Dresden Files, Storm Front

Chapter One

 

 

I heard the mailman approach my office door, half an hour earlier than usual. He didn t sound right. His footsteps fell more heavily, jauntily, and he whistled. A new guy. He whistled his way to my office door, then fell silent for a moment. Then he laughed.

Then he knocked.

I winced. My mail comes through the mail slot unless it s registered. I get a really limited selection of registered mail, and it s never good news. I got up out of my office chair and opened the door.

The new mailman, who looked like a basketball with arms and legs and a sunburned, balding head, was chuckling at the sign on the door glass. He glanced at me and hooked a thumb toward the sign. You re kidding, right?

I read the sign (people change it occasionally), and shook my head. No, I m serious. Can I have my mail, please?

So, uh. Like parties, shows, stuff like that? He looked past me, as though he expected to see a white tiger, or possibly some skimpily clad assistants prancing around my one-room office.

I sighed, not in the mood to get mocked again, and reached for the mail he held in his hand. No, not like that. I don t do parties.

He held on to it, his head tilted curiously. So what? Some kinda fortune-teller? Cards and crystal balls and things?

No, I told him. I m not a psychic. I tugged at the mail.

He held on to it. What are you, then?

What s the sign on the door say?

It says Harry Dresden. Wizard.

That s me, I confirmed.

An actual wizard? he asked, grinning, as though I should let him in on the joke. Spells and potions? Demons and incantations? Subtle and quick to anger?

Not so subtle. I jerked the mail out of his hand and looked pointedly at his clipboard. Can I sign for my mail please?

The new mailman s grin vanished, replaced with a scowl. He passed over the clipboard to let me

A martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. Jim is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera novels, and the Cinder Spires series, which began with The Aeronaut’s Windlass.

Praise for the Dresden Files

Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe. Entertainment Weekly

Fans of Laurell  K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will love this series. Midwest Book Review
 
Superlative. Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
One of the most enjoyable marriages of the fantasy and mystery genres on the shelves. Cinescape
 
Butcher...spins an excellent noirish detective yarn in a well-crafted, supernaturally-charged setting. The supporting cast is again fantastic, and Harry s wit continues to fly in the face of a peril-fraught plot. Booklist (starred review)
 
What s not to like about this series?...It takes the best elements of urban fantasy, mixes it with some good old-fashioned noir mystery, tosses in a dash of romance and a lot of high-octane action, shakes, stirs, and serves. SF Site
 
A tricky plot complete with against-the-clock pacing, firefights, explosions, and plenty of magic. Longtime series fans as well as newcomers drawn by the SciFi Channel s TV series based on the novels should find this supernatural mystery a real winner. Library Journal
 
What would you get if you crossed Spenser with Merlin? Probably you would come up with someone very like Harry Dresden, wizard, tough guy and star of [the Dresden Files]. The Washington Times