Ghost Story--two things

[EBRIEN]

Continuing my re read of the Files. Good stuff. Previously, and I'm not sure why, GS never seems to stick with me for some reason. I've both read and listened to it. It's the odd one for me in the series. This time, it feels much better to me. Not sure if I'm just in the right mindset or what, but details are really sticking and I'm nearly done and I can't wait until the end and maybe restart it.

1st--Am I the only one who feels this way? Or out of all the novels, is this the one that doesn't hit a homeroom initially and you have to come back to it?

2nd--Harry as the Winter Knight. As a spirit, should Harry have been able to draw upon Winter? I mean, he was able to capitalize on his magical memories and use them as weapons...shouldn't he have been able to do the same with Winter? (And maybe even more so and to a more dramatic effect?)

Ok. Cheers and best to everyone!

B

[Talby16]

I agree that Ghost Story was the odd story out for me. I read it when I first came out and then didn't touch it again for a long time. I just kept reading around it. I think part of that was due to it being so different narratively speaking. We don't see the typical Harry kicking butt and taking names. Another part of it being odd was that in a way nothing changed. Yes, Harry learned some things, but it was just a bridge to get him from his death to the Winter Knight arc. It didn't help that outside of one bit of dialogue in Cold Days and another small bit in Skin Game (both with Butters I believe), there really has not been much mention of the events of GS by the characters.

That being said, it has grown on me. I now see it as a refreshing change of pace from the other stories. I have come to like the introspection and Harry digging deeper into himself. Ghost Story is part of the reason I am excited for Twelve Months. I'm hoping we get another character piece as opposed to an action piece.

As to your second question, as I understand it, Harry was drawing on his memories to act upon the world. He was only able to interact within the sphere of how he remembered acting. Since he had not done any work really as the Winter Knight, he did not have any memories to draw upon to fuel Winter Knight-like actions.

[Mira]

  I think as one goes back and rereads books in a series, stuff that may not move when first read, hits home on the reread.  Why because we see the character in the now, and going back to the earlier books we see how and understand why they became.

[g33k]

GS took me a while to come to grips with it, but I did so by about 1/3 - 1/2 way through, and enjoyed the rest (and all of each re-read) very much.

  2nd--Harry as the Winter Knight. As a spirit, should Harry have been able to draw upon Winter? I mean, he was able to capitalize on his magical memories and use them as weapons...shouldn't he have been able to do the same with Winter? (And maybe even more so and to a more dramatic effect?) 

I think Winter -- or at least the Winter Knight -- is very physical, very embodied, very animal.
Winter has very little traction with a ghost/soul.

[Mira]

GS took me a while to come to grips with it, but I did so by about 1/3 - 1/2 way through, and enjoyed the rest (and all of each re-read) very much.

I think Winter is very physical, very embodied, very animal.
Winter has very little traction with a ghost/soul.

The human soul is out of Mab's jurisdiction, free will win the day..   

[Talby16]

GS took me a while to come to grips with it, but I did so by about 1/3 - 1/2 way through, and enjoyed the rest (and all of each re-read) very much.

I think Winter -- or at least the Winter Knight -- is very physical, very embodied, very animal.
Winter has very little traction with a ghost/soul.

Agreed. I would add that Winter is about the primal urges. A ghost transcends the physical and the primal urges no longer impact it.

[EBRIEN]

When Harry wasn't quite dead...Would Papa Wraith have been able to feed? Or feel twinges of his former self?

Can you imagine? He's like...Ummm...that's a familiar feeling...Could it be? Maybe? .....crap. Nope.

[Mira]

When Harry wasn't quite dead...Would Papa Wraith have been able to feed? Or feel twinges of his former self?

Can you imagine? He's like...Ummm...that's a familiar feeling...Could it be? Maybe? .....crap. Nope.

Since it was Margaret's death curse that caused Papa Raith not to feed, I don't think it makes any difference whether Harry is alive or dead or only mostly dead, Papa Raith won't be able to feed.

[g33k]

Since it was Margaret's death curse that caused Papa Raith not to feed, I don't think it makes any difference whether Harry is alive or dead or only mostly dead, Papa Raith won't be able to feed.

IIRC, Papa thought that sacrificing Harry and/or Thomas was the way to escape Margaret's curse.

I presume he had some reason to think so... and he may even have been correct (or may not have been; I don't think anyone but Jim understands the Dresdenverse magical metaphysics well enough to know).

However, Harry's semideath -- years later, outside of Raith's careful ritual prep, and metaphysically as Harry's self-sacrifice (made for love) -- almost certainly wouldn't have fulfilled Raith's needs in this regard.
 

[Mira]

IIRC, Papa thought that sacrificing Harry and/or Thomas was the way to escape Margaret's curse.

 If Papa Raith thought it would work, he could have sacrificed one of them at any time, especially Thomas.

[g33k]

If Papa Raith thought it would work, he could have sacrificed one of them at any time, especially Thomas.

I'd need to re-read that whole scene.
It may have been quite a while before he "learned" about this; and it may only have been a "potential" method that "might" work, but I think he was pretty desperate, and would take even a long-shot chance.

But also:  Raith Père was working with Outsider magic.  So this may have been information fed to him by them, with dubious correctness.
 

[Mira]

I'd need to re-read that whole scene.
It may have been quite a while before he "learned" about this; and it may only have been a "potential" method that "might" work, but I think he was pretty desperate, and would take even a long-shot chance.

But also:  Raith Père was working with Outsider magic.  So this may have been information fed to him by them, with dubious correctness.

I have to reread the scene as well.  Actually the whole book because I imagine there are a lot of clues as to what is going on now in it.