First, congratulations!

Second, a question for the Dresden Files readers. I've just started the 3rd in the series. The first two I thought were a bit heavy on the non-stop brutalization of poor Harry. Seriously, dude has sustained a whole lot of bodily injury and peril. So I am hoping there might be a bit more balance to come. Like maybe 50% of the book is Harry getting beat up by various entities or bad guys instead of 90% Harry getting beat up? Maybe some more time spent on investigations and interpersonal relationships and less on broken body parts?

Just wondering if maybe I should turn my attention to something a bit gentler. I do enjoy the actual prose, but am finding the stories a bit too one note.

Yeah, no, Harry pretty much gets his entire ass kicked over and over by like a gazillion different entities, both human and non-human, throughout all the books. (When he's not describing sex in a really off-putting way.)

Sorry to hear that, but there is plenty in my to read queue that isn't all kick ass all the time.

The other problem with the books is that as the series goes on, the final conjuring Harry does to win the day always has to be bigger and more extravagant than the ones before, which gets a little tiresome. That said I do like the books and will keep reading, even though he probably peaked at Dead Beat.

That said I do like the books and will keep reading,

Same here.

even though he probably peaked at Dead Beat.

I love Dead Beat so much.

I've come to think of Dresden very much as leveling up in a combat-oriented video game -- the story is what pieces it all together, but you spend a lot of time running around the world fighting shit to gain experience and better weaponry.

I found, Laura, that I enjoy the audiobooks of Dresden significantly more than reading the books myself. Not just because James Marsters is the reader! (Though he is permanently the voice of Harry in my head.) The pacing was better for me in the audiobook, and I connect more to the story & characters.

I may try that, esse. I have heard good things about the audiobooks.

At this point my to read queue is so long that I don't feel I should stick with a series that isn't doing it for me.

I've come to think of Dresden very much as leveling up in a combat-oriented video game

Never thought of it that way before, but that's exactly it.

Seconding that Dresden is much better in audiobook form.

I really enjoyed the Dresden Files up till Changes. At that point I ran out of steam and haven't been back.