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    Skin Game
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    Skin Game
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    Skin Game
    Audiobook15 hours

    Skin Game

    Written by Jim Butcher

    Narrated by James Marsters

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From Jim Butcher comes the newest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files...

    Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day. Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it's something awful.

    Mab has traded Harry's skills to pay off a debt. And now he must help a group of villains led by Harry's most despised enemy, Nicodemus Archleone, to break into a high-security vault so that they can then access a vault in the Nevernever.

    Problem is, the vault belongs to Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld. And Dresden is dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess.…


    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 27, 2014
    ISBN9780698175969
    Unavailable
    Skin Game
    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 Skin Game

    4.5/5

    679 ratings81 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I always have an overwhelming urge to punch Harry Dresden. I feel like he's gotten better since the beginning, and at least now his friends always call him on his bullshit, but there are still moments when he needs punching. Like with the earring. Like whenever he thinks about some women as a sexual object. This is probably why I laughed my ass off when the whole mpreg thing came up.

      Here's why I liked this book: Because I love Michael Carpenter beyond the telling of it and because this book gave Michael quite a bit to do and feel.

      Also, this book was a caper. A con. A whole Harry's Eleven kind of thing except for how Harry was by no means in charge. And I do enjoy a caper.

      And? That spoiler OMG!
    • 5/5
      This series continues to get better and better. I immerse myself so fully into when I'm listening to the audiobook, that it can be hard to come back to reality. It's so in depth and wonderful and their is no other series that has such wonderful character growth. In this book, Harry is ordered by Queen Mab to help his archenemy, Nicodemus, on a secret mission to rob Hades safe. Backed into a corner and with no way out his must think five steps of his enemies (now co-workers) and pull of the biggest job of his career. He enlists the help of his good friend (and hopefully soon lover!) Karen to help and they have to lean on each other now more than ever. Wonderfully written and plotted, this book was amazing from start to finish. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
    • 5/5
      I love the Dresden books and this one doesn't disappoint but I do think there are too many battles and he gets hurt all the time. I loved Murphy and Butters in this books.
    • 5/5
      A transitional novel in the series, no doubt, but the best kind — it's exciting, clever, and has enough important stops in the series' overall narrative that make it vital.
    • 3/5
      Harry Dresden is a detective, a former cop, a Wizard of the White Council, and Winter Knight to Mab, The Queen of Air and Darkness.

      And this is his fifteenth adventure, leaving the reader coming in cold working to figure out a great deal of backstory.

      Harry's immediate problem is that he has a magical parasite in his head that is causing terrible headaches and will eventually kill him. There's a limited number of people who can help him, and they're not responding to his messages. Then Mab shows up at his Demonreach lair, with such a deal. She's got a temporary fix for Harry's problem, to allow him to function away from Demonreach so that he can do a little job for her--or rather, for Nicodemus, whom she owes a favor to. If he completes the job successfully and returns alive, then she'll deal permanently with his parasite problem.

      Harry hates Nicodemus, but it's not just his life at stake; the parasite will go after everyone he cares about after killing him. He's not happy, well, even less happy, initially, when he finds out he'll be working with a warlock (unlicensed wizard, or something like that), Hannah Ascher, as well as another, even darker, character called Binder. Oh, and his first assignment is to recruit an old acquaintance, Anna Valmont, Anna's a thief, and her skills are going to be needed for this job, which as it happens is burgling the Greek god Hades' private treasure vault.

      The writing here is nothing really exceptional, but it's perfectly competent and smooth. The problem is that because this is a Hugo Best Novel nominee, I'm coming into the series at book number fifteen. At this point, the book relies on the fact that everyone reading it knows the major recurring characters and the world they live in--and I don't. And sadly, without the backstory, I don't care. There's nothing here so compelling that I really wanted to keep reading. Regular fans of the series, I've noticed in online reviews, mostly feel very differently, but in a very real sense, we're not reading the same book.

      If you haven't, or don't want to, read the previous fourteen books, skip this one.
    • 4/5
      It was the typical Dresden adventure, but the focus was more on choices and faith and family. Dresden had been hiding out, trying to keep those he loves safe. But circumstances will show him that this is not a viable path. Dresden has doubts about who he is, but his friends know better. One of my favorites in the series.
    • 4/5
      Book 15 in The Dresden Files and the first of this series I've read. Winter Knight Harry Dresden's skills have been traded to his enemy Nicodemus by Queen Mab in order to pay off a debt. Along with a group of supernatural villains he must travel to the Underworld to steal the Holy Grail from the treasure hoard belonging to Hades. The alternative is death. Harry enlists a friend to watch his back as he knows Nicodemus will try to finish him off once his skills are no longer required. A good read for fantasy fans.
    • 4/5
      Torn between 4 or 5 stars. Definitely worth a read, though I thought the first third was a bit slow.
    • 3/5
      Harry Dresden is in thrall to Mab, the queen of the faeries, and must collaborate with one of his worst enemies to secure a bauble from the vault of Hades himself.
      A team is assembled, violence and mayhem ensue in pursuit of the heist. The plot twist which saves our hero is perhaps abit too convenient. But then, Harry is required in the next installment after all.

      It is difficult to justify awarding the Hugo for best novel to the 15th book in a long running series. That said, I enjoyed reading the story, and did not feel that not being across the backstory was a great disadvantage.


    • 4/5
      This is great story in the Harry Dresden Universe, after the last few novels being mediocre. In this one, Harry, as the Winter Knight for Queen Mab is forced to be part of a heist to steal the Holy Grail from Hades, ruler of Hell. He has to work with people from the magical criminal element, most of them cruel and psychopathic. This includes his arch nemesis, Nicodemus, a very old Denarian (read fallen angel). As usual, hijinks galore, and Harry gets beat up. His allies get beat up and put in unusual and possible moral quandaries. Of course, Harry survives, barely, and the world is saved for another day.This is the first novel in a long time where I felt Harry expanded as a person. As usual, his allies power up (Butters as a Knight of the Cross) and Harry makes a new friend, who may, or may not be good. Most of the book is set up for the actual heist, but the end is fun. Highly enjoyable if you like Harry Dresden.
    • 3/5
      Hades is a very attractive character.
    • 3/5
      The final battle was a bit of a bust, and the wrap-up left all sorts of questions unanswered. But I sure do like Waldo Butters' character development.Soooo... I've read all that's been published. Next?
    • 5/5
      Fantastic continuation of the adventures of Harry Dresden. This is one of the better books in the series. Plenty of witty banter, action, and character development for Harry and the supporting characters. Jim Butcher writes great characters and very entertaining conversations. While the book isn't as epic in scope as a few previous books, I feel it is much better written. Still leaves a lot of openings for the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Skin Games proves once again that Jim Butcher knows how to develop memorable heroes. Dresden is one of the good guys, but he has just enough humility to wonder just how good he really is, all things considered. Dresden's sense of humor is quirky and helps the reader develop a relationship with the hero.

      The story itself is filled with action, and Butcher is a master of maximizing the excitement. Never say die in a Butcher story, because the minute you do, someone or something will come to the rescue and save your sorry ass at the last minute.

      While many of the characters come straight for mythology, Butcher gives them relatable personalities. My favor was Hades and his pet. After reading Skin Games, it is easy to feel compassion for even the most hated of gods.
    • 3/5
      So many other people loved this book I wonder if I am burnt out on the series. The overall story arc of the series didn't appear to be advanced in this installment, some character development from Harry, a development with Butters I rolled my eyes over, and a demotion for Murphy.
    • 4/5
      Sort of an average entry in the Dresden series. It was a pleasant diversion but nothing makes it stand out from the other volumes in the series.
    • 5/5
      I wish there were a dozen more........ *sigh*
    • 4/5
      Not the best or funniest one in the Dresden files but a must-read if you are a Butcher fan. Some importand development, a small cliff-hanger. And love, love, love
    • 5/5
      I'd give this at least ten stars if I could. I finished it and immediately started it over so that I can catch all of the stuff that missed before I knew the plot twists. And it is twisty. And snarky. And touching. And all kinds of other great stuff. It's going to be a long wait for the next one.
    • 4/5
      I fear this is gonna send me into another slump because nothing else gives me the feels like Harry and his family. I just. I honestly might just start the series over because I need more.
    • 4/5
      This is the best Dresden book in a while. Great stuff.
    • 2/5
      I think I liked it more than my friends, but then I have lowered my expectations. It's always hard to sustain a character like this for as long as he has, and it has become a bit predictable. He learns a skill which just turns out to be crucial later in the book. He almost dies time after time. I read them now with a bit of nostalgia. It had some nice twists in the plot. I like the characters and I like the creativity. I just don't expect as much.
    • 5/5
      this made me cry, 5/5
    • 4/5
      This series continues to be astonishingly good: in the breathtaking pace of the action, the constant struggle and development of Harry as a person and all his friends around him, and the ever-loving ass-kicking clever twists and turns. Well played, Dresden, well played.
    • 4/5
      Possibly my favorite Dresden, so far.Dresden is loaned out by Mab to help one of his many nemeses break into the Underworld and steal an artifact. The conversation with Hades (yes, /that/ Hades) was easily my favorite part of this story. Well, that or the emergence of Dresden’s spirit-child (rich possibilities for the future). Cap these two bits off with a reveal about one of Dresden’s fellow burglars; and I can’t wait to read the next books.
    • 4/5
      I didn't like this one at first, but it grew on me as the story progressed. It's book eleventy-something of The Dresden Files and began with a lot of references to past adventures—people and events I had either forgotten or only hazily recalled. The scenario is that Harry Dresden, the wizard who is currently the Winter Knight sworn to serve the Faerie Queen Mab, has been lent out to an archdemon to help him rob the vault of Hades. Strike two. Harry Dresden has never been a paragon of virtue, but the thought of him making even more compromises with the forces of evil was unpleasant. However, Mr. Butcher managed to surprise me and pull a number of light moments into a dark situation.--J.
    • 4/5
      So much fun...much better than the previous book (in which I missed Dresden's verve and smart-alec quips).
    • 4/5
      Wow.
      That's all I'm going to say. Wow.
      Want to know more? Read it... you will not be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      And so the story moves on a little bit further in it's arc. Butcher discarding favoured characters as he goes (although there's hope yet for a few to re-appear). This is fairly full-on through-out but is mostly just setting up some plot lines for a book or two's time - as in the previous book there is a degree of retconning past events to suit the new outlook. Some of which promise to be a lot of fun. Especially the parasite. Harry's deep in Mab's obligations, and one of those is a favour owed to the Blackened Knight Nicodemos. AT the time he was one of Harry's biggest and badest enemies, but Harry's a lot more powerful now. However he still seems to regard Nicodemos as well above his fighting weight, which is an odd contradiction brought about by the general enemy inflation Harry's been having. Harry is not pleased at being sent to assist Nic, but works out a clever way to both aid and hinder Nic at the same time, so as not to fall foul of Mab's strict sense of faerie honour. It takes him a while to realise this is what was expected of him. The task is to rob a particularly secure vault of a special item - but Nic is keeping all the details very close to his chest. Harry has to do likewise, much to his friend's disgust. This also re-animates a couple of past acquaintances. Yet more Retconning happens when Nic brings a Bigfoot to the party and Harry claims to have met one - maybe it's a short story, but it didn't happen in any of the novels, his excuse for not telling anyone is extra-ordinary lame.Everything else goes as you might expect a few twists and turns along the way. Some showy magic, Harry attempting to use his brain and be a little less direct than sometimes. Pretty much works, a few good lines and some decent focused blowing up. But Harry also appears to run out of magic a few too many times too conveniently for the plot, which hasn't happened before and felt discordant.About as expected good continuation of the series but not a highlight.
    • 5/5
      More twisty fun from Jim Butcher. Harry is the Winter Knight, and Queen Mab is calling in his services. Nicodemus , possessing one of the Lazarus coins, is planning a major heist and needs Harry's particular skills. Lots of action and violence, plus the return of the awesome Michael.Highly recommended.