Full Moon, written by Jim Butcher, is the second novel in the Harry Dresden Files series (click here to read my review of the first novel), and this continues on the same road as the first.
This is an okay novel, but I had to struggle through to finish it. Not because it is a difficult read, or even a long read, but because I don’t like how Harry Dresden and the other characters are written. Within the first 50 pages I could tell you the ending, if not exactly how they got there, and I didn’t care at all about how they got there. I still read every page, but when I went back through looking for a specific scene, I didn’t remember conversations I was passing through.
And I despise that Butcher made Dresden a man who thinks he is chivalrous.
Here is the thing about people who have good manner or who are truly chivalrous: they rarely think about the things they do. Or, to better phrase it, they rarely think about why they do the things you do. When I hold a door for someone there isn’t the thought of “oh look, and old person, because I am a good person I will hold the door” the thought process is more like “oh, look, they are about to come through the door, I’ll hold it for them.” There is no conscious thought behind why I am holding the door. There is a conscious thought behind why I might not act in a polite way when I normally would. But there isn’t a thought behind why I do something polite, or kind, other than if I should or should not do it. I could be wrong, but I think men think the same way. Its why some people come off so fake. Whether that is because they are cursing because they think they should, or a guy opens your door after he realizes that is the “chivalrous” thing to do.
Not only that, but Butcher makes his characters so dumb. When we first met the bad guys, I knew they were the ones behind the killings. Yet, they were never considered suspects. Oh, sure, this way we got to meet a whole lot of other characters, but it, again, felt fake and forced.
This is a beloved series. I understand that. And I am going to try to, even if it takes me years, finish all of these books. But I’m finishing them for a friend, and because it is a challenge.
Who would like this book? If you are into urban fantasy, unique types of werewolves, and mystery, give this a shot. It looks like, in the past, I gave this a 4 star rating. I am berating myself for that and wondering what I was thinking.
This IS NOT A NOVEL FOR CHILDREN, a little late, but it still needs to be said. If you are a romance lover, you might enjoy this for a scene at the end, but otherwise, it really isn’t a romance. So far, the third book seems to have the most romance and that still feels forced after a discussion Harry has with his sub-conscience in this book.
