“The wildest, strangest, best Dresden adventure to date...Butcher’s blending of modern fantasy with classic noir sensibilities ensures that there’s never a dull moment.”—SF Site Paranormal investigations are Harry Dresden’s business and Chicago is his beat, as he tries to bring law and order to a world of wizards and monsters that exists alongside everyday life. And though most inhabitants of the Windy City don’t believe in magic, the Special Investigations Department of the Chicago PD knows better. Karrin Murphy is the head of S. I. and Harry’s good friend. So when a killer vampire threatens to destroy Murphy’s reputation unless Harry does her bidding, he has no choice. The vampire wants the Word of Kemmler (whatever that is) and all the power that comes with it. Now, Harry is in a race against time—and six merciless necromancers—to find the Word before Chicago experiences a Halloween night to wake the dead...
Download and start listening now!
"How one can read a book that involves a necromatically animated Tyrannasourus Rex as a noble stead, employed by a sarcastic wizard who hopes that he will die doing the right thing, trying to defeat another evil wizard from becoming a god and NOT give it five stars is just plain crazy! 'Nuff said. "
— Laurel (5 out of 5 stars)
“This is one of the best entries in a terrific series...Readers will be hoping for Harry to get the happy ending he deserves.”
— RT Book Reviews“Horror fans with a sense of humor will be pleased.”
— Publishers Weekly“Mixing offbeat humor, a hard-boiled style, and rich detail, Butcher’s...Dresden File series deserves a spot in every library’s fantasy or dark fantasy collection. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal“Adventures blossom like shotgun fire...A fun-loaded series.”
— Kirkus ReviewsThink Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.
— Entertainment WeeklyFans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this series.
— Midwest Book ReviewSuperlative.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)One of the most enjoyable marriages of the fantasy and mystery genres on the shelves.
— CinescapeButcher...spins an excellent noirish detective yarn in a well-crafted, supernaturally-charged setting. The supporting cast is again fantastic, and Harry’s wit continues to fly in the face of a peril-fraught plot.
— Booklist (starred review)What’s not to like about this series?...It takes the best elements of urban fantasy, mixes it with some good old-fashioned noir mystery, tosses in a dash of romance and a lot of high-octane action, shakes, stirs, and serves.
— SF SiteA tricky plot complete with against-the-clock pacing, firefights, explosions, and plenty of magic. Longtime series fans as well as newcomers drawn by the SciFi Channel’s TV series based on the novels should find this supernatural mystery a real winner.
— Library JournalWhat would you get if you crossed Spenser with Merlin? Probably you would come up with someone very like Harry Dresden, wizard, tough guy and star of [the Dresden Files].
— The Washington Times" I always enjoy the Dresden novels but if you don't read them in order, you miss a lot of the store line. I have read them hit and miss but am now listening to them in order and really am enjoying them. "
— Ace, 4/19/2017" Really good. I like that stuff from previous books keep popping up when least expected. "
— Heather, 2/20/2014" Put this down the first time I started it. Think I was just a little OD'ed on Harry. Very glad I came back. May be the best one so far. "
— Christi, 2/7/2014" Why didn't I pick up the audio books earlier in this series? I will likely go back to the beginning and listen to them all. James Marsters is the perfect voice for this series. "
— Suzanne, 2/2/2014" The first in the series I've given 5 stars to and possibly the best climax battle to date. Also some great new characters are introduced. "
— Jen, 1/26/2014" It pains me to give this a mere three stars but something was missing. Or maybe it was just too much going on. The story took place over 2 days, took 400+ pages, and only the last 100 were actually interesting. Seemed a lot of blundering around. "
— Crystal, 1/25/2014" Despite some of the painful dialog-that's-really-exposition passages it was enjoyable. Polka will live forever!!! "
— Paul, 1/20/2014" Zombie T Rex. 'Nuff said. Go read it. "
— Krista, 12/25/2013" Really awesome book. The story takes some really wicked turns, and still leaves a lot on the table for the next books! "
— Timothy, 12/3/2013" My absolute favorite Dresden story! "
— Chris, 11/24/2013" This one went by quickly, lots of action, and a surprisingly fun ending. "
— Kate, 10/27/2013" A lot is happening in that book and we get to know some new characters like Butters or the fallen angel who is inside Harry. "
— Kristy, 11/25/2012" I have really started enjoying this series. I never considered sci-fi before, but these books are humorous and have really good plots! "
— Sara, 9/10/2012" This series is getting really good to read. I really enjoyed the characters this time around, from Harry to Bob to Butters. It was just an none stop good story. Jim Butcher has really really gotten me hooked to this series. "
— Shahbaz, 9/5/2012" Dresden's a little more on his own in this book, though he does get some assistance from unlikely places. Necromancers bringing the dead to "life" vie for power and Dresden has to stop them while keeping his friends safe. Parts of the story predictable but still lots of fun. "
— Jeanne, 7/22/2012" Pretty much blew my mind. Harry is the best. "
— Raven, 7/14/2012" I appreciate that Dresden got back to some good, old-fashioned investigative techniques. Also, Bob gets the chance to be the hero, which is pretty cool. "
— Megan, 10/9/2011" Polka will never die! "
— John, 7/3/2011" Bob the skull riding a dino zombie. nuf said. "
— Gloria, 6/5/2011" If you are a fan of the series, as I am, this is an exciting installment. If you are new to the series, you could start here, but I wouldn't recommend it. Butcher is full of surprises. "
— Morris, 5/31/2011" What is not to love when Zombies are involved! Conjured or NOT! "
— Bethany, 5/16/2011" Damn I wish Goodreads had half start. This is a good solid four and a half and these books keep on getting consistently better. Few other series have been this pleasing to me on a continual basis. "
— Sally, 5/13/2011" This book includes a zombie dinosaur. I'd say everything else is irrelevant, but the book itself is pretty solid to boot. "
— Camilo, 5/11/2011" Possibly my favorite Dresden book. Adding the dog was brilliant. "
— Susan, 5/9/2011" Another wild ride with Harry Dresden. Must check on Sue next time I'm in Chicago. "
— Leslie, 5/3/2011" I do like these books. The stories are interesting, but I'm definitely not feeling anything emotional from them. That's not their intent, tho, I don't think. "
— Mary, 5/2/2011" Another solid book in this series. Had me on edge until the end. How Harry manages to get through so much is truly amazing. The guy just can't seem to catch a break! "
— Rebecca, 4/29/2011" Great book! I am definitely hooked!! "
— Brick, 4/17/2011" Butcher has hit his stride in this installment of the The Dresden Files. He handles the multiple plots very well, and continues to develop the secondary characters. "
— Andrew, 4/11/2011Jim Butcher is a martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago. He turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and the Cinder Spires novels.
James Marsters, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, graduated from Davis High School and attended Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre. After spending ten years doing stage work, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television. He got his big break as Spike in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is also a talented musician; his band Ghost of the Robot has released three albums: Mad Brilliant, B-Sider, and Murphy’s Law.