books: death masks, book five of the dresden files

Poor Harry has had a rough time of it. He falls in love and she falls into vampire clutches. He's trying to save her and getting nowhere. And now she's back in town with another guy, and he still loves her. Meanwhile, the Vampires have called him out in a challenge that will settle the war once and for all in one-on-one combat, he's up against these Fallen Angels who take over peoples' souls and make them nearly invincible, and he's on the case of the stollen Shroud of Turin, and this is bad enough that Michael isn't the only Knight of the Cross in town. Turns out the villains this week want to start the Apocalypse the classical way-- with a plague of plagues.

And there's new characters and new threads to the story! We get to meet Ivy, the Archive of all human knowledge. She's seven years old and cosmically powerful and knows everything that's ever been known. And we meet her bodyguard Kincaid, who's cool as all get out and almost supernaturally dangerous, though he claims he's normal. We learn that the Red Court isn't going to stop, even after they get Harry out of the way. We learn of the Fellowship that helps people who have been victimized by vamps, including people who have been half turned like Susan. And we learn a few interesting secrets about Marcone.

Book five is a good one, lots of action without so much of the hopelessness. It even has a little super-kinky and dangerous vampire lovin that kind of squicked me out even as I thought it was really hot, and it ended on a more hopeful note, wit Harry regaining some of his perspective and easing up on himself so that he can move on. Which is good. Sad desperate Harry is not as much fun as snarky hopeful Harry.