Changes

I chose to read a bunch of these one after the other as a part of a digital collection.

I'm not sure that was the best way to do it. It feels like eating a gallon of chocolate pudding in one sitting. I like the pudding, but a snack pack is a better serving size.

This, like all the books in the collection (7-12) had some high and low points. These books remind me of a fantasy adventure television show with each chapter edited to end on a cliffhanger/commercial break.

I don't have strong feelings of love for this series, but I'm not tired of it either. I like Harry, like the humor, like some of the supporting characters. They have enough stakes and tension to keep the pages turning. In this particular book, the scene with the “Eebs” was especially memorable. I also enjoyed the bit with Donar Vadderung and hope he comes back.

True to the title, there are a lot of “changes” in the book as Harry's life as we've come to know it is turned inside out and upside down. That's good as it means the future of the series may be less predictable (I hope).

On the downside, they throw a lot of plot at you, without rhyme or reason, and with twists that are often banal. How many other unknown family members is Harry going to pick up before we're done? If he finds out Karin is his sister, I'm outta here. The action sequences are frequently the most boring chapters of any given book. Ideally, I should be on the edge of my seat for these scenes.

There is far too much similarity between one plot and another from book to book. Every plot is a scheme within a scheme within a scheme, instigated by some supernatural power player. There's always a traitor of some kind or other. The Red Court's internal power struggles in Changes are almost exactly like the White Court's from White Night. It is never as noir as I had thought it would be/hoped for. Most of the characters are quite glamorous in one way or another. City problems are mentioned but most of the cast are too far above/outside of them.

Nearly every woman's hotness is described in detail. Harry's consistent horniness is tiresome. At this point I can just assume it's there, right? I don't need to be reminded.

I guess that brings up another point, because I'm reading them straight through like this, I'm aware of the abundance of exposition, which is skippable the way Butcher writes it. If I'd read them back when they first came out and had to wait for each new book, I'd have a different experience and would maybe appreciate the refresh.

I can never decide if I'm going to go on with the series when I get to the end of a book. Certainly, I won't binge them ever again as this intensifies the things that bug me about the series.