Harry the Wizard in the United States

What would happen if the British government sent Harry Potter to the United States to hide from Lord Voldemort under an assumed name? Well, he might move to Chicago where he would grow up to become the only wizard-for-hire in the Colonies, Harry Dresden.

According to the dedication in Storm Front, the first book of the Dresden Files, creator Jim Butcher has been working on molding the stories of Dresden's life since long before the world became acquainted with the Boy Who Lived. However, they have only just come into the mainstream in the last couple of years, attracting the attention of Sci Fi Channel executives who provided Butcher with the opportunity to turn Harry Dresden into a three-dimensional wizard with a real face (a face which belongs to Paul Blackthrone, who, ironically, was born in Wellington, in the UK). Is it possible that some of Rowling's success has helped to fuel Butcher's by paving the way through the world of wizardry?

The Dresden Files are written in first-person (Dresden's) point of view, which adds a sense of realism and personal investment to the story that is difficult to achieve with the more widely preferred third-person. "I" is used to describe Harry's actions instead of the "he" which we are more accustomed to. Kudos go to Butcher for tackling this task, especially for a series which is currently selling book number seven. First-person is a limited and potentially problematic point of view for any writer, as the writer is, essentially, a god in his characters' universe. The Zeus to their Grecian masses, if you will.

Dresden's world exists within our own (unlike Potter's fantastical Hogwarts), portraying a seedy underbelly of Chicago's mean streets that mere mortals (muggles?) have enough difficulty believing in, let alone dealing with. Mobsters and gang bangers are the least of the worries of Chicago's residents but they are better off not knowing that. Dresden's daily life consists of battling giant toad demons and bribing faeries for information.

He is not alone in his fight. He is accompanied by a mischievous and imprisoned spirit named Bob who "lives" in a skull in Dresden's basement and a Chicago police detective named Karrin Murphy, the head of a special division of the police force charged with explaining crimes which seem to defy explanation. Dresden is also under constant scrutiny from the White Council, an American-ized and somewhat rogue version of Potter's Ministry of Magic. The White Council presides over all wizards, witches, and magi, enforcing the Laws of Magic, the first and foremost being Thou shalt not kill, to paraphrase - a Law which is broken right out of the starting gate, on the first page of the first book of the series.

Harry Potter fans should look into the Dresden Files, now that their beloved Boy Who Lived has lived out his story. And those SF/F lovers who have not delved into the life of Harry Potter, for whatever reason, should check out the Dresden Files for a more grown-up approach to the subject of wizardry in the mortal world. Butcher has a startling imagination which makes each of the books in the Dresden Files very quick reads.