[Book Review] Twelve Months

Twelve Months (Dresden Files #18) / Jim Butcher 

Previously Reviewed

I almost gave this book a pass instead of picking it up.  Battle Ground and Peace Talks were rough reads for me for a laundry list of reasons, and not just because Skin Game is probably my favorite book in the series.  But curiosity won out.  I've been following this series for over 20 years now and that's hard to pass up.

Twelve Months is very different from previous novels in the series.  Right up front is the novel structure, which as advertised, covers an entire year.  We get a few days out of each month, and every few chapters is a new month.  This is in stark contrast to the high pressure, breakneck speeds of most Dresden Files stories, where some entire books cover a handful of days.

But on a bigger change, the entire time I was reading the book I kept thinking "this book reads like Butcher has gone to therapy."  Now, I know nothing about the author's personal life beyond the broadest strokes, I am just commenting on the countless changes in how the story is expressed.  From the self-reflection, the places other people have in Harry's life, shifts in how he talks about women, the way other people calling Harry out on his bullshit, and how the book handles grief.  I was not expecting this book.  

Now, I wouldn't say the book fixes every issue I've ever had with the series.  My friends and I certainly argue about if certain things are plot holes or not.  Some think the changes weren't enough, but we all see the changes and growth that have occurred, and that stands out.

I had a lot of fun reading this book, with the little vignettes of Chicago and characters familiar and new.  I could read a whole book about Daniel Carpenter, and Rabbi Aaronson is a fantastic addition to the faith based network around the Knights of the Sword.  Bear is amazing.  I don't want to spoil the brief appearance of one of my favorites near the end.  Ramirez and Dresden are talking again like the two men with a deep and danger filled share history, instead of like two wet cats.

At the same time, everything was so fast and surface.  We brush through several stories that could have been entire novels.  It's a balance, how does the story move forward, show growth, deal with all of these plot hooks, and do so efficiently.  It does manage to line up and knock down a whole bunch of dominos and re-establish the setting.

This book has convinced me to continue reading the series.  Something I wasn't sure of after Peace Talks and Battle Ground. 

Advance Reader Copy courtesy of Penguin RandomHouse in exchange for an honest review; changes may exist between galley and the final edition.

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