"The Dresden Files" book series is about a wizard detective who solves magic crimes in modern day Chicago.

I’ll elaborate further for the few of you who read that first sentence and didn’t immediately buy a million copies. Jim Butcher’s take on contemporary urban fantasy is told from the perspective of its titular character, Harry Dresden, a wisecracking private investigator who gets called in to fix problems that defy logical explanation. Spontaneous combustion, attacks by mysterious animals, and unbelievably bad luck are just some of the kinds of cases that he has to solve, all of which end up with him going toe-to-toe with some magical force that’s way out of his league. Harry’s job sucks, but seeing as he needs the cash and there aren’t too many other wizards running around Chicago, he does it.

What’s amazing about this series is how much imagination and research goes into the creation of the world. Jim Butcher pulls from all sorts of mythologies and folklore to create a fantasy that readers – both new to and familiar with the genre – can immediately identify. Common fantasy creatures like vampires, werewolves, and fairies play important roles, but they are all given interesting twists on everything from their physical appearances to how they behave and how their magical abilities function. Even the billy-goats gruff, creatures that should have no place outside of a children’s bedtime story, manage to provide an interesting and downright harrowing challenge for Harry Dresden. Nothing feels “standard” about the world that Butcher has created. Every aspect of the setting has obviously come from hours of combining well-known fantasy elements with a totally unique perspective that only this writer can achieve.

Not only does Butcher create an incredible setting, he fills his narrative with amazing situations that range from horrifying to hilarious. Butcher doesn’t shy away from gore or the grotesque. A lot of the scary stuff that Harry comes across will almost make you physically uncomfortable or nervous to visualize. The action is fast-paced, while still being descriptive enough that readers can understand how a character manages to make it out alive. By far the best element of Butcher’s writing is his comedy. The jokes almost always hit perfectly. It never feels like Harry is forcing himself to be funny, each crack that he makes is completely in character and filled to the brim with wit and charm. I have never read another book series that can make me switch so quickly between disgust, laughter, anxiety, and relief.

On top of that, the characters are phenomenal. First person fantasy narratives are difficult to master because the reader has to believe that the speaker is a real human being, even if they can throw around fireballs or cast curses. Jim Butcher pulls it off splendidly with his character of Harry Dresden, a down-on-his-luck joker who’s basically a cross between John McClane from "Die Hard" and Bugs Bunny. Dresden, as ridiculous and hilarious as he is, feels like a real guy who is trying to deal with the insanity of the world that he lives in. As a wizard, he knows more about the magic than most people, but he’s not some omniscient voice of wisdom who always has an answer. Harry’s knowledge usually gets him into more trouble than it gets him out of and the burden of having to protect the ignorant, and mostly ungrateful, citizens of Chicago from the things that go bump in the night manages to be sympathy-inducing without feeling broody.

Dresden’s supporting cast shines just as strongly as the protagonist. Karrin Murphy, the head of Special Investigations at the Chicago Police Department, acts as Dresden’s partner during a lot of his cases and provides a more grounded and practical perspective. This allows her to act not only as a much needed in-story target for exposition, but also as a straight-laced figure for Dresden to bounce his wacky personality off of. Michael Carpenter, a knight who wields a holy sword, is a well-developed superman figure who is very welcome in the usually dark setting of "The Dresden Files." Michael could have easily come off as either a goodie-goodie or a religious zealot, but Butcher manages to keep him relatable while also serving as a strong positive figure for both the characters and the reader. There are plenty of other characters who I could list here, but you can meet them yourself by reading the books.

If you’re looking for a fantasy series that uses its magical elements to symbolize real-world issues and make some deep philosophical statements on the existence of man, this series is not for you. Instead, you’ll get a thrill ride of action, mystery, horror, romance, and suspense that rival most summer blockbusters in their excitement and intensity. Imaginative, gritty, and surprisingly hilarious, "The Dresden Files" are pure fun from beginning to end.

Also, in one book he rides a zombie T-Rex into battle while playing polka music. If that doesn’t convince you to pick up a copy, nothing will.

Below are some quotes to give you a better idea of the series’ tone.

"‘Holy shit,’ I breathed. ‘Hellhounds.’

"‘Harry,’ Michael said sternly. ‘You know I hate it when you swear.’

"‘You're right. Sorry. Holy shit,’ I breathed, ‘heckhounds.’"

- Jim Butcher, "Grave Peril"

"He had hard, steady eyes, and all the comforting, reassuring charm of a dental drill."

- Jim Butcher, "Turn Coat"

"‘There were quick footsteps beside me, and then Molly pressed her back to mine. ‘You take that side!’ she said. ‘I'll take this one!’

"DJ Molly C lifted both of her wands and turned the battle chaos to eleven."

- Jim Butcher, "Changes"