Ghost Story (Dresden Files, #13)

by Jim Butcher

Chicago wizard Harry Dresden gets a taste of the dead life in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

In his life, Harry’s been shot, stabbed, sliced, beaten, burned, crushed, and tortured. And after someone puts a bullet through his chest and leaves him to die in the waters of Lake Michigan, things really start going downhill.

Trapped between life and death, he learns that his friends are in serious trouble. Only by finding his murderer can he save his friends and move on—a feat which would be a lot easier if he had a body and access to his powers. Worse still are the malevolent shadows that roam Chicago, controlled by a dark entity that wants Harry to suffer even in death.

Now, the late Harry Dresden will have to pull off the ultimate trick without using any magic—or face an eternity as just another lost soul...

• ISBN10: 0451464079
• ISBN13: 9780451464071
• Publish Date: 7 August 2012 (first published 1 July 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
• Imprint: Signet
• Format: Paperback (US Tall Rack)
• Pages: 608
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451464071

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Several months have passed since Harry’s “death” although his body has never been recovered. In the meantime, Chicago has gone to shit.

Harry awakens to find he is somewhere in between the living and the dead. Carmichael, Murphy’s old partner pulls him in to meet the Captain. They task him with finding his killer and restoring balance. I really wondered where Butcher would take things. Harry’s death has messed Molly up and I found myself worried about her. Murphy, Butters and the werewolves have joined forces to protect Chicago along with others. The events in Changes have has far-reaching effects beyond what Harry imagined.

The bits with Butters and the geeky stuff…hilarious! I freaking love his new roommate. I can say no more. Spoilers, darling.

Fighting specters, opened gates, and battles await you. but first we need Mortimer and Sir Stuart (whom I loved). Harry finds himself powerless and a complete noob to the rules of the dead. This provided some humor, but also created obstacles. As usual Harry risks afterlife and bends the rules.

This story read much like an ending to the series. Harry comes to terms with things and the whodunit…wowsers! Had I not known there are more stories I would have wept like a baby.

Butcher weaved danger, twists and humorous moments as I held my breath wondering how he would make things right. Speeches, nods to fandoms, and a killer ending left me reaching for Cold Days.

James Marsters narrates, but I saw that he was not the first. I am glad I came to this series late and got to experience Marsters as the narrator. He has become the voice of Harry and these characters. Why mess with perfection? This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[tweetybugshouse]

This book takes a bit to get going like a true Dresden novel bit their plenty to keep you reading and guessing with a few good laughs thrown in.

[Quirky Cat]

Absolutely fantastic! Admittedly, it was a bit sad at time, but considering the title, is that really surprising? I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but I do like the argument that was made for why it happened, so I can't complain. I wonder if there will be another Dresden Files, or if the series will change (or end all together)?

[empressbrooke]

The previous book in the series was called Changes, and Ghost Story really was a continuation of that theme. While Changes threw us a bunch of external changes (hello, daughter and potential relationship with Murphy; goodbye Blue Beetle and Harry's house), Ghost Story brought the focus to changes happening internally. Since Harry is incorporeal after the events of the previous book, he spends a lot of time thinking about how he makes his choices and what effect those choices have on others. What he observes in the aftermath of the destruction of the Red Court stuns him, especially the part where it's all a result of his headstrong, reckless desire to do the right thing. I liked this introspection and I expect that his M.O. for approaching threats will change in future books. The gauntlet that he throws down at the end of the book also suggests he's serious about making wiser choices, and it will be interesting to see how he balances his new obligations with this.

One of the things that I liked was that Harry refers back to events that were from several different short stories included in [b:Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files|7779059|Side Jobs Stories From the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, #12.5)|Jim Butcher|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1269115846s/7779059.jpg|10351697], which made those short stories important to the series rather than just filler fluff. Once again, Jim Butcher's world building and continuity is top shelf quality.

[Linda]

3.5 stars
I was NOT impressed with this installment of the Dresden files. I don't see why Harry had to be a spirit throughout the whole book, I guessed pretty much what was going on before I even started reading. For there to ever be another book, things had to work out the way they did.
Usually, these books are not predictible, and Harry has great interactions with his friends and allies. In this book, it was the opposite, a lot of things were predictible, and he couldn't have much interactions at all with his friends and allies.
Also, the flash-backs didn't seem really necessary to me, much more like filler in order to make this story a full-lenght novel. It took me several days to finish this book, and that doesn't usually happen, as I love Harry and his quirky humor so much I just can't do anything until the book has been read!
Very meh!