Harry Potter, Harry Dresden

Adults missing their annual Harry Potter fix might want to try Harry Dresden instead.

Harry Dresden, the only wizard listed in the Chicago phone book (at least according to author Jim Butcher) is a grown up Harry Potter with a twist. For one thing, he's strictly American (although played by a British actor). For another, he's sexy. Also, he's something of a ne'er do well, extending Harry Potter's Cinderfella-ness well into adulthood.

And if you are really, curious, Harry Dresden didn't emerge until 2000, after the Potter phenomenon had really caught on. It's a natural.

I first became aware of Dresden when I was exercising my thumb on the channel changer. I had ignored all the commercials for THE DRESDEN FILES, assuming it was just another spy thriller, which I am NOT interested in, but got caught up in an episode before I knew what the program was. I became a dedicated watcher from then on, but, as usually happens with the shows I like, the series folded after one season.

So I checked out the books--literally-- from the local library.

They're a lot of fun, but more complicated than the hour-long TV episodes. Jim Butcher must have a taxonomy chart a mile long to keep track of all the various supernatural types he introduces in each book. When I read the books, I sort of let all that pass me by and head straight for the characters and the plot.

Husband likes the books too, so much so that he bought the whole series off Amazon. And I hear there are more to come. My cup runneth over--a Harry Potter that never ends.