Book · 2000
Storm Front (The Dresden Files)
by Jim Butcher
Chicago's only professional wizard takes a case involving black magic and a mob boss, with a police captain who wants it solved fast or him gone.
What does Reddit think of Storm Front (The Dresden Files)?
r/Fantasy treats entry-order as the first hazard: the top-upvoted excerpt (↑1015) is a warning about a friend who started at book eleven and spent the whole read lost. That's not a knock on the writing, just on how Jim Butcher structured a fourteen-book series. Once past that, the praise clusters around specific characters rather than plot mechanics: Michael Carpenter, the Knight of the Cross, gets singled out (↑477) for being one of fantasy's rare uncomplicated good guys, and the portrayal of the Church earns its own defense (↑433) as sincere rather than saccharine. The five-year hiatus between books shows up too (↑409), with the same hedge attached both times: it looks like it will be finished, probably. One commenter reaches for Artemis Fowl as the closest comparison (↑564), pitched as the series' YA cousin. A separate, unrelated fight (↑367) drags Dresden into the romantasy discourse as the counterexample for gendered genre snobbery. Long series, no shortage of opinions on where it earns its reputation.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Reading order as the real barrier to entry, not the prose
- · Individual characters like Michael Carpenter carrying the praise more than the plot
- · A sincere, non-cynical portrayal of organized religion
- · A fourteen-book series whose hiatuses get tracked like weather
Common praise
- + The ↑477 comment singles out Michael Carpenter as checking every box for an uncomplicated good guy.
- + The ↑433 comment defends the Church's portrayal as sincerely good, not merely 'unproblematic.'
- + The ↑564 Artemis Fowl comparison reads as a compliment about tone, not a knock.
Common criticism
- − The ↑1015 story about a friend starting at book eleven functions as a standing warning against skipping ahead.
- − The ↑592 commenter names entry-order confusion as the series' 'major gripe' outright.
- − The five-year hiatus (↑409) gets flagged with a visible 'probably' attached to whether the series actually finishes.
Who it's for
Start with the first book, not wherever a friend happens to be in the series; the ↑1015 story about book eleven is basically a cautionary tale posted for exactly that reason. If you want a wizard-detective with a Chicago beat and don't mind a slow ramp before the mythology clicks, this is built for you across fourteen books and counting. Readers drawn to Michael Carpenter's Knight-of-the-Cross arc tend to stick around for the long haul, hiatus and all.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
- r/Fantasy 5,717
- r/suggestmeabook 4,222
- r/booksuggestions 2,082
- r/printSF 201
- r/RomanceBooks 89
- r/horrorlit 80
- r/YAlit 54
- r/TrueLit 7
Which Reddit comments matter for Storm Front (The Dresden Files)?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I had a friend start the dresden files on book 11 and he was really mad that he didn’t know what was going on or who any of the characters were.
“This is my major gripe with the Dresden Files
“Artemis fowl is sort of a children’s Dresden files
“Michael Carpenter, Knight of the Cross in Dresden Files. His willingness to sacrifice, dedication to his mission, compassion for his enemies, and his ability to absolutely kick ass when necessary checks every box.
“In the Dresden Files the church is universally good guys. Not in a "the church is unproblematic" way, but in a "the members of the church are hands down some of the most morally good people around who do all the good virtues." Like Father Forthill takes in people who ask for sanctuary, and never jud…
“The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher had a long hiatus of about 5 years, but he's back at it and it looks like it will be finished. Probably.
“Jim Butcher's *The Dresden Files*. Bonus points for the Knights of the Cross >!humans wielding blades imbued with the Nails of the Cross, fighting for team Heaven, often with indirect angelic support)!< and their infernal counterparts, the Order of the Blackened Denarius >!(humans wielding the fall…
“While I enjoy the Dresden Files overall, this particular conversation from one of the short stories was really something > “This isn’t going to work,” Justine murmured. > > “It is going to work,” I told her, keeping my tone confident. “We’ll breeze right in. The Rack will be with us.” > > Just…
“Dresden Files. Book 1 was a college creative writing assignment. From there, Butcher’s skill as a writer has tremendously improved.
“There are two series that felt like the equivalent of literary cocaine to me: The Dresden Files and Cradle.
“I love the Dresden Files, and I get what you are saying. So I do know a few series worth checking out if you want similar vibes with less tropes: Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka Garrett P.I. by Glen Cook Fetch Phillips by Luke Arnold October Daye by Seanan McGuire Eric Carter by Stephen Blackmoore…
“Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is the obvious wizard book series to me.
“Dresden Files fans often justify it by saying Harry's written that way to make a point too. And it's like saying "I don't like fruitcake because it has raisins in" and someone replying "I know you don't usually like raisins but this time the baker put them in on purpose." Sometimes you can recogn…
“I'd say the quiet developments that take place BETWEEN books of the Dresden Files. When each book is a breakneck thriller that covers a short time it would be easy to lose many slower aspects but instead the characters' lives (and the city itself) evolve in a realistic-seeming way as the series cont…
“Fourth Wing (and Iron Flame). Literally the definition of “not stunning literature, but damn I enjoyed the HELL out of it”. Honourable mention goes to The Dresden Files, because of the first few books. The series grows exponentially in quality as it goes on.
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All books like Storm Front (The Dresden Files) →Books that share discussion threads with Storm Front (The Dresden Files) — counted from the comments, not curated.
Storm Front (The Dresden Files) — frequently asked
Is Storm Front the right place to start the Dresden Files?+
Yes, and the data argues for it harder than usual. The top-upvoted r/Fantasy excerpt (↑1015) is a friend who began at book eleven and spent the whole read lost about who anyone was. Nothing in the top comments suggests any entry point beats book one; the confusion is entirely a self-inflicted wound from skipping ahead.
Does the Dresden Files series actually finish?+
Unclear, and r/Fantasy says so itself. The ↑409 comment notes a five-year hiatus before Jim Butcher returned, and hedges with 'probably' on whether the series wraps up. Nothing displayed here promises a finale; it promises Butcher is still working on it.
Is the Dresden Files just a series for one kind of reader?+
No, per the ↑367 comment, which drags Dresden into a fight about gendered genre snobbery, arguing that books coded 'for men' get away with things romantasy doesn't. That's a defense of the series' range, not proof either way about who actually reads it.
Is Michael Carpenter the best character in Dresden Files?+
A strong case, per the ↑477 comment, which credits him with sacrifice, compassion for enemies, and the willingness to fight when it matters, calling the combination one that 'checks every box.' No other character gets that specific a defense in the top excerpts.