Peace Talks - A Novel of the Dresden Files (Book 16)

When I picked up Storm Front and Fool Moon, the first two novels in the Dresden Files series way back in 2001 (both of which were first printings, as Storm Front had come out in 2000, while Fool Moon was a new release in 2001), I certainly never expected that I would be here, 20 years later, still following this series of a wizard living in Chicago in the present day, trying to stop the supernatural world from taking over this one.  I will be the first one to say that, for me, I definitely judge a book by its cover.  Those first printings of Storm Front and Fool Moon had some great, stylistic covers with art that quickly drew you into the scene.  The fact that the stories involved vampires and werewolves only cinched the deal for me, having always been a huge fan of the supernatural worlds since watching my first episode of Dark Shadows back in the day.  Over the years, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files has expanded and evolved - starting out as only paperbacks, but eventually changing into hardcover editions first, with paperback versions being published a year later (which annoyed me at first, since that meant I had to wait nearly two years between Blood Rites and Dead Beat to read the next book...); going from covers that never featured the lead character to covers that focused solely on Dresden in his beat up coat and staff; expanding into comic book stories, collections of short stories, and even a one-season long television show.  It's clear that author Jim Butcher created a character that resonated with tons and tons of fans (and having met Butcher multiple times at DragonCon in Atlanta, I can attest to the enormous fan-following this author and series has!).  However, after Skin Games came out back in 2014, Butcher took a break.  And that break continued ... and continued ... to the point where six years passed with absolutely no Dresden book being published! There were a couple of comic book series published by Dynamite Entertainment that helped soothe fans' need for more Dresden, but quite frankly, I was beginning to give up.

Then came Peace Talks in 2020 (a year when we definitely needed something good to happen!).  And if that weren't enough, a few months after Peace Talks came out in hardback, it was followed up by Battle Ground!  After such a long gap, I was overjoyed to see not one, but two new books come out in the same year!  Of course, both came out in hardback, and being the cheapskate that I am, I was willing to wait for paperback versions.  And Peace Talks finally made its paperback appearance last month, so I snagged it the first day it was on the shelves.  Normally, I put my new books on a shelf in the order that I buy them so that I can read those books I bought previously - but with Dresden, I couldn't wait, so he immediately moved to the top of the stack!

Peace Talks picks up a bit after Dresden's gang descended into Hades' vault to steal the Holy Grail.  Karin Murphy is still recovering from the severe injuries she received during that heist, and Dresden is coming to terms with all of the changes in his life - he is now the Winter Knight; Molly is the Winter Lady; Karin is gravely injured, likely to never fully recover; Butters is a Knight of the Cross; his basement apartment is destroyed; his Blue Beetle is gone, replaced with a hearse; he has a brother who is a vampire in the White Court; and probably the biggest of all of his changes is the fact that he is the father of a little girl, for whom he will do just about anything to protect.  Dresden is hoping for just a little bit of down time, but of course, we all know that will never happen!

This book brings together the various factions of the supernatural world at a summit for the Accords, in which the various supernatural nations hope to reach and agreement for peace.  Dresden is called in by the Council to help provide security for the Accords, which doesn't sound too difficult.  Until his brother breaks into the svartalf embassy in Chicago (which happens to be where Harry and his daughter are living to keep her protected) and kills on of the svartalf guards.  One who was very important to the svartalf royalty.  And this places Dresden in a very precarious position.  The svartalf laws dictate that Thomas be put to death for his crime.  But Thomas is Dresden's brother.  He can't just let him die.  But if he takes action to rescue him, he could place himself at odds with not only the svartalf nation, but with the wizarding council as well, and he could destroy any chance the Accords have of brokering peace.  Just another typical Tuesday in the life of Harry Dresden!

It was such a true joy to fall back into the world of Harry Dresden - just like catching up with old friends that you haven't seen in a while.  The sarcasm, the tricks, the determination, the battles, the surprises, the plots, the villains, the twists, the allies, the enemies, and the sexual tension... wait, what? Sexual tension?  Since when did the Dresden Files heat up like that? I can honestly say the amount of sex and sexual tension in this book eclipses that of all the previous books combined!  Obviously, I never though Harry Dresden was celibate, but man - my friends and I wondered if perhaps Butcher was going through a dry spell in his life and compensated by releasing all that pent-up energy through Dresden in this book.  While none of it is explicit, it definitely heats up quite often in the book, leaving the reader rather ... uhm ... exhilarated? ... by the end of the book.  (Oh, and in this context, let's just say that Butters finally gets his due in this aspect - you'll definitely have to read the book to see what I'm talking about here!)

The battle between Dresden and McCoy has been a long time coming, and it was actually good to see that finally come to head in this book.  And I'm glad that Butcher has kept Dresden true to his nature by doing whatever it takes to protect his family, while juggling the Accords, the Council, and the city of Chicago (not to mention, the world!) at the same time.  If anyone can manage it, it's Dresden, and his multi-tasking capabilities and tactical planning really shine through in this book.  There are quite the number of subplots building in this book, and considering the cliffhanger at the end, I have no doubt many of them will get resolved (or at the very least, moved forward considerably) in Battle Ground. 

I also like the direction Dresden and Murphy's relationship is going.  That has been building for 20 years, and it's about darned time they started to build something.  And I absolutely love the fact that Murphy has no problems standing up to Dresden and the supernatural ilk of his world (including a Valkyrie that Murphy actually outsmarts and defeats!), proving that even a normal human being can have what it takes to defeat otherworldly creatures.

Overall a very satisfying read and a more-then-welcome return to the Dresden Files.  The only drawback to the book is that I managed to read all 455 pages in just a few days, leaving me now without a Dresden Files book to read until Battle Ground comes out in paperback!  ARGH!!!!

RATING:  10 pancakes made from scratch out of 10 for satisfying the Dresden-craving that has been growing for the past seven years with a spectacular new tale filled with more danger and disaster than every before!