Book Title: Peace Talks
Series name: The Dresden Files
Book No#: 16
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 14th July 2020
Publisher: Orbit
Introduction
Peace Talks is the 16th instalment of The Dresden Files, with a 17th instalment on the way. The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Harry Dresden. He is somewhere in his thirties, a wizard, and a returning character in this series.
I really like Harry’s character because he is funny and irreverent. I feel Harry’s humour is needed in this messed-up world where: wizards and humans must fight for their survival; stop various horrible things from happening; and even manage the more mundane but still challenging tasks of life, such as paying rent on time.
The Plot of Peace Talks
Peace Talks is focused on negotiations to end a war between various species of supernatural creatures. Creatures that are taking the lives of humans. At the centre of it is Harry Dresden.
In previous books, Harry gets into many conflicts that the other wizards would prefer he didn’t. From the perspective of some of the other characters, Harry has already started one war and likely to start another. The reader knows Harry isn’t interested in helping create more conflict, because the price of it is too high.
The other characters don’t know this. They are concerned that the protagonist, Harry Dresend, will disrupt the peace talks for reasons that clearly has nothing to do with his history of burning buildings. Consequently, dodging friendly fire is on Harry’s to-do list.
Actually Harry isn’t the one to disrupt the talks, a new villain does this instead. We don’t know much about this villain. They only appear near the end of the book, although the character has been hinted at earlier. They have a weapon which is probably at least as dangerous as a small nuclear bomb, but it’s precise capabilities are unknown. It is clear by the introduction that the character is very definitely hostile and a battle is imminent at the end of the book.
Peace Talks is relatively uneventful, which means it only involves breaking someone out of a prison. Magic is used to avoid being court by formidable supernatural creatures who are likely to be lethally upset about the prison break. This gets… interesting as it’s apparently very hard to deceive a dragon. It’s also probably a bad idea if you have already annoyed him.
The World Building in Peace Talks
Peace Talks is set in a world closely resembling our own but with added magically gifted people and various supernatural creatures. Humans and wizards find themselves in a world where they are part of a metaphorical—and sometimes literal—food chain; they are nowhere near the top of the chain. This builds and empathises the narrative as our protagonist undergoes many challenges, and the readers are left with lots of puzzles to work out.
The Dresden Files is not a series where the appeal is based on suspense. Instead, the bate that we are intended to take, that Butcher wants us to take, is to work out ahead of time how the hell Harry gets out this one?
I enjoyed doing this with the situation on the docks, although I completely failed to see how Harry was going to get out of the situation alive. I feel this method of storytelling works for this series.
Characterisation
I think that most characters are believable and that they react realistically to the things they learn in Peace Talks. That said, some of the situations they are in are extremely unusual, so you may not agree with me.
Most of Butcher’s characters break stereotypes and clichès by mixing the old and new expectations. The fairies will probably be very much what you expect, but their way of being and how they got to be that way will perhaps challenge your expectations. Also, the vampires are likely not going to be what you will expect.
Many other species of supernatural creature make appearances. The portrayals of some of them make use of elements of characterisations from other sources, but they have been changed enough not to be dull or clichè.
I think the cast of supernatural creatures is one of the best things about The Dresden Files. The creatures are on full display here in Peace Talks.
However, not all the characters break the cliche.
Issues with the story
I have two small gripes about Peace Talks which is why I only gave it four stars. The pace of the story, and the stereotypical Bbrit.
The story felt a bit slow-paced. This probably because it was a long build-up for the next novel in the series: Battleground. This might be a good thing if you’re new to The Dresden Files as it means you get background on most of the returning characters. However, a avid reader of the series could easily get bored. I was hoping the plot would speed merrily along but it coasted instead, so I enjoyed Peace Talks less than I expected.
The second issue can be summed as ‘the stereotypical, posh, reserved, aristocratic, Brit’.
This seems to be a favourite of American Authors, in my experience and I find it tiresome and irritating. Seriously, there’s a character in his twenties in a book set now who addresses Harry as ‘old boy,’. Moreover, he does it while wearing a bowler hat and carrying a ‘strictly ornamental walking cane.’ Just to complete the picture it is also noted that the character:
‘always [makes] a point to uphold the forms of civilisation harder than [is] strictly necessary.’
Jim Butcher – Peace Talks
Even by the standards I’m used to, this is something special. I can only assume this keeps happening because the type of person being stereotyped is white and wealthy, and, therefore, the stereotyping is not politically incorrect?
But fear not Chandler is a very minor character in Peace Talks and The Dresden Files. So, even if you get as bored by this like me, there’s no risk of spending the book practising the art the extended sigh.
Peace Talks and The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files has an overarching plot spanning all the books. Unfortunately the overarching plot isn’t very original but it works, cue the literal angels and the literal fallen angels.
I should probably note here that we don’t meet any angels, fallen or otherwise, in Peace Talks. A word of reassurance to those who fear clichè Jim Butcher avoids booming voices emanating from white light.
Every novel in The Dresden Files has its own plot including a least one major problem. The problems set up in a book are usually dealt within it and Jim Butcher does a decent job of reminding us what has happened in the last few books. So, you don’t necessarily need to read the whole series to enjoy this book.
Overall, I think Peace Talks is a humorous and fairly easy read book. If you’re looking to create yourself some headspace outside your four walls I recommend visiting Harry Dresden’s Chicago earlier than Peace Talks.
Peace Talks is available on e-reader and as an audio book as well as a paper book.
Thanks for reading and have a look at other book reviews on Little Sea Bear.