Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8) Review
Aside from being a devastatingly good read, Dead Beat introduced four very important elements into the Dresdenverse: the revelation that there is a traitor in the White Council of Wizards, a real hint (in the form of Cowl) of the larger Game, the introduction of Lasciel as a character and Harry being made a Warden. While those were introduced in Dead Beat, aside from Lasciel, none of those elements are really addressed until Proven Guilty.
It is, therefore, little surprise when the eighth book in the Dresden Files opens with Harry witnessing his fellow Wardens in action. Unfortunately, not in the battlefield, but in the courtroom. Now that he is a Warden, Harry is more privy to the nastier side of the job: executing rogue practitioners of the Art. Not killing in self-defense, or in the heat of the moment, but summary execution Guillotine style. Obviously this kind of thing does not sit well with our Hero, but you know it will inform the action to come. Oh yeah, Harry also gets a little "heads-up" from the Gatekeeper that there is Black Magic afoot in the old town.
While the other elements I mentioned earlier develop and unfold over the course of the book and mentioning them would be too spoilery, I will say that they are explored in much more depth in this book. Lasciel continues to have a key role in Harry's adventures, though not as prominent as in Dead Beat, and she and Harry's interaction continues to be one of the more intriguing aspects in the series. Dead Beat sent Murphy off in the opening pages, so that book needed Lasciel to fill a role for Harry, and she did it admirably (if deceitfully), but now that Murphy is back, it was only natural for Lasciel's role to be less prominent (though still important).
I am talking about Lasciel so much because the last time we saw the Carpenter family was the celebration at the end of Death Masks where Harry first acquired Lasciel's Coin trying to save Michael's infant son. We readers are not the only ones who have not seen Michael since then, neither has Harry. Worried what his friend will think, worried that he will sense the Denarian taint, Dresden has avoided Michael for nearly three years. Of course Fate intervenes and sends Michael's oldest daughter Harry's way seeking his help for some trouble of the weird kind. While Proven Guilty brings Michael back into the fold, it is actually more about his wife, Charity and daughter, Molly.
Proven Guilty is a book very much about reconciliations. While the newest book set to come out, Changes, indicates in its title a change in direction, Proven Guilty is a transitional novel in its own right. It was not as evident before, but in re-reading the books, Proven Guilty really feels like the beginning of a departure from the more singular story-telling that dominates the first seven books, and a subtle transition into the more Lore heavy later books. I would point to Dead Beat as the last Dresden Files book you can read out of order without it affecting your enjoyment. But the plot, characters and actions in Proven Guilty are SO driven by events in earlier books, the story's depth is largely dependent on already knowing what has gone before (one of the primary plot points, Horror movie monsters coming alive, was actually a throw away line in Dead Beat, or so we thought!). While it draws them into its loop, and makes them feel as if all the books were connected all the while, it is the first book that FEELS that way while you are reading. I actually read Proven Guilty before Dead Beat the first time I went through Dresden, and for the first time since I had been reading the series, felt as if I was really missing out on something by not reading the previous book. I guess by eight books in, it is hard to summarize so much action and plot development efficiently.
The book itself is quality, however, for whatever reason, it is just not one of my favorite books in the series. I will admit that I just LOVE both Dead Beat and White Night though, so part of it may be the "sandwich syndrome" that I mentioned with Blood Rites, where it is just between two better Files books to me. However, even in that comparison, I would say it falls short of Blood Rites as well, and I would rank it in the lower half of Dresden on the whole. I think part of the problem was the first half of the book just did not flow as well for me as other Dresden books. Setting the book largely around a Horror Convention for the first half might be part of that, as I have read other Urban Fantasy books set around conventions that did not draw me in as well as other books in their series (the Repairman Jack book Conspiracies comes to mind). Another thing I was not as enthusiastic about was the focus on Charity, as even after this book I just am very "eh" on her as a character. However, once Harry starts putting things together, the second half opens up and is a lot more entertaining. In fact the last 150 pages or so is comparable to any 150 pages to be found in the Dresdenverse. I just feel like other books in the series have that kind of stretch in them without taking so much time to get going.
As a transitional book Proven Guilty is excellent, as it reconciles many relationships that will be important later, as well as interweaving disparate allies (such as Thomas and Charity) and forcing them to work in concert out of a mutual respect for Harry. This is something that Harry very much shares with his Butcherian counterpart Gaius Octavian. It is one of Tavi's greatest skills to bring former enemies together and get them to work towards a common goal. It is something that Harry has in him as well, and it definitely will become more of an issue going forward, as Harry continues to accrue both allies and enemies, and it will not always be easy to tell them apart.
404 HC pages. 4 out of 5 stars
Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8) Feature
- ISBN13: 9780451461032
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, Book 8) Overview
The White Council of Wizards has drafted Harry Dresden as a Warden and assigned him to look into rumors of black magic in Chicago. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in the Windy City, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob...
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