I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'd stop reading the Dresden Files. There are parts I'm not particularly fond of, but overall I'd still say it's a decent series. Not really good like the earlier books were, but not bad either. It's still capable of entertaining me, and not all of the new stuff has been bad.

 

The story is matured enough, and evolved enough for me to read the next 6-7 books unless they turn to utter and complete trash.

I hope this is a bad combination of a longggggg break in writing, the publishers being money grubbing cunts by splitting the book and the meta story getting... bloated.

Remember the last story is Skin Games which most people but in the top 5 books. Changes and Turn Coat only three books before that. Ghost Story by its very nature wasn't going to be amazing, Cold Days... meh.

I think he is out of practice, and considering the Dresden hype was huge, and has died down he may go back to his best writing. I hope Butcher has taken a humble pill and is taking on the criticism. So many people have commented on his rehashing of plots (Which I don't blame him for to much as there was a huge break in books and not all fans are uber fans), the terrible way he writes women, and the pop culture references. I would hope he takes this on board.

I remember reading his forums after Changes and people loving the LOTR chat that has since been so derided. The pop culture references got more over time as fan service. Now the fans are saying its to much, so hopefully he listens.

He has said he has put himself the challenge of certain story types. Ghost Story was one of them, and it was ok. Mirror Mirror is coming and I think that may be epic, the wrestling one... I can't see how that will work but it sounds interesting. I can respect the way he approaches the series. It doesn't always work, and that's fine.

 

If he does it right, Mirror Mirror could be the best one yet. I was more excited for that than for Peace Talks even before I read the latter.

 

The biggest mistake that Butcher did with Mirror Mirror is announce it's going to happen instead of revealing the title and the setup shortly before its release. With ten years of waiting for it everyone has some expectations that aren't going to happen.

Like, I expect that Mirror Harry is going to be a lot more successful and powerful than Normal Harry. One that only sacrificed his own morality to not sacrifice anything else. That would make a good conflict for Dresden. Was keeping his hands clean worth all these things that happened to these closest to him?

 

There were (are?) supposed to be 6 Battle Ground preview chapters starting today but the publisher is apparently disagreeing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/comments/ic5ryb/comment/g20gfdd - from one of the community managers / betas

 

I just finished Ghost story in my reread of all the books and short stories.

There is a lot I forgot or missed. Especially in regards to the Formor. Sadly the short stories have a lot in them. I’ll write a breakdown when I am done.

 

Surprised none brought up Nicodemus in regards to the Starborn. Estimated to be about two thousand years, destroying church records.

Spoiler: Wild speculations ahead

It ties neatly into the untold reason why everyone in the know is hush hush about Starborns. "Power against the Outsiders" can easily become powers over the Outsiders.

Cue old starborn Nic saving the world, by controlling the Outsiders. Using relics from Hades to forge the unwilling outsiders into a weapon against what he see's as the root cause of all this. God.

Now seeing how this will probably warp the world something extreme and cause untold misery for everyone (something Nic would see as regrettable, but necessary), we will have our epic showdown vs Harry. Starborn vs Starborn.

Crack:
Secret admirer He who walks behind forcing Harry through a training montage that would put Mab's rehabilitation to shame.

Edit: Seems I shouldn't just ctrl+f 'Nicodemus' and call it a day. As shown below, yargle brought it up before me.

 

That would mean there has been 4 in the last 2,000 years. Due to what they are they are all likely to be quiet... famous.

1998 years ago: Nic
1332 years ago: original Merlin? Mavra?
666 years ago: the Gate Keeper.
Now: Harry, Elaine

 

Why not Mab? Maybe it's coincidental that we get a timeline on her birth in the same book as the definition of starborn, but it fits. And it would explain why she was able to heal the Leanansidhe from Nemesis.

 

Good point, I hadn’t thought her as she seems to be shaping Starborns into weapons rather than being one.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/iekfx9/im_jim_butcher_author_of_the_dresden_files_ama/

Some interesting but not ground breaking stuff in Jim’s latest AMA.

 

I am reaffirmed in my belief that the more we learn about the DF the less interesting it gets

 

Wait, the Winter Knight and the Summer Knight helped fighting Napoleon? Who was backing the Little Corporal that two Courts were needed to defeat him?

I really would like to have a full explanation of how the world was created because recent answers from Butcher made it really confusing. On one hand, he said recently that gods existed before there was the world and the time. On the other they're below angels, making them completely powerless compared to God. Could they be angels too, only the one that decided to not pick the side and removed their Grace?

 

He basically said Angels are powerful but can’t really do much. They are all about free will.

 

I'm surprised to learn that the Unseelie accords were created shortly before the series began. I'd assumed that it had been the status quo for a very long time.

Also interesting fanfiction prompt.

"If I was writing it all again, I'd probably make them something happening early in the series. Chicago would have belonged to the White Council and been their dumping ground for problem wizards--the ones who weren't quite bad enough to kill, but who had to have an eye kept on them. Harry could have conflicted with the genuine bad-guys-in-process, emotionally saved maybe Mort Lindquist (who would have been one of them) and probably screwed up hard enough for the White Council to lose Chicago, making it essentially open territory, like Casablanca. "

 

When did Butcher comment on old gods<angels?

 

By a local-scale, I'm assuming Earth based including someone like Odin and Hades.

 

We have seen belief create power, the Lords of the Outer Night. The fake shroud from Death Masks. They were given power, a lot, by belief. We have seen creatures formed wholecloth from pure belief.

I bet most old gods were created this way.
That combined with grabbing power from sacrifice and rituals. You’d have the majority of old dieties.