius , which emits a lightsaber-style blade and chases off Nicodemus again. Afterwards, the group divide up a backpack full of diamonds Valmont had stolen from Hades' vault. Dresden pays Grey's fee of 1 dollar in cash, and uses Grey's unwanted share of the diamonds to bribe Marcone into forgetting the break-in, then visits Murphy in the hospital where the two share a passionate kiss. Talking with Michael that evening, they reflect over the events of the past few days, leading them to worry about Dresden's future as the Winter Knight. Dresden figures out that everyone in the heist was a pawn. The plot was hatched between Mab and Marcone, to avenge themselves on Nicodemus, with the help of Hades. The plot succeeds: Nicodemus loses Deirdre Archleone and all his acolytes and his underworld reputation, but of course gains the Holy Grail as Mab had promised. This wiki. This wiki All wikis. Sign In Don't have an account? Start a Wiki. The Dresden Files. Short fiction. Write a review See all reviews Write a review. Most helpful positive review. Average Rating: 5. See more. Most helpful negative review. Average Rating: 2. Butcher's latest entry in the Dresden Files revisits the ill-conceived Knights of the Black Denarius and Knights of the Holy Cross, with a bit of George Lucas' tired Star Wars mythology thrown in for good sport, because really? Why not? Once again, we visit the holy Carpenter family, who is being protected by a circle of heavenly host. Although apparently only from supernatural threats, so towards the end of the book - the fairies put their on detail to the task. That's not really a spoiler. And the wicked Nicodemus who houses the fallen archeangle Anduriel and rules the brothers of the Black Deniaurus. There's a few plot twists, which sort of fall in out of the sky and are hard to care too much about. Neither are built well. And yes, like all the novels that feature the Knights, this one smacks of sexism. The loyal Murphy makes an appearance but is taken out early in the proceedings and replaced by the far more capable Michael Carpenter, and eventually, forensic specialist, Walter Butters - who bumbles his way into becoming what amounts to another Knight. As the guys fist bump each other in brotherly bonding. There's romance, but it's really not the focus, and Butcher clearly is uncomfortable with sex scenes even if they take place in dreams. He'd much rather write fight scenes - and lots of them. As a result, Harry gets beaten up a lot - and I do mean a lot. Throughout the book - he's on the verge of keeling over at any moment - yet he manages to hold his own against assorted and sundry villainy. It's sort of like watching a battered Energizer Bunny on Steroids. While enjoyable in places, it drug in others and took far too long to get to the point. The writer had the character keep too many secrets - from his readers. Which works well in third person pov but not so much in first. Also, one too many fight scenes, and most did little to move either the character or action forward - feeling more like pointless filler. There is a bit of set-up here for the next novel. While I'll most likely check out the next one, I'm beginning to think this series has been stretched a bit too thin and should be nearing the wrap up stage by now. Frequent mentions. May 20, Written by a librarything. January 21, Reviewed by quiBee quiBee. September 17, August 13, Reviewed by renbedell renbedell. December 4, Reviewed by utbw42 utbw See all 54 reviews. Ask a question Ask a question If you would like to share feedback with us about pricing, delivery or other customer service issues, please contact customer service directly. Your question required. Additional details. Send me an email when my question is answered. Please enter a valid email address. I agree to the Terms and Conditions. Cancel Submit. Pricing policy About our prices. We're committed to providing low prices every day, on everything. So if you find a current lower price from an online retailer on an identical, in-stock product, tell us and we'll match it. See more details at Online Price Match. And not just Butters, Nicky could have twisted the oath in a way that would force Dresden to choose between his friends and obeying the oath where Dresden would obviously choose his friends but would then die for his choice. Nicky regressed severely. Instead of delicious deception, most of his evil acts were all blunt force that is emblematic of a mortal muscle-head. What little deception he did was predictable which totally defeated the purpose of deception. Finally, sacrificing that one person was the stupidest thing he could have done. He couldn't bring some of his fanatics along and sacrificed one of them? Trust was the only requirement, and the fanatics have immense trust in him. You gotta be if you're going to dedicate your life to a demonic cult and allow your tongue to be severed. It's not the first time his fanatics died for Nicky in a mission. Then, at the end he got rewarded and Murphy is on the out? WTF is the Christian God thinking? The dude will barely last a second. The only reason Butters got one over on the bad guy was because of divine intervention so unless the Christian God plans to intervene every time Butters is in a fight, a big fat NO. Worst idea ever. It was bad enough I was already upset with Butters in the beginning of the book for thinking Dresden was his bitch. They have a life of their own and crap to deal with, especially the perpetually unfortunate Dresden as you very well know. Every time you meet Dresden, you are sewing his insides back inside. And of course, the answer to your question about what he's doing now is paying a debt. No, he doesn't have time to play superhero for the city again! Good gracious, if Butters wasn't Dresden's go-to doctor, I would have told the dude to fuck off. I half wanted him to die during that stunt. Anyway, I hope poetic justice will be served in future books now that Butters, in his new role as a hero instead of just as a sidekick, will experience the shit Dresden and others go through. Be happy for now with your new metaphorical giant penis, Butters. It's all shitstorm from thereon out. It's like no matter how strong the woman is, she still needs Dresden to rescue her. Can the damsels rescue themselves for once? At least Valmont was not as bad as what's-her-name in the last book who was so annoyingly helpless and gloomy to the point where I just wanted her to die as soon as she was introduced. Ascher wasn't a damsel but I hated how at the end she was treated as one by Dresden. Woman made her life choices just like her partner, Binder, made his choices. I hate how Dresden is pissy towards Binder but not towards Ascher as if both were not similar in many ways. I wish Dresden's bleeding heart quit its sexist tendencies. Poor Murphy. I love the idea that vanilla humans can be on the same playing field with the mighty supernatural. Damn Butters for taking that idea away from me. Anyway, I hope Murphy goes back to being a cop. I hate how she is unemployed and lacking a future other than being a sidekick for Dresden when he needs her. Yeah, that's a pathetic future. I also don't care for the potential romance between them for all the reasons a character listed in the middle of the book. It was good to see Michael temporarily in action again. I always thought it was silly how he retired because of his injuries in a world where magic exists and it's possible to come back from death. Seriously, why are healing spells non-existent? The Worldbuilding The series wandered in Greek mythology, Hades and his underworld to be specific. It was odd that the reader got to meet Hades, another deity, but still not the Christian God. Instead we meet again one of his lackeys, Archangel Uriel, who made a less than impressive impression. So much for the idea that the enigmatic character knew what was he was doing. Anyway, I wish the series dial down the Christian elements or dial up the other supernatural elements. Conclusion I rate Skin Game 3-stars for I like it. I might rate it up a star for re-readability; we'll see. I was disappointed we didn't learn more about the Outsiders and the Black Council. It made only an inch of progress in the story arc. How long is this reckoning going to be delayed? Anyway, the book was enjoyable but it could have easily been better. View all 51 comments. Jan 19, Carly marked it as to-read Shelves: urban-fantasy , uf-gotta-catch-em-all , muf , trenchcoat-brigade. This is Harry Dresden. This is Harry the Bolshevik Muppet. Put them both in dusters and there really isn't much difference, especially now that Mab is pulling Dresden's strings. They even have the same hair. He is described on the wiki as, "An unkempt figure with wild eyes and a mad cackle, he delights in blowing things up. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few This is Harry Dresden. I dropped by to see if it came out in the next few months. It doesn't. Despite a certain amount of ambivalence about Faustian bargains and cold days, I'm dying to read this for a rather random reason. If the books stay true to pattern, then this is a Denarian book, so hopefully one of my biggest questions since Small Favor will finally be answered: who, who picked up the Denarian coin? Seriously, it wasn't a very big helicopter. Practically a locked-room mystery. But I have no idea. I vote all three. Otherwise, I want to know: view spoiler [ --Hey, remember the Fomorians terrorizing Chicago? About them How's that going, then? Still waiting for an explanation of the fetches. Please, please don't say God. I suspect the explanation starts with "Uh View all 15 comments. Jan 24, Heidi The Reader rated it it was amazing Shelves: fiction , fantasy-and-sci-fi. Harry Dresden, wizard-for-hire and Winter Knight, joins a group of unsavory characters to pay off a debt owed by Mab and to steal something incredibly valuable from a god. And he thought he had bad days before this. At least he still has a way with words. Nicodemus is a murderous murdering murderer," I said. Can he even trust himself with the strange "parasite"-thing growing in his head? Any guesses on what they're going to be stealing? He's famous for it. Art, treasure, gems, jewels, antiques, you name. Skin Game is a clever mix of heist and The Dresden Files. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And now my heart is broken because the next book isn't written yet. We were finally getting somewhere with Harry's relationships with his friends and a certain someone in particular. No spoilers! Harry was learning how to juggle his "mantle of power". Molly was coming into her own unique situation. We've learned about angels, demons, fairies, pixies, gods and more in this series. I've really come to enjoy the world and the strange things that happen in it. I love the shifting balance of power and how when Harry's up, he's really up. And when he's down I think all of the readers are wondering that too. Not that we're complaining because this series seems to have such staying power. I really wish it would keep going for awhile longer, just spit-balling here, how about another 15 books? I like being in this world and I think plenty of other readers do too. Jim Butcher, give the people what they want. Write, please. Write now! View all 6 comments. Jan 10, Heather K dentist in my spare time rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , urban-fantasy , narrator-amazing , favorites , not-a-romance-book , loved-it , paranormal. Part of that is because the audio of this book is so good I could cry. The audio of this series, especially the later books, is simply the gold standard of what an audiobook can be. The audio for this book was astonishingly good, and I think even if the book was terrible, I could never do anything but love it. The story was exciting, Harry was impressive, and the audio was divine. Now I just have to suffer and wait for the next book to come out. View all 4 comments. Jul 15, Steven rated it it was amazing Shelves: read-in , read-in , favorites , reread. Again, Butcher blows me away with his ability to craft an amazing story that ends in one book but pushes forward a much larger story arc. Loving these books! Sad now that I'm caught up and have to wait for more. At least I can always reread. Apr 19, William rated it it was amazing. Holly Crap!!!!!!!!!!!! Feb 20, Regina rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorite-series , favorite-authors , urban-fantasy-uf , favorites , arc-publisher-netgalley-edelweiss. Giveaway of this book here. Skin Game is really good. I mean really good. Jim Butcher gets better with every book. It had a little bit of Murphy and a little bit of Michael. This is one of the best books I have read this year. Skin Game is brilliant, it is amazing and so worth the long wait 18 months! The main problem with reading Skin Game is the wait for the sequel Peace Talks 16 , which as of right now has an estimate of an August release. At this point, while Goodreads has August 20 Giveaway of this book here. At this point, while Goodreads has August listed as the release date, late or early sounds more realistic given past release dates. Harry Dresden returns in Skin Game. He is in the flesh, still has his silly musings but he is more confident and stronger. Skin Game brings back Michael, Molly, the Deanrians, Karen, and many others that I don't want to spoil for readers because the scene of their appearance is somewhat of a surprise. Butcher draws on Dresden's history and includes characters that mean a lot to Dresden and me as a reader. Every page was rewarding, reminiscent and new. Not surprisingly, Skin Game involves moral questions. I say not surprisingly because readers should know that when the Denarians and Michael play a role in the book, Harry's moral compass is pushed and questioned. I love Michael and the balance he brings. But I wonder what his belief system means for the Dresden Files world? Butcher has said that the final 3 books in this series will be an apocalyptic trilogy, following books the number has varied. I think Michael, the angels, the swords will play a role in the end of this series. No matter what is mixed in to the Dresden files, there is good and bad fighting each other. What Butcher does so well though, is that he has plenty of gray areas and so many of his characters believe they are the moral authority but their actions are so hurtful. Murky moral areas make the best stories. But at the same time, when Michael is present I do feel some hinting at an ultimate good and powerful being by Butcher. Anyone else? So if Michael and Karen are in the story, I know readers are wondering -- what happens with the swords? There are no spoilers in this review, but I will say the swords are back. The ultimate wielder is very unexpected but Deathhollowish in resolution and the result of the wieldings is surprising. So Skin Game is number 15 in the Dresden Files. Think about that number Factor in that Butcher releases decent short stories every year in the Dresden world, writes a fantasy series Codex Alera -6 books and is starting a new series The Cinder Spires -- August Sounds like a recipe for disaster or boredom. Except, that it isn't. Jim Butcher is somehow able to continuously write a book set in the same world, which advances the story line, progresses the characters, stays consistent with the world he constructed over a decade ago and is still brilliantly interesting. I need to say this at least once in this review: Jim Butcher you are amazing and I think I love you? How does an author do this? Thinking about series that have existed this length in time and in page count, there are few that maintain consistency, interest and growth. Who would like this book? Harry Dresden fans will not be disappointed and should read this immediately. New readers who want to start the series fans of fantasy books and urban fantasy books should read this series should start at the beginningish, not here. Note: the television series will not prep readers for the series at all. There are very little consistent storyline cross overs. So don't skip just because you watched the mediocre one season only series. This is hard. But I will just say it and most of know it is true, books 1 and 2 are not great. I am not sure what happened, author growth? A better editor? But books 1 and 2 in the Dresden Files do not represent the series at all. There are references to the events in these books throughout the series, but they are not important to read for the story arc. I worry that when readers start 1 and 2, they may never come back. It is easy for someone to say, keep with it! It gets better! But it is harder for the reader to accept that the writing and story doesn't actually represent where the series goes. Books 3 and 4 represent a strong shift in how Butcher tells his stories. They stories are more complex, the overall story arc begins and there is character growth. Books 3 and 4 are decent; book 5 is where the brilliance begins and continues on for the next 10 books. Once you are hooked, you can go back and read 1 and 2; they are both shorter and quicker reads and if you are hooked, reading these won't discourage you. Or listen to 1 and 2 in audio just to get through them. That brings me to my last point. Dresden Files make excellent re-reads. I typically re-read by listening to the audio. I love the narration; my co-blogger DG is not a fan of the audio version, but if you are tempted I say give it a try. I am guessing you will enjoy the listen. Jim Butcher is easily in at the top of my favorite fun reading list. What else can an addict do for comfort? Suggestions welcome The countdown to Peace Talks starts now Nov 04, Planchette marked it as to-read. I should have a whole new category for this. Maybe, 'Must Read'? View 1 comment. This just got so good at the end and now I have to wait for new books in the series! All the plot twists at the end were excellent. I didn't see them coming. I loved the addition to Hades in this book as well. The Dresden Files has been a favorite urban fantasy series of mine for years. I finally decided to catch up to the series by doing the audiobook on Skin Game. James Marsters did such a great job that I plan on doing this type of format moving forward when Jim Butcher releases anot Damn!!! James Marsters did such a great job that I plan on doing this type of format moving forward when Jim Butcher releases another book. Please do Butcher because you have left me in anticipation with what's going to happen to my favorite characters and my boy, Harry Dresdren!! My two favorite characters in this series make an appearance even though one is furry and slobbers over everyone. I loved the introduction of the new character Goodman Grey! I can't wait to see what Butcher does with this character. Definitely do not read this book as a stand-alone. There are too many reoccurring characters and plots involved in Skin Game. Start at the beginning of this series and just know that the series does get so much better! Harry Dresdren quits being so ridiculous from the 1st couple of books and becomes more grounded and cautious. I've loved reading how his character has changed from a hard-headed, impulsive smart ass to a weary, flawed smart ass and it's made all the difference with me in regards to this series! For me, this series reached its peak round book 5 or 6. Well, relatively simpler. I understand it had to happen. Change is a good thing, especially when it comes to a long running urban fantasy series, otherwise things would get old quick. But gone are the days when we used to get fun things like cases that send Harry to a horror film festival, or like, to the set of a porno flick. After about ten books, the inevitable bloat happened. The series was in need of a reset button, or at least a way to start tying things together. For me, Changes was that reset button. And Ghost Story and Cold Days did the tying up. These books marked an important transition for the series, one that I felt was needed and that this handful of novels achieved quite well. So when the Queen of the Winter court orders him to aid the big bad Nicodemus and his gang of fallen angels, Harry finds himself in quite a jam. Ah, I love heist stories. And everyone knows that a good heist story needs a posse, so of course we have a wonderful cast of characters with us on this particular adventure. Some old friends come along for the ride, as well as a few new faces. Among this team of talented individuals, we have the thief Anna Valmont, the rogue warlock Hannah Ascher, the wizard mercenary Binder, a shapeshifter named Goodman Grey, and even a forest creature called a Genoskwa. They are led by the nefarious Nicodemus and his daughter Deirdre. As a result, we have a good mixture of humor and easygoing camaraderie with savage, violent action. For this reason, I loved a couple of the conversations he has with Michael in this novel. Jim Butcher really does a stellar job with these heart-to-heart talks. Also, completely unrelated but just have to say this — boy, can the man can write one HELL of a sex scene. This book was just pure fun, harkening back to the days when I could enjoy a good Harry story without having it spin out of control into half a dozen different directions. For the first time in years, I finished a Dresden Files book without feeling mentally exhausted. View all 10 comments. Another decent entry added to the Dresden Files and another excellent audio performance by James Marsters. This book will see a much powered up Harry taking on the underworld - no the other underworld - THE underworld. Yes, Mab has her Winter Knight teaming up with some of the most evil characters we've come to loathe over the series to help them rip off a treasure trove from the very jaws of hell - or the Greek version of hell. Hell's Bells! How is he going to that? Well let's check the list - Another decent entry added to the Dresden Files and another excellent audio performance by James Marsters. Well let's check the list Winter Mantle - check Soulfire - check Some old and familiar friends to watch his back - check A bigger stick - check A bigger gun - check Get pregnant - che Say What! Anyway, fans of the series won't be disappointed by this instalment. And fans, old and new, of James Marsters will be treated to some excellent voice acting as Marsters gets his evil on. View all 3 comments. Apr 08, Marielle rated it it was amazing Shelves: e-books-own. I think this was the best one in the series so far. Can't wait to read 16! Review Posted to The Literary Lawyer. For my money, Skin Games is one of the best three in the series. The story is one of the best thought out, organized and exciting in many years. I hang my head in shame for uttering the words that Harry Dresden was done. Plot summary Harry, as the Winter Knight is tasked to assist one of his greatest foes in completing a heist of epic proportions. Harry finds himself part of a team reminiscent of the cast of Oceans 11 wherein a gang of specifically talented persons come together to rob the vault of the one and only Hades, Lord of the Underworld. The crew features a couple of friends some old foes in Binder and Nicodemus and the black Denarians. The Good Yes, I Do Follow The author has seemingly clued into the fact his parallel storylines were becoming a tangled mess. Instead of storylines in double digits, he maintains only a few. This allows the book to be read quickly and confusion free. https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4637932/normal_601fa2a5dd45d.pdf https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4639565/normal_601ec591d3446.pdf https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4643620/normal_6020aca226e71.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9590260/UploadedFiles/87C5325A-DD9C-3DB0-8D92-289A1A831C45.pdf https://files8.webydo.com/9586703/UploadedFiles/475AF628-80D7-EC9F-664F-16E0AA03E3DF.pdf https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4643984/normal_601f74e152fd4.pdf https://static.s123-cdn-static.com/uploads/4643907/normal_60201161c4fae.pdf