Excellent addition to the Dresden universe. This volume changes the rest of the series. Absolutely worth checking out.

This may be my favorite book yet. After the events of the last book I was very excited to see where Butcher would take his characters in Battle Ground, and I was not disappointed. After 15+ books you would think Butcher would run out of ideas but he keeps surprising me! Loved it!

Much longer than it needed to be, I'm also very tired of Dresden's "oh every female character in the book wants to shag me....."

This book lived up to all the excitement and anticipation of it's arrival, and you can't get higher praise than that. I usually prefer smaller scale politics, missions, and battles but this is where the story has been headed and so here we are; caught up once again in the extreme epic tale of our favourite Chicago wizard.

After Peace Talks, I was a little concerned because very little happened. However, in Battle Ground, everything happened. This is why there are so many fans of this series, because this grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go throughout. I read this in one day because I could not stop. I cannot wait to see where the series goes next! I highly recommend it!

Battle Ground was the perfect continuation of Peace talks. Seeing the Harry Dresden we all know and love back at it was impressive and engaging. I had been excited for the release of this book and was not disappointed. I would recommend the Harry Dresden files to anyone, but this book really takes the cake. the stakes have never been higher and I could not put it down.

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher: Riveting and Emotional
Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. The Red Court of vampires. The fallen angels of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. The Outsiders.

But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago, and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way.

Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan. And the attempt will change Harry’s life, Chicago, and the mortal world forever.
The tagline for this novel is Things are about to get serious for Harry Dresden. This, if anyone is paying attention to the trajectory of the novels, is not a surprise. It is also not a surprise that this is another turning point in the series, another point where things are about to change for good or bad but while I was completely expecting the fight of a lifetime, some of the impact on the characters and the lives of everyone in Harry’s Chicago will take a while to process.
Is this a good thing? Readers will have to decide on how they feel about some changes, especially as this is a spoiler free review. But there are lots of changes, including on Dresden himself as he utilizes more power than he ever has before but still needs a lot of help to fight The Last Titan. Some of his allies and even his enemies are integral to the battle and even Harry has a few surprises to encounter.
True to the character and the worldbuilding, all of the surprises are fitting and in character. Some will be less challenging, make perfect sense within the world that Butcher has built for his erstwhile wizard. There will be some lightbulb moments and some moments that are downright painful. All of them are integral to the story as a whole and I loved this story. This is Harry very much coming into his own and accepting responsibilities, accepting power in a way I don’t think he ever has before. He does have moments of temptation but this novel is about accepting his abilities and accepting his place as Wizard of Chicago. And the writing does this excellently.
This is very much an action oriented novel but there are moments of introspection, moments of insights about various characters surrounding Harry. Some will be obvious. Some will be delightful, especially Toot-toot and his gang of pixies. Some will be painful and rip your heart out. But there is never a dull moment in this book. It keeps you reading into the long hours of the night, riveted to your seat and it is powerful, emotional with every turn of the page as Harry fights the biggest fight of his life so far. There are enough leads and threads to indicate that there will be bigger fights on the horizon but this one, this one packs a huge punch.
If you haven’t read the series, this won’t be as big an impact so I do recommend the other novels before you get to this one. If you’ve been reading, you won’t be let down. This one carries the full impact of the previous novel and answers most of the threads from that book continuing into an epic story. This is Jim Butcher at his best. I don’t know how the next book will top this one but I can’t wait.
Rating: 5 out of 5 pixies.

This second half of what was absolutely one book is all action, my least favorite kind of book (I have trouble visualizing battles), but any Dresden Files book is welcome—during a pandemic, even more so. Despite the action, this book feels like a set up for the rest of the series from a series that already had a lot on its plate. Not sure this kitchen-sink method of storytelling will work out, but Butcher has always said this series was meant to be like a tv show. Can't wait to get to the finale.

The Dresden Files series has always been a great read. It's quick-witted and funny, with enough action to keep you invested in reading it to the end in one session. This book follows right on the heels of the previous one, continuing a conflict with an ancient enemy of the forces of balance. Harry is forced (once again) to do things he finds distasteful in order to keep the people and city he loves safe from harm, and in the process alienates some of his allies.
This book feels like a sea change for Harry, as it ramps the level of the conflict up to the start of a universal scale. Secrets about Harry's birth are hinted at and he is closer than ever to finding out what exactly all the hullabaloo about his special birth is really for.

This was such a good book! Jim Butcher did not fail to disappoint. I hope he continues with this series as long as he lives .

This aptly titled book follows one night in Dresden's life, as he and the denizen's of Chicago fight an army of formor and a titan. Some will live, others will die, but none make it through the night unscathed. Battle Ground reads like an action movie - lots of explosions of magic interspersed with poignant conversations between the characters. For fans of the series, it will be bittersweet.

Battle Ground picks up right from where Peace Talks ends and keeps us readers on the edge of our seats while the action and suspense pummels our emotions.

Chicago and all its people, human and supernatural alike, are fighting for their lives. The Fodor and Ethniu, and the Titan, are coming to destroy their world. The White Council, the White Court, the Winter court, Marcone and his mercenaries, the Knights, the werewolves and many other supernatural groups that make up Harry's world have set a truce to work together to battle a common enemy. If they can't succeed they'll be no one left to tell the tale.

Smack dab in the middle of all the action is where you'll find Harry, for he's the champion of humankind as well as a talented wizard and the Winter Knight. Those who should have his back are wary of working with him these days, being unsure of where his alliegances lie; even those he's fought side by side with aren't sure if they can trust him. He begins to form new alliances with those whom he's considered enemies in the past and still strives to prove himself worthy to those who should know that inside he's still Harry, not a big bad scary.

In this no-holds-barred full-scale war, he'll do what it takes to tip the scales, for better or worse, keeping the supernatural community focused on taking out an impossible threat and protecting mankind in the process. Some beloved characters step up and prove their worth, with some surprising and, yes, sometimes heartwrenching results. The battles and struggles seem endless, not leaving Harry or the reader much time to catch breath before another hurdle is thrown at him and us. One thing that is for sure, when the dust settles, win, lose or draw, the world will never be the same again for anyone.

I have seen some of the previous reviews for this book and they seem to be very mixed. Some folks loved it, but some were very unhappy to see what they clarified as one book, broken up into two. Personally, I was fine with this being done as two books, though it was hard to wait, even if only for a few months, for the conclusion. It made it that much more exciting to dive in when I opened the book.

Peace Talks sets up the groundwork and starts the adventure, but Battle Ground delivers on all the action. I really enjoyed both books, but Battle Ground even more so, since not only did it make me cheer, laugh and cry, it also left me waiting with anticipation for what comes next. It was also nice to find a short Dresden Christmas story to lighten the heart at the end of the book. Nice touch and well done, Mr. Butcher.

Battle Ground (The Dresden Files #17). By Jim Butcher. 2020. Ace (ARC eBook).

Picking up right where Peace Talks left us hanging; Harry and all of Chicago--supernatural and mortal—facing off against a Titan. Lots of action, power plays and true loss. Butcher’s world building is always impressive and Harry endearing and enduring. I look forward to the next book and what the future may hold for Thomas and Justine.

Battleground is the second half of "Peace talks" and honestly should be read as pt. 2. The book itself is mostly one long, drawn out battle and while there are some poignant moments, I would have liked more character development. Both "Battleground" and "Peace Talks" felt like filler books and while I enjoyed them, I feel Butcher dropped the ball a bit.

Battle Ground is like part of a book, or the middle of a long book.

It starts with a night time approach to Chicago with dread in the air, gives a quick (nice and smooth) reminder of where we are in the long-long Dresden saga, then plunges right into magical battle preparations, explosions, destruction, blood-blood-blood, David-vs-Goliath battles, squad actions, cooperative attacks and defenses, followed by more and more and more strategy, tactics, execution, collective injuries, and deaths.

It ends with several issues and affairs yet to be settled, but the initial problem is resolved (mostly).

Remember that Harry Dresden himself was dead and a ghost for a good, long, adventurous stretch of time when Jim Butcher colored in the details of how Dresden's multiverse differs from ours, or what we think ours is.

So though some characters we remember clearly from previous books die, we're not so sure they won't be back.

There are a lot of characters, and most of them we remember from Dresden's previous adventures. They are given introductions that remind you of them, but don't explain who they are to Dresden.

This is all very well done -- but the craftsmanship won't be apparent unless you've read the previous books.

I don't recommend starting to read The Dresden Files with this entry - but I do recommend the Series very highly. It is not Romance, but has Love Story and Relationship dynamics driving the plot and the character motivations, interspersed with whopping good magical combat scenes, and plenty of not-so-magical brute force combat.

Dresden is a Hero - old school style, with guts, determination driven by the love of people, and particular persons more than others. But mostly he is a Champion, a defender of humanity - which is always under attack by other-dimensional Beings and magic users from our every day reality. Then there are the simple crooks to be thwarted. Like Sherlock Holmes, Dresden - as Chicago's only professional Wizard - is hired to solve cases for people who desperately need help. He just can't resist a plea for help.

So now, when he needs help to save all of Chicago, those he's helped rally round, and even take over.

Well after waiting so many years for butcher to publish a new book he seems to be putting them out pretty quick now as this is the second book this year I believe. I was not impressed with the last book, Peace Talks. Battle Ground was an improvement, but it felt like a middle book of a trilogy, it didn’t feel like it stands on its own. Peace talks didn’t stand on its own either. I know this is his Armageddon trilogy but I’m not loving this new format. I want to read a book that has a start, a middle, a climax, and a definite conclusion. His new books don’t feel like that. They feel like one gigantic book cut into 3. If he was going to do it this way I’d have preferred he just publish them at once. I feel like I’m reading a Single book In installments.

This book in particular was basically just action the whole time. No plot development, story And world building Or character development. Just fight scenes and action. And then the very expected BIG TWIST. Since the BIG TWIST was so heavily foreshadowed and expected (because it’s already been done 77 billion times in literature, film, tv etc because apparently it’s the only thing that writers can think to do) it simply felt anticlimactic. This story and these characters deserved a lot better. I don’t know why the author felt the need to take this in the worlds most expected direction ever and do a total cop out.

So the story was ok, but the author has done much, much better. These last two books are not even close to as good as Skin Game or Changes. I hope he gets back on his game soon.

Wow, it was fantastic to read these books. I actually feel a little bit of reading slump, because how could any book be as good as what I just read? These were just amazing to read, I loved continuing Harry's story, but boy is it a doozy in in these books!

I heard that originally, these were supposed to be 1 book. Given the size of the both of them, it makes sense that they were split into two. But I'm glad that I got to read them back to back, because Peace Talks sets things up, and Battle Ground is basically non-stop action.

Oh, Harry. It was hard to read that, to see him come so low. That was just a difficult moment, and it's not like he can take the time to work through his emotions, there's still a bad guy to defeat. But yeah, that was a difficult part of a really intense book.

The world is not going to be the same again. Humanity, at least the ones that live in Chicago, can't deny that the supernatural world exists anymore. And even that small population knowing, well, I'm excited to see where things go from there!

So there's a few things that I'm excited to continue on in the sequels. There's Thomas and his situation, the why he killed that one dude in Peace Talks. Plus there's Ebenezer's reaction to Thomas being related to him. There's Mab's bargain with Lara.

I'm so glad that we got Christmas Eve. It was cute, wholesome, and sweet and just what we needed after all the heart-wrenching moments from Battle Ground. Loved seeing Harry deal with his first Christmas with Maggie, and the visitors he got. It was just a cute read!

On Jim Butcher's site, it says that there's going to be 3-4 or so more case books like we've been getting, and then an apocalypse trilogy. Honestly, it's hard to see things getting worse from here, but this was a goddess from this world. The Outsiders seem like they'll be a bigger threat, which is a little terrifying!

Loved reading these stories, they were so fantastic, and I can't wait for the next installment in this series!

Yeah, it took me FOREVER to get through this. Why? Because it was non-stop action with barely a moment to breathe in between huge battles. Which... is the title, I suppose. But still, this one was a rough read. Still good, but I needed to take long breaks between chapters. Oy...

Brace yourselves because this title truly sets the stage for this book.

From pretty much the beginning to the end this is one long, constant battle scene. It moves around, changes locations and characters but it is an ongoing battle.

A grueling, horrible, bloody battle, and the casualties are sometimes too much to bear. Specifically one casualty. A gut punch that made me put down the book and not return to it for days.

This is the book where everything changes. I don't know what is in store for future Dresden books but Harry and his whole world are going to be quite different.

It seems like Jim Butcher is back and has hit the ground running. With BATTLE GROUND, the seventeenth book in the Harry Dresden series, Harry must battle it out with a titan to save the world.

As always, you can expect a lot of the same hilarious banter, intense action scenes and different types of paranormal creatures. This series doesn’t seem to be slowing down. There are so many different aspects to this story that Butcher pays a lot of detail to, so it really feels rich and well-developed. I think loyal fans of the series will be ecstatic with this latest installment. I certainly was blown away.

I would recommend this series to all Urban Fantasy readers, especially ones that love a Sci Fi twist. It’s good for men and women alike, so I feel like a large range of readers will find this series entertaining. You don’t necessarily need to read this series in order to understand it, but it’s always nice to know where things start, so I would recommend reading in order. Definitely put this on your must-read list! I don’t think you will be disappointed!