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!

Forzare! While Peace Talks was tepid, Battle Ground by Jim Butcher is on fire. Literally. And the storyline in this one is excellent too.

Whenever you come into a series, but especially a fantasy series, after five books there is way too much to explain in a review. And the Dresden Files is on book seventeen, I don’t think a lot of authors can boast about that feat. So I won’t be getting into many details, besides if you’re a long time fan, you’re going to want to read it yourself with no spoilers. And if you’ve never read any of the Dresden Files before, you need to start with the first book, Storm Front. And you can thank me later!

I will say all of my complaints about Peace Talks have mostly been rectified. Harry isn’t a hormonal teen in regards to the Winter Mantle, he’s way too busy fighting for his and everyone else’s lives although I think Butcher still managed to mention it a couple of times. The repetition was not nearly as prevalent, but for the love of Cthulhu, we all get it, Butters is a small, but mighty man. And I still needed more Bob.

But, Battle Ground was so excellent, and exactly what a Dresden Files book should be.

Butcher was able to finally lay to bed a character that was problematic for where the books are heading. And I really can’t say I was sad about it, which actually shocked, since I cried a bit at various other things in the book. Cried?!? Yes, some of the things in there intersected with the actual world we’re living in right now. You can look at the deeper meaning in Battle Ground, or not look as close and just enjoy the story.

The fight scenes are epic, and I do not use epic often. I want to write so much more about them, but you really need to read all the surprises for yourself. But I will leave you with, pizza has more than paid for itself over the years. And that is just a teensy part of all the combat.

And with any good Dresden Files book we are left with new alliances and new enemies. Oh, and Harry has a lab again.

Harry Dresden has been my hero since I was 20. I am much, much older now, but I don't love and admire Harry any less. We all could use a hero like Harry Dresden right now. 

While I didn't love <i>Peace Talks</i>, I thought <i>Battle Ground</i> was an improvement. I have always wished that someone else would pick up these books and develop them for TV. They're written in such a cinematic style, they really do deserve to be produced. That said, this book is one giant action scene, with lens flares and all. 

It's almost incomprehensible to think about how all of these characters that we've enjoyed for a generation are together in one book, fighting together, all old grudges aside for the good of the whole. That's something I can get behind. But...

The book has some problems. *There is SO MUCH going on it's hard to focus or really be able to grasp the gravity of the situation. I feel my attention is spread too thin, and I'd really like to be able to settle on what's happening in one place and absorb it before being dragged away to another mini-crisis another character is dealt with. *I don't like how Butcher has changed Marcone's character. He's historically been the human baddie who got where he is using human characteristics; now that is changed, and I'm not a fan. *The big death was wasted. It could have been done so much better and been much more impactful. Now, I understand that Butcher may be trying to show how no one is above tragedy and that tragedy can happen at any level, but to me it seemed to be a disservice to the character. I feel like it was a little bit of a cheap shot just for shock value. 

I will read every Dresden book that Butcher writes, forever and ever amen. And they're not all going to be outstanding. But I find myself really missing the more understandable bad guys - the ones with clear motives and goals - and the more contained stories.

Thunder rumbled on the horizon.
“More rain coming.” Maggie said.
“When it gets here, we’ll run out and dance in it,” I said.
“Why?” Maggie asked.
“If we don’t, life has just as much rain,” I said, “but way less dancing.”

Synopsis: The Last Titan, a force more powerful than any Harry has ever faced, has launched their attack on Chicago. To survive, factions must band together in their darkest hour and face certain death, united. Their work is certainly cut out for them, but since when has that ever stopped Harry Dresden?

Who May Enjoy This Book:

Lovers of the Urban Fantasy and Noir
People who like epic battles
People who like big explosions
Welcome back readers!

I’ve been taking some time for myself lately; admittedly, I’d been approaching burnout mode and wisely pre-empted that by taking a mini-vacation from responsibilities such as this. Then the US Presidential debates started, and everyone was discussing that. I figured, well, now’s as good a time as any to chill out a little.

I’d like to thank Ace, the Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley for providing me with a free review ARC in exchange for an honest review. It’s a privilege to review a series I’ve been following for almost 2 decades, and now that I type that I am feeling very, very old indeed. For those of you who are not familiar with Jim Butcher, he writes a series known as The Dresden Files, an Urban Fantasy which borrows from hardboiled detective fiction and adds a few shakes of absurdity for good measure. Harry Dresden’s journey has been fraught with perils and hardship, and “Battle Ground” is the 17th volume in this whirlwind of a tale. If you have yet to take the plunge into Butcher’s mythos, I would suggest you cease reading here for the moment; do yourself a favor, and pick up a copy of Storm Front (Book 1).

You’ll be back.

We begin In Medias Res, immediately after the events of “Peace Talks” (the preceding volume); Harry and friends are still reeling from the attack of the Titan Ethniu, wherein she demonstrated just how big a fish she was in the little pond of Chicago. The city is set reeling, and Harry rushes off to plan a defense. “Battle Ground” is definitely a Part 2 companion of “Peace Talks”, and I would strongly suggest reading the two one after the other for the best experience. I didn’t have a long wait between the two, but even that short wait felt like a distraction. Butcher released them only a few months apart and, while I found this strange initially, it rapidly became clear that this was the correct move; this is one story, split into two books. So yes, don’t take a big break after reading the first one.

If you’re familiar with The Dresden Files series, I’ll simply say that yes, this book certainly follows the tried and true Jim Butcher formula. This isn’t a bad thing, of course. The true charm of the series is the cast of characters, with its femme fatales, mustache-twirling villains, and paragons of justice. Then there are the more nuanced ones, and Butcher can still catch a reader off guard from time to time. The important thing is that the formula, while predictable, works with these characters. At its core, it’s a story about overcoming incredible odds and devastating evil, and it’s just what we need in 2020. Frankly, this story felt like an Avengers Endgame mashup by the end, as just about every awesome character you can think of makes an appearance at one point or another. Was it shlocky at times? Oh hell yes; these books always are. I LOVE that about them: they are unapologetic, and over the top in such a glorious way. No matter who your favorite character is, I am certain you’ll find something here.

The plot itself, while extremely simple (Harry spends the majority of the book shoring up Chicago’s defenses), still manages to deliver some quality entertainment. There are humorous moments aplenty, despite the grim nature of the scenario, and there are incredible battles all over the place. It’s pretty much a non-stop ride, and I will warn you: there are a couple of tear-jerkers in this one. I’m not going to lie, things will get incredibly heavy. Consider yourself warned! The final battle for Chicago is worth the wait, and I fully expect a few fist-pumps out of you all by the end. It just ticks all the boxes! Action, Romance, Tragedy, Mystery, Horror… the 5 year gap between “Skin Game” and “Peace Talks” was worth it in my opinion.

As per usual for this series, we end the story with perhaps more questions than answers, but it certainly left me hopeful for the next book. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where this series goes next, and what fresh revelations we’ll be privy to in the next installment. If you’re a fan, don’t you dare skip out on these last 2 books.

Happy reading!

Order “Battle Ground”

Check out Jim Butcher at his website, jim-butcher.com

The wonderful surprise announcement of Jim Butcher's Battle Ground, the latest in the long-running Dresden Files series, was a wonderful surprise earlier in 2020. The released volume, continuing quickly on from Peace Talks a few months ago, and the fact that volume ended on quite a cliffhanger only heightened the desire for Battle Ground. The arrived volume is a stunning book which alters the setting noticeably, and moves,the nareative forward in unexpected ways.

As happens so often with Dresden Files volumes, a strong semse of humor pushes through. There is a Ghostbusters reference in chapter 11 that will have any fan giggling with glee, and yet is technically situationally appropriate. Another comes in chapter 32. A bigfoot wearing a tuxedo appears, and proves the immense dangerous and yet thoughtful. An old friend and much loved character from the framchise appears once again.

The well known gangster Marcone proves to be exceptionally skilled in unexpected ways, and while he remains a corrupt gangster he proves to be an impressive man in his way. The reader experiences him using a variety of resources, from feeding and arming the general populace of Chicago to fights enemy forces all the way to using stolen and aquired artifacts to

Characters who have not been seen in quite some time play their part, leaving the promises of Peace Talks fulfilled. Indeed, the antagonist setup in that particular story proves not only formidable temper characters, but narratively interesting in her actions. Further, seeing an entire city Under Siege when the majority of it is unaware is fascinating. She is a mythical Titan, and the various mystical characters discuss just how seemingly immune to harm this might make her. Further, her alliance with current antagonists the Formics is a dangerous one, and had been consodered the new primary antagonists prior to Peace Talks, and the impression characters have of them alters steadily as the book continues. They seem increasingly less competent, working out in the level of henchmen when previously they had been treated as terrors. This is not a problem for Battle Ground in and of itself, however it may have concequences in later books.

There is a short story included after the novel proper. It is much more lighthearted than the text of the rest of the novel, and is desperately needed in light of what happens. It addresses one of the major changes the franchise has undergone, although not all of them.

Once again particularly bad cops represent as much of a problem on a personal level as the supernatural does on a citywide one. It works fairly well, and is appreciated in a world dealing with police corruption and brutality in a more obvious form.

In the whirling maelstrom of the battle that happens over the course of a night in Chicago, the actions of a bad cop named Rudolph can barely be noticed, for many people. And yet, for those who have felt the horrors of the police doing the wrong thing, they remain a shining beacon of understanding from the author. Everything changes, and not for the better. Because of one cowardly, angry, bastard with a badge and a gun.

Battle Ground is one of the better Dresden Files books in a long time. It is easy to recommend, heart-wrenching and exciting and at times giggle inducing. Do not start at the Dresden Files with Battle Ground, or even the previous volume Peace Talks, but do read them.

(Ace 2020)

3.5 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/10/16/battle-ground-by-jim-butcher-review/

This breaks the mold of typical Dresden Files entries, by featuring little to no mystery in needs of solving and no investigation using magic or, well, anything whatsoever. Moreover, Butcher used it a bit like Changes—a time to thank the previous cast for their service, dedication before ushering them into the void. Not that everyone dies in Battle Ground, but… well, in battle, you ought to expect SOMEONE to die. Butcher just expands this “someone” to be “anyone”.

I’ll skip over much of the recap seeing as how Peace Talks leads right into Battle Ground, and if you haven’t read the latest one, the blurb for this is going to look strange if not completely ridiculous. Sufficient to say: there’s a war on, and Chicago is the battleground.

Once again Harry squares off against powerful supernatural opponents, only this time they’re bigger and stronger than anything he’s ever fought—even anything he can imagine. All his allies are along for the ride, and Dresden’s even got a few new tricks up his sleeve, but it still may not be enough. And with all his loved ones lives—not to mention the lives of everyone in Chicago—in the balance, the stakes are higher than ever.

And so it begins. For how does one even fight a Titan?

When I first read the blurb for Battle Ground (back before I read Peace Talks), I rolled my eyes. It didn’t seem wise. It didn’t seem likely. It seemed ridiculous. But going into it having read Peace Talks—yeah, okay. But how does one take a detective, urban fantasy series heavy on planning, mystery, and the unknown and adapt it into an entire sequence of back-to-back fight-scenes? The answer is… one writes all fight scenes and goes from there.

If you were expecting another Dresden mystery—full of summoning, magic, patience and dramatic tension—this ain’t it. There were still a couple parts that wowed me, a few that captivated me, and enough of the same-old, same-old to keep me invested in the story—but mostly I was a bit disappointed. I went in feeling that this was going to be an EPIC BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF MANKIND AND BEYOND! And it was… for a time. The problem was that all battles have lulls, and those that write war fiction or high fantasy know to include a bit of change, difference, twists, turns to keep everything interesting. And while I’m sure Butcher tried to do this. It didn’t work (for me). It was an good read, fairly good even, yet it doesn’t live up to the hype. About halfway through I was sick of the fight-fight-fight format, but even though there’s plenty going on, eventually every battle of the war starts to feel indistinguishable from the last.  Even the boss fight (in many ways ESPECIALLY the boss fight) itself was more of the same. I was expecting an epic build to a fight like Goku v. Frieza; something that went on FOREVER and included more twists and turns than seemed worthwhile. Instead, it was a carbon copy of the rest, only somewhat longer.

Fortunately, the book doesn’t end here. The conclusion actually goes on for a while and includes some wind-down that helps assuage the disappointment, and giving the reader more time to think about what has happened over the course of these two books. This brings back a bit of the mystery, a bit of the tension that felt absent from the rest of the text. It felt like a breath of fresh air; a good note to end on. Unfortunately, it doesn’t fix the mistakes made along the way. And it doesn’t make up for them, either. It just makes everything a bit easier to swallow.

TL;DR

Battle Ground is a swipe of the slate for the Dresden Files. Out with the old, in with the new, if you will. Like Changes, it marks a turning point in the series—one marked by an epic fight scene that just won’t end. And like that epic fight scene, it carries on even after you’ve kinda gotten sick of it and are starting to wonder what else is on. The sameness culminates in a final battle, one that felt so much like the rest of the book before it that it almost felt like a middle-finger to those fans who’ve stuck around to this point. While the conclusion lasts for maybe fifty pages more and in part helps assuage this feeling, one thing is certain moving forward. The Dresden Files will never be the same.

This book took me way longer than expected to read, and I'm not sure why. I think I knew that there would be losses in this book, and I didn't want it, so I struggled to get through it!

The reader is thrown directly into the action, and it just doesn't stop! As many have said, this is obviously a continuation from Peace Talks, and picks up the story immediately after the completion of that book. 

As usual Butcher has presented us with an epic read! I'm not sure where he can go from this, but I am certainly interested to see what he writes next.

Battle Ground was massive at well over a thousand pages. I finished it in two days because I needed to put the book down after 800 odd pages just to breath. Jim Butcher has long been a favorite author of mine but this time he has outdone himself and proven that he is one of the fore runners of superb modern fantasy. This book will evoke every emotion you've ever known and then some. There are no holds barred in this novel, no one is safe, nothing sacred. We will be faced with situations that we knew would happen but don't be fooled. Dresden and Butcher have plenty of surprises up their sleeves and some of them are going to blow you away. Putting this book down left me grief stricken, heart pounding, sweaty palmed and rearing to go for the next installment. The monsters in this book are grotesque but the real darkness is just beginning and Chicago is the epicenter of impending doom. At its very core is the wizard Harry Dresden and whether he stands as a beacon of hope or the darkness itself, I'd follow him in a heartbeat. Pick this book up and be prepared to agonize until his next release. Whole series reread until that time!

I stayed up till 1 am to read this epic battle and I don’t regret it at all.

If there's one word to describe this book it's 'change'. Some things have been ticking over in the series for a long while now and at times it's seemed like Jim Butcher wasn't sure which way he wanted to take the story. Or even what he wanted to do with Harry. All that is done. Every single element of the series has been levelled by the events on Battle Ground, the city razed to its foundations, the characters broken down to their most essential parts. From this destruction will come something new, a rebuilding of place and person that wouldn't have been possible without such a thorough clearing of the way. 

For my part, I would have liked to have seen Peace Talks and Battle Ground kept together. It would have read more like the epic fantasy that it actually was, with the heavy foreshadowing of the first book building towards the crushing Sanderlanche style devastation of the final battles. Regardless, this is a beginning, not just the ending such battles usually promise, and I'm excited to see what will come of it.

ARC via Netgalley

This and Peace Talks really should have been one book. It felt like Butcher just split the manuscript because of its length. Once I had a few chapters to get my brain caught up again, I enjoyed the conclusion.