Category Archives: Fandom

Jungle

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I’m glad I went back and read this one again in the spot where it’s supposed to land in the series. It was good to see a case that was less complex than a lot of the things that have been created later in the series.

That being said – this particular case was quite short. If I had to guess, I’d say it was because it was part of a comic series / graphic novel.

I’ve never been a huge fan of comics themselves, but I have always loved the art. This particular story is really well done and I very much enjoy the art that goes with it. There was one thing that stuck out to me ~ and it’s part of the reason I’m going back and doing the re-read.

I’ve heard / read some folks that call Harry (the main character in all this) misogynistic. I don’t see it that way, but I’m a guy so my opinion might be biased. Since I’ve heard this complaint in more than one place I’ve tried to take note of various bits that might highlight that for others. This particular case has one thing that struck me as something a person could point their finger at and say “that ~ that’s what I mean”.

Murphy is there. She’s a strong and independent female character, even if she’s conflicted about how she feels about Harry. The villain of the piece is also a woman. There are in fact as more noteworthy strong female characters in here than there are males.

However.

Then there’s Willamena aka ‘Will’ – the assistant to Dr. Reese. She is 110% the damsel in distress. She does nothing but deliver information and need to be rescued. She cowers behind Harry more than once. I hadn’t particularly noticed it before, but I could totally see where people might find this character problematic. I found her a bit annoying, but genuinely realistic. There are some people out there that just can’t “do” the violence / scary situation thing. They freak out. They cower. They fail. It just so happens that this cowering person in need of rescue is a woman. Except… why is it always that way? I didn’t see it before, now I’m questioning it.

I would suggest digging up a copy of the graphic novel and taking a peek for yourself. I think it could be an interesting conversation. On to Storm Front!

Faith

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My own great re-read of the Dresden files has begun. It will be filled with spoilers and story specific information.

I forget now where I heard about the short story Restoration of Faith first, but I seem to recall that the author was less than happy with it at this point. It was an initial offering in a series that has gone on for a very long time. Anyone that practices their craft for that long is bound to get better and will likely look back at their early work and shake their head.

This story is the first appearance of Murphy. There’s very little detail, but I filled all that in based on all the other stories I’ve read. It gives this short story a bit of a different twist really… or not really a twist but an alternate feeling. Feeling is what came through for me in this short piece.

I still contend that if you’ve not started the Dresden Files you should read this. IF a down on his luck want to be private investigator that happens to also be a wizard doesn’t work for you after this short, you can pass. IF you’re into a guy like that, and you get a good feeling about Harry at the end, you will enjoy the ride.

I’m going to continue to recommend this as a starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the series – and I’ll likely be back to read it again.

Suspense and Re-reading

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How do you keep somebody in suspense?

I’ll tell you next Tuesday.

Yes, that’s a bit of an old joke, however it can be effective marketing. It can also be a driver for anxiety. I recently entered some art into a contest. The winners of the contest were supposed to be announced last Tuesday.

I waited. I waited. Then I saw the e-mail announcement from that mailing list pop up on my account. With great trepidation I opened the e-mail.

I’m not much of an artist really. I try, but I don’t have any delusions about my talent level. I don’t actually think I’m going to win anything in this contest… intellectually. Emotionally, there’s the teeny spark of hope. Hope can be cruel, so I try to avoid it. Pragmatism. Planning. Realistic options. But I really like this author’s work and it would be so far beyond super cool to be noticed. I’ve shown my contest entry to a few friends and they all seem to think it’s good.

And now you’re waiting for the big reveal… I opened the e-mail and…

Yeah, I felt that way too.

I opened the e-mail and there was a brief statement about how the winners would be announced after an additional week of deliberation. Remember what I said about hope? Yeah, and the anxiety and then the “ARRGH! Another week?!?” because that sliver of hope, like a splinter in my mind will be hanging around until at least Tuesday. I say at least because there’s a deeply cynical part of my mind that has crept out of the dark corner where it lives to say, “Oh, absolutely… THIS Tuesday… for sure…” followed almost immediately by a mangled quote from Wimpy the guy begging for hamburgers in Popeye, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today…”

The really effective part of the marketing / contest strategy is that I’ve been thinking a lot about the series and attempting to remember specific parts. Discussions with other fans have me thinking things like, when he did what again? Some would be fans have written unflattering reviews and taken on points of view that don’t mesh with how I remember things. Turns out that after a decade or so, I’ve forgotten a lot of the details.

I’m going to go back and do a re-read of the entire Dresden files series. I’m actually going to look up where the short stories fit in along the way too. I hope to have this entire re-read finished up before the new book comes out July 14th of this year. It’s a tall order, but I’m up for the challenge.

Once again time to go read A Restoration of Faith, the story that starts the whole thing.

Oh, and the art? I’ll have to tell you on Tuesday.

20 Years

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This was originally published in the February 2020 issue of Watch The Skies.

This year is the 20th anniversary for a number of things, but what prompted this writing is the 20th anniversary of the Dresden Files. I am a fan of Jim Butcher’s work in general and particularly the stories revolving around wizard Harry Dresden. If you happen to be unfamiliar with this particular story, Harry Dresden is Chicago’s first (and only) wizard private investigator. The book series follows Harry’s life and work, along with all of the people he meets along the way.

I routinely recommend this series to people who are not familiar with it. The author really doesn’t need me promoting him at this point. The book series is headed into book 16, there is a role playing game based in this world, there are graphic novels of the story, there are numerous short stories AND it has been turned into a television show. It’s gone big. Mr. Butcher would likely be just fine without my support ~ but that brings me to my point.

There was a time when he was new at this. He was working conventions and writing and doing whatever he needed to keep this series alive. There weren’t other books of his on the market, there weren’t any television show plans, there was just an author and his work. An author that needed to get the word out there and create some interest in his stories.

From my library ~

As fans it is our responsibility to find these authors and back them. When they’re getting creative and making key chains or bookmarks or fridge magnets to keep their work in your mind is when they need fans. They need you to connect with them on social media, review their work on book review platforms and give them word of mouth. Most importantly they need people to buy their books! It’s not easy to cut through all the noise out there and get somebody’s attention. There are literally hundreds of works that vie for our attention every week. Dig in. Look for a new and exciting author. Find the kind of story you really love and push for that author to succeed. It takes time. Sometimes you’ll read a clunker, sometimes you’ll read something amazing and the author will just fade away. It’s a rare and wonderful thing to have massive success ~ but it all starts with you finding a story that amazes and astounds you.

Be a fan. Get out there and find that next big sensation. Jump on board before there’s a band wagon ~ and be sure to write to us here and tell us all about it! We love to hear a good story.

Fan Art

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I’ve had a couple of posts recently about being a fan and artwork. Turns out those things can come together. Fan Art.

I don’t usually work in other people’s worlds when it comes to writing or art. I’d rather not deal with all the mess that comes along with trying to get permission or paying for rights for use or any of that mess. If I’m making it up, it’s mine.

This time it’s different. There was a call put forward for a fan art contest for the Dresden Files. I’ve always created pictures in my mind when reading so this one was something that struck me as particularly “doable”. I had a concept that popped into my head, but no sketch book or anything else really handy (clearly an error in judgement on my part). I reached for whatever I could find and just made myself a note so I could recall what I had thought later.

Not what I would call art...
Original Note

It’s not amazing art – it’s note taking. It’s getting the essence of what I was trying to remember so I could go back and get after it again later. It did what it needed to do.

I’ll share the entries I created after the contest is done. I don’t want to mess up whatever chance I might have by publishing something before it has had a chance to get into the judging.

I’d say ‘fingers crossed’ but it’s really hard to type that way!