Skin Game by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read 8/17/23:

A pure delight to re-read. Pure, shining, light-saber-ish delight.

There is practically nothing to dislike about this novel. It's one of my favorites. Again. And that says a lot about the series as a whole. I laughed too many times to count, and the sheer weight of wholesomeness almost destroyed me.

You can't say that too often when dealing with demons and shapeshifters and mercenaries on a heist, but when you have FRIENDS, well...

Beautiful.



Original Review:

I'm a bona-fide fanboy of the series and I don't care who knows it. Perhaps if more people knew, they'd give it a shot, too. I'm continually surprised by the directions it takes, and this book was no different. I loved the oceans eleven feel and the return of a slew of villains that were very memorable in their own right. The twists, including the one that was derived from the title, were satisfying but not obvious for a good long time. Other twists, such as the one that kept him tied to the island, has got me chomping at the bit for the next novel(s).
I love where all these changes are driving the story, but, this one was great for the huge amount of resurfacing characters.
I'm in awe, and this candy is so delicious. I truly can't wait for more.

Update.

This is a contender for the 2015 Hugo for best novel.

Now while I am generally in awe of Mr. Butcher, there is still some controversy surrounding this year's picks. I choose to ignore the controversy and uphold the spirit with which so many people view the honor of the Hugos.

I may not like this particular novel as much as a few of the ones that have come before, such as Changes, but I do hold the novel in very high esteem. This series also falls into a grey category in my mind because while it can be read without knowing the other 14 books in the series, it probably shouldn't be. The entire series is too rich to ignore. That being said, Dresden is more like a whale than a big fish, and should be considered a class to itself.

Hugo possibility? Certainly, as long as the spirit of the award is given for the right reasons, and even if it is, we might need a new category such as Lifetime Achievement, or HUGE ASS STORY ARC category. Then we could backvote WOT in as well.


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