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    Blood Rites
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    Blood Rites
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    Blood Rites
    Audiobook13 hours

    Blood Rites

    Written by Jim Butcher

    Narrated by James Marsters

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, takes on a case as a favor to his friend Thomas-a vampire of dubious integrity-only to become the prime suspect in a series of ghastly murders.


    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 15, 2010
    ISBN9781101222294
    Unavailable
    Blood Rites
    Author

    Jim Butcher

    #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. 

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    Reviews for Blood Rites

    4/5

    2,266 ratings95 reviews

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    • 4/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: Butcher’s plotting skills are spectacular. With such a rich world built at this point in the series, he could easily slip up and create some sloppy plots, but everything he writes makes perfect sense in its own right (as an individual story) and in the context of the overarching series plot line. Like usual, Butcher’s plot is a great mix of action, drama, and humor, and the stakes are, yet again, set one step higher than they were in the previous book — especially for Harry this time around. It’s always great to see a series that’s strength increases every book, and it doesn’t seem like Butcher is going to let his guard down any time soon.And, of course, once more, Butcher’s characters were fantastic; he spent a great deal of time developing Harry’s relationships with some key recurring characters in this one while still introducing new excellent characters who are destined to have an impact on future plot lines. I appreciate that he took the time to do the former, especially given the harrowing and time-constrained sub-plots contained in this installment.Basically, Blood Rites is yet another winner for The Dresden Files.
    • 3/5
      Dresden as a porn star? Not exactly. However, he does end up working on set of a porno film in the making in order to discover why the women working with the producer are dying horrible deaths. Harry also gets into a huge showdown with the very dangerous Black Court vampire Mavra, with painful results. The book does start off a bit slow, but once it picks up, it never lets up.
    • 3/5
      I'm still listening to this series for the sound of James Marsters' voice, but this one actually made me giggle few times - Harry is working undercover on a porn film set. Silly jokes, murderous curses, family secrets, cute dogs & evil sex faeries ensue while Harry can't keep his eyes off other characters' butts.
    • 4/5
      There was a lot going on in this one - Harry takes a job trying to protect a porn movie producer and gets entangled with the White Council (wizards), and the White and Black Courts (vampires). He also gets a puppy and finds out more about his family.
    • 4/5
      As a favor to his vampire friend Thomas, Harry takes a job to investigate some suspicious murders on an adult film set run by director Arturo Genosa. Two of Arturo's female employees have already died in excessively dramatic manners, so much so that it looks like there might be a curse involved. A highly complicated curse requiring more than one person to pull off. This is one mystery that becomes more twisted, and dangerous, the further Harry digs into it.Blood Rites is the sixth in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. This just might be my favorite in the series so far. It his the right combo of mystery, action, humor and bad ass wizardry that reminds me how much I enjoy this series. There are some cheesy cliches mixed in but that's all part of Harry's charm. I love how we're pulled right into the action as Harry is wrapping up another assignment by fleeing for his life from some monkey demons. Needless to say that's definitely just the start of a wild thrill ride.There are two main plot threads. are woven together much better this time around, which was my main complaint about book 5. Yes, we're still dealing with vampires though it's both the Black and White courts this time. It helps fill in the differences between the three courts nicely.Finally we get some insight into Harry's past! And a lot more character building for Karrin Murphy. I've been waiting for both of these and found it very satisfying. There are two big revelations that turns Harry's personal life upside down (again) which lead to some emotional moments for our characters. I'm fairly sure it's a great set up for where the series will be heading next. I also have a feeling the addition of Mouse will end up fairly important to Harry's future.“Thomas, why did you buy large breed puppy chow?”
    • 4/5
      I think that I might have enjoyed this book even more than I did the first time I read it. It has been several years since I worked my way through the Harry Dresden series the first time and I have been slowing re-reading the series on audio. I am somewhat surprised that I remembered as much of this story as I did but I think that this is really a pivotal book in the series and it stood out in memory for that reason. I really had a blast with the story and am glad that I made the decision to pick it up when I did.Once again, Harry has his hands full. The book starts out with Harry delivering some temple dogs to a monk which sounds like it should be a lot easier than it actually is. One of the dogs stows away in Harry's car and I really enjoyed having the pup along for much of the story. Harry is a good guy and always seems to do what is right even when it costs him. This book takes Harry on quite the ride and spends some time on the set of an adult film where things don't really go as planned.This felt like a pivotal book in the series because there are some pretty big revelations that are made. You get some insight into several characters which will have an impact for the rest of the series. I also liked the fact that we see others make some sacrifices for Harry. Harry always seems to give but it is nice to see that he does have some true friends that are there for him and can be trusted.James Marsters does a phenomenal job with this series. I am really quite in awe of his ability to bring Harry and the story to life. If I were to read one of these books, the voice that I would hear in my head for Harry would be James's voice. He is able to add excitement to the story when needed and seems to have perfectly captured Harry's sense of humor. He handles all of the voices very well and is easy to listen to for hours at a time. I would highly recommend this series to others. It is a series that needs to be read in order since each book builds on the previous installments. I had a great time with this wonderful story and can't wait to continue my re-read of the series.
    • 4/5
      I apparently lack self-control because I blasted this in a day, ignoring other obligations (I think the last time I did this with a series [book a day], it was Wheel of Time in middle school...) My copy had typos, but that comes with the territory of eBook downloaded from ....somewhere.

      Anyway, I find I enjoy the stories that reveal backstory of a world and those that further the relationships of existing characters, both of which occur here. Also, puppy!
    • 4/5
      When are you going to let yourself know you like Murphy?
      Yay family!
    • 5/5
      I noticed I rated this four out of five the first time around. Listening to it this time, I found this to be the first *really* good Dresden novel. (After four *very* good books and one OK one.) There's a lot going on under the surface here, and this is a surprisingly thoughtful book in some regards.

      Also, Mouse.
    • 4/5
      This series just gets better and better! And you can't beat having Spike read it to you. XD
    • 5/5
      This is another good detective novel and urban fantasy mix. It kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I love the descriptions -- I think this may be my favorite: An errand is getting a tank of gas or picking up a carton of milk or something. It is not getting chased by flying purple pyromaniac gorillas hurling incendiary poo.This book is one where you need to have read the earlier books in the series. While Butcher catches the reader up on more picky plot lines, other aspects of Dresden's world the reader is expected to remember. I love the returning characters and found the new characters interesting, sometimes as one finds something nasty "interesting." Butcher is truly a master of urban fantasy and this is well worth reading. Do start at the beginning of the series.
    • 4/5
      Ultimately, what makes series books interesting is the character development of the main series character. I really liked the additional information we learn about Harry in this book - what happened to his parents, what his relationship with his mentor was like, and new information on family ties Harry didn't know he had. It makes for more interesting reading. The case Harry takes on in this installment is predictably harrowing but that's what makes a Harry Dresden novel exciting.
    • 4/5
      Loved as usual !!
    • 4/5
      A very good read, but this book becomes perhaps the demarcation line between fans and casual readers. It's very well paced and exciting, but it relies heavily on previous knowledge and contains a lot of setup for future book(s) or so it seems.

      One thing I did not expect from the earlier books of the series was how long the subplot of vampires warring vs. the White Council would drive the sequels. Six books in and it's still the metaplot moving things in the background...and it's not stale. In fact, with each book layering in more details on the 3 types of vampires in the Dresdenverse, it's as much about the plot and story of each novel as it is the world building around Harry & Co.

      Highly recommended, if only for readers who've followed the series thus far.
    • 5/5
      I have reread all of the Dresden Files quite a few times, and they never get boring. I started reading the German translation after I had gifted copies of the first book (in German) to my sister, my niece, and a friend. And I must say that the German translation is not as bad as I had expected. In fact, the translator is doing a good job at capturing the tone and atmosphere of the books though a couple of things do get lost. Bluthunger (Blood Rites) is the book where I first realized that this series is going to be huge with a large world and a vast number of characters. It's the book where we finally learn more about Harry's family, and after hints in the previous books learn that he does in fact have family, though that came unexpected when I first read it. It's the book where we learn more about the White Court vampires, and where Mavra returns to do more evil, where He who walks behind appears again.
    • 4/5
      Gee, I have actually read six of these books now and I really don't know why. I guess it is because the setting is at least different from what I generally get from most fantasy novels, and that there is at least a half decent story arch that sort of makes me want to find out what happens (though the fact that these books tend to end up sitting on my 'I may get around to reading it' shelf suggests otherwise). Anway, what did I learn from this book? Well, maybe that Jim Butcher used to, and probably still does, play roleplaying games.Basically Harry is hired by an independent film maker (and while I could be a little more subtle about the type of films that he makes, I won't, and will simply say that he makes porn) who is having his cast die of mysterious deaths while trying to produce some films to make a name for himself in the industry. Fortunately Butcher is not so crass as to make the bad guys a bunch of fundamentalist Christians who have decided that the best way to deal with a licentious society is to enact their own version of God's vengeance, and simply resorts to the old corporate monopoly trick.Once again we delve into the world of the vampires, but this time we mingle with the vampires of the Black Court (who are just plain evil) and the vampires of the White Court (who feed off human emotion). We initially, in the earlier books, received the suggestion that the White Court vampires were good, but when we come to this book, we suddenly discover that they really aren't (though in the world of Harry Dresden, there isn't really a sharp line between good and evil). We also learn a few more things about Harry Dresden, however, for some reason, I found that the peeling away of the mystery that is this wizard who advertises in the phone book was not all that revealing anymore.Now, this book was written in 2004, and I sort of wonder these days if the porn industry is on its way to obsolescence. The reason I say that is because computing power has reached such a point that any old person could simply make their own home made porn movie and upload it too the internet. Look, people basically watched porn because, well, they got off on it, and we didn't have broadband internet, or an adult only version of You-tube. These days we have it, so I wonder what is the point of actually going out and making a full length pornographic feature when, in reality, nobody is going to buy it (simply because they have either subscribed to some adult only website, or, if they are smart, have realised that you don't actually need to pay for it).I guess back in 2004 the porn industry, at least when it came to movies, still had a customer base. Mind you, as is suggested in this book, they are hardly Hollywood movies, and were churned out at an alarming rate. The ones that did actually have a following tend to have some form of plot tied into them (such as Flesh Gordon). I do remember people joking about such films, but they did exist. In fact, I remember when Flesh Gordon was showed at one of the cinemas in my home town, and I went with (surprise, surprise) a woman. We both thought it was hilarious, and I think that was the point of the movie. While it was porn, in another sense, it wasn because it was pretty much a really bad take off of a popular story. Hey, proper porn doesn't actually have a plot. It's like some house wife is at home and the pool cleaner (electrician, computer repair man, vacuum cleaner salesman, or any other random guy that just happens to be really well endowed) turns up and they have a bit of a chat, and then start performing acts that some of us still believe children shouldn't be exposed to. In reality there is no plot, and films that I have seen (and yes, I've seen porn) would normally have us fast forward all of the boring bits (which involves really bad and pointless small talk) until we got to the gratuitous sex. The funny thing is that with those movies I never actually watched one alone, but with a group of us, and we would simply all sit around the television and laugh.Mind you, we were all pretty young at the time.
    • 4/5
      One of his better stories - really fun, lots of vampires and some Dresden drama!
    • 5/5
      By book 6 here, you're either enjoying the Dresden Files books or you're not, and I doubt anything I say would sway you one way or another. In this book, Harry Dresden rescues some puppies (and gains a new follower), we finally learn more about why Thomas keeps hanging around, and Murphy meets Kincaid. Lots of threads winding their way through the whole series in this one.
    • 4/5
      Wizard-detective Harry Dresden does a favor for his vampire friend Thomas and tries to keep an entropy curse from killing again and, while he isn't entirely successful, Harry gains some knowledge into his own family history in return. This is a very good installment in an otherwise good series and the action is full-speed from the very beginning. The humor is there, the plot-twists are there, and the characters get to shine. The stakes are quite high too since Harry finds out something quite surprising and gains something much more important than just professional satisfaction. I do enjoy the way Butcher suspends his characters equidistant between reality and the magic world and somehow makes it all feel real. And, of course, there's the introduction of a new character, Mouse, who I am looking forward to seeing more of in future installments. If you are looking for entertaining urban fantasy, look no further (but start at the beginning of the series!) and if you enjoy audiobooks, James Marsters is a near perfect narrator for Harry's voice.
    • 3/5
      Lots of stuff about vampires - this time the White Court and the Black Court (as opposed to the Red Court of earlier novels). If this turns into a series on only vampires, I might need to give it a rest. Harry gets called in to work on a case of an Entropy Curse affected a producer of adult films. How this gets tied to the vampires is interesting, but the plot drags a bit coming to resolution. OK read - but I'm hoping that the series doesn't turn into all-things-vampire in the future.
    • 2/5
      Finally done with Harry Dresden. While I quite enjoyed it at first, his character just made reading the series harder and harder. He is a self-righteous ass and his chauvinism becomes quite irritating.
    • 3/5
      Every one of these Dresden books is the same. They all blur together. I have no way to tell them apart. I've read about 6 of these books, and they really are pretty good. But, they are all in the average category. None of them stand out as really that awesome.

      After reading this particular book, I was like, well, that was kind of boring. Why the hell did I even finish it? Oh yea. For some reason, I just love Dresden crying like a little girl.
    • 4/5
      Excellent series. As this series continues, Dresden's character gets more and more interesting and complex, as well as the people and villains in his life. I think Dresden and Murphy will hook up in the future at some point, but only my opinion.
    • 3/5
      Butcher's "Blood Rites" is better on the feminism front for both Murphy and the macho chivanism (ha, I'm keeping that one, chivalric chauvinism in a nutshell) aspects. Some resoundingly disappointing points on feminism in general. All in all, that the character is developing and dealing better with women is a good thing. I wonder whether tapping into gender expectations is intentional on the author's part.

      The novel kicks off with Butcher's trade mark exciting scenes combining unlikely elements into trouble for the lead character. Harry Dresden barely keeps up with the book's pace himself, and even the reader is left a little breathless by the speed of the scenes. This gets somewhat discordant, but that is par for the course with this series.

      There are big familial changes in store with this novel, and hard truths revealed. Dresden will never be the same, and perhaps that is for the better. I look forward to seeing how he copes with family members, and in dealing with his ally, Karin Murphy, on a more equal basis.

      If I were to give Butcher the benefit of the doubt, I'd say that it was the use of traditional gender models in the beginning of the series that helped him get published. Now that he is picking up momentum perhaps he is able to step outside the realm of mainstream thinking to explore something more than the powerful-women-are-at-least-scary-and-usually-evil and non-powerful-women-are-good-and-helpless-and-must-be-protected-as-they-are-chips-on-the-patriarchal-poker-table-of-power stereotypes.

      I am not, at this point, seeing scads of self awareness in the gendered power dynamics. And there is nothing dealing with LGBT yet either. Not necessarily surprising, but disappointing.

      That being said, Butcher really milks the humor factor for all it is worth in combining the supernatural with up to date urban elements. I'm just so used to this genre producing valuable social and political commentary.
    • 4/5
      Great continuation of the story and you learn a lot more about Harry Dresden and the many other characters in this series. This book is a bit calmer then the previous ones, but major things still happen in this one. I'm really enjoying this series and can't wait to read the rest of them. I like how each book is almost a stand alone, but has an overarching story that keeps them all connected. I always feel satisfied at the end of the books.
    • 4/5
      Substance: Some interesting revelations about Dresden's family. Style: The action and plot are sound, but one Dresden a year is enough. My book-Z-rating comes from the way Butcher handles sexual material: not graphic, but calculated to arouse adolescent lust.
    • 4/5
      Dresden goes through more crap, has the worst luck ever, then finds he actually does have a family. Nicely done, Jim Butcher. Nicely done.
    • 3/5
      Butcher's "Blood Rites" is better on the feminism front for both Murphy and the macho chivanism (ha, I'm keeping that one, chivalric chauvinism in a nutshell) aspects. Some resoundingly disappointing points on feminism in general. All in all, that the character is developing and dealing better with women is a good thing. I wonder whether tapping into gender expectations is intentional on the author's part.

      The novel kicks off with Butcher's trade mark exciting scenes combining unlikely elements into trouble for the lead character. Harry Dresden barely keeps up with the book's pace himself, and even the reader is left a little breathless by the speed of the scenes. This gets somewhat discordant, but that is par for the course with this series.

      There are big familial changes in store with this novel, and hard truths revealed. Dresden will never be the same, and perhaps that is for the better. I look forward to seeing how he copes with family members, and in dealing with his ally, Karin Murphy, on a more equal basis.

      If I were to give Butcher the benefit of the doubt, I'd say that it was the use of traditional gender models in the beginning of the series that helped him get published. Now that he is picking up momentum perhaps he is able to step outside the realm of mainstream thinking to explore something more than the powerful-women-are-at-least-scary-and-usually-evil and non-powerful-women-are-good-and-helpless-and-must-be-protected-as-they-are-chips-on-the-patriarchal-poker-table-of-power stereotypes.

      I am not, at this point, seeing scads of self awareness in the gendered power dynamics. And there is nothing dealing with LGBT yet either. Not necessarily surprising, but disappointing.

      That being said, Butcher really milks the humor factor for all it is worth in combining the supernatural with up to date urban elements. I'm just so used to this genre producing valuable social and political commentary.
    • 3/5
      This one from Butcher actually disappointed me, because for a few chapters I was hoping that this was more about investigation (a la Marlowe) and less of Spiderman vs. Galactus.I do understand that it's a bit unfair (to the readers) to write mysteries when you are making up the rules as you go along, but I think it should still be interesting.Unfortunately even the main investigation (a jinxed porn movies troupe) is soon overloaded with Vampires, Badass Daemons and more and more revelations about the main character's past.3 stars because I still enjoy it, but I am starting to hope for a change of pace.
    • 4/5
      Blood Rites
      4 Stars

      Harry is hired to investigate a series of mysterious deaths on the set of a porn film and finds himself battling against a ritualistic curse and vampires from the Black Court.

      It has been a slow process but The Dresden Files is finally coming into its own as a series and is noteworthy for its excellent world building, exciting actions scenes and wonderful supporting characters. Harry's relationships with Murphy, Kincaid, Thomas and Ebenezer take off in new directions and the revelations regarding his past open new avenues for exploration.

      The plot is fast paced and easy to follow although it does suffer from a number of cliched tropes such as the sexpot porn star, the vindictive ex-wife and the megalomaniac villain obsessed with his own self-importance. The solution to the mystery is a little on the obvious side although there are some interesting twists and turns along the way.

      In sum, Blood Rites sets up several important plot points and is a must read for fans of the series. I would, however, recommend that newcomers start with book#1 Storm Front so as not to miss out on any of the backstory.