Archer's Asylum

3.5 starsThere are no real big spoilers here but I've hidden the review to cover myself. There are some little ones so consider this your spoiler alert.OK so I've finished re-reading this... And yeah... IMO it's good but it is definitely not the best that this series has to offer. In fact this is probably the worst book of the lot. It's not so much the story that lets it down, I mean who doesn't dig multiple flavours of werewolves that actually kill people rather than take their shirts off and look brooding in the rain?No, rather it's the content of the story that lets it down. This is the stage of the series where again Harry is suspected of conspiracy to commit murder, and is actually arrested by one of the people that he holds most dear in his heart. And he doesn't get angry at her? Look I'm sorry but if my fiance but if she arrested me (wrongly) for conspiracy to commit then I'd be fucking pissed. Any one would. It's only natural. Isn't it? It even follows the same basic pattern of the first book, but that's just my opinion. This is probably Butchers weakest portrayal of the fairer sex too. Sure, Murphy is smart, funny and more able to kill a man with her pinky than any serial killer I can think of... but she is patently ignorant of events that she should have put together by now. She calls in Dresden for help and still fails to trust him? Yeah... no, that's just not right to me. Those are really what let this book down but despite that, I still really like it... ish.It's funny, it's an entertaining romp but it's just not there. I love the characters that are introduced and the fact that it is used as a springboard for character growth over the rest of the series. I love that Harry himself say's he need to change how he treats those around him, to stop shielding them and start coaching them against the big spiritual bad. Because of the events of this book he makes firm friends with a pack of local werewolves and his friendship with Murphy starts to deepen and his relationship with Susan becomes more defined. I also like the fact that it touches on something that should be touched on more. Especially with soldier characters who are all stoic and silent. Set with grim determination. It touches the humanity of them. "I'm a pretty tough guy. I mean, look at me. I can handle some rough stuff. But some things I'm not so tough about. I started crying, hard, and Susan held me, rocked me gently, until the tears had gone away. I wanted to stay there, where it was warm, and where I was clean, and where there wasn't anyone dying." Even the toughest of men break down, I've seen it first hand, but this is only one of a handful of times that I've seen it happen in a novel. Authors need to realise that adding the emotional toll that fighters/soldiers/warriors.... HEROES pay adds depth and humanity to their tales. It's not a bad thing for big tough characters to cry. It's human. It's natural. It actually draws you in deeper into the narrative and I applaud Butcher for it, really I do. But this is nowhere near his best work in this series.It's a good book as UF goes (in comparison to some of the utter shite that gets published), but Butchers growth as an author has only really begun at this point and it really shows in this book.