After a brief interlude in the afterlife, Harry Dresden’s new job makes him wonder if death was really all that bad in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Harry Dresden is no longer Chicago’s only professional wizard. Now, he’s Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. Her word is his command. And her first command is the seemingly impossible: kill an immortal. … impossible: kill an immortal. Worse still, there is a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could mean the deaths of millions.
Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent an apocalypse, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound infinite powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own…
His soul.
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Cold Days is book fourteen in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and narrated by James Masters.
When we start Harry is alive, yet still recovering, and under the care of Mab who is determined to shape him into her Winter Knight.
I like this series, but this one is my least favorite of the bunch. I had such a hard time getting through it. It was oh so slow too start and just dragged for me. I really don’t like the Fae in this series nor do I care for Mab. Having Harry spend all that time at the start in Mab’s care just irritated me, but finally he makes his way back to Chicago and reunites with his friends and brother.
Cold Days tackles a lot. We get a lot of surprise. Butcher always surprises his readers in each installment. He also gives us humor and wit. This one was no exception.
Good god, Harry has a lot on his plate. He’s back from the dead, has the mantle of the Winner Knight, has to figure out how to fulfill Mab’s first task, save Chicago by making sure Deamonreach doesn’t implode, and much much more. Whew! That’s a lot on one wizards plate, yet alone for the reader. It was a lot for me to handle. Their where so many close calls, but this time it was a bit much and added to the drag I was feeling in the story.
The best scene and the ones I liked the most where the ones in which Harry reconnects with his brother and friends. I cried a few times. And, Karen… man she changed after Harry’s death.
Audio: The narration was brilliant! I felt that the audio helped move things along even if the story did drag a bit, it still moved. Masters is a marvelous narrator. He brings out the scenes and the voices. The vast array of voices he does are unique, distinct and well done. I enjoyed his portrayal/dialogue of the inner battles of Harry the Wizard vs Harry the Winter Knight
All and all Cold Days was ok. I like exploring this series; wither I’m reading or listen. Thou I will say that I prefer the audio; because Masters is exceptional in his portrayal of The Dresden Files series.
Rated: 3 Stars
Narration: 4 Stars
I’m finally on book 15 of 16 so once this next book is done, I’ll be waiting for the new release. Like so many others have been for years. Cold Days surprise ending has me wondering what the next book will hold.
Harry is now the Winter Knight in service to Mab, the Winter Queen of Faerie, and the Queen of Air and Darkness. If it isn’t hard enough adapting to a new responsibilities that are often in conflict with his moral compass, he also has to keep a legion of supernatural bad guys escaping from ancient prison designed by Merlin (yea, that Merlin) and prevent a brewing war between Summer and Winter in the faerie realm.
There are bad guys a plenty—a malicious Redcap, a rawhead, and a hit squad of miniature fae. Toss in Kringle of the winter court (yeah, the Kringle you’re thinking of), as you’ve never seen him, the legendary erlking, leader of the wild hunt, and an island with a sentiment spirit, and that’s just the beginning of this wild ride that reaches fever pitch on Halloween night. There are surprises aplenty, including a huge one at the ending. Whew!
Once again, Jim Butcher delivers a book with nonstop action and adventure, characters who steal your heart and never let go, and Harry’s signature snark. Loved it!
Reread this when Peace Talks came out.
This starts when Harry wakes up from a coma after arranging his own death. Mab is taking care of him, while trying daily to kill him.
Once he is mostly better, Mab tells him to kill Maeve, her daughter and the heir apparent to be the next Queen of Winter. Only one thing, she is immortal.
Harry has lots of doubts about this, but not choice. Mab owns him.
Harry returns to Chicago and all the people who thought he had died.
Harry is the main character, but, always, Mab is the power. Mab would be lethal at chess, she always plans about ten moves ahead.
This is the 14th book in the series. This is my favorite fantasy series.
4.5
Fantastic series! I highly recommend the entire series. Try it on audio, because the narration is outstanding too.
Love his books….Dresden is so COOL!!
Love Butcher’s books
I have read every Dresden book through Cold days. Love them.
This whole series is fantastic!
This review will have spoilers from last book, so make sure to be caught up before reading any further.
I also listen to it again on Audio and no surprise is was freaking fantastic as they all are.
Wow, that is all I thought of (again) when I was finished with this book.
These books get crazier and crazier the more we get in and I’m pretty sure this series will be the end of me lol. Harry’s world just seems to get bigger and bigger, not only are we meeting new creature, we also meeting more and more people along the way.
The book starts out nice and slow with Harry recovering from the state he was in…. deadish/coma… Whatever you want to call it.
However, it is clear early on while that lots has changed for Harry and Harry himself has changed. Mentally and physically, rehab keeps Harry all busy but soon enough shit starts hitting the fan….. and of course, the fae have their hands in it and that means Harry of course being the Knight of Winter also is right in the middle of it all.
He also has to deal with telling some people that he is back from the dead(ish), which not always going so well and of course brings up all kind so of emotions in everyone, including me lol.
I could go and on but I want to make it short(ish). Lots of things are happening and there are some BIG, big things that we thought could never happen, happen. There is so much action and plot twists that it will make your head spin.
I love that we have our old crew back together and even bigger and badder than before. I loved Harry and Thomas working so close together but also Karen and Molly all working with him. I loved the dynamic of the relationships in this book… For the most part.
Molly is becoming one hell of a powerhouse and I can’t wait to see what things will bring with her. And let’s not forget his daughter, I think big things will go down in the future when it comes to her.
The end… oh wow … yeah that is pretty much all I can say without spoiling it….I never saw that coming and I’m still in shock and not sure what to think about it. Other than, that this will have a MASSIVE impact on the rest of the series.
Also, while the books are getting better and better with each book, they also are getting darker and more emotional as each book goes on. While most previous books ended with a semi calm feeling the last couple books left me asking for more but also a bit sad. Things are definitely not getting any better for Harry, that is for sure.
Overall, of course I loved the book but also felt sad for Harry …. I will try to start the next book right away… I really need to know where things are heading for my favorite wizard.
I rate it a full 5 again
Jim Buttcher is one of the great living authors. His books always entertain, and because he writes series books the Characters go on for a long time. This book is in the middle of the Harry Dresden series. I think they are best in order. Just imagine each book as a chapter in a much larger book. Worth every penny of cost.
Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden. Enough said.
Another great book in the Dresden Files series!
Wow! Harry is back! And not just a Wizard and Warden of the White Council but he is now Mab’s Winter Knight. And she has given him an assignment. An impossible one!!
There is also another problem. Outsiders are invading Chicago.
I love this series!!
And I Love James Marsters voice! He is Harry Dresden!
I love all of the Harry Dresden books.
Review of audiobook version narrated by James Marsters
Mab, the Winter Queen of the fae, has brought Harry back from the almost-dead and, after a brutal few months of physical rehab in the heart of the Winter Court, hands him his first assignment as the Winter Knight. He must kill an immortal very close to Mab whom Harry never imagined she would order anyone to assassinate. Even as he struggles to figure out how on earth this particular immortal, or any other, can be killed, he also learns the horrifying secret of Demonreach, a mysterious, uncharted island on Lake Michigan. If the island is not adequately protected from invasion by hostile forces, it has the potential to unleash a dark force that could endanger the lives of everyone on earth.
With enemies coming at him on all sides, Harry has only 24 hours to complete his assignment from Mab, while simultaneously preventing the apocalypse.
In every book of this fabulous series, Jim Butcher brilliantly portrays a complex magical world, making it accessible with compelling immediacy through the first-person point-of-view of wise-cracking, defender-of-the weak, Harry Dresden. In every book, including this one, poor Harry is perpetually outclassed by terrifyingly powerful, magical villains. But the saving grace for Harry—which is also a recurring theme throughout this series—is that he has two major, disaster-mitigating advantages: a quick wit and a good heart. His detective-honed skill of accurately analyzing the goals and motivations of criminals offers him a crucial edge in out-maneuvering the bad guys. And his compassionate willingness to put his life at risk to defend others has earned him the love and loyalty of his half-brother and his amazing coterie of friends. In their turn, they have Harry’s back as well, both to physically support and protect him, and also to help Harry maintain perspective and hold onto his sanity as his magical range massively expands due to the brand-new, heavy-duty clout he has gained from the mantle of the Winter Knight. Harry is fighting harder than ever to avoid the truism that “power corrupts.” He is determined to not become merely a mindless, evil exterminator on behalf of his new boss, the wicked fairy queen, Mab.
Harry defines one’s true family as those who will “march into hell with you,” and this is certainly true of his friends and allies. Many of these familiar faces are crucial to the plot of this story, including: his half-brother Thomas, a White Court vampire; Karen Murphy, a former cop and extremely dynamic master of martial arts and seemingly every known human weapon, from guns, to swords to explosives; Mouse, his canine best friend, an amazing, magical, Tibetan temple dog; and Toot-toot, an utterly delightful, and extremely brave, 15-inch-tall pixie warrior.
The audiobook version of Cold Days is narrated by James Marsters, an extremely gifted actor and voice talent. He is best known for playing the character Spike, a platinum-blond, British vampire, in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel, between 1997 and 2004.
The sound quality of this unabridged audiobook is excellent and, as always, Marsters does a superlative job on every part of the reading, including general narration and various character voices. He is fabulous at portraying every type of male and female voice, of all ages and various national and regional accents. Listening to him is a very great pleasure.
I rate this book as follows:
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 5 stars
Worldbuilding: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook recording: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files never disappoints.
It’s Jim Butcher and his star creation Harry Dresden the Wizard of Chi town and the entire world of Fey, read this book.
Awesome read