Death Masks

Death Masks The Dresden Files Book Five (2003) Jim Butcher

Interestingly, I liked this book more once I put it down and started thinking about it, than right after I closed it. Not that I didn’t like it before–I just liked it better after thinking about it. One of the reasons is that (in case you hadn’t noticed) these books are quick reads. So I don’t think much about them while I’m reading, so I digest everything after I’m done.

After some thought, there is a lot to like about this book. Michael is back, however, since we’ve already met him I didn’t find him as jarring as I did in Grave Peril, so I rather liked him, in his black and white world kind of way. Susan is also back, and Harry has to deal with the dregs of their relationship, as well as his guilt for her current situation. Plus, Marcone is back in the middle of things.

I very much liked the way that things worked out in this book. I like the way that Charity finally got to explain why she disliked Harry so much. Not that I didn’t find it perfectly understandable, but it was good to actually see it written, and to see Harry deal with it.

However, how many times can one person get knocked in the head? I swear he’s going to have a nasty case of scrambled brains before he’s fifty at the rate he’s going. Maybe, just maybe, Jim Butcher needs to find another way to incapacitate Harry without bonking him on the head two and three times in a single story.

And what is it with all these matrilineal magic stuff? Why does the bad jibe always come from the magician’s mother? Not that they talk to much about Harry’s mother in this book, but the sudden and unexpeted prophesy and demons discussing Harry’s mother reminded me suddenly of Simon R. Green‘s Nightside books.

SPOILER
(rot13.com)
Bar guvat gung V cnegvphyneyl yvxrq vf ubj Uneel qbrfa’g trg gb fbyir Fhfna’f ceboyrz. Ur whfg unf gb qrny jvgu vg naq zbir ba. V jnf fhecevfrq, lrg tynq gb frr gung. Uneel arrqrq gb yrnea gung whfg nf jung unccrarq gb ure jnfa’g uvf snhyg, ur nyfb jnf abg erfcbafvoyr sbe fbyivat ure ceboyrzf. Lrf, vg jnf tbbq gung ur gevrq, ohg vg jnfa’g uvf wbo gb or erfcbafvoyr sbe Fhfna. Naq V’z abg bar sbe orggvat, ohg zl bqqf ner ba Zhecul trggvat Fuveb’f fjbeq.

END SPOLIER

I also like the way that Marcone was humanized in the end of the story. I’m not saying his actions were justified–but they were understandable.

Again, although things make more sense if you’ve read the previous books, I think that you could read this book out of context and still enjoy it. Of course, the bits that I liked best probably wouldn’t be as important, but still, it should be okay. However, all the books are out there and easy to get, so why not start from the beginning?
Rating: 7/10

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