Amazon today popped up with the ability to pre-order the next book in The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, "Peace Talks"! Coming out mid-July, woot!

Fans have been waiting six years since the last full novel in this series came out, barely getting by with the release of some short stories in various anthologies. So every time as an author you feel guilty about taking too long publishing the next part of your epics, remember that Jim has us all beat on that score! ;)

I came to love this series because he did not made the mistake that so many other series authors do, namely not having a true arc in mind for the whole thing from the start. It's been clear through all the books (this next one is #16 or 15 depending on how you count) that the entire story was - at a high level at least - mapped out beforehand and has been moving towards what is sure to be a massively epic climax.

From what I've read when Jim started writing them he had the ideas / overall plot for twenty-four books laid out. How much they have deviated from the original plan he may never tell, but having that mental arrow to follow for that long has really made the difference. The progression of the characters and the scope of the world has been amazing to watch.

(And he has angels in it - yay! - and has treated them so far with great care.)

Anyway, if you like urban fantasy with wizards, vampires, fae, angels, and all kinds of other monsters, this is a great series. The first couple books are slightly rough and may seem stereo-typical of the genre but once you get past those the writing and depth of the characters greatly improves.

I can't wait for this next one!! :)