About this item
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. The collection includes: * "Curses," from Naked City, edited by Ellen Datlow * "AAAA Wizardry," from the Dresden Files RPG * "Even Hand," from Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P. N. Elrod * "B is for Bigfoot," from Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Republished in Working for Bigfoot. * "I was a Teenage Bigfoot," from Blood Lite III: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. Republished in Working for Bigfoot. * "Bigfoot on Campus," from Hex Appeal, edited by P. N. Elrod. Republished in Working for Bigfoot. * "Bombshells," from Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois * "Jury Duty," from Unbound, edited by Shawn Speakman * "Cold Case," from Shadowed Souls, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes * "Day One," from Unfettered II, edited by Shawn Speakman * "A Fistful of Warlocks," from Straight Outta Tombstone, edited by David Boop * "Zoo Day," a brand-new novella, original to this collection
About the Author
Jim Butcher read his first fantasy novel when he was seven years old--the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. By the time he turned eight, he'd added the rest of the Narnia books, the Prydain Chronicles, every book about Star Wars he could find, a great many Star Trek novels and the Lord of the Rings to his count.So he was pretty much doomed from the start.Love of fantasy, his personal gateway drug, drew him toward a fairly eclectic spread of interests: horseback riding (including trick riding, stunt riding, drill riding, and competitive stunt racing) , archery, martial arts, costuming, music and theater. He played a lot of role-playing games, a lot of fantasy-based tactical computer games, and eventually got into live-action roleplay where players beat each other up with boffer weapons.So, really, he can fly his nerd flag with pretty much anyone, and frequently does.He took up writing to be able to produce fantasy novels with swords and horses in them, and determinedly wrote terrible fantasy books until, just to prove a point to his writing teacher, he decided to take every piece of her advice; fill out outlines and worksheets, and design stories and characters just the way she'd been telling him to do for about three years. He was certain that once she saw what hideous art it produced, she would be proven wrong and repent the error of her ways. The result was the Dresden Files, which sure showed *her*.She has not yet admitted her mistake and recanted her philosophy on writing.Jim has performed in dramas, musicals, and vocal groups in front of live audiences of thousands and on TV. He has performed exhibition riding in multiple arenas, and fallen from running horses a truly ridiculous number of times. He was once cursed by an Amazon witch doctor in rural Brazil, has apparently begun writing about himself in the third person, and is hardly ever sick at sea.He also writes books occasionally.Jim stands accused of writing the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera. He's plead insanity, but the jury is still out on that one. He lives in Missouri with his wife, romantic suspense and paranormal romance writer Shannon K. Butcher (who is really pretty and way out of his league) , his son, and a ferocious guard dog.
