The Dresden Files > DF Spoilers
Should Jim skip to the BAT?
Yuillegan:
I am of two minds of this.
On the one hand, I do look forward to Harry's parallel universe experience in Mirror Mirror, Harry fighting a Dragon, Kaiju showing up, and anything that expands on the gods (although I am very wary of the wrestling book...). Even Twelve Months has a lot of potential to be a very interesting book.
We've been told there are (as per latest information) at least 4 to 5 more books (including Twelve months). At the old rate of one every ~1.5 years that would 6-7.5 years away approximately. At the current rate...it could be double that or more.
Each of the books of the BAT are supposed to be BIG novels. So even were Jim writing at his own rate each book would take 2-5 years each. And there are THREE of them.
So worst case scenario, we could be looking at a 30 year window. Which puts Jim in his 80s. Not brilliant I would think for anyone.
Best case scenario, 12 years (and this assumes everything goes perfectly and he writes like a machine and there are no more global disruptions or personal issues etc.). Jim is in his early 60s by this point, and it's roughly 2034.
I don't want a rushed version of the series, and nor do I think Jim should be chained to his desk. For it to even exist, let alone be it's best version, he has to keep loving it. And nor do I think I am in any position to advise or ask Jim to do anything with the series. This is just my thoughts on the subject and want to see what those of you around here think.
The problem is a 30 year commitment feels a bit daunting for a series.
So my question to you all is, should he trim the fat a bit and skip to the BAT?
Finish Twelve Months (assuming he has already started, or if he feels he needs to write it etc). Then straight to the BAT, and all the other case files come out after the BAT or as short stories in between and/or after or even just get shrunk down and included in the BAT. To me, the Dragon fight and the Kaiju stuff would be fine in the BAT. The pro-wrestling feels like it would be just as good as a side story, unless there are major cosmology and/or plot reveals in it. Mirror Mirror does feel like it NEEDS to happen, just because the multiverse stuff is going to be so important. Which is why it would have been good as the next book, but I understand that there are important character reasons for Twelve Months (and Jim clearly feels strongly that this book is important to him to be written, so it's hard to not have it now).
So what do you all think?
Mira:
The selfish part of me says, "skip to the end." In other words, the BAT, that is because I will never live to see it, nor will a lot of his other loyal fans at this current rate. And as you point out, he will be in his eighties if he continues on his current timeline for getting the books written.
I also think the series would benefit from editing, some of the story lines have suffered some from sprawl. It is also true that Jim wants to write other things, I understand that, but I think it has come at the expense somewhat of The Dresden Files. The long stretch between Skin Game and Peace Talks is a perfect case in point, making loyal fans wait years for the next book in the series isn't fair. Only Jim can answer why the reason for that was, but that cries out for edit,edit,edit!
I think Jim has caught himself in his own trap of, "wouldn't be cool if...." So yeah, having Harry involved in a novel with a pro-wrestling story line seems cool, but how far is it taking us down the road to the BAT? Both Peace Talks and Battle Ground only seemed to present more questions than answers exploding in ten different directions at once, leaving a lot of story lines just dangling perhaps never to be resolved.
--- Quote ---I don't want a rushed version of the series, and nor do I think Jim should be chained to his desk. For it to even exist, let alone be it's best version, he has to keep loving it. And nor do I think I am in any position to advise or ask Jim to do anything with the series. This is just my thoughts on the subject and want to see what those of you around here think.
--- End quote ---
I agree, and I'm not alone in this, many of us have felt that the latter books have a "rushed" quality to them or going through the motions quality.. No, Jim shouldn't be chained to his desk, but is that the real problem? I mean he managed to begin begin one series and finish another since he has been writing The Files.
--- Quote ---Finish Twelve Months (assuming he has already started, or if he feels he needs to write it etc). Then straight to the BAT, and all the other case files come out after the BAT or as short stories in between and/or after or even just get shrunk down and included in the BAT. To me, the Dragon fight and the Kaiju stuff would be fine in the BAT. The pro-wrestling feels like it would be just as good as a side story, unless there are major cosmology and/or plot reveals in it. Mirror Mirror does feel like it NEEDS to happen, just because the multiverse stuff is going to be so important. Which is why it would have been good as the next book, but I understand that there are important character reasons for Twelve Months (and Jim clearly feels strongly that this book is important to him to be written, so it's hard to not have it now).
--- End quote ---
Yes, Twelve Months is an organic outflow of dealing of Harry dealing with his grief and the fall out of how Murphy died. That makes sense, the problem is all the other story lines introduced at the end of Battle Ground, Marcone/Namshiel, Thomas/Justine/baby/Nemesis, break with the White Council, break with Ramirez, dealing with Eb, Stars and Stones and WTF is the purpose of a star born, oh and marriage to Lara.. That is what I mean by sprawl, any one of the above almost deserves it's own novel, or at least a short story, something is bound to get lost. We are still talking about Elaine and Cowl, are they just to be left as dangling story lines never to be resolved? At the time they were introduced they seemed to be pretty important.
Yup, skip to the BAT.
hiddendotgif:
I agree to an extent; the BAT should come sooner rather than later, especially at the current rate. Mirror Mirro and Twelve Months both feel like they need to happen, and maybe one more to keep things on the proper track (Peace Talks is book 17, and there were originally supposed to be 20+the BAT, instead of 22-23+BAT. That, plus the whole thing with Nick coming in every 5 books, and if I remember correctly, part of what Nick does in the supposed book 20 helps kickstart the BAT). So, 6 more books in total, including the BAT.
morriswalters:
Butcher should do whatever he wants. But I'm voting with my wallet. Let the libraries of the country pay him. If he ever publishes another Dresden Files I'll check it out there. And I will purchase nothing else he writes. I love the books, but the payoff is in the backstory and the BAT. And he seems not to want to kill the golden calf that brings him the lifestyle he wants. So I have no expectation that he will move up the BAT.
Mira:
--- Quote from: morriswalters on April 07, 2022, 12:24:47 PM ---Butcher should do whatever he wants. But I'm voting with my wallet. Let the libraries of the country pay him. If he ever publishes another Dresden Files I'll check it out there. And I will purchase nothing else he writes. I love the books, but the payoff is in the backstory and the BAT. And he seems not to want to kill the golden calf that brings him the lifestyle he wants. So I have no expectation that he will move up the BAT.
--- End quote ---
I wonder though, he could be killing the golden calf.. Or he feels he doesn't need us anymore because of his other successful series. You say you will go to the library and not buy any more of his books, others might also feel that way. I feel ripped off in many ways by his splitting the last book into two.. Supposedly it was to keep the cost down for us, but when you did the math, it really didn't, and in my opinion didn't really help the story, which is the important bit. But then again G.R.R.Martin has strung us along for years never finishing Game Of Thrones, claiming he is close, still writing and making lots of money writing spin offs from it, so Jim might feel that way as well.
--- Quote ---I agree to an extent; the BAT should come sooner rather than later, especially at the current rate. Mirror Mirro and Twelve Months both feel like they need to happen, and maybe one more to keep things on the proper track (Peace Talks is book 17, and there were originally supposed to be 20+the BAT, instead of 22-23+BAT. That, plus the whole thing with Nick coming in every 5 books, and if I remember correctly, part of what Nick does in the supposed book 20 helps kickstart the BAT). So, 6 more books in total, including the BAT.
--- End quote ---
So three to five years between books, that makes eighteen to thirty years until the end... I doubt I will see the end, and into his eighties by that time as Yuillegan points out, Jim might not either. At least now we know his son can write, maybe the writing of the BAT will be left up to him.
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