Skin Game by Jim Butcher Narrator: James Marsters
Series: The Dresden Files #15
Published by Penguin Audio on May 27, 2014
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 15 hours, 45 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble
Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is about to have a very bad day….
Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.
He doesn’t know the half of it….
Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.
It’s a smash-and-grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he’s dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.
Dresden’s always been tricky, but he’s going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance…
Now having completed the Dresden Files series to be up-to-date for the collection of short stories, Brief Cases, I’ll be reviewing next week, I can admit I am totally biased. I love everything Harry Dresden. Every book I managed to get on audio from the library. I listened to it, loved it, and went right out to Audible to buy it. Skin Game was no exception.
There are many reasons for my love. It is urban fantasy, which is my favorite genre. I included The Dresden Files in my favorite UF Series on Saturday. It was also on my list of Best Audiobooks I’ve Read in 2017. Harry has managed to collect a group of allies of all types which is my definition of a UF hero. He shows the compassion for others and intelligent strategy I prefer. Best of all, there is humor. Harry has also gone through so much growth and change. I love this world and its characters.
I have slowly made my way through the series since the next book, Peace Talks, has been forthcoming since 2015? I hope we will see it soon. I’m now left to wait with everyone else, impatiently, for its arrival.
Narration:
The audio books are narrated by James Marsters. It is a match made in heaven. I love the performance he gives bringing these characters to life. I can’t imagine anyone else. Even if I read, which I have only done with a few novellas, I hear him. I listen comfortably at 1.25x speed. I own every single thing on audio, even the collection of novellas, Side Jobs. I expect this to continue. It is the best. He captures the emotions, and the humor, perfectly.
The suits let out howls of excitement and began lengthening their strides. They weren’t done, not by a long shot, and they started curling the path of their pursuit, bounding over the fence surrounding the property, leaping over the landscaping of nearby buildings. I went with them, leaping the same fences. One of the suits slipped and hit the chain link at better than thirty miles an hour, with moderately gruesome results.
Another suit might have accidentally caught the end of my quarterstaff in the teeth as we both leapt a six-foot hedge, and wound up slamming into the side of an office building at the same pace, but it was pretty dark, what with the rain and sleet and snow and all, and I just wasn’t entirely sure what happened. Heh.
Listen to a clip:
About James Marsters
AMERICAN actor, singer and songwriter James Marsters first found international fame playing punk-goth Brit vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed American TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the equally popular spin-off Angel.
Film roles include live action film Dragon Ball, romantic love story P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates , USA Original true-crime film Cool Money, independent thriller Shadow Puppets, Winding Roads, The House On Haunted Hill and Chance with Buffy co-star Amber Benson.
The Californian actor, who grew up in Modesto, has also played Brainiac in TV’s Smallville and guest starred in Without A Trace, Millennium, Andromeda, The Mountain, Saving Grace and mostly recently Caprica. James is currently filming in CBS’s Hawaii Five-O.
James’s voiceover talents can be found portraying Lex Luthor on the DVD release of Superman: Doomsday and he continues to read for the very popular Dresden Files books on tape series.
He has received numerous nominations and awards, including the Spacey Award, the Saturn Award, the Cinescape Face of the Future Award, the Golden Satellite Award, and the Teen Choice Award.
James attended New York’s prestigious Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre and spent 10 years doing stage work before moving to LA to work in film and television.
He worked in Chicago’s famous Goodman Theater and also set-up and ran companies in Chicago and Seattle. One of his early television appearances was as a hotel bellhop in the television series Northern Exposure.
James is also a singer songwriter and has enjoyed sell-out concerts in America, Canada, Australia and Europe. He brought out his first solo album, Civilized Man, in 2005 and has followed it up with Like A Waterfall.
About Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2018 Audiobook Challenge
- 2018 Library-Love Challenge
Great review. I’ve got a ways to go before I’m caught up, but I’m slowly working my way through the books. I do LIKE this UF series and I agree their is always humor no matter what trouble Harry finds himself in. It’s a great balance.
Humor, at least a bit, is key for me in any series. I took about 2 years to work my way thru them on audio. Savor the time as you go forward. They really are fun. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Wow. That’s awesome that it was that good of a read for you this far into the series. I have the first couple of books. Need to pull them off the shelf and start on these.
I highly recommend the audio. It’s James Marsters (Spike). I got them from the library, every one, and then ran right out and bought them at audible. People have told me they get better by book 4 but I loved them all, so much.
I still need to read this book but am currently reading Brief Cases and am having a lot of fun spending some time with my favorite Wizard. This is the only book in the series that I still need to read and I have been slowing working my way through the series in audio. Marsters is such a good Harry! Glad you enjoyed this one, Anne!
Thanks Carole. Marsters is amazing. He really brings Harry to life. The humor is just right. My review for Brief Cases is tomorrow on release day.
I am on book three so I skimmed as I did not want to spoil things for myself. I am excited to see you loved this!
You are in for a treat. I started listening to these on audio from the library. People told me they improve at about book 4, where you are next. I loved them all. I would listen to the library and then go buy it on audible. I own them all on audio and love them all.
I really love this series. I just finished Brief Cases. It has some great stories in it. Have you listened to Side Jobs yet? If not, you should. It’s another anthology. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next full-length novel.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
Yes I also listened to Side Jobs and own it on audio; I pre-ordered Brief Cases. I have everything on audio for this series love them. We all wait for Peace Talks.
Yep… I finished this one a year ago and the wait for more is KILLING ME. I did enjoy Brief Cases quite a lot, but not as much as I would give for Peace Talks! Nice review!
Thanks Jen ! I am now caught up and will join those longing for Peace Talks. I also want the second book, The Olympian Affair, in his steampunk series as the first was amazing. I really enjoy everything I have read of his.