Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 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.

Publisher: Ace (January 20, 2026) Page count: 463 p Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardcover 

I’ve been reading The Dresden Files for a long time now. It’s one of the very few long-running series I’ve stuck with. It’s had highs and lows, but Twelve Months shows Jim Butcher in excellent form again.

After the relentless escalation of Peace Talks and Battle Ground, this book slows down. It basically follows a year of Harry’s grief, fallout, and rebuilding.

Harry is hollowed out. Chicago is barely functioning after the Titan’s assault. Food is scarce. Infrastructure is wrecked. The supernatural world has been exposed, and fear is spreading. On top of that, Harry is juggling Thomas’s looming death sentence, training a new apprentice, navigating White Council politics (again), and preparing for an arranged marriage to Lara Raith under Mab’s orders.

The real conflict here is internal. For once, the greatest enemy in the book is grief. Harry struggles to eat. To sleep. To focus. His magic wavers because his control wavers. This is a far more introspective Dresden novel than we’re used to, and it works.

That doesn’t mean it’s dull. There are fights. There are ghouls prowling Chicago. There are political landmines, tense confrontations, and a climax that absolutely delivers. But the action feels more personal this time.

The biggest surprise for me was how well Butcher handled the relationships. Harry and Lara could easily have fallen into forced tension or cheap drama. Instead, their dynamic is layered and unexpectedly thoughtful. There’s distrust, yes, but also honesty and even vulnerability. It feels like growth.

Old allies step up too. Molly. Michael. Maggie. Even Mab, in her own severe way. The book reminds you how deep this cast is after eighteen installments.

Some readers will call this a transitional novel, and they’re not wrong. It’s a recalibration. A pause before the Outsider endgame looms closer. But it doesn’t feel like filler. After years of escalating power and misery, Butcher pulls the story back to its roots: Harry Dresden the man, not just the wizard.

For me, it might be some of the best writing in the series. More mature and more controlled. Less snark-for-snark’s-sake. The humor is still there, but it shares space with reflection and wisdom.

If the series needed a reset, this was the right way to do it.