The Dresden Files

Originally posted by Surtur
I suppose, but I would think at least Harry would wonder where Lea was. I mean even Santa/Odin showed up. But he doesn't even think as to where Lea is, and remember it was said the ENTIRE winter court had to attend.

My personal opinion is that Harry is so determined to be independent and so wary of Lea (he knows how powerful she is and how keen she is to tighten her hold on him) that he wouldn't spend a lot of time wondering where she is. He knows she is Mab's second-in-command so would assume wherever she is, it is by Mab's wish (which she is, in fact).

It's not an invalid point to ponder, it just doesn't really matter imo and when her whereabouts are explained later, it all becomes clear and makes sense. 😉

But Mab wants to do the same thing more or less that Lea does, so shouldn't he be wondering about them both?

Speaking as a writer, this is always possible:

Originally posted by Omega Vision
...or Butcher just didn't think about it.

True, but when is this next book set to come out?

Too long from now. 🙁

I'm actually not sure, six months ago it was supposedly coming out in May, but now I don't see it coming out before September at the earliest. TBH prepare yourself to wait till early-mid 2017 the way things are going. No news since January is a bad sign.

Originally posted by Surtur
But Mab wants to do the same thing more or less that Lea does, so shouldn't he be wondering about them both?

Well, I think that's the wrong way around. Mab's will is law and Lea is her right-hand, therefore Lea wants what Mab wants. Lea's known Harry a bit longer and is fond of him in her own way so she's a bit more concerned about him than Mab is, but I am pretty sure (and I think Harry is as well) that Lea would sacrifice him if that was Mab's will. I think that's why Harry doesn't think about her too much or worry where she is when she isn't close by, because he knows that though she can be useful she's not reliable and would betray him if it was a choice between him and Mab.

We at least need a date for when this next book is coming out dag nabbit.

Going to be next year some time, probably. According to his website he's still writing it, which means after that it still has to be edited, etc. Might have to check out his Wild Card comics in the meanwhile to satisfy my craving for more Dresden. 📖

Luckily I got all the books on my PC so I might re-read some of the past stuff.

Actually wait perhaps I will check out the audio versions of these books, they are all on youtube for free. The guy who plays Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer does the audio books.

Originally posted by Surtur
Luckily I got all the books on my PC so I might re-read some of the past stuff.

I did that earlier this year - read the whole series again from the beginning. Really enjoyed it - when you read the whole series in one go it's amazing to see how everything fits and how the story evolves.

Also in case some don't know..you can usually figure out what kind of villains Harry will deal with in a new novel by looking at who he dealt with in past books. More specifically, what seems to be every 5 books. For example, Nicodemus is a key villain in the 5th book "Death Masks" and again in the 10th book "Small Favor" and again in the most recent book(the 15th in the series) Skin Game.

So for the next book #16 you can look at the 11th book. Which the plot was all about the "Black Council" and it introduced The Naagloshii(which was not killed in the 11th book).

In the next book I want to see at least two things. I want to see Harry interacting again with the White/Grey Council. They never really had a confrontation about his decision to serve Mab and I'd imagine the Merlin wouldn't be too happy about it. I also want to see him talking with McCoy. Yes they did interact briefly after Harry first took on the mantle, but that was at a battle and then after that Harry died, etc.

Also want to see Lea show up again. I still find her absence from that Winter Ball suspicious. I also want to find out who/what the f*ck the bar owner Mac is, but not necessarily in the next book. Also curious if we'll ever see "He Who Walks Behind" again.

I am pretty sure Butcher is building up to a big confrontation with the Outsiders. With He Who Walks Behind having taken in interest in Harry from the time he was sixteen and He Who Walks Before popping up in Cold Days, we have now met two of the three Walkers. It seems like they are extremely powerful Ousiders and since we know that only a mortal can open the Outer Gates for them, it seems like they have some scheme in which Harry will play a part.

Having now been to the Outer Gates and seen what a huge army the Gatekeeper and the Winter forces are battling, Harry knows what is at stake and why it is so important that he helps fight the Outsiders. It is also worth noting that Harry is one of the few mortals that has the potential to wield power over Outsiders, according to Lasciel.

I think Mac somehow has a connection to the Outsiders too.

Originally posted by Surtur
I think Mac somehow has a connection to the Outsiders too.

Yeah, will be interesting to find out exactly how Mac fits in. Apparently Butcher has said that he's dropped enough hints that if you are geeky enough you will figure it out, and I know the one Walker called him "Watcher."

Isn't there a type of angel called "Watchers"?

Originally posted by Surtur
Isn't there a type of angel called "Watchers"?

There is one theory I've read that makes a pretty convincing argument that Mac could be Uriel, but personally I haven't really speculated about it too much. Butcher hasn't let me down so far in the Dresden series so I'll trust him to reveal everything in his own good time. Besides, Butcher has apparently stated that even if his fans guess correctly, he will just deny it until he's ready!

Where the f*ck is book 16?

Originally posted by Surtur
Where the f*ck is book 16?

Ha. Still going to be a while - he's still writing it, then it has to be edited, proofread, etc...

But here is a pretty cool interview with him where he talks about it - and man, it's just getting bigger and better.

http://www.comicmix.com/2016/09/26/emily-s-whitten-dresden-files-jim-butcher-talks-peace-talks/

Decided to bump the actual thread in case discussions go on for more than a few posts.

Finally got a copy of Battle Ground and finished it yesterday. Also got the Brief Cases anthology while I was at it. Worth picking up as it has a lot of insightful backstories told from other characters' perspectives, along with Harry's adventures with Rivershoulders. The two from Molly's POV are particularly interesting though and probably tie the most into the series' larger plot. And you also realise that Harry has no idea how much Molly has actually changed and what being the Winter Lady cost her. She literally

Spoiler:
cannot have sex or it would destroy the Winter Lady's mantle, as she is the "maiden" of the three with the Queen being the "Mother" and Mother Winter the "Crone". And the Mantle will protect itself to keep her chaste, literally possessing her and beating the shit out of anyone she might want to get sexual with. Which is extra sucky as being the Winter Lady amplified her libido. Carlos' injuries he had before the main battle? That was Molly when they tried hooking up after doing a mission together. It's also a common trope in Faerie folklore that wicked Faeries take children. Yeah, that's one of Molly's jobs now. She's literally the wicked Faerie who comes to take children away now, literally to use them as child soldiers against the Outsiders.

As to Battle Ground? I liked it overall, but I did have a few gripes with it. Mainly around some PIS moments as well as a few character inconsistencies with previous novels. I did like the wider lore expansion quite a bit though and thought the ending in particular was pretty good.

I will probably give a more detailed post regarding my thoughts once I've had a chance to let things simmer a bit.