History Literature / SideJobs

* TrophyChild: In "Restoration of Faith", Harry and his mentor Nick are hired to find a runaway named Faith who left home because her rich parents the Astors do not care for her at all save for how she reflects on them. Her parents report her as kidnapped and describe the Harry and Nick as the kidnappers before they return her to them because that will get them more clout than their daughter running away and Harry realizes the child has been driven to be a DeathSeeker by her worthless parents.

A collection of short fiction in the ''[[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden Files]]'' universe. It includes 11 stories:

* TunnelOfLove: In "Love Hurts", one of these rides is the mechanism through which the Red Court's fall-in-love spell works, acting on anyone who rides through it.

** Dresden tries to protect a runaway little girl, Faith Astor, from various dangers while escorting her to safety. Takes place before ''Storm Front''.

** Dresden and Bob talk about possible strategies for advertising Dresden's work. Takes place between ''Death Masks'' and ''Blood Rites''.

** When Jenny Greenteeth abducts Georgia and plots to kill Billy, Dresden and Murphy must hurry to save the day. Takes place between ''Dead Beat'' and ''Proven Guilty''.

** Dresden, Thomas, and Molly must protect a group of [=LARPers=] from a powerful Black Court vampire and her coterie. Takes place between ''White Night'' and ''Small Favor''.

** Dresden plans to spend a day off with his girlfriend Luccio, but when Molly, Andi, and Kirby invite themselves over, his day quickly becomes a lot more complicated. Takes place between ''Small Favor'' and ''Turn Coat''.

** A Red Court attempt to synthesize artificial love draws the attention of Dresden and Murphy when several of the Court's test subjects commit suicide. Takes place between ''Turn Coat'' and ''Changes''.

** Dresden tries to protect a runaway little girl, Faith Astor, from various dangers while escorting her to safety.

** Dresden and Bob talk about possible strategies for advertising Dresden's work.

** When Jenny Greenteeth abducts Georgia and plots to kill Billy, Dresden and Murphy must hurry to save the day.

** Dresden, Thomas, and Molly must protect a group of [=LARPers=] from a powerful Black Court vampire and her coterie.

** Dresden and Sigrun Gard struggle to save an innocent woman from the monstrous Grendelkin that has abducted her.

** Dresden plans to spend a day off with his girlfriend Luccio, but when Molly, Andi, and Kirby invite themselves over, his day quickly becomes a lot more complicated.

** Thomas works to stop the evil followers of a dark, forgotten god before they can trick Dresden into spreading the god's influence throughout the whole world.

** A rogue priest takes extreme measures in order to recover Dresden's Swords of the Cross, forcing Dresden and Michael to stop him before he kills somebody.

** Dresden and Murphy investigate a bar fight at Mac's and uncover a dark plan involving tainted beer and a semi-divine handmaiden of the deity Dionysius.

** A Red Court attempt to synthesize artificial love draws the attention of Dresden and Murphy when several of the Court's test subjects commit suicide.

** Still reeling in the wake of Dresden's apparent death, Murphy must rush back into action to stop a monstrous plot by the Fomor.

* BrotherSisterIncest: In "Love Hurts", siblings Greg and Cindy Bardalacki fall victim to the Red Court's love spell, and eventually commit suicide together because they subconsciously knew their romance was wrong. This is when Murphy, and then Harry, get called in.

A collection of short fiction in the ''Literature/DresdenFiles'' universe. It includes 11 stories:

# [[http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/side-jobs/restoration "Restoration of Faith"]] (The first ''Dresden Files'' story ever written, it was initially rejected for publication.)

This collection features the first stories in which characters besides Dresden act as the narrator; Harry's half-brother Thomas narrates "Backup," and his close friend Murphy narrates "Aftermath."

!! The stories in ''Side Jobs'' contain examples of the following tropes:

* ChurchMilitant: Michael and Harry have to deal with one of these in "The Warrior." For that matter, Michael himself can also be considered to be one of these.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Butcher freely admits that "Restoration of Faith" is early, rough work. Among the differences between it and the series proper is that Dresden uses a ring for magic light instead of his pentacle amulet, and then gives it to Faith--it doesn't seem to be an important heirloom. A [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] has never again been defeated by cutting it open and allowing [[TheWormThatWalks thousands of tiny trolls to spill out of its empty skin]], either.
* HouseFey: Cobbs (the elves from the tale "Literature/TheElvesAndTheCobbler") appear in "It's My Birthday, Too." They're a variety of the Little Folk that are ten inches tall, speak with German accents, and wear lederhosen. Having fallen on hard times with the decline of cobbling as a profession, a family of cobbs took up residence in a mall shoe store; in one of his early cases, Harry reconciled them with the store's owners and got them work, with payment taken from the nearby vending machine. True to the tale, the next time Harry encounters the store it has grown much larger and more prosperous, and the family of cobbs has also grown and is getting crowded. The cobbs act as scouts for Harry and fetch him some weapons to use aganst the Black Court vampires beseiging the mall, and he repays them by setting up another gig with the Carpenters. Seven active children equals a lot of shoe repair.
* OutWithABang: How Thomas kills the villain in "Backup." Being a White Court vampire can be useful that way.
* PostModernMagick: Garlic proves to be just as effective against Black Court vampires when it's been dried and ground into powder as the fresh cloves are. It's more easily weaponized, too. In "It's My Birthday Too," Harry has the cobbs fetch him some garlic powder from the mall's pizza joint, and at a critical moment, mouths some of it and spits it in a vampire's face, which immediately bursts into flame.
* TrollBridge: Trolls still haunt bridges, even in large cities. Gogoth the troll lurks under a bridge over the Chicago River in "Restoration of Faith," waiting for "naughty children" to catch and eat. (The [[FictionalGenevaConventions Unseelie Accords]] apparently bar him from preying on other mortals.)

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Butcher freely admits that "Restoration of Faith" is early, rough work. Among the differences between it and the series proper is that Dresden uses a ring for magic light instead of his pentacle amulet, and then gives it to Faith--it doesn't seem to be an important heirloom. A [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] has never again been defeated by cutting it open and allowing [[TheWormThatWalks hundreds of tiny trolls to spill out of its empty skin]], either.

# [[http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/side-jobs/vignette "Publicity and Advertising"]] (listed as "Vignette" in ''Side Jobs'' and the website)

A collection of short fiction in the Literature/DresdenFiles universe. It includes 11 stories:

# [[http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/side-jobs/restoration "Restoration of Faith"]]

** Dresden, Thomas, and Molly must protect a group of [=LARPers=] from a powerful black court vampire and her coterie.

This collection features the first stories in which characters besides Dresden act as the narrator; Harry's half-brother Thomas narrates 'Backup', and his close friend Murphy narrates 'Aftermath.'

!This book contains the following tropes:

* OutWithABang: How Thomas kills the villain in "Backup."

This collection features the first stories in which characters besides Dresden act as the narrator; Harry's half-brother Thomas narrates 'Backup', and his close friend Murphy narrates 'Aftermath.'

** Dresden and Murphy investigate a bar fight at Mac's and uncover a dark plan involving tainted beer and a semi-divine handmaiden of the goddess Dionysius.

This collection features the first stories in which characters besides Dresden acted as the narrator; Harry's half-brother Thomas narrates 'Backup', and his close friend Murphy narrates 'Aftermath.'