This is where you need to pause and read the short story collection Brief Cases. A lot of side characters and side plots from this books play a part in the next 2 books. If you don't read it, I personally feel a lot of stuff will fly over your head.
"But they were doughnuts of darkness. Evil, damned doughnuts, tainted by the spawn of darkness . . . . . . which could obviously be redeemed only by passing through the fiery, cleansing inferno of a wizardly digestive tract." Obviously, the best part of the novel.
"You're not the Greek version of the Devil." "Contrary to what's on television." "Yeah, well... TV rarely does the original stories justice." Definitely some shade from Butcher towards the short-lived Dresden Files TV show.
@@timparks9833 I'd be inclined to agree if he was talking about movies, but TV, even with the advent of TV blurring the lines in terms of production value, seems oddly specific, and "praising" is putting it nicely, especially these days, he seems to just treat it like a "Yeah, that happened, not what we wanted, but whatever".
@@modbz I just don’t think Jim is that kind of guy to talk bad about the show, specially not in his own books. He’s talked about the show just a month or two ago and didn’t have anything bad to say about it. It’s true he was mostly neutral about it, besides praising the actors, but he’s pretty neutral when talking about most media, since he’s not someone who would ever insult other creators.
One small little detail that I LOVED, when they are in the vault and Michael is looking at the statue that is showing the Winter Mother, Winter Queen and Winter Lady. He is like "Hey Harry, doesn't that statue look familar...." And Harry is like thinking Oh Crap.
"Do you want to be my dad?" Breaks me every single time i have listened to this book. EVERY, SINGLE, TIME! And to add to that the conversation with Michael Carpenter where Harry says he is afraid he is becoming a monster. Both of these moments just shut me down, they are awe inspiring moments in the series of books.
If Changes isn't my favorite Dresden book, it's only because Skin Game is. I can never decide between the two I love them both so much. One thing I love about this one that I feel a lot of people overlook, is it illustrates Dresden changing in more ways than just his new role as the Winter Knight. For the whole series, he has been presented as almost bumbling, a powerhouse that just shoves his way forcefully through every situation. But he's growing beyond that, using his intellect more and thinking of clever solutions beyond just "magic punch hard!" His ploy with Goodman Grey is a perfect example. He foresaw a problem he would inevitably face, and rather than reactively dealing with it in the moment he proactively seeks out a solution and does it so well that he even manages to deceive his greatest and cleverest foe. Dresden is finally leveling up in more than just power.
I think we keep forgetting that Harry is a toddler wizard. When he is the age of the white council, he will be very different, and these books are his growing pains.
This my favorite Dresden book. Prime Michael moments, Dresden accepting his role as a father, Nicodemus is back, and the whole heist structure is perfect! Also, Zoo Day is a must read before you get into the next few books. It's such a perfect short story and I think Butcher had a lot of fun writing it.
When Hades said "Who's a good dog? Spot is. Yes, he is." I laughed so hard. And it wasn't even that funny. It just hit me and I couldn't stop laughing.
Of *course* Butters' sword is a lightsaber - not only is he a massive nerd, but Fidelachius is the sword of Faith. Its blade was shattered - if you don't power it with faith that it'll work, it *won't*.
Harry's conversation with Uriel at the end about this was incredible. “Belief in a story,” Uriel said, “of good confronting evil, of light overcoming darkness, of love transcending hate.” He tilted his head. “Isn’t that where all faith begins?”
So, are you going to read the second collection of short stories before Peace Talks, or continue the main books? I highly recommend the short stories. It has the working for Bigfoot trilogy in it, Butters' first day as a Knight, Harry's first day as a Dad, a couple of Molly short stories, and more
I didn't read Brief Cases before reading Peace Talks/Battle Ground. I had read the bigfoot stories in other places so I knew River Shoulders. But there is a certain side character whose reactions/attitudes in Peace Talks seemed a bit overboard and unwarranted until I read Brief Cases and then it was like "Ah, I see what their issue was.... ".
With the Hades bit, I think that was mostly just meant to be funny but also to show more similarities to Dresden. Like how to a lot of people in the wizard world, Harry is viewed with suspicion because of stories about him that he never corrects because they won't believe him anyway.
You 1000% need to read Breif Cases before doing Peace talks. Unlike Side jobs, there is actually highly relevant materiel in there. PT introduces a character only in the short stories, though mentioned in passing during Skin Game. Something happens to an ally that comes up in PT. Also, there are stories told from non Dresden pov, including Marcone, Molly, Butters, and Mouse!
By the way, despite Harry's Parasite seemingly being a little too weird, it kinda fits into how other Spirits of Intellect are created. Like Athena, who came from Zeus' mind. Of course, Harry's kid has nothing on the Goddess' Athena in terms of knowledge.
His performance in Peace Talks was quite a step down from the excellence he'd been putting in for several books in a row. That said, Peace Talks itself is a fairly big step down from the previous several books.
20:35 to be fair there are different versions of the story where she comes willingly. Basically the Myths leave it ambiguous, so Butcher chose the version of the story seemed the most consistent with Hades character. At least, that's the way I've always read it.
You absolutely need to read brief cases before going into peace talks. Some characters in peace talks are actually introduced in the short and there is zoo day which is one of the best things you could ever read.
Re: Hades, if I recall correctly, there actually is some ambiguity about the Persephone thing in various translations, though it has been a while since I have read comparative translations of Greek myths so I'm not fully sure. This is the point you should pick up Side Jobs. (Or Brief Cases? The other short story collection). There isn't anything super plot necessary, but you'll miss a lot of nuance in the Battle Talks duology if you don't read them. There's Bigfoot, there's Molly's first job as Winter Lady, Butters' first day Knighting, and a daddy-daughter trip to the zoo. I think you'll like this collection a lot more than the first
From my meager exposure to the Greek myths’ origins (OSP Red), a lot of it is messy to begin with so interpretation has to be taken in account when reading the original stories.
FINALLY my fav' dresden book gets reviewed! I know for many its Changes, and thats for sure one of the best, but Skin Game is everything i love about Dresden Files into one more so. and oof that twist got me so good. Wanted to say, thank you for all the reviews! they are so much fun to watch a person go through the whole series, faults and all. Personally i hope you review the next two books as 1 review, since they were originally one book but rewriten to be split because of the publisher. Its just a better experience as one as well imo.
@@tacorrific Death Masks: Harry duels a Red Court Vampire, and knocks someone up. White Night: Harry Duels a White Court Vampire, and gets knocked up. Yeah that tracks
Molly’s short story is crazy good. I personally have several theories about the artifacts retrieved from the vault, but I think it is particularly significant that all three would be objects that have some very special Blood on them.
“Nice try? Mister, where I come from, there is no try.” It was this line that had me on board with Butters the Knight. I have a friend that was a little irked with Murphy breaking Fidelaccius, but I think jerkass that he is, Nicodemus has a point. Murphy is a woman of phenomenal focus, purpose and righteousness...that has been systematically stripped from her over the last few books. A lapsed Catholic, ex-cop, allied with a crime-lord and a vampire queen, currently on a mission to help an untouchable omnicidal mastermind cheat the system. Every touchstone she has for her faith is gone, except maybe Dresden himself...and even then she's not blind to Dresden's increasing moral compromises. And what she tried to do? Violates everything she values: blaspheming ('damn you'), it's clearly murder and not self-defense, and it betrays Dresden's oath. She can't trust God, the law, the Accords or even Dresden to see that Nicodemus is punished; she has no faith in anything anymore, even herself.
Hades is still multi layered because while he didn't kidnap Persephone he is still the guy who got miffed that Orpheus charmed him so gave him the don't look back condition and the guy responsible for strapping people to a burning wheel amongst other punishments,. In other words, he has a cruel streak in him.
Yeah, just because Harry says he’s better than the a-lot of his family just means in comparison and well the Greek pantheon are full of vindictive jerks.
The scene with Harry visiting with the Carpenters and seeing Maggie play with Michael and the other kids cuts both ways. So many folks forget that Harry never really had a childhood. His confusion and not really grasping that the Carpenter family life is "normal" is both understandable and exceedingly sad at the same time. One of my favorite moments in the book was the chill conversation with Hades where he reveals that he effectively named his dog Spot. 😆🤣
James Marsters has done really a phenomenal job as THE voice of Harry that at this point I can only listen to the audiobooks because I want to hear him doing the book. I might read the book if I want to get the story immediately but I have to hear Marsters to GET the story now. And that just says something about how good he is as a storyteller with his voice. Also the in world building of the moment where Hecate IS the Winter Ladies and Michael is like, "Hey does that look like Molly?" And Harry was like, "What? Psshhh.. What are you talking about? Can you focus?" Is one of the best "two worlds colliding" moments of the series.
They actually went and made a cinematic trailer for the next book. It was really cool. Then they made an april fools version of the trailer. It was really funny. Also, we now have an agnostic and a jew being knights of the cross. Which I find quite hilarious.
12:51 this is one of the 3 times I’ve ever openly wept while consuming a piece of fictional media. The other 2 were the climax of Changes (you know the paragraph I’m talking about) and when Going Merry dies in One Piece. As a Father with a Daughter this moment hit me harder than nearly anything else I’ve ever heard…
For me I go back on forth on either this book being my absolute favorite or second to Turn Coat. I really, really love Morgan's arc in Turn Coat and Harry learning to understand the man better, not see him as just some black and white asshole but to understand the flawed but very real humanity in him.
I can enthusiastically recommend seeing the OverlySarcasticProduction’s (OSP) video on the Hades & Persephone myth, Red is really good at looking at the biased lens modern people view Hades through & puts the kidnapping of Persephone into the cultural context of Ancient Greece. She makes a good case for Hades being the only halfway decent male Greek god, and also describes him as a “big dork” who named his monstrous hound Spot.
Red really exposes (at least to me) how much of a fustercluck the Greek myths are not in actual stories (which they are) but in just how they came to be remembered.
I am absolutely thrilled to follow your journey through The Dresden Files. You had previously mentioned your intention to read and review the short story anthologies (Brief Cases & Side Jobs) and this is the perfect time in the Dresdenverse chronology to read them, as they fill in both the history and personalities of characters appearing in future books. Additionally, the Priscilla Spencer RUclips channel has created amazing book trailers for both Peace Talks and Battle Ground. The spoilers included in them aren't much more than what one might get from reading the jacket cover, but they could be fun to include in your upcoming reviews after you've completed each book, as their depictions of the characters and plot points are wonderfully entertaining. I'm loving your insightful perspective and look forward to future review. Hells Bells, Stars and Stones, and Empty Night. :)
My daughter is 21mo. I started reading this series right at a year ago. I never saw the relationship between Harry and Maggie coming and the way that Harry thinks about her...yeah. Yeah, I get it.
I love Butters in this book - especially in the end fight; he sees Harry is down, sees Charity is captured and sees Nicodemus' mooks about to burn down the house with the children in it, and decides to charge out anyway to try and buy even a few seconds for help to arrive. It's no surprise he gets chosen as a Knight - you can feel the narrative built towards him being chosen, being worthy of it. I think Michael is easily the best character in this book, not even because he takes up the sword again and fights Nicodemus; it's his little moments with Harry - when he smacks him down over people not visiting him and his little reminder to Harry that he set a pretty effective precedent for what happens to people who go after Maggie, so being afraid people will go after her if she's with him isn't something he needs to worry about. Even the little misunderstanding when he thinks Harry and Molly are together and his acceptance. He's just such a good man and he makes Harry better just by his presence.
I've always found it odd that anyone expected it to go well when Murphy took up the sword in this book. The Knights of the Cross have always had redemption as their main job, with lethal protection as strictly a backup plan. Murphy has always been all about protection and very comfortable with the lethal part when the bad guy is bad enough, with vengeance as her side gig. It's something she has in common with Harry, so if you know that that makes Harry unsuitable for a Sword, it's logical that Murphy is also unsuitable. Butters is the one who has questioned whether it IS right for Harry to kill people, Murphy has only questioned whether he had the LEGAL right. I'm not saying whether she does later or not, but in this book, Murphy has definitely not had the character growth needed to weild one of the Swords.
I love the part where Michael is talking about Molly and being all like "Something is totally up with her and she won't talk to us" and Harry is like "Oh shit oh shit how do I avoid telling him she's the Winter Lady now?" and Michael is like "Anyway you two have our blessing" and Harry is like "screeching modem noises".
As a person who is often accused of defending the actions of others to the detriment of myself and/or my family, I can also see Hades defending his actions in a case where he doesn't like how he is portrayed. Not saying that Hades didn't do what he's been accused of but that I can see him denying it.
True, just because it seems like Hades is being honest to someone who’s opinion really shouldn’t matter to him doesn’t mean he’s not self-conscious enough to gloss over his own issues.
If you haven't done a re-read, you need to. You pick up SO MUCH more when re-reading it. Problem is, you find out new stuff every book so you kinda have to do a re-read every few books.
The Knights of the Cross are all about redemption. Everything else they do is a backup plan. Maybe Murphy gets a character arc that makes her suitable to weild a Sword later, but as of this book she has always been tied with Harry as the non-villain I would least expect to become a Knight. They're way too comfortable with killing the bad guys.
This is the last book I read in the series and primarily because I felt it jumped the shark haha. But watching your reviews and hearing you talk about the series it making me think it's time for a revisit. I think half of the problem I had at the time is I was expecting something that this book clearly wasn't about. But i think i've learned to be kinder to what i'm reading and a little bit kinder to myself as well. I truely love this series, it'd be a shame to leave that behind. I mean Then a good man open the door ended me on bus so profoundly someone asked if I was okay. that's not nothing haha.
The Hades stuff didn't bother me, as it's not the first time I've seen that interpretation - his bad rep re Persephone being the result of bad feeling / jealousy from other gods or interested parties (especially Hera and Demeter).
About Hades, I feel one of the points of the scene was to humanize gods like him, and develop a real rapport between Hades and Harry. That would have been much harder or impossible if Hades truly was presented as someone who would kidnap a woman and keep her under duress. Harry would not have overlooked that. Nevermind that there are plenty more readings and interpretations that depict Hades as one of the most sane and reasonable Greek gods.
I think the whole bit with Hades discussing Persephone was another example of good contrast/opposites. Zeus is seen popularly as "the good guy" but Butcher makes sure we know his bad side. Hades is seen as the evil bad guy, so Butcher contrasts that and makes him a better guy. All about reversing expectations.
Why do you assume that Nicodemus is doing everything that he's doing for purely selfish reasons? Nicodemus is on a crusade, one that transcends his own wants and one he BELIEVES in just as powerfully as Michael believes in his Lord's plan and words. At least, that's how I have interpreted his words and actions. Nicodemus was willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for a cause greater than himself. Dresden was ready to burn the world to ash for 1 person. Who's actually the better person here?
Yeah I think Nicodemus really is a true believer in his cause. Whether he's right or not will remain to be seen when the series wraps up (If Butcher can manage to actually get it done before the sun swallows the earth) but in his mind at least he's making hard sacrifices for a greater good, not seeking power for his own sake.
Great review. I love a good heist story and this one is about perfect. Goodman Grey is one of my new favorites characters. As for the portrayal of Hades, I think the author was continuing a theme which has been prominent in the series for a while now, if not from the beginning. Namely that it's not the amount of power you have that shapes you but the choices you make. Mab can't change Harry unless he allows her to and Hades is so similar to Harry that for a minute I thought we were going to have an "I am your father" moment.
One of my favorite moments in Hades’ vault was the description of the statues of the monarchs of Fairy, with Michael going “Harry, does that statue look like Molly to you?” “Whaaat?? Noooo, not really. I mean I guess I can see what you mean. 🤷🏻♂️” 😂😂😂
One of my favorite books in the series. All those moments, from the bored British demon inside a crystal, to Michael kicking the gate, is all so incredible
I hear what you're saying about Hades but I think the point about history vilifying him is a direct parallel to Harry. (We know Hades has done bad things, Tartarus is very much a place of punishment and while it's considered "fair", it's not an opportunity for redemption like the Knights of the Cross provide.) Remember Harry's reaction to the wardens back in Turncoat? He knows he doesn't have enough in him to fight a single member of the council at that moment, let alone the team of wardens they brought too but they (mostly) don't know that. He has a legend built up around him as a very lethal engine of chaos and destruction who doesn't care for things like order and regulation. His friends and some of the locals might still remember him as The Wizard of Chicago but most of the world including the White Council now know him primarily as The Winter Knight. He may try to do right but even Bob freaks out when he realises Harry is under oath to Mab still and Mab certainly wants to keep his reputation that way. He very much is the monster people are being threatened with (and not undeservedly so, especially if you're a ghoul). It's only when people get to meet him, like he meets Hades where they realise he's a decent guy. Effectively Hades is to him what he is to everybody else. (Also parallels of those in charge not using their power wisely feels apt if you were to compare the Olympians to the White Council.
Love these reviews so much. This was top tier Dresden and quite possibly the best book in the series for me. Can't wait to see your reviews of the next 2 books; they're such a 180 and hoping your thoughts give me some new perspectives to process them.
Murphy put the sword at risk, not because she didn't believe in herself, but because she struck at Nicodemus for her own selfish reasons. They did not align with the mission of the Sword and its God. Murphy isn't good or selfless enough to be a long-term Knight of the Cross. You have to be able to forgive and hold out your hand with compassion to people who have committed unimaginable atrocities to others and to yourself. Murphy doesn't have it in her to forgive someone like Nicodemus and extend to him the chance for redemption. Murphy can dole out vengeance with the best of them. Lending her fury to the Lords righteous wrath as she cut down Red Court Vampires. Ask her to forgive those monsters and offer them succor though and she'd spit in your face. Murphy picked up Fidelacchius the day the Sword shattered, not a Knight of the Cross.
Butters getting the sword of the cross is one of my favorite scenes in the series! I love his story arc. I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change from the previous books which were rather heavy.
Respectfully: shut up, the lot of ya. We can talk about it once she's caught up. There's already enough here to put together more than I think you guys realize.
If you dig deeper on the lore of persephone beyond hades, it makes much more sense. I wouldn't worry about hades' portrayal, especially since he's supposed to be similar to dresden
Hades gets such a bad reputation that I think it's better that his one bad act wasn't actually true. Even if he was lying, he's still arguably the least evil out of all of the Greek gods and this book made me realize that. He's not the Christian devil that he's almost always seen as.
I usually love your reviews because you and I get excited about the same things. This one though you left sooooo much out. Like how Mab wanted Harry to do. The complications of the heist. You show the big reveals as side notes. You completely left out the part where Harry was ready for the double cross. Game over man Game over.
It's fine man there's a LOT going on in this book and even without that it's still a 30 minute review. She'd need two hours to really cover everything happening here.
@@chriswhinery925 true that. Before re-reads i only remember the heist and it not being such a long book. Then reading it again and damnit a lot happens indeed!
I have watched a lot of your reviews and you get so excited talking about this series. so glade you gave it a chance. Also I think the audiobooks iron out a lot of your complaints being that I only listened to the audiobooks I never had the complaints about the series. now stop reading lol
I think Skin Game is my favorite Dresden book, I read it several times where the others I think I only read once or twice. I love scenes at Michaels house so much, such a great points in peoples arcs. And I agree Nicodemus is the greatest villain, hes so fun to read about.
In general I adore the different approaches to the various parents in the series and their daughters. There Harry and Nicodemus as the obvious parallel, there Michael being the best guy in the world, but there’s also Mab and her relationship with Maeve and Sarissa
The biggest reason I was okay with the Hades "change" is there are different versions of the myths not all of them put him at fault while Zeus was pretty much always a predator.
James Marsters is so good in these audiobooks. He wasn't available for one of the books when it released so the publisher swapped him out. That's the only time I've ever seen an audiobook rerecorded so quickly and audible swapped out the versions for everyone who had bought it for free.
Changes is fantastic, but Skin Game is hands down my favorite Dresden book! I’m a huge fan of the hero teaming up with the villain trope as well as heist stories. Plus how cool is it that they have to break into hell?! This one also weaves together all my favorite characters: Michael, Murphy, Butters, Nicodemus, Marcone, etc, and has some of the best moments in the series. Harry talking to Maggie melted my heart, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more hype than when Michael gets Amoracchius back and challenges Nicodemus! Skin Game is genuinely one of my favorite books of all time.
Hi Merphy - just wondering if you’re moving your ‘books’ videos to weekly? I hope not! You’re my favourite channel on the platform, even though your manga one is bigger. Appreciate you either way!
Every time you do a review of Dresden Files, it moves up on my TBR. I also feel like we need a shirt that says something along the lines of " Time to break some spines."
Have you been reading the short stories Butcher has written as they fit into the book timeline? Because if you haven't, you really ought to. I mention this right now because some of my absolute favorites come in somewhere shortly after this book, or in some cases earlier. For one, there is an absolutely fabulous story about Harry taking Maggie out to the zoo, told three times from three different viewpoints (Harry's, Maggie's, and Mouse's, though I'm not sure that's the right order). Another tells of Butter's training to be a knight and his first solo mission. Then there's a third one that tells a story about Molly learning about her new role and some of the ramifications of it for her. Finally, there's one that takes place on Christmas Eve as Harry is starting to take on his proper role as Maggie's father. There are lots of other good short stories that take place at various places in the timeline, and do some research before reading even the ones I've mentioned here because some of them may come a little later, but I think they are almost all valuable additions to the continuing story and well worth taking the time to read them.
I love this book a lot, but Butters was the weakest point of this book for me. His strength comes off as empty bravado, rather than maturity. The way he gets the sword is antithetical to what it represents, since the whole situation with Murphy (and the broken sword) happened because of his lack of faith. Not in Harry, because his doubts are reasonable after Harry's comeback, but his lack of faith in Murphy. Who, despite her "fall from grace", was still someone he was fighting the good fight with in Dresden's absence. Still, though, this book is among the best and it's even better once you reread it, as it's usual with the Dresden Files. Goodman Grey's behavior is readily apparent once you know how he and Dresden were communicating.
So after hearing James Marsters great reading of Dresden Files books you may want to check out the Buffy the vampire slayer TV show. His character really comes into its own by the end of the series. And Atheist Jew Butters as a Jedi knight of the Christian faith is absolutely perfect.
![Proven Guilty [SPOILER] Review | The Dresden Files By Jim Butcher](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nL1MA7jyoVw/mqdefault.jpg)
I love the foreshadowing for the butters moment. Back in deadbeat when Harry prayed for a k ight to save him, who showed up at the last moment.
WOAH I didn't realize this!! You're right!!
That is my favorite moment in the entire series on rereads. I long for Harry to freaking REMEMBER that the White God DID answer his prayer.
Oh yeah, definitely one of my favorite bits of foreshadowing. So many breadcrumbs littered throughout the Dresden Files. The series is great.
Also, it was a future Knight of The Cross saving Harry from a former Denarian.
This is where you need to pause and read the short story collection Brief Cases. A lot of side characters and side plots from this books play a part in the next 2 books. If you don't read it, I personally feel a lot of stuff will fly over your head.
Yea the brief cases definitely kind of necessary reading, and the Bigfoot stories.
True Dat! I hope she reads Zoo Day!
"I think his name is James Marsters?" GIRL THAT IS SPIKE FROM BUFFY HAVE SOME RESPECT
There’s no way she’s seen Buffy. She’s never been much of a tv watcher. 😅
@@thomasbrown8462 you mean Braniac from Smallville?
@@blakelemmons6235 No, I think he means Piccolo from Dragonball Evolution... :P
"Mister, where I come from.. there is no try." I GET CHILLS TO THIS DAY!
For those that arent aware. The audio books are narrated by Spike from Buffy
@@goudawgs you mean Brainiac from Smallville?
"But they were doughnuts of darkness. Evil, damned doughnuts, tainted by the spawn of darkness . . .
. . . which could obviously be redeemed only by passing through the fiery, cleansing inferno of a wizardly digestive tract."
Obviously, the best part of the novel.
I seriously drop everything when you drop a Dresden review.👀😂
"You're not the Greek version of the Devil."
"Contrary to what's on television."
"Yeah, well... TV rarely does the original stories justice."
Definitely some shade from Butcher towards the short-lived Dresden Files TV show.
I think he’s talking in generalities, since he still praises the TV show, even if it isn’t a true adaptation.
@@timparks9833 I'd be inclined to agree if he was talking about movies, but TV, even with the advent of TV blurring the lines in terms of production value, seems oddly specific, and "praising" is putting it nicely, especially these days, he seems to just treat it like a "Yeah, that happened, not what we wanted, but whatever".
@@modbz I just don’t think Jim is that kind of guy to talk bad about the show, specially not in his own books. He’s talked about the show just a month or two ago and didn’t have anything bad to say about it. It’s true he was mostly neutral about it, besides praising the actors, but he’s pretty neutral when talking about most media, since he’s not someone who would ever insult other creators.
Yea James Marsters is amazing. i cant read a Harry quote without hearing it in his voice. :)
@@Nicodemusqq same
He doesn't just narrate, he ACTS the books, if that makes sense.
One small little detail that I LOVED, when they are in the vault and Michael is looking at the statue that is showing the Winter Mother, Winter Queen and Winter Lady. He is like "Hey Harry, doesn't that statue look familar...." And Harry is like thinking Oh Crap.
the parasite didnt come from nowhere, Harry having headaches started a few books ago.
"Do you want to be my dad?" Breaks me every single time i have listened to this book. EVERY, SINGLE, TIME! And to add to that the conversation with Michael Carpenter where Harry says he is afraid he is becoming a monster. Both of these moments just shut me down, they are awe inspiring moments in the series of books.
The emotions Marsters brings forth in that scene is amazing.
If Changes isn't my favorite Dresden book, it's only because Skin Game is. I can never decide between the two I love them both so much.
One thing I love about this one that I feel a lot of people overlook, is it illustrates Dresden changing in more ways than just his new role as the Winter Knight. For the whole series, he has been presented as almost bumbling, a powerhouse that just shoves his way forcefully through every situation. But he's growing beyond that, using his intellect more and thinking of clever solutions beyond just "magic punch hard!"
His ploy with Goodman Grey is a perfect example. He foresaw a problem he would inevitably face, and rather than reactively dealing with it in the moment he proactively seeks out a solution and does it so well that he even manages to deceive his greatest and cleverest foe. Dresden is finally leveling up in more than just power.
I think we keep forgetting that Harry is a toddler wizard. When he is the age of the white council, he will be very different, and these books are his growing pains.
Changes is amazing, but it hurts so much to read I have trouble putting it at the top of the list.
This my favorite Dresden book. Prime Michael moments, Dresden accepting his role as a father, Nicodemus is back, and the whole heist structure is perfect!
Also, Zoo Day is a must read before you get into the next few books. It's such a perfect short story and I think Butcher had a lot of fun writing it.
More importantly the B is for Bigfoot stories and Cold Case, because characters/events in those become relevant in PT/BG
"You named your dog Spot?"
Such an intriguing conversation.... 8)
When Hades said "Who's a good dog? Spot is. Yes, he is." I laughed so hard. And it wasn't even that funny. It just hit me and I couldn't stop laughing.
@@telynns8490 That's because he's clearly a good doggo, and good doggos always make you laugh.
Of *course* Butters' sword is a lightsaber - not only is he a massive nerd, but Fidelachius is the sword of Faith. Its blade was shattered - if you don't power it with faith that it'll work, it *won't*.
Harry's conversation with Uriel at the end about this was incredible.
“Belief in a story,” Uriel said, “of good confronting evil, of light overcoming darkness, of love transcending hate.” He tilted his head. “Isn’t that where all faith begins?”
So, are you going to read the second collection of short stories before Peace Talks, or continue the main books?
I highly recommend the short stories. It has the working for Bigfoot trilogy in it, Butters' first day as a Knight, Harry's first day as a Dad, a couple of Molly short stories, and more
They definitely set up some of the events in the next books. Totally necessary IMO.
Absolutely. Brief Cases is required before Peace Talks/Battle Ground.
I didn't read Brief Cases before reading Peace Talks/Battle Ground. I had read the bigfoot stories in other places so I knew River Shoulders. But there is a certain side character whose reactions/attitudes in Peace Talks seemed a bit overboard and unwarranted until I read Brief Cases and then it was like "Ah, I see what their issue was.... ".
I laughed when Maggy said the she heard Harry kills draculas and stuff.
With the Hades bit, I think that was mostly just meant to be funny but also to show more similarities to Dresden. Like how to a lot of people in the wizard world, Harry is viewed with suspicion because of stories about him that he never corrects because they won't believe him anyway.
You 1000% need to read Breif Cases before doing Peace talks. Unlike Side jobs, there is actually highly relevant materiel in there. PT introduces a character only in the short stories, though mentioned in passing during Skin Game. Something happens to an ally that comes up in PT. Also, there are stories told from non Dresden pov, including Marcone, Molly, Butters, and Mouse!
Murphy you are killing me. Those scenes at michaels house wreck me everytime i read them and hearing your perspective has got me all choked up again.
By the way, despite Harry's Parasite seemingly being a little too weird, it kinda fits into how other Spirits of Intellect are created. Like Athena, who came from Zeus' mind. Of course, Harry's kid has nothing on the Goddess' Athena in terms of knowledge.
Butters becoming a Knight is one of my favorite moments in the whole series!
Highly recommend the audiobooks for these last few (so far) books, Marsters kills it
His performance in Peace Talks was quite a step down from the excellence he'd been putting in for several books in a row.
That said, Peace Talks itself is a fairly big step down from the previous several books.
The conversation Harry has with Michael, the one in the middle of the book, I occasionally re-read just to enjoy it. It is soooooo good.
It will be cool to see you get to experience Twelve Months with the rest of us.
20:35 to be fair there are different versions of the story where she comes willingly. Basically the Myths leave it ambiguous, so Butcher chose the version of the story seemed the most consistent with Hades character. At least, that's the way I've always read it.
You absolutely need to read brief cases before going into peace talks. Some characters in peace talks are actually introduced in the short and there is zoo day which is one of the best things you could ever read.
The zoo day 😢 awh man I forgot about that one that’s required reading for sure. Such a great depiction of childhood anxiety.
Re: Hades, if I recall correctly, there actually is some ambiguity about the Persephone thing in various translations, though it has been a while since I have read comparative translations of Greek myths so I'm not fully sure.
This is the point you should pick up Side Jobs. (Or Brief Cases? The other short story collection). There isn't anything super plot necessary, but you'll miss a lot of nuance in the Battle Talks duology if you don't read them. There's Bigfoot, there's Molly's first job as Winter Lady, Butters' first day Knighting, and a daddy-daughter trip to the zoo. I think you'll like this collection a lot more than the first
From my meager exposure to the Greek myths’ origins (OSP Red), a lot of it is messy to begin with so interpretation has to be taken in account when reading the original stories.
Gotta read the short story about Butters first mission as a knight!
Harry's first meeting with Michael had me in tears... and then shocked me into laughter. That scene shows how good of a writer Butcher has become
FINALLY my fav' dresden book gets reviewed! I know for many its Changes, and thats for sure one of the best, but Skin Game is everything i love about Dresden Files into one more so. and oof that twist got me so good. Wanted to say, thank you for all the reviews! they are so much fun to watch a person go through the whole series, faults and all. Personally i hope you review the next two books as 1 review, since they were originally one book but rewriten to be split because of the publisher. Its just a better experience as one as well imo.
I know you didn't love the last short story collection, but the last story in the next one is my favorite Dresden Files story.
Didn't realize that at the end of White Night we were witness to the conception of Harry's second child.
@@tacorrific Death Masks: Harry duels a Red Court Vampire, and knocks someone up.
White Night: Harry Duels a White Court Vampire, and gets knocked up.
Yeah that tracks
@@matthewdhewlettHuh, looking forward to his duel with a Black Court Vampire.
For a while, I read the books yearly, but now I listen to the audiobooks yearly.
Molly’s short story is crazy good.
I personally have several theories about the artifacts retrieved from the vault, but I think it is particularly significant that all three would be objects that have some very special Blood on them.
Hades conversion with Harry, and getting a comparison between him and Cerberus and Harry and Mouse was one of my favorite moments in the series.
you named your dog Spot?!?!? 🤣🤣🤣
“Nice try? Mister, where I come from, there is no try.” It was this line that had me on board with Butters the Knight.
I have a friend that was a little irked with Murphy breaking Fidelaccius, but I think jerkass that he is, Nicodemus has a point. Murphy is a woman of phenomenal focus, purpose and righteousness...that has been systematically stripped from her over the last few books. A lapsed Catholic, ex-cop, allied with a crime-lord and a vampire queen, currently on a mission to help an untouchable omnicidal mastermind cheat the system. Every touchstone she has for her faith is gone, except maybe Dresden himself...and even then she's not blind to Dresden's increasing moral compromises. And what she tried to do? Violates everything she values: blaspheming ('damn you'), it's clearly murder and not self-defense, and it betrays Dresden's oath. She can't trust God, the law, the Accords or even Dresden to see that Nicodemus is punished; she has no faith in anything anymore, even herself.
Hades is still multi layered because while he didn't kidnap Persephone he is still the guy who got miffed that Orpheus charmed him so gave him the don't look back condition and the guy responsible for strapping people to a burning wheel amongst other punishments,. In other words, he has a cruel streak in him.
Yeah, just because Harry says he’s better than the a-lot of his family just means in comparison and well the Greek pantheon are full of vindictive jerks.
Skin Game is Butcher proving that he can maintain the break neck pace and sky high stakes that Changes brought to bear. It's really impressive
The scene with Harry visiting with the Carpenters and seeing Maggie play with Michael and the other kids cuts both ways. So many folks forget that Harry never really had a childhood. His confusion and not really grasping that the Carpenter family life is "normal" is both understandable and exceedingly sad at the same time.
One of my favorite moments in the book was the chill conversation with Hades where he reveals that he effectively named his dog Spot. 😆🤣
James Marsters has done really a phenomenal job as THE voice of Harry that at this point I can only listen to the audiobooks because I want to hear him doing the book. I might read the book if I want to get the story immediately but I have to hear Marsters to GET the story now. And that just says something about how good he is as a storyteller with his voice. Also the in world building of the moment where Hecate IS the Winter Ladies and Michael is like, "Hey does that look like Molly?" And Harry was like, "What? Psshhh.. What are you talking about? Can you focus?" Is one of the best "two worlds colliding" moments of the series.
Damn supernatural beings deciding to be in multiple pantheons/folk lore haha
They actually went and made a cinematic trailer for the next book. It was really cool. Then they made an april fools version of the trailer. It was really funny.
Also, we now have an agnostic and a jew being knights of the cross. Which I find quite hilarious.
James Marsters was always a highly underrated actor.
12:51 this is one of the 3 times I’ve ever openly wept while consuming a piece of fictional media. The other 2 were the climax of Changes (you know the paragraph I’m talking about) and when Going Merry dies in One Piece. As a Father with a Daughter this moment hit me harder than nearly anything else I’ve ever heard…
That moment when a boat unifies a fandom in tears.
Skin game is my number three behind changes and battle ground. There were some real tear jerkers in this book.
For me I go back on forth on either this book being my absolute favorite or second to Turn Coat. I really, really love Morgan's arc in Turn Coat and Harry learning to understand the man better, not see him as just some black and white asshole but to understand the flawed but very real humanity in him.
I can enthusiastically recommend seeing the OverlySarcasticProduction’s (OSP) video on the Hades & Persephone myth, Red is really good at looking at the biased lens modern people view Hades through & puts the kidnapping of Persephone into the cultural context of Ancient Greece. She makes a good case for Hades being the only halfway decent male Greek god, and also describes him as a “big dork” who named his monstrous hound Spot.
Red really exposes (at least to me) how much of a fustercluck the Greek myths are not in actual stories (which they are) but in just how they came to be remembered.
James Marsters said he genuinely cried when performing the "do you wanna be my dad?" scene.
I am absolutely thrilled to follow your journey through The Dresden Files.
You had previously mentioned your intention to read and review the short story anthologies (Brief Cases & Side Jobs) and this is the perfect time in the Dresdenverse chronology to read them, as they fill in both the history and personalities of characters appearing in future books.
Additionally, the Priscilla Spencer RUclips channel has created amazing book trailers for both Peace Talks and Battle Ground.
The spoilers included in them aren't much more than what one might get from reading the jacket cover, but they could be fun to include in your upcoming reviews after you've completed each book, as their depictions of the characters and plot points are wonderfully entertaining.
I'm loving your insightful perspective and look forward to future review.
Hells Bells, Stars and Stones, and Empty Night. :)
My daughter is 21mo. I started reading this series right at a year ago. I never saw the relationship between Harry and Maggie coming and the way that Harry thinks about her...yeah. Yeah, I get it.
I'm lost. I know ever step I took to get here, and i'm still lost.
I love Butters in this book - especially in the end fight; he sees Harry is down, sees Charity is captured and sees Nicodemus' mooks about to burn down the house with the children in it, and decides to charge out anyway to try and buy even a few seconds for help to arrive.
It's no surprise he gets chosen as a Knight - you can feel the narrative built towards him being chosen, being worthy of it.
I think Michael is easily the best character in this book, not even because he takes up the sword again and fights Nicodemus; it's his little moments with Harry - when he smacks him down over people not visiting him and his little reminder to Harry that he set a pretty effective precedent for what happens to people who go after Maggie, so being afraid people will go after her if she's with him isn't something he needs to worry about. Even the little misunderstanding when he thinks Harry and Molly are together and his acceptance.
He's just such a good man and he makes Harry better just by his presence.
I've always found it odd that anyone expected it to go well when Murphy took up the sword in this book. The Knights of the Cross have always had redemption as their main job, with lethal protection as strictly a backup plan. Murphy has always been all about protection and very comfortable with the lethal part when the bad guy is bad enough, with vengeance as her side gig. It's something she has in common with Harry, so if you know that that makes Harry unsuitable for a Sword, it's logical that Murphy is also unsuitable.
Butters is the one who has questioned whether it IS right for Harry to kill people, Murphy has only questioned whether he had the LEGAL right.
I'm not saying whether she does later or not, but in this book, Murphy has definitely not had the character growth needed to weild one of the Swords.
I love the part where Michael is talking about Molly and being all like "Something is totally up with her and she won't talk to us" and Harry is like "Oh shit oh shit how do I avoid telling him she's the Winter Lady now?" and Michael is like "Anyway you two have our blessing" and Harry is like "screeching modem noises".
I have been waiting with bated breath for you to experience the Ascension of Butters 💖💖
As a person who is often accused of defending the actions of others to the detriment of myself and/or my family, I can also see Hades defending his actions in a case where he doesn't like how he is portrayed. Not saying that Hades didn't do what he's been accused of but that I can see him denying it.
True, just because it seems like Hades is being honest to someone who’s opinion really shouldn’t matter to him doesn’t mean he’s not self-conscious enough to gloss over his own issues.
The reunion with Michael hits me like a sledgehammer every time. Also parkour!
This series is just so much fun....the journey is just so much fun....you are making me want to reread it all!
If you haven't done a re-read, you need to. You pick up SO MUCH more when re-reading it. Problem is, you find out new stuff every book so you kinda have to do a re-read every few books.
The Knights of the Cross are all about redemption. Everything else they do is a backup plan. Maybe Murphy gets a character arc that makes her suitable to weild a Sword later, but as of this book she has always been tied with Harry as the non-villain I would least expect to become a Knight. They're way too comfortable with killing the bad guys.
Loved this…you are really in for it with Peace Talks and Battle Ground - so intense!!
Two books from being caught up! Looking forward to your reviews of the next two.
This is the last book I read in the series and primarily because I felt it jumped the shark haha. But watching your reviews and hearing you talk about the series it making me think it's time for a revisit. I think half of the problem I had at the time is I was expecting something that this book clearly wasn't about. But i think i've learned to be kinder to what i'm reading and a little bit kinder to myself as well. I truely love this series, it'd be a shame to leave that behind.
I mean Then a good man open the door ended me on bus so profoundly someone asked if I was okay. that's not nothing haha.
The Hades stuff didn't bother me, as it's not the first time I've seen that interpretation - his bad rep re Persephone being the result of bad feeling / jealousy from other gods or interested parties (especially Hera and Demeter).
About Hades, I feel one of the points of the scene was to humanize gods like him, and develop a real rapport between Hades and Harry. That would have been much harder or impossible if Hades truly was presented as someone who would kidnap a woman and keep her under duress. Harry would not have overlooked that.
Nevermind that there are plenty more readings and interpretations that depict Hades as one of the most sane and reasonable Greek gods.
I think the whole bit with Hades discussing Persephone was another example of good contrast/opposites. Zeus is seen popularly as "the good guy" but Butcher makes sure we know his bad side. Hades is seen as the evil bad guy, so Butcher contrasts that and makes him a better guy. All about reversing expectations.
Why do you assume that Nicodemus is doing everything that he's doing for purely selfish reasons? Nicodemus is on a crusade, one that transcends his own wants and one he BELIEVES in just as powerfully as Michael believes in his Lord's plan and words. At least, that's how I have interpreted his words and actions.
Nicodemus was willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for a cause greater than himself. Dresden was ready to burn the world to ash for 1 person. Who's actually the better person here?
I believe there were some hints in his conversations with Harry in the past that he is actually fighting nemesis. Or he thinks he is.
Yeah I think Nicodemus really is a true believer in his cause. Whether he's right or not will remain to be seen when the series wraps up (If Butcher can manage to actually get it done before the sun swallows the earth) but in his mind at least he's making hard sacrifices for a greater good, not seeking power for his own sake.
Great review. I love a good heist story and this one is about perfect. Goodman Grey is one of my new favorites characters.
As for the portrayal of Hades, I think the author was continuing a theme which has been prominent in the series for a while now, if not from the beginning. Namely that it's not the amount of power you have that shapes you but the choices you make. Mab can't change Harry unless he allows her to and Hades is so similar to Harry that for a minute I thought we were going to have an "I am your father" moment.
One of my favorite moments in Hades’ vault was the description of the statues of the monarchs of Fairy, with Michael going “Harry, does that statue look like Molly to you?” “Whaaat?? Noooo, not really. I mean I guess I can see what you mean. 🤷🏻♂️” 😂😂😂
Just imagining him making a point not to look in Michael’s eyes and whistling at that moment with how nervous he is haha.
Waldo Butters leveled up!!
My man started his journey from level 0, going to 1 as a warlock with Bob, now he is a Paladin
Polka never dies!
@@johnpankow2387 in honor of Sir Butters, go find the song "Polka Never Dies" by The Dreadnoughts 🤘🏻🪗🤘🏻 I keep it on my Dresden playlist
One of my favorite books in the series. All those moments, from the bored British demon inside a crystal, to Michael kicking the gate, is all so incredible
Lots of theories about who that British demon is. Seems very Butcher like to have that scene come back in later books and be important.
Overly Sarcastic Productions video on persephone and hades is amazing. Do watch it real quick.
I hear what you're saying about Hades but I think the point about history vilifying him is a direct parallel to Harry. (We know Hades has done bad things, Tartarus is very much a place of punishment and while it's considered "fair", it's not an opportunity for redemption like the Knights of the Cross provide.) Remember Harry's reaction to the wardens back in Turncoat? He knows he doesn't have enough in him to fight a single member of the council at that moment, let alone the team of wardens they brought too but they (mostly) don't know that. He has a legend built up around him as a very lethal engine of chaos and destruction who doesn't care for things like order and regulation. His friends and some of the locals might still remember him as The Wizard of Chicago but most of the world including the White Council now know him primarily as The Winter Knight. He may try to do right but even Bob freaks out when he realises Harry is under oath to Mab still and Mab certainly wants to keep his reputation that way. He very much is the monster people are being threatened with (and not undeservedly so, especially if you're a ghoul). It's only when people get to meet him, like he meets Hades where they realise he's a decent guy. Effectively Hades is to him what he is to everybody else.
(Also parallels of those in charge not using their power wisely feels apt if you were to compare the Olympians to the White Council.
QUICK! SOMEONE MAKE MERPHY READ THE SIDESTORIES!!! BEFORE THE NEXT BOOKS!!!
I think she does. She did with Side Jobs
Love these reviews so much. This was top tier Dresden and quite possibly the best book in the series for me. Can't wait to see your reviews of the next 2 books; they're such a 180 and hoping your thoughts give me some new perspectives to process them.
Murphy put the sword at risk, not because she didn't believe in herself, but because she struck at Nicodemus for her own selfish reasons. They did not align with the mission of the Sword and its God.
Murphy isn't good or selfless enough to be a long-term Knight of the Cross. You have to be able to forgive and hold out your hand with compassion to people who have committed unimaginable atrocities to others and to yourself. Murphy doesn't have it in her to forgive someone like Nicodemus and extend to him the chance for redemption.
Murphy can dole out vengeance with the best of them. Lending her fury to the Lords righteous wrath as she cut down Red Court Vampires. Ask her to forgive those monsters and offer them succor though and she'd spit in your face. Murphy picked up Fidelacchius the day the Sword shattered, not a Knight of the Cross.
I loved the touch that one of the purposes for Uriel getting involved was to save the human servants of Nicodemus.
Butters getting the sword of the cross is one of my favorite scenes in the series! I love his story arc. I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice change from the previous books which were rather heavy.
I have enjoyed the Dresden Files series coverage. I am hoping you also include the short stories along with the main books.
Almost up to date on the books. Only two more to go. I'm excited to hear your thoughts on the last two.
She isn't ready
She is not ready for the Empty House.
Oh.. oh. It still hurts
Respectfully: shut up, the lot of ya. We can talk about it once she's caught up. There's already enough here to put together more than I think you guys realize.
@@matthewdhewlett I think you mean the Empty Night
@@Zoroasterisk k
To be fair the lore around Hades does support this version. I find the Greek pantheon fascinating though, the gods changed so much overtime.
It’s interesting how the stories evolved over time
If you dig deeper on the lore of persephone beyond hades, it makes much more sense. I wouldn't worry about hades' portrayal, especially since he's supposed to be similar to dresden
Hades gets such a bad reputation that I think it's better that his one bad act wasn't actually true. Even if he was lying, he's still arguably the least evil out of all of the Greek gods and this book made me realize that. He's not the Christian devil that he's almost always seen as.
I usually love your reviews because you and I get excited about the same things. This one though you left sooooo much out. Like how Mab wanted Harry to do. The complications of the heist. You show the big reveals as side notes. You completely left out the part where Harry was ready for the double cross. Game over man Game over.
too much going on to talk about 😂
It's fine man there's a LOT going on in this book and even without that it's still a 30 minute review. She'd need two hours to really cover everything happening here.
@@chriswhinery925 true that. Before re-reads i only remember the heist and it not being such a long book. Then reading it again and damnit a lot happens indeed!
Yay, loving the excitement!
Concurring with all the rest of the comment section! Go read Briefcases!!!
I have watched a lot of your reviews and you get so excited talking about this series. so glade you gave it a chance. Also I think the audiobooks iron out a lot of your complaints being that I only listened to the audiobooks I never had the complaints about the series. now stop reading lol
I think Skin Game is my favorite Dresden book, I read it several times where the others I think I only read once or twice. I love scenes at Michaels house so much, such a great points in peoples arcs. And I agree Nicodemus is the greatest villain, hes so fun to read about.
The embellishments weren't for his rep, but to appease Demeter that he "stole" her daughter
In general I adore the different approaches to the various parents in the series and their daughters. There Harry and Nicodemus as the obvious parallel, there Michael being the best guy in the world, but there’s also Mab and her relationship with Maeve and Sarissa
The biggest reason I was okay with the Hades "change" is there are different versions of the myths not all of them put him at fault while Zeus was pretty much always a predator.
James Marsters is so good in these audiobooks. He wasn't available for one of the books when it released so the publisher swapped him out. That's the only time I've ever seen an audiobook rerecorded so quickly and audible swapped out the versions for everyone who had bought it for free.
Changes is fantastic, but Skin Game is hands down my favorite Dresden book! I’m a huge fan of the hero teaming up with the villain trope as well as heist stories. Plus how cool is it that they have to break into hell?!
This one also weaves together all my favorite characters: Michael, Murphy, Butters, Nicodemus, Marcone, etc, and has some of the best moments in the series. Harry talking to Maggie melted my heart, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more hype than when Michael gets Amoracchius back and challenges Nicodemus!
Skin Game is genuinely one of my favorite books of all time.
Hi Merphy - just wondering if you’re moving your ‘books’ videos to weekly? I hope not! You’re my favourite channel on the platform, even though your manga one is bigger. Appreciate you either way!
Remember it was Butters who saved Harry when he was in trouble in Dead Beat.
Yeah, a future Knight of the Cross showing up to answer Harry's pleas for help against a former Denarian. Great symmetry.
Harry specifically prayed to the White God to send a Knight to save him. Both irony and foreshadowing all-in-one.
We get the Battleground review for Christmas then? Oh man, I cried reading that one. IYKYK
Skin Game is tied with Changes for my favorite Dresden book.
Every time you do a review of Dresden Files, it moves up on my TBR. I also feel like we need a shirt that says something along the lines of " Time to break some spines."
oh yes, the heist book!
Have you been reading the short stories Butcher has written as they fit into the book timeline? Because if you haven't, you really ought to. I mention this right now because some of my absolute favorites come in somewhere shortly after this book, or in some cases earlier. For one, there is an absolutely fabulous story about Harry taking Maggie out to the zoo, told three times from three different viewpoints (Harry's, Maggie's, and Mouse's, though I'm not sure that's the right order). Another tells of Butter's training to be a knight and his first solo mission. Then there's a third one that tells a story about Molly learning about her new role and some of the ramifications of it for her. Finally, there's one that takes place on Christmas Eve as Harry is starting to take on his proper role as Maggie's father. There are lots of other good short stories that take place at various places in the timeline, and do some research before reading even the ones I've mentioned here because some of them may come a little later, but I think they are almost all valuable additions to the continuing story and well worth taking the time to read them.
My only wish is that this review was like twice as long or more.
I love this book a lot, but Butters was the weakest point of this book for me.
His strength comes off as empty bravado, rather than maturity. The way he gets the sword is antithetical to what it represents, since the whole situation with Murphy (and the broken sword) happened because of his lack of faith. Not in Harry, because his doubts are reasonable after Harry's comeback, but his lack of faith in Murphy. Who, despite her "fall from grace", was still someone he was fighting the good fight with in Dresden's absence.
Still, though, this book is among the best and it's even better once you reread it, as it's usual with the Dresden Files. Goodman Grey's behavior is readily apparent once you know how he and Dresden were communicating.
So after hearing James Marsters great reading of Dresden Files books you may want to check out the Buffy the vampire slayer TV show. His character really comes into its own by the end of the series.
And Atheist Jew Butters as a Jedi knight of the Christian faith is absolutely perfect.
PARKOUR!