And there were donuts involved.Ī small dose of worldbuilding on the sideĪt this point, Butcher has fleshed out Harry’s alternate universe to a fairly great extent, but one of the things I love about his books is that he doesn’t stop. You know, like the guy who has dueled three Senior Council wizards-and killed all three of them. He snarks off to those who could take his head off ten times over and not break a sweat. However, times have changed, and he’s no longer badmouthing two-bit sorcerers like he was in Storm Front.

Which makes him an awesome character, and probably my favorite villain from The Dresden Files thus far.Īs has become pretty much standard fare for any installment in The Dresden Files, Small Favor is filled with snark, insouciance, and Harry mouthing off to the wrong person at the wrong time. He is fully capable of pulling off whatever it is he has envisioned. When he brags about how he will kill you, it’s not bragging. Not only is Nicodemus not stupid, he isn’t cocky, either. Nicodemus is one of the few villains who has probably read the Evil Overlord List-heck, he probably would have contributed to it. And Harry, of course, doesn’t realize Nicodemus’ true intentions and plans until just a hair too late. Nicodemus is a guy who’s literally been around for centuries, and he knows how to play very long ball. With the Denarians being in town, that means one of my most favorite literary villains of all time is present in Small Favor: Nicodemus Archleone. Not only that, but the Archive-the grand sum of all recorded human knowledge, condensed into a single being-is called in to help mediate the conflict.Īnd, of course, all hell proceeds to break loose. The Knights of the Order of the Blackened Denarius are in town, and Harry needs the help of one of the two remaining Knights of the Cross to even hope to counter them. Harry soon finds himself completely outmatched and has to call in some favors of his own. A favor that will place Harry between a rock, a hard place, a nightmarish foe, and a terrifying ally. But the past casts one hell of a long shadow, and Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness and ruler of the Unseelie Court of the Sidhe, has come to collect a favor. That, in and of itself, probably should have been an omen-especially since no one has tried to kill Harry Dresden, professional wizard, for over a year. Small Favor, book ten of Jim Butcher’s bestselling series The Dresden Files, starts off with a snowball fight.

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