Storm Front is a 2000 novel by science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 and fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 author Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K...

. It is the first novel in The Dresden Files

The Dresden Files

The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...

, his first published series that follows the character of Harry Dresden

Harry Dresden

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction...

, professional wizard.

Plot Summary

A woman named Monica makes an appointment with Dresden to discuss a missing persons case later in the day. Dresden also gets a call from Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, director of Special Investigations (SI) Unit of the Chicago Police Department. Murphy's partner shows him the bodies of two gruesomely murdered people with their hearts ripped out. Later that day, he is hired to find the husband of Monica Sells, Victor, a beginning magician who was acting oddly.

Eventually, Dresden, despite encounters with vampires, the warlock, and Warden Morgan, learns that the affair centers around the drug "ThirdEye," which allows normal humans to temporarily use The Sight, which can drive them insane. Victor Sells manufactured ThirdEye to hedge out Johnny Marcone. Using the power of thunder storms and the orgies held at his home, he powered the spells to remove his enemies, namely Marcone's men and people threatening his operation, in order to gradually bring down Marcone.

Interrupting Victor's last spell, Dresden attacks Victor, eventually burning down Victor's house while Victor is still inside grappling with monster-sized scorpions. Dresden wins, but he's trapped on the balcony on the side of the burning lake house. Warden Morgan drags him out of the fire, saving his life. Morgan witnessed the fight with Victor and knows that Dresden is innocent, testifying on Dresden's behalf to the White Council.

Plot points introduced

• Soulgaze: An event where a wizard locks eyes with another human (and only another human, as faeries, vampires etc. don't have human souls) and sees a piece of their souls. It is normally a daunting experience. Later books reveal that the experience is different based on the people involved. Some wizards experience the soulgaze like they would a work of art. Some hear, rather than see, the soulgaze, and some, like Dresden, see symbolic representations of who the other person is.

Characters introduced in this novel

• Harry Dresden
  Harry Dresden
  Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction...
  
  : The protagonist; a professional wizard; and he’s in the phone book.
• Monica Sells: One of Dresden's clients and the wife of Warlock Victor Sells.
• Lieutenant Karrin Murphy
  Karrin Murphy
  Karrin Murphy is a major character in Jim Butcher's contemporary fantasy series, The Dresden Files. The character also appears as Connie Murphy in the television series based on the novels.- Background :...
  
  : Director of Special Investigations, Chicago PD.
• Detective Ron Carmichael: Murphy's partner at SI
• Jennifer Stanton (deceased): An employee of the Velvet Room and Monica Sells' sister
• Tommy Tomm (deceased): A bodyguard for Gentleman Johnny Marcone
• Gentleman Johnny Marcone: The crime lord of Chicago
• Hendricks: A bodyguard for Gentleman Johnny Marcone
• Mac: The owner-operator of McAnally's tavern
• Susan Rodriguez: A reporter at the Midwestern Arcane, and Dresden's love interest
• Toot-toot: A dewdrop faerie who helps Dresden
• Warden Donald Morgan: A law enforcement warden for the White Council, who has a mandate to aid the innocent and punish the guilty.
• Mister: Dresden's 30+ pound house cat
• Bob: An intelligent air spirit who resides inside a skull in Dresden's sub-basement laboratory.
• Madame Bianca St. Claire: The owner of the Velvet Room and a Red Court vampire.
• Linda Randall (deceased): A former employee of the Velvet Room; the Beckitt’s chauffeur; friend and sometime lover to Jennifer Stanton.
• The Beckitts: A rich couple who provide money for Victor Sells
• Donny Wise: A photographer for a local adult magazine
• Victor "Shadowman" Sells (Deceased) : The villain of the novel; a warlock; and Monica Sells' husband.

Storm Front in other media

• Storm Front has been recorded as an audio book, narrated by James Marsters
  James Marsters
  James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
  
  .
• The plot of the novel was condensed into a 90-minute prospective television pilot for the Sci Fi Channel
  Sci Fi Channel (United States)
  Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
  
  . Although the television movie was not used as the pilot episode, it was edited and aired later in the first season.
• The novel was adapted into a comic book mini-series.
• This novel is available in ebook form on various ereading applications.

External links

• The first two chapters of the book and several MP3 clips are on the author's official website.
• Review by J. K. Pelletier FantasyBookNews.com, October, 2009