As you know, the next Dresden Files installment was meant to be Mirror, Mirror. But following the catastrophic events of Peace Talks and Battle Ground, Jim Butcher felt that Harry needed to "become a human being again" by providing time to recover and cope with his losses, moving beyond the typical "worst weekend of Harry's year" format of previous novels. The author realized that throwing Harry directly into the next major arc without any recuperation time would be too much for the character, making Twelve Months essential for his journey.
Be that as it may, my main concern was that such a long interlude, unplanned in Butcher's timeline to boot, wouldn't sit well with fans who will have been waiting for more than five years for their next Dresden fix once this book is released. Sure, Harry needs time to recover. But would readers be happy with such a work coming so many years after the last Dresden Files book? Well, this reader was!
Given the nature of the story,
Twelve Months is a very slow-moving work. It is mostly about Harry coping with grief and loss in the aftermath of the Battle of Chicago. The destruction is widespread and whole swaths of the metropolis are now Gaza-like, and relief and rebuilding efforts are slow in coming. The magical conflict acted as a giant EMP burst that fried electronic devices and power systems throughout the entire city. And though locals know the truth, or at least a measure of it, the government is trying to keep the supernatural elements secret and the official word is that this was a terrorist attack. It looks as though this is sort of a transition work that will bridge what transpired before and what will come next. Harry is hurting bad and Murphy's death made him an emotional wreck. The only wizard in the phonebook has been through a lot since
Storm Front and he has now hit rock bottom.
Here's the blurb:
One year. 365 days. Twelve months.
Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different—and it’s not just the current lack of electricity.
In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that’s the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he’s doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it’s a heavy load, and he needs time.
But time is one thing Harry doesn’t have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry’s brother is dying, and Harry doesn’t know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires—and Harry’s been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.
It’s been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard—but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?
Though crippled physically, psychologically, and emotionally, as a matter of course shit continues to happen around him. And do-gooder that he is, Harry tries to help every way he can. Parts of Chicago lie in ruins and Harry does his best to shelter and feed the survivors who lost their homes and loved ones. But there is chaos on the streets and the police forces are spread too thin to make a difference. The Council is keeping an eye on Harry, ready to send in a death squad should they feel it necessary. Harry's brother is in stasis on Demonreach and not getting better and Justine's been sighted in Europe. To make matters worse, Thomas is wanted for murder and Etri, king of the Svartalves, will accept no compromise but his head to settle the matter. Drakul has given Harry and the White Council leave to come after him, if they so choose, without having to worry about breaking the Accords. Moreover, Harry now has a new apprentice to worry about, just another thing that would put him even higher up on the Council's shitlist. And to make matters even more awkward, to help prepare for their marriage, Mab forces Harry to go on a date with Lara every month. Long story short, Harry is in no shape to deal with any of this shit. Trouble is, he has no choice but to try, for too many people depend on him.
For the most part,
Twelve Months does indeed read like one long interlude. As such, it's a bit discordant when compared to the pace of the rest of the series. And yet, though it is indeed slow-moving, it is never dull. Understandably, Harry needed the time to heal and deal with the guilt that breaks him on a daily basis. No matter how uber badass he has become, it's nice to see that he's human afterall. But now that I've read the novel, I feel that the series also needed that breather. Indeed, this unplanned book allows Butcher to bring back a lot of plot threads, many of them from long past installments, which helps readers get refamiliarized with certain storylines and characters without breaking the momentum of the novel. A lot of groundwork has been laid out in the previous seventeen Dresden Files installments and Butcher's newest weaves some of them back together to prepare us of the big apocalypse trilogy to come. Such unhurried rhythm also provides some poignant moments with Molly, Maggie, Michael, and even Harry's grandfather. These were, for me at least, particularly moving.
For a long time, I was wondering if the pace would pick up at some point, or if
Twelve Months was all about Harry and Chicago somehow getting back on track over the course of a year and setting the stage for what comes next. Ye of little faith, I should have known that Jim Butcher would have a few surprises up his sleeve. And indeed, the last 20% of the book delivers on basically all fronts. The relationship between Harry and Lara Raith takes an unexpected turn when they agree to work together to find a way to save Thomas from his Hunger. This will take both of them down an unanticipated path, one that will even surprise Mab. The resolution of Thomas' plotline would have made for a satisfying ending, in and of itself. But Harry has made a lot of enemies over the years and they have decided to mount an attack on the crippled wizard's castle. Relying on the help of allies, both old and new (Harry's got a Valkyrie bodyguard named Bear and some new supporters Bob's not too thrilled about), Harry must protect his daughter and those refugees housed in his home from those dark forces that also plan to use those Chicago residents who are afraid of paranormal powers and who have begun to protest in front of Harry's castle as cannon fodder. There is no margin for error and yet Harry must find a way to save the day. Sure it may be a far cry from the endgames of both
Peace Talks and
Battle Ground, but Butcher nonetheless caps off
Twelve Months with a bang. The final scene is also quite touching.
In the end,
Twelve Months is indeed a transition book that focuses on Harry's physical, mental, and emotional recovery following the Battle of Chicago. And though it is indeed slow-moving for the better part of the novel, there are enough poignant scenes to keep you hooked until Harry gets better and decides to try to save Thomas. From then on, Butcher takes us on a wild ride that ends with panache. I don't know at which point these plotlines were meant to occur and whether or not it will screw up Butcher's timeline for the next few books, but it does brings
Twelve Months to a satisfying close.
So we didn't get
Mirror, Mirror. But I have a feeling that fans of the Dresden Files will nevertheless find a lot to like about
Twelve Months. Here's to hoping we won't have to wait another five years for the next volume!
The final verdict: 8/10
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