Side Jobs

Side Jobs is not entirely part of the Dresden Series proper. As the title implies, it's the smaller cases that have less to do with the larger arcs. It's a collection of short stories that provide some history for fans of the series. Some alternate perspectives and smaller cases. It was a lot of fun to read, especially the stories narrated by characters other than Harry.

This book collects stories ranging the whole course of the series thus far. From A Restoration of Faith, which was written and takes place before the first book to Aftermath, told from Murphy's perspective immediately following Harry's death in Changes. The stories themselves are fun little bite-sized adventures. More interesting for the background they provide: Billy and Georgia's wedding, Thomas' involvement with the Oblivion War, Murphy's first meeting with Dresden, their relationship, and her grief when he dies.

I really should have picked this book up before Ghost Story. That's where it fits in the series, and it probably would have had a slightly bigger impact before I knew how Harry was resurrected (and why and how he was killed in the first place). But it's a little harder to track down, and it fit in here just fine. It was a quicker read than most of the Dresden books, which is saying something. This is the series I usually use to pull me out of slumps, because I can tear through 500 pages in about 2 days. The short stories go even faster. And if they are occasionally heavy-handed (Warrior), they're still entertaining.

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