I've been a fan of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, both in books and television, since the beginning. When I picked up a copy of Backup, I knew I was purchasing a 72-page short story with illustrations by Mike Mignola (of Baltimore fame, etc.) up front, so there was no disappointment here in length or format.

The story is brief. Harry Dresden's in trouble with the Stygian Sisterhood, but he doesn't know it. Worse, his big brother Thomas (who, did we mention, is a vampire?) can't tell him because it would reveal his own involvement in the Oblivion Wars. So, he goes undercover to prevent Chicago's only wizard/private investigator from getting into trouble.

I've loved Thomas since his introduction, and so I am delighted to see him get even more exposure in The Dresden Files stories. He's got a lot of humor and, I think, a lot of humanity for a "monster."

In my opinion, this is a book with a fairly focused range of appeal. Fans of Butcher's and Mignola's work will, obviously, want to grab up a copy of this lovely illustrated volume.

The one nit I'd pick is this: I wish there was just a bit more backstory so Butcher could use this book as more of an entree to the Thomas Raith stories.