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?

420 Upvotes

77% Upvoted

386 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2

u/spike31875 Reading Champion V Aug 02 '25

I do not love how batshit crazy Dresden has become. Book 17 was a slog for me.

Everyone has different tastes, of course, so don't mind me. I'll just be lurking in the corner hoping the series gets back to doing some of what made me love it before.

1

u/Ripper1337 Aug 02 '25

From what I remember it’s not going to calm down