As a fan of the Dresden Files (and still mourning the demise of the TV series based on these books) I looked forward to reading this latest installment of Harry’s adventures as a professional wizard. These short stories, save one, have been published previously but that didn’t diminish my pleasure in revisiting Harry and his realm.

Although I would have preferred a full-length novel, it was still nice to immerse myself in the world of Harry Dresden for a few hours. Told with humor and filled with great characters, Brief Cases includes several tales that have appeared in smaller publications over the years. What a treat!

For fans of The Dresden Files this is a book that can’t be missed. If you haven’t read any of these books, then this will be a nice segue into his adventures. Enjoy!

This is a mixed bag of short stories about Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard. Harry does things the way he wants with those he likes to work with. Needless to day, that doesn't go over well in a professional society...

Ace and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on June 5th.

I found this collection very interesting. It's full of pieces. Beginnings and endings and even some way before with other characters. You might be reading some pieces that sound familiar but even they have chunks of odd new information that ties to another story. Jim Butcher never bores you.

The most interesting part is that these stories are written by other authors who were influenced by his work.

This is a mess of taking on quests that no one is quite sure about to accomplish they're not sure what and how to is unknown. You need more than that to be drawn in?

The Second Anthology of Dresden-Universe Stories

Spoiler-ific review

I received this book for free for the purposes of review.

The book will be published June 5th, 2018. Go buy it folks!

I read Side Jobs when it came out years and years ago and loved it. As a fan of the Dresden Files, I have to say that Butcher is just as talented at writing short fiction as he is writing long-form prose, if not more talent. While I must admit to not liking the present End-Of-The-World direction the Dresdenverse overall is heading, the smaller case-files these short stories represent REALLY do the detective-narrative style justice.

Most of all I liked ‘A Fist Full of Warlocks,’ a short story set in the Wild West. Starring Anastasia Luccio (aka Dresden’s on-again-off-again cougar love interest) as a gun-slinging cowboy hunting down a rogue British warlock, it was a hollering good time. Quite frankly, the short was so good I would love it if Butcher wrote a book (or three) set in the Wild West. It’s concept of ‘The Wild West, with Kemmler’s Black Council against the Gunslingers of the White Council’ was truly compelling.

Highly recommended you pick up this anthology if you’re even a small-to-medium fan of the series.

Stay Sunny!

I love Dresden. I even liked the the TV show, (I know, I know) and this book doesn't disappoint. Full of fun and magic and more of the world of Dresden , this is a must read for Jim Butcher fans.

This is a collection of short stories that have been previously published in various places with one new short story at the end of the book. It was nice to reread some of these stories and see the introductions explaining where they fell in the series or why they were written. I had read most but not all of the reprints since some were either in small press publications or RPG books. A great collection for any fan of the Dresden Files and nice to see the story universe with other characters getting a turn as narrator. The last story is the new one and the furthest in the timeline of the series. So nice to see Harry, Maggie and Mouse all together in one story.

This is an anthology containing all of the Dresden Files short stories and novellas published since its prequel Side Jobs. I had read most of the entries before with the exception of "Fistfull of Warlocks", "AAAA Wizardry", "Day One", and "Zoo Day".

"Fistful of Warlocks"—3.5 stars. Loved the idea, but it was a little underdeveloped. I would love to read a much longer work with Lucio as the center and really see Butcher develop this Wild Wild West Wizarding World.

"B is for Bigfoot"— 5 stars. See my previous review.

"AAAA Wizardry"— 3 stars. Interesting concept, but I wanted more. I love Harry in 'teacher mode' because event though he is far from perfect, he embraces his flaws and teachers others to do that too. Learning from your mistakes makes you humble and less likely to repeat them in the future.

"I was a Teenage Bigfoot"—5 stars. See my previous review.

"Curses"—3 stars. Perhaps not my favorite Dresden story but I adore pretty much anything set in this fictional world.

"Even Hand"—4 stars. I always enjoy a story from Marcone's POV. I think this bring balance to the series so that there is more perspective than just what Harry goes through.

"Bigfoot on Campus"—5stars. See my previous review.

"Bombshells"—3.5 stars. I read this and reviewed it in early 2017. Molly is one of the series' most complex characters and I enjoy when Butcher delves into her voice.

"Cold Case"—4 stars. Another from Molly’s POV with some shocking things associated with her role as the Winter Lady. There are a lot of feels here and I'm still processing in 2018 just as I was when I read this story the first time.

"Day One"—3.5 stars. Nice to get one from Butters’ POV. He has grown as a character so much since his first appearance. This story seems a bit short but I think there is so much more for Butcher to write in the future.

"Zoo Day"—5 stars. I loved pretty much every aspect of this story. Harry takes Maggie on their first father/daughter trip to the zoo. Of course, trouble is afoot. The real gem here is the alternating POV between Harry, Maggie and even Mouse. We see Harry at be vunerable and also do what he does best. Maggie is special and I cannot wait to see more of how her character and her powers develop. And Mouse, love Mouse sooo much!

Final rating for collection: 5 out of 5

3.5 stars

I'm going to break down my rating by story.

"Fistful of Warlocks"—3.5 stars. Loved the idea, but it was a little underdeveloped.
"B is for Bigfoot"— 3 stars. I remember my rating from when I read it the first time in Working for Bigfoot.
"AAAA Wizardry"— 3 stars. Interesting concept, but a little short on development.
"I was a Teenage Bigfoot"—see above
"Curses"—1 star. Harry at his leering worst. It was a fun idea, but I couldn't get past how many times Dresden had to comment on a female character's body.
"Even Hand"—4 stars. Getting a story from Marcone’s POV was fun, and the last few lines gave it a nice, ominous turn and a reminder of why we can't root for this guy.
"Bigfoot on Campus"—4 stars. Again, from memory.
"Bombshells"—3.5 stars. I actually like Butcher writing in Molly’s voice for the most part, but it was irritating that her hotness had to figure into her success in the case.
"Cold Case"—4 stars. Another from Molly’s POV with some shocking things associated with her role as the Winter Lady that I’m still sorting out my feelings about.
"Day One"—3.5 stars. Nice to get one from Butters’ POV, but was a little too short to be developed enough.
"Zoo Day"—5 stars. My favorite of the collection, alternating between Harry’s, Maggie’s and Mouse’s (Mouse!!) POVs. Loved it.


What I liked the most about this collection was getting all the new POVs. "Curses" sure was a stinker, though. Reading these made me realize I really need to re-read the series before the next novel comes out. These stories reminded me of a lot that I’d forgotten.

I enjoyed the TV adaptation of Jim Butcher's the Dresden Files, and had always intended to read the books. So this is my first foray into them. Brief Cases is a collection of short fiction (some of them take over an hour to read, so I don't think "short story" is appropriate, but they're probably not novella-length, either). They feature several characters from the series, set in different times. Butcher's introductions set up the stories, including where they fall in the sequence of the main books. I found that these notes told me all I needed to know to understand and follow the story, so in that sense this collection seemed like a good first place to start with the Harry Dresden universe.

Butcher explains that one of the central organizing principles of the series was "to embrace every creature of folklore and legend that I could dig up." So there are three Bigfoot stories included, necromancers, warlocks, vampires, an enchanted skull named Bob, the Fair Folk (fairies), ghouls, shape-shifters...and I'm probably overlooking a few. Just as Harry Dresden is a vividly portrayed wisecracking wizard/private eye, these characters all have distinct identities. There are two stories starring Dresden's apprentice Molly (during a period in the series when Dresden was thought to be dead, but he got better). And the final story ("Zoo Day") memorably shows a visit to the zoo from the perspectives of Harry, his daughter Maggie, and his huge Temple Guardian dog Mouse.

I don't know how much these tales "count" in the context of the series as a whole. But I do know they were a lot of fun to read.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.

In the fashion of previous Dresden File books, this compilation of short stories brings character, humor and an extra look into Harry Dresden.

This collection would be best appreciated by someone who has been following the series. Each short story is prefaced with an explanation of why it was written and where it falls in the series of novels. I followed the series for many years and was able to place most of the references except those in the last few years. I enjoyed it for the most part.

If you're a fan of Jim Butcher, you'll likely enjoy this book of short stories set in the world of Harry Dresden. Note that they are not all stories about Harry Dresden! Several of them are from the viewpoint of other characters like Molly, Butters, Anastasia Luccio, and Gentleman Johnny Marcone. Each story features an introduction by Jim Butcher that places the story in context and time in the series. These were pretty helpful, and since it's been a long time since I've read the first books it was interesting to see how much has changed.

Most of these stories have been published elsewhere, although I think there are at least two new stories included. I'd read many of the stories myself in the past, but again, it had been long enough that I liked reading them again. And it's nice to have them all in one place!

If you've never read any Harry Dresden books, I wouldn't recommend opening this book until you've read at least the first two or three in the series, and frankly, you should probably wait until you've read all of the novels or the short stories will spoil you for major events.

The biggest treat was that part of one story was from the perspective of Mouse. His explanation for being just a bit pleasingly plump? " I am a good dog, everyone says so, and that means treats."

So I normally am not a huge short story fan, but I do enjoy a good short story set in a world I already love. I especially love it when Jim Butcher writes from other characters povs. Harry is great, but it's just refreshing to see other's povs. The only thing in here I've ready already is Bombshells.

This was a really fun read and I am so pumped for Peace Talks. I will probably to a series re-read before that. I am sad there wasn't more Murphy in it. But we've got a ton of Molly so that makes up for it?

Highlye recommended!! Let me break it down story by story.

“A Fistful of Warlocks” Set pre-Dresden Files in wild west. Pov- Anastasia Luccio
Luccio teaming up with Wyatt Earp to fight necromancers including Kemmler in the wild west!! Hell yes, I am HERE for this. And crossing my fingers that Jim really writes a whole book.series on it someday.

“B is for Bigfoot” — Set between books 2-3. Pov Harry. Bigfoot story 1.
I have been hearing about this famous Harry Dresden Bigfoot stories for years. This is the first time I've had the chance to read them. Let me just say, I love River Shoulders. I LOVE Irwin. And there's some growth here for Harry. Decent intro to this bigfoot arc.

“I Was A Teenage Bigfoot” Set around Book 7. pov Harry. Bigfoot Story 2
We learn a little more about Bigfoots and Irwin is still awesome, but it's kind of a lowkey super short story.

“Bigfoot on Campus” Set between Books 11-12. Pov Harry. Bigfoot Story 3
Irwin is now in college. Harry Dresden's daddy issues are showing. And also his lady issues. And also some interesting insight in the White Court vampires. This is the most well developed of the 3 Bigfoot stories and also my favorite. I'd be up for seeing more of Irwin!!

“Curses” Set between Books 10-11. Pov Harry.
Harry dealing with the Cubs' Billy Goat Curse. I don't care about baseball so this is one of my least favorite stories in the collection. A baseball/Cubs fan might like it??

“AAAA Wizardry” Set between Books 10-11. Pov Harry
This is probably my least favorite in the collection. You know those episodes of TV shows where they have flashbacks using scenes already filmed in order to save money? This felt like that. We do see Harry teaching newbie Wardens and acknowledging his arrogance so there's a fair amount of character development. Like Harry is learning not to just charge in. But a mediocre read.

“Even Hand” Set between Books 11-12. Pov Gentleman Johnnie Marcone.
OMG!! I love it when things are from a villain pov. I love this one. There's some background stuff that ties in a lot with Bombshells thematically (White Court shenanigans, fomor, svartalfs etc.) We do get a glimpse into Marcone's motivations/character. And his relationship with Gard and Hendricks. We also get to see how BA he is and how he became the only mortal to sign the Unseelie Accords. AND (view spoiler)

“Bombshells” Set between Books 13-14. Pov Molly.
Re-reading this in the context of Cold Days is really interesting. Molly, Justine and Andi are of course still BA broads. Molly gets the job done. We also see a glimpse of not only how manipulative the Winter Court is, but what role it plays. Like, it is not just evil for evil's sake. They do good in their own way. I still want to know Harry's mom's backstory and how her relationship with Lea came to be.

“Cold Case” Set between Books 14-15. Pov Molly.
Is this the first time we see Lovecraft in the Dresden Files? It's incorporated really well. We see Molly's first job as Winter Lady. She works with Warden Ramirez and it's always fun to see him. I really like seeing how Molly is adapting to being the Winter Lady, having new powers and just psychologically coping. I love character development. Also the ending of this one is SUPER messed up. I wonder if it will be addressed in any future books.

“Jury Duty” Post Book 15. Pov Harry.
Harry has Jury Duty and freaks out about like a Drama Queen. But then it turns out something is not quite right with the case and his supernatural expertise is needed. This one was a fun read. Has the same thing I loved about Skin Game-- brings back a little levity after such a serious story arc for Changes-Cold Days.

“Day One” Post Book 15. POv Butters.
I love Butters!! (Who doesn't?) His first mission/call. I love how everything is translated through his particular nerd pov, instead of Michael's religious one. Yaaaaaas! Butters. You can do this!!

"Zoo Day" Post Book 15. Pov Harry/Maggie/Mouse
Kind of a Rashomon thing with the same scene being retold from 3 povs. Harry takes Maggie and Mouse to the zoo. We get to see Harry trying to be a parent. Mouse really sums it up. Harry and Maggie are talking but what they are really saying is Love Me. I love this bit of character development in Harry. He is going through all this crazy stuff in his wizard life but he has this beautiful precious daughter and he is building a relationship with her. I'm so excited for this in the coming books.

Maggies pov is all about how there are ways that kids see the world differently than grownups. There are all these different "creeps" like Haunts and bagerlies that kids are aware of but grown ups aren't. And sometimes it's up to the kids to deal with them.

Why this is important: At Phoenix Comicon last year, I attended a Jim Butcher panel where he talked about a YA series he is co-authoring starring Maggie. It's a Magic School book with kids dealing with the creeps. I'm SO SO excited to read it if this is a taste of it.

Because Maggie is pretty BA just like her parents.

And Mouse. He is also getting up to shenanigans. He is awesome. I love his pov and general mentality. But he has this story arc that could be very INTERESTING in the greater scheme of things.

!!!! I can't wait for PEACE TALKS, but totally no pressure Jim Butcher, but also PLEASE HURRY UP!! But also deliver us a great book even if it needs more time!! But I can't wait!!

Excellent collection of short stories that have not been available before in one volume. Eases the yearning for a new Dresden novel a bit while reading.

Although there is only one new story (the final one) in this collection, I nonetheless recommend it. These are stories that I either somehow missed (or have forgotten reading!) and enjoyed, or read before but still enjoyed re-reading. I particularly liked the author's introduction to each story, placing it in the Dresden Files timeline.

I would recommend this book to fans of Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files. Wonderful glimpses of happenings between the books for those who know and appreciate the characters. Not really for those new to the series. Harry and his friends know that power has to be paid for in one way or another and are willing to pay the price. Love the fact that when possible, logic solves problems without magic. There's always something bigger and harder than you around. Watching the characters grow and change has been a really fun trip.

I have a soft spot for the Dresden Files.

Heaven knows that there are certainly issues with the series, the portrayal of women being first and foremost. However, in my opinion, they still manage to be dang enjoyable.

<i>Brief Cases</i> is a collection of Dresden Files-adjacent stories that have appeared over the past couple of years. In a lot of ways the collection hearkens back to the good ol' days of the Dresden Files, before they got all serious and extra murdery. The trilogy of stories about the young Bigfoot were some of the best, in my opinion. All in all, these stories are just FUN, enjoyable reads, and while they don't continue the larger arc of the main series, they provide a great glimpse into the lives of some of the side characters: Molly, Butters and Mouse for instance.

If you are a Dresden Files fan, I would 100% recommend that you go out and read it. On shelves June 5th.

Absolutely love the Dresden character and was excited to have a new story included here. Will always pick up Butcher's Wizard of Chicago series - even worth the occasional re-read!

I try to find short stories from the Dresden Files books as often as I can. I love all of them. They are always interesting glimpses into Harry’s interior world but also other characters who surround him. I missed a couple stories here and there so it’s wonderful to have so many of them together.

Containing both new and previously published short stories, this collection is a must for any Dresden Files fans!

ARC from Netgalley.
NOTE: I have read these stories usually when they were released in other Volumes, but will amass all my reviews for the stories here. Spoilers abound.

Curses - A very short story in the Dresden Files world, this one concerning Harry trying to remove the Billy Goat curse from the Chicago Cubs. Throw in the Tylwyth Teg (a sect of the Fair Folk), their King, and a flirty Barmaid, and a love of the game, and you get this short but sweet Dresden Files story.
Recommend for anyone reading the series.

AAAA Wizardry:
Taking place between "Small Favor" and "Turn Coat", we see Warden Harry teaching a group of young wardens what he calls the 4 A's of Wizarding (though he tells them 5 actually)
Ascertain, Analysis, Assemble, Act, Arrogance, or... Figure out whether or not the threat exists, Know what you are dealing with/why/how, Gather supplies or allies needed to take on the threat, Take action and deal with it, and finally, realize that you know more than most when it comes to the supernatural, but don't let that blind you to what may be really going on.
When you think about it, Harry is teaching a lesson that is valuable to anyone.

Even Hand - Another Dresden short story, this time from the viewpoint of Marcone. He gets a visit from Justine, who has a child in her arms, explaining that she escaped from the clutches of Mag, Cantrev Lord of the Fomor. Marcone takes them into his protection. Mag attacks, is eventually killed by Marcone, and Justine is sent back to Lara Raith without the documents that she was originally sent to steal from Mag. But Marcone has learned one thing for sure... the traps he sets near his office to prevent such attacks, would, now having been field tested, definitely stop Dresden should he need to.
Overall, much like the other Dresden Files short stories I have read, this one is excellent. Recommend.

B Is For Bigfoot - This brief Novella has a comical twist and a great moral. Dresden meets Bigfoot (actually "Strength of a River in his Shoulders, or just River Shoulders) and is hired by him to help his son Irwin, having trouble at school because he is a Scion (half-human, half-not). Turns out he is being picked on by the "Bully Brothers" who are being watched and goaded by the school Coach, who is a svartalf (dark elves! Awesome!).
Dresden handles the situation with grace, getting Irwin to stand up for himself. Nice and refreshing novella. Recommend.

I Was a Teenage Bigfoot - Dresden's second case involving Irwin, the Scion half-bigfoot son of River Shoulders, deals mostly with presumed illness. The boy, now a 6 foot tall teen, has "mono", or at least that's what the doctors say. Turns out, his headmaster is using black magic to siphon off life force from him...to cure his baldness! LOL Harry stops the situation as only he can, and us readers laugh our way through another well written Dresden Files short story.
Recommend for readers of the series.

Bigfoot on Campus - This last (and hopefully not final) adventure involving Harry, River Shoulders (Bigfoot), and Irwin Pounder (Son of Bigfoot) takes place on the college campus where Irwin goes to school and plays football. River asks Harry to check in on Irwin (like he had done in the previous two short stories), but this time Harry demands payment in the form of River meeting his son in person.
Turns out to be quite a chaotic tale, as Irwin is dating Connie, a White Court vampire who has yet to know or understand her powers, yet can feed for a LONG time on Irwin due to his constitution. The climax of the story (which is being recapped to a cop as Harry spends a night in jail) is a dorm fight between River, Harry, Connie's father, a ton of ghouls, and Irwin, all while the lust of Connie's feeding has sprung up a orgy among the nearby college kids. Connie and Irwin leave with River and seem to be genuinely in love.

I really enjoy the Bigfoot stories, and would love to see these characters make an appearance in a main Dresden Files book and not just short stories. High recommend.

Bombshells - With Dresden "gone", Molly is THE wizard for Chicago. Using Butters' place as a clean up stop, she is approached by Justine to help find Thomas, who has gone missing. Tracking him to a svartalf stronghold, and finding out that they are having a party to celebrate a treaty with the Fomor, Molly, Justine, and Andi (hot werewolf and Butters' girlfriend) get all dressed up and crash the party.
At the party, Molly and Andi go under a veil and discover that the Fomor Lord has a bomb and was going to blow it up to ruin the peace with the Svartalves, which after a fight, she disarms. Etri, the svartalf who allowed the ladies into the party, claims to owe Molly a favor, after she saves their stronghold, which she uses to release Thomas. But.... Thomas is not a prisoner. LOL. Turns out he was "feeding" on several svartalf ladies....
At the end, Lea admits to sending Molly into a trap to stop the peace from happening, but also lightens her spirits when she tells Molly that Dresden is alive again (see Ghost Story).
Another great short story from Jim Butcher!

Jury Duty - Another short story in the Dresden Files. This one shows that magic is so much a part of everyday life for Harry, that it even plays a role when summoned for Jury Duty. The story is simple: Harry gets called to serve, the trial has some inconsistency, he decides to investigate, finds that supernatural elements are involved (this case: White Court), and the case gets dismissed. Simple and straightforward. Very good read nonetheless.
Recommend.

Cold Case - WOW..... just wow..... Mab, you are a completely heartless bitch!
This short story is from the viewpoint of Molly Carpenter, the new Winter Lady. Winter Queen Mab sends her to a small town in Alaska to gather a tribute from the Miksani, a local shapeshifting tribe that lives near there. (Maeve had been lax in her duties). Arriving there, she finds 2 things: 1) Ramirez is in the area to help stop a cult who is trying to awaken an ancient enemy known as "The Sleeper", and 2) that same cult has abducted the Miksani children, who Molly must rescue so the Miksani will give their tribute.
Shutting down the cult and saving the kids, the story then takes a horrible twist. Molly, under the influence of the mantle of the Winter Lady, tries to have sex with Ramirez, but when the power and protocol of the mantle forbid it, she wakes (from having passed out) to find that she has almost killed him, shredding him with icy claws. As if that wasn't enough, Mab forces her to go collect the tribute..... which are the children she rescued... so that they may be trained to become Winter soldiers to help protect the Gate.
Story is excellent and to the point, but really rough to see Molly having to do such horrible things. High recommend

Day One - So happy to finally see Butters getting his own story!
The medical examiner, now a Knight of the Cross, tells the tale of some of his training, and the adventure of his first Calling. Stan, a homeless man that seems consumed by fear, is on a bench in the park... with an "!" over his head (apparently God speaks to you in the way you would most easily understand and for Butters that is video games. Getting him to the hospital, Butters finds that 7 other people in the hospital are all suffering from huge fear consumption. The culprit: a Baku, a modern day dream spirit made flesh by the belief of children. Trusty lightsaber of Faith in hand, Butters wins the day, but at the cost of his glasses.

A Fistful of Warlocks - This short story takes place WAY back before any of the other stories in the series. A young Warden (not yet leader of) Anastasia Luccio is on the trail of a rogue Warlock. Entering Dodge City on a creature disguised as a horse, she ends up teaming up with Venator Wyatt Earp against some necromancers in town. An epic battle takes place (as only Jim Butcher can write) and though the day is won, two necromancers escape. These are revealed to be Kemmler and his apprentice Grevane, both of which are known to readers.
Another excellent tale. Recommend.

Zoo Day:
The newest tale in the series, taking place after "Skin Game", takes only the simple task of Harry taking his daughter Maggie out for a day at the zoo, with Mouse in tow of course. Shown through the points of view of Harry, Maggie, and Mouse, we see three sides to the same tale, seeing everything going on, even under the veil.
Harry takes Maggie to the zoo and they have fun, but a demon-summoning warlock breaks up the fun, causing Maggie and Mouse to have to wait in a cafe for him, until he can neutralize the danger. Unbeknownst to him, Maggie has her own problems to deal with that Harry can't see. Haunts, or spirits that possess children, escape the view of adults. They want to attack and test Maggie, trying to turn her to their ghoulish cause. She takes them on with surprising power and defeats them.
Unbeknownst to the humans, Mouse has the hardest day of them all. Using his "breath" (which is described as sort of an influencing using his protective magic and soul), Mouse is keeping the animals happy and doing tricks. He is aware of the warlock and the haunts, but knows that they are both being manipulated by Mouse's Shadow. This powerful negative force (much like Harry's Shadow, which we've seen a few times in previous books) is the antithesis of Mouse, the yin to his yang, and can only be dealt with by Mouse.
Everything works out in the end, and all have a good day, but the story does a great job of showing the reader that even parenting will never be normal in Harry Dresden's life. LOL

Brief Cases (much like Side Jobs) is vital for the Dresden experience. READ THIS BOOK! Especially if you are a fan.