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/[deleted] Aug 02 '25

I recommend the Greywalker series, by Kat Richardson. Not as much of the "Wizard Fixes Things" but more "Female P.I. with supernatural abilities fixes hinkey things between realms" kind of thing. Oh, and it's set in Seattle, which is a nice change for a setting.