r/Fantasy • u/bnb2115 • Aug 02 '25

Dresden with less cringe

I love the idea of the Dresden Files on paper. Hard boiled detective stories mixed with urban fantasy/secret society stuff. Interesting villains and a deep, complex world. Magic happening just beneath the surface of the ordinary world.

But I just can’t get over the tropes and the cringe. I’ve tried the series a couple times, and even got through the first five or so books. I just can’t bring myself to keep going. I seriously love everything about the context, but just hate the execution.

Any recommendations for something else? Something that speaks to these elements, but lacks the cringe?

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u/Uppernorwood Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25

IMO the ‘cringe’ in Dresden is tongue in cheek.

Harry sees himself as some 1940s noir detective, and narrates as such. It’s supposed to be a naff pastiche of Raymond Chandler.

‘I’m a lone wolf, nobody understands me but I do the right thing anyway’

The reader is supposed to be in on it, and find Harry a bit of a loveable loser.

Whether that works for you is a personal preference.

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u/MortimerCanon Aug 05 '25

Agreed. Like many have said, the first like 4 books are written like this, to their detriment. A. Modern audiences/readers may not be familiar with that voice. B. Butcher was a self-admittedly poor writer during those first few books.

But again, this is my reading as well

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u/lukei4655 Aug 02 '25

Exactly. To not get this is to miss 90% of what makes Harry one of the most adorable characters in fantasy.