Given the name of the leader of this community, I figured I’d throw this out there:

I’ve never read any of Jim Butcher’s books, and have heard good things about The Dresden Files.

Where do I start? Is there a good website to show a suggested reading order, etc?

  • Baahb@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 year ago

    Storm Front. It’s the weakest book, cause nothing is fleshed out, but it is the start.

    That said, I had to quit reading (after 15 books) cause he keeps getting progressively weirder about women.

    • Veraticus@lib.lgbt
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah his female characters were never great. It’s disappointing to hear it just got worse.

      • wahming@monyet.cc
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        It’s an in-character perspective of Dresden, meant to be a character quirk. Jim writes short stories from other perspectives without the same issues, and none of his other series have it either. Unfortunately many readers confuse character perspective with author opinion.

        • DeadlineX@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          In this case OC just said “he” and could be talking about Harry. Some people also just don’t wanna read that kind of perspective.

          It’s also strange that like… every single woman in the series (including a teenager) want to sleep with Harry. There’s nothing wrong with somebody not enjoying reading things like that. Whether the author thinks that way or it’s just a character trait of the main character in the series, a lot of people just don’t want to read constant misogyny.

          • wahming@monyet.cc
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            I can think of quite a few women in the series who aren’t sexually interested in Harry. Probably more than actually are interested in him, when I think about it. So calling it ‘every single woman’ is definitely a stretch

            • DeadlineX@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              Sorry the “like” usually signifies hyperbole for me and those I generally talk to. Im not saying it’s every woman literally. Just… definitely a lot.

              But let’s talk about why people wouldn’t want to read the series. Let’s talk about why people might think the series has things in it that are weird towards women. (For the record, a lot of the series gave me cringes, but I personally stopped reading because by the time peace talks came out I didn’t care anymore. And ghost stories was awful. I do agree with OC that it just keeps getting weirder about women).

              Im not going to copy the passage. Im not going to paste an image. Harry Dresden describing his 16 year old apprentice (his friends daughter) felt the need to describe her breasts “straining” her tank top. Then, felt the need to describe her nipple piercings. Then says he didn’t want to know why else was pierced even if it was “a little intriguing”. I think that was also the longest description of a person until that point. I get that you like the series. I liked quite a bit of it myself. I don’t understand how you can’t comprehend that there are valid reasons to think the series is weird about women.

        • DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          This was a better argument before Butcher realized he’d need to retcon Molly’s age to not completely disgust the readers, or the events of the latest book and the presumed direction of the next.

        • Baahb@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          I’ve heard that argument before, and fine, I guess, but I have 0 interest in reading a story from the perspective of a pedo.

          • wahming@monyet.cc
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            I doubt the pedo label applies. What does he do or say that would justify calling him that? I’m guessing you’ve never actually read the story?

            • Baahb@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              Ive read 15ish of them. Peace talks I think was last. On multiple occasions throughout the series he talks about how he thinks of the carpenter girls as children, comments some crap about knowing them in diapers right before going on to talk about their tits.

              • wahming@monyet.cc
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                1 year ago

                And given how Molly is hitting on him and he makes it very clear to her that it’s not gonna happen, ever, I believe he doesn’t deserve the label. We judge people by their actions, not by the private thoughts in their minds. We can’t control our thoughts, only our actions.

                • Baahb@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  Before molly is his apprentice, he talks about her all creepy. Not even talking about that scene.

                  And that’s fine, you believe whatever you want. I haven’t said he is a bad person just that reading it isn’t something I want to do. I’m going to let people know what they’re gonna have to put up with, cause Dresden is a creepy fkn dude.

    • probablyaCat@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Holy shit. He gets weirder? He’s such a neckbeard in the first few that I stopped at like book 4. Maybe 3. I don’t even remember. To be worse, he must start complementing their feet in public or some shit.

      • Baahb@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        On multiple occasions he talks about how he thinks of the carpenter girls as children, comments some crap about knowing them in diapers right before going on to talk about their tits.

    • amio@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Weird how? Some of it feels a little fedora-tippy, but I haven’t read it for a while so I don’t remember any specifics.

      • Baahb@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        On multiple occasions he talks about how he thinks of the carpenter girls as children, comments some crap about knowing them in diapers right before going on to talk about their tits.