Changes (Dresden #12) [SPOILER] Review
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- Опубликовано: 25 июн 2024
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I used the knife.
I saved a child.
I won a war.
God forgive me
One of my favourite quotes of all time
Especially in the audiobook. there is so much emotion expressed.
@@frankhenninger7416think I read somewhere that Marsters was actually crying when he read this line. #chefskiss
Truly great.
😭
@@pauloid76 wouldn't surprise me. he is amazing.
'Here lies Harry Dresden, he died doing the right thing'. Even his enemies know it 1:47
Mouse is a very good boy. Everybody says so.
I agree on how you pointed out that the sacrifices Harry was making were chipping away at his soul. But you glossed over one that I felt hit harder than all the rest. When Harry ‘chose’ to murder Susan. Not with the knife, but when he knew he could goad her into sacrificing herself.
“One day I hope God will forgive me for giving birth to the idea that came next.
Because I never will.
I knew how angry she was. I knew how afraid she was. Her child was about to die only inches beyond her reach, and what I did to her was as good as murder.”
That’s the line that sticks with me from Changes.
Oh…you did the audiobook. Mr Marsters did a hell of a job
I know right? She talks about how much emotion he's able to put into it and such, it's almost like he's a professional actor or something!
Does he stop slurping his way throught the books? I could only listen to the first one. Then the saliva turn me away from the audiobooks
@@marcolechuga5292 Yes. The first couple of books are definitely rough since he didn't have any experience as a narrator at that point. By the third book he gets way way better.
@@marcolechuga5292 That was because of the upgrade from the original audio publisher (Buzzy Multi Media?) and moving on to Penguin audiobooks.
He is amazing, sadly the last 2 books aren’t as well narrated. Probably mainly because it was recorded during Covid, the quality just wasn’t as high. He also dropped some accents for characters which bugged me.
Otherwise one of my favourite narrators!
First, some lighter notes: [1] Harry tries his best, but Sanya easily has the best one-liners in the entire series. "It was probably just a coincidence." "You are drug dealer. To tiny fairies. Shame." Gold. [2] Mrs. Spunklecrief is a stone cold Badass, and thirty years ago would have totally hatted up and killed her way across a field of vampires with her bare hands. [3] Butters proves he's the smartest character in the series by immediately donning body armor the second he hears Harry is up to shenanigans. [4] Sanya telling Harry that Sam was the true hero of LOTR gets me every time. [5] Harry's interactions with Mouse while transformed into a hound are hilariously awesome. Mouse is so gracious in letting his sidekick take the spotlight every so often.
I think you covered all the Big Events, but there was one (comparatively) small thing I didn't really think about until later. When Harry loses his apartment, he also loses everything in it: the only photo he has of his mother & father, from their honeymoon. The postcard Susan sent him at the end of Grave Peril. The original Star Wars poster that Will gifted him. All the photos he must have taken with Susan. Harry doesn't have cloud backup; all he's got left are his memories.
I don't know why, but it makes me laugh every time when Sanya says, "Mab. You hit that."
Every. Single. Line. "You... tapped that ass. Presumably it was phat." "I think I am having a problem translating between English and insanity."
@@queenvrook i assume it was phat 🤣🤣🤣
“False gods!” she cried, her blue eyes blazing as she stared at the Red King and the Lords of Outer Night. “Pretenders! Usurpers of truth! Destroyers of faith, of families, of lives, of children! For your crimes against the Mayans, against the peoples of the world, now will you answer! Your time has come! Face judgment Almighty!” -Angel via Murphy
So many great moments but this one always stands out to me, so powerful.
Merphy covered a lot, but I'm surprised she didn't mention that Mouse TALKS in this book.
Also, the whole fandom loves the LOTR scene where Harry thinks he's Gandalf, but he's given the role of Sam (the actual hero of the story). Also, Martin is given the role of Boromir. Talk about a funny scene being revealed to be a major foreshadowing.
How in the hell did I miss that after all of my read throughs. Thanks for pointing that out.
@@krissaunders6418 Oh, this is one of the obvious connections.
The Dresden Files has no business being this rereadable with how fast and fun everything is.
The discussions around this series are deep because there's a lot more going on for it than the fun romp you get in most of these books.
For example, to illustrate my point I always ask people if they noticed that Dresden's mom has a "cameo" in book 1. But you can only realize it if you read Blood Rites. It's right before Dresden enters The Shadowman's lake house in the final showdown.
And also that Mouse is apparently nearly a god or something.
@@Dunybrook He's an angel.
@@Dunybrook Foo Dogs are celestial good boys.
Jim Butcher set it up so that Harry could either become the Winter Knight, take up Lasciel's coin, or use the Word of Kemmler and the Darkhallow.
And, according to interviews, he didn't know which way it would go until he began composing that chapter after the call with Uriel.
Wow. That's an amazing bit of info there! Thanks for sharing.
"Hard book for him, great book for me" has been Jim Butcher's motto for the last decade+
Harry commits human sacrifice twice to power a magical rite/ ritual and he commits genocide and I am still on his side.
I love that you recognise the SA that Mab does to Harry because the narrative buries that aspect of his trauma and Harry generally supresses this kind of violence. I really hope that this scene and what the Red Court vampires at Bianca's (in Grave Peril) did to him.
Right after he kills Susan he blacks out. He can't remember how he got Maggie of the alter. We rarely get a fade to black like that and I think something interesting happened and he suppressed it/ an outside force blocks the memory to protect him.
Butcher already mentions that all of Harry's "fade to black" moments are stuff he doesn't want/like to remember, or don't remember.
According to Jim Butcher, he found out exactly when his editor finished reading the manuscript when she called him in the middle of the night, and said as soon as he picked up the phone: "You Killed him!"
His answer? "Now the fun can finally begin"
Arianna - "Cattle. You are cattle"
Harry - "Moo" 🐮
Favourite quote from the book 😂😂
This is actually the best quote.
"Die Alone" - Quintus Cassius in Death Masks.
My mind instantly went back to this death curse at the end of Changes. I also love the ominous feeling of the title as it breaks the two same-length words format.
It is rumored that this will be roughly the half-way point of the series, which is so appropriate. Butcher's growth as an author is so amazing as he goes through Harry's journey.
I'd definitely watch a review of Side Jobs!
Random thought: I really want an adult animated Dresden series, with Marsters as Dresden.
I’ve never thought that to be a particularly bad curse. We all die alone.
iirc Harry actually flashes back to the "die alone" curse as he gets shot, followed by a voice saying "Hush" or something (which is very interesting and Merphy should keep in mind)
As I recall a fair few of the stories in Side Jobs have impact on future books so a spoiler review would be good.
I really liked his verbal sparring with the Earl King to show just how sharp he can be.
So for side jobs i think it really should have a spoiler review because otherwise you cant really talk about it and some of the short stories are really good
About the sexual violence in the book that you mentioned: I found the confusion you expressed about how it was described/how other characters reacted vs what Harry experienced in the scene with Mab was very real to me. That's often how you're treated when that happens to you as a man, especially if people know about it. They joke, or ask probing questions, but never about you. The presumption is that you liked it and that its okay to joke about or treat casually. Like you said, the narrative rarely matches the experience. I'm sure some of that is projection, and maybe butcher didnt intend it, but that's what i saw.
In my opinion, I think Butcher wanted to remove more the pleasurable aspect of the act from Harry and ended up veering into SA territory without fully meaning to. Harry says things that highlight Mab's other-worldliness and how ritualistic the whole thing was with her saying "Mine". I think he wanted to focus more on Harry losing his freedom than him having relations with a fairy queen.
Harry was SA'd way back then in Grave Peril, when Harry was ambushed by the vampire when he used the Nevernever to infiltrate Bianca's mansion and ended up all banged up and naked on the basement with Susan and Justine. That's why, IMO, he's in such a terrible state in Summer Knight.
Because of that, I think Butcher would've referenced Bianca and the other reds if Mab just straight up hurt Harry. That's my take at least and I think the confusion and uncertainty we have comes from Butcher not being more clear with Winter Knight scene.
Ah Changes. The book that flipped the table on the status quo so hard we're only now starting to re-establish something resembling normalcy for our boy.
You think so? I feel like every book since has messed with that status quo even further. I imagine that the next one (“Twelve Months” I believe) will establish a new status quo that’s been building for a while but might give us a glimpse of the what’s leading to that Apocalyptic Trilogy.
@@totesmagotes213 Battle Ground's resolution leads to the startup of a new status quo but we don't know what it is yet
And please do a spoiler review of Side Jobs! Would love to hear your thoughts on The Warrior & Aftermath
Those are the ones I have had in mind also, they are all good but especially with the characters that Merphy likes to talk about, and some of the favorite themes, those are essential. The Warrior is, I think, one of my favorite things that Butcher has written overall. Oooh, but I also just remembered that Backup, the Thomas novella is in that collection. Merphy will LOVE that!
I remember when Changes first came out and people were saying as soon as Harry killed Susan they threw the book across the room, or or threw it in the trash and vowed to never read another Dresden Files books because "it went against Harry's character." Which was a very odd statement to me. This came out in 2010, I'd been reading since 2006, this seemed very in line with Harry as a character to me. NOW that you've gotten through Changes, the real stuff can begin.
How could you forget Mouse talking? Mouse is a good dog.
That scene was incredible for multiple reasons, including finally paying off Lea's desire to turn Harry into a hound
"I'm cheating" :)
James Marsters is the reader for the audiobook and it's so good
The actor who played Spike in Buffy the vampire slayer, he really does a great job in this book series!
"...and then fighting a few giant caterpillars..." Just a casual, regular day in the life of Harry Dresden, apparently.
If we're being technical they were giant centipedes.
I love this book. One thing that always comes back to me is how Ebenezar does not come to Harrys aid untill he knows he himself is in danger. It always feels like that should have been noted more in this book.
I would love a video for the short stories! I think they "deserve" them and that you will want to do one after you read them, (some of them stand out a lot but I like all of them tbh)
It's so clear, especially later on but I won't go into it, how much Ebenezar works towards what he views is the greater good. The bloodline curse affects him. Leaving a spot on the white council open, leaving the black staff open, getting rid of the organizer of the Grey council. I still hate it, and I think Ebenezer does struggle with it but man it feels so crappy to Harry, for whom family is sooooo important.
There are many things in Ebenezer and Harry's relationship that are not directly stated in the books, but are well laid out. This is one of them.
That's why the THING that happens in Peace Talks is not really a surprise to anyone who knows these characters and these books (while a lot of fans at the time were complaining it was "too sudden"). It was not.
There are major issues between Harry and Eb that Butcher does not highlight, but takes into account in Peace Talks.
@LightningRaven42 oh yeah, I know it's going to be a while but I'm excited to see what merphy's thoughts on Peace Talks will be. Maybe the next book will be out by then
If we're being generous he doesn't come to Harry's aid until he learns why Harry has to do this
Before that he was still trying to talk Harry out of that suicide mission
@@Fawkes42 Even then, that just shows the underpinnings of his argument with Harry in PT. Harry's choice in PT are directly opposite to one of Ebenezer's core beliefs. He NEEDS Harry to be wrong, because if Harry's right, it means that Ebenezer was wrong, and the old man won't be able to take it.
My favorite moment in the book is when everyone was turned into dogs by L, and Mouse "talks". So many impactful moments in this book, and so many hard decisions for Harry to make. Butcher's writing is fantastic!
Man. Just hearing you talk about it makes me tear up. That book was one hell of a ride.
This book was such a shock as Butcher upended every single thing the readers had grown accustomed to in the series. The book almost systematically takes Harry's life apart and gives us a new status quo going forward. What also was great was giving Mouse a character voice. Mouse vs Leah was absolutely hilarious.
Murphy with the sword and Bob was so cool. Nothing like having a representative of the capital G speak through your best friend to say what happens next is officially sanctioned judgement Almighty.
I also loved Lea in this book. Getting so giddy about turning everyone into hounds and her surprise attack in the battle made her more endearing and more creepy at the same time some how.
This book is what turned Lea from a character I didn't think much of one way or the other into one my favorite side characters in the entire series. I just love her.
@@chriswhinery925 Don't know how Butcher does it, but I've been highly invested in Harry having a healthy relationship with her from the beginning. One of the best scenes of Ghost Story is between both of them and I love every word of it.
I have several friends who I got into the Dresden Files. In each case, as I’ve seen them get hooked, I’ve warned them that they must not start Changes unless they have Ghost Story ready to go, because that first sentence is about as strong a hook as has ever been. The first such friend did not heed my warning and said that as he put Changes on his shelf he ominously thought “I was warned…” Not only did he not have answers ready for him, but when he went to the bookstore the next day they didn’t have GS available and he had up wait several days😂
I finished Changes half an hour after my usual bed time on my kindle. With instant downloads, must I say that I got little sleep that night?
Some of us had to wait a whole YEAR.
FINALLY!!! BEEN WAITING ON THIS ONE!!!! Changes is peak one of the DF books
My favorite part of the book is when they all transform into dogs and we FINALLY hear Mouse talk. And he’s even more awesome than we thought. I agree that Butcher did a great job of making us empathize with Susan and Harry’s choices.
Yes! Spoiler reviews are a must for both of the short story collections!!!
Especially the novella at the end of "Side Jobs" that takes place from Murphy's perspective!
THANK! GOODNESS! FOR MOUSE!!
Me: Mouse is a good dog.
Everybody says so 🐶
Remember when one or two books ago we told you to keep in mind how Harry reacts when a child is involved ?
Well... Now we know how he reacts when HIS child is involed: sells his soul, goes to war and does a bit of genocide on the way to hugging his kid
Worth it
Also, it made me think of this episode of Doctor Who where this poem is recited:
Demons run when a good man goes to war
Night will fall and drown the sun
When a good man goes to war
Friendship dies and true love lies
Night will fall, and the dark will rise
When a good man goes to war
Demons run, but count the cost
The battle's won, but the child is lost
Here’s my vote for a spoiler review for side jobs!
Was waiting for this! Glad you liked it and I'm still so glad you're reviewing this series in general. I am shocked by your ability to wait 2 months to read Ghost Story. I mean I didn't have a choice but to wait a whole year for it. But I was ready to drive to Butcher's house and demand answers personally when I finished Changes lol.
I'd rather have a longer video on Ghost Story and nothing on Side Jobs than a shorter video on Ghost Story and also a video on Side Jobs. But I don't know if it works like that lol. Ghost Story is one of my favorites.
definetly do Side Jobs, the final short story in the collection begins right after the final scene from Changes and is from the perspective of Muphy dealing with the fallout.
Was waiting for this review. Merphy as a mom must have quite the views on this book
This book is epic, really pushes the series from good into great for me. Definitely want a spoiler review for Side Jobs please!
The Dresden audiobook are so very good !!! ouch this reminded me of what's coming ...
Ghost-story has been re-recorded by James Marsters. (if that's what you were alluding to).
@@aciooica4469 hi, just a wave of melancholy remembering some of upcoming events.
First off, I would LOVE a spoiler review of Side Jobs. There are a couple of stories in there that are heartbreaking.
Second, the Molly in love with Harry thread doesn't entirely go away, but it does get mentioned less and less as the series progreses. Rest assured, Harry NEVER goes for it. EVER.
Finally, one thread in Changes that I found compelling which you didn't mention was that despite all of the parental emotions he was going through, a part of him couldn't shake the idea that this was all a setup. And that Maggie wasn't really his. He was still going to save the child but his experience with supernatural entities gave him doubts which reinforced the pain of not having family. The moment when he got confirmation from Uriel, and the relief he felt knowing she was actually his daughter (even with the current situation), made ME cry.
Really serious spoilers - you have been warned!
I think that it’s safe to say that Harry is not a black and white character but one of many shades of gray. While I think he would never ever desire a child let alone hurt it, when Molly comes of age there is a vibe of: “if you were older and not the daughter of my best friend and me in a relationship, I could be attracted to you.” In the position Molly end up in later books, a consumption of that would be futile, anyway. (See the short story collection for that!)
But: the winter knight is bound - in many ways - to the Winter Queen. With the winter court, there is a kind of maiden, mother and crone situation going on. What when Man can no longer be the Queen, either because she is killed or by moving to fill in the crone position? Then Molly will become the Queen.
I don’t remember in which book Harry finds out what Man is fighting against, but that threat is big! It’s when the Dresden files go Big epic.
I believe Butcher is steering in that direction: Queen Molly and the winter knight “bonding” to stand against that thread…
What could save Harry’s humanity, especially after what happened at the end of Battle grounds? Let’s say I hope Odin finds a way around the rules for calling up Valkyries…
Do a bunch of RUclips Shorts for Side Jobs. One quick short pert short story. They're good xD
The Harry/Mab rape scene is actually treated exactly how most men I've met treat their own experiences of sexual assault and rape. It's joked about as if it were consensual and rarely, if ever, expressly called what it was.
I've had a bunch of my friends tell me stories about being lied to, tricked, or physically forced into sexual encounters they otherwise would have avoided to the best of their ability, not one of them said they were raped until after I pointed it out. most still wouldn't use that word even after they acknowledged that it fit.
I started reading the book the day changes was released, binged the 12 books in 2 weeks and i couldn't read anything for the next two. Just kept processing😮💨. A very beautiful but horrifying experience
I would love to hear your thoughts on Side Jobs. Dohbly so for the stories with PoVs that AREN'T Harry, and thus give some really neat changes in perspective. By and large they're really well written and are nice little snippets of Dresden in lower stakes situations that still feel no less important.
Would love a spoiler review for side jobs!
The voice acting for this book series is an absolute clinic on how it should be done and I hope that the guy who did it got awards for his skillful interpretation.
The guy who did it is award winning actor James Marsters (best known as Spike from Buffy) - the man who turned a throwaway single-season villain role into one of the best loved supporting characters in TV history, entirely because of how popular his performance was. One of the most inspired choices to narrate an audiobook of all time in my opinion!
I would say that the mab "scene" and the reactions from harry's male friend's echo what a lot of men and boys that are sexually abused go through when they tell their male friends and family.
I used the knife. I saved a child. I won a war. God forgive me.
Sums up the book so we'll and is just heartbreaking.
As a not mom, I do agree Susan was super sympathetic in how difficult her choice was because you could also see how much it hurt her to not be with her daughter all the time.
I also love how Harry always phrased it as a dad who Shows Up and talks about it with Molly and how he wants to be a dad who Shows Up for his daughter and now I'm crying again thanks. You're ruining my manly aura merphy
😂
Susan reminds me of Halle Berry’s Sophia in John Wick 3 in that way. The badass has to kill her motherly side every day to keep from running to her baby
By Harry dying doesn't that sever his contract with Mab?
Bah! There is nothing manlier than Dadding! Wear your tears with manful pride, friend, for they are well-earned through toil and sacrifice!
@@arthurweise2573 this question is addressed later in the series. :)
There are a few short stories in Side Jobs that I really want to hear your take on. Especially one called Aftermath and another called The Warrior. The short stories vary wildly in quality but even just these two make the book a worthwhile read in my opinion.
I would say do the spoiler review for side jobs and not just wait for Ghost Story. They may be short stories but some of them advance the world in ways the main series can't and I for one would like to hear your comments on the non Harry first person perspective ones
On the hand, Mab IS supernaturally attractive and Harry has certainly described her that way.
On the other hand, you don't have sex with a thunderstorm.
So it's kinda tough to tell
You could knock out a Side Jobs review in a 15 min video, I would really love to hear your take on three of the stories in particular, most of them you can just say a thing or two about them and it’s plenty.
But the Thomas POV story, the Warrior, and the Merphy POV ones I think we would all love to hear your take on.
lol, those are the same ones like 4 other people have said also. great minds, good taste, etc
Murphy. Merphy is the reader, not the character. :)
Definitely worth spoiler review for Side Jobs. It won't be a super long video but no reason not to with what it tackles and you'll have plenty to say.
James Marsters is extraordinarily as the narrator of this series and he is integral. It was apparent in the next book when he had scheduling conflict. And as the absolute champion he is, he recorded the book later and Audible rereleased it.
“The fallout of this world” Side Jobs. :)
Mab doesn’t F around. That compact is not easily broken.
The audio book is more heart wrenching by a lot. I've done both. I recommend the audio book but sometimes a reread tells you more the second time.
Agree on the Mab thing. It was definitely the r-word. I don't see another way to describe it.
Harry is in danger of doing a full Anakin fall to darkness. Really excited for you to see the fallout for this and how Molly deals with it.
This book more than any other shows how different the Dresden Files reads if you think Harry is an unreliable narrator. He grabs a ton of power, murders his lover and all the witnesses are dead. If we didn't trust Harry, he would look like a bastard.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for!!!
The last week, I kept checking my RUclips notifications.
Remember that thought on the decisions made when taking care of Maggy.
"It's a hard book for him, it's a great book for me"
-sums it up
Oh man it was so powerful to relive this incredible book through you today. One of my favorites of all time, and right with you on how powerful the character work is in it throughout, hitting so hard emotionally.
Not sure if Side Jobs will be worth a review, but maybe as part of a vlog where you can comment on a few stories at a time.
Can’t wait for you to continue on with Ghost Story!!!
Also - this series is one of if not my favorite fantasy series, and it is a joy to watch you react to it. Reminds me of when I read through it the first time.
I love this book so much. With how all these books being pretty self contained that slowly progressed other story threads this one truly felt like the culmination of the series so far and it was amazing.
Also the title of the book is one of the most apt I've ever read. Nothing is the same after this. Also it broke up the title formula of two words with the same number of letters for a single word. It doesn't impact the story at all but just a neat detail that I've always liked.
Yay! I've been waiting a year for this one! The next 3 are also top tier Dresden books.
Listening to the end of this book with Marsters reading that scene... just haunting and perfect.
Definitely interested in a spoiler review for Side Jobs or you could do a bunch of mini spoiler reviews of each story over the course of a month.
Deadbeat was when I realized there was much more depth to Butchers’s writing
Changes was such a crazy blockbuster, that some of the poignant moments get lost in all the mayhem
I’ll be curious to hear your reaction to the shorts and Ghost Story, I thought it was so well written
Thanks for another great review!
Hey, this is the absolute best book in the series so far and that saying a lot because this is one of the best modern fantasy book series I have ever read
Oh yeah. Good old Changes. Masterpiece of a book. Really lives up to the hype around it. Now on to Side Jobs, which is a fun and very interesting collection. Ghost Story is awesome, but soooo much different. I'd say it is a much more mature story than all the previous books. I hope you love it.
You should definitely talk about Side Jobs
Id love a spoiler review for Sidejobs.
James Marsters is doing an amazing job being Harry, but that book... he is spectacular.
Side Jobs is awesome, but contextualizing what it is is important. The stories were written between other books, so there is a bit of style change. but the last story is a novella that takes place immediately after the close of Changes. It is really awesome reading some of the stories that are from OTHER points of view. The Thomas story and the Murphy novella were awesome reads.
Definitely want a spoiler review for Side Jobs!
Oooh yes, finally the Changes video. And as an audiobook too? 10/10. The way Marsters delivers those four lines at the altar. Even on re-listens I'm never quite ready for them.
"And thank goodness for Mouse!" could be the subtitle for so many of these books.
Big yes for spoiler review for Side Jobs.
Ghost Story is a big shift in many ways. It gets some flak from some readers. Especially the ones who had to finish it and then wait a long time for the next one to come out.
I've apprechiated it more on rereads for sure. And let's be honest, how to you follow Changes except for with a little bit of a breather, at least compared to that madness.
(ps: I think it's really funny how Martin wasn't mentioned in this whole half hour review, he really is bland and forgettable like Harry describes him huh)
The lines on the altar, yeah. Perfection.
I'd still enjoy a spoiler video after you read Side Jobs. The short stories and micro stories(available on his website) are the only times we get perspectives from other characters.
I think Side Jobs is definitely worth a spoiler review! Many fun stories and a few from new perspectives that merit spoilery stuff 👍
Great video. I love reliving the books through these reviews
Please do a spoiler review with side jobs. I've really enjoyed these reviews with the rest of the series. It actually wouldn't feel right to me unless you do.
God, the end of Changes, I remember staying up late reading it, and that last line where he dies! I had to start the next one and I was so tired.
I recommend the 12.5 compilation. It was a breath i needed after changes. But also ends with slotting you right back in for ghost story.
I absolutely love your reviews, so more is always a good thing. Yes, I’d love a spoiler review of “Side Jobs”
Some of the short stories are extremely good and it has some great character moments in it. Would really love your review of it. It does so much to flesh out side characters in the books.
Such an astonishing book. That scene... THAT scene kills me every time. I would enjoy a Side Jobs spoiler review if you feel like making one.
I also liked that even "Mr. Neutral", Mac, was on Harry's side...I've always felt that the Series plays like a Role-playing Campaign, where Harry's power grows along with the threats, from a local killer in the first book, to Existential Threats in the latest...So good! I'm glad you're enjoying the series. I know that for "Ghost Story", they changed narrator's but there was such blow-back, that they got James to re-do it. I should try to find that version and re-listen ...
Side Jobs has some really fun stories, I'd love to hear your thoughts about them
Great video as always. I truly wish you'd had time to talk about every chapter of this book, I feel like every single one has brilliant bits that are worthy of discussion! It's really one of my favourite things on the internet to hear you discuss the Dresden books... I hope your life becomes less hectic, and perhaps when you have more time or are short of video ideas you could return to the series, and particularly to Changes, to discuss it in as much detail as needed.
Also when Ebenezer gives Harry his staff and summons the Blackstaff instead is maybe the coolest bit of any book ever.
As for Mab raping Harry, it's described as having sex with a thunderstorm IIRC. Also this is the second time Harry has been SAed in the Files. At the end of book 3 their is a fade to black moment and it's heavily implied the Reds SAed him. A couple of books later he meets some of those vampires and actively refuses to remember that night while they taunt him about it.
Really puts Harry in book 4 into perspective. It wasn't just losing Susan that made him act the way he was acting, he had PTSD.
“Hard book for him great book for me” loved that
Oh Merphy Napier you and I could go for hours arguing the various points you brought up here even though we both ended at Amazing Book lol. Changes is my number 1 Dresden Book and a Top 5 at a minimum book overall for me. Your review of Side Jobs should be interesting to see and then we move on to probably the most polarizing book of the whole Files with Ghost Story. Can’t wait to see what you think!
Yes, please do spoiler review for Side Jobs. It might be short stories, but there will be a lot to say because of the variety of topics and points of view. I think you will really like them (although some are better than others). And no, I am not one of those who thought you would have to grab the next book immediately. Your current pace seems to be working well for you. I think you will find approximately zero people in the comments section who will be surprised by you liking Changes, but we will all nevertheless be very glad.
Great review. Two scenes that I loved were when he asks Uriel for help, cuz he knows he won’t get the help he needs but he has to try to do it the “right” way.
And when he ask “Karrin” to take Maggie to Father Forthill and that he doesn’t need to know where she will be taken to. Another scene that hits hard if you are a parent I guess.
You should read the short story Aftermath before starting the next book in the series !
And I would also suggest reading the rest of the short stories that you didn't read along the main narrative at this moment in the series. It's the perfect timing :D
EDIT: The second I press enter, you talk about it in the video haha
Regarding the short stories: I think they are a little hit or miss (I think the early ones are particularly weak), but the later ones fill in a lot of important background material, and the novellas are excellent. I think the short stories suffer because they necessarily skew more towards the action sequences over the quiet character moments Butcher really excels at. The second short story collection is significantly better than the first and should be read just before Peace Talks, as it contains quite a few important developments you would otherwise miss. Without spoiling anything, but... Carlos. Just... Carlos.
This is the book where the series kicks it up a notch. Each book is more interesting and intense. I only listen to audiobooks and James M does a great job!
This is my favourite Dresden Files book, and the one that FINALLY sold me on this series. Yes, it took me 12 books to be sold, but now I'm a legit fan. Great video, Merphy!
LOVE the Dresden reviews! I can't wait for your mind to be blown as you catch up....
Fantastic book, but I think you glossed over an import part about Susan turning. Harry pushed her to kill Martin, so she would turn, so she could be used for the ritual.
Harry didn't push her to do that. Martin pushed her to kill him so she would turn.
1000% yes for a spoiler review for the short stories!
I think you should read Side Jobs and Ghost Story together. Side Jobs is literally something you can pick up and spend a couple hours reading one of the novellas.
Fair warning with Ghost Story (no spoilers): Changes is one of the fastest-paced and action packed books in the series. Ghost Story is probably the slowest. I think many end up completely under-valuing the book because of this. Over the years, my appreciation and love for Ghost Story has gone up and up. It is a very introspective book with a lot of fantastic character moments.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the short stories as well