The Dresden Files
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The Dresden Files is a fantasy/mystery book series by Jim Butcher.
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Harry Dresden - Wizard Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment |
Each novel in the series is told from the fictional perspective of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden (named by his father after Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Sr., and David Copperfield). Dresden is the only professional wizard in modern-day Chicago (he is in the phone book, under "Wizards").
Butcher's original proposed title for the first novel was "Semiautomagic", a title that sums up the series' balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and more. The general public that Harry Dresden works to protect does not believe in magic or the large array of dark forces which regularly conspire against them. This makes it tough for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. Fortunately, the Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit led by Lt. Karrin Murphy regularly employs Dresden to help solve cases of a supernatural nature.
The series is also notable for Dresden's references to modern phenomena, such as the Evil Overlord List.
Characters
Organizations
The White Council
The White Council is the governing body of the Wizard community in the world. They primarily protect humanity from abuses of magic, but also shield this world from the Sidhe and other creatures that wish humanity harm. It is also a political and democratic organization seeking to unite Wizards throughout the world, and can make or break treaties with the other supernatural powers as necessary.
The Council is governed by a Senior Council of seven wizards, with the leader referred to as the Merlin. Beyond the Senior Council, which constitutes the executive branch, there are the actual wizards of the council that contribute to the legislative branch. The Judicial branch belongs to the Wardens, a combination police force and military. Meetings of the Council are traditionally conducted in Latin, a procedural point which has, not coincidentally, served to keep younger, progressive wizards from gaining too much standing or momentum by making it very difficult for them to speak eloquently or even coherently to the rest of the Council.
The Senior Council
The Senior Council is the executive branch, with its chair entitled the Merlin; traditionally the Merlin is regarded as the most powerful wizard in the world, though the politicking required to secure the position may suggest that factors other than raw power are equally important. The Senior Council arrives at its decisions through majority vote, but the Merlin has proxy authority to cast the vote of any Senior Council member not present at a Senior Council meeting; politicking at this level often turns simply on who does and does not arrive at a meeting before a vote is concluded.
The Senior Council can reserve certain matters to the Senior Council only, not involving a vote of the White Council as a whole.
The Wardens
The Wardens enforce the Seven Laws of Magic, and are empowered to deliver summary judgment when confronting a violator of the Laws. This can be anything from advising new practitioners of the Laws, to delivering suspects to trial in front of the Senior Council, to simply beheading criminals in the field. During times of war (such as the current conflict with the Red Court), Wardens also serve as the White Council's military branch.
The Blackstaff
In addition to the Wardens, the Council also secretly appoints one wizard to serve as its Blackstaff. The Blackstaff is given unique and unrestricted authority to violate the Seven Laws of Magic at his or her own discretion without penalty -- to be, as Harry phrases it in Blood Rites, the Council's "wet work man," their covert assassin and counteragent. This was implemented as a last-ditch solution in situations where the Laws are being exploited to prevent the Council from taking necessary action against its enemies.
The Seven Laws of Magic
The Seven Laws of Magic—violation of which carries a penalty of death—are as follows:
- Thou shalt not kill by use of magic. Wizards of the White Council are forbidden to kill human beings through the use of their power. This is the Law that Harry was believed to have broken in killing his mentor Justin DuMorne. Self-defense is very occasionally allowed as a mitigating factor.
- Thou shalt not transform others. Thus demonstrating why, despite Harry's occasional threats, we will most likely never see him actually turn anyone into a frog. Given the general tendency of black magic in the Dresdenverse to have significant negative repercussions (as with mind magic, next), it is likely that transforming a man into an animal (for example) would cause his mind to eventually degenerate to an animal state as well if he remained transformed for too long.
- Thou shalt not invade the mind of another. Forcible magical violation of someone's mind is inherently destructive in the Dresdenverse -- Harry describes it as not black, but "dark, dark, dark gray". Mind magic is so dangerous that the Council has not even dared trying to explore how to build better defenses, which gives an advantage to black wizards less bound by scruples.
- Thou shalt not enthrall another. Enthrallment is the term for dominating another's mind and personality through magic by binding their will to your own; it is not the same as compelling beings of the Nevernever through arrangements or exchanges, though some Wardens have ignored this distinction in their zeal. As with mind-probing, magically controlling the mind of another person is an almost inherently destructive and evil act -- it is almost impossible to control safely and precisely, and taints the user of the power as well as the subject even if done for the best of intentions; this taint often sends the user into a self-destructive downward spiral, where every act of magical mind control further twists the user and makes more such acts likelier.
- Thou shalt not seek beyond the Outer Gates. It is unknown just what the Outer Gates are, but the implication of the series is that they mark the furthest boundaries of Dresden's multiverse. Beings from beyond the Gates are known only as Outsiders, and are among the deadliest threats to humanity known -- they are noted as being immune to most magic, with only the powers of the Knights of the Cross being able to stop them. It is noteworthy that one of the most powerful and enigmatic wizards on the Senior Council is known only as the "Gatekeeper", suggesting that the Outer Gates represent such a horrifying threat that a Senior Council member must be permanently assigned to watch for attempts upon them. This seems to be a Lovecraft-inspired idea.
- Thou shalt not reach beyond the borders of life. This prohibits the learning and practice of necromancy, described as the summoning, binding, and exploitation of the unwilling dead (the psychic talent of mediums for speaking to willing spirits is called ectomancy, and is not governed by the same Law). It would also theoretically prohibit any attempt to genuinely resurrect someone from the dead back to true life, although nobody in the Dresdenverse actually seems to know what kind of afterlife, if any, exists (ghosts in the Dresdenverse, even the most apparently intelligent and self-aware, are only psychic echoes of people created by violent death, not the actual souls of those people themselves).
- Thou shalt not swim against the Currents of Time. This prohibits any attempt to change the past through temporal manipulation for fear of paradox. Even divination of the future is frowned upon in all but the vaguest, most general instances.
Note: These laws were put in place to protect "normals" (non-magical humans) as well as other Wizards from abuses of magic, not from vampires, the Sidhe, or other creatures of the Nevernever.
Vampire courts
- White Court
- This court is the most humanlike group of vampires. They are succubi and incubi who feed off the emotions and life force of their prey. White Court Vampires can do this in many ways. Thomas and House Raith are sexual predators; they use their supernaturally good looks and an energy aura around them to attract both men and women to them. During intercourse, or any contact where emotions like lust are heightened, they feed off their prey. Other Houses such as House Malvora (with which Thomas's cousin Madrigal is involved) feed off fear. Victims of the feedings of House Raith grow to enjoy the experience and become bonded to their predator like a drug addiction. The White Court is not endowed with as much physical strength as the Red or Black courts, but they make up for it by having many fewer vulnerabilities. Sunlight and holy artifacts (both of which affect vampires of the other Courts) do not harm them at all. Their power derives from an internal demonic essence they call the 'Hunger' which acts like a battery. If they refrain from feeding for too long, the 'Hunger' drives them into a frenzy where they must feed (almost always killing their victims), and can drive them permanently insane. When needed, they tap this store of energy to augment their strength, speed, resilience and healing ability far beyond normal; while doing this, they radiate waves of cold (possibly an illusory reaction of normal humans to their energy sink), their skin whitens, and their eyes turn unnaturally silver. White Court vampire blood is pinkish instead of red. Their largest weakness is true love: people who are, or have recently been, in real, affectionate and sacrificial love are highly resistant to White Court control, and can even physically burn and blister vampire skin. Unlike the other courts, the White Court prefers to avoid direct confrontation. They are a court of schemers and prefer to stab each other in the back in exquisitely detailed plots to impress the others in the Court. At the moment Thomas's father is the King of the White Court, but in name only; his sister Lara is in charge, pulling the strings from the background to keep up appearances.
- Red Court
- The Red Court of Vampires are less human-like than the White Court. Instead they are slimy bat-like creatures hidden behind incredibly sensuous human costumes. They use these costumes to trick their prey into being more comfortable and to hide in plain sight. They are incredibly strong and fast, and can shake off any injury quickly unless their bellies are cut and their blood is spilled, which will kill them. The Red Court is vulnerable to sunlight and are known for their seductive "Kiss". Their saliva contains a potent magical narcotic which addicts humans to their control very rapidly. The narcotic lowers the victim's inhibitions while dulling the pain of the vampire's bite. Addicted humans will go to great lengths to protect their vampiric masters, and willingly provide information from the mortal community as needed. The Red Court is also capable of transforming ordinary humans into vampires in a two-step process: the human is first infected with the vampiric thirst for blood (gaining supernatural speed, strength and endurance in the process) and then completes the change into the demonic form upon killing a human victim in their first feeding. Infected humans with sufficient strength of will have been known to refrain from feeding for an indefinite length of time (magical bonds, regular exposure to sunlight, and avoiding physical intimacy all help), but no cure has yet been found for the "half-vampire" infected state. The Red Court is highly organized in a feudalistic caste system with a King at the top, followed by Dukes and other ranks. Currently, the Red Court is waging a war against the White Council in an effort to destroy them.
- Black Court
- The Black Court comprises the most well-known kind of vampire, the reanimated bloodthirsty corpses popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula; in fact, the publication of that book is (in the Dresdenverse) believed to be the primary cause of the Court's downfall. Black Court vampires still inhabit the human bodies that they lived in before they were turned into vampires; the only difference is that their bodies have rotted like zombies in the time that they've been undead. Black Court vampires possess all the classic strengths and weaknesses of Stoker's Dracula: they can lift and throw cars with one hand and crash through concrete walls without harm, but must sleep in their native soil and fear sunlight, garlic and crosses. Mavra, an ancient Black Court vampire has demonstrated the ability to use magic in the same way wizards do. The Black Court is currently the smallest and (politically) weakest of the Courts, although those few who survived the purges caused by Stoker's book are among the strongest and most cunning monsters in the world.
- Jade Court
- Little is revealed about the Jade Court in the Dresden books, except that their realm of influence covers an unknown amount of Asia and the Far East. Harry has never been in contact with a Jade Court vampire and only recently learned of their existence from one of the Knights of the Cross, Shiro.
Werewolves
- Classic Werewolf
- A Classic Werewolf is someone who uses magic to transform themselves into a wolf. The physical body is transformed but the mind remains the same. This can be a disadvantage in the beginning because although the person gains all the senses of a wolf, they do not have the life experience of using them. The werewolf must learn to use smell and hearing as their primary sensory input rather than their eyes and must learn to move and react to their environment as a four legged creature. All this takes time but the werewolf can eventually learn to do well in their new form. The bite of this werewolf and indeed any werewolf cannot infect another person with the werewolf curse. Silver is not needed to kill this type of werewolf any weapon can be used to kill them like an ordinary wolf. This type of werewolf can reassume it's human form whenever it wishes. Another type of werewolf very similar to the classic werewolf is through "Transmogrification" or the casting of a spell forcing someone to assume the form of a wolf. This is illegal according to the laws of magic because the mind of the transformed person is eventually lost and all that is left is the mind of a wolf. The lost personality cannot be restored and the person is in a sense dead. However if the spell is reversed in time the victim will recover. This type of werewolf also has all the senses and advantages of a wolf and can be killed with any type of lethal weapon.
- Hexenwolf
- A Hexenwolf is someone who uses a talisman such as a ring or amulet, but is most commonly a belt made from a wolf pelt. This talisman provides an anchor for a spirit of bestial rage and is activated with an incantation by the wearer. The spirit protects the human personality while in wolf form. However the werewolf loses all human inhibitions and runs on more primal human desires. This werewolf is usually somewhat larger than a normal wolf and more physically powerful due to the stronger supernatural influence. But this werewolf is also susceptible to ordinary weapons and can be forced to transform back into human form if someone manages to remove their talisman. A hexenwolf can reassume human form at will, but the power the talisman gives the user is addicting and in many cases, begins to affect their minds and personalities in human form much like an junkie needing a fix.
- Lycanthrope
- A Lycanthrope is someone who is a natural channel or medium for a spirit of rage. This is an ability the lycanthrope is born with and does not allow them to physically change into a wolf, but become beastlike inside their minds. Lycanthropes become stronger and more agressive when the spirit takes over and increases their resistance to pain, injury and sickness. They heal wounds rapidly and tend to congregate in groups much like packs with an Alpha leader. Although harder to hurt or kill than an ordinary person, lycanthropes can be killed with ordinary weapons. In Fool Moon, Bob explaines that the Norse berserkers were lycanthropes.
- Loup-garou
- A Loup-garou is the closest to the monsters of legend. These werewolves have been intentionally cursed by someone, usually a very powerful sorcerer, to be possessed by a wolflike demonic entity at every full moon. They are near mindless killing machines with supernatural speed, strength and ferocity. They recover from injury almost instantly, are immune to poisons and sorcery that attacks the brain. They cannot be killed by any weapon except silver and the silver used must be inherited from a family member. For example, Grandma's antique silverware given to you as a wedding gift is what you would need to melt down into silver bullets if you ever go werewolf hunting. The bite of this werewolf is also incapable of passing on the curse to anyone else, but the person who curses you to become one can extend that curse to your descendents if they choose to do so.
Faerie Courts
- Summer
- Summer is led by Mother Summer, then the Summer Queen Titania, and finally the Summer Lady Lily. The Queens, as they are called, rule over the vassals and lands of Summer in opposition to the Winter Queens. The power of Summer is linked to fire. Additionally the creatures of Summer tend to be more nurturing and kind to mortals than other Faeries. The Queens have a mortal ally in the Summer Knight, a position currently held by a mortal named Fix. The Summer Knight is given great power by the Summer Queens to act as their mortal liaison but is not forced to tell the truth. Like all Faeries the summer fae can only speak the truth and are vulnerable to cold iron, which gives them great pain. After the Red Court crossed through Summer and Winter lands to attack the Council, Summer called for war against the Red Court, but the Winter Queen Mab moved her forces nearer to Summer's borders, halting Summer's advance and creating a pseudo-Cold War. The Summer Court tends to remain neutral in most mortal affairs.
- Winter
- The Winter Court is as cruel and merciless as their power of choice, ice. The creatures of Winter excel at cold and ice attacks and predominantly have or wear colors associated with darkness and winter. This Court is led by Three Queens: The Mother, Mab, and Maeve. Their Knight, Lloyd Slate, is held in Mab's fortress for plotting against Winter in the service of the late Lady Aurora, the insane ex-Lady of Summer. Another difference between Winter and Summer is that the Winter court purposely goes out of their way to affect the mortal realm. Harry's godmother Lea is one of the more powerful Winter Faeries, so much so that she was struck down and imprisoned by Mab herself so Lea could not become more powerful than her. Currently Harry has been offered the position of Winter Knight twice and has turned it down both times. He still owes Mab two favors as part of a deal where his debt to Lea was mortgaged to Mab.
- Wyldfae
- The Wyldfae are creatures of Faerie which do not belong to either Winter or Summer. Most of them do freelance work instead, capable of choosing whichever side they want in a given conflict. If they are forced to choose sides in a war between Summer and Winter, they will align themselves with the faction most appealing to their personalities. Therefore the nastier and more murderous aid Winter over Summer. There is no direct King of the Wyldfae, although the being known as the Erlking is probably the closest counterpart. He is a Faerie at least as powerful as Mab. He can be summoned by ritual to Earth in order to lead "The Wild Hunt" that will kill anything in its way unless it joins the hunt.
Black Council
At the end of Proven Guilty, Ebenezar McCoy and Harry Dresden suspect the involvement of a hitherto unknown group of black wizards, and other beings, which Harry dubs the Black Council. Evidence of this group includes the surprisingly strong offensive power of the vampire courts during the war, the betrayal of secret Warden safeholds, the number of black wizards and magical foes that Harry has faced in previous books, and the summoning of outsider demons, which is done only through mortal magic. The identities of this group's members are unknown, although McCoy and Dresden suspect that at least one member of the White Council—and likely the Senior Council—is in league with this group. They believe the traitor is one of four people, Morgan, Injun Joe, Ancient Mai, or the Merlin, as they were the only Council members to be aware of the location of the Warden boot camp which was leaked to the Red Court. As Ebenezar vouched for Injun Joe and Harry vouched for Morgan it would seem that either Ancient Mai or the Merlin himself is the traitor.
The Fellowship of St. Giles
A relatively new player on the supernatural scene, the Fellowship of St. Giles (named for the patron saint of lepers) is made up of people who have been infected by Red Court vampires, but have yet to drink the lifeblood of another human to complete their transformation. The Fellowship helps its members control their urges, support each other, and fight the vampires who infected them. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court, but have little communication with them.
The Venatori Umbrorum
An ancient order of humans dedicated to fighting the darker aspects of the supernatural. What they lack in magical or supernatural powers, they make up for in political influence, knowledge, and conventional firepower. Very little is known about the Venatori; Harry describes them as being "like the Masons, but with more flamethrowers." While they have some armed assets, they excel at using their influence in society to hinder the movement of supernatural predators such as vampires. The Venatori have been credited with freezing bank accounts, cutting supply lines, exposing mortal collaborators, and even going so far as assassinating or kidnapping agents of the Vampire Courts. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court.
The Order of the Blackened Denarius
The Denarians are unions of a human host and a Fallen - an angel that had been cast into Hell and is now a demon. There are thirty Fallen, each bound to a tarnished silver Roman denarius which bears its respective Fallen's sigil; the thirty denarii represent the thirty pieces of silver paid to the apostle Judas to betray Jesus, and may possibly be those very coins. Once a human has physically touched one of the Blackened Denarii, the Fallen bound to it is free to communicate with its new host, able to bestow knowledge, physical prowess, and magical ability, for as long as the host maintains possession of the coin. At least one Fallen has demonstrated the ability to maintain this link to its last possessor even after the coin itself was magically sealed away and buried.
The amount of influence a Fallen can exert over its host appears to vary - in the case of Ursiel, the Fallen had completely taken over the host body, and kept the host's soul tortured and trapped. In the case of Nicodemus and his Fallen Anduriel, the two work in what appears to be a mutually beneficial partnership. In all cases, however, the free consent of the bearer is necessary to permit Fallen influence. If the Fallen has not completely overtaken its host, it appears that the host is able to consciously free himself or herself from the influence of the Fallen, simply by abdicating the power it provides and surrendering the Denarius. In the case of Quintus Cassius, a Denarian bonded with Saluriel, Cassius surrendered the coin to Knights of the Cross to avoid execution.
The Knights of the Cross were founded specifically to battle the Denarians, and will almost always become involved (often by seeming random chance) in any situation that requires confronting one or more of them.
Books in the series
| No. | Title | Paperback release date | Paperback ISBN | Hardcover release date | Hardcover ISBN | Audio release date | Audio CD ISBN | MP3 CD ISBN | Audio length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Storm Front | April 1, 2000 | 0-4514-5781-1 | November 6, 2007 | 0-4514-6197-5 | July 2002 | 0-9657-2550-2 | 978-1-4805-8050-3 | 8h 1m |
| 2 | Fool Moon | January 1, 2001 | 0-4514-5812-5 | July 1, 2008 | 0-4514-6202-5 | April 30, 2003 | 0-9657-2552-9 | 978-1-4805-9690-0 | 10h 6m |
| 3 | Grave Peril | September 1, 2001 | 0-4514-5844-3 | November 4, 2008 | 0-4514-6234-3 | July 30, 2005 | 0-9657-2555-3 | 978-1-4805-8133-3 | 11h 59m |
| 4 | Summer Knight | September 3, 2002 | 0-4514-5892-3 | July 7, 2009 | 0-4514-6275-0 | March 31, 2007 | 0-9790-7492-4 | 978-1-4805-9692-4 | 11h 12m |
| 5 | Death Masks | August 5, 2003 | 0-4514-5940-7 | November 3, 2009 | 0-4514-6294-7 | October 29, 2009 | 0-1431-4519-3 | 978-1-4498-2379-5 | 11h 21m |
| 6 | Blood Rites | August 2, 2004 | 0-4514-5987-3 | July 5, 2010 | 0-4514-6335-8 | April 15, 2010 | 0-1424-2806-X | 978-1-4498-2421-1 | 13h 11m |
| 7 | Dead Beat | May 2, 2006 | 0-4514-6091-X | May 3, 2005 | 0-4514-6027-8 | April 15, 2010 | 0-1424-2807-8 | 978-1-4498-2418-1 | 15h 14m |
| 8 | Proven Guilty | February 6, 2007 | 0-4514-6103-7 | May 2, 2006 | 0-4514-6085-5 | April 30, 2009 | 0-1431-4473-1 | 978-1-4498-2415-0 | 16h 16m |
| 9 | White Night | February 5, 2008 | 0-4514-6155-X | April 3, 2007 | 0-4514-614-01 | April 30, 2009 | 0-1431-4474-X | 978-1-4906-4494-3 | 14h 13m |
| 10 | Small Favor | May 3, 2009 | 0-4514-6200-9 | April 1, 2008 | 0-4514-6189-4 | April 1, 2008 | 1-4362-1140-9 | 978-0-1431-4339-0 | 13h 50m |
| 11 | Turn Coat | March 3, 2010 | 0-4514-6281-5 | April 7, 2009 | 0-4514-6256-4 | April 30, 2009 | 0-1431-4472-3 | 978-1-4498-2409-9 | 14h 40m |
| 12 | Changes | March 11, 2011 | 0-4514-6347-1 | April 6, 2010 | 0-4514-6317-X | April 15, 2010 | 0-1431-4534-7 | 978-1-1011-5486-1 | 15h 28m |
| 13 | Ghost Story | August 7, 2012 | 0-4514-6407-9 | July 26, 2011 | 0-4514-6379-X | August 4, 2011 | 1-6646-3559-9 | 978-1-4618-0562-5 | 17h 52m |
| 14 | Cold Days | September 3, 2013 | 0-4514-1912-X | November 27, 2012 | 0-4514-6440-0 | December 27, 2012 | 1-6646-2088-5 | 978-1-1016-1703-8 | 18h 50m |
| 15 | Skin Game | March 5, 2015 | 0-3565-0096-9 | May 27, 2014 | 0-4514-6439-7 | May 29, 2014 | 1-4906-3041-4 | 978-1-4906-3041-0 | 15h 49m |
| 16 | Peace Talks | July 14, 2020 | 0-3565-1529-X | July 14, 2020 | 0-4514-6441-9 | July 14, 2020 | 1-6117-6294-4 | 978-0-5932-9071-2 | 12h 52m |
| 17 | Battle Ground | September 29, 2020 | 0-3565-1570-2 | September 29, 2020 | 0-5931-9930-8 | September 29, 2020 | 15h 43m |
| No. | Title | Release Date | Book ISBN | Audio CD ISBN | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Wizard for Hire | March 2005 | 0-7394-5193-6 | — | Storm Front, Fool Moon & Grave Peril |
| 4 & 5 | Wizard by Trade | March 2006 | 0-7394-6581-3 | — | Summer Knight & Death Masks |
| 6 & 7 | Wizard at Large | October 2006 | 0-7394-7658-0 | — | Blood Rites & Dead Beat |
| 8 & 9 | Wizard Under Fire | May 2007 | 0-7394-8344-7 | — | Proven Guilty & White Night |
| — | Side Jobs | October 26, 2010 | 0-4514-6365-X | 0-1424-2826-4 | Eleven short stories |
| — | Brief Cases | June 5, 2018 | 0-4514-9210-2 | 978-1-4362-1140-6 | Twelve short stories |
All the books are published through ROC, an imprint of Penguin Books. The Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC) is reissuing the series in hardcover omnibus editions. So far, all of the audiobooks of The Dresden Files have been read by actor James Marsters and are produced by Buzzy Multimedia Publishing.
See also
External links
- Dresden Files at Jim Butcher's website
- The Dresden Files RPG—an in-progress role-playing game based on The Dresden Files.
- The Dresden Files Reviews at Metacritic
- Buzzy Multimedia—Publishers of the audio books