New 'Dresden Files' book is coming: See the cover reveal for 'Twelve Months'
'Twelve Months' (out January 2026 from Penguin Random House) promises a gripping thriller where Harry Dresden will not only have to save the day, but himself. Keep reading to get a first look at the cover, exclusively revealed by USA TODAY.
Wondering what's in store for Harry? Writing to USA TODAY from his honeymoon, here's what Butcher says readers can expect.
New 'Dresden Files' book: See the cover
'Twelve Months' features Harry in signature 'Dresden Files' cover style – with a hat and his staff. According to Butcher, this story sees a 'modern city suddenly plunged back to the technology of the 18th century.'
It's also the first 'Dresden Files' book that wasn't outlined in Butcher's original plan for the series, an assignment he turned in as a grad student at the University of Oklahoma about 30 years ago, the author told The New York Times.
What is 'Twelve Months' by Jim Butcher about?
In a broad sense, 'Twelve Months' is about the 'human costs' of what happened in 'Battle Ground' and how the characters survive it.
'It's a story about how you pick yourself up again when life has knocked everything out from under you – how you find strength in yourself and what it takes to get back on your feet,' Butcher tells USA TODAY.
The novel begins as Harry is helping the city of Chicago and his friends recover after the battle in the last novel. He needs time to rebuild, but there are bigger problems at hand – ghouls hunting innocent Chicagoans, fae and vampire alliances and a betrothal to a seductive, deadly vampire. And his brother is dying.
'As a professional wizard in supernatural Chicago, Harry Dresden has to deal with a lot more vampires and monsters than most people do, and he's got people who are depending on him in their own time of need – particularly his own brother, who is going to die in one of several horrible ways if Dresden can't figure out how to pull him out of the metaphysical and political tiger pits within which Thomas is trapped,' Butcher says.
'He's got to rise to these challenges at a time when loss and grief have made him feel about as dynamic as a pile of dirty laundry. He's going to have to dig deep into his resources, personal and magical, to overcome these troubles. It isn't going to be pretty, but they don't call Harry Dresden the Wizard of Chicago for nothing,' he adds.
"Twelve Months" is available to preorder now and will publish Jan. 20, 2026.
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Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
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