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    Storm Front
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    Storm Front
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    Storm Front
    Audiobook9 hours

    Storm Front

    Written by John Sandford

    Narrated by Eric Conger

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    #1 New York Times Bestseller

    An ancient relic is unearthed during an archaeological dig. A Minnesota college professor is keeping a secret that could change the world's history as we know it. For Virgil Flowers, the link between the two is inescapable-and his investigation, more dangerous and far-reaching than he can possibly imagine.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 8, 2013
    ISBN9781101630709
    Unavailable
    Storm Front
    Author

    John Sandford

    John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of thirty-three Prey novels, two Letty Davenport novels, four Kidd novels, twelve Virgil Flowers novels, three YA novels co-authored with his wife, Michele Cook, and five stand-alone books.

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    Reviews for Storm Front

    4/5

    5,011 ratings324 reviews

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    • 3/5
      While it was not as good as the Codex Alera Series by the same author, I did not feel reading this book was a waste of time either. I was not overwhelmed by the book, but I'll give the series at least another book to grow on me before I decide if I want to keep reading it. As it is, it was pretty much the definition of a three star book for me: Interesting to read, but will not leave a lasting memory.
    • 4/5
      So I finally got around to reading the ever-infamous debut of The Dresden Files. It's a good read, but it didn't grab me, and I think it's more due to fact it's just been built up so much that it was almost impossible for me to really sit down and relax with this sucker. That said, the book (series) is a staple in the urban fantasy genre, and I'm glad I read it. It's worth reading, hyped up or not. :)The premise: Harry Dresden is a wizard for hire. Only he lives in modern day Chicago, and no one takes him seriously. The ones who do are either crazy or simply don't trust him, even when they need his help. And he gets more than he can chew when the police call him in on a double-homicide, one committed with black magic. It wouldn't be so bad, if everyone around him didn't think he was the killer.The full review, with spoilers, can be found in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.REVIEW: Jim Butcher's STORM FRONTHappy Reading! :)
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure why, but recently I've seen Jim Butcher mentioned quite frequently and have had his books recommended to me on a fairly regular basis--in particular, The Dresden Files, which is the series he is probably best known for. So, I was bound to pick up a copy of the first book, Storm Front, eventually. Luckily, it was readily available at my local library branch as a mass market paperback, and it immediately became my "bus book."Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden (conjure at your own risk) is a private investigator living in and working out of Chicago. He also happens to be wizard of some skill. Currently however, he is down on his luck, behind on his rent, and just a little bit worried about making ends meet. But then, almost simultaneously, a missing person case falls into his lap and he is called in by the police to consult on an investigation of a gruesome double murder. Unfortunately for Harry, as one of the only powerful magic users in the area, he quickly becomes suspect. Already on the outs with the White Council (the governing body of wizards, etc), he must work fast to track down the real culprit in order to prove his innocence. Oh, yeah--and did I mention that not only a few people want him dead?I really liked Harry, dubious past and all, as the protagonist (although he was slightly exasperating at times) and he is supported by a good handful of decent secondary characters who I look forward to seeing again in subsequent books. Storm Front is an odd mix of fantasy and hard boiled detective fiction, but Butcher pulls it off surprisingly well. I particularly enjoyed the magic system which is based more on intent, concentration, and the focusing and directing of energies more than anything else. It also has a habit of making more modern technology go haywire, which I find to be immensely appropriate. There were a couple of very minor inconsistencies in the book in addition to it being a bit repetitive, but this wasn't enough to really detract from the story overall. Harry's (well, technically Butcher's) style contains quite a bit of dry humor which I found to be greatly amusing, but others might not appreciate it nearly as much. Occasionally the whole thing is utterly ridiculous, but in a good way. The working title of the book was Semiautomagic, which gives a pretty good idea of what it is all about. The book is a lot of fun.Storm Front was a great introduction to The Dresden Files and works fairly well on its own, too. Enough detail is given to understand the world and what is going on without relying on info-dumps or explaining everything in depth, making it a lighter, less complicated read than expected. But, there is certainly plenty of material to be expanded upon in further volumes. I was never desperate to find out what was going to happen next in the story, but I always looked forward to reading it. Storm Front was a blast and I really enjoyed the book. The Dresden Files isn't a series that I personally need to own (yet), but I will definitely be picking up the next volume, Fool Moon, at the library.Experiments in Reading
    • 3/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]Lots of thoughts on this one. One, it’s the most fun I’ve had reading in a very long time. Jim Butcher has the perfect blend of comedy, drama, and action. There’s a comedic lightness to the story that balances out what could very easily morph into a morbid urban fantasy tale about a doomed wizard whose life pretty much sucks because he tries to be the good guy.Two, Butcher brings a great host of interesting characters to life, and most of them aren’t even magical. I love a good urban fantasy that incorporates a few badass normals into the plot line. I have a tendency to roll my eyes at urban fantasy stories that ignore the non-magical and pretend they’re entirely ineffectual in the grand scheme of the world despite being the majority.Three, his world-building is fantastic. We learn just enough to keep us chugging smoothly through the plot, and there’s a few generous hints at Harry’s backstory and current status in the magical world that are woven cleanly into the current plot line. No humongous fantasy info-dumps. No long-winded backstory flashbacks. The book has a moderate to fast pace and doesn’t really lose steam at any point in time.Four — and here’s where I get to the negative — Butcher portrays Dresden as a huge sexist. Now, I don’t necessarily have a problem with a sexist character. He’s a character. And like people in real life, he has his biases and prejudices and misguided beliefs in stereotypes. That’s how people are, and the traits of people are taken and molded into representations of people within fiction. No problem whatsoever with a sexist character. Seen them in plenty of books. See them all the time. Butcher even goes out of his way to make sure that Harry gets criticized for the flaw, which means that Harry’s design was purely intentional. And that’s a lot more than I can say for many authors, some of whom appear to unintentionally write blatant sexism into their stories.So, no, I don’t have a problem with the “sexist hero” concept, especially the “sexist hero who always get berated for his sexism” concept. What I have a problem with is that the story is told in the first person, so I have to sit there and listen to Harry go on and on and on and on and on about boobs and butts and the other many “fine features” that women tend to possess. Now, don’t get me wrong, descriptions of men finding aspects of women attractive aren’t necessarily a detriment in and of themselves. In fact, such descriptions and their opposite sex counterparts make up a hefty amount of sexual and romantic descriptions in many, many books.My real problem is that Harry has an awful tendency to describe said “fine features” at the most distracting and inappropriate times. To the point where it started to grate on my nerves. Once I was able to pick up the cues of an upcoming “woman spiel,” I would very consciously skip over it to get back to the story. I know what women look like; you don’t need to tell me everything. Just says she’s pretty, hot, sexy, good-looking, gifted, busty, physically blessed, whatever and get on with it. Save the sensual, steamy descriptions for the bedroom scenes and get back to the butt kicking and spell casting.Anyway, that’s my annoyed rant for the day.Besides that, Storm Front was great.
    • 4/5
      Quick read, but enjoyable. Haven't dabbled in urban fantasy much but I'd heard of the this one via fandom interaction.
    • 4/5
      The Dresden Files Book #1...

      Harry Dresden- the wizard with many tricks up his sleeve and weapons at his disposal-some magical & some not. He wears sweatpants, cowboy boots, old ratty t-shirts & tops it off with his infamous duster. He works with the police on occasion solving cases of a supernatural nature. He may not sound like much but he's a pretty cool character. In this first book, Storm Front, we learned a little bit about his background and got a taste of his magical abilities while he was on the hunt for someone using dark magic for nefarious purposes...

      While I'm definitely not a fan of the sweatpants & cowboy boots, I am a fan of Harry Dresden now. I really enjoyed the mix of magic & mystery together and I thought his magical abilities were pretty neat & creative. The series reminded me of a more adult version of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney so if you liked that one, you'll probably like this one too. I listened to the audio book (sped up to 1.3 as always) and I really liked the narrator a lot so I'm definitely going to continue the series -in audio. I'm looking forward to seeing what else Harry can do.

      *I read this for my 2016 Halloween Bingo: ~Supernatural~ square

    • 2/5
      Tepid is the best way to describe my feelings after finishing this book. It wasn't bad. It wasn't all that good either.

      Harry Dresden comes off as an homage (or rip off) of classic noir detectives rather than following in his footsteps. There's the bad taste of wish fulfillment in the fact that he's grumpy and unkempt while still being chivalrous and romantic at heart.

      As for his actually detective skills... they are more than a little lacking. He never actually makes a break in his own case. Instead he relies on the "wait-and-see" method where he reacts to a situation, broods for a while and then has someone tell him everything he needs to know in one big data dump.

      As an homage it's thin but passable. As an original story it leaves me wanting a better detective and details about the magic world Harry only hints at as part of his past. There might be a great, entertaining story in the world that Harry Dresden lives in but this certainly isn't it.
    • 3/5
      HARRY DRESDEN—WIZARD

      Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Or Other Entertainment

      Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever.

      There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get...interesting.

      Magic. It can get a guy killed.


      This book was ok, I was told that the series gets better. I'm glad it does cause I did like Harry.
    • 3/5
      A fun and undemanding read. A contemporary Chicago based fantasy vaguely similar to the Rivers of London, written in a first person, hard boiled private eye style, that works well.Some of it is cliched and some might be taken as sexist, although I think more cliche than sexist, but not sufficiently to spoil the story for me.
    • 2/5
      I was underwhelmed. I've read detective books, and I've read urban fantasy. There was nothing particularly special about any elements of the story, setting, characters, or plot. When the first book of a series seems formulaic, that's not a good sign.

      If Goodreads allowed it, I'd give it 2.5 out of 5. It's just exactly right in the middle for me. Average, average, average.
    • 3/5
      Well, I tried this one. I've heard a lot of people like this series. A story of a Wizard, private detective working with the police to solve crimes. I don't like series much especially long ones so probably won't read any more.
    • 4/5
      Harry Dresden is a private detective who consults for the Chicago P.D. And he's a wizard. He gets pulled into a particularly nasty murder case involving black magic, mobs, prostitutes, and a new illegal drug that promises wizard's sight when taken.Noir crime novel meets wizard fantasy. A cool idea, and the plot was interesting enough, but I've never been a fan of the misogyny inherent in noir fiction and it's here in spades (the way Butcher has Dresden describe female character made my skin crawl in places, and Dresden's 'old-fashioned good guy' routine is tiresome). That, coupled with the clunky writing of a seemingly not-yet-mature writer makes this one not really a winner for me.
    • 3/5
      It was a good first book! I enjoyed it
    • 5/5
      I first came to this series through the unfortunately short-lived television show, which did color my interpretation of the character a bit (I kept picturing Paul Blackthorne as Harry, hearing that voice in my head). Also, knowing about the Nic Cage connection, I couldn't keep the occasional image of him from Sorcerer's Apprentice out of my head (he based the look on Harry because he REALLY wants to play the part).Very satisfying page-turner that captures the essence of the hard-boiled detective in the realm of the supernatural, and an excellent introduction to a great character.I really like the world that Butcher has built here, the way that magic is described (especially when Harry opens his Third Eye and sees the world as it truly is). I like the idea of the White Council, and while I hate the character of Morgan, I love his characterization, especially his infuriating antagonism towards Harry (though, through his simple lens of chaos versus order, it's understandable). I like the way vampires work in this world, the true face behind the facade. It's all just really captivating.Anyway, I've been meaning to get into this series for a while, and even have several of the later books, but I wanted to start at the beginning, and now I finally have. I'll definitely be reading more of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Harry Dresden is America’s only Wizard. In addition to doing small occult detective jobs on the side, he is a consultant for the special division of the Chicago Police. When someone is brutally murdered, he must find out who the culprit is – making some enemies in the process.My Thoughts: This is my second time reading this book. I started the series over for my Dresden Files Group Read that I started hosting in November. (Anybody is welcome to hop in whenever they please, even if they have not joined us for the first few books in the series). I enjoyed this book as the pinnacle of Occult Detective series beginnings. Harry is likable, yet makes stupid mistakes all the time. The other characters are weak in comparison, but I know from experience that they will develop with time. The plot is solid, and mostly not predictable. It’s a fun book, suggested for anyone who likes urban fantasy.
    • 5/5
      I was surprised by how much I liked this book. The audio narration really meshed nicely with the character. The book had some nice surprises when it came to the story.

      My favorite thing though is the world. It's a world ruled by science where magic suddenly exists. Most people are against magic, but Harry Dresden is ballsy enough to be an openly practicing wizard. We follow his misadventures solving quite a few terrible murders in the first book.

      Overall if you like urban paranormals this is right up your alley! Also a great option if you want a change of pace from the female led ones!
    • 3/5
      This book wasn't really what I expected. The main character is a wizard who does work for the local police department as an investigator. The story relies heavily upon the supernatural. I didn't really enjoy it but I didn't mind finishing it, I guess.
    • 4/5
      Harry Dresden is a professional magician hired by a woman to find her husband Victor Sells, an amateur magician who has been acting oddly. Dresden works with Karrin Murphy, of the Chicago Police Department, who. shows him the bodies of two people, who died by having their hearts ripped out by magic. Dresden becomes the chief suspect for these magical murders.Dresden eventually learns that the affair centers around the drug "ThreeEye", which allows normal humans to temporarily acquire Wizards Sight, which eventually drives them insane. Victor Sells has been using the energy of thunder storms to power spells to remove his enemies.Dresden interrupts Victor's spellcasting and attacks him, "brains versus muscle". He burns down Victor's house while grappling with monster scorpions and a demon. This was a quick read and fairly interesting. I'm not sure if it's compelling enough for me to read more of his work.
    • 4/5
      After seeing a display for The Dresdent Files at my local B&N, I decided maybe I should read the first book and see if I liked it. B&N didn't have it, so I ordered it from amazon.com and pretty much devoured the book once it arrived. If the idea of a wizard working as a PI in the present day US interests you, book 1 of The Dresden Files, at least, won't disappoint. Now I'm thinking I need to get book 2. I will say that the review I saw that said that fans of Laurell K. Hamilton would like this book did it a disservice. After having her books come up as recommendations numerous times, I got one from the library, I couldn't get into it. I tried, but I don't think I got past the first chapter. I almost passed up on this book because of that review - glad I didn't.
    • 3/5
      This is a reread for me. Though I know the series gets better Harry's constant over analysis of women is exhausting, the loss of stars was solely attributed to that. That being said I loved the audio book version of this so much more than a regular reading. The narrator was incredible.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book. Will definitely be reading more of the Dresden Files.
    • 4/5
      Dresden is the rare wizard who lets the public know that he is a wizard, using to barely squeeze out a living from his skills. It's rough and he's world weary. A gig as a consultant for the police when there are "weird" crimes pays the rent. James Marsters reads the story with a voice deep with word weariness, just at you would expect Dresden to sound like.
    • 4/5
      As a lover of urban fantasy, I have been told over and over again to pick up this series. A lot of people call this the forerunner in the genre, but a lot of people say that it doesn't really pick up until after the sixth book, which seemed a little pointless for a series to me.

      It wasn't the best urban fantasy I have read, but it was definitely a good read. As a mix between fantasy and detective novel, it keeps you hooked throughout. I agree with some reviews saying Dresden is a little flat in this book, but I would assume that you get to know him more as the books progress.

      I've already picked up the next two in the series to let's see how it goes!
    • 4/5
      Wonderful story. Great start to a series. Having seen the SciFi Channel series first, the characters had voices.
    • 3/5
      I rate it 3.5 on the Richter scale. Funny look at wizards. Also Jim Butcher can write a serial book and end it as if it was a stand alone book. That is a big plus for me!
    • 5/5
      A great start to the series. Marsters' voice is perfect for this and adds to the experience.I previously read the book but wanted to try the audio version, and this sold me on re-acquiring the series on audio.
    • 4/5
      I chose this series to begin listening to while on a road trip with my roommate and her 12 year old son. We all enjoyed the fantastic nature of the protagonist, a consulting wizard, and the plot, tracking down a magic-using murderer while also trying to dodge the paranormal equivalent of the Internal Investigations Division who want to pin the murders on Harry.Harry is a pretty great character, flawed and dynamic, humorous and independant...the only thing I have a problem with is that he's rather misogynistic. James Marsters portrayal in the audiobook is excellent as well. His voice acting is varied and nuanced while relating the dialogue of other characters as well. I'm quite pleased and impressed with this and will continue the series.
    • 3/5
      "My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under 'Wizards.' Believe it or not, I'm the only one there."Storm Front is the first book of The Dresden Files. It is told from a first person perspective in a crime noir style. While I have seen moves and crime noir tv shows this is the first book I've read in the style. When I first started reading the style felt cheesy. Mid way through the book it bothered me less and by the end it didn't bother me any more. Harry Dresden is a solid, interesting character. He's old fashioned, bad with women, good with magic, has a dry sense of humor and could use a bit more confidence in general. He has flaws. He is a reluctant hero that manages to get the job done when backed into a corner. The secondary characters are fairly two dimensional and exactly what you'd expect from the genre. There's a tough female cop trying to prove herself in a man's world. Her ass of a partner who hates Harry. A sexy reporter that likes to use feminine wiles on Harry to get a story. A typical mob boss. A local bar tender that lends a nonjudgmental ear to the paranormal community. I liked the take on the magic system. It's been a while since I've read a book where all five elements are combined to make magic effective. Beyond the magic system there isn't much world building as the story is set in modern day Chicago. There are good moments of tension once the story gets going with some clever escapes. The action is fast paced. Butcher isn't afraid to get gritty and some of the crime scenes are downright grisly. It was a quick, fun read. The series shows promise. I'll probably continue the series some time in the future when I'm in the mood for something a little different.
    • 3/5
      * Fun.
      * Some rough spots.
      * Dialogue with the Big-Bad is forced and silly.
      * Bonus points for the Magnum P.I. reference.
      * Immediately started book 2.
    • 5/5
      Good stuff! Always a good story line... with a bit of humor.