Where to start with The Dresden Files?
Given the name of the leader of this community, I figured I’d throw this out there:
I’ve never read any of Jim Butcher’s books, and have heard good things about The Dresden Files.
Where do I start? Is there a good website to show a suggested reading order, etc?
Read them in release order, they tell a chronological story. Most places should have them numbered, or you can check Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files#Bibliography
I’ll be the contrarian here and suggest that—especially if you’re OK with trying one book out of order and then going back to read the rest just so that you can get a feel for the books—that you start with Dead Beat. It was written as an introduction for new fans when the Dresden files TV show was getting ready to come out. It really shows off some of Jim Butcher’s strengths as an author after he got his feet underneath him. It’s the book that the fairly well-known (spoilery) meme is from.
As to Dresden’s, chauvinism, this older Reddit comment, probably addresses it as well as any I’ve seen. I will say that it isn’t just treated as though it must be there. There are strong, textual and sub-textual reasons why he acts and thinks the way he does, it’s never treated virtuously, it does get him in trouble, and he does realize he has to be better.
First, of all, not a leader, just a mod, trying to do my part in making lemmy a nice place for book readers. 😀
Dresden Files is a pretty fun series, but it's not some great epitome of literature. It's a fun and easy to read series, and I am realizing after reading all the comment here, it's not for everyone. Personally, I don't have much issue with that. I don't always agree with the characters of my books, but I can understand if people have issues with that. I would suggest reading a couple of books to see if they are for you.
As for where to start, I always prefer to read in published order, (which in this case is also chronological order), but as everyone else has mentioned first couple of books aren't that great. The quality improves a lot from the 3rd one. So, if you start from first one, at least read first 3 to make up your mind. Or, you can read "Dead Beat" first, and if you like it, go back and start from the first one.
If you do start reading it, would love to hear your thoughts on how you like it. You can post in our weekly what are you reading thread, or just make a separate post.
Edit: Forgot to mention, the books are pretty formulaic, (don't know if they improve further along or not), I don't think I would enjoy them reading back to back. But reading them after adding a break of one or two books is keeping them very enjoyable.
The beginning is a good place to start! The main books are all ordered chronologically. So pick up Storm Front and get started.
The first book, Storm Front, is awful. Apparently he wrote it as part of a college project? I've been told the series gets better as it goes along, but I was never able to get past the first book.
I didn't even mind the writing. I read the first three or four. I could even get past some of the cliche shit like electronics breaking because he's a wizard harry. But he is such a m'lady neckbeard that I just gave up.
It was a creative writing class by another author if I remember the story. He had graduated with a literature degree already and was trying and failing to write super high-minded stuff and get it published. This teacher and he were butting heads because she wanted him to basically do a story that he considered trope-y or cliched. So finally he sat down to prove her wrong and out popped the first part of Dresden files. She sent him home to map out the rest and he misunderstood and mapped out the entire series when she meant the rest of the book.
Yeah, I tried reading it to see what all of the fuss was about and I couldn't get through it.
At the start, Storm Front. It's a slow start IMO, the series takes a little while to hit its stride, but it does a lot of "stage setting" that is going to be important later on. I wouldn't mess with the order, at least until much later in the series.
I'd suggest taking a break with something else (another series) every five books or so... apart from a few of them, his stories definitely follow a pattern that becomes quite obvious after a few books and that break keeps them feeling fresh.
If you’re an Apple Books user, they have the main books in sets, in order. Actually just started re-reading these 2 days ago.
The books are meant to be read in chronological order, which is publication order for the novels. The short stories can be inserted into the chronological order, or skipped until you've read all the novels.
There are two schools of opinion on where to start. His first few books are the weakest, and Jim himself recommends skipping them and starting at Grave Peril. Others recommend just going in at the start so you can meet characters as they're introduced.
Storm Front. It's the weakest book, cause nothing is fleshed out, but it is the start.
That said, I had to quit reading (after 15 books) cause he keeps getting progressively weirder about women.
Yeah his female characters were never great. It's disappointing to hear it just got worse.
Oh nooooooooooo
It's an in-character perspective of Dresden, meant to be a character quirk. Jim writes short stories from other perspectives without the same issues, and none of his other series have it either. Unfortunately many readers confuse character perspective with author opinion.
His apprentice is described cringe worthily before she comes of age and not much better later.
He talks about Molly's little sister in whichever book I bailed on.
Holy shit. He gets weirder? He's such a neckbeard in the first few that I stopped at like book 4. Maybe 3. I don't even remember. To be worse, he must start complementing their feet in public or some shit.
On multiple occasions he talks about how he thinks of the carpenter girls as children, comments some crap about knowing them in diapers right before going on to talk about their tits.
Weird how? Some of it feels a little fedora-tippy, but I haven't read it for a while so I don't remember any specifics.
On multiple occasions he talks about how he thinks of the carpenter girls as children, comments some crap about knowing them in diapers right before going on to talk about their tits.