Magic. Its a difficult thing to manage ... especially if one is a writer.

One of the great escapes a writer uses to get out of a corner he or she finds himself or herself painted in is what some of us call the woo woo ray. Its that mystical device or force that comes out of nowhere to solve the problem and propel the plot forward.

Magic is often used as a woo woo ray. Stories about wizards and witches and magic often get to the climax only to find that there has been no foreshadowing of what the solution will be. Then, when we are wondering how in the world the main character will solve the problem, the writer uses the woo woo ray -- something never before seen in the universe the characters live in. Talk about disappointing! It can ruin the whole experience.

Recently, something that has hit the public and has helped make magic more acceptable has been the Harry Potter series of books and movies. Often, the woo woo ray is not used, and we get satisfying stories and characterizations. I happen to enjoy both the novels and the films myself.

If you like Potter, I think youll also like "The Dresden Files."

What attracted the books to my attention was that the SciFi Channel was about to air an ongoing television series based loosely on the eight books in the series.

Right now, Im nearly through the sixth book, and I do enjoy them. I find them similar to Potter in tone and in pacing. They are a quick, enjoyable read.

There are a couple of differences between Potter and Dresden. For example, four-letter words appear in "Dresden." The books are also a lot more adult (in the good way) than Potter.

In fact, I often think that Harry Dresden is close to what a grown-up Harry Potter would be like. Sort of.

The series debuted in January on the SciFi Channel, and the ratings have been pretty good so far.

As a long-time "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" fan, Im always interested in shows that alumni from the series are involved with. "Dresden" has two such folks in charge -- Hans Beimler and Robert Hewitt Wolfe.

Though "Dresden" author Jim Butcher doesnt have creative control of the series, he does give input and has stated that hes pretty happy with how the show has been set up and done. (In fact, he's filmed a cameo appearance in one episode.) Of course, whenever a book is translated into something for the small or large screen, changes will happen, and "Dresden" is no exception. For example, in the books, Harry drives an old Volkswagen he calls the Blue Beetle after a DC Comics character. On the show, he drives a Jeep. Also, Harrys office is located on an upper floor of a building in the novels. On the series, its on the ground level so clients and friends can easily burst in on Harry for dramatic effect. And Harry now carries a hockey stick instead of a blasting rod. Well, Chicago is a hockey town, after all.

Probably the biggest change was portraying Bob, the talking skull, as a person who walks around when he interacts with Harry. The producers tried keeping Bob as only a skull with glowing orange eyes, but they didnt feel that it worked on the screen, so Terrence Mann gets to interact with Harry on a more visually interesting level.

There was a lot of speculation that former "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" star James Marsters, who played Spike, would take the lead role since he had performed audio versions of several of the books. In a way, Im glad he chose not to do it (one factor that prevented him was having to move to Canada to film).

To me, Paul Blackthorne is a great choice for Harry Dresden. Visually, he is very close to how I pictured Harry would be. I think his voice is a good match as well since Harry does quite a lot of narration in the books as well.

Lieutenant Connie Murphy (Murph) is another matter. On the screen, shes a tall, dark-haired Hispanic, which is quite different from the shorter, blonde version in the books. The police connection for Dresden had to be changed, according to sources, because there really is a Lieutenant Murphy who looks like what Butcher describes in the Chicago Police Department. To be sure they could still use the name, it is rumored that they had to make her look very, very different, which they have. And I like how Valerie Cruz is handling the character. Its just quite a shock to see her appear so unlike the woman in the series of books.

Several of the episodes have aired, and the storylines have differed significantly from the novels. That makes sense since its tough to cram a 350-plus-page story into an hour-long television show.

Some of the standard happenings in the books have been appearing in the series, such as Harry getting pounded into the pavement on a regular basis. Also, Harry is often truly outclassed when he fights the supernatural baddies, which forces him to rely on his wits, something I like to see in a character. Since Harry has to struggle, we can relate to him, and thats always good for a fictional person.

The plots have been somewhat close to what weve seen in the books, but not exact, although the first novel, "Storm Front," has been turned into an episode.

There have been criticisms that the show doesnt highlight Chicago enough. I can see that doing more of that would help give the series a unique touch since most television shows are based in either Los Angeles or New York City, but so far, theyve been focusing on getting us familiar with the characters.

The best thing about the show is that they work hard not to use the woo woo ray. We often learn about what Harry can do before he does it, which makes the show much more enjoyable, in my opinion. And Harry isn't a "super" detective. Sometimes he is surprised by what happens, but he manages to think his way out of unexpected situations. I really like that.

The show has great acting, solid and intelligent detective plots and a supernatural focus. However, if you want to see blood that is measured by the gallon or people getting dismembered by saws or the like every few minutes, you may be disappointed. But if you like Harry Potter and would like more magic in your television viewing, I recommend you give "The Dresden Files" a try.

Wayne Hall is News Editor for Airlock Alpha, and is a member of the U.S.S. Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, D.C., area.

Win a "The Last Mimzy" prize pack! CLICK HERE to get started!

Join the SyFy Genre Awards Nominating Committee! Get all the details simply by clicking here!