Brief Cases

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters, Jim Butcher, Cassandra Campbell, Julia Whelan, Oliver Wyman

An all-new Dresden Files story headlines this urban fantasy short story collection starring the Windy City's favorite wizard.

The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue--and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you'll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection.

From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published "Zoo Day," Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.

With twelve stories in all, Brief Cases offers both longtime fans and first-time readers tantalizing glimpses into Harry's funny, gritty, and unforgettable realm, whetting their appetites for more to come from the wizard with a heart of gold.

Collection includes:

A FISTFUL OF WARLOCKS (from Straight Outta Tombstone, edited by David Boon), read by Cassandra Campbell
B IS FOR BIGFOOT (from Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan), read by James Marsters
AAAA WIZARDRY (from the Dresden Files RPG), read by James Marsters
I WAS A TEENAGE BIGFOOT (from Blood Lite 3: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson), read by James Marsters
CURSES (from The Naked City, edited by Ellen Datlow), read by James Marsters
EVEN HAND (from Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P. N. Elrodread), read by Jim Butcher
BIGFOOT ON CAMPUS (from Hex Appeal, edited by P. N. Elrod), read by James Marsters
BOMBSHELLS (from Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois), read by Julia Whelan
COLD CASE (from Shadowed Souls, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes), read by Julia Whelan
JURY DUTY (from Unbound, edited by Shawn Speakman), read by James Marsters
DAY ONE (from Unfettered II, edited by Shawn Speakman), read by Oliver Wyman
ZOO DAY (original), read by James Marsters

*The author’s note that precede each story will be read by the author.

Critic reviews

Praise for Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files

“Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Philip Marlowe.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Superlative.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“One of the most enjoyable marriages of the fantasy and mystery genres on the shelves.”—Cinescape

“Butcher...spins an excellent noirish detective yarn in a well-crafted, supernaturally charged setting. The supporting cast is again fantastic, and Harry’s wit continues to fly in the face of a peril-fraught plot.”—Booklist (starred review)

“What’s not to like about this series?...It takes the best elements of urban fantasy, mixes it with some good old-fashioned noir mystery, tosses in a dash of romance and a lot of high-octane action, shakes, stirs, and serves.”—SF Site

“A tricky plot complete with against-the-clock pacing, firefights, explosions, and plenty of magic. Longtime series fans as well as newcomers drawn by the SciFi Channel’s TV series based on the novels should find this supernatural mystery a real winner.”—Library Journal

“What would you get if you crossed Spenser with Merlin? Probably you would come up with someone very like Harry Dresden, wizard, tough guy and star of [the Dresden Files].”—The Washington Times

love Dresden but too many recycled stories

seems there was 2 or 3 new stories, the rest appeared elsewhere. the new are great as are the old, but I'd already heard them a few times

great stories and excellent character portrayals

I really enjoyed this fill in the blanks sort of book to go with this story. narrators were amazing and the stories were fun!

A little disappointing

Some of the readers were just meh. Was cool to hear stories from other characters though.

Perfect short stories

It's mind boggling how good Jim Butcher is with Dresden. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book. Loved hearing the little back drops to each story. The narration was simply amazing. The last story, told from 3 perspectives was without a doubt, one of the best short stories I've ever heard/read. A lot of authors/narrators can't pull the multiple storyline perspective off, but this Butcher and Marsters are in rare company.

I can't get enough... I REALLY CAN'T!

Okay, a review... ah, screw it.

I gave this compilation 5-stars even though I've heard a number of them before and some were better than others. Do you know why? Because I DID NOT want this audiobook to end. I LOOOOOOOVE the narrator of this series, the super, super talented James Marsters, and it almost made me cry when Brief Cases was over. I MISSED this series. Write faster, Jim Butcher. WRITE FASTER.


"A Fistful of Warlocks" (from Straight Outta Tombstone, edited by David Boon), read by Cassandra Campbell: 3.5 stars

I loved listening to Cassandra Campbell narrate this short story. My chief complaint? I WANTED MORE! Too short, but extremely promising. I'd listen to an entire series of her Wild West adventures.

"B Is for Bigfoot" (from Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan), read by James Marsters
"AAAA Wizardry" (from the Dresden Files RPG), read by James Marsters
"I Was a Teenage Bigfoot" (from Blood Lite 3: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson), read by James Marsters: 4.5 stars

I already listened to these stories in Working for Bigfoot and I loved them then. Same rating. Still loved these short stories.

"AAAA Wizardry" (from the Dresden Files RPG), read by James Marsters: 3-stars

Good, but not particularly memorable. Again, I just wanted more!

"Curses" (from The Naked City, edited by Ellen Datlow), read by James Marsters: 4.5 stars

Fun, fun, fun! Baseball fun. This was a great short.

"Even Hand" (from Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P. N. Elrodread), read by Jim Butcher: 4 stars

Jim Butcher did a great job narrating this! Loved hearing a story from Gentleman Johnnie Marcone's POV. I could use a whole book of this stuff. Very well done.

"Bombshells" (from Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois), read by Julia Whelan: 4.5 stars

LOVED Julia Whelan's narration and adored this new-to-me story from the POV of Molly. Exciting, fun, and dangerous enough to keep me on my toes. I want more, more, more stories from Molly's POV.

"Cold Case" (from Shadowed Souls, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes), read by Julia Whelan: 4.5 stars

Yes, yes, yes! Love you, Lady Molly.

"Jury Duty" (from Unbound, edited by Shawn Speakman), read by James Marsters: 4 stars

Very solid, awesome narration as always.

"Day One" (from Unfettered II, edited by Shawn Speakman), read by Oliver Wyman: 3.5 stars

Polka will never die!

"Zoo Day" (original), read by James Marsters: 5 stars

Loved this complex story, excellent reading. What a way to end!