BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Recommendations from Hepzibah

**Posted by deerstalker** August 17, 2012 10:50 pm

hepzibah wrote:
Has anyone read The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher? I came across a reference to them in a fanfic intro and wondered what they were like.
I normally don't read fantasy, I can't be doing with dragons and that crap, but these sound interesting. I would like an opinion before I go looking on Amazon to see if I can download them to my Kindle. Did I mention that I have a Kindle?

I am a big fan of Dresden Files, but it's a blend of a detective story and dark-ish fantasy. There are no dragons, but there's plenty of magic. Vampires and werewolves abound.
I'd recommend it if you like Neil Gaiman and are willing to invest your time in reading A LOT of books. Currently 13 have been published, with 14th on the way, and no end in sight. The first 2 are weaker than the rest, so for people who like the genre I'd recommend to reach the third book before making their judgement.
My husband, who does not read fantasy, read a bit of Dresden and agreed that it is well- written and often funny ( in a snappy, sarcastic sort of way). It also has - for the genre- well- defined characters and great plot twists. The main character is very well written, smart, emotional, flawed... excellent protagonist. The stories are plot- oriented, unlike many urban fantasy "relationship" novels. However, if you are not into fantasy, it is a hard sell. For me, it's in the box of "escapist literature" rather than "high literature", but I am hooked.
So to summarize- if you enjoyed Gaiman's "Neverwhere" and 'American Gods", you'll enjoy "Dresden Files". If fantasy is not your cup of tea, probably better to look elsewhere.
What genres do you like?

Last edited by deerstalker (August 17, 2012 10:56 pm)

**Posted by hepzibah** August 26, 2012 3:09 pm

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

I have managed to tear myself away from my fanfiction addiction for a while to read The Slap. It won several awards when it was released in 2009 including the Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009 for best novel in the South-East Asia and South Pacific area. It was made into a mini series that was shown on Australian tv last year.

The story is divided in eight parts, each concerning a specific character It starts at a barbecue, a quintessentially Aussie event. There is a game of backyard cricket, a four year old child behaves like a brat, and an adult, not his parent, slaps him. Chaos ensues. The repercussions of this event effect the lives of all the characters involved.

Don't be put off by the storyline. The book is superbly written. It does contain some graphic sexual descriptions, but if you read fanfic you won't be shocked. There is also a lot of swearing.

Each character is convincing, even if they frustrate and annoy you. The people you think are obvious villains have back stories that help explain their actions without excusing them. The people you like do stupid, self-destructive things, just like in real life. It gives a great view of multi-cultural Australia, the characters are of different backgrounds, Indian, Greek, Serbian, English and Aussie. Some blend in, some identify strongly with their ethnic background.

The book is available through Amazon to download to your Kindle. Highly recommended.

Last edited by hepzibah (August 26, 2012 3:12 pm)

**Posted by The Doctor** August 27, 2012 3:10 am

Anyone read the 'The Baker Street Letters" (not quite that good) and the second book, 'The Brothers of Baker Street' (quite very good)?

**Posted by hepzibah** October 3, 2012 1:41 pm

Free Kindle books are available through eReaderIQ.com. You log in, make your category selections, then get a daily email with free Kindle books. Some days there is nothing I want, other days I download 2 or 3 or 10. I put them in a special Free Amazon Books folder so I can remember why I downloaded them! Who knows, we may actually find some good writers this way.