Review of Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Hurray, it’s a book review! I just finished Jim Butcher’s Fool Moon, the second novel in The Dresden Files, and one that is packed full of werewolf-y goodness (or badness since they cause all kinds of bloody chaos).  Onwards!

The Dresden Files is a series that follows Harry Dresden, a wizard and PI that occasionally helps the police solve supernatural murder cases. The first book in the series, Storm Front, doesn’t have a single werewolf in it, but as I said above, Fool Moon is all about the big bad and scary-as-hell werewolves.

In Fool Moon, Dresden is hired onto a police case that involves a brutally mutilated corpse, and it isn’t long before the wizard figures out it’s a werewolf behind the killing… and that’s when the real trouble begins.

This book is non-stop action, there isn’t a single dull moment to be found. It’s a highly entertaining and fast-paced read. However, there are times when it moves just a bit too quickly. Certain scenes in the book really should have been explored a bit deeper, it would have added to the feel of the story and the character development as well. It’s hard to connect to a character in a book when everything happens SO quickly. I will say that it was better than Storm Front, that one was way more rushed.

I also had issues with some of the relationships in the book. I can’t stand Murphy and I really hate the relationship her and Dresden have. I’m not entirely sure what the author’s deal is with these two characters, but I let out a groan of annoyance every time Murphy pops up on the page.

Another thing I’m really not a fan of is how depressing Dresden is, I mean, nothing good ever happens to him. This character has some seriously bad luck and honestly, it bums me out. But hey, at least he finally shows off his badass wizard powers. We didn’t see much of his power in the first book, but in this one he kicks some serious ass (and it’s about damn time).

Now back to the good stuff! I LOVED the werewolves in this book! Instead of sticking with one type of werewolf, the author went with an assortment of wolves – from naturally born werewolves to magically cursed werewolves (read more about them here). The mixture of werewolves definitely added to the awesomeness of the story, and it is a pretty good story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Fool Moon. It was a thrilling ride that constantly kept you entertained. There are a few issues with this book (like most books) but they aren’t bad enough that you should pass on reading it. This is definitely a perfect book for werewolf fans – you’ve got mystery, action, blood and lots of ferocious werewolves.

– Moonlight

About the Author
Moonlight loves to write about, read about and learn about everything pertaining to werewolves and other supernatural beasties. She writes for top genre sites like Vampires.com and Werewolves.com. You will most likely find her huddled over a book of folklore with coffee in hand. Touch her coffee and you may lose a limb. You can stalk her via her Twitter.

 

By moonlight

One of the writers for werewolves.com, as well as vampires.com.

7 comments

    1. I have to give a resounding ditto to that too. Fool Moon is when I jumped in on reading the Dresdin Files myself after a recommendation from a friend about if I like werewolves, I might like this.

      Butcher’s misogynistic treatment of women has been a problem with early books that many fans have pointed out. Stormfront is still a good effort and good first book from an author who is beginning their writing career and it itself is still good to read.

      1. So far, I feel like these books were written by a man for men. As a woman who loves strong, ass-kicking heroines, I definitely find The Dresden files irritating in some ways. It doesn’t help that Dresden has a total hero-complex.

        I do agree that Storm Front is a good book for a first time author. From what I hear Butcher improves with each book, and I can see that a bit in Fool Moon, it is better than Storm Front. I do feel like something is missing, I don’t know what exactly, but I feel like there’s something missing that could make these books absolutely amazing.

        1. The series isn’t without it’s flaws. There are some points, that later on become trifles.

          He does improve with each book and it’s awesome.

          If you think more female presence is needed, that does come.

  1. The werewolves play a recurring role throughout the series and, in the latest book, have a pivotal role.

    I will say that, to me, Fool Moon was one of the most thrilling of the books. I’d like to see another “type” of werewolf introduced; perhaps either a marsupial wolf or a Dino wolf… Whaddya think?

    Cya,
    Out.

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