Butcher really excels when he gets going in a series, but the first book of this and the Dresden Files were only readable because; I was on a plane with Dresden for a long time, and read through the first three books, and the Codex Alera because I read it when I was newer to the genre. Nevertheless, if you read the first book to get a good impression of his writing you will be disappointed, but if you slog through them, you'll get a rewarding read. It's like a baby that grows to maturity in a few hours.
If you can read the first one, it's totally worth it.
Butcher really excels when he gets going in a series, but the first book of this and the Dresden Files were only readable because; I was on a plane with Dresden for a long time, and read through the first three books, and the Codex Alera because I read it when I was newer to the genre. Nevertheless, if you read the first book to get a good impression of his writing you will be disappointed, but if you slog through them, you'll get a rewarding read. It's like a baby that grows to maturity in a few hours.