What Did I Expect From A Book Called Battleground?

After I finished Jim Butcher’s Peace Talks last week, I debated between reading the follow-up next or switching to the new Rick Riordan book. However, I’d been deprived of Harry Dresden for far too long and plowed on ahead with Battleground and I have not been disappointed. 

With just under a hundred pages left (and a separate short story bonus, yeah!), I have laughed and I have cried. Like a full-on heart wrenching, made the dog worry cry from which I have recovered because the not so unexpected death happens early on.

Last night as I continued my adventure, I thought how long has this battle gone on? In the story line I’d guess about 6 to 8 hours. In page length? From the first attack on page 7 until the final clean up on page 348. Seriously 341 pages (out of 402) of constant battle with few breaks in the action. And the whole time my brain is trying to translate the words into imagery in my head. As a result of the constant assaults and counter attacks and mass amounts of characters moving in and around the story, I know that I missed moments of the “movie” while trying to keep up with the action. 

Because that’s what this book feels like, a fast paced, high energy action film with few breaks to catch up and to many moving parts to try to watch at once.  I felt like my brain was on a swivel just trying to see it all happen. 

This is the one of the few times a book has created that sensation for me. While many books are 3 dimensional in my head, most do not have so much going on that I lose track of the action. But this one certainly asked me to reread certain passages so that I wouldn’t miss any part (and I still lost track of some of the secondary characters, thinking they were dead until they reappeared – yikes!). 

And all the while I am right there beside them, wielding magic and magical weapons, avoiding crossfire, fighting for mankind. Because the story is that good and the writing is that strong. 

In the end that is all that you can ask of the writer.

NOTE: The holiday season is upon us and if you are looking to encourage young readers many bookstores and publishers provide opportunities to either donate a book or donate money to their charities to provide books to underprivileged children. Please consider giving to this wonderful cause.