Twelve Months, by Jim Butcher - A Review (Very Light Spoilers)

Some books just hit in our soft places and resonate unexpectedly. I recently read the latest in the Dresden Files, Twelve Months by Jim Butcher.

This is book 18 of the series, and it has been quite a ride so far. What started as a book of “local wizard detective for hire” has evolved into an incredible journey of a good-hearted (though flawed) Everyman caught between massive forces. Light spoilers below.

Twelve Months pulls the chaos back just a bit, as Harry recovers from a massive, world-changing battle in the previous book (Battle Ground), and has to deal with personal grief. Yet that’s not all it is - the city of Chicago, where the series takes place, is also grieving not just personal losses, but the shattering of its reality and major changes in way of life.

We the reader can, if we want, see ourselves in Harry and how he deals with being a leader (of a sort) in his city and having to be strong for those around him, while also facing intense sorrow and pain. At least I felt that. The feeling honestly reminded me of 2020 when our whole world changed and we lost many of the usual conventions, at least temporarily, that made up our lives. Not exactly what Chicago goes through in Battle Ground into Twelve Months, but heavy in a different way.

I’ve loved all the books in the Dresden Files, but this one will stick with me for a while. I went through several emotions just Harry did, perhaps more strongly than I have in any of the previous books. This might be my favorite entry of the series so far, which is saying something when you consider that I’ve stuck with this for 18 books and one of the introduced concepts in earlier books led me to one of my tattoos (the sigil of the archangel Raphael).

Obviously this book requires some investment of time to truly appreciate, but it’s another reminder that sci-fi and fantasy can be escapist but can and often do reflect on our inner selves, and in my opinion it’s been well worth the journey. Thanks, Jim Butcher - a fantastic read.