| | Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10) |  | Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Roc
Category: Book
Buy New: $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  120 reviews
Sales Rank: 51025
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
ISBN: 0451462009
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780451462008
ASIN: 0451462009
Publication Date: March 3, 2009 (In 186 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet published
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| Customer Reviews: Read 115 more reviews...
 Never owe a faery queen a favor... April 5, 2008
37 out of 45 found this review helpful
You are never going to believe what Queen Mab wants Harry to do in exchange for a favor owed her. She wants him to rescue Gentleman Johnny Marcone (one of Chicago's most nefarious gangsters) from unknown kidnappers.
Now, having Johnny out of the scene could be a good thing? Well, not if the folks holding him are the order of the Denarians. And yes, they want Gentleman Johnny to take one of those ill-fated coins and the demon possession that goes with.
Unfortunately, Queen Titania is not in agreement with her sister regarding Johnny's possession and she sends some heavies of her own to get Harry's goat. What is described as a small favor turns out to be a serious threat to many of the people Harry cares about.
As always, Jim Butcher puts a lot of heart into his novels. He's kept Harry a good man, someone who'd risk his own life for others, a real hero in the urban fantasy genre.
We get some favorites returning: Michael Carpenter and his family; Sanya, the Black Russian Knight; Captain Luccio; Gard (remember Monoc Security, part of Marcone's protection?); and others.
"Small Favor" is one of the faster paced Dresden novels around. Jim had me hooked from the beginning and didn't let up until I turned the last page. I was glad to read that Butcher has ideas for 20 or so Dresden novels on the books and I seriously hope that his publisher will allow him to continue writing them.
Searching For Marcone May 29, 2008
32 out of 37 found this review helpful
Small Favor (2008) is the tenth fantasy novel in the Dresden Files series, following White Night. In the previous volume, Mouse enjoyed a new chewtoy and Harry Dresden got out of a White Court party in a highly spectacular fashion, leaving behind the remains of his enemies. Lara Raith -- now the Queen of the White Court -- made him a promise and Harry restrained his anger.
Molly Carpenter learned a little caution and gained a little toughness. Elaine left for California and Ramirez survived his knife wounds. Marcone admitted the truth about Helen's daughter and Harry talked to Thomas about the benefits of his new job.
In this novel, winter comes early to Chicago. Harry is giving Molly a lesson in shielding while the other Carpenter kids are trying to distract her with snowballs. Finally Molly gets her shield up and stops two snowballs, but the others get through. Molly is very good at more subtle magic, but she will never become a combat wizard. Yet Harry wants her to learn the fundamentals.
Molly and the other kids have a whispered discussion and then they pelt Harry with snowballs. Of course, Harry raises his shield well before the snowballs can strike. Then Charity Carpenter drops snow down his neck.
While Harry is trying to shake out the snow, the monsters attack. First the lights go out throughout the block. Then three short creatures with furry coats and horns charge across the backyard. As Harry draws his blasting rod, a fourth monster jumps at him from the treehouse.
The older Carpenter kids grab their younger siblings and run toward the safe room. Harry blasts the monsters, but they soon pop up again to renew the attack. Charity Carpenter finally takes out one monster and drives away the others with a nail gun and a steel hammer.
Since cold iron has drastic effects on the monsters, Harry figures that they are fae. After returning home, he looks through his reference books and finds that the monsters are gruffs, like in the fairy tale about the billy goats and the troll. They are minions of the Summer Count.
Michael Carpenter is a Knight of the Cross. He had been out getting pizza when the attack occurred. He thanks Harry for saving the children, but Harry points out that Charity had actually saved the day. Michael asks Charity how she had known that the monsters were fae, but she states that she hadn't known. Michael tends to believe that it was divine intervention.
In this story, Karrin Murphy summons Harry to consult on a strange incident in an abandoned apartment building. Harry hasn't had a consultation with the Chicago PD for some time due to the disfavor of higher authorities. But Special Investigations has been saving money from the coffee fund to hire him whenever necessary. Now it is necessary, but Harry talks them down to an hourly rate.
The building had the whole front sheered off and dropped to the ground. Harry walks around the property and discovers distorted pentacles on five sides. Someone has created a huge pentagram through the building with hellfire, but Harry doesn't know why.
Harry summons the pixie Toot-toot to gather information on the episode. Toot-toot flies off to contact his friends, but immediate returns and tells Harry to run. Harry is confused for a moment, but then he hears footsteps coming toward him and takes off toward a nearby police station.
On the way, Harry becomes lost in the snow and finds himself in an alley with Mab, the Winter Queen. Mab tries once again to recruit Harry as the Winter Knight, but he still refuses. Then she shows him what happened in the wrecked apartment building.
In a miniature diorama, Harry sees gentleman Johnnie Marcone arrive at the building and go inside toward a panic room. Then there is a break in the coverage, but it resumes with Marcone stumbling out of the building. Then several forms surround him and whisk him away in a plain van.
Mab then calls a second favor from Harry. She declares that he is her Emissary to find Marcone. Then she leaves and the gruffs appear.
These gruffs are larger than the first set. Harry runs out of the alley, but they remain close behind. So he hides in an unoccupied business tower. The three gruffs quickly surround the building, but Harry takes out one of them and manages to escape again.
Harry gets the location of a safe house from Helen at Executive Priority Health, one of Marcone's business enterprises. When he and his brother Thomas check out the location, they find Gard and Hendricks, but not Marcone. Then they are attacked by Tessa and other agents of the Knights of the Blackened Denarius.
Harry and Thomas get away from the Denarians, taking Hendricks and the grievously wounded Gard with them. After some argument, Hendricks and Gard decide to help Harry find Marcone.
This tale has agents of both the Summer and Winter Courts attacking Harry and his friends. Then there are the Denarians out to get him. What is going on?
Harry convinces the White Council to intervene in the conflict. Captain Luccio eventually appears with some young Wardens. Harry starts to view Anastasia Luccio as a potential date.
The story involves or mentions just about every surviving character from the previous books. Maybe the author has decided to end the series. Let us hope otherwise.
Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical attacks, cunning ploys, and a touch of romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
10th in the Dresden Files Series April 1, 2008
25 out of 41 found this review helpful
Harry Dresden is the only professional wizard listed in the Chicago phone book. And just when it seems his life is starting to quiet down, Queen Mab of the Winter Faeries has decided to cash in on a favor that Harry owes. But the Summer Court has already caught wind, and has begun sending forces to stop him. As Harry tracks down a missing gangster, he must make hard choices and put himself in further danger in order to fulfill a "small favor."
My favorite wizard (the other Harry) returns in another suspense-filled thrill ride. A complex and witty character, Harry Dresden has gone through a lot of turmoil and changes throughout the series. He still deals with many internal struggles as well as confusing relationships. Harry is constantly putting others before himself, so his love life has been non-existent for years. He's a mentor, a friend, a brother, a wizard, a warden, an investigator, and whatever else he needs to be to help those he cares about. With equally complex secondary characters, Butcher has created one of the most well-known and well-loved urban fantasies.
Flawlessly blending classic noir mystery with a fresh take on fantasy, every installment of the Dresden Files is a treat. In Small Favor, Harry enlists the help of his friends once again to combat the forces of darkness, while trying to stay alive. With a few surprises along the way, this is a non-stop, action-packed mystery that does not disappoint.
If you haven't been reading the Dresden Files, you've been missing out.
 Thoroughly Disappointing April 5, 2008
17 out of 34 found this review helpful
I can't believe I'm saying this about a Dresden novel, but here goes: this book? Was thoroughly disappointing.
The case, is as always, a great ride. However, to quote an earlier review: Where's Harry Dresden? More importantly, where are the relationships that were so important to him earlier in the series - namely those with Murphy and Thomas?
When I first began reading this series, it was Murphy and Harry that grabbed me and hooked me. Their's was an angsty relationship, but nonetheless filled with chemistry that leapt off the page at me and helped me endure Susan's incredibly grating presence in the early books. As the characters that I cared the most about, I had hoped I would see Harry and Murphy develop into something more eventually. No, instead, Murhpy is now Harry's muscle. Reduced to being "small and fierce" (Tyra Banks has a lot to answer for), she's a cipher to me in this book. For some reason, she's still hung up on Kincaid, yet I have no idea what that relationship meant to her beyond that. A holiday with him is about the last thing I remember from an earlier novel. She's been having experiences off somewhere, while the books now see fit to chronicle Elaine, the annoyance that is Molly and even pages and pages (previous book) of Charity's righteous anger at Harry (Mercifully, Charity seems to have grown a heart in this book). Why? I have no idea. I don't care about any of them, yet recently, they've taken precedence over the characters that I've loved and followed for from the first book.
I don't understand why Murphy, pretty much the strongest female character (a character I wished more urban fantasies could get a clue from) in the book has been reduced to a bit part. Is it so Luccio can take her place? Ten books later, I care nothing for Luccio, and frankly, the thought of seeing Harry in this relationship in the next book has me already putting it aside. I have no earthly idea why I should care about this character as opposed to Murphy. Murphy and Harry are the normal and the supernatural in intriguing packages (I've been eagerly waiting for Murph to get the sword...yet, that's done too, explained away in a flip line and nothing more), and more importantly, in characters who to me had such grand potential considering their views on the world, their attraction and their partnership. They pretty much *sparked* like crazy to me from the get-go, and as the characters grew with each book, the story potential between this too seemed to me to be too good to be true - I *craved* their relationship in other urban fantasies I've read. Now? Not anymore. I rather suspect they might find they're too good friends to ever stuff it up with a relationship at the rate things are going, but I doubt I'll be around to read about it.
If there was no romance on the horizon for them - cool. However, Murphy, pretty much hands down my favorite female character in the books like this that I've read, is still slowly disappearing in favor of background characters.
The other disappointment? - Thomas. Nothing more than muscle, and competing with Molly as the Resident go-to-guy for funny one-liners. He's been reduced to being Harry's chauffer and Harry's double. After which, he suddenly reappears at the end of the book, the lack of his presence at his brother's side explained by one line. Thomas' reveal as Harry's brother in an earlier book pretty much gave me the biggest emotional punch for Harry in the entire series. Since, then, I've seen nothing of the sort for Harry. He's been coasting along, getting a revelation here and there embroiled in his cases, but none of it translates back to the next most important characters to me, and I'd argue, Harry - Murphy and Thomas.
I think Harry is stagnating. I haven't seen any change in him since Thomas appeared. Perhaps a line or two there, when he's not running for his life, or getting involved with third tier characters, but that's pretty much it. He is surrounded by pages and page of superfluous characters, thrust into importance in the book, and at the expense of the established characters. I was willing to tolerate Molly's presence as Harry's apprentice, but frankly, any character designed to be the sister/apprentice/plucky, yet snarky with the one liners? Is as annoying in print, as they are onscreen. I shudder to think of yet another book involving Michael and his family. I know more about them, than I do about Murphy and Thomas these days, and I don't care about the former, especially when their presence is as a consequence of sacrificing Murphy and Thomas' time with Harry. Simply put, that isn't a sacrifice I'm willing to make. And having Thomas appear in a separate book? Doesn't do him justice. It's Thomas and Harry (and Murphy), that I want to read about, not `Thomas' adventures without Harry'.
My best friend made sure I had this book on time the day it was released. I waxed lyrical about it for a year until I got it...and I really don't know how to tell her I wished she'd saved her money. There's nothing here that got me hooked in the series' early novels. All there is, is a hero that's stuck, and a cast of characters that are suddenly thrust into importance after spending the previous 10 books as minor characters, while those that have been around for ages now, that affect Harry the most, are slowly fading away.
 Fallen Angels and Fey April 2, 2008
12 out of 24 found this review helpful
The Queen of Air and Darkness cashes in the 2nd of the three favors Harry owes. Harry must rescue his frenemy Gentleman Johnny Marcone from unknown kidnappers. Harry is caught between his friends in the Summer Court and an obligation to the Winter Court with accompanying death threats from both sides. Denarrians and Knigts of the Cross vie for for souls and Harry has too many obligations to count.
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