Jennifer Jackson – Literary Agent

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

“If you keep upping your protagonist’s powers throughout a series, then you must balance the scales by increasing the number and strength of their enemies—as well as seriously messing with their personal life. Over the course of the Dresden Files, Harry Dresden, Chicago PI and now one of the most powerful wizards in the world, thought his first love was dead (she wasn’t), sacrificed his half-vampire girlfriend on an altar to save their child, lost another girlfriend when they learned she’d been mind-controlled into their relationship, bound himself into servitude as the Fae Queen Mab’s Winter Knight, and, for the length of an entire book, thought he himself was dead (he wasn’t). But nothing has hit quite as hard as the death of Karrin Murphy, the former police lieutenant who was his quasi-partner, friend, and, after a slow burn across many books, lover. Chicago is in a terrible state following a battle with Ethniu the Titan and her Fomor army, and Harry is doing his best to confront the monsters, dark magic, and anti-supernatural prejudice running wild amid the slowly rebuilding city. He’s also trying to save his half brother Thomas from two different death sentences, train a new apprentice, and juggle a relationship with Thomas’s half sister Lara, the dangerously seductive vampire Queen Mab is forcing him to marry. But he’s doing all this while nearly crushed by grief that threatens his judgment and disturbs his control over his magical powers. Butcher really makes you feel the dark, depressive state Harry exists in as well as the effect it’s having on his friends. Despite all that happens in it, this book is a pause as well as a setup for the series’ planned conclusion, an epic conflict with the eldritch creatures known as “the Outsiders.” It’s a tough, redemptive pause that could be a real drag, but thankfully, it’s not, because Butcher shows balance, too: Even as the crises pile up, so do the help and goodwill from unexpected sources. The series’ snarky noir vibe might be dwindling, but there’s something of substance in its place.” — Kirkus, Starred Review

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher is one of Amazon’s Editors’ Picks: Best Science Fiction & Fantasy books of January!

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

“Butcher shifts gears in his emotional 18th urban fantasy featuring professional wizard Harry Dresden (after 2020’s Battle Ground), focusing on the character’s struggles, over the course of one year, to come to terms with recent devastating events. These include the deaths of tens of thousands of Chicagoans, massive infrastructure damage, Dresden’s expulsion from the White Council of Wizardry, and the murder of his significant other, Karrin Murphy. Unfortunately, the threats to his city and those dear to him haven’t stopped just because Dresden is processing so much trauma; the corpses of the fallen attract ghouls who hunger for human flesh, and the damage to the city’s streets makes supplying its residents with food and other necessities extremely difficult. If that wasn’t enough, Dresden finds that he has another loved one at risk: his half brother Thomas, who is battling a malevolent possessing spirit. The high-stakes plotlines keep the pages turning as rapidly as ever, but this installment’s greatest strength lies in its exploration of Dresden’s mental state as his resilience is tested as never before. It’s not the ideal jumping-in place for newcomers, but those invested will appreciate this more intimate, and ultimately more optimistic, outing for Dresden.” — Publishers Weekly

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher

“It has been three weeks since the devastating magical attack on Chicago (Battle Ground, 2020), leaving the city in complete disarray and wizard Harry Dresden’s life in shambles. He is mourning the loss of a loved one, has been banished from the White Council of Wizards—although he is not as upset about that—and has been forced by the ruthless Queen Mab into an engagement to the provocative leader of the White Vampires. Harry is grieving and exhausted but nevertheless providing food and shelter for neighbors left homeless by the battle. He is not sure how, or even if, he will recover. What he needs is time, but Mab has given him the impossible task of resolving a conflict with the sovereign of another magical nation, the same king who wants Harry’s brother dead. And an overzealous new White Council warden is out for Harry’s literal head. His friends and, oddly, his new fiancée are trying to help, offering support, a new apprentice, and a Valkyrie bodyguard, but the heartbreak and anguish may still be too much. Series fans will be intrigued by the new characters and changes in Harry’s life as Butcher deftly explores the impacts of loss and grief.” — Booklist, Starred Review

Jim Butcher has a great profile appearing in the New York Times!

“Three decades ago, Jim Butcher put pen to paper and invented a wildly popular fictional universe. At the time, he was just trying to finish his homework.”