“Death Masks” is the fifth in the Dresden Files, a series of books written by Jim Butcher that follow the character Harry Dresden, a wizard living in modern-day Chicago. The books follow a fantastical world that exists alongside the normal world, with magic, a wizard council, vampires, werewolves, demons and all the usual magical creatures.

While each book has its own plot, there are story arcs that follow through multiple books. So while you can pick up this book and read it, be prepared for references to be made to events that occurred in previous novels. This particular instalment concerns the stolen Shroud of Turin, which a representative of the Vatican hires Harry to find. An ongoing feud with vampires of the so-called Red Court and a war between them and the wizards leads to Harry having to fight a duel with a vampire, and some extremely scary demons want the Shroud for their own purposes.

It came charging toward me, several hundred pounds of angry-looking monster, and I did the only thing any reasonable wizard could have done. I turned around and ran like hell.

The action in the book is possibly the best in the series so far. The attacks by the Denarians (fallen angels with human hosts) are page-turners, their appearance is horrifying and their methods of attack graphically bloody. The duel (which turns into a free for all after the vampire cheats) is an exciting and action-packed event. The showdown with the head Denarian Nicodemus (on a moving train) is equally as exciting. Nicodemus (a guy who wears a tie shaped into a hangman’s noose) is also a really cheery soul:

“Apocalypse is a frame of mind,” Nicodemus said then. “A belief, A surrender to inevitability. It is a despair for the future. It is the death of hope.”

World-building is one of the great strengths of this book and this series. The way magic is explained is really interesting, such as the idea that the words you say for your ‘spell’ are mostly irrelevant, it’s the focus and concentration you put into them. The magic, essentially, is not in words. The way mystical creatures exist alongside regular people, such as vampires and werewolves, is believable in their ability to go under the radar and hide their tracks. There is a city under Chicago (not particularly original) but it’s an entry into more magical places and a regular person would never find it (or would not survive if they did.) The description of the ‘never never’ (or Fairyland) is suitably weird, and again, is just a matter of a dimensional shift. You never get the sense that this system would not work – it maintains its internal logic as any good fantasy world should.

Good guys include Harry’s former girlfriend Susan, a (sort of) vampire for whom he has been trying to find a cure (unsuccessfully). Since her last appearance she has leaned into her vampiric powers and is far more formidable than she used to be. I also found her better in this book, as she is more experienced in the magical world and has more agency due to her own power and resources. She’s much less the eye candy.

Michael is one of the Knights of the Cross, holy warriors who have magical swords given them by angels. His character has also improved in this, as he could come across as self-righteous in previous entries. He also appears with two other knights, and they are interesting characters in their own right, especially the Russian Sasha, who in spite of his status insists he is an atheist.

So, you get handed a holy sword by an archangel, told to go fight the forces of evil, and you somehow remain an atheist. Is that what you’re saying?

Harry himself has slowly improved over the novels. Harry is a self-confessed chauvinist and has often found himself in trouble by coming to a woman’s rescue only to find he’s been drawn into danger as his enemies know exactly how he’s going to react to a damsel in distress. He isn’t chauvinistic in an obnoxious way ie he doesn’t think women are beneath him. He just is convinced they all need protecting, in spite of being on good terms with very powerful women such as his police officer friend Murphy, Susan, as well as various magical friends, acquaintances and fairy queens. In earlier novels Butcher was often having Harry stop and wax lyrical every time he saw a pretty woman, but he finally seems to have worked out that this is extremely annoying and also slows down the action, so Harry is confining his drooling to the ex-girlfriend. The character is something of a smart aleck, with witty comebacks to his enemies, but I find this to be great fun as he is witty, and also because the writer has the character freely admit that he does this to hide his fear.

Not that I was worried about anyone stealing my car. I once had a car thief offer to get me something better for a sweetheart rate.

“Do you really think you can win?”

“Yeah. Hell, Ortega is only the third or fourth most disturbing thing I’ve tangled with today.”

“But even if you do win, what does it change?”

“Me getting killed now. That way, I get to be killed later tonight instead.”

“Death Masks” is not a great work of literature by any stretch of the imagination. It is not even a great work of fantasy. What it is, is a fun, entertaining, and exciting read. The world of the Dresden Files is recommended for any fan of urban fantasy.