Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Roc
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $4.02
You Save: $3.97 (50%)
New (39) Used (25) from $3.00
Rating:  95 reviews
Sales Rank: 4629
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 496
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 0451461037
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780451461032
ASIN: 0451461037
Publication Date: February 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The White Council of Wizards has drafted Harry Dresden as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in Chicago. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in the Windy City, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob...
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 90 more reviews...
 another good entry but not the best January 3, 2009
J. Shafer
Proven Guilty is the 8th book in the Dresden Files series and starts off with Harry attending the execution of a warlock who used his somewhat unknown magical powers to control the mind of someone, thus breaking one of the 7 laws of magic. Based on that and the title alone you should see where this book is going to head. Eventually Harry is given unoffical orders from the Gateskeeper (a secretive member of the senior white council) to watch out for and esstially investigate the usage of black magic thats going to be heading for Chicago. Shortly after, the daughter of one of Harrys friends comes to him for help to bail her friend out of jail which eventually leads him to a horror movie convention which ends up being more than just a convention.
The story is somewhat subpar compared to the other main storylines of the other books. While interesting, I found myself somewhat confused after around the halfway mark of the book, especially when they seemingly threw 2 antagonists into the mix for almost no apprant reason and they instantly become one of the main bad guys for a few chapters. The real main antagonists are explained well but its not really clearly said where they came from and how many there were. At first there were around 3 or so and later on more show up, have different names, and are more powerful than the regular ones who also seeminly just disappear.
The character development for the most part was fairly decent but even then we really only see partial development between Harry and Thomas and a "sub-plot" is gone into more depth and partially resolved between Harry and Murphy. One of the dissapointing parts was how Thomas and sometimes even Murphy somewhat seemed to just be Harrys muscle, especially towards the end. Michaels family hasnt really changed at all with the only exception being Molly who essentially just grows up between the books and becomes the epitome of what most people might see this generation teenagers as being and Charity(Michaels wife) is just annoying now. For the entire series her entire personality has boiled down to: "I hate you Harry Dresden, i dont trust you with anything, you put my husband in danger, you might hurt my children one day, blah blah blah", its nice to know a little bit as to why she doesnt like him as much but come on already, hes saved the entire family multiple times and yet she still has not changed at all.
In the end, was this book good? Yes. Was it bad? No, however it does go down there in the bottom 3 of the series (the other 2 being Fool Moon and Blood Rites) but the thing I say about the Dresden Files is that there is no bad book in the series because every book is good, its just that I would rather read the other ones compared to this one and the other 2 listed above. If your already a fan of the series, than of course youll read it and enjoy it, if havent read the Dresden Files yet, than start with the first book, Storm Front because the series is excellent.
 Best Additon to the "Dresden Files" yet. October 19, 2008
Stephen S. Zamora-soon (Washington DC metropolitain area)
Spoilers aside you could not ask for a better addition to the already brilliant "Dresden Files" series. Jim Butcher has a unique way of blending dark fantasy, with the mystery detective genre rather seamlessly. While each book does well enough on it's own you really should begin with "Storm Front" to get a complete background on the characters and storyline.
And I love horror movies because? September 23, 2008
GinRobi (Timmins, ON, Canada)
Rougly a year after his escapes in Dead Beat, Harry Dresden is back. We open in the middle of a warehouse, Harry and several other Wardens tight in a circle, all staring down at a young man, a wizard who used his magic for darker purposes. Found guilty, he is beheaded, as is the direction of the White Council. If a wizard is proven guilty of breaking one of the seven laws of the White Council, if sentenced to death, it is carried out immediately. And this seriously disturbs Harry. To Harry, the young man was no more than a child in wizard age, and was never taught right from wrong. But a soulgaze on the young man proved there was no helping him and it had to be done. Still, it doesn't sit well with Harry.
As he is leaving, he is handed a note from the Gatekeeper. Black magic is afoot in Chicago, and as the regional Warden, it is his duty to find out the who, why and stop them. And just when Harry is about to start his investigation with a new and powerful `toy', Molly, the daughter of Michael, an longtime friend of Harry's, calls, begging for help. And true to Harry's form, he can't pass up a `damsel in distress' and, against his own judgement, runs to her aid. However, she isn't the one in trouble. Her boyfriend, Nelson, is. Seems he was arrested for beating up an older gentlemen, simply because he was the only one in the room. No blood on his clothes, no break in the skin of his knuckles... Something is very strange, and Harry's determined to find out what's going on.
The first of many areas, Harry glimpses around the bathroom of a conference centre in a hotel, using his Sight. What's disturbing is the residual reflection he sees - and doesn't like it one bit. The hotel is very busy, what with the SPLATTERCON!!! horror convention going on, and while talking with Rawlins outside the bathroom, something else goes down, and Harry runs to find out what.
With more questions and answers, the attacks are made by phonophages, made to look like the `bad guys' fron the horror movies. Phonophages are sprirtual entities that feed on fear and are being either pulled or pushed from the Nevernever. The higher the fear, the more powerful they become. Harry needs to do two things. Stop the phonophages from attacking and find out who's sending them.
The deeper we get into the story, the more complicated it gets. Just when Harry thinks he's got it beat, a twist slaps him back - Molly has been kidnapped by more phonophages and is now being held in Winter's Queen Mab's `headquarters', Arctis Tor, and with the help of Molly's mother Charity, Murphy and Thomas, Summer Lady Lily and Summer Knight Fix, they go in and get Molly back. Once they've retreated and hare back with Father Forthill, Molly is given a choice, one that she has to make up herself. Can Harry handle what the Council might do to her?
Oh, how I love this series! Nothing is ever as it seems, and Harry is constantly battling others as well as himself. He relies heavily on his instincts and does the best he can with what he's got. Considerate as he is, he'll do whatever is necessary and deal with the consequences later.
Non-stop action, the plot not only keeps Harry on his toes, but the reader as well. No one can predict how the story is going to turn. Add in horror movie characters, add in magic and control of that magic and it makes for one heck of a story. What I truly like is how his personal life is entertwined with all that action, between Harry and Murphy, Harry and Molly and her family, Harry and Thomas, and Harry and his feelings of the Wardens and the White Council, Harry and Ebenezer, you not only get a real sense of what Harry's dealing with, but you truly understand what it is about him; why he is the way he is, why he thinks the way he thinks. As a bookaholic who loves many different genres, Harry is one of the top characters where a reader truly gets the `inside look' at the main character.
I can't ask for better. I can only ask that Mr. Butcher keeps Harry coming. Serve me up more, please!
(4.5 stars) Hurray for Dresden! September 22, 2008
Nicholas B. Summers (Moscow, ID USA)
Another great Dresden novel! It was no "Dead Beat" or "Summer Knight" but great none the less. Can't wait to get my hands on the next one.
Another intriguing Harry Dresden adventure September 8, 2008
R. Nicholson
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Book 8 in the Dresden File series; another fine addition to Jim Butcher's ongoing series featuring wizard/detective Harry Dresden.
Something unusual is happening at a local horror film festival and Harry is asked to check it out. From there Harry, Murph, Bob (everyone's favorite, well OK mine at least, libidinous skull), Thomas and Mouse (his dog) go from bystanders to main combatants as they delve into the ever expanding 'Horror' situation.
This is my 4th Dresden novel and it continues to use the same simplistic format that has worked well with the rest of the entire series. The outline of this story is identical to the previous books; Harry gets involved with an unusual occurrence, Harry discovers an underlying sinister plot, Harry faces astronomical odds against survival, and finally Harry saves the day. But instead of a rather boring rehash, each new work brings something fresh to the table that provides an unexpected, pleasant revelation of sorts.
Conclusion:
Basically, I like Harry and the host of other characters that Jim Butcher has produced in this entertaining series. The story is fun, fast paced and keeps those pages turning. And for light read, who could ask for more than that.
Ray Nicholson
|
|
|
