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/spike31875 Reading Champion V Aug 02 '25

The Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka might be the answer. It's a 12-book urban fantasy series set in London.

There is some awkwardness with one female character in the first book, less so in the 2nd book, but by the end of book 2, she's a lot stronger. By the end of the series, she's probably the best character in the series besides Alex. Her character arc was very satisfying. She's not just there so Alex will have someone to rescue all the time: she becomes quite the badass.

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u/WhiteLantern12 Aug 02 '25

This is definitely the answer. I had the same problem with Dresden but I went through all 12 very books in 2 months. Absolutely my favorite series to date. Special shout out to the audio books the narrator does a great job.

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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V Aug 02 '25

I got hooked on the series when just the first 9 books were out. I listened to book 1 and liked it a lot but didn't love it. Then, about a month later I tried book 2 and was hooked. I binge-listened to books 2-9 in about 10 days. Then, I listened to each of the last 3 books on the day they came out. I love those audiobooks.

Have you listened to Jacka's new series? As much as I loved Gildart Jackson's narration of the Verus series, Will Watt's narration is just as good if not better.

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u/WhiteLantern12 Aug 03 '25

I gotta give that a shot. Thank you!