So, I was mildly curious and looked up all the books Ace Books (the Dresden Files publisher) has ever published. I feel confident in saying that the decision to be two books instead of one book was the publisher's decision.

Per Amazon, Battle Ground will have 432 pages and Peace Talks has 352 (including the preface pages and whatnot). Let's assume that the padding added to each book when doing the split into two books was 50 pages, which would mean the two parts would have been a combined 682 pages.

Ace Books started in 1953. The three longest books they have ever published is the 2010 edition of Dune (883 pages, paperback), the 1987 Robert Heinlein Collection called The Past Through Tomorrow (830 pages, paperback) and First Lord's Fury 2010 paperback (759 pages while the hardcover the previous year was 480 pages). As far as I can tell, Ace has literally never published a hardcover book that was 600 pages or more.

Frankly, I'm glad they decided to split the story in two instead of paring it down. Sure, it's not ideal (and I doubt it ever has been), but the only other options are prune the book down which we all can agree would have resulted in the remnants of a combination dumpster and tire fire or publish the large book. Of course, if they were Tor they wouldn't have given two shits about publishing a hardcover book that long.

EDIT: On count of the Titan's strength: we're literally going to find out the details in Battle Ground. This isn't something I'm willing to consider a flaw to Peace Talks unless it is omitted in part two.

 

I've been thinking on the increase in sexual remarks in this book and I believe that Butcher does target Dresden Files to teens. It's not a Young Adult series per se, but it still is a YA series from a certain perspective. Most of us started reading and enjoying it as teens too, and while we've grown out of that mindset, Butcher's intended audience certainly hasn't. Butcher isn't Rowling, whose books grew up with Harry Potter: he's a guy who started out trying to prove his prof wrong about formulaic plots and got proven wrong in the best way possible. So he's not going to dial down on the sex at all: the sex and the pop culture references are in with the crowd he's targeting.

 

Jim Butcher addresses the splitting of the novels at the 2:30 mark.

Essentially, it was a compromise between him and his editors due to the price being too expensive for a regular 1 book release.

 

I get what you're saying. I started the series when I was in high school and I wasn't exactly complaining whenever Maeve or the Raiths showed up or when something saucy happened. However, I didn't keep reading for that reason, and all that was fun given a liberal sprinkling throughout the books. (I'll never forget Harry dumping a pitcher of water down his pants). My problem is that it's becoming predictable, formulaic and tiresome to read, and I think even teenagers this deep into the series might feel the same.

 

@Harry's Hat You have to remember that the premise behind Semiautomagic was supposed to be formulaic. That was what the bet behind Storm Front was about (I hope I'm remembering the story correctly). I agree it's not Hardy Boys level formulaic but it is supposed to be somewhat like that.

 

Dresden Files is a pulpy, faux-noir urban fantasy. Of course it established certain things early and repeats them to a very formulaic degree.

 

Maybe I'm wrong here, but hasn't it been stated before that a large amount of the strength that a "God" has, directly relates to the amount of followers or believers in it? I believe it is directly stated in Changes, that the top vampires used to be "as Gods", because of the amount of venerating followers. I thought that was the reason the current Christian God was considered to be the most powerful. It's specifically said that Odin is less than he used to be, because of his lack of followers.

II'm not looking at this negatively, we don't have all the answers right now. I just hope that it's explained in the next book. I'd like to have some justification as to why she can bitch slap Mab.

 

I'm not under the illusion that the series is anything more than pulp. I understand that. I'll keep reading it. Is it too much to ask for a little change-up, though? I don't think so. But whatever, it's not any hill to die on.

 

I think this is from Neil Gaiman's American Gods

 

One thing I had wondered when re-reading Skin Game recently was whether all the old gods are fae, whether its a unique thing to do with Odin, or whether the most powerful fae are actually a different race from the Sidhe and that is the same race that the ancient gods belonged to. If the latter, then perhaps the titan is either of that same species or is the race that created that species.

 

I'm pretty sure that Butcher won't go into that direction, but it's quite surprising how quickly Harry and everyone else accepted that Thomas actually tried to assassinate the king and only try to explain why he did it. Sure, it's mentioned how honourable Svartalfs are and something did happen because there is one person that was killed, but Dresden should check their version of the events before he decided someone is controlling his brother. What if Thomas tried to stop the assassin and couldn't explain himself before he was physically unable to talk with anyone? What if someone pretended to be him when he was visiting as he often did?

 

I agree that it was very strange that no one ever tried to investigate or at least find out why Thomas might have done it. Its just assumed that someone put pressure on Justine. No one thought to ask that maybe Austri tried the assassination and Thomas killed him to save Etri or if anything else could have happened. I just thought it was incredibly strange no one ever tried to question Thomas.

 

It very much felt like half a book, and ended in a thoroughly unsatisfying manner in my opinion. With the next coming out so soon, it's a not dealbreaker, but I was expecting a lot more action. So yeah... I liked a lot of the build-up. I liked a lot of the characters re-introduced.

As @Lindsey said, the villain just showed up. The manner in which she showed up was cool, but the complete and utter lack of any hints before-hand bugged me.

On one hand, there were a lot of fan service-y moments. On the other, they were handled better. So I guess there's that.

 

It felt abrupt to be sure, but I don't think it had anything to do with the length. The story just didn't have enough build up or tension.

I think about peak-butcher and I think about Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, Small Favor, where these threads slowly untangle until we see that they are all very much connected. This one is just the setup, and it wasn't really rewritten to give us the unwinding or the release. The tension is barely built up (unless you're talking about pent up sexual energy, because this was the horniest teenage boy version of a dresden book I've ever read, and I've defended the male gaze in Dresden many times) and the payoff is lackluster.

We don't know why Thomas did what he did. We don't know where the hell the last titan came from or why she has connections to outsiders. We don't have a satisfying answer for Ebenezar's rage at whites besides how Dresden feels towards ghouls. None of the satisfying reveals have occurred and there was hardly a climax. I was ready to see the retrieval fail and kick off some real supernatural sparks, or for them to be stopped by the fomor and caught in some kind of pitched battle.

But it just kind of ended, and a mini-battle between Mccoy and Harry simulacrum isn't a big climactic ending.

 

Unlike some reviewers here, I liked it.

The only real flaw is the whole titan thing, as some noted, was rather abrupt and out of nowhere. That was odd. but otherwise imo it was as good a HALF story as any other in the series.

its clearly only half a book, and i suspect a lot of the dissatisfaction is folks are used to the dresden stories wrapping up in one book. This one clearly did not. But it also doesnt seem like an abrupt stop. If you view it as book one in a series say? IMO it would stand strongly. I think it breaking the mold due to the split is hurting it.

I think folks have a legit beef with the abrupt titan reveal thing. That was poorly forshadowed no argument. But everything else? The characters, the interaction, the action, the drama, the emotions? It all was top notch

Im not disappointed with this book. I was excited reading it. I'm eager for the next one (and glad it wont be too long). I was entertained.

I'd give the book an 8/10. And it would be a 9/10 if not for the abruptness of the plot turn with the titan. I take no points off for the arc not being finished. The ending isnt at an awkward place for any fantasy series (we just got spoiled with self contained dresden books)

 

Late to the party, there's a bunch I could say that would just be repeating people whose copies didn't get lost in the mail, so I'll just say I agree the book obviously suffers from being split.

As to McCoys hate of the White Court, the King killed his daughter- and while his information on their affair is obviously spotty enough that he didn't know about Thomas, we do know explicitly that McCoy tried to kill him for it, tried and failed. I'm pretty sure McCoy doesn't do that often, fail to kill someone he wants dead that is, and for killing his daughter at that. So personally, given he's been stewing in that for the past few decades, I had absolutely no problems buying his hatred of the White Court and his utter conviction that being involved with Thomas would end badly. Since again, he didn't know Thomas was his daughters son, only that he was the son of the man who killed her.


Oh, and something that stuck out to me that I haven't seen anyone else mention yet.

How this meshes with Michael killing Siriothrax, which was definitely more recent than Tunguska, presumably that must've either gone down in the Nevernever or Jim forgot.

 

Oh! Good one.

JB did take pains to describe Austri as the most rigid and by the books of them all... a fake out? Who would suspect the dead man? But could also be seen as a cop out considering the reinforcement of the message that it's the person you least suspect.

Damn. I'm really looking forward to the reveal.

 

Probably the most interesting speculation I have seen. Not sure I buy it but certainly would make the Butters character interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/comments/hsm20g/an_interesting_observation_on_waldo_butters/

 

so some random thoughts. Probably nothing ground breaking:

The connection with Mab and Merlin is interesting. Especially if we are setting it up so Merlin's prison is what captures this titan.

Not to say this would happen. But in theory if you were ever going to have Harry get out of being the Winter Knight.... you could perse see this being how he does it. You could see a scenario where Mab owes him a boon or a favour for not only getting her revenge and balancing the scales, but doing it in such a thematically fitting way? Not sure it would go that way. But it could.

The favour owed molly is clearly going to be paid back by helping her with her family somehow

Marva is clearly going to have some role coming up after that nice little name drop

When does that apocolyptic final trilogy hit? I think thats after book 22 right? i.e books 23-25 are the big trilogy? I only ask cause that colours my expectations of how this ends. If its clearly not the opening to the finale the ending will probably be 'resolved' somehow

 

The FAQ on Jim's website has the number of Case File books before the BAT at 22, but I'm pretty sure that number predates Peace Talks being split into two books.

As for getting out of being knight, I personally don't think it happens before the epilogue of the BAT. I do expect to see some definite changes in Harry and Mabs working relationship as part of the fallout to Battle Ground, but all the developments we've had since he took the job- why winter exists, confirmation that Harry was literally born to fight outsiders, and Molly becoming Lady. I just don't see it.