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Dresden Files - Read in order?
Underdog
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I'm starting the Dresden Files and the first book was fun. I'm waiting on the second book but it's going to be a while until I get my hands on it as there are 9 other holds on the book before mine 
. The third book however would be easy to get so I'm wondering if it's necessary to read them in order or if I can skip to the third and then go back to the second later on. Thanks!
. The third book however would be easy to get so I'm wondering if it's necessary to read them in order or if I can skip to the third and then go back to the second later on. Thanks! Underdog on
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You should even read the little short stories he published in other collections.
Some of the short stories, however, will spoil things for you if you aren't at the proper point within the series. Be careful.
If you skip 2 and go straight to 3 then you won't miss that much. From what I remember there are no important characters or events introduced that aren't adequately explained in book 3.
Anyone want to beta read a paranormal mystery novella? Here's your chance.
stream
2 Fool Moon
3 Grave Peril
4 Summer Knight
5 Death Masks
6 Blood Rites
7 Dead Beat
8 Proven Guilty
9 White Night
10 Small Favor
11 Turn Coat
12 Changes 2010
13 Ghost Story 2011
The novelette Backup shouldn't be read until after White Night.
The novelette Aftermath (in Side Jobs) shouldn't be read until after Changes.
I think The Warrior is the one that shouldn't be read until after Small Favor, but I can't remember for sure.
And skipping Book 2 to Book 3 is hardly a crime. I generally recommend people start with Grave Peril anyway.
Forget what I said... just read from 3 on. Although doesn't book 2 introduce
you are correct.
Not really. But better safe then sorry. Book 2 introduces some characters that appear in pretty much every book from that point on. But I mean, it's your call how important that is to you.
Granted, there are a dozen books, obviously Harry survives, but if 'how' that's accomplished is important to you, I wouldn't jump around the series personally.
I believe the OP mentions getting them from a library, but if funding isn't a terribly big issue, you can get the first three books as a box set for like $25. Amazon.ca doesn't seem to have it in stock, but indigo.ca does, and I recall seeing them sitting around in random Indigo/Chapters bookstores as well.
I agree with other posters that consistantly following the order isn't nearly as important with the first handful of books, but would recomend going in order all the same.
Plus, 2 has
And that is a big spoiler. Plus it just has some damn cool bad guys in it if you like traditional horror movie monsters.
*A Restoration of Faith
Welcome to the Jungle (Graphic Novel)
Storm Front
Fool Moon
Grave Peril
Summer Knight
Death Masks
*Vignette
Blood Rites
Dead Beat
*Something Borrowed
Proven Guilty
White Night
*It's My Birthday, Too
*Heorot
Small Favor
*Day Off
*Backup
*The Warrior
*Last Call
Turn Coat
*Love Hurts
Changes
*Aftermath
Ghost Story (April 2011)
To be honest, I'd planned on pulling together this list at some point anyway. I figure I'll probably start reading through the series again in the coming weeks, at a fairly leisurely pace so I'm done around the time Ghost Story comes out. Figuring out the order the stories should technically come in might be up for a bit of debate. It's My Birthday, Too and Heorot were easy; the former is in February and the latter is in October. I'll have to re-read them for clues, but Day Off and Backup weren't as immediately obvious at a glance. The Warrior is easily noted as taking place in the summer, but I'm not sure how the other two fit around it yet. Side Jobs does outright note that The Warrior comes before Last Call, so at least those two are correct.
Also, while they're pretty expensive, the two books that are out for the Dresden Files' RPG are interesting, especially "Our World", which seems to be chalk full of character information, and reading it has given me a sense of some things that I suspect will be dealt with in the coming books. The information it contains seems to be accurate up to and including Small Favor (short stories and all), as there are notable changes to the setting/characters that aren't referenced from Turn Coat and beyond.
Late edit: of note, I believe there may be another short story or three out there. Butcher commented that there was material that didn't make it into Side Jobs, so we'll eventually get Side Jobs 2 for that very reason. Also, I think there's technically another short story (or multiples) in the RPG books, there's at least one involving Harry speaking to a group of Wardens at the start of Our World, but I'm not sure if it counts per se.