Backup - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Let's get something clear right up front.

I'm not Harry Dresden.

Harry's a wizard. A genuine, honest-to-goodness wizard. He's Gandalf on crack and an IV of Red Bull, with a big leather coat and a .44 revolver in his pocket. He'll spit in the eye of gods and demons alike if he thinks it needs to be done, and to hell with the consequences--and yet somehow my little brother manages to remain a decent human being.

I'll be damned if I know how.

But then, I'll be damned regardless.
My name is Thomas Raith, and I'm a monster.

So begins "Backup," a twelve thousand word novelette set in Jim Butcher s ultra-popular Dresden Files series. This time Harry's in trouble he knows nothing about, and it's up to his big brother Thomas to track him down and solve those little life-threatening difficulties without his little brother even noticing.

Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Not a lot for the price October 27, 2008
18 out of 21 found this review helpful

I have to admit I pre-ordered my Backup from Subterranean Press way back in January when it was announced at Bucher's site. Therefore, I was gouged the full $20, but even at the reduced Amazon price this is still overpriced.

I really felt it was a rip-off in many ways: The novella is actually 70 pages, NOT 80 as it has been listed. Even within that, there are MAYBE 55 actual pages of story (and even then it is a very small book in size so translated to regular HC or PB it would be even less), thanks to blank pages before chapter breaks and the Mignola illustrations (which are kinda "eh", they don't offer much).

An average Dresden Files book is about 400 pages in large HC format and usually you can get one for $15 around release thanks to Amazon pre-order pricing, so the fact that Backup was more expensive than a full Files books is just a joke.

People complained about "Welcome to the Jungle" because it was a Graphic Novel/Comic, but there is definitely more story and, I think, more text in that story than this one, not to mention the nice art and little extras at the end.

The story itself is good. I like Thomas, and being a fan of the Dresden books it was a nice supplementary tale. There is some good information about Thomas and "Oblivion War" that would never have been revealed in a Harry-centered tale, but it is (at least at this point) of no real consequence to the Dresden Files main story. If I was rating it just based on the story, I would have given it 4 star review, but unless you are a hardcore Dresden fan, it is NOT worth the price of admission.

Id recommend borrowing it from a friend for 40 minutes, that is about all it will take to read. Between this and the short-story anthologies, I am starting to feel a bit annoyed at the cost of minor side stories to the Dresden Files. $15 for this, $10 for a short story anthology (x4 now) with ONE minor Dresden tale, it is just too much for too little. Stick with the main Files books, they are worth the money.

1 out of 5 stars

great story but its just that a story not worth 14.00 October 23, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful

I am a great fan of the dresden series an have every book and dont get me wrong i loved this short story but why charge the price of a full novel for 70 pages couldnt this have been included at the back of small favour or maybe the new book coming out i dont know it just seemed to pricey for the final packaging

5 out of 5 stars

From a monster's POV October 24, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

I'll confess right up front that I am an unabashed fan of Thomas Raith, Harry Dresden's psy-vampire half-brother, and when I first heard about this book, I couldn't get my hands on it fast enough. As short as it is, it's a great read, and it gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of a character who is far more than the mere pretty face he may pretend to be. We get a first-hand sense of Thomas's struggle to keep his literal inner demon-symbiote in check, and of his concern for his little brother. And we also get some stunning if deceptively small revelations about the world in which they both live and work and fight to keep the things that go bump in the night in check. The illustrations by legendary graphic novel artist Mike Mignola more than complete this great little book!

4 out of 5 stars

good but short October 21, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

excellent novellette (novella?)... took me only about an hour and a half to read, but thats the only drawback. was very well written and adds a whole new dimension to thomas.

2 out of 5 stars

feel used.. and robbed October 26, 2008
6 out of 13 found this review helpful

I'm a huge butcher fan. Back in the "good ol days" I'd think nothing of spending bucks weekly on just released hardbacks, especially his Dresden and Fury series. Those days are GONE, along with my well paying job. I will no longer automatically purchase a Jim Butcher novel after this latest burn. I honestly thought I was getting a novel length story, not a quickie on the back of a cereal box story. Large Print, a few pictures, a low hanging fruit story - its not even 70 pages. Its cheaper to go to the movies AND buy a small popcorn - you get an extra 45 minutes of entertainment. My "escapism" budget is blown for this month..(heavy sigh)

This would have made a nice fanboy podcast..

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