Wiktor
Member
Yeah, this quality is great when you caught up though, as it makes it really easy to remember who is who. Which for many other series is problematic if there' a year between volumnes.
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Official Dresden Hype thread: Skin Game comes out May 27th!
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Yeah, this quality is great when you caught up though, as it makes it really easy to remember who is who. Which for many other series is problematic if there' a year between volumnes.
Wiktor
Member
Yes. There will be 22-24 casebook files and then apocalyptic trilogy.
Wiktor
Member
AFAIR august this year
Yeah, one of the things I love about Dresden is that while there are a LOT of books, they're all pretty quick reads. And honestly, each book by itself isn't that special, but when they're chained together and the plot threads start carrying over, it becomes a goddamn amazing series.
I think that's why the TV series wasn't as great and also why people say the early books weren't very good. Storm Front and Fool Moon are pretty standalone stories, but once you get into Grave Peril and Summer Knight, the larger stories kick in. The TV show didn't do a really good job of creating that larger story either. It was STARTING to right before the show got cancelled, which was frustrating.
Just a heads up, the next book, Ghost Story, is VERY different from anything prior to that point in the series. I don't think it's bad, (and you get a lot of backstory that the series has never told before,) but it's very different.
Butcher has said that he actually does this on purpose. And I agree it's frustrating, but it's supposed to be kind of the textual equivalent of looking at a silhouette and saying "Oh, that's Mickey Mouse," or "Oh, that's Mario."
PeskyToaster
Member
Man I read through this series a looooong time ago. I need to go back and reread them now. Totally forgot about them even though I really enjoyed them. To the library!
joseranulfo
Member
From my experience with other pre-orders, they are not released at midnight, but they are always ready by the time I wake up. If I had to guess, I'd say they are ready by the time they normally send their daily deals e-mail, at about 4:30 am central time for me.
I guess I will be going to bed early today.
Edit. I've been going trough my e-mail looking for the time the order confirmation arrives and it varies from 11 pm to 2 am, so it is a little earlier than I tought, so it might be possible the book is available at midnight.
Freyjadour
Member
Weird. Kindle for Android was just utterly broken on my Note 2. All books, nothing worked. I had to restore the app from factory and reinstall from the Amazon AppStore to get it working.
Anyway, just made it a bit further than Butcher's reading before sleep. It's good to have Dresden again.
Anyway, just made it a bit further than Butcher's reading before sleep. It's good to have Dresden again.
Damn, I been posting in the wrong thread.
I was posting in the overall Dresden Files thread you had already started!
Bought the book this morning, but I'm at work. I could start reading through Kindle's online browser thing, but I need the environment to do so! Can't just be grinning like a fool in the middle of the office.
When I do get started, I won't even read it. I'll be inhaling that shit like the crack it is.
I was posting in the overall Dresden Files thread you had already started!
Bought the book this morning, but I'm at work. I could start reading through Kindle's online browser thing, but I need the environment to do so! Can't just be grinning like a fool in the middle of the office.
When I do get started, I won't even read it. I'll be inhaling that shit like the crack it is.
SmokinGunZ1981
Member
Same here, I did contemplate going the for the physical edition but I'm so used to hearing James Masters narrating that I don't think it would feel like Dresden without him.
Ragnarok Flames
Banned
My playgroup is running a dresden campaign set in my city. reading the books really makes it easier to play a character in the dresdenverse
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
This is accurate. First couple are allright. THE next all of them are Great.
Ill be sad in 2 days when I finish reading this
Krauser Kat
Member
i started reading these in december. I am on the third one now, because i dont like reading the same author twice in a row. Also Amazon had a sale for 1.99 kindle copies of the first 6 or 7 so i bought all of them.
Hmm.. I love the Dresden files. Unfortunately I lost my place somewhere around Turn Coat. That was about the time I was transitioning into the Kindle and I think I missed a book or two. Now I'm afraid of rebuying books I've already read and/or missing a book in the series.
All of my books are in tubs in the basement and it will take forever to go through them all and find where I left off. Doesn't seem like I have any Dresden books on my kindle. Gonna bookmark this thread and see if I can't figure out where I left off. I love the series and it'll be great to dive back in.
All of my books are in tubs in the basement and it will take forever to go through them all and find where I left off. Doesn't seem like I have any Dresden books on my kindle. Gonna bookmark this thread and see if I can't figure out where I left off. I love the series and it'll be great to dive back in.
magnificent83
Member
Just finished...sooooo good. Finally, it felt like he had been learning from his history of battles and confronting the blind spots in his life. Really really liked it, and
so many great moments and swerves
Butters with the lightsaber, be still my beating heart
This is deliberate, he sometimes talks about it when he discusses his method of writing. The idea is to have a few key words associated with each character so that the reader instantly recognizes and remembers who's being talked about when they show up in the latest book.
Zod the Bear
Member
Pretty good overall, though
I kinda hated the Butters stuff.
Am pro-Dresden with Maggie and Lash offspring, though. And the inhuman warning with Molly at the end. Was a fun enough book, but mostly kept me interested in the future. I preferred Cold Days, but given that was my favorite of the series, it'd be hard to follow for me.
Am pro-Dresden with Maggie and Lash offspring, though. And the inhuman warning with Molly at the end. Was a fun enough book, but mostly kept me interested in the future. I preferred Cold Days, but given that was my favorite of the series, it'd be hard to follow for me.
So in case anyone missed in, during his AMA, Jim Butcher announced that the next book is called Peace Talks, and will be "The most supernaturally violent book to date."
My theory on what it'll be about.
My theory on what it'll be about.
The various nations of the Unseelie Accords are gathering in Chicago for diplomatic talks to address the incursion of the Fomor. (I'm pretty sure the Fomor are part of the accords.) Harry, Molly, and Mab are attending on behalf of Winter. Lara and Thomas on behalf of the White Court. The Merlin, Ebenezer, and other members of the senior council on behalf of the White Council. Marcone and Gard are there along with Murphy, who's been strong-armed somehow into helping. Ivy and Kincaid are there... you get the picture. It's kind of a Who's Who of the Dresdenverse. Someone is threatening the talks, and since the Unseelie Accords are Mab's work, it falls to Harry to keep the peace at the conference.
Just finished it. I don't think I've ever read 500 (or nearly so) pages in a single day, since I'm a slow reader, but I managed it here.
I liked it. Maybe I'll post a more comprehensive review later, but
Hades was awesome, as I expected he would be. Spot, lol. The parasite thing was....unexpected, of course, but it did lend itself to some hilarious moments.
Yeah, good book overall. Still consider Cold Days to be the best, but very solid, and
long awaited confrontation seems to finally becoming up. Looking forward to it.
I liked it. Maybe I'll post a more comprehensive review later, but
Nicodemus is one of my favorite villains here, so it was interesting to see him deconstructed. Similarly, it was good to see Michael back in action. Though I really wish they'd talk about Molly having the hots for Harry already, because that is probably going to be the most awkwardly hilarious conversation of their lives, even if he ends up approving, as he seemingly does now.
I was hoping for a little more Molly, and I certainly didn't expect to see Butters take up the sword. Disappointed it became a light saber, if only because I like katana's, but.... Karrin's failure was also a huge moment, but I don't know if she's out of the Knight business just yet. I think she just had the wrong sword. Her power is driven by love, not faith, I think...and really, her as a knight seems like the best place for her character to go.
I was hoping for a little more Molly, and I certainly didn't expect to see Butters take up the sword. Disappointed it became a light saber, if only because I like katana's, but.... Karrin's failure was also a huge moment, but I don't know if she's out of the Knight business just yet. I think she just had the wrong sword. Her power is driven by love, not faith, I think...and really, her as a knight seems like the best place for her character to go.
Hades was awesome, as I expected he would be. Spot, lol. The parasite thing was....unexpected, of course, but it did lend itself to some hilarious moments.
Yeah, good book overall. Still consider Cold Days to be the best, but very solid, and
Marcone's
I am absolutely sure that
it becoming a lightsaber was solely done for the "Jedi Knight of the Cross" pun. Especially given that he was wearing Harry's duster at the time.
Alright so I finished the book this morning on the train. I had to control myself last night and put it down and go to sleep.
I liked the book overall, but the whole tone is quite different compared to the pre-Ghost Stories stuff. I preferred Cold Days to Skin Game, but it was still a fun read. I think Cold Days just had so much anticipate hype once Harry
that it made it all the more fun.
A few thoughts, lets go with the negatives first:
The positives:
I really hope Dresden gets his gear back, he almost felt underpowered compared to his usual self!
I liked the book overall, but the whole tone is quite different compared to the pre-Ghost Stories stuff. I preferred Cold Days to Skin Game, but it was still a fun read. I think Cold Days just had so much anticipate hype once Harry
became the Winter Knight
A few thoughts, lets go with the negatives first:
- Fuck Butters. I used to love him before, but ever since
he's soured on me.he was like "BOB IS MINE"I don't like the fact he's been pushed into a more action role, I preferred his previous role.
- Not so much a negative, but I hope Karin
isn't completely struck off as a Knight. I thought the role suited her perfectly.
The positives:
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was cool. I liked that how he was shown to be powerful without overdoing it, and I liked how he was characterised.Hades
- The whole Nicodemus character development and then
was great. Really good villain.getting mind-fucked
I really hope Dresden gets his gear back, he almost felt underpowered compared to his usual self!
BlackBanditSho
Member
I'm a big fan of horror writer Brian Keene's Levi Stoltzfus series. If anybody is familiar with that character, can you clue me in on if I'll dig this series?
Thought the bad outweighed the good. It's not a bad book, although there's some sloppy writing (including, among other things, unnecessary quipping, far too much juvenile male gaze which actually undercuts characterization and wastes valuable page space, and the action stops for long bouts of dialogue frequently) and absolutely no stakes. Needless to say, there are some spoilers...
I thought that the bad outweighed the good.
The good:
I really hope that Book 16 ("Peace Talks") will be better, and that Murphy will actually get something to do that actually builds her standalone character
No, really. I'm 15 books in and I would drop the series in a second if that were to happen.
I really may come to dislike Butters, who you could say is becoming something of a Marty Stu. He's a small, schlubby guy, gets a hot redhead bisexual werewolf girlfriend out of nowhere (we never see them together to see that they actually have chemistry, to it reads as pretty forced),
Yeah... no.
I thought that the bad outweighed the good.
The good:
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Goodman Grey. I liked that dude. I hope his Rent gets paid.
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Getting shit done as Winter Lady Molly, Molly as she relates to her family, barely a hint of Harry/Molly romance.
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Hades and his dog Spot, although that was almost a little too twee
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That sex scene. Man, I laughed. Jim you bastard
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Mister, Maggie and Mouse (hello alliteration!)
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Harry and Murphy getting it on. On the one hand, about bloody time, and I actually would like them together under normal circumstances. On the other, it also coincides with her getting crippled and if the next book knocks her down from "Badass battle buddy" to "Love Interest" I'm going to be pissed.
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Michael getting back off the bench, at least temporarily. He's badass, for sure, but 1) I hated that it came at the expense of Murphy and 2) Knight Michael is just so boring, compared to the vastly more interesting retired Knight Michael who is at peace with himself.
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Hannah Asche, who was ok, and may have been a good character if Butcher actually took time to characterize her instead of admiring how good she looked sans clothing.
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The other Carpenter children were WAY too twee
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I don't know what to think about Harry's daughter #2, not Athena
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Molly seriously didn't anticipate that somebody would come gunning for her family? The Nickelheads' mortal minions have been a known factor for a while now. And then there's Formor servitors, vampires, petty criminals, hitmen....
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Butters becoming a Knight. Not only was it completely unnecessary, since the last thing Butters the smart non-action guy who achieves some measure of power through ingenuity and Bob (which is actually kind of awesome) needs is actual superpowers, it came directly at the expense of poor Murphy. Plus he's the Knight of the Sword of Faith, when his utter faithlessness directly led to a close friend getting gravely injured and the Sword of Faith becoming shattered in the first place. So not only is it unnecessary it is unearned. Playing into that...
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... Murphy getting crippled. Through her own selfless actions Fidelacchius is broken (for stupid reasons, too, since a false surrender is no surrender) and she is gravely wounded. Not only is she cheated out of a power up she actually becomes diminished, and the narrative tells us that she was wrong to act in the way that she did (and conveniently even the direct Agents of God wait to manifest themselves until her hand has been forced, the blade broken, and she is injured). And to add even more insult to injury...
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Having been injured, insulted, and swiftly pushed off screen, Murphy only comes back after the climax in order to boost the ego of one man (whose actions led to her invalidity), kiss another, and then promptly get ushered back off screen so the men can talk plot.
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The heist itself was fairly disappointing. I mean, there was the physical vault, but inside the Underworld it's just three gates with a lever switch and some environmental hazards? I guess you could say that Hades made it to be a gimme but still...
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Marcone playing at the same table as Mab and Hades is just too stupid for words.
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Harry spends the book extremely nerfed, as over a year he never thought to send for the resources to build a magical lab to replace his lost equipment. That was just dumb.
I really hope that Book 16 ("Peace Talks") will be better, and that Murphy will actually get something to do that actually builds her standalone character
(because the poor woman is either completely subservient to Harry or conveniently off screen, before she's unceremoniously dumped from the plot halfway through the book). All I'm saying is, if Murphy, Harry's battle buddy from day one, suddenly gets reduced to playing "The Girlfriend" I'm quitting the series.
I really may come to dislike Butters, who you could say is becoming something of a Marty Stu. He's a small, schlubby guy, gets a hot redhead bisexual werewolf girlfriend out of nowhere (we never see them together to see that they actually have chemistry, to it reads as pretty forced),
fucks up bad and gets another (female) friend of his injured, but derps his way into picking up her Magic sword which turns into a lightsaber for him? And he, who is not particularly fit, in his mid 40s, and utterly untrained in sword combat, suddenly becomes a magic knight?
I'll have to comment on the Murphy and Butters being Knights thing.
The Knights of the Cross is a job you seem to be misunderstanding. The Knights are meant to save the human beings that the fallen have ensnared as their hosts. Their job description begins and ends with that. Murphy broke that when she tried to kill Nicodemus. It doesn't matter that he wasn't sincere about it. 1. He gave up the coin of his own will, as evidence by his having dropped it. 2. She was striking in condemnation. Nicodemus himself mentions how if she had simply striked, dispassionately or with nothing but the thought of aiding Dresden, then it might have worked. But her thoughts were "This guy is a bastard and deserves to rot in hell." It doesn't matter if it's true, it's not to her for judge. That is why the sword broke. Since that is a result of her own decisions, you can't really blame Butters for her injury either. Or herself, really. Nicodemus is the one who dealt her the blows. Butters, on the other hand, never lost sight of the fact that all he wanted to do was help people. And he earned/proved this when he sacrificed himself to save charity, even though it was supposedly futile. That's where he earned his keep for the sword of faithfulness.
Second, this is more of a pet peeve of mind than anything, but no, Butters isn't a marty sue. Real Mary Sues are when a character is unjustifiably the center of the events happening. The reasons you give are that he has one girlfriend, not even the closest to being the hottest one in a series where essentially all women are hot and that he becomes a Knight of the Cross 'unearned' while also seemingly misunderstanding how being a Knight of the Cross works in the first place.
Second, this is more of a pet peeve of mind than anything, but no, Butters isn't a marty sue. Real Mary Sues are when a character is unjustifiably the center of the events happening. The reasons you give are that he has one girlfriend, not even the closest to being the hottest one in a series where essentially all women are hot and that he becomes a Knight of the Cross 'unearned' while also seemingly misunderstanding how being a Knight of the Cross works in the first place.
You make a lot of points that I do and don't agree with, but I'm going to argue this one because I keep seeing people complaining about it.
Harry was stuck on the island. He was constantly trying to send messages and messengers out to Molly, Mab, Thomas, Murphy... anyone. None of them got through, or if they did, they were either ignored (in the case of Mab) or altered. We're told that Thomas and Murphy are only able to visit him about a half dozen times over the course of the almost year that he was there, and they never stayed long. Even if Harry asked them to bring him tools next time, they would probably forget before the next visit. (And since we know he was working on the Skull and the staff, he probably did.)
Also: Time. I saw a writeup on Reddit guesstimating how long it took Harry to put together the gear he DID have, and it took up most of his time. (The skull especially, and I can totally see Dresden making that a priority right after his staff.)
Now, I think if next book we find out that Harry's living in Chicago and hasn't replaced any of his gear, then we'll have a right to complain.
We kinda already know he was
a magician. As in, you know, the kind that performs at children's birthday parties.
I was guilty of a few of those, and I fancy myself to have a rather sharp memory of past characters.
call_kotaku
Member
I really, really enjoyed it up til the last act. The setup and escalation were fantastic.
The fight in the vault was really brilliantly set up and executed, but I think the story should've resolved there. Dragging the whole thing on just to set up Butters as a new knight felt unnecessary, and having no emotional or character resolution for Nicodemus was a bit disappointing (not the fact that he got away, but because there was no elaboration to his motivations, or atleast letting us see his reaction to being set up). Finishing the heist, defeating the villain, Dresden figuring out how to win, and explaining the whole gambit all happened in different scenes and I think in the incorrect order, when the novels with more satisfying endings like Summer Knight or Cold Days had them in a single sequence. A lot of stuff was set up for future books but I wish it did better with the material at hand.
Also, after Cold Days I don't think the "oh no what has Mab got planned" angle is as intimidating, when her objectives and motivations explain that she's not a villain, and it seems like she keeps Harry around because he's easy enough to manipulate because he's predictably heroic. I hope the next book doesn't revolve around this same point of conflict.
All in all I enjoyed the book, but I don't think it delivers on the threads set up in Small Favors and Cold Days. Still looking forward to the next one, though.
Also, after Cold Days I don't think the "oh no what has Mab got planned" angle is as intimidating, when her objectives and motivations explain that she's not a villain, and it seems like she keeps Harry around because he's easy enough to manipulate because he's predictably heroic. I hope the next book doesn't revolve around this same point of conflict.
All in all I enjoyed the book, but I don't think it delivers on the threads set up in Small Favors and Cold Days. Still looking forward to the next one, though.
call_kotaku
Member
She was the thief that stole the shroud and was there when Nicodemus was first introduced in Death Masks
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