Current Events > Dresden Files: Peace Talks is less than a month away

(+) Yeah! (+)

Holy shit, been waiting on this for years now.

Started my reread Saturday morning, on Summer Knight now, so shit's starting to ramp up a bit.

Also forgot to mention, the fact that we get another full length book in September is so freaking cool. I'm assuming the end of Peace Talks is gonna make even that short wait agonizing though

I have the mightiest of needs. Hopefully the audiobook will be available soon too.

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I've heard really great things about the audiobooks for the series (well the James Marsters ones at least, I think a few have a different narrator?) but have yet to try any of them out. Maybe the next time through the series I'll go that route

Hells bells!

DarthAragorn posted...

I've heard really great things about the audiobooks for the series (well the James Marsters ones at least, I think a few have a different narrator?) but have yet to try any of them out. Maybe the next time through the series I'll go that route

Ghost Story initially had a different narrator, and it was widely panned.

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Man, the Gatekeeper is so damn cool.

I'm picking up some things I missed the first time through. Like in Death Masks when Ebenezar asks Harry about the satellite early on, the one that he kills the fuck out of Ortega with at the end

Yep, that's a pretty great moment. I've started my reread recently as well.

I would have been excited about this four years ago but honestly at this point I barely remember what's happening in the series and there's no way I'm going to reread it.

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AlephZero posted...

I would have been excited about this four years ago but honestly at this point I barely remember what's happening in the series and there's no way I'm going to reread it.

Yeah that's why I'm rereading the whole damn series. It's been too long. And I've got nothing but time at the moment. No games worth a damn to play, no job, no classes.

AlephZero posted...

I would have been excited about this four years ago but honestly at this point I barely remember what's happening in the series and there's no way I'm going to reread it.

I'm feeling similar to this. I've still got it pre ordered and will read it, might try and find a summary break down somewhere. Read the synopsis of skin game and don't really remember much about that one but do remember more from previous ones. But have definitely read it as it's on my kindle and showing as 100% read

Now nearing the end of Blood Rites

I thought I'd be struggling to get this all done by the 14th but if anything I feel like I'm reading them a little too fast at the moment

Yeah, the last time this topic came up I thought I had missed the last two or three.

Until I looked them up online and realized I actually had read them.

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Yeah it's been a long while since the last book. Not Martin or Rothfuss long, but by far the longest gap this series has ever seen.

Also, just started Dead Beat. And is my memory wrong or is this book the last appearance of Mavra, even though she gets the Word of Kemmler at the end?

DarthAragorn posted...

Yeah it's been a long while since the last book. Not Martin or Rothfuss long, but by far the longest gap this series has ever seen.

Also, just started Dead Beat. And is my memory wrong or is this book the last appearance of Mavra, even though she gets the Word of Kemmler at the end?

Nah, you're right, she hasn't appeared since. In part because Harry basically told her if he even got a whiff of her being back in town, or trying to move against him or Murphy, he'd use everything he learned from the Word of Kemmler to wreck her day. Or something.

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CTrunks posted...

Nah, you're right, she hasn't appeared since. In part because Harry basically told her if he even got a whiff of her being back in town, or trying to move against him or Murphy, he'd use everything he learned from the Word of Kemmler to wreck her day. Or something.

She has to be up to something big tho. Cant wait to see what it is.

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Was there ever any word on what he was doing with that steampunkish series?

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Oh man, I forgot Dead Beat has another character that raises a "what the fuck is her deal" question that has yet to be answered. Kumori.

Man, I can't wait for this final trilogy that ends the series so we can get everything big answered.

I picked up this series at the start of the pandemic. (Well I had read the first two, was meh on it and picked up other books a few years ago). Grave Peril drew me in further and Summer Knight hooked me. Onto Turn Cloak now. Good timing with a new book coming out soon.

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Have mine purchased and have the day off to binge it.

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DarthAragorn posted...

Oh man, I forgot Dead Beat has another character that raises a "what the fuck is her deal" question that has yet to be answered. Kumori.

Man, I can't wait for this final trilogy that ends the series so we can get everything big answered.

These are the last three books coming out now?

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Yeah the first two are universally agreed to be the weakest. I think the tone isn't quite right yet, a little too serious, and there's not much in the way of supporting cast mostly. Glad you stuck with them, you're still not at the peak either, enjoy it!

cheese_dragon posted...

DarthAragorn posted...

Oh man, I forgot Dead Beat has another character that raises a "what the fuck is her deal" question that has yet to be answered. Kumori.

Man, I can't wait for this final trilogy that ends the series so we can get everything big answered.

These are the last three books coming out now?

No, there's at least two more "regular" case novels coming out after the two coming this year, I think the plan is twentyish cases. And then to end the series there's going to be a "big apocalyptic trilogy"

DarthAragorn posted...

Yeah the first two are universally agreed to be the weakest. I think the tone isn't quite right yet, a little too serious, and there's not much in the way of supporting cast mostly. Glad you stuck with them, you're still not at the peak either, enjoy it!

Thanks! Yeah I am. I think his characters improve a lot (Murphy is really unlikeable in the first two and Harry doesnt have his great humor yet), and overall the writing isnt nearly as good in those first two. You can tell Butcher is kind of figuring out where he wanted the series to go. And a bit too much like a 16 year old horny teenager describing girls.
All that stuff gets better around book 4. Small favor is my new favorite (was Summer Knight before that).


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DarthAragorn posted...

No, there's at least two more "regular" case novels coming out after the two coming this year, I think the plan is twentyish cases. And then to end the series there's going to be a "big apocalyptic trilogy"

Got it, thanks!

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Meh. I loved them up until "Changes", that book shot the series in the face and buried it for me. I read a couple of the books after it but don't remember enough to get any new ones and won't reread knowing what's coming up. It was a damned fun ride before that, though.

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Interesting. Changes is one of my favorites.

cheese_dragon posted...

DarthAragorn posted...

Yeah the first two are universally agreed to be the weakest. I think the tone isn't quite right yet, a little too serious, and there's not much in the way of supporting cast mostly. Glad you stuck with them, you're still not at the peak either, enjoy it!

Thanks! Yeah I am. I think his characters improve a lot (Murphy is really unlikeable in the first two and Harry doesnt have his great humor yet), and overall the writing isnt nearly as good in those first two. You can tell Butcher is kind of figuring out where he wanted the series to go. And a bit too much like a 16 year old horny teenager describing girls.
All that stuff gets better around book 4. Small favor is my new favorite (was Summer Knight before that).

Yeah Murphy being more involved for sure improves the books, she's great.

Also good call. Anything involving Nicodemus is pretty great IMO

Changes is my favorite and also probably the most popular book in the series

For me the improvement after the first two was not about the writing or anything. But Jim started to build a complex tapestry of different storylines and characters. The side characters get a lot more interesting, and watching the long term developments is very satisfying.

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Yeah I'd agree with that. Characters like Michael and his family, Butters, Thomas, Nicodemus and the Denarians, the faeries, the Council members, none of them are introduced til book 3 or later, and they're all a pretty big deal. And the first two books are smaller scale with their only real links to the overall story, aside from Harry, Bob and Murphy, not revealed until quite a bit later.

Also I really hope Jim Butcher is back to the yearly-ish releases from now on, because the next two books from what I've read sound killer. Alternate universe evil Harry, and a wrestling themed book. Do want.

I will say its a little tiring every book where there are 30 pages devoted to things that described every single one of the books (like Macs Pub, the White Council, Harrys apartment/home, etc). Its not a huge deal but it would be nice if he just committed to making the readers read the earlier books. I mean whos really going to pick up book 10 of a series as their first read of said series?

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Yeah I would for sure agree on that. Especially when you're binge reading them. I've read the same descriptions 7 times in the last week already, lol.

Man, I don't know if it was intentional foreshadowing considering how many years before Skin Game this was, but in Dead Beat when Cassius was gonna kill Harry he hopes one of the Knights will show up, Butters comes to his rescue

I love this stuff

The Dresden Files is by far my favourite bingeworthy novel series.

It is not exactly literature, but it is nonetheless well written with exceptional story writing.

I for one cannot wait for more Jedi Butters

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The difference between real material poison and intellectual poison is that most material poison is disgusting to the taste, but intellectual poison, which takes the form of cheap newspapers or bad books, can unfortunately sometimes be attractive.

What do you think the chances are of a Harry and Molly pairing?

darkmaian23 posted...

What do you think the chances are of a Harry and Molly pairing?

As in a romantic pairing? Very low. Very, very low.

The hype is real. I hope the gruffs come back

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DarthAragorn posted...

As in a romantic pairing? Very low. Very, very low.

Agreed. So many unfortunate implications. Harry literally threw cold water on the idea early on.

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So excited!

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The Harry Potter game news has me thinking that I'd much rather have a game based on this series. There would be so many more options if done properly IMO

DarthAragorn posted...

The Harry Potter game news has me thinking that I'd much rather have a game based on this series. There would be so many more options if done properly IMO

I would adore an RPG set in the Dresden Files world

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"You're a wizard harry! Now here's your 44"

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It'd be like throwing Harry Potter, Supernatural and The Witcher 3 into a blender. Dream game right there.

I'm a little torn on how I'd want it done though, it'd have to be noncanon if you want player choice, especially if there's different factions you can ally with which I think would need to be a thing to reach full potential. White or Black Council, Denarians, Summer or Winter, maybe vampires.... But if it's noncanon you might as well not play as Harry at all in which case do you set it somewhere else in the world and not acknowledge his existence, or have him (and the other established characters) be an ally or enemy depending on choices? All the most fun uses of magic, gameplay wise, would be pretty at odds with the White Council and therefore Harry, so.... Yeah I don't know.

On to Proven Guilty! And if I remember right, this one has a few still unanswered questions. Just read the part with Bob talking about time travel and why there's a Law against it, which is the one I really can't wait for Harry to break in the future.

DarthAragorn posted...

The Harry Potter game news has me thinking that I'd much rather have a game based on this series. There would be so many more options if done properly IMO

The_Creep_2020 posted...

I would adore an RPG set in the Dresden Files world

DarthAragorn posted...

It'd be like throwing Harry Potter, Supernatural and The Witcher 3 into a blender. Dream game right there.

I'm a little torn on how I'd want it done though, it'd have to be noncanon if you want player choice, especially if there's different factions you can ally with which I think would need to be a thing to reach full potential. White or Black Council, Denarians, Summer or Winter, maybe vampires.... But if it's noncanon you might as well not play as Harry at all in which case do you set it somewhere else in the world and not acknowledge his existence, or have him (and the other established characters) be an ally or enemy depending on choices? All the most fun uses of magic, gameplay wise, would be pretty at odds with the White Council and therefore Harry, so.... Yeah I don't know.

Uh, fellas?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dresden_Files_Roleplaying_Game

That already happened.

The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game is written as an in-universe artifact: a draft of tabletop role-playing game written by Billy Borden in order to explain to both his werewolf pack and to mortals how the supernatural world works. He hopes that in-universe it will allow him to reveal the weaknesses of supernatural creatures, making the rest of the supernatural world as vulnerable as the publication of Dracula made "Black Court" Vampires.

Because it is supposedly a draft copy of the game, the book is covered in annotations by Harry Dresden, Bob the talking skull, and Billy Borden and these take the form of highlights, notes in the margin, and post-it notes attached to the pages both as explanations of the rules and as snark between the characters. It is also split into two separate books; "Your Story" containing the rules and setting notes, and "Our World" containing a list of the movers and shakers in the Dresden Files universe as well as statistics for most supernatural creature types in the Dresden Files universe along the lines of a monster manual in Dungeons & Dragons.

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I knew about that, I meant a video game

Oh, gotcha.

Alteres posted...

"You're a wizard harry! Now here's your 44"

The original working title of the series was "Semiautomagic."

Also, if we're including theories:

Theory 1: Merlin is in Demonreach. At the beginning of Skin Game Harry talks to a prisoner he says seems very British, and is absolutely at the lowest emotional low. Merlin has done some SHIT, I think he locked himself away because he thinks he deserves it. Harry will let him out and Merlin will teach him. Time magic definitely is gonna come from him. Plus, Ebenezer has Merlin's journals and Harry learned from them, having it from the tap is the next step.

Theory 2: Mac is an Outsider. Sharkface from Cold Days knew him, andMac definitely ain't vanilla mortal. The two Outsiders we've seen are He Who Walks Behind and He Who Walks Ahead or something like that. Mac is He Who Walks Beside.

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DarthAragorn posted...

Man, I don't know if it was intentional foreshadowing considering how many years before Skin Game this was, but in Dead Beat when Cassius was gonna kill Harry he hopes one of the Knights will show up, Butters comes to his rescue

I love this stuff

Oh, and it was.

Harry and Uriel talk about it.

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Ooh I like those. #1 I can definitely see at least some of that being the case, Merlin, the original Merlin, is definitely gonna be involved somehow and IIRC he made Demonreach simultaneously in different time periods or something? So he's definitely gonna be involved when time travel happens

#2 I'm less sure on, but it's definitely gonna be answered at some point. Probably not til the trilogy to end the series but we'll see. I do like the thought of Mac being He Who Walks Beside though considering he's been somewhat at Harry's side the whole series but at the same time I feel like everyone else is a little too friendly with him for him to be an Outsider, unless he's one of the only good ones and all the big players already know?

Any theory on who/what Cowl and Kumori are?