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"Dresden" Author Jim Butcher does a Welsh-inspired Short Story in Chicago!

user image 2011-11-13
By: gaabi
Posted in:

Jim Butcher is the author of the very popular "Harry Dresden" fantasy series, about a Chicago private investigator who's also a wizard and the hidden world of wizards, vampires, Fae and other magical creatures barely restrained from falling upon us all, starting in Chicago.

Butcher contributed a short story to a new anthology, published this year, Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy . "Curses" revolves around a well-known Chicago curse and a well-heeled representative of an unnamed client comes to Harry Dresden to hire him to remove it. In the course of tracking the origin of the curse, Dresden finds himself at The Llyn y Fan Fach Tavern and Inn.

Llyn y Fan Fach is a man-made lake near the natural lake Llyn y Fan Fawrin the Brecon Beacons. A legend says that a young man married a woman who rose out of the lake and said she'd be his wife until he hit her three times and then she'd leave and take her cattle. These idiots in mythology can never restrain themselves so, of course, he hit her three times and she left him, but returned occaisionally to see and teach her children, who went on to become the Physicians of Myddfai.

The Llyn y Fan Fach turns out to be run by "Jill," a beautiful woman who's accent "came from somewhere closed to Cardiff than London" and whom Dresden asks for information on the shape-shifting Tylwyth Teg . Of course, "Jill" turns out to be more than she appears and becomes Dresden's guide in seeking the author of the curse.

I saw the name of the tavern, then Butcher's description of it and chortled with glee (I'm a huge Dresden addict): "... located at the lakeside at the northen edge of the city. The place's exterior screamed "PUB" as if it were trying to make itself heard over the roar of brawling football hooligans. It was all white-washed walls and heavy timbers stained dark. the wooden sign hanging from a post above the door bore the tavern's name and a painted picture of a leek and daffodil crossed like swords."

So there you go, any Jim Butcher "Harry Dresden" fans, a Welsh-ish "Dresden" story, and Welsh in Chicago for the Tafia.

Peter Lewis
11/13/11 03:29:03PM @peter-lewis:

I'm a big fan of Butcher and Dresden too. Definitely have to look this up at the bookstore!