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"The Law"
by
Jim Butcher
urban fantasy in a Kindle edition on July 5, 2022 and has 102 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Mean Streets, Changes, Side Jobs, Ghost Story, Dark and Stormy Knights, Aftertaste, Hex Appeal, Welcome to the Jungle, Dangerous Women, Storm Front, Grave Peril, Summer Knight, Fool Moon, Cold Days, Skin Game, Blood Rites, Death Masks, Proven Guilty, White Night, Small Favor, Shadowed Souls, Peace Talks, Heroic Hearts, "Christmas Eve", “The Good People”, Battle Ground, “Everything the Light Touches”, "Job Placement"
A short story, 17.2 in The Dresden Files urban fantasy series and revolving around Harry Dresden emerging from his grief, a bit. It’s been a month since Battle Ground, 17.
If you’re interested, there is a chronological listing of The Dresden Files books on my website.
My Take
It’s all about what’s fair, and all those shades of gray, for one must honor loyalty, support the good guys, and face the truth about human law . What a conundrum!!
Oops.
Unfortunately, part of that loyalty is caring for the people who depend upon you, and it keeps getting Harry up in the mornings. The loyalty doesn’t go one way for Harry. His allies from Battle Ground are there as well, helping Harry care for the various refugees from the battle.
Oh man, lawyers. Then there’s the officious government bureaucrats. However, Tripp Gregory makes them all look like saints! Butcher certainly does a good job of describing him in the worst way. Major ick. It’s Triple J who really sums the guy up though, lol. I swear, the man is an idiot who cannot see past his own greed.
You can’t help but love Maya. She is such a giving person with a great mission, helping so very many people. I think it’s that comment about coming to Harry Dresden for a miracle that suck . . . er, pulls Harry in.
Harry is still struggling with being the Winter Knight, which we learn through first person protagonist point-of-view from Harry’s perspective. There are all sorts of benefits — and negatives — about the position. And Harry is in no position to walk away from it.
I’m confused about the Castle. If it was built by Marcone after the boardinghouse burned down, how was it “built in bygone days by some hoary old wizard long dead”?
That Talvi is scary. Especially in his initial confrontation with Harry. There’s more conflict in Harry’s memories of Marcone’s support in Battle Ground.
I do wonder about the irascible Valerious. He sounds like he has some sort of connection to magic. And I’m hoping we’ll see more of him *grin*.
It’s a Dresden File, so it is definitely character-driven and with lots of action. From the scary to the frightening, the frustrating to the legal, you’ll love it.
Oh, and Thursday nights are old school games nights with homemade pizza.
The Story
A professional tutor with a business that provides a lifeline for children and single mothers is threatened with a lawsuit. One that she’s likely to lose, even if she wins.
The Characters
Harry Dresden, the Wizard of Chicago (but not part of the White Council any more) and Mab’s Winter Knight, is still a white knight and not just because he’s Winter. Mister is his huge tomcat. Maggie is the daughter Harry had with Susan. Will Borden is the werewolf alpha of the Alpha Pack who is helping Harry out around Marcone’s former Castle. Will is a dad?? Karrin Murphy is dead (Battle Ground). Bob, the talking database of a skull, is now the spiritual conductor of security in the Castle. Thomas Raith is Harry’s half-vampire brother imprisoned on Demonreach since Peace Talks, 16.
Maya is a professional tutor (with a bachelor’s in education) being sued by her former pimp, Tripp Gregory, who just got out of prison. Her business is Sunflower, a tutoring business that helps poor people’s kids. She’s “franchised” out with up to thirty-nine Sunflowers now. Maximillian Valerious, Esq, is a retired law professor who eschews any dealings with the supernatural; he’s also the only lawyer who ever won against Talvi. Peppermint, a.k.a. Pepper, is his dog. Heloise is his interesting wife.
The retired Knight (since Small Favor, 10), Michael Carpenter, gave Harry a coffee machine. Rawlins had been Karrin’s partner in Special Investigations. Lamar is an EMT who wanted nothing to do with Harry. Justine is the woman whom Thomas loves and can’t touch. McAnally’s is a basement pub owned and run by Mac that serves as a refuge for magic users. Juan Julio Jefferson, a.k.a. Triple J, an enforcer for Marcone, had been Gregory’s cellmate in Pontiac.
Mab is the Winter Queen, Harry’s terrifying “boss”. Loviatarm, the Maiden of Pain, is a goddess, who had ten children. Vainamoinene was a Finnish wizard-hero.
Baron John Marcone, a.k.a. Gentleman John Marcone, is in charge of the criminal element in Chicago and has become a Knight of the Blackened Denarius. Ms Gard, a Valkyrie, is one of his bodyguards.
The terrifying Talvi Inverso, Esq, a.k.a. Winter Winter, is a lawyer who has won 99% of his cases. The very sexy Ms Lapland is his even scarier secretary.
Although he hasn’t any magic, Paranoid Gary’s obsession with conspiracy has opened his eyes to more than a mortal should know; he’s also a Paranetter. The Paranet is a group of low level magic users on the Internet. The Ordo Lebes, or Order of the Cauldron, is a small group of magic practitioners, kitchen witches with little power who cook up a storm.
The Heebie Jeebies is how the government explained events in Battle Ground when the Titan had tried to destroy the world. An otso is a spirit bear, the corrupted servitor of a Lapland hag. The Unseelie Accords are the Geneva Conventions of the supernatural world.
The Cover and Title
Even the cover is scary with its complementary background of deep blue gradating to orange with a Gothic window in the center, obscure items hanging on either side of it. It’s a long-haired Harry in his black leather coat standing behind a wooden desk cluttered with books and artifacts, hands flat on either side of a tome on its own stand. At the top is the series info in a gold to orange gradient, as is the author’s name at the bottom. Above Harry’s head is the title in a gold foil with glints of orange.
The title finds Harry Dresden forced to adhere to “The Law” of fae and of man.
