Wonderful short stories by Jim Butcher, perfect for tiding one over until his next Harry book comes out. The new story was wonderful and it was great to see the others in one place. I am buying several copies for my library and a copy for myself.

Fans of the Harry Dresden books will not be disappointed with this new installment to the series, and and newcomers to the series will want to read the rest of the books to get the full stories of the various characters. Secondary characters like Marcone, Molly and our favorite polka-loving M.E. get their turns in the spotlight, and we get to see glimpses into aspects of their personalities that may not have been obvious in the complete books. The best of all were the stories with Bigfoot. All three of them were perfect examples of who Harry is and the kinds of situations he always seems to find himself getting into (and out of). A worthy addition to a favorite series.

Incredibly fun Read. Of course there were some stories that were better than others, but over all it was a very fun read! It was nice to have different point of views in some stories other than Dresden, especially characters like Marcone who are interesting characters in the Dresden universe. I wish some of the stories were longer, and continued, but that is how short story anthologies work.

Loved this! I haven’t been in the world of Mr Dresden in quite some time and I am inspired to go and continue the series. I stopped a long time ago and now I can’t remneber why. 5 stars just like the rest of the series. My favorite quote is “You humans have the potential to be the most wonderful beings there are—if you can get past all these enormous stupid spots you seem to have in your hearts. It’s not your fault. You just don’t know how to work your hearts right yet. That’s why there are dogs.” So true!

Summary: This is a collection of short stories set in the Dresden universe. Most of them are set in Harry’s time, but the first one is set in the cattle-driving, Wild West days of Dodge City, and I loved it! Each of these stories are so enjoyable and provide additional insights into characters in the Dresden stories. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the series (I have some catching up to do!), but these stories are just the ticket to get me back. Jim Butcher gives a little background on each story, which makes them even more fun to read. I promise you’re going to love getting a little more insight into John Marcone!

Highlights: If you love Butcher’s writing in the Dresden Files, you will definitely find these stories to your liking. It’s a fun way to learn more about characters in the series that you can’t get in the novels.

Lowlights (or what could have been better): I only wish there were more stories in this collection!

FYI: If you aren’t familiar with the Dresden stories, or Harry, probably you won’t make much sense of these stories.

While most of the stories in this book are available in other collections, they are still excellent and the one new story in this book is particularly good. If you really need a Dresden fix to tide you over until the next book comes out then this collection is for you.

I had such a love/ hate relationship with this book: wanting to devour it after such a long fast of Harry Dresden material, and forcing myself to slow down and savor it because there is no certainty about when the next volume might appear. Fantastic short stories, great fun themes and a variety of viewpoints all add to the strength of the book.

"Magic is well and good, but bullets are often swifter."

Brief Cases (just published in June 2018) is a collection of a dozen short stories set in the world of Harry Dresden, a private investigator and talented wizard living in Chicago. Harry is the main character in most of the stories, but not all; a few other characters in Jim Butcher’s DRESDEN FILES universe get their chance to relate their adventures in their own voices.

This is the case with one of my favorite stories, the first one, “A Fistful of Warlocks,” set in the American Old West in the late 1800s, long before Harry Dresden’s time. Anastasia Luccio is a wizard and a Warden of the White Council of Wizardry, sent by the Council to Dodge City to take a murderous warlock into custody. Anastasia is a woman with attitude:

“Charmed, Anastasia,” said the deputy. He squinted at my sidearm and said, “Webley. Lot of gun.”

He was not so very much taller than me. I arched an eyebrow at him and smiled. “I am a lot of woman.”

The warlock she’s been sent to apprehend turns out to be a lot more trouble, and have more friends helping him, than Anastasia anticipated. For her part, she gets some assistance from a näcken, a treacherous shapeshifting water spirit (usually in the shape of a horse) who lost a bet to her, and a particular deputy who will be familiar to anyone who knows anything about the Old West. I was tickled pink to meet him in this tale!

Another particular standout is the last novelette, Zoo Day, where the same period of time and overlapping events are related by Harry Dresden and two other characters, a young girl named Maggie (who will be familiar to readers of the series) and an enormous and magical dog ironically named Mouse. Harry, Maggie, and Mouse take a trip to the zoo one day, where several different magical threats turn up to disrupt what was supposed to be a pleasant outing. Each of these three characters offers his or her own perspective on the events of that day, building on each other’s stories. It was insightful and even touching.

“B is for Bigfoot,” “I Was a Teenage Bigfoot” and “Bigfoot on Campus” are an enjoyable trio of stories about the son of Bigfoot by a human woman, a six foot-four inch archaeologist. Irwin, their son, is an intelligent and (understandably) physically strong young man, but has typical growing-up troubles with bullies, school teachers, and first love. Of course, there’s a magical twist to all of these problems. These stories explore some of the problems and concerns of parenting, with a Sasquatch spin.

Another particularly memorable story was “Curses,” a tale with a distinctly Chicago flavor, which relates the “true” story of the Chicago Cubs and the infamous Billy Goat Curse of 1945. Bob the Skull makes an appearance here to good effect, helping Harry analyze the long-running curse. In addition, there are a couple of stories featuring Harry’s friend Molly (one of which, “Cold Case,” is a bleak and distinctly Lovecraftian tale set in Alaska); “Day One,” a story about Waldo Butters and his first outing as a Knight; and “Even Hand,” from the point of view of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone, a crime lord with ties to the magical underworld.

These twelve stories in Brief Cases are set at various points in the DRESDEN FILES series and, fair warning, there are some significant spoilers relating to things that happen to some key characters in some of the later books of the series. It’s also helpful to be at least somewhat familiar with the series before launching into reading these stories. I’m somewhat a newbie to Harry Dresden: so far I’ve read only the first and fourth books in the series, but that was enough to anchor me for these stories.

Though these stories are fairly light action and mystery fantasy tales, there are deeper themes running through them. Butcher touches on some of these themes in his introductions to each story.

"The idea of the consequences of your actions coming back to you in the future is ingrained in the fabric of the Dresden Files ― and both your terrible choices and your more inspired ones engender consequences that will eventually come home to roost."

Other than Zoo Day, which is new, all of these stories have appeared in various previously published anthologies. Brief Cases is well worth reading for fans of the DRESDEN FILES series, but might be slightly confusing for readers who aren’t at least a little familiar with the Dresden universe and characters.

I loved digging deeper into the world of The Dresden Files. While it's not a new full installment in the series, it helps tide one over until the next Dresden comes around!

Loved this short story collection because I had missed a few! But would love to make super clear these are all dupes except for the last story. The final story was wonderful, I especially liked Mouse's point of view. It added another layer to an already fully fleshed out mythology.

My very first taste of the Dresden Files is with this book, Brief Cases, which is a series of short stories. Some I found quite entertaining, others I found a bit, well not quite sure of the point. Not all stories contained Harry, which was quite okay because they gave me a sense of the writer’s style. Each story has a little ‘warm up’, shall we say, from the other of the purpose or thought of the author that led up to the why of writing each story. That somewhat threw me at first because initially I just thought they were musings of the characters. Over all I enjoyed what I read even getting a few chuckles out here and there.

As someone who has long wanted to read The Dresden Files but hasn’t had the opportunity, when this little nugget of short stories came up for grabs, I jumped on it. I’ve seen the TV series but kept holding out on reading the books. Not exactly sure why other than my TBR pile was so big I hadn’t owned any of Jim Butchers books…yet! I found Brief Cases a great introduction for me and has certainly piqued my interest to want to read more about Harry Dresden and this whole world Mr. Butcher has created. My only questioning thought is this: Have I ruined the series by just reading what essentially is a series of samplers for me because I think I would have gotten more out of these stories had I read the series from the very beginning. Time will tell as it will probably be a while before I can clear my TBR pile before I can squeeze time in for another long series.


I received this book from The JeepDiva with the express purpose of an honest review. The opinions, contents, and rating of this review are solely mine


reviewed by Jac

Finally, something new in the world of the Dresden Files! This collection of short stories is wonderful, exploring Dresden's world from the POV of multiple characters from the books. While Butcher's writing is always delightful, there was something particularly magical (pardon the pun) about finally seeing Harry through the eyes of those around him. Molly's stories were particularly compelling, but I can't help but hope that readers will get to experience more quests from Butters's perspective in the future, as well. 5/5 stars.

Classic Jim Butcher, a must read for all Harry Dresden fans! This book gathers all short stories in the Dresden Files into one title, including new stories that have only been published in anthologies previously. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these stories as they progressed through the series.

It has been a long time since Jim Butcher completed a full Harry Dresden novel, and the next one scheduled, Peace Talks, still is a long time off. Thankfully, Butcher writes short stories with his main character and others, and better yet, he collects them into a complete anthology like Brief Cases here. As a completist, I appreciate that I do not have to purchase multiple other anthologies to ensure that I have every Harry Dresden story, including a new one that has never appeared before.
In his introduction to “B is for Bigfoot,” Butcher explains that he researched monsters from all around the world when he started writing his series, but it was not until after several books, that he thought about America’s Bigfoot. The three related stories actually focus on a Bigfoot’s son, Irwin, and some of the problems he faces as a Bigfoot/human hybrid.
Butcher does not just write about Dresden in his short stories; he also writes about some of his other characters, which not just fleshes them out more fully for character development, but also gives us some different perspectives on Harry himself. Three of the stories are about his apprentice, Molly, both before and after she becomes the fairy queen, Winter.
The last story here, “Zoo Days,” is my favorite in the bunch, not just because it is new, but because it is about Harry and his daughter. Here the story itself is split into thirds, with each main character (Harry, Maggie, and Mouse) taking lead as narrator for a section. As a reader, this is my first introduction into Maggie’s narration, and it is eye-opening. It makes me wonder what Butcher may have in store for the future of his characters.

I had a great time with this book. I knew that this was going to be a book that I would need to read as soon as I saw it. I have been a fan of The Dresden Files for quite some time so spending a bit of time with Harry Dresden and company was something that I was quite eager to do. I went into this book with pretty high expectations simply because I have come to expect great things from this series. I am happy to say that this book met every one of those expectations.

Of the 12 stories included in this collection, 11 have been previously published. I was lucky enough to have missed all but one of the stories so almost everything was new to me. The one story that I had read previously was one that I really enjoyed the first time so I decided to go ahead and read it again and ended up enjoying it just as much the second time around.

I loved how varied and original each of the stories were while giving me the taste of much loved series that I was looking for. Some of the stories feature Harry as the lead character but we do get the chance to see other characters take that role including Molly, Butters, Maggie and Mouse, and Warden Luccio. I loved getting the chance to see these other characters take the lead and enjoyed spending a moment hearing some of their thoughts.

When I pick up a collection of stories, I have discovered that I will probably like some of the stories more than others. I usually come across a few that I don't really care for as well but that didn't happen with this book. I really liked all of the stories pretty equally and can honestly say that every story in the group is solid and if rated individually, I would give them all either 4 or 5 stars.

I would highly recommend this book to others. These stories take place at various spots within the series but I think readers new to the series would appreciate this book. Fans that are up to date with the series will enjoy seeing favorite characters as we remember them. I can't wait to read more from this amazing series!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.

"An all-new Dresden Files story headlines this urban fantasy short story collection starring the Windy City's favorite wizard.

The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection.

From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.

With twelve stories in all, Brief Cases offers both longtime fans and first-time readers tantalizing glimpses into Harry's funny, gritty, and unforgettable realm, whetting their appetites for more to come from the wizard with a heart of gold."

I know everyone is excited for more Dresden Files... even if it's only short stories...

While there are a lot of books I'm looking forward to reading this year I can easily say that Brief Cases by Jim Butcher is the one that I was most excited to receive. I'm usually not a fan of short stories because I always feel like the story ends just as I'm starting to get sucked into the story, but I'm always excited to read one of Jim Butchers. Even though I've read the majority of the short stories in Brief Cases more than once I was still sucked into the book the moment I started reading that first story and only stopped reading when I got too exhausted to stay up anymore. 

One of the best parts of the Dresden Files for me is how much lore and mythology Butcher has created or used for all the books and I think that's why I enjoy Butcher's short stories as much as I do. All of the stories in Brief Cases really help flesh out parts of the world Harry lives in that we may not get to see in any of the regular books in the series. We also get to see stories told from the point of view of characters other than Harry which is always fascinating. Don't get me wrong, I love Harry's stories the most but who doesn't want to see a story of Luccio fighting warlocks in the old west or see Waldo Butters experience his first day as a Knight of the Cross? 

We get both of these stories and so many more in Brief Cases that it's almost impossible not to absolutely love this book. And while we may not get to see Harry grow as much as a character in these books as we do in something like Skin Game, we do get to see aspects of his life that we may not normally see that really help show just what kind of a person he is. Whether he's training a group of young Wardens or watching over Bigfoots son, I think every story in this anthology tells us a little bit more about Harry as a person than we knew before and I personally think that's great. I would honestly rate both Brief Cases and Side Jobs as some of my favorite books in the entire series. 

I don't want to spoil things for anyone so I won't go into too much detail but I have to say though that the best part of this anthology is the brand new short story Zoo Day. In Skin Game we get our first real introduction to Harry's daughter Maggie and a bit more insight into just how special Mouse is by the way she talks about him, so it's pretty awesome to get a story told from the viewpoint of Harry, Maggie, and Mouse. The main thing that Zoo Day did for me was to make me realize what a fantastic addition Maggie was going to be to the series and really hope that we see more short stories or an entire spin-off series featuring her and Mouse together. 

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I am up-to-date in my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40346-the-dresden-files" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Dresden Files series</strong></em></a> reading, so for the first time I could request and review one when released.  I totally love this series and all its wonderful characters.  I started to read this with excitement a few weeks ago and couldn't seem to get going on the first story.

So I began again with trepidation, rather than glee. It still took a moment but then I settled into the story. The first one is about Warden Luccio and I am sure if I had been ensconced in the voice of James Marsters, the two week pause would never have occurred.  Also, if the first story had been one about a character more familiar, and this one placed a bit later in the order, I would have been off and running with no end in sight. Once I did get going I read until 4 in the morning and could barely put it down to sleep, finishing the next day.

I loved all these stories SO much. It was amazing to hear the backstory in the little forewords to each one. I particularly enjoyed getting so many others point of views, such as Molly, Butters, Maggie and Mouse. I cherished every word, laughing all the way.

I own the rest of the series on audio. I love James Marsters' narration.  When preparing the review format last month,  I added the links to purchase. I went ahead and pre-ordered the audio version for myself. I'll love it many times for many years. I want more of this series and this author, and will  treasure each book.
<blockquote>" When people come to the only professional wizard in the Chicago phone book for help, they're one of two things: desperate or very smart.  Very rarely are thy both. The smart ones come to me because they know I can help; the desperate ones come because they don't know anyone else who can......

My newest client wanted something different, though. He wanted me to meet him in the woods. This did not make me feel optimistic that he would be one of the smart ones."</blockquote>

I have been a fan of Mr. Butcher for years, but I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of short stories. However, I miss this series so much, (Oh, how I miss Harry!), I had to read this collection as I generally don’t read them included in other anthologies. Yes, most of these have already been published but not all together, so if you are expecting new “cases,” you won’t really find any. However, it was great to be back in Harry’s universe again. I really enjoyed these stories for the most part; no one can deny Mr. Butcher is a great storyteller. He is a great writer, and his stories are filled with fun, great plots, and lots of witticisms. I so enjoyed seeing Molly, Butters, Mouse, I could go on and on. One thing I will admit: this book makes me almost resent that we don’t have Peace Talks yet….deep breath. Yes, I know I must have patience, but really? This long?!? LOL! If you are fan, you will love these stories. If you haven’t read Mr. Butcher before, you can read these but will miss a lot of the subtleties. Highly recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy of the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.

Brief Cases (The Dresden Files #15.1) by Jim Butcher is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I have loved his books even before he had the TV show. I love the imagination, creativity, and the humor. This book is another one of those books! Several short stories creative characters and plots that kept me interested from beginning to the end. They also have just enough snark and wit! There were several stories about Bigfoot and a really great one about Dodge City and Mr. Earp. But in that last story there were wizards and strange creatures to ride on that did not sound like horses! That was my favorite. A fun read.