Calm Before the Storm: A Review of Peace Talks, by Jim Butcher

            No discussion of urban fantasy is complete without The Dresden Files, the long-running series by Jim Butcher following the wizard Harry Dresden in modern-day Chicago.  In many ways a counterpoint to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, in more than just he titular character’s name, The Dresden Files made a name for itself in the early 2000’s as mixing noir and fantasy to create relatively realistic mysteries, working inside a set of magical rules Butcher created and stuck to.  Harry Dresden operated as a professional wizard and private investigator in a modern-day Chicago that does not believe in magic.  While may other authors wrote urban fantasy and fantasy detective fiction prior to Butcher, he popularized the mix and brought it the mainstream.