What an exciting next installment in the Dresden Files. Another amazing read from Jim Butcher. I could hardly put this down and after Peace Talks it fulfilled everything I could have hoped for and more! Inspired me to start again from the beginning to really appreciate Harry's journey.

Harry Dresden faces his biggest battle ever when a Titan comes to Chicago. Many battle scenes. ARC from NetGalley.

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher is the 17th book in his excellent urban fantasy The Dresden Files series. I have read a few of the books in this series, since most of Butcher’s books are huge, it is hard to catch up; especially since its been a number of years having passed without a new addition of The Dresden files, though in July Peace Talks was released giving fans two Dresden File book in one year. Even though I did not read Peace Talks, I had no problem as I loved Battle Ground; which was an amazing nonstop action filled adventure from start to finish.

Harry Dresen, our Wizard hero, is star of this series. Harry is the Winter Knight, beholden to Mab, who is the Queen of Air and Darkness. We knew something big was on horizon when Peace Talks ended, and Battle Ground begins immediately after, with a ultra-powerful Titan, Ethniu, is on her way to destroy Chicago and all humanity. Ethniu is filled with hatred of humans and Mab, and will stop at nothing to cause utter chaos and destruction to all of Chicago with her creatures and army of thousands. From the immediate start, Harry was attacked by some of those creatures, and manages to survive with the help of Lara, Molly and Murphy. But this is only the beginning, as the battle to come is epic, and constant, with death defying situations having us holding our breaths so often, we were exhausted by the time this book ended.

I loved that in Battle Ground we get to see just so many of the regulars we have come to know, such as Murphy, Mab, Lara, Molly, Marcone, Butters, Sanya, Michael, Sarissa, River, Titiana, with a few surprises along the way. Mab was amazing in this story, as her faith in Harry excels, and she pulls her team together to help fight what is a desperate attempt to survive. Poor Harry, each time he was able to stop one thing, so much more kept coming. Battle Ground was one of the most exciting books I have read this year, and I have read a few. No surprise, as Jim Butcher is such a terrific writer. There is so much action throughout the book, you don’t have a moment to blink. Just when you think …whew, he got through that one, damned if you are not hit again, and again and again.

This is a difficult review to write, as everything that happens is a spoiler. Harry is phenomenal, and he suffers badly, but like the energizer battery, he keeps going. I cannot say the last half of the book was wild, crazy, mind-boggling; since the entire book was nonstop action all the way to the end. Amazing ride… If you have not read The Dresden Files, it is time to do so. Harry Dresden is one of the best heroes, and it is hard pressed to find a writer such as Jim Butcher, who can keep this story fresh, and the hero still awesome. Battle Ground is a must read.

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 17, 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.

Two Dresden books in one year, I can barely contain myself! Peace Talks was published in April and this book is a continuation of the events of that book.

In Peace Talks, The Fodor and Ethniu the Titan threatened to destroy Chicago. The entire book is the battle between Chicago and the Fodor during one long, long night. Just about every character still alive at this point in the series manages to make an appearance in this story, fighting to save Chicago and the world as they know it.

As expected during a war, the body count is high. Butcher pulls no punches and while I won’t tell you exactly who doesn’t survive the war, I was absolutely devastated by one of the deaths.

We learn some new things about long-term characters, which will serve in interesting ways in forthcoming stories.

While reading this, I had the sinking feeling that maybe this book was serving as a wrap-up of the Dresden stories, but the ending left so much open, so I expect we will be lucky enough to get more Dresden books. I just hope we won’t have to wait another six years!

The Christmas short story included at the end was a sweet touch, and a balm after the devastation of the book.

All in all, this book reminded me why I love this series to very much. Harry, despite being a wizard, is just a regular guy, like all of us. He’s got a strong sense of morality and never hesitates to do the right thing, no matter how outmatched he is or how difficult it is. I’m looking forward to reading any more Dresden I can get.

My heart is still pounding from all the action!!! One Huge Epic Fight!

Also, my heart is a little broken now. I was expecting what happened but not the way it happened.

Dresden, you have done it again! I can’t help but root for you. You make yourself responsible for everyone and you want to keep everyone safe.

This time Chicago and its people, human and supernatural lives are all at stake. The Fodor and Ethniu, the Titan, are coming to destroy it. The White Council, the White Court, the Summer Court, the Winter court, Marcone with his people, the Knights, the werewolves, and every other group I forget are all taking a truce and battling one enemy together. If not, there won't be a next day for many of them. Apocalypse is in the mirror.

There were so many things l liked about Battle Ground. I want to tell you but then I'm spoiling it for you. Few comments though:

I know Dresden doesn’t care for Marcone but I kinda like him. I like Mab too despite her being utterly terrifying but I can't help but think about what she went through to become what she is now.

I love Waldo and Michael. They have Harry’s back Always. Sanja made me laugh, especially at the end.

Despite Dresden loving Murphy, I still have hope for Dresden and Molly (you're my girl) although I like Lara too.

I do hope this time Jim Butcher doesn’t take six years for the next book. I’m dying to see what happens next. Jim leaves so many clues as to what is to come and it seems Dresden will need 365 days to figure it out.

The adorable Christmas story at the end of the book was perfect. Anything with Mouse, Michael, Molly, Mab, and a little Christmas spirit together, has to be good.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Ace via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[2.5/5 stars] A miraculous, all-encompassing, book-long battle which involved almost every single side character we’ve met to date. It was expansive. It was action-packed. And it was well written. A truly cinematic novel of epic proportion!

You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

I almost always enjoy Dresden novels, but I have to admit that this one required a bit more effort to get through than I’d hoped it would. As all-encompassing as the story was, in execution it was more an endless series of mini battles. The heavy hitters of this world all converged to save Chicago… one after another. You’d think with all of that constant action and excitement that I would be page flipping like mad to see what happened next. But instead I found the conflicts too repetitive to hold my focus. Reconnect with an ally; kill something. Rinse; Repeat. It didn’t offer a lot of plot variety. For me, anyway. I usually have trouble with battle scenes unless the focus is more on the overall tactics and strategy than the individual clashing of swords (or wizard staffs). This was very much the latter.

I did like the voice of the story – it’s comforting to “come home” to a Dresden novel, especially after all this time. I will say there was a very noticeable overuse of the word “freaking.” It was funny the first two times it was used, but then it got distracting from there. Even so, Harry’s a great character, made even better by the plethora of secondary personalities. Oddly, how engaged I was during any particular scene had more to do with how interested I was in the side characters within it (as it turns out, there were only three that had me completely enthralled). Butcher dramatically changed a few of the characters’ overall trajectories, which I appreciated because of the variety it added, but I’m not sure I’m on board with the direction some of them are now headed… we shall see.

Overall, for my personal tastes and expectations, I did not enjoy Battle Ground as much as I wanted to. I think the repetitive nature of it gave my brain a lot of free time to pick apart other aspects of the story I may not have noticed otherwise. I will still be continuing on in the series because when one of the books works for me, it REALLY works for me. As it stands, this one is just middle of the road in the whole scheme of the series.

Recommendations: if you’re already a Dresden fan, how could you NOT pick up this novel? My conservative rating is probably going to be in the minority, so keep that in mind. If you haven’t started the series yet, it’s a staple in the genre for a reason, but it does take a few books in before it really finds its “magic.”

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

This book was wonderful but frustrating at the same time.  The characters still seemed to act the same but just there seemed something slightly off.


The book felt more like the ending of the Dresden series and we went full circle.  There was a lot to love about this book but also there was stuff that had me wanting to throw the kindle.


Harry is truly one of the most sarcastic and one of those who stands up to bullies.  His basic nature is to be an irritant to everyone.


Carlos in this book more annoyed me and I felt that I began to hate him so much.  Before I always loved his character and how solid he was.


McCoy who also was a favoured character now seems to me a bitter old man who doesn't understand what he had with Dresden.


Murphy is much as always a strong presence who doesn't follow what Harry wants and does what she can to protect the people who used to be in her charge.


Molly is still amazing and is a force to be reckoned with whenever she puts forth her magic.  


Mab showed me more as well in this book that she isn't always just out for herself and can be helpful and take care of others.  She is strong and shows so much passion in this book.


Lara while she is the sex kitten you can see how powerful she is and what type of allie she would make.


This book felt like an ending because of all that has happened with the characters and it feels bad that this is how it felt as I believe that more will come and it just feels different.


In some ways it would be a start of a new era and that means different stories and maybe more characters that will come in.

When Peace Talks came out in July, I wrote about how I felt it was only half the story, and I was right. In book 17 the soul of Chicago is at stake in an epic battle between good and evil.

And when I say epic...I mean epic (think Avengers: Infinity War on steroids). Every major player turns out and the Windy City's citizens who had no idea of the things that blew through their town get the wake up call of a lifetime.

Butcher, like a verbal cinematographer, weaves our reluctant hero Dresden from fight to fight until his final standoff with a friggin' Titan. Each fight costs him and the side of good takes some pretty major hits.

Of course...in the end he wins because it wouldn't be much of a series if the MC died (plus he did that already), but there are some massive blows to Dresden's world which may seriously shake up the series (no spoilers from me).

All in all, while six years away was a long time, the two books Butcher gave fans this year totally make up for it. This will be out soon so if you are one of those fans, believe me it was worth the wait.

I dont even know where to go with this review without spoilers. Amazing and heartbreaking in equal turns - Jim has outdone himself, tho I'm not going to lie, I'm mad as hell. I finished this on the day RBG died, so the events of this book have me double devistated, but in THIS case, its going to open a new world for Harry. Its been a LONG time since I had this kind of love/hate relationship with a book.

Gird your loins and your heart, its a bumpy wonderful ride.

Fomers and Monsters and Fae, oh my! Battle Ground picks up from wnere Peace Talks left off. The last Titan in existence is out for blood, and the destruction of Chicago will be just the start. Harry will have his hands full, trying to keep his friends safe and protecting his beloved hometown. With several million lives at risk, it's going to take everything Harry and his allies have to come out on top. The fate of the world is a stake and failure is not an option. It's going to be a long night. No pressure. Welcome to the apocalypse (small a).

There is fighting, and then there is what happened in Jim Butcher’s Battle Ground, the latest addition to the Harry Dresden universe. Unlike the other books in the Dresden file universe, Battle Ground does not have a beginning, middle, and end. Battle Ground is instead the high note in an exciting crescendo that started during Peace Talks and is finishing with a bang. In actuality, Peace Talks/Battle Ground is one long single-story too long to be in one book. A gift to his readers after it being so long since the last story.

We start in Battle Ground on a boat coming away from Demonsreach. The city of Chicago is under attack from a mashup of Fomor King Corb, Listen, and the Last Titan Ethniu. Under any circumstances, any of these foes would fill a Dresden novel. As it stands, we have all three battling against the acordees. All enemies and friends are digging deep within themselves to pull out all the magical stops. It is the witching hour, the best time for gathering energies, and Chicago is swirling with a combination of fear and battle lust.” Apocolypses always kick off at the witching hour.” All the cities inhabitants are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the final moment, the one last thing that will send everyone to battle. Whether that is battle lust or resignation at their fate, the city holds its breath.

Harry, after depositing his brother on Demonsreach, and the island accepting it’s newest charge. Harry and a cadre of allies are frantically sailing Thomas’s little boat, The Water Beetle, back to Chicago. Chicago is blacked out. The buildings of downtown look like dark and menacing jagged cliffs. The only light is the light of fires raging out of control and candlelight in the windows floating like stars in the black skyscrapers.

“Abruptly there was a crunching sound, squeals of protest from the Water Beetle’s hull and superstructure, and the boat went from moving slowly to not moving at all in the space of several seconds… It was thick, rubbery, pulsing, living limb, deep red-purple in color, covered in leathery, wart shaped nodules and lines with toothed suckers… a great, faintly luminous eye glimmered up at me through the waters of Lake Michigan. A colossal squid. A Kraken.”

This squabble with the Kraken happens in the first five pages of the book. And this is relatively slow and stately compared to what happens in the rest of the novel. After Harry meets with the Kraken, the Fomor forces rise out of Lake Michigan’s cold waters to start the battle. In many ways, I think Battle Ground is the denouement of the series’s first 18 books. Butcher has played the long game here. Foes, friends, and allies are brought forth in a tremendous mythological battleground. Characters you would not have paid much attention to in previous books come out of the woodwork and show their real metal. I’ll give you a small preview with the character Major General Toot Toot Minimus. We have met and dealt with Toot Toot on many occasions. “Major General Toot-Toot Minimus resembles a glowing violet comet more than anything else as he approached in a low-pitched buzz of dragonfly wings.” He is a wee folk, small, almost childlike in stature with the silvery wings of a dragonfly. Nearly too cute in representation to be anything menacing. Especially when standing shoulder to shoulder to the Black Court and Fomor. You will think that until the wee folk come out to do battle, and the sky lights up as if it is full of deranged Christmas lights.

Do not under any circumstances discount the little guy.

There is a reason why wee folk has survived as long as they have. The Wee Folk respect the hell out of Harry and love pizza. Perfect reasons to go to war, and there are a lot of them. And they are in everything, as fast and hummingbirds and as gentle as porcupines. They could poke your eye out before you had a chance to blink.

Theme wise, there are two ideas worth talking about that permeate the novel and color each of the exquisitely orchestrated battle scenes. Firstly, for Harry, this book is about compartmentalizing and conquering. Battle Ground plays on his unique strengths of mental toughness, ones that Harry has wrought from a lifetime of mental exercises and the practice of harnessing his will. Throughout this novel, he will watch and experience great horrors. He can either break and crack, folding under the massive strain, or be who he is and do what he must. Dresden has to take that pain, anguish, and horror that he feels and shove it into a little compartment in his mind and move forward. He does this not to run from the pain because his experiences are worthy of that pain. It would be a coward’s way out otherwise. It is heroic in the reading and what I think to be the most challenging thing Harry has ever had to do. But if he is going to move forward, he must.

The second theme is that, as I mentioned earlier, do not underestimate the little guy. Harry is a little dude in the cosmic scheme of things. He is a mid-grade fighter, less knowledgeable and skilled as some, but in most situations where he is fitting people or things in his weight class, he can handle himself. But outside his weight class, things become a bit more complicated. Sometimes you do not need a lot of power to overcome; you need a persistent personality and the will to keep going. You see that in Harry, in Butters, in Sanya, Murphy, the week folk, and the wolves. You see that in all the cosmically lower characters throughout the novel. I wish I could tell you what will happen instead of eluding to it, but Battle Ground is not that kind of story. The sheer magnitude of what these characters face, and how everything plays out in this massive war of mythological creatures would be spoiled from one slip of the tongue.

Pacing wise, this is unlike any Harry Dresden book I have ever read. It is relentless. It beats you, swipes you to the side, and then beats you again. And, in a moment when you thought you were safe, some incredible creature comes forward to show you how minuscule and insignificant you are. They break your will, they break your heart, and then eventually they break your body. Harry falls and rises from one moment to the next, relying heavily on the mantle to keep him going.

If he were an ordinary human, he would have died in the first five pages of the story. Probably from the mental trauma alone.

Also, Butcher is not one for subtleties. By the end of this story, there is some resolution, but Butcher is a magician. While you were looking at one thing, he wallops you with what starts as a future plot in the next book. Even though Battleground is, in a lot of ways, the ending of much of the previous story arcs, it is the beginning of Harry’s second chapter. It is going strong, and if that ending told me anything, it is that Harry’s foes, those close to him and those keeping their distance, are going to come back and bite his ass. And I am here for it.

Battle Ground is an urban fantasy done at its best. Indeed it is the bar in which other authors should strive to. Harry is everything I would want in my wizard from Chicago. And I cannot wait till the next book is out so that I can dive in and read it in one day like I did this one.

Let me start by saying that I am glad this is being released so close to the last one. Peace Talks is part one and Battle Ground is part two in the same story line. As the titles suggest, Peace Talks is the build up, laying out the problems and the first step in finding resolutions. Battle Ground is the big fight scene we come to expect from Harry Dresden. This one is the biggest fight of all. There was a lot more wrapped up by the end of this book. I can definitely see where the future of the series can go. I"m excited to see what will come next. There are quite a few possibilities for various characters to explore further. I enjoyed that pretty much all the characters from past adventures came together in this book. We get to see everybody, even Bob!
This book took a lot of turns I didn't entirely see coming, some I liked, some I did not. However, even the turns I did not like at all, by the end of the book I understood the reason for them. I found myself yelling at Jim Butcher a few times throughout the book, but by the end I could see what possible pathways were opened up for future books, and I was able to accept those plot twists. I rather enjoyed the little bonus short story at the end. It was a nice way to lighten up the mood a little after that intense battle and the fall out from choices made in previous books. I'm excited for the future of this series. I just hope I don't have to wait 6 years again! Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

Definitely the second part of Peace Talks but good nonetheless. Necessary title for every library that's bought the other Dresden titles

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Peace Talks set the field, and Battle Ground delivered the action. There has never been an installment of Dresden that was this packed full of action! Much of the book was the HUGE battle that we knew was coming after the events of Peace Talks. Did I mention that it's HUGE? Seriously, biggest battle yet. Almost every major player we've seen hits the battleground.

If I'm being completely honest, I don't mind the battle scenes, but I read mostly for the character and plot development, so the sheer volume of pages that were action sequences could be a little bit of a slog for readers like me, but I still really enjoyed them. This is one of the battles we've been building towards for a long time.

The best parts about this book for me? There are some plot threads that have been set up for a LONG, LONG time that rear their ugly heads, culminate, come to fruition, payoff, finally happen. LOTS OF THEM. And there are so many more things coming. New threads that are going to lead us down some dark paths. I am so there for these. I can't wait for more.

But I will say, as spoiler-free as possible - prepare yourself for some heartache. War is dangerous.

I am shocked, two Harry Dresden books in one year. I cannot believe that we don't have to wait two years for this installment. Butcher must have worked hard to get this out, or maybe he was just inspired. I think he knew where he needed to go and was eager to get there. even though this is a fast turn around, it is done really well. It made me laugh, it made me cry and now I am scared about the wait for the next book. please, oh please let it be soon.

Another great addition to this series. Butcher keeps things fast and fun to read. I'm sure the patrons will be lining up for this one as usual.

"THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET SERIOUS FOR HARRY DRESDEN, CHICAGO’S ONLY PROFESSIONAL WIZARD, in the next entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files.

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."

Remember earlier this year when it had been AGES since there was a new Dresden Files book? Well here's another one two months since the last one!

As a longtime Dresden fan, I was looking forward to Peace Talks and Battle Ground after there had been a bit of a wait. I felt underwhelmed by Peace Talks, and at the time of finishing that installment had said that it seemed like it and Battle Ground should probably have been one longer book. Now that I've read Battle Ground, I can generally say, in some ways yes, in others no. Yes, because the plots are intrinsically linked, and Battle Ground answers almost all of the questions that Peace Talks presented. No, because I feel the styles are very different; Peace Talks beat around the bush for most of the book, while Battle Ground destroys the bush.

Peace Talks set up nearly everything that takes place in Battle Ground. Because of that, Battle Ground wastes no time on 'small talk' and jumps straight into the action. It's a fulfilling read all the way through. There are lots of battle scenes, lots of movement and activity, smaller parts that contribute to larger narratives. Battle Ground was really reminiscent of everything I've loved about previous Dresden Files books. The main action of this book dovetails right into the setup for the next book(s?), so I'm left wanting to read more.

I am not able to talk about what exactly I loved about this book so much until it's actual release but I'll update my review for that. Until then, though, I will say that this is a FANTASTIC sequel to PEACE TALKS and manages to redeem what minor criticism I had about that book. It is one long epic battle similar to the finale of CHANGES but doesn't scrimp on the character development or answering long-held questions about the series or its mysteries. Huge changes happen here and we also lose some friends (some of which I never imagined would die). PEACE TALKS and BATTLE GROUND are really just part 1 and part 2 of the same story but taken together are one of the best books in the series. 10/10