Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Roc
First Ed: April 2010
ISBN-10: 045146317X
ISBN-13: 978-0451463173
Details: 448 Pages | Hardcover | $25.95

Changes by Jim Butcher is the twelfth installment in the bestselling series The Dresden Files. Readers are sure to get everything they expect out of a Dresden Files novel as well as a few unexpected surprises since Butcher delivers even more blood-pumping action and wizardly mayhem, which is sure to stir Dresden fans into a frenzy.

After the arrival of Harry Dresden’s ex-girlfriend Susan, Chicago’s resident private eye/wizard for hire finds himself hard pressed to investigate the kidnapping of a young child, and this time the stakes have never been higher. Not only is the child his, but she has also been kidnapped by the vicious Red Court vampires. When Dresden’s friends join the effort to rescue Maggie from certain death, he sees a chance to snatch back his child from the hands of his enemies, but at what cost? Dresden is forced to make difficult choices that will irrevocably change the course of his life, the lives of his friends, and the world in which he lives. Can he make the ultimate sacrifice to save his daughter?

This latest edition to The Dresden Files, aptly named Changes, reveals the most significant turning point in Dresden’s life and in heart-wrenching fashion. While this novel has more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel, Changes races through the plot at lightening speed until Butcher brings Harry Dresden face to face with the most cunning opponent he has ever faced. With precision of purpose, Butcher pulls subplots together from previous novels, solidifying an over arching plot within the series itself. In so doing, he bring Changes to a cataclysmic, shocking end that will leave readers breathlessly wanting more.

Changes reveals a maturity in Butcher’s storytelling that elevates The Dresden Files to more than just a series of entertaining novels about a Chicago based, magic wielding, private investigator. In true Dresden style, Changes delivers strong characters, a compelling story line, and more action than an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie set at Hogwarts. Changes is a wonderful addition to a solid series.

Fans who can’t wait until April 2011 for Ghost Story, the next book in the Dresden Files Series, should check out Jim Butcher’s new anthology Side Jobs, which is packed full of short stories featuring Harry Dresden and his friends.