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New in the Blacktop Cowboy series.
Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher-a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre of allies managed to close in record time. The tales range from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious. Also included is a novella exclusive to this collection that takes place after the cliff-hanger ending of the April 2010 hardcover, Changes. This is a must-have collection for every devoted Harry Dresden fan as well as a perfect introduction for readers ready to meet Chicago's only professional wizard.
A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives with his wife, his son and a ferocious guard dog.
amslogos
Posted October 26, 2010
The hardcover is on my desk next to me, and of course I have all Dresden titles for Nook, too, now. Each short story is headed by an annotation by Jim Butcher himself. Pretty cool.
A Restoration of Faith (pg 1) is a pre-Storm Front look at Harry meeting Murphy. Harry saves a run-away pre-teen girl from a Bridge Troll.
Vignette (pg 21) is a look at Harry working out a Yellowbook ad with Bob.
Something Borrowed (27) is a look at a Faerie revenge move on Billy and Georgia's wedding.
It's My Birthday, Too (61) is a fast-paced Black Court Vamp romp of wit, quick thinking, and Little Folk bargaining when Harry tries to celebrate Thomas' birthday. My favorite of the book!
Heorot (107) teams Dresden up with Gard. We learn her background, your jaw drops, a damsel is saved, and Mac thanks Harry.
Day Off (149) is my second favorite "side job". If artists were contracted to paint this story, they would need to hire the genetic love-child of Norman Rockwell, someone from The New Yorker magazine, and any conceptual artist Sam Rami used in the Spider-Man trilogy.
Backup (173) is a Thomas Raith POV. Worth the read. I bought this when it was released seperately, and was not disappointed. It deepens the scope of the non-human realm of the Dresdenverse.
The Warrior (211) shows how little choices have big ramifications. And it shows that Michael, though disabled, is still one kick-butt character.
Last Call (269) is a Harry/Murphy tag team that stops a maenad from turning a Bulls game into a drunken lovefest. Murphy nearly cleans Dresden's clock. Read it!
Love Hurts (303) is a fun read about a Red Court scientist "spreading" love through enchantment, and how Harry/Murphy tag that creature for Death's collection.
Aftermath (335) is a Murphy POV after Changes, when Dresden is missing/ presumed dead. Murphy and Billy go after Sea Mutants. Oh, yeah, and Marcone spares Billy's life so he can save others' lives. Look for that debt to be called upon later in the Dresden series.
I rated the Book Cover poorly, because Dresden does NOT wear a hat, but ROC's artist can't take it off, apparently....
I had a hard time rounding up these Side Job stories on my own. I ran across "The Warrior" after I read Turn Coat in that small anthology. I scoured the Internet for PDF scans of any other short Dresden story. Now I have them all! :)
16 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Although the quality of the eleven entries varies to an incredible degree, fans of Dresden will want to read the anthology that is a sort of history of the author. No question, the audience will want to read the novella "Aftermath", which occurs a few hours after the end of the stunning Changes. Many of the tales fill the gaps between the novels especially with a close look at support cast in entries like "Backup" focuses on Thomas and "Warrior" on Michael. Some like the first Dresden unpublished tale, A Restoration of Faith, displays Jim Butcher's talent, but not experience as the contribution is a bit confusing; that might be caused by knowing so much about the only wizard in the Chicago phone book. Clearly this compilation is for fans of the series; newcomers would be better off watching the TV show or starting with the novels as that is Mr. Butcher's forte.
Harriet Klausner
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tyloric
Posted November 21, 2010
This was a welcome distraction while waiting for Ghost Story, I must say, but fans looking for answers to questions that were raised at the end of Changes will not find them here. The new Novella features Murphy and offers no clues as to what happened to Harry.
It's a neat little collection, but fans looking for a significant push to the plot will not find it here.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.karpomatic
Posted November 10, 2010
I am glad i waited for this book instead of buying all the other ones for a single Dresden story. Its a nice diversion until Ghost Story is released.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Shiroikami
Posted October 29, 2011
Side Jobs is both alike and completely different from all of the Dresden Files books up to this point. It's a collection of short stories, written by Jim Butcher, which take place at various points in the continuity of the Dresden Files universe, each one prefaced by a short explanation.
It's the same, most obviously because it involves the characters and locations that readers have come to know and love through the main series of novels, but also because of the writing itself, which pulls you in and never wants to let go. The difference comes through the feeling and the ideas behind each story. The ones written in the usual manner, from Harry's perspective, feel lighter and less serious, while the ones NOT written from his perspective (of which there are two - one from Thomas's viewpoint and the other from Murphy's) actually have a different texture, and really do feel like they are being narrated by someone else while still keeping with the usual Dresden Files tone.
In all, Side Jobs is definitely a book to pick up if you've read the other Dresden Files novels (if you haven't, some of the characters and events referenced in the short stories will be a bit confusing, although Jim Butcher does his best to explain them in the narratives).
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jim Butcher has once again given beautiful stories of the wjizard PI that is Harry Drrsden. These shorts are true Dresden which will delight every fan.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Nikkiandthedrone
Posted December 1, 2010
The quality is not consistent in the stories and the book is written for fans well versed in the series. Newcomers would be better off starting with the novels as that is the arena where Jim Butcher's really shines.
Nikki
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 18, 2011
This series is a great read between other reads. That's when I catch up with Harry and his antics. Like different T,V. shows. Great stories.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 14, 2011
These stories are wonderful, they fill in some gaps between books. They're funny and entertaining. I don't know how Jim Butcher does it, but he hasn't written a bad Harry Dresden story yet! I highly recommend to any Dresden fan.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2011
Fast paced action, nerd humor, and interesting plotlines have hooked me on the Dresden series. Although this is a set of short stories it is no exception.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 6, 2011
Love the entire series
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 30, 2011
It was great to have all of the stories together!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 2, 2011
These stories fill in the gaps between books ... Great idea! Now we know what happened to Michael and how Harry found out more about Gard! Big fan, and can't wait for Ghost Story!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BookerTD
Posted February 20, 2011
As always Jim Butcher delivers. This book was composed of small works written between his more major Dresden novels. The shorts were very entertaining. However, I was disapointed that the story didn't pick up where the last book in the series left off. C'mon Jim, what happened to Harry?
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.As I am a huge Dresden fan i am biased, but this book is as solid as all of his work. nice to read some of the shorts to fill in those pesky gaps between books.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 19, 2010
great back story and sidelines for all dresden fans... especially the final story told from karen murphy's perspective!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 4, 2013
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I don't normally do short story compilations, but this one was as good as his full novels, with lots of backstory to the characters. I would definitely recommend to any fan of Dresden.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CRogers49
Posted October 22, 2012
I found this book to be a very nice collection of stories which gave me some insight into Harry Dresden. It allowed me to picture Harry as more of a regular guy who at least got a little rest (?) in between his adventures outlined in the novels. The book also allowed us readers to see how Mr Butcher's writing of the wizard's stories evolved over time which was great. I greatly enjoyed the book and highly recommend it to Dresden fans.
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Posted August 3, 2012
It's a great read full of awsome stories.
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Overview
New in the Blacktop Cowboy series.
Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher-a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre of allies managed to close in record time. The tales range from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious. Also included is a novella exclusive to this collection that takes place after the cliff-hanger ending of the April 2010 hardcover, Changes. This is a must-have collection for every ...