A theory that I like is that Murphy is either going to go to work for Monoc Securities and become a Valkyrie, or jump back into the action before she’s recovered to save Harry, die, and then have her soul chosen by Gard to become an einherjar.
I think you're underestimating some character ages by 5-10 years. (Maybe it's because of the Buffy/Angel thing, where most of the main characters were teens and young adults?) Context clues suggest Murphy was probably in her 30s at the start of _Storm Front,_ and that was ~15 years ago in-setting: that puts her in her mid- to late-40s by the time of _Skin Game,_ when she received the kind of injury that would be described as "career-ending" in the sports world. And while Michael's age likewise hasn't been directly stated, the books suggest that he's a bit older than most of the other major characters - and he does have a daughter who's in her mid-20s, after all. Dude is 50+ by this point. Bet on it.
Iirc Harry and Murphy are in their early to mid Forties. They were both 29 in Storm front according to Jim butcher, and skin game was Set 13 years after that
John Lavery Murphy is 2-4 years older than Dresden, I think he’s late 30’s she’s early 40’s now. Which I do think plays into her injuries in peace talks.
David Fox As much as I’d like to see that, I can’t be the only one who’s thinking that HARRY would think it was a very bad idea to expose that innocent spirit to BOB!
How do you think Maeve would have fared under the laws of magic vs winter law? Think of how good Harry was at not crossing the line before, and now how hard he has to fight to keep the winter mantle from pushing him waaaay over the line as a first instinct to most situations. The only question I have isn't whether she will go bad but, whether she will struggle against it or just slide right across the aisle to the bad guy side without blinking an eye. After all, even after her initial warlock actions and getting the doom of damocles, she invaded the mind of Luccio, and even Harry himself, when both were unconscious and unable to give consent. Sure he let her poke around to inside his head to free Bonea, but that was after years more apprenticeship, tutoring under the Leanansidhe, spending time trying to keep Chicago safe from the Fomor, and becoming the winter lady.
@@TankensteinMonster molly never did any of that maliciously, it was always her trying to help. maive would of been a warlock. the mantel cannot make you something you are not you have to choose.
@@movarie It wasn't malicious when she invaded the minds of her friends to try and help them in Proven Guilty and yet it was still an act of black magic. In order for magic in the Dresdenverse to work you have to believe in what you are doing, you have to believe that you can and should invade someone else's mind even if they don't want you too, just like she did with her friends, just like she did with Harry and Luccio.
@@TankensteinMonster In Proven Guilty she changed things. With Luccio and Harry she only checked to see if they were being messed with. And she spoke to people in small favor, sought the counsel of her father
Not in the use of magic. Fae don’t suffer the mental blowback that mortals do, so there’s no penalty for using black magic. Molly has a freer license to break the Laws now than she did before, especially since a) she’s already branded a warlock, and b) she has Mab’s protection.
Butcher has said that he plans a ya series of Maggie at a boarding school we’re introduced to in the short stories. He’s going to write it with his sister.
And Mouse is going to be her emotional support dog. Also, the song "Batman smells, Robin laid an egg" played an important part in the creation of the plot.
ARGHHHHHRHHHA. I'm literally foaming at the mouth (toothpaste)!!!! Can't wait for this friggin' book. Also, my condolences on ASOIAF fans. Our wait is almost ended. XD
I am pretty sure that Thomas will get the third sword. As for Maggie she's getting a spin off written by Jim and his sister about her school his take on Hogwarts. Now that you're caught up you can watch some q&a with Jim
One of the talks is that Jim will have Harry "breaking" all of the main wizarding rules at some point. He is certainly on his way, with killing a human, animating Sue, etc. The one he hasn't messed with is time. The next book that is due to come out, or at least that is the plan at this point, is Mirror Mirror. That an alternate version of Harry from a different timeline, where he made different decisions and turned dark, will be the antagonist. My suspicion is that that Cowl is the alternate Harry, and the reason he is so powerful is that, well, that is the way it goes when you lean that way. Power is a little easier there. And the dark side has cookies of course.
Next book is the follow up to Peace Talks, Battleground, in September. THEN Mirror Mirror, hopefully late next year. He changed it up due to the length of this present story.
I think it's not only dark side powers that makes cowl so strong...he used more or less the very same kinetic force spell like Harry does (forzare) against him...just better...Harry always speaks of himself as one of the top 10 wizards purely strength wise...cowl is maybe a Harry that accepted evil bobs offer to train him and learned more destructive spells...this side of bob would have been able to teach him such combat magic...or cowl/Harry was already the winter knight in dead beat and that's the power source
It's probably too late since this was recorded most of a week ago, but I think recording your first viewing of the trailer for peace talks so you can put up a blind reaction video would be really well received.
I do have a theory for Cowl. I think there are 2! The one you see in Grave Peril and White Night is someone on the council. Maybe the Merlin, though unlikely, I think Simon is a good bet since hes never mentioned beyond that 1 conversation with Ebenezer. In Dead Beat.... I think its Harry from the Future and Future Elaine or possibly Molly! Reread the sections of Dead Beat they're in. Cowl and Kumori outside the book store. Their talk is worded a very particular way. He says his magic is HUGE, but lacked the dark aftertaste of black magic except a slight twinge at the end. Then he says "but then, I supposed, so does mine". Kumori tried to reason with Harry, which Cowl says "pointless", because he knows himself and that he'll never hand it over. I don't think they were trying to destroy the book, they were trying to impress upon Harry the importance of it. Next piece of evidence, Kumori brings back the gangster, sapping a lot of her power. The EMT said it got real cold and ice started to form. He did confirm Kumori was white. Possibly a hint of Molly's turn to the Winter Lady? Then the giant Hex. No one is harder on electronics than Harry. Then Cowl stops HArry from containing the Erlking and steals Bob. How would Cowl possibly know Harry had Bob? No one aside from Thomas knew that. No one! Yet he goes and steals the one thing that can tell Cowl how to do the Dark Hallow. Awful convenient. In that scene, he even quotes Billy from a few hours earlier "I do not perceive myself to be insane, if I were, would I know it?" Now why would future Harry go back in time? I think he knows that only he can stop Nemesis. The Erlking called him Starborn and he was born on Halloween, which means its the same day that mantles are changed and immortals can die. He knows that there were events that had to happen to keep him in the game and shape him into the weapon he needs to be to win. Future Harry had no intention of claiming the Dark Hallow, he was there to keep the disciples busy and he knew that his past self would stop him. Cowl losing at the end tied everything up nicely for him. I think he did several of the small things throughout the series without explanation. 1) I think he went and told Victor Sells (Shadowman) about him, making the gifted sorcerer attack him before he was ready, rather than later when Harry would have been torn apart. 2) In Proven Guilty, I think he crashed into the Blue beetle in traffic to bounce his noggin so he wouldn't use Little Chicago before it was ready. Then I think he went in and fixed Little Chicago and told Bob to forget he was there. 3) In Small Favor, I think he went to Summer and told them he was to be Mab's emissary. Without getting attacked by Gruffs, he would have left Marcone to rot, he never would have gotten Soulfire and Kincaid would not have owed him the favor to shoot him later. Those are all I can think of off the top of my head, but I think there are other examples also.
The thing with Cowl and Komuri is that they could show up in peace talks and if they're in their other "real" identities, we might not even know it. (Komuri has been presumed dead since the climax of Dead Beat, but OTOH, so was Cowl until he showed up again, so who knows?) There are a couple of one-shot characters I hope we see again in the future if not in Peace Talks. One is Vince Garver, the P.I. who was tailing Harry in Turncoat (? I think) and the other is Nick Christian, who technically I guess isn't a one-shot since he's in one of the short stories, but in the main novels he was only in Ghost Story, and he didn't have a chance to interact with Harry at all. Oh, and speaking of Ghost Story, I hope Butcher finds a way for Sir Stuart to show up again, too. BTW, Butcher is apparently planning a series for younger readers focusing on the adventures of Maggie and Mouse, which on one hand is great, but unfortunately also makes it more likely that Mouse will be on the sidelines mostly in the mainline series. And he's also thinking about a series about Luccio's adventures in the 19th century. Since that's a completely different time period, it doesn't really keep her from playing a significant role in the main stories. Oh, yeah, hope we see Tara Wild again at some point, too. And Goodman Grey.
Butcher has said the only spin off he knows for sure he wants to do is Monster LLC. featuring Goodman Grey. Which he said would allow him to maybe do some stories set in the past of the Dresden Files because of how long Grey has been around.
I would love to see Michael to continue to be an important part of the story. It was amazing to see him unexpectedly come back full force in Skin Game. He's been missing from the story. Have you read the Cold Case short story?
@@bunniesbunniesbunnie There's already been a Michael short written about his life after he healed from his surgeries and Harry's refusal to understand that Michael was retired and not in need of Harry's protections. Except of course his family does.
Hey Mike - If you haven't gotten through the various Dresden short stories yet, then as a Marcone fan you will love the story "Even Hand". For Thomas, Butcher actually did give him a cool side quest story called "Backup" where he's fighting the Oblivion War. Really hoping Jim gets around to exploring that some more, but I expect it will remain short story territory. I don't think its in the cards for Molly to go evil any more than Harry - They'll both push the boundaries and continue dancing on the edges of morality as Winter tries to subsume them, that's their journey IMO. Haven't the faintest clue how they're going to eventually get out of those mantles though, lol. Mouse is permanently attached to Maggie now for sure, but I hope Skin Game's scenes were a hint to show that Harry's going to call him in when needed going forward. Can't imagine Mouse won't be helping in Battle Ground at least. However it happens, Murph has to get a supernatural transformation at some point down the road - She's sure to die otherwise, at least during the apocalyptic trilogy ending the series, but probably before that at the rate things are going.
After this video I feel you REALLY need to do a reaction video to the short stories where you explain how you felt the short stories and Peace Talks either satisfied or didn't satisfy an awful lot of your wishlist.
2 Things I want answered, first is from way back, when it was said that Harry had some power over Outsiders. Obviously that is somehow going to play in with the Outsiders becoming more active in the story. And second what is the relevance of Harry being a "Starborn"? It's been mentioned at least twice by this point so there is some significance to it.
Want more Marcone? Just read his short story, Even Hand! :P Also, there's one with Thomas as the main character, one with Michael after the events of Small Favor, and one with Harry and Maggie.
Yeah, most of his wishes are addressed in the short stories, which I can tell he doesn't read. Thomas gets his own story which not only greatly expands his role in the world, but also explains why we don't know that from Harry's perspective. Michael gets a story about life after retiring from being a Knight. Harry, Maggie, and Mouse spend a day at the Zoo. Molly takes on her first job as Winter Lady and nearly kills a human. Butters gets his first official quest as a Knight. So many good short stories that expand the universe and are frequently referenced in the main novels.
The Warrior does an amazing job of showing us Michael and where his actual limits are. Think Michael's got a whole extra level of scary he's been hiding.
If Michael is sidelined, then who could deal with Ferro? Speaking of, Ferro is the character I'm most interested to learn more about. He Who Walks Behind surely won't come in Peace Talks, but also a very very interesting character with a definite future in the series. Also who is the third walker? He Who Walks Among? Mac, who is 'out' sider perhaps? Jim suggests freaking Satan may be involved eventually, so can't wait to see how that goes lol.
I don't think Mac is an outsider, but I do think that Mac is a major player in the supernatural world but has probably been "retired" from the game. But with events ramping up and coming together he may be compelled to get back into the thick of things.
I agree completely about Kumori and Elaine. I thought that for some time. And if Cowel is Justin, that would explain their behavior with each other. plus, if you think about the magics that you've seen both Kumori and Elaine use they're very similar.
I primarily wish to see a lot of what the book title implies. Supernatural politics. I really want to see what The White Council thinks of recent events in Chicago. Particularly The Merlin and Ebenezar's reaction to Harry's taking up the mantle of Winter Knight. I am hoping that Nemesis has gotten to Lara and/or Thomas Raith. I want at least a cameo appearance from Cowl, and I would very much enjoy it if Mavra would reappear. I want a LOT of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone. Less Faeries for a bit would be nice. P.S. Bring on the Fomor!
There's a book with short stories from side characters in the Dresdenverse, with stories told from Marcone, Thomas, Molly, Butters and others. I don't remember the title, but you should look it up ifyou want to see more of them. Also, Molly's story explains Ramirez's injuries in Pace Talks (that's a tearjerker)
My small wish list: Ebenezer learning the truth about Thomas and his relationship (seems likely judging by the trailer), Thomas not dying/going irreversibly bad, more Marcone, more Mac and some Bob/Bonny interaction (I imagine him as a cool slightly wild uncle for her)
Bob/Bonny NO. She is a female/feminine spirit (do they really *have* genders?). I can't imagine her exposed to Bob without supervision, the potential damages are *frightening* !
@@nelspaulson3099 He also mentioned wanting some dark Molly. Bombshells and - to a greater degree - Cold Case would probably scratch that itch. Cold Case goes DARK(in a really good way).
@@drachirrelmmes6450 I have the entire series from Audible. I miss how some things can be picked up easier in print (like spelling puns and homonym/synonym references), but it's a great way to burn through a series quickly and repeatedly. And for the Dresden Files, James Marsters is an excellent reader. After the first 3 books, he finds the groove and *becomes* Harry and the rest of the crew.
I would love to see Harry use magic to augment his power and start to eliminate some of his weaknesses. There is no reason why he hasn't tried to remove the weakness to iron except that Butcher needs to nerf Harry for plot convenience. Also it is absolutely stupid that months have gone by in-universe and he hasn't replaced his shield bracelet, blasting rod, etc, especially since he has literally unlimited wealth under his control as Winter Knight. He could order the Leanansidhe to get him the ingredients if necessary as she is a subject of the Winter Court and it would be necessary for his role. It's just a further example of Jim Butcher needing to introduce artificial limits, but the fact that he hasn't replaced these items is out of character and beginning to strain belief.
I Haven't read peace talks for battleground yet I'm thinking of starting a reread from the very beginning before I do that But I want to do that about 18 months out from the next book release So I can read 1 book per month per month and be caught up
my wish list is some more info into the refrences to star child comments. ( or why alot of netural big players just go out of their wy to talk to or even help harry). anything involving darth cowl, but i feel like he has ties to the "enemy" amd thus the end of the series. and for harry to reconnect with the white council or better yet ebenezer
My theory for Molly is after PT. I think Mab dies somewhere in the final BAT (Big Ass Trilogy) and Molly takes her place, they fight the final battle and then she allows Harry to drop the mantle so he can be with Murphy and the wee ones, but she stays The Mother because there always needs be a Mab.
Cowl & Kumori have to be people who have touched black magic, because Harry recognized it in them in Dead Beat. This, imo, leaves out the popular theory about Kimori being Elaine. It also means Cowl can't be the Merlin, Injun Joe, or the Gatekeeper. It could be Ebenezer. But I can't buy he would try to hurt Harry. Harry's his grandson. And if he wanted him dead, he had ample chances to do it. And no, I refuse to buy Justin is the Cowl. Because Word of Jim has always been Justin is Dead, dead, dead. Simon is my preferred choice as well. What better way to go dark then stage your own death and sell the Council to your enemy? Michael was my favorite side character as well. But I'm good with Skin Game being his Last Action Hero moment. I don't think Molly is going to the dark side, as such. She has her side. And it's a cold one. Edit...lol. Said Elaine was a popular theory before you mentioned it. And yeah, it was all over the Butcher forum in the old days.
My theory is that Cowl is actually Margaret Le Fay. Yeah, Lord Raith was supposed to have killed her, but that doesn't seem to stick so well when you're dealing with Necromancers. Would explain why 'he' seems unusually gifted when it comes to the Ways, and beyond Harry's rose-tinted goggles most people he's spoken to about his mother suggest she wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue. In addition, we know what happened to Obi-Wan's first apprentice ....
Anyone else think Thomas is a wizard but his Hunger is feeding off his power so he doesn't know? He was able to recover from life threatening injuries without killing Justine, which Lara didn't think should have been possible. I think if they could find some way to exorcise or suppress his vampire side he can learn to be a wizard along side Maggie when she starts learning.
I think all white Court vampires can use magic to some extent in his short story he explains it and uses some simple tracking spells but he's not very good at it
It won’t be in this book, but I want to see Harry be the Antagonist. The entire book he’s the bad guy, and the story is from everyone else’s point of view. Could be he has no choice, or is being mind scrambled. The side stories are always great seeing things through Thomas & Murphy’s eyes. Now a full book of it, not just 20-30 pages
I think Kumori is dead, I think Cowl jumped into her body after his got blown up at the end of Dead Beat. I think it's why he kept her around. (For the WOJ savvy and sarcastic, Cowl is D-E-D, heh)
Harry is - for the moment - staying at Molly's apartment. You wanna see dark Molly? Read Cold Case. It's... special. MY PREDICTIONS: For BOTH Peace Talks and Battle Ground MOST LIKELY Magic is revealed to the mortal world(probably at the end of Battle Ground) Harry and friends destroy at least one building in each book (This is more a certainty than a theory...) MEDIUM LIKELY Ebenezer dies. Murphy becomes an Enherjar (Jim tweeted a while back that he was writing "Murphy's funeral") LEAST LIKELY The White Council as a whole is shattered/destroyed. (good thing the Paranet is a thing) Related to Ebenezer's death, Harry becomes Black Staff (doubtful, since he's still kind of new to the WK mantle)
I think Harry could become either the Blackstaff or the Gatekeeper. His power is suited for either role. He has the power level and discernment on when the rules have to be bent or broken to get something that needs being done done, but he's also Starborn which gives him power over Outsiders which would be very useful for the Gatekeeper. There's a ton of foreshadowing in the books, I think Harry's constant comparison of Vadderung's scar over his missing eye to scar over Harry's eye means that Harry will lose an eye one day. He could replace it with the one Rashid uses.
@@kodahansen8080 Very possible. Though, I do not believe Harry is in a good place to take on the role of Gatekeeper right now. Perhaps, when something changes or he loses the Winter Mantle... but not now. The Gatekeeper is too bound to his domain in the Never Never. And, the Winter Knight is too integral to the fight on Earth. That isn't even considering what would happen should Harry disappear from Chicago again for an extended period of time, or what might become of Maggie if he did. Eventually, I think Harry would be an excellent candidate for Gatekeeper, maybe during or at the end of the BAT. This would especially be the case if the theory about humanity being next to guard the Wall is correct. Blackstaff is a different matter. And, again I agree that Dresden is a good candidate. He is young for a wizard, but his legend is well earned. And, Ebenezer was only one-hundred or so when he took of the staff. So, it isn't unheard of for a young wizard to fulfill the role. But, again we have problems. Politically, handing the Black Staff to the Winter Knight seems like a terrible idea. Even if the theory that it is Mother Winter's walking stick turns out to be wrong, having the assassin of one nation be the assassin for another would create conflicts of interest. The question is... How do we resolve these issues? It has been hinted that Harry can get rid of the Mantle eventually. But, when? And, would it coincide with him trading out for one of the above-mentioned power-ups?
I think Michael will going to going up to bat (possibly to rescue Molly or Daniel's soul) before the end. I also think it will be fatal. Daniel has way too much anger in him and that's probably going to be the denarians entre' to him
I mean, pausing at 3 and a half minutes in, Michael's in his early 50s. I think he's fine to help tutor someone like Butters, but he absolutely should be slowing down.
Okay I'm 10 minutes and 51 seconds into your video and I'm certain you need to read the short stories... They're literally giving you what you asked for. The better question is how is integrated.?
I've always felt that a female author could benefit from the exposure of writing a couple of books edited by Jim about Elaine Mallory. Even somebody as huge already as Seanan McGuire. Who is excellent and wins awards and sells copies and doesn't get nearly the sales she deserves. I think the Dresden verse and it's mythology is excellent, am I actually would enjoy some diversity of storytelling in that mythology.
My favourite theory on cowls identity is either he is Dresden from a different timeline which would be revealed in mirror mirror probably...in that case kumori would most likely be Molly...other possibility I like is, cowl is DuMorne and kumori is Elaine...this wouldn't need to be a different timeline but it could also be...but since Harry never told us about being hit by DuMornes death curse, we can assume that DuMorne is still living
Okay so, my wish list: I hope Maggie is murdered in front of Harry by someone he can't touch due to the Accords and it beats him, it breaks him so hard, that he crumbles under the weight of the Winter Knight mantle I hope Murphy doesn't recover whatsoever in this book and gets tempted to that dark side you want for Molly, primarily to save Harry from himself I also hope Molly dies horrifically but alas that won't happen but you and I are massive polarities on her I want Mab to throw Harry so far under the bus that he can fix the axels I want Billy and Georgia (because you don't turn your back on the wolfpac :V DOOT DOOT DOOT, DO DO DO DO) I want more Butters/Andi I want Daniel to go away and never return. He's probably going to be a new nickelhead at some point. Not a fan. Fix is probably going to die because Aurora's gone. I hope Thomas and Ebenezar have a huge issue with each other and it's revealed that Eb-bro has *two* grandsons. I have my ARC. I haven't read it. I wanted to see this first.
Murphy is the worst character in the books. I cannot stand her character and Harry has so many better choices in the books. Molly is the best example of this. Harry/Molly! Make it happen! Besides, it's pretty clear that Murphy has given in to the Dark Side. She's a sleeper agent.
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A theory that I like is that Murphy is either going to go to work for Monoc Securities and become a Valkyrie, or jump back into the action before she’s recovered to save Harry, die, and then have her soul chosen by Gard to become an einherjar.
My wishlist/"I can't wait for list" is the first time Harry encounters Charity after Molly tells her :)
Ooooo you're evil lol
Maybe she'll actually break his nose like she wanted to.
I think you're underestimating some character ages by 5-10 years. (Maybe it's because of the Buffy/Angel thing, where most of the main characters were teens and young adults?)
Context clues suggest Murphy was probably in her 30s at the start of _Storm Front,_ and that was ~15 years ago in-setting: that puts her in her mid- to late-40s by the time of _Skin Game,_ when she received the kind of injury that would be described as "career-ending" in the sports world. And while Michael's age likewise hasn't been directly stated, the books suggest that he's a bit older than most of the other major characters - and he does have a daughter who's in her mid-20s, after all. Dude is 50+ by this point. Bet on it.
Iirc Harry and Murphy are in their early to mid Forties. They were both 29 in Storm front according to Jim butcher, and skin game was Set 13 years after that
John Lavery Murphy is 2-4 years older than Dresden, I think he’s late 30’s she’s early 40’s now. Which I do think plays into her injuries in peace talks.
I’m betting the black staff is mother winter’s missing walking stick
Apparently not. Jim said it himself
Maybe, Jim has said before if a fan theory is true he will deny it to preserve the mystery
@@johnlavery3433 jim lies
Also the first time Bonnie meets Bob :)
David Fox As much as I’d like to see that, I can’t be the only one who’s thinking that HARRY would think it was a very bad idea to expose that innocent spirit to BOB!
That would be epic lol 😆
Cowl and Kumori are Dresden and Elaine from a mirror universe where Justin won and preformed the dark hallow
I like that theory.
There was talk of an alternate universe book at some point, so it's not that far fetched.
But for cowl being Dresden Molly is the better kumori in my eyes
Drachir Relmmes I could see that, too.
if he lost to justin how would he have met molly?
i think molly being the winter lady helps with her warlock tendencies, winter law is far stricter then wizard law
How do you think Maeve would have fared under the laws of magic vs winter law? Think of how good Harry was at not crossing the line before, and now how hard he has to fight to keep the winter mantle from pushing him waaaay over the line as a first instinct to most situations.
The only question I have isn't whether she will go bad but, whether she will struggle against it or just slide right across the aisle to the bad guy side without blinking an eye. After all, even after her initial warlock actions and getting the doom of damocles, she invaded the mind of Luccio, and even Harry himself, when both were unconscious and unable to give consent. Sure he let her poke around to inside his head to free Bonea, but that was after years more apprenticeship, tutoring under the Leanansidhe, spending time trying to keep Chicago safe from the Fomor, and becoming the winter lady.
@@TankensteinMonster molly never did any of that maliciously, it was always her trying to help. maive would of been a warlock. the mantel cannot make you something you are not you have to choose.
@@movarie It wasn't malicious when she invaded the minds of her friends to try and help them in Proven Guilty and yet it was still an act of black magic. In order for magic in the Dresdenverse to work you have to believe in what you are doing, you have to believe that you can and should invade someone else's mind even if they don't want you too, just like she did with her friends, just like she did with Harry and Luccio.
@@TankensteinMonster In Proven Guilty she changed things. With Luccio and Harry she only checked to see if they were being messed with. And she spoke to people in small favor, sought the counsel of her father
Not in the use of magic. Fae don’t suffer the mental blowback that mortals do, so there’s no penalty for using black magic.
Molly has a freer license to break the Laws now than she did before, especially since a) she’s already branded a warlock, and b) she has Mab’s protection.
Butcher has said that he plans a ya series of Maggie at a boarding school we’re introduced to in the short stories. He’s going to write it with his sister.
And Mouse is going to be her emotional support dog. Also, the song "Batman smells, Robin laid an egg" played an important part in the creation of the plot.
The school with all the scions that Irwin went to, and is now teaching at?
Cool! Not sure if it's a joke or not but cool anyway XD
Charles Garza That’s the one.
A Diamond No joke. Not sure when it will happen but it’s definitely planned.
ARGHHHHHRHHHA. I'm literally foaming at the mouth (toothpaste)!!!! Can't wait for this friggin' book.
Also, my condolences on ASOIAF fans. Our wait is almost ended. XD
Darth Xaim I’m a fan of both
*pauses the video while Mike's showing Peace Talks on his e-reader, to see if he can read any of it*
I am pretty sure that Thomas will get the third sword.
As for Maggie she's getting a spin off written by Jim and his sister about her school his take on Hogwarts. Now that you're caught up you can watch some q&a with Jim
One of the talks is that Jim will have Harry "breaking" all of the main wizarding rules at some point. He is certainly on his way, with killing a human, animating Sue, etc. The one he hasn't messed with is time. The next book that is due to come out, or at least that is the plan at this point, is Mirror Mirror. That an alternate version of Harry from a different timeline, where he made different decisions and turned dark, will be the antagonist. My suspicion is that that Cowl is the alternate Harry, and the reason he is so powerful is that, well, that is the way it goes when you lean that way. Power is a little easier there. And the dark side has cookies of course.
Next book is the follow up to Peace Talks, Battleground, in September. THEN Mirror Mirror, hopefully late next year. He changed it up due to the length of this present story.
Granted. I kind of think of Battle Ground as Peace Talks vol. 2, but same difference.
You just gave me the idea that if that were true Kumori could be dark Molly... didn’t she use Japanese for her spell casting?
@@WinnetouiriVamp1 true and that's my theory on kumori too
I think it's not only dark side powers that makes cowl so strong...he used more or less the very same kinetic force spell like Harry does (forzare) against him...just better...Harry always speaks of himself as one of the top 10 wizards purely strength wise...cowl is maybe a Harry that accepted evil bobs offer to train him and learned more destructive spells...this side of bob would have been able to teach him such combat magic...or cowl/Harry was already the winter knight in dead beat and that's the power source
Love that book shelf behind you.
It's probably too late since this was recorded most of a week ago, but I think recording your first viewing of the trailer for peace talks so you can put up a blind reaction video would be really well received.
I do have a theory for Cowl. I think there are 2! The one you see in Grave Peril and White Night is someone on the council. Maybe the Merlin, though unlikely, I think Simon is a good bet since hes never mentioned beyond that 1 conversation with Ebenezer.
In Dead Beat.... I think its Harry from the Future and Future Elaine or possibly Molly! Reread the sections of Dead Beat they're in. Cowl and Kumori outside the book store. Their talk is worded a very particular way. He says his magic is HUGE, but lacked the dark aftertaste of black magic except a slight twinge at the end. Then he says "but then, I supposed, so does mine". Kumori tried to reason with Harry, which Cowl says "pointless", because he knows himself and that he'll never hand it over. I don't think they were trying to destroy the book, they were trying to impress upon Harry the importance of it. Next piece of evidence, Kumori brings back the gangster, sapping a lot of her power. The EMT said it got real cold and ice started to form. He did confirm Kumori was white. Possibly a hint of Molly's turn to the Winter Lady? Then the giant Hex. No one is harder on electronics than Harry. Then Cowl stops HArry from containing the Erlking and steals Bob. How would Cowl possibly know Harry had Bob? No one aside from Thomas knew that. No one! Yet he goes and steals the one thing that can tell Cowl how to do the Dark Hallow. Awful convenient. In that scene, he even quotes Billy from a few hours earlier "I do not perceive myself to be insane, if I were, would I know it?"
Now why would future Harry go back in time? I think he knows that only he can stop Nemesis. The Erlking called him Starborn and he was born on Halloween, which means its the same day that mantles are changed and immortals can die. He knows that there were events that had to happen to keep him in the game and shape him into the weapon he needs to be to win. Future Harry had no intention of claiming the Dark Hallow, he was there to keep the disciples busy and he knew that his past self would stop him. Cowl losing at the end tied everything up nicely for him. I think he did several of the small things throughout the series without explanation. 1) I think he went and told Victor Sells (Shadowman) about him, making the gifted sorcerer attack him before he was ready, rather than later when Harry would have been torn apart. 2) In Proven Guilty, I think he crashed into the Blue beetle in traffic to bounce his noggin so he wouldn't use Little Chicago before it was ready. Then I think he went in and fixed Little Chicago and told Bob to forget he was there. 3) In Small Favor, I think he went to Summer and told them he was to be Mab's emissary. Without getting attacked by Gruffs, he would have left Marcone to rot, he never would have gotten Soulfire and Kincaid would not have owed him the favor to shoot him later. Those are all I can think of off the top of my head, but I think there are other examples also.
So, what you're saying is... Cowl is a Mantle? :P
The thing with Cowl and Komuri is that they could show up in peace talks and if they're in their other "real" identities, we might not even know it. (Komuri has been presumed dead since the climax of Dead Beat, but OTOH, so was Cowl until he showed up again, so who knows?)
There are a couple of one-shot characters I hope we see again in the future if not in Peace Talks. One is Vince Garver, the P.I. who was tailing Harry in Turncoat (? I think) and the other is Nick Christian, who technically I guess isn't a one-shot since he's in one of the short stories, but in the main novels he was only in Ghost Story, and he didn't have a chance to interact with Harry at all. Oh, and speaking of Ghost Story, I hope Butcher finds a way for Sir Stuart to show up again, too.
BTW, Butcher is apparently planning a series for younger readers focusing on the adventures of Maggie and Mouse, which on one hand is great, but unfortunately also makes it more likely that Mouse will be on the sidelines mostly in the mainline series. And he's also thinking about a series about Luccio's adventures in the 19th century. Since that's a completely different time period, it doesn't really keep her from playing a significant role in the main stories.
Oh, yeah, hope we see Tara Wild again at some point, too. And Goodman Grey.
Butcher has said the only spin off he knows for sure he wants to do is Monster LLC. featuring Goodman Grey. Which he said would allow him to maybe do some stories set in the past of the Dresden Files because of how long Grey has been around.
I would love to see Michael to continue to be an important part of the story. It was amazing to see him unexpectedly come back full force in Skin Game. He's been missing from the story.
Have you read the Cold Case short story?
I feel like there's a good Michael short in Jim's head waiting to pop out. I think he's doing things behind the scenes with the church and whatnot.
@@bunniesbunniesbunnie There's already been a Michael short written about his life after he healed from his surgeries and Harry's refusal to understand that Michael was retired and not in need of Harry's protections. Except of course his family does.
Hey Mike - If you haven't gotten through the various Dresden short stories yet, then as a Marcone fan you will love the story "Even Hand". For Thomas, Butcher actually did give him a cool side quest story called "Backup" where he's fighting the Oblivion War. Really hoping Jim gets around to exploring that some more, but I expect it will remain short story territory.
I don't think its in the cards for Molly to go evil any more than Harry - They'll both push the boundaries and continue dancing on the edges of morality as Winter tries to subsume them, that's their journey IMO. Haven't the faintest clue how they're going to eventually get out of those mantles though, lol.
Mouse is permanently attached to Maggie now for sure, but I hope Skin Game's scenes were a hint to show that Harry's going to call him in when needed going forward. Can't imagine Mouse won't be helping in Battle Ground at least.
However it happens, Murph has to get a supernatural transformation at some point down the road - She's sure to die otherwise, at least during the apocalyptic trilogy ending the series, but probably before that at the rate things are going.
Great video and ur review videos are good!! From uk 🇬🇧
Okay. Now I'm jealous! :p
After this video I feel you REALLY need to do a reaction video to the short stories where you explain how you felt the short stories and Peace Talks either satisfied or didn't satisfy an awful lot of your wishlist.
2 Things I want answered, first is from way back, when it was said that Harry had some power over Outsiders. Obviously that is somehow going to play in with the Outsiders becoming more active in the story. And second what is the relevance of Harry being a "Starborn"? It's been mentioned at least twice by this point so there is some significance to it.
The worry is one of the reasons why he hasn't turned into Lloyd Slate.. so I hope it doesn't fade completely..
Want more Marcone? Just read his short story, Even Hand! :P
Also, there's one with Thomas as the main character, one with Michael after the events of Small Favor, and one with Harry and Maggie.
Yeah, most of his wishes are addressed in the short stories, which I can tell he doesn't read.
Thomas gets his own story which not only greatly expands his role in the world, but also explains why we don't know that from Harry's perspective.
Michael gets a story about life after retiring from being a Knight.
Harry, Maggie, and Mouse spend a day at the Zoo.
Molly takes on her first job as Winter Lady and nearly kills a human.
Butters gets his first official quest as a Knight.
So many good short stories that expand the universe and are frequently referenced in the main novels.
@@kodahansen8080 Strength of a River in his Shoulders is one of my favorite characters
The Warrior does an amazing job of showing us Michael and where his actual limits are. Think Michael's got a whole extra level of scary he's been hiding.
If Michael is sidelined, then who could deal with Ferro? Speaking of, Ferro is the character I'm most interested to learn more about. He Who Walks Behind surely won't come in Peace Talks, but also a very very interesting character with a definite future in the series. Also who is the third walker? He Who Walks Among? Mac, who is 'out' sider perhaps? Jim suggests freaking Satan may be involved eventually, so can't wait to see how that goes lol.
I don't think Mac is an outsider, but I do think that Mac is a major player in the supernatural world but has probably been "retired" from the game. But with events ramping up and coming together he may be compelled to get back into the thick of things.
I agree completely about Kumori and Elaine. I thought that for some time. And if Cowel is Justin, that would explain their behavior with each other. plus, if you think about the magics that you've seen both Kumori and Elaine use they're very similar.
I primarily wish to see a lot of what the book title implies. Supernatural politics. I really want to see what The White Council thinks of recent events in Chicago. Particularly The Merlin and Ebenezar's reaction to Harry's taking up the mantle of Winter Knight. I am hoping that Nemesis has gotten to Lara and/or Thomas Raith. I want at least a cameo appearance from Cowl, and I would very much enjoy it if Mavra would reappear. I want a LOT of Gentleman Johnnie Marcone. Less Faeries for a bit would be nice.
P.S. Bring on the Fomor!
Love it!
There's a book with short stories from side characters in the Dresdenverse, with stories told from Marcone, Thomas, Molly, Butters and others. I don't remember the title, but you should look it up ifyou want to see more of them.
Also, Molly's story explains Ramirez's injuries in Pace Talks (that's a tearjerker)
It’s called brief cases
Dang hitting us early today. Let’s get a beer!!!! @BeardedFoxBrew let’s do this!! You can read me the book there!
Marcone runs his empire from Burger King
Butters and Michael are almost the same age. Both are a good bit older than harry
Oh wow, I always pegged Butters younger than Michael.. huh.. must be Octoberfest that threw me XD
Thanks!
According to Jim Butcher's official timeline, Butters is 6 years older than Harry, Michael is 19 years older than Harry. www.jim-butcher.com/timeline
Love your reviews, but you really need to read the short stories...
agreed! They fill in a lot of gaps.
And the bonding he wishes for is in them
Agreed. Some answers for Mike's questions are already there.
My small wish list: Ebenezer learning the truth about Thomas and his relationship (seems likely judging by the trailer), Thomas not dying/going irreversibly bad, more Marcone, more Mac and some Bob/Bonny interaction (I imagine him as a cool slightly wild uncle for her)
Bob/Bonny NO. She is a female/feminine spirit (do they really *have* genders?). I can't imagine her exposed to Bob without supervision, the potential damages are *frightening* !
Thomas side quest book? I take it you havent had a chance to read Backup yet then?
and the butters quest. he needs to look at side jobs and brief cases
@@nelspaulson3099 He also mentioned wanting some dark Molly. Bombshells and - to a greater degree - Cold Case would probably scratch that itch. Cold Case goes DARK(in a really good way).
This book is hard to get these days...I haven't found a e book version and the actual book was up to 80$ when I checked it the last time
He hasn’t read the short stories yet. He mentioned that in his Skin Game review
@@drachirrelmmes6450 I have the entire series from Audible. I miss how some things can be picked up easier in print (like spelling puns and homonym/synonym references), but it's a great way to burn through a series quickly and repeatedly.
And for the Dresden Files, James Marsters is an excellent reader. After the first 3 books, he finds the groove and *becomes* Harry and the rest of the crew.
I would love to see Harry use magic to augment his power and start to eliminate some of his weaknesses. There is no reason why he hasn't tried to remove the weakness to iron except that Butcher needs to nerf Harry for plot convenience. Also it is absolutely stupid that months have gone by in-universe and he hasn't replaced his shield bracelet, blasting rod, etc, especially since he has literally unlimited wealth under his control as Winter Knight. He could order the Leanansidhe to get him the ingredients if necessary as she is a subject of the Winter Court and it would be necessary for his role. It's just a further example of Jim Butcher needing to introduce artificial limits, but the fact that he hasn't replaced these items is out of character and beginning to strain belief.
Agreed: Harry needs to get back to good old fashioned wizardry and make some foci, dangit!
I Haven't read peace talks for battleground yet I'm thinking of starting a reread from the very beginning before I do that But I want to do that about 18 months out from the next book release So I can read 1 book per month per month and be caught up
Be sure to watch both trailers for Peace Talks 😁
Several short stories will fill in these desires: The Warrior (more Michael), Backup (Thomas Side Quest) and Even Hand (Marcone side quest! YAAAASSS)
You really should read zoo day (harry, Maggie and mouse goes to the zoo for a father-daughter day)
my wish list is some more info into the refrences to star child comments. ( or why alot of netural big players just go out of their wy to talk to or even help harry). anything involving darth cowl, but i feel like he has ties to the "enemy" amd thus the end of the series. and for harry to reconnect with the white council or better yet ebenezer
Aw, I'm still waiting for my copy.
My theory for Molly is after PT. I think Mab dies somewhere in the final BAT (Big Ass Trilogy) and Molly takes her place, they fight the final battle and then she allows Harry to drop the mantle so he can be with Murphy and the wee ones, but she stays The Mother because there always needs be a Mab.
Cowl & Kumori have to be people who have touched black magic, because Harry recognized it in them in Dead Beat. This, imo, leaves out the popular theory about Kimori being Elaine. It also means Cowl can't be the Merlin, Injun Joe, or the Gatekeeper. It could be Ebenezer. But I can't buy he would try to hurt Harry. Harry's his grandson. And if he wanted him dead, he had ample chances to do it. And no, I refuse to buy Justin is the Cowl. Because Word of Jim has always been Justin is Dead, dead, dead.
Simon is my preferred choice as well. What better way to go dark then stage your own death and sell the Council to your enemy?
Michael was my favorite side character as well. But I'm good with Skin Game being his Last Action Hero moment. I don't think Molly is going to the dark side, as such. She has her side. And it's a cold one.
Edit...lol. Said Elaine was a popular theory before you mentioned it. And yeah, it was all over the Butcher forum in the old days.
Everybody just assumes we know Cowl and Kumori. I feel like we don't, outside of these identities.
Jim may have said he died, but, by Jims own admission he's a lier! And he will say things just to screw with people.
@@bunniesbunniesbunnie yup me too
@@toddjackson3136 Except this was a source of conflict in the TV show, which kept Justin alive.
@@shawngillogly6873 true, but there were A Lot of points of contention with the show.
READ THE SHORT STORIES.
My theory is that Cowl is actually Margaret Le Fay. Yeah, Lord Raith was supposed to have killed her, but that doesn't seem to stick so well when you're dealing with Necromancers. Would explain why 'he' seems unusually gifted when it comes to the Ways, and beyond Harry's rose-tinted goggles most people he's spoken to about his mother suggest she wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue. In addition, we know what happened to Obi-Wan's first apprentice ....
Have you read shadowed souls it focus's a bit on molly as one of the short stories in it.
Anyone else think Thomas is a wizard but his Hunger is feeding off his power so he doesn't know?
He was able to recover from life threatening injuries without killing Justine, which Lara didn't think should have been possible.
I think if they could find some way to exorcise or suppress his vampire side he can learn to be a wizard along side Maggie when she starts learning.
Thomas inherited some magic from Margaret, yes. Not a lot,but enough to perform a basic tracking spell and detect magical surveillance
I think all white Court vampires can use magic to some extent in his short story he explains it and uses some simple tracking spells but he's not very good at it
It won’t be in this book, but I want to see Harry be the Antagonist. The entire book he’s the bad guy, and the story is from everyone else’s point of view. Could be he has no choice, or is being mind scrambled. The side stories are always great seeing things through Thomas & Murphy’s eyes. Now a full book of it, not just 20-30 pages
Have you read the short stories?
I think Kumori is dead, I think Cowl jumped into her body after his got blown up at the end of Dead Beat. I think it's why he kept her around. (For the WOJ savvy and sarcastic, Cowl is D-E-D, heh)
I figure Thomas is going to be the one to end up with Amoracchius before the end.
Harry is - for the moment - staying at Molly's apartment.
You wanna see dark Molly? Read Cold Case. It's... special.
MY PREDICTIONS: For BOTH Peace Talks and Battle Ground
MOST LIKELY
Magic is revealed to the mortal world(probably at the end of Battle Ground)
Harry and friends destroy at least one building in each book (This is more a certainty than a theory...)
MEDIUM LIKELY
Ebenezer dies.
Murphy becomes an Enherjar (Jim tweeted a while back that he was writing "Murphy's funeral")
LEAST LIKELY
The White Council as a whole is shattered/destroyed. (good thing the Paranet is a thing)
Related to Ebenezer's death, Harry becomes Black Staff (doubtful, since he's still kind of new to the WK mantle)
I think Harry could become either the Blackstaff or the Gatekeeper. His power is suited for either role. He has the power level and discernment on when the rules have to be bent or broken to get something that needs being done done, but he's also Starborn which gives him power over Outsiders which would be very useful for the Gatekeeper.
There's a ton of foreshadowing in the books, I think Harry's constant comparison of Vadderung's scar over his missing eye to scar over Harry's eye means that Harry will lose an eye one day. He could replace it with the one Rashid uses.
@@kodahansen8080 Very possible. Though, I do not believe Harry is in a good place to take on the role of Gatekeeper right now. Perhaps, when something changes or he loses the Winter Mantle... but not now. The Gatekeeper is too bound to his domain in the Never Never. And, the Winter Knight is too integral to the fight on Earth. That isn't even considering what would happen should Harry disappear from Chicago again for an extended period of time, or what might become of Maggie if he did. Eventually, I think Harry would be an excellent candidate for Gatekeeper, maybe during or at the end of the BAT. This would especially be the case if the theory about humanity being next to guard the Wall is correct.
Blackstaff is a different matter. And, again I agree that Dresden is a good candidate. He is young for a wizard, but his legend is well earned. And, Ebenezer was only one-hundred or so when he took of the staff. So, it isn't unheard of for a young wizard to fulfill the role. But, again we have problems. Politically, handing the Black Staff to the Winter Knight seems like a terrible idea. Even if the theory that it is Mother Winter's walking stick turns out to be wrong, having the assassin of one nation be the assassin for another would create conflicts of interest.
The question is... How do we resolve these issues? It has been hinted that Harry can get rid of the Mantle eventually. But, when? And, would it coincide with him trading out for one of the above-mentioned power-ups?
You really really need to read Brief Cases and Side Jobs
Maybe Harry will let Butters keep Bob, and Harry has his child-spirit from Lash.
Need more Ivy and Kincaid
I think Michael will going to going up to bat (possibly to rescue Molly or Daniel's soul) before the end. I also think it will be fatal.
Daniel has way too much anger in him and that's probably going to be the denarians entre' to him
As someone who isn't a fan of Molly or Daniel, the idea of them getting a good character like Michael killed off makes me hate them even more, ngl
I mean, pausing at 3 and a half minutes in, Michael's in his early 50s. I think he's fine to help tutor someone like Butters, but he absolutely should be slowing down.
Wait, seriously? Michael's in his early fifties? Wow. I seriously did not know that
@@jtdarelli1871 Yeah, he's at least that old. JB has always been cagey with character ages, but... Michael has a daughter who's in her mid-20s.
If I am not mistaken, I believe Kumori died at the end of Dead Beat.
We never confirmed she was dead
Question: do you have time to do a reaction to the trailer video as well? No worries if not. Loving your reviews
Okay I'm 10 minutes and 51 seconds into your video and I'm certain you need to read the short stories... They're literally giving you what you asked for. The better question is how is integrated.?
Man you haven't read the short stories, a lot of these are answered In them
Have you done iron druid?
Once again, you have killer instincts!
I've always felt that a female author could benefit from the exposure of writing a couple of books edited by Jim about Elaine Mallory. Even somebody as huge already as Seanan McGuire. Who is excellent and wins awards and sells copies and doesn't get nearly the sales she deserves.
I think the Dresden verse and it's mythology is excellent, am I actually would enjoy some diversity of storytelling in that mythology.
Prediction. Harry will get married and it won’t be to Murphy.
Summer Knight Murphy setup for Battle Ground is my hope.
My favourite theory on cowls identity is either he is Dresden from a different timeline which would be revealed in mirror mirror probably...in that case kumori would most likely be Molly...other possibility I like is, cowl is DuMorne and kumori is Elaine...this wouldn't need to be a different timeline but it could also be...but since Harry never told us about being hit by DuMornes death curse, we can assume that DuMorne is still living
Okay so, my wish list:
I hope Maggie is murdered in front of Harry by someone he can't touch due to the Accords and it beats him, it breaks him so hard, that he crumbles under the weight of the Winter Knight mantle
I hope Murphy doesn't recover whatsoever in this book and gets tempted to that dark side you want for Molly, primarily to save Harry from himself
I also hope Molly dies horrifically but alas that won't happen but you and I are massive polarities on her
I want Mab to throw Harry so far under the bus that he can fix the axels
I want Billy and Georgia (because you don't turn your back on the wolfpac :V DOOT DOOT DOOT, DO DO DO DO)
I want more Butters/Andi
I want Daniel to go away and never return. He's probably going to be a new nickelhead at some point. Not a fan.
Fix is probably going to die because Aurora's gone.
I hope Thomas and Ebenezar have a huge issue with each other and it's revealed that Eb-bro has *two* grandsons.
I have my ARC. I haven't read it. I wanted to see this first.
Wow, you want things to get darker than already it is.
you are an evil evil man...... I particularly hate you right now for making me feel all tingly and excited about these possibilities......
Murphy is the worst character in the books. I cannot stand her character and Harry has so many better choices in the books. Molly is the best example of this. Harry/Molly! Make it happen!
Besides, it's pretty clear that Murphy has given in to the Dark Side. She's a sleeper agent.