Changes: The Dresden Files, Book 12

"Wake up son o' minemomma got somethin' to tell youChanges comelife will have its waywith your pride, sontake it like a man..."Changes do indeed come, most often when you are not ready, and generally when we least expect. They are not always the changes that we would envision, nor are they ones that we have planned, but still they come. It is, therefore, no surprise when Changes come for Harry Dresden. While his life has never been what one could call "static", been far too hectic for that, it has at least maintained a basic structure amidst the chaos. He has always had his office, his apartment, his car, his cat and along the way has picked up many other friends and family, but change is inevitable, even for a Wizard.Thus it is, twelve books into The Dresden Files, that Changes find Harry, and his life shall never be the same. Just as in Turn Coat, the action begins on the first page of Jim Butcher's latest Harry Dresden adventure and hardly lets up until the very last word. This time it is Susan Rodriguez, Harry's old flame, that drops the bombshell on Harry: the Red Court has kidnapped THEIR daughter."...Hang on son o' minea storm is blowin' up your horizonChanges comekeep your dignitytake the high roadtake it like a man..."To anyone who has read the previous Eleven Dresden novels, this bombshell is as big a shock to us as it is to Harry. It has been seven books since we last saw Susan, and she is half-vampire, so the thought of a child from their last encounter seemed very unlikely. After eleven books, we know Harry Dresden, know his capabilities, know his allies, his enemies and we know what Harry will do to protect one from another. We saw a glimpse of what he was willing to do in Grave Peril to save his love, we witnessed how far he was willing to go in Blood Rites to preserve his family, and we all saw how much he is willing to risk himself for a young woman in trouble in both Proven Guilty and White Night. What we do not yet know, is how far Harry is willing to go for his own daughter, who represents all of the things he holds most dear and fights hardest to protect?Changes answers that question, with resounding potency and astonishing results. While Turn Coat seemed like a major shake-up in the status quo of the Dresden Files, it was a mere prelude of what comes in Changes. For while Turn Coat fundamentally alters characters and relationships, even the White Council, by the end you still feel as if you will be prepared for what is next. I, honestly, cannot make such a claim after Changes. The anticipation to see what happens next has never been more acute and that year between books has never felt longer."...Listen up son o' minemomma got something to tell youAll about growin' painslife will pound awaywhere the light don't shine, sontake it like a man..."The cast of characters in the Dresden Files grows with each passing book. Some of them are every bit as interesting as Harry, and all of them add significant meat to the series. Butcher pulls out all the stops in Changes, as nearly every character Harry has met along the way shows up in one shape or form. It is almost like a walk on the Nightside at times, so many familiar faces appear and every chapter is so full of action, imaginative creatures and confrontations, though with more depth than your average John Taylor adventure. Many Major Players show their faces for the first time, after being mentioned many times in previous books, among them Duchess Ortega, the Red King, and the CEO of Monoc Securities, Donar Vadderung. Each lives up to expectations, or in the case of Vadderung, exceeds them.However, it is the faces we know and love that really steal the show. While Thomas and Molly are solid, and at times great, it is Murphy, Mouse, Lea and Sanya that shine brighest. I suppose it should not be a surprise by now, as Mouse has scene stealing performances in every book since Harry found him, but this time out is his best yet. If there has ever been a cooler dog written than Mouse, I have yet to read them. Murphy's character has been improving, for me, the farther "down the rabbit hole" she is willing to go, as I find her much more interesting as part of the super-natural world than as the Scully. The Leanansidhe returns with a fine role, and her ties to Harry's mother are a very important part of the novel, as well as being a very interesting revelation in its own right. I have always loved the Knights of the Cross, but until this book did not truly appreciate how fun Sanya is to read about. This is the first book where he is the feature Knight, and he holds the mantle with class, dignity and hilarity."...Suck it up son o' minethunder blowin' up your horizonChanges come (changes come)keep your dignity (keep your dignity)take the high road (take the high road)take it like a man (take it like a man)..."Harry Dresden has always been a "Man of Power", and the books have been an interesting study of one man accumulating Power, while trying to maintain the integrity of his ideals. He takes on beings of greater power in every adventure, but is always able to live up to the responsibilities that come with his own power. The fight is never easy, even his inner-self craves more Power, if only for self-preservation, but he has always been able to weather the storm with his quick thinking and smart mouth. However, of late, Harry has been in even more over his head than usual, and you just know that it will eventually catch up with him. For while it is his anger at injustice, his passion for fighting the evil, that pulls him through again and again; passion is a fire that can burn both ways. His passion for doing the right thing allows his enemies, such as Bianca and Nicodemus, to manipulate him because they know he is willing to die "doing the right thing".Many are those who wish to destroy him, but nearly equal are those who wish to recruit him. As he so coldly enumerates to Mavra in Dead Beat, he has plenty of offers for greater power, and he is not afraid to take them if necessary. It is only love which keeps him on the righteous path. Love which preserves him against the White Court, love that vanquishes Lasciel and frees Lash, love that wins the hearts and loyalty of his many friends. It is only love which allows Harry to fight the darkness rising inside him, as he wields that lance in righteous anger and not in malice. His enemies know this as well, and some are so powerful that they do not fear using his love against him; Beings who do not fear to wield his own flesh and blood, his family, against him."...momma said like the rain(this too shall pass)like a kidney stone(this too shall pass)it's just a broken heart, sonthis pain will pass away." **Family has always been an integral part of The Dresden Files. In Storm Front, Harry, once an orphan, is already picking up charges, with his cat, Mister, and Toot-toot, the first of his Little Folk army. In Fool Moon, Harry is almost like a parent to the Alphas, shepherding them into the world of the weird. In Grave Peril, Harry is a man who is fighting tooth and nail for his mate, starting a war to rescue Susan, his love. In Summer Knight, Harry is more like the older brother to the Alphas and begins in earnest his fatherly watch over the little Fae as the Za Lord.Death Masks, shows Harry the contrast in real family, The Carpenters, and the twisted family of self-interest, The Denarians, and sees him risk becoming the latter to save the former. Blood Rites is all about family, as Harry finds a brother and a dog, growing his family more and figuring out what it means to him, personally. Dead Beat, sees Harry finally knowing what is to have family, as well as feel the pain at the prospect of losing them. Proven Guilty, is mostly about reconciliation and who your family really is, as Harry finds when his friends back him without thinking, following him into the very heart of Winter.While foiling the White Night, Harry learns what it is to be a mentor and father figure via his apprentice, Molly, and the kids at Camp Kaboom. While performing Mab's Small Favor, Harry displays the lengths to which he will go to save a child and friend, Ivy. While unmasking the Turn Coat, Harry discovers what kind of Power he is willing to utilize to save his brother, Thomas, his only blood. But it is while dealing with Changes, that we all see how far Harry's family extends, and how much he is truly willing to give for its preservation.For Harry is to learn what All Fathers know: when it is your own child in peril, the line begins to blur."Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you aren't ready for the Big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really, but it does...the Big moments are going to come, you can't help that, it's what you do afterwards that count, that's when you find out who you are."***438 HC pages 5 out of 5 stars*Title taken from "Changes" by David Bowie**Song quotations from "Momma Sed" by Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer***Quoted from Whistler's speech in "Becoming", Buffy Season 2 Episode 21, written by Joss Whedon

I have to say if you’re looking for a good read this is it!! Wow so much drama and so many turns. You keep thinking you know then you don’t… BUT!! Start at the beginning! Butcher has done an incredible job of building such an incredible story line and character development. You feel so connected to some of the characters and you have no idea just how connected until you read this book! Jim Butcher you are such and incredible story teller! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

Changes is book #12 of the Dresden Files and is definitely NOT the place to start this series. There are simply too many characters and situations from past books mentioned for a newbie to make any sense of this book. However, one thing I love about this series is that, if you start from the beginning and read along, you'll notice that Jim Butcher only introduces a few new characters and/or concepts in each book. He periodically refers back to these characters and concepts in later books, makes connections among them, etc. So by the time you get to a book like this, it's pretty easy to remember who everyone is. I like the gradual buildup of complexity. (If it's been a long time since you read the last one, there are decent Wikipedia summaries for the books in this series.)I thought book #11 was a little different in tone from the rest of the series and ended on a sad/downbeat note, but this book kind of blew that out of the water. However, don't lose hope at the end. There are at least three more books already published in the series after this, and it's my understanding there are more to come. So keep that in mind...I'm glad I can download #13 as soon as I finish writing this review. Sometimes I take a break between reading Dresden books but I don't think I will, not this time.First difference: in other books, Harry has a mystery to solve. The mystery gets resolved by the end of the book, and we learn some things about the larger story arc of the whole series. This time, however, there is a quest, but there's not much of a mystery involved (although there are a couple of big revelations at the end). The quest is finished by the end of the book, as is at least one major part of the series arc (I think), but there is no choice but for the series to transform into something different after this book. (Interestingly, this is the only book in the series with a one-word title. That makes it stand out a bit, too.) So if you are looking for more urban fantasy featuring a private detective, this book may not be your best bet. However, if you are invested in the series and characters and want to see this thing through to the end (like I do), then you'll just have to read this!Second difference: other books are set wholly in Chicago and its environs. This book has a fair number of scenes in Chicago, but also a lot of scenes in the Nevernever (Faerie land, basically) and the final confrontation takes place in Mexico.Third difference: After a few books where Harry doesn't change much, as a character, he changes in several big ways here. But I feel like his motivation is clear. He was an orphan and longed for family connections. So when he found out in this book that he had a daughter (like in the first chapter, probably available in the Kindle preview, so not really a spoiler), who was in trouble, of course he wants to save her. He goes to some extreme measures to do so, takes some actions he never would have considered (and some he passed up on moral principle) in previous books. I think his actions make sense, though. And maybe he was always capable of what he did in this book, he just needed a REASON to go that extra mile.One thing that's kind of the same as in past books is that Harry learns he's not going to get help from the White Council (governing body of wizards, essentially), so he has to assemble a team of friends (not all of whom are wizards, and not all of whom are supernaturally strong) to attack the enemy stronghold. Of course, by now, most of his helpers have been through at least a handful of battles.The final confrontation is pretty spectacular (and decisive) here. Yeah, there's some big-time deus ex machina going on, but I won't complain too much. You probably haven't made it this far in the series without expecting a little bit of that. Jim Butcher manages to make his books a lot of fun even in spite of (or perhaps because of) them being full of fantasy tropes. FYI, as usual, there are a handful of 4-letter words and some sexual situations.This is turning out to be one of my favorite series. The writing flows well (maybe too many Star Wars and Lord of the Rings references here, but at least those are familiar to most of the people who would be reading this), I find the characters to be sympathetic, and even though the ending of this particular book was unexpected and kind of depressing, I'd much rather read something by an author who puts his characters in real danger than anything that's resolved too neatly and too cleanly, with no serious trouble. I know I'll be interested to see where Jim Butcher goes with the next book.

Harry Dresden, wisecracking private eye and the only professional wizard listed in the Chicago phonebook, has never been particularly lucky in love. His first paramour Elaine Mallory faked her own death after going dark side and almost succeeding in helping former mentor Justin DuMorne to enthral Drseden while, more recently, Anastasia Luccio, Captain of the Wardens of the White Council, was only with him as a result of a psychic control spell worked upon her by renegade wizard Samuel Peabody. Even more painful, however, was Dresden's relationship with Susan Rodriguez, a former reporter for The Midwestern Arcane tabloid newspaper. Rodriguez was working the paranormal beat for the Arcane when she met Harry Dresden but, although the two became involved, Dresden tried to shield her from the truth about the extent and variety of supernatural creatures that could be found prowling around Chicago. While his intentions were good, Dresden's plan backfired spectacularly tragically when, unprepared to face Bianca, a powerful Red Court vampire, Susan Rodriguez was bitten and transformed into a half-vampire. Plagued by a newly awakened bloodlust and destined to remain a half-vampire until she feeds on a human, Rodriguez left Chicago, breaking Dresden's heart and turning down his marriage proposal in the process, to join the Fellowship of Saint Giles, an organisation formed of half-vampires and dedicated to bringing down the Red Court.At the beginning of Changes, the twelfth novel in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, Susan Rodriguez had been absent from Harry Dresden's life for almost a decade and so it is with understandable trepidation that Dresden answers a telephone call from her:I answered the phone, and Susan Rodriguez said, "They've taken our daughter."After leaving Chicago and joining the Fellowship, Rodriguez had discovered that she was pregnant with Dresden's child. The baby girl was born a regular human, was named Maggie in honour of Dresden's mother, and then, due to Rodriguez's fear that the child would become a target for one if not all of the supernatural factions that had come into conflict with herself or Dresden at some time or other, adopted by a regular family and raised completely unaware of her magical heritage. Somehow Arianna Ortega, a particularly diabolical Red Court vampire who blames Dresden for the death of her husband [during the events of Death Masks, the fifth Dresden Files novel], became aware of Maggie's existence and has kidnapped the girl. Ortega intends to kill Maggie and use her blood in a violent ritual sacrifice designed to enact a blood curse which will also destroy Rodriguez and Dresden.With the White Council of Wizards and the Red Court are in a state of détente, Dresden knows that he can expect no help from his fellow wizards in his quest to save his daughter and so, save for the assistance of a loyal band of well-meaning friends, he decides to go it alone against the Red King and his entire vampire Court.Changes is the most action packed of all the Dresden Files novels so far. While the book itself is one of the longest in the series, the action takes place over a very short period of time as Dresden rushes to locate Maggie and then formulate a battle plan to rescue her from the Red Court and prevent Ortega from unleashing the blood curse. Dresden has faced apocalyptic danger before and come out on top but this time it's not just his own life on the line. Although capable of reacting with great power if provoked, Dresden has always turned away from the dark forces that tempted him however useful their assistance might be but, with his daughter's life at risk, the temptation of the dark is greater than it has ever been. In Changes Butcher makes use of nearly all of the Dresden Files popular supporting cast [even Mouse gets a few lines!] and also offers some intriguing answers and explanations for issues that have been running through the previous novels in the series. Changes is yet another excellent instalment in what is arguably the finest urban fantasy series being written at the moment.Be warned though - fans will both love and curse Jim Butcher for the cliff-hanger at the end of Changes and will no doubt be counting down the days until the next of the Dresden Files is released.

Make sure got tissues ready this one is a tear jearker for me it was sad but I still loved it lots of action in this one didn't want it to end he never dissapoints with his books on to the next one in the series hope you join me if you want action drama but romance comedy a lot of great story telling dont wait around grab a copy of this series you won't be dissapointed i never am so glad I took a risk on this series worth every penny I have spent on some fantastic books

Since the first novel in the series,  Storm Front (Dresden Case Files) , the Dresden Files have gone from being relatively straight forward supernatural detective stories to far more epic, fantasy adventures. Harry Dresden, his friends, enemies and the worlds they inhabit have developed with every book. Complex subplots and back stories, some spanning multiple novels, have grown out of events on and off the page. The Black Council, the war between the Red Court and the White Council, Queen Mab's pursuit of Harry, Harry's relationship with Susan, Harry's relationship with Murphy; these subplots and many others have continued, unresolved, in some cases since the very beginning.With Changes, as the title would suggest, Jim Butcher seems intent on finally wrapping up of few of this myriad of plot threads. Not all of them; there are still plenty of ongoing mysteries left over at the end of the book, but Changes purpose is definitely to thin the herd. In my opinion this is no bad thing. After so many books introducing so many stories that were left wholly or partially unresolved Harry's adventures had threatened at times to drown in their own complexity. Tying up some of the loose ends would allow the books to regain some of the focus and streamlining that had been so appealing in the early Dresden adventures.Unfortunately it would appear that Jim Butcher couldn't come up with endings for the subplots that would fill an entire book by themselves. Its not that there is anything wrong with the any of the resolutions he has come up with, simply that they could easily be told in the space of 100 pages without sacrificing anything, rather than the 400 of the average Dresden File. In order to make up the difference therefore, the author has to resort to including quite a lot of padding.The result is a book that feels messy and flabby compared to the intricate plotting of previous Dresden Files. During the first three quarters of the book there are too many extraneous scenes that fail to add anything to proceedings. I'm thinking specifically of the fight against the giant centipede, the attack on Detective Rudolph's House and the attack on the FBI Building. All three are exciting and action packed but also completely unnecessary and they fail to really move the story forward. Its as if the author is throwing action sequences at the reader in an attempt to disguise how thin the main plot actually is.All this means that the first two thirds of Changes doesn't grip the attention quite as well as previous Dresden novels. There are some nice elements in amongst the meandering storylines, including some significant & permanent changes to Harry's living quarters and transportation arrangements and the introduction of some new and probably recurring characters (Agent Tilly shows particular promise), but welcome as these developments are they don't make up for the lack of narrative drive.Then suddenly, around Chapter 38, the book suddenly becomes far more focused, things start moving a lot more rapidly and the quality level rises appreciably. The final 100+ pages, although OTT in places, are a tour-de-force as different stories intersect, are resolved and questions are answered. Its all done with real pace and verve and the book suddenly becomes un-put-down-able. Its classic Dresden, will delight fans who have waited years for some stories to resolve themselves and elevates the book from a humdrum three stars to a solid four.Then comes the ending, which will infuriate those who hate cliffhangers and delight those who do. Personally I didn't mind it. I'm so used to Jim Butcher leaving plot threads unresolved at the end of past adventures that such an open ending, even though it comes out of nowhere, seems quite normal. I'm also sure that the next volume of the Dresden Files will resolve it quite satisfactorilly.I'm looking forward to that next adventure. By shaking up the Dresden-verse in so many ways with Changes Jim Butcher has given himself the opportunity to refresh the series. He can give more focus to other longstanding plot strands and take characters off in new and unexpected directions. He has new characters and settings to create and develop. It makes what comes next feel unpredictable and exciting. Its just a pity that he took such such a messy route to get there. Storm Front (Dresden Case Files)

For me the last three Dresden books have been excellent. Butcher has grown as a writer and though the books are to some extent formulaic, his story telling and characterisation has improved significantly as the series progressed; I enjoy the dry humour and like the fact that he doesn't spend half the novel on recaps. I read the first 5 or so under sufferance with other reviewers promising the series improves. They were right and this one one is a real game changer.Butcher develops his narrative with the usual twists, turns, dead alleys, dry humour and then sneaks in THAT ending. If you enjoyed the early Dresden files and like the predictable repetitive pattern that admittedly works well by the 10th book, reread the early books or try a nice safe romance instead. There is a good reason this book is called Changes. I can't help thinking that Butcher has been reading GRRMartin.One of the strengths of the later books is that Butcher follows through the consequences of events and doesn't shrink from developing his characters even if that development is not pretty. That is definitely true of this one. Excellent read!

Firstly, If you are not already a Dresden files fan, then this (the twelth book in the series,) is not really the place to start.Secondly, the title for this book is well chosen, there are quite a few relatively large changes to the Dresden storyline in this book and little, if any, clear indication of how much those changes will affect the ongoing story. Ie some minor changes might have quite a large impact, and some large changes may have quite a minor long term effect. I believe it is simply too early to say.Thirdly, dont panic! Despite all the changes, the author is on record as having said that he has enough material to reach at least into the twenties on this series, so quite a way to go yet.Fourthly, if you arent a fan of cliffhangers/waiting to see what happens next, you might want to wait until the next book is out before you get this one. 'Ghost story' is currently expected to be out April 2011.Finally, the book itself. Obviously there is a lot going on in the story, perhaps a little too much for it to be quite as enjoyable as some of the earlier books. That isnt to say that this is a bad book, just that its not one of the better ones in the series. The author obviously had objectives here in terms of the long term storyline and I felt that perhaps as a result he didnt give quite as much attention to the immediate story. It felt a little too hurried to me, as if the book needed a bit extra polish and a few more pages. The pacing was perhaps understandable given the nature of the storyline, but all the same... perhaps there will one day be a 'directors cut' version of the book as per certain films?Oh and of course we have the short stories collection to look forward to, ('Side Jobs' this autumn,) to keep us going until the next full novel.