The Choices in Changes

The Choices of Changes
Book 12 of The Dresden Files By Jim Butcher

[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”left” asin=”0451463471″ cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Cmk0M62AL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”buzmag-20″ width=”90″]Normally, I do not do book reviews. This blog continues my career of not doing book reviews because I have no intention of reviewing Changes, which, by the way was totally awesome. If you have not yet read Jim Butcher’s newest installment in the Dresden Files, Changes and plan to, stop reading at the end of this sentence, as the very next sentence is likely to contain what some would call “spoilers.” Well, maybe not the very next, but to be certain, in order to properly talk about what the hell happened in Changes it is impossible to do so unless at least one of these so-called spoilers are discussed.

Changes marks the half-way point in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series. There is not a single chapter in the book that does not somehow irrevocably change the life of Harry Dresden, the character from whose point of view the story is told. In fact, the very first sentence of the book is a jaw dropper-Susan, Harry’s lost love, rings him up over the phone and says “Harry, they’ve kidnapped our daughter.” This is not only shocking because we were certain that we had seen the last of Susan back in book five, Death Masks, but also because neither we nor Harry even knew he was a father. The little girl was lovingly named Maggie by Susan, after Harry’s late mother Margret. Their daughter is about eight years old now.

Up until now, Harry has, for the most part, hired out his wizarding services. It was how he made rent, paid his bills, and enjoyed his modest lifestyle. This time the story is not about a case, it is not about anything as base as money. It is not even about what is right verses what is wrong. This time Harry is fighting for life of not just any child, or any damsel in distress, but for his own daughter, his child.

I have often said that Harry Dresden is a true hero, he always does the right thing no matter what. It doesn’t matter that the hero’s path is a hard trail to walk, thankless and unrewarding, Harry always tread upon it, even when it would have been easier and more rewarding, both personally and financially, to do otherwise. Bianca, queen vampire of the Red Court, summed it up best in the inscription she prepared on his gravestone “Harry Dresden, he died doing the right thing.”Well, not so much this time, that is, unless you consider why he made the choices he made. And there were a lot of choices to be made throughout this novel. Never before has Harry had it so rough.

As followers of the book we all know that Harry holds the idea of family very near and dear to his heart. It is the one thing he always wanted and never had, and oftentimes believed that he never would. He has for the previous eleven books been made offers and tempted to take offers that have generously, if not so pure of intent, been laid out for him. In true investigative style, Harry gets to work figuring out what is going on, as his world is both exploding out and imploding in all around him at every turn. Never before has our hero been pressed so hard. Finally, he thinks he’s gotten a good understanding of what is happening, and a frightening realization hits him square between the eyes: he can’t do it. He’s not strong enough, he’s not powerful enough. Even if he lets Susan help. Even if he called in the Scoobie Gang (Thomas, Murphy, Molly, Mouse, Sanya, Butters and Father Forthill) and they all got together and forged a plan to rescue the girl. He knows that even collectively they will not be nearly powerful enough to confront what stands between him and his little girl, a child he never even met and already deeply loves.

What to do, what to do. Harry is fubared, and he knows it. And then, working in mysterious ways, Uriel gives Harry this bit of advice “”Love your child, Dresden. Everything else flows from there.” I know, pretty powerful stuff right? For the first time ever, Harry actually hears the message; he absorbs it, and finally acts on it. For his daughter, he’ll do whatever it takes to save her life, no matter the cost to himself.

This is a very interesting dilemma I think. What does a hero do? What decision will he make, what will he choose? How far will Harry take this? Will he kill for little Maggie? If so, can innocence truly be saved with the blood of another? Will he tap Marcone and have an army of thugs at his disposal? Will he summon up Chauncy and negotiate for some extra boom-zap?

“Choices” would have been as good a name for Changes I think. A lot of hard choices were made. I don’t know if I could have made them. Never fear, Changes is the half-way point in the Dresden Files series. There will be a new Dresden book out next year, Jim has already said in his Buzzy Multimedia interview that he already cashed the check for the next book which he is writing right now. Maybe Harry will have the opportunity to make better choices in the future. Maybe not. Who can tell?