The male gaze bothers me not in the least. It exists and if any man tells you he doesn't look at women, he's a liar, given that he is heterosexual. And I assume that women have something similar going on with men. But it's almost never vocalized, even internally. The whole fashion industry is built on the idea. He just does it to the point of exhaustion.
I agree. Problem is with overall formula of repeating everything. I have no problem with supernatural predators using sex-appeal as weapon - I think it's quite legit strategy. But Dresden is just repeating everything. I mean constant reminding to us how Butters is a short guy was no less infuriating than reminding how sexy Lara is.
My point falls back on the only women who was written in the books outside that concept. Murphy. As poorly as Jim treated her over the course of the books, she deserved a better end then what she got. A talented writer should be able to pull that off and get the emotional punch that he wanted.
I agree and disagree. I would like more random death in Battle Ground - in the end only named characters that fallen were Wardens taken in mid-boss fight, Murphy taken in another sort of mid-boss fight, and Hendricks. Way to scripted for my taste for this level of unholly mess.
As much as Murphy demise go - I think her failure as knight, connection to Odin and death were planned at least since Changes. And as such it's not a bad way - it gives option for Murphy powered up and back right for Apocalypse, while she would be not able to neither follow up, nor accept she cannot follow, and I think both her and Marcone's fates shows that time for mere mortals is over. Which is dark, but for me sort of expected resolution - compared to many stories when mundane man shall stand up to gods and monsters and prevail.
The problem is that now I think main reason Jim went for Dresden/Murphy romance was to push Dresden darker in this book. It's not her death was fridging - it's her relationship with Harry was fridging in my vision - put there just before her planned further death. Which is why Rudolph was used rather than any supernatural monster. Murphy was meant to die, but her death was staged too much. I do not think it's that bad overall - I'm always for random before poetic, but it sours her and Harry relationship.
As I said there should be extra book between SG and PT to let their relationship breathe, to let her deal and accept his new condition (and then of course run in battle anyway because BG is just too big to stay at home), and be something more than advancing things forward for bigger gut punch.
But with this "deserved better end" I honestly disagree. Death... death should not be cool. Even death of cooler characters.
And TBH it seems for most part deaths in Dresden Files rarely are COOL. Neither for villains nor for heroes.
Now I think Hendricks probably was only one so far who get classic like movie death.
I'd also notice that there is character that IMHO was fridged way worse than Murphy and with whom Butcher clearly has even more problem to do anything interesting - it's Thomas. Even his thread and whole Nemesis Xanatos Gambit in Peace Talks sounds more like afterthought, and literally nothing interesting happened with him since Turn Coat. And now he's in literal fridge. (And I won't talk he deserves better - but seriously Jim if you don't have idea what to do with Thomas maybe just kill him or smth).
I agree, she did deserve better. But perhaps that was the point? Jim wrote that completely avoidable ending for her to piss us off.
I honestly think main reason was for another fake Dresden Going Dark tease.
I believe that's why he hooked them together right before Peace Talks after all this back and forth dance.
If it was some monster or even very dangerous mortal like Listen - the Dresden could have honest revenge without much of remorse afterwards. If it was random mortal with trigger finger who shot too fast (my preferable option - Murphy killed by honest to Earth people she meant to defend, just by accident and battle panic) he probably would stop himself. Rudolph was perfect as minor petty villain, as Draco-Joffrey of this series, to just make Harry really really ANGRY.
(My second favourite alternative solution - would be Murphy killed by debris, which would leave Dresden without any place to steam off).
But I think Jim predicted people would be angry - hence Harry and Sigurn talk in last chapter.
Where (my qualms about overall moral standards of Odin, Einherjar and Valhalla asie) Sigurn was of course quite right and it was sort of challenging many viewers perspective on unworthy death.
