Storm Front (2000) (edit title/settings)

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Characters edit see section history

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• Harry Dresden: Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Uses several objects as magical foci, most prominently his staff, blasting rod, shield bracelet, and energy-storing rings. He also uses his silver pentacle pendant inherited from his mother. For his personal spells, he uses pseudo-Latin; for this he also draws on various other foreign languages, including Spanish and Italian. Harry describes himself as being bad at delicate magic, being better with undelicate magic. What he lacks in the precise application of magic, he can sometimes make up for by using a lot more power for his spells than would be necessary if he were more skilled, going for quantity instead of quality.
• Bob: An air spirit of intellect inhabiting a human skull. He is sometimes paid (via romance novels and certain considerations) by Harry Dresden, in exchange for information and magic lore. Bob has a great experience in applied magic from being owned by several wizards, as well as innate knowledge of the rules of the supernatural and their current status. Bob's nature as a spirit of intellect means that he is unable to forget anything unless otherwise instructed by his current owner. It also means that he is unable to make most moral distinctions between good and evil.
• Lieutenant Karrin Murphy: Detective Chicago Police Department, Director of Special Investigations, homicide. She took her assignment so seriously that she hired a wizard on as a consultant, much to her coworkers' consternation. Small, but a master of self defense.
• Ron Carmichael: Detective , Chicago PD, Karrin's partner. He is doubtful of Harry Dresden's credibility.
• "Gentleman" Johnnie Marcone: Human crime boss, who controls the majority of organized crime in Chicago. Marcone abides by strict rules. One of which, is that children are not to be involved in the affairs of the Chicago underworld. Anyone caught harming a child is eliminated. Marcone also seems to protect his men. If one dies or is killed, he pursues the attacker to extract retribution.
• Bianca St. Claire: Red Court vampire. Bianca is the head of the local Red Court coven.
• Monica Sells: A client of Harry's who employs him to find her missing husband.
• Victor Sells: The missing man Harry is employed to locate.
• Susan Rodriguez: A investigative reporter for the paranormal newspaper The Midwestern Arcane. It's through her investigations that she encountered Harry, and began soliciting him for information. She once fainted after soul gazing Harry.
• Toot-Toot: A faerie, one of the Wyldfae, belonging to neither court. He is often called upon by Harry Dresden for information and minor assistance. He is paid with pizza.
• Warden Donald Morgan: A human wizard, and a Warden of the White Council. Morgan was Harry's 'probation officer', of sorts. He has consistently gone out of his way to instigate Harry. He's willing to sacrifice his life for the White Council. His loyalty to the laws of magic knew no bounds. Morgan's intolerent to any who broke the Laws of Magic.
• Linda Randall: Former call girl. Chauffeur for Mr. & Mrs. Beckitt
• Tommy Tomm: Murder victim, former bodyguard for Johnny Marcone
• Jennifer Stanton: Murder victim, former call girl.
• Kalshazzak: Frog like demon
• Hendricks: Henchman for Marcone
• McAnally: Is the owner of McAnally's Pub. He is a man of few words, but when he says something, it's worth hearing. His bar is set up so that is magically warded for weaker magical practioners. There are 13 windows, 13 carved pillars, 13 tables, and 13 stools at the bar. McAnally is also a loyal friend of Harry Dresden.
• Lawrence: Henchman for Marcone
• Donny Wise: Photographer
• Mister: Harry Dresden's 30 pound tom cat. A close best friend.
• The Beckitts: The couple that Linda works for.
• He Who Walks Behind: A hunter-spirit; a sort of spectral hit man that has been sent after Harry by the Death Curse of his adopted father.

Quotes edit see section history

• “A man's magic demonstrates what sort of person he is, what is held most deeply inside of him. There is no truer gauge of a man's character than in the way he employs his strength, his power.”

  Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden

• “Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”

  Harry Dresden

• “Women are better at hating than men. They can focus it better, let it go better.”

  Harry Dresden

• “Have you ever felt despair? Absolute hopelessness? Have you ever stood in the darkness and known, deep in your heart, in your spirit, that it was never, ever going to get better? That something had been lost, forever, and that it wasn't coming back?”

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• Paranoid? Probably. But just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t an invisible demon about to eat your face.

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• There is no truer gauge of a man’s character than the way in which he employs his strength, his power.

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• I think that men ought to treat women like something other than just shorter, weaker men with breasts.

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• Have you ever felt despair? Absolute hopelessness? Have you ever stood in the darkness and known, deep in your heart, in your spirit, that it was never, ever going to get better? That something had been lost, forever, and that it wasn’t coming back?

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• Kids. You gotta love them. I adore children. A little salt, a squeeze of lemon—perfect.

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• “Thaumaturgy,” I said. “As above, so below. Make something happen on a small scale, and give it the energy to happen on a large scale.”

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• Evocation is the most direct, spectacular, and noisy form of expressed magic, or sorcery. Explosions, fire, that sort of thing.

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• They say we wizards are subtle. But believe you me, we’ve got nothing, nothing at all, on women.

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• Potions are all made pretty much the same way. First you need a base to form the essential liquid content, then something to engage each of the senses, and then something for the mind and something else for the spirit. Eight ingredients, all in all, and they’re different for each and every potion, and for each person who makes them.

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• The only things I had clean were more sweats and another T-shirt, this one proclaiming in bold letters over a little cartoon graveyard, “EASTER HAS BEEN CANCELED—THEY FOUND THE BODY.”

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Chicago, IL
• McAnally's Pub: A pub and grill in Chicago, owned by "Mac" Items and structures are arranged around the number 13: stools at the bar, tables in the room, windows, mirrors, and wooden columns. The elaborately-carved columns are deliberately placed to break up the flow of random energies given off by the wizards that frequent the establishment.
• The Varsity: Located in a strip mall in a Chicago suburb. Despite being fairly isolated, it's usually crowded. It's mainly visited by college-aged people.

Organizations edit see section history

• The White Council: A large worldwide organization of human wizards, and is seen as their governing body. It is controlled by the Senior Council. The goal of the White Council is to protect mankind from the abuses of magic as outlined in the Seven Laws of Magic.
• Chicago Police Department: Is the principal law enforcement agency of the City of Chicago, Illinois
• Special Investigations Unit: A division of the Chicago Police Department. It is appointed to all cases in which something unexplainable or supernatural is involved.
• Red Court: One of the Vampire Courts. Red Court vampires were non-human creatures, disguising themselves as humans; they preyed on humans and drank their blood. The Red Court had a highly organized feudalistic system with a King, termed the Red King, at the top, followed by Dukes and other ranks.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Doom of Damocles: It is considered a form of probation and a rare occurrence because it requires a member of the White Council to speak in the defense of the accused. If a young spell caster uses black magic or breaks the Seven Laws of Magic, they are put on trial; the Doom of Damocles is only granted if a member of the White Council speaks on their behalf and manages to sway three-fourths of the council. The defendant is then placed under the care and responsibility of that particular member to be trained; if they fail to learn and use black magic again, they will be killed, along with the senior member that they were being trained by.
• Seven Laws of Magic: A set of rules of the White Council concerning the use of magic. They are intended to prevent the abuse of magic, and protect wizards and normal humans from harmful magic. A wizard violating the Laws, on purpose or unknowingly, is termed warlock. Being found violating the Laws has dire consequences, and the punishment sentenced by the White Council and its Wardens is often death.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Private Investigator/Noir - Fantasy/Mystery in contemporary world: This series of books in written in a classic PI-noir style very similar to Raymond Chandler and Dashielle Hammett or Glen Cook and Robert Parker for more contemporary authors. Harry is a loner who questions authority with hard-boiled sarcasm and grit. He has friends who are allies but it is his stubborness that sees the adventure continue. One man versus the system, biting humor, and good winning the day but sometimes at a terrible cost.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Fool Moon.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Jim Butcher (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Chris McGrath (Cover Artist)
2. James Marsters (Narrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3552.U8242
• Dewey: 741.5

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Mild sexual references, violence and mild profanity

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Series
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Fairies & Elves
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Urban
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Magic & Wizards
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Dark
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Jim Butcher: Author's website

Movie Connections edit see section history

• The Dresden Files (IMDb): TV mini-series

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history