Jim Butcher
Encyclopedia
Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling
author most known for his contemporary fantasy
book series The Dresden Files
. He also wrote the Codex Alera
series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K. Butcher (an author of romance novel
s), one son, and his guard dog, F. D. M. Butcher.
as a child, Butcher's sisters introduced him to The Lord of the Rings
and The Han Solo Adventures novels to pass the time, thus beginning his fascination with fantasy and science fiction
. As a teenager, he completed his first novel and set out to become a writer. After many unsuccessful attempts to enter the traditional fantasy genre (he cites J. R. R. Tolkien
, Lloyd Alexander
, and C.S. Lewis, among others, as major influences), he wrote the first book in The Dresden Files—about a professional wizard in modern-day Chicago
—as an exercise for a writing course in 1996 at the age of 25.
For two years, Butcher floated his manuscript amongst various publishers before hitting the convention circuit to make contacts in the industry. After meeting Butcher in person, Ricia Mainhardt, the agent who discovered Laurell K. Hamilton
, agreed to represent him, kick-starting his writing career. However, Butcher and Mainhardt have since parted ways; Jennifer Jackson is his current agent. Butcher has written two series: The Dresden Files and Codex Alera. Codex Alera has ended after six novels and The Dresden Files are still ongoing; he has also written a Spider-Man novel, entitled The Darkest Hours, released on June 27, 2006. In addition, he contributed a short story for publication in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding with Charlaine Harris
and Sherrilyn Kenyon
, among others, released in October 2006. He has since contributed to the anthologies Many Bloody Returns in September 2007 and My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
in December 2007. In October 2008, he released another short story in Blood Lite and a novelette, Backup, illustrated by Mike Mignola
.
, the first novel in The Dresden Files, was picked up by ROC for publishing. It was released as a paperback in April 2000. Fool Moon
followed nine months later on January 1, 2001, and the third book, Grave Peril, was published in September 2001. Thereafter, the release schedule slowed, with Summer Knight appearing on September 3, 2002. The fifth and sixth books, Death Masks and Blood Rites, appeared in August 2003 and 2004, respectively. Coinciding with the release of Blood Rites, Butcher published a Harry Dresden short story, entitled Restoration of Faith, on his website, chronicling Harry's life before The Dresden Files as a private eye for Ragged Angel Investigations. In December 2004, the Science Fiction Book Club picked up the first three novels in the series for release in a hardcover omnibus edition entitled Wizard for Hire for a March–April 2005 rush release in order to arrive on store shelves before the seventh novel in May.
Dead Beat, released on May 3, 2005, was the first hardback release in the series by ROC. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out in three days, and the book was immediately reprinted. A second omnibus edition, called Wizard by Trade and containing Summer Knight and Death Masks, appeared in early 2006, followed by Proven Guilty on May 2, 2006, the same day as the paperback edition of Dead Beat. Proven Guilty quickly climbed to #21 on the New York Times Best Seller List and #91 on the USA Today list. A third omnibus release from the Science Fiction Book Club entitled Wizard at Large and containing Blood Rites and Dead Beat was released in November 2006.
A ninth book from ROC, White Night, was released on April 3, 2007, shortly after the paperback edition for Proven Guilty in February. White Night reached the top five of the New York Times Best Seller List on an initial printing of 100,000 copies. Small Favor, the tenth book in the series, was released April 1, 2008. It debuted at number two on the New York Times Best Seller List, Butcher's highest debut ever, and number three on the USA Today best seller list.
The eleventh book in the series, Turn Coat, was released April 7, 2009.
The 12th book in the series, Changes, was released April 6, 2010. The 13th book, Ghost Story, was released July 26, 2011.
The series garners a strong following and is now available in several languages, including Russian
, Spanish
, French
, Czech
, Polish
, German
and Mandarin Chinese
.
Due to the popularity of The Dresden Files, Buzzy Media Publishing has released the first four novels as audiobooks in both audio and MP3 CD formats. They are voiced by actor James Marsters
. Storm Front was released in July 2002 as an unabridged 8-CD set, with an unabridged 9-CD set of Fool Moon following in August 2003. The Grave Peril audiobook shipped as an unabridged 10-CD set on October 28, 2004, with a free t-shirt bundled with all purchases before December 26, 2004. Summer Knight was released March 31, 2007. All four have since been released in MP3
-CD format with fewer discs.
Buzzy Multimedia
announced in November 2007 that Penguin Audio had purchased the audio rights to the remaining Dresden Files novels, and the tenth novel, Small Favor, would be next in line for audio treatment. The audio book was released simultaneously with the hardcover April 1, 2008. Jim-Butcher.com reports that Penguin Audio intends to produce and release the remaining novels as soon as James Marsters
' schedule allows.
On December 16, 2004 Butcher also inked a deal with Evil Hat Productions
to release a role-playing game based on The Dresden Files. The game uses a modified ruleset from Evil Hat's acclaimed Fate
RPG.
Television writer and producer Morgan Gendel optioned The Dresden Files in June 2003, paving the way for a film or television release of the series. On April 5, 2004, Sci Fi
announced production of a two-hour backdoor pilot film of The Dresden Files based on the events of Storm Front in conjunction with Lions Gate Television and Saturn Films, with Nicolas Cage
and Norm Golightly set to executive produce. Gendel was listed to write and executive produce the television series, along with Anthony Peckham. Initially, Harry Dresden was listed as "Erik" Dresden, but by the end of 2004 the name had been canned in early drafts of the pilot in favor of Harry.
On October 5, 2005, Variety
reported that the television project had been officially greenlit by Sci Fi, with Hans Beimler and Robert Wolfe coming onboard as executive producers with Cage, Golightly, and Gendel. Production of the pilot took place in Toronto, and the original intent was to air the pilot movie in the summer of 2006. In November, the Sci Fi Wire released casting details for the series, with Paul Blackthorne
cast as Harry Dresden over James Marsters
, who turned down the opportunity to audition because he was unwilling to relocate from Los Angeles. In May 2006, Sci Fi announced an initial purchase of eleven episodes of The Dresden Files and a January 2007 premiere of the two-hour pilot movie. However, the two-hour pilot was not shown, and the show premiered on January 21, 2007 with the episode Birds of a Feather, originally intended to be the third episode. The show garnered mixed reviews
After the season one finale aired on April 15, 2007, fans began a letter campaign in an attempt to have the show renewed. Sci Fi decided not to continue production on the Dresden Files the following August.
man named Tavi from the Calderon Valley of Alera on the world of Carna. The people of Alera have grown complacent with the trappings of empire (the story is based loosely on the late Roman Empire
) and their control of powerful elemental forces known as furies. On March 3, 2003, Jim Butcher announced that Ace
won a bidding war against rival publisher Del Rey Books
for the rights to the series.
The first novel in the series, Furies of Calderon
, was published in hardcover by Ace
, and in August 2004, major booksellers began taking pre-orders for an October 5, 2004 release. Furies of Calderon was the first hardcover release for Butcher, and was a significant step forward in making the transition from a part-time to a full-time writer. A paperback version followed in June, 2005, just a month before the release of the second book, Academ's Fury. It was released in paperback on November 28, 2006, with the third novel, Cursor's Fury, following on December 5.
While originally intended to be a six-book series, Codex Alera was initially signed as a trilogy. After the series showed success, Roc agreed to publish three more novels in the Codex Alera series. The fourth novel, Captain's Fury, released December 4, 2007 and peaked at #17 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The fifth novel, Princeps' Fury, was released November 25, 2008 and peaked at #13 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The sixth and final novel, First Lord's Fury, was released on November 24, 2009 and has reached #7 on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Audio rights to the Codex Alera belong to Penguin Audio. Captain's Fury was released in audio format March 27, 2008, read by Kate Reading. Audio versions of the first three books were released in November, 2008. The audio book of Princeps' Fury was released simultaneously with the hardcover.
Butcher received a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story
for Welcome to the Jungle.
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
author most known for his contemporary fantasy
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
book series The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...
. He also wrote the Codex Alera
Codex Alera
Codex Alera is a fantasy book series by Jim Butcher. The series chronicles the coming-of-age of a young man named Tavi in the realm of Alera, an empire similar to Rome, on the world of Carna. Every Aleran has some degree of command over elemental forces or spirits called furies, save for Tavi, who...
series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K. Butcher (an author of romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s), one son, and his guard dog, F. D. M. Butcher.
Career biography
While he was sick with strep throatStrep throat
Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal tonsillitis, or streptococcal sore throat is a type of pharyngitis caused by a group A streptococcal infection. It affects the pharynx including the tonsils and possibly the larynx. Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, and enlarged lymph nodes...
as a child, Butcher's sisters introduced him to The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and The Han Solo Adventures novels to pass the time, thus beginning his fascination with fantasy and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. As a teenager, he completed his first novel and set out to become a writer. After many unsuccessful attempts to enter the traditional fantasy genre (he cites J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
, and C.S. Lewis, among others, as major influences), he wrote the first book in The Dresden Files—about a professional wizard in modern-day Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
—as an exercise for a writing course in 1996 at the age of 25.
For two years, Butcher floated his manuscript amongst various publishers before hitting the convention circuit to make contacts in the industry. After meeting Butcher in person, Ricia Mainhardt, the agent who discovered Laurell K. Hamilton
Laurell K. Hamilton
Laurell Kaye Hamilton is an American fantasy and romance writer. She is the author of two series of stories. Hamilton is known for her New York Times-bestselling Anita Blake series, featuring a professional zombie raiser/supernatural consultant for the police as the protagonist in a world where...
, agreed to represent him, kick-starting his writing career. However, Butcher and Mainhardt have since parted ways; Jennifer Jackson is his current agent. Butcher has written two series: The Dresden Files and Codex Alera. Codex Alera has ended after six novels and The Dresden Files are still ongoing; he has also written a Spider-Man novel, entitled The Darkest Hours, released on June 27, 2006. In addition, he contributed a short story for publication in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding with Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing mysteries for over twenty years. She was born and raised in the Mississippi River Delta area of the United States. She now lives in southern Arkansas with her husband and three children...
and Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sherrilyn Kenyon is a bestselling US writer. Under her own name she writes Urban Fantasy, but is best known for her Dark-Hunter vampire series. Under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor she wrote historicals also with paranormal elements...
, among others, released in October 2006. He has since contributed to the anthologies Many Bloody Returns in September 2007 and My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, edited by P.N. Elrod, is the 2007 sequel to the 2006 book My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. Honeymoon is an anthology of honeymoon stories contributed by several authors such as the author of the Otherworld series Kelley Armstrong, the author of The Morganville...
in December 2007. In October 2008, he released another short story in Blood Lite and a novelette, Backup, illustrated by Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
.
The Dresden Files series
Six months after Butcher was signed by Mainhardt, Storm FrontStorm Front (novel)
Storm Front is a 2000 novel by science fiction and fantasy author Jim Butcher. It is the first novel in The Dresden Files, his first published series that follows the character of Harry Dresden, professional wizard.-Plot Summary:...
, the first novel in The Dresden Files, was picked up by ROC for publishing. It was released as a paperback in April 2000. Fool Moon
Fool Moon (novel)
Fool Moon is a 2001 contemporary fantasy novel by author Jim Butcher. It is the second novel in The Dresden Files, which follows the character of Harry Dresden, present-day Chicago's only professional wizard.-Plot:...
followed nine months later on January 1, 2001, and the third book, Grave Peril, was published in September 2001. Thereafter, the release schedule slowed, with Summer Knight appearing on September 3, 2002. The fifth and sixth books, Death Masks and Blood Rites, appeared in August 2003 and 2004, respectively. Coinciding with the release of Blood Rites, Butcher published a Harry Dresden short story, entitled Restoration of Faith, on his website, chronicling Harry's life before The Dresden Files as a private eye for Ragged Angel Investigations. In December 2004, the Science Fiction Book Club picked up the first three novels in the series for release in a hardcover omnibus edition entitled Wizard for Hire for a March–April 2005 rush release in order to arrive on store shelves before the seventh novel in May.
Dead Beat, released on May 3, 2005, was the first hardback release in the series by ROC. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out in three days, and the book was immediately reprinted. A second omnibus edition, called Wizard by Trade and containing Summer Knight and Death Masks, appeared in early 2006, followed by Proven Guilty on May 2, 2006, the same day as the paperback edition of Dead Beat. Proven Guilty quickly climbed to #21 on the New York Times Best Seller List and #91 on the USA Today list. A third omnibus release from the Science Fiction Book Club entitled Wizard at Large and containing Blood Rites and Dead Beat was released in November 2006.
A ninth book from ROC, White Night, was released on April 3, 2007, shortly after the paperback edition for Proven Guilty in February. White Night reached the top five of the New York Times Best Seller List on an initial printing of 100,000 copies. Small Favor, the tenth book in the series, was released April 1, 2008. It debuted at number two on the New York Times Best Seller List, Butcher's highest debut ever, and number three on the USA Today best seller list.
The eleventh book in the series, Turn Coat, was released April 7, 2009.
The 12th book in the series, Changes, was released April 6, 2010. The 13th book, Ghost Story, was released July 26, 2011.
The series garners a strong following and is now available in several languages, including Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Mandarin Chinese
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
.
Audiobooks and game
Due to the popularity of The Dresden Files, Buzzy Media Publishing has released the first four novels as audiobooks in both audio and MP3 CD formats. They are voiced by actor James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
. Storm Front was released in July 2002 as an unabridged 8-CD set, with an unabridged 9-CD set of Fool Moon following in August 2003. The Grave Peril audiobook shipped as an unabridged 10-CD set on October 28, 2004, with a free t-shirt bundled with all purchases before December 26, 2004. Summer Knight was released March 31, 2007. All four have since been released in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
-CD format with fewer discs.
Buzzy Multimedia
Buzzy Multimedia
Buzzy Multimedia is an independent publishing company producing unabridged science-fiction and fantasy audiobooks.- External links :* — Buzzy Multimedia home page* * * * * * *...
announced in November 2007 that Penguin Audio had purchased the audio rights to the remaining Dresden Files novels, and the tenth novel, Small Favor, would be next in line for audio treatment. The audio book was released simultaneously with the hardcover April 1, 2008. Jim-Butcher.com reports that Penguin Audio intends to produce and release the remaining novels as soon as James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
' schedule allows.
On December 16, 2004 Butcher also inked a deal with Evil Hat Productions
Evil Hat Productions
Evil Hat Productions is a company that produces role-playing games. Chief among them is the free indie RPG, Fate, which has won numerous awards. In 2005, the company began producing a series of commercial role-playing games using an updated version of the FATE system, each focusing on a different...
to release a role-playing game based on The Dresden Files. The game uses a modified ruleset from Evil Hat's acclaimed Fate
FATE (role-playing game)
FATE, Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment, is a generic role-playing game system based on the FUDGE gaming system. It has no fixed setting, traits, or genre and is almost entirely customizable...
RPG.
Television show
Television writer and producer Morgan Gendel optioned The Dresden Files in June 2003, paving the way for a film or television release of the series. On April 5, 2004, Sci Fi
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
announced production of a two-hour backdoor pilot film of The Dresden Files based on the events of Storm Front in conjunction with Lions Gate Television and Saturn Films, with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Norm Golightly set to executive produce. Gendel was listed to write and executive produce the television series, along with Anthony Peckham. Initially, Harry Dresden was listed as "Erik" Dresden, but by the end of 2004 the name had been canned in early drafts of the pilot in favor of Harry.
On October 5, 2005, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that the television project had been officially greenlit by Sci Fi, with Hans Beimler and Robert Wolfe coming onboard as executive producers with Cage, Golightly, and Gendel. Production of the pilot took place in Toronto, and the original intent was to air the pilot movie in the summer of 2006. In November, the Sci Fi Wire released casting details for the series, with Paul Blackthorne
Paul Blackthorne
Paul Blackthorne is a British actor on film, television and radio. Although born in Shropshire, England, he spent his early childhood on British Military bases in both England and Germany. Blackthorne broke into acting via television commercials in England...
cast as Harry Dresden over James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
, who turned down the opportunity to audition because he was unwilling to relocate from Los Angeles. In May 2006, Sci Fi announced an initial purchase of eleven episodes of The Dresden Files and a January 2007 premiere of the two-hour pilot movie. However, the two-hour pilot was not shown, and the show premiered on January 21, 2007 with the episode Birds of a Feather, originally intended to be the third episode. The show garnered mixed reviews
After the season one finale aired on April 15, 2007, fans began a letter campaign in an attempt to have the show renewed. Sci Fi decided not to continue production on the Dresden Files the following August.
The Codex Alera series
After the success of Dresden, Butcher returned to the traditional fantasy genre with his second series, Codex Alera. The series chronicles the life of a youngYoung
-Nickname or given name:*Young Aaron , English-born American lightweight, Hall of Fame*Young Murphy , American world champion junior lightweight boxer*Young Perez , Tunisian world champion flyweight boxer...
man named Tavi from the Calderon Valley of Alera on the world of Carna. The people of Alera have grown complacent with the trappings of empire (the story is based loosely on the late Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
) and their control of powerful elemental forces known as furies. On March 3, 2003, Jim Butcher announced that Ace
Ace Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
won a bidding war against rival publisher Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
for the rights to the series.
The first novel in the series, Furies of Calderon
Furies of Calderon
Furies of Calderon is a 2004 high fantasy novel by Jim Butcher. It is book one of the Codex Alera novel series.-Plot:The story takes place in the Aleran Empire, which contains "crafters", people who control the elements: water, air, earth, fire, wood, and metal, through a person's bond with an...
, was published in hardcover by Ace
Ace Books
Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
, and in August 2004, major booksellers began taking pre-orders for an October 5, 2004 release. Furies of Calderon was the first hardcover release for Butcher, and was a significant step forward in making the transition from a part-time to a full-time writer. A paperback version followed in June, 2005, just a month before the release of the second book, Academ's Fury. It was released in paperback on November 28, 2006, with the third novel, Cursor's Fury, following on December 5.
While originally intended to be a six-book series, Codex Alera was initially signed as a trilogy. After the series showed success, Roc agreed to publish three more novels in the Codex Alera series. The fourth novel, Captain's Fury, released December 4, 2007 and peaked at #17 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The fifth novel, Princeps' Fury, was released November 25, 2008 and peaked at #13 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The sixth and final novel, First Lord's Fury, was released on November 24, 2009 and has reached #7 on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Audio rights to the Codex Alera belong to Penguin Audio. Captain's Fury was released in audio format March 27, 2008, read by Kate Reading. Audio versions of the first three books were released in November, 2008. The audio book of Princeps' Fury was released simultaneously with the hardcover.
The Dresden Files
- "Restoration of Faith" (Harry Dresden short story)
- "Vignette" (Harry Dresden vignetteFlash fictionFlash fiction is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted definition of the length of the category...
) - "Something Borrowed" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (October 3, 2006, ISBN 0-312-34360-4)
- "It's My Birthday Too" (Harry Dresden short story), published in Many Bloody Returns (September 4, 2007, ISBN 0441015220)
- "Heorot" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural HoneymoonMy Big Fat Supernatural HoneymoonMy Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon, edited by P.N. Elrod, is the 2007 sequel to the 2006 book My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. Honeymoon is an anthology of honeymoon stories contributed by several authors such as the author of the Otherworld series Kelley Armstrong, the author of The Morganville...
(December 26, 2007, ISBN 0-312-37504-2) - "Day Off" (Harry Dresden short story), published in Blood Lite (October 21, 2008, ISBN 1416567836)
- Welcome to the JungleWelcome to the Jungle (graphic novel)Welcome to the Jungle is a 2008 hardback graphic novel written by science fiction and fantasy author Jim Butcher and illustrated by Ardian Syaf. It was written as a prequel to Storm Front. It was nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Graphic Novel category.-Plot:A brutal mauling at Chicago’s...
, a prequel to the series. A graphic novel, illustrated by Ardian Syaf), published by Dabel Brothers (October 21, 2008, ISBN 0345507460 - Backup: A Story of the Dresden FilesBackup: A Story of the Dresden FilesBackup: A Story of the Dresden Files is a novelette set in The Dresden Files universe, Jim Butcher's continuing series about wizard detective Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. This book is unique in that the story is told from the of view of Thomas Raith, Dresden's older half-brother...
(Harry Dresden novelette, illustrated by Mike MignolaMike MignolaMichael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
), published by Subterranean PressSubterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
(October 31, 2008, ISBN 1596061820) - "The Warrior", published in Mean Streets (January 6, 2009, ISBN 9780451462497)
- "Last Call", published in Strange BrewStrange Brew (book)Strange Brew is an urban fantasy short story anthology, edited by P.N. Elrod. It reached the NYTimes extended bestseller list in July 2009.-Stories:#"Seeing Eye", by Patricia Briggs#"Last Call", by Jim Butcher#"Death Warmed Over", by Rachel Caine...
(July 7, 2009, ISBN 9780312383367) - "Even Hand", published in Dark and Stormy Knights (July 20, 2010, ISBN 9780312598341)
Butcher received a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story
Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story
The Hugo Awards are presented every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
for Welcome to the Jungle.
Other
- The Darkest HoursSpider-Man: The Darkest HoursSpider-Man: The Darkest Hours is a novel written by Jim Butcher featuring characters from the Spider-Man Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee. Thus, itself is based on a story arc from those of the comics...
(June 27, 2006, ISBN 1-4165-1068-0)
External links
- Dresden Files RPG
- SyFy.com | The Dresden Files (recaps)
- The Butcher Block: A podcast about Jim and his books.
- The official Jim Butcher Site
- Penguin Audio Register here to be notified when The Dresden Files 5..9 are released as audio books.
- Novel synopses, cover art, and reviews at FantasyLiterature.net
- 2011 Interview on the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast