Fool Moon: The Dresden Files, Book Two

Jim Butcher

Mar 2010 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in.
Business has been slow lately for Harry Dresden. Okay, business has been dead. Not undead - just dead. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work - magical or mundane. But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses. And the first two don't count . . .
Magic - it can get a guy killed.

'The Dresden Files is my favourite series ever' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind

'Butcher's storytelling is satisfying on a level that's bone-deep'
io9

'One of the most reliable post-Buffy supernatural thriller series on offer'
Time Out

'Dresden has a vitality that few urban fantasy heroes can match'
SFX

The Dresden Files novels begin with STORM FRONT, and continues with FOOL MOON, GRAVE PERIL, SUMMER KNIGHT, DEATH MASKS, BLOOD RITES, DEAD BEAT, PROVEN GUILTY, WHITE NIGHT, SMALL FAVOUR, TURN COAT, CHANGES, GHOST STORY, COLD DAYS and SKIN GAME.
For more of Harry Dresden's adventures, check out the Dresden Files short story collections SIDE JOBS and BRIEF CASES.

Ratings and reviews

3.5 stars I struggled to really connect with this second of the Harry Dresden novels. Whether this was because I was struggling with my concentration in general or because of the storytelling I cannot be sure. It just didn't grip me the way the first novel did. There is still the same snark present and an overall character development for everyone, but especially Harry, that should have made this a truly enjoyable read. I suspect that it was actually the mythology behind the different ways that one could become a werewolf and the struggles to figure out what type it was that was committing these murders. It just all felt a little bit off somehow, kind of hinky and cobbled together without too much thought. It is an Urban Fantasy Novel so you don't expect versimilitude but you do expect the author to have thoroughly thought through the more fantastical aspects of the tale and it just doesn't feel that way - to this reader at least. Plenty of guts and gore, if thats your thing - personally, I'm not bothered by it in the slightest but it is starting to feel a little overdone and (dare I say it) boring. Certainly the best bits for me are poor old Harry's attempts to get along in a society that he is not really a part of - this goes for the Magical Community from which he has all but been ex-communicated and also Human Society because he isn't fully Human as far as they are concerned. I love his clumsy social maladroitness. Definitely not giving up on this series just yet as there is something that does speak to me about it all. This review has been a long time coming. I actually read this book between the 10th and 16th June 2020 so my memory is a bit foggy about all the plot lines. Fortunately, I have a notebook where I jot some initial thoughts on the book and an overall ranking so between the book blurb and that I did have a reasonable handle on what I thought at the time of reading.

I love the premise of the books... a wizard in the modern world, and people seemingly oblivious to supernatural. But man, Dresden irritates me when he always thinks everything his fault. And his toxic relationship with Murphy is by far the most irritating plot of the novels. She hires him, yet doesn't listen to him, she slaps him around, he takes it and somehow convinces himself that he deserves it, and she always wants to arrest him for some crime only she thinks he committed, yet not supported by the evidence (and his long-standing relationship with her), only her 'lack of trust' in him. I honestly hope this will not become a standard theme throughout the books, because seriously, I'll then give up. And I really, really want to love the series. (and try to understand his very unhealthy obsession with his duster....)

*Tilts crown* "I am.... the Burger King!" The first book was good but I didnt think I'd continue the series. But I figured I'd be fair to the author and give the second book a chance and I'm glad I did. Fool moon took everything the first book build and improved every aspect of it. I was hooked from start to finish and will definitely be continuing the series (currently halfway through reading grave peril and it's even better)

About the author

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera and the Cinder Spires series. His résumé includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, Jim plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. He currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.