Death Masks (Mini-Review)

In Death Masks, the fifth installment of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series, Harry Dresden has found business to be much better than before. One could even say things have become comfortable for him. That is about to change. After appearing on a talk show to get information from a sometimes reliable source, he finds himself with more trouble than he can deal with. Not only does he have to duel a vampire and cope with how the return of Susan Rodriguez affects their relationship. He also needs to find the Shroud of Turin before fallen angels can use it to their own ends.

In Death Masks we are introduced to the The Order of the Blackened Denarius aka the Denarians. They're basically fallen angels that have power over mortals through their sigils and coins. Their leader is Nicodemus Archleone. Though, in all honesty, even that great bastion of evil doesn't have the strength to control all the Denarians all the time.

The only problem I have with them is the fact that with this new lore, no attention is paid to what Judas' actual role was in the myth of Jesus. If Judas didn't betray Jesus then God's son couldn't have risen up to prove who he was. The first gospel written was kind to Judas but the later the gospels were written, the harsher they treated the man. Now if the Denarians just needed the coins that were offered to Judas for their power, that would be one thing. But Nicodemus wears a noose that is the same one that Judas used to hang himself.

I have chosen such a weird hill to die on.

Death Masks also gives readers more insight into the Knights of the Cross. The first time they were mentioned was with the character of Micheal Carpenter. Now the other two members, Shiro and Sanya, play a big part of the plot. While they are extremely powerful, they are also limited in what they can do. Such as they can't kill a Denarian who has offered the Knights their coin, thus relinquishing all power they were granted by the fallen angel, but they can stand back as someone else tortures the former Denarian.

Susan has changed a lot since readers last saw her. She is stronger and more confident than before. Unfortunately the fact she's a vampire makes it impossible for her and Harry to ever get back together. So every scene with her was heartbreaking for me to read. They love each other so much and yet...there seems to be a lot of dust here all of a sudden.

I loved the introduction of Nicodemus. He is such a cruel villain but awesome at the same time. I should hate him but I can't. He is that good at what he does. There is just something about a villain who knows exactly what he wants that makes me very happy.

Speaking of good villains...Death Masks gives more insight into the criminal mastermind John Marcone. Ever since the first book in the series, there has been a hint of something deeper to his character other than being a criminal. Near the very end of the book readers are given a greater insight into his character than before.

Talking about the end of the book...something happens that made me want to slam my head into the nearest wall. Basically Harry makes an extremely stupid decision and doesn't tell Micheal about it. This is obviously a clumsy attempt to set up drama for future sequels.

I would recommend The Dresden Files: Death Masks by Jim Butcher to fans of the series as well as lovers of urban fantasy.