So Jim talked about being inspired by The Frighteners (one of Peter Jackson's earlier films) in the DragonCon Ghosts and Spirits panel. He commented that one thing he loved was the duality, the mirror image of two conflicts happening simultaneously (spiritual and physical) which were connected yet couldn't really touch - but would affect the outcome of the other conflict. I think most of Ghost Story exemplifies this. But I also wonder if the extended multiverse might do that too - for instance, actions in Harry's universe might affect things in other verses, and vice-versa. I also believe what happens in each Nevernever then might also have a similar effect.

So the problem is both horizontal and vertical in layers (if you get the idea). Many levels and many simultaneous issues.

When he goes on to talk about the limits of the Angels and Fallen and why they cannot just tear everything up, it is because they cannot really change themselves. They are elemental, they always are who they are (but in balance) and so it is mortal choices that sort of define that. I think there was a really excellent theory (several perhaps) that basically talked about how each choice moves each universe closer to a pole (light or dark/chaos or order etc) and it was not only on a horizontal axis, but also a vertical axis. There is infact an image in the Dresden Files that really illustrates this type of battle (but on a much more limited scale) - the Battle in Chicago-over-Chicago in Summer Knight. Mab and Titania when they fight are essentially equal (as the bulk of Mab's forces are tied up at the Outer Gates). It is the mortals that help decide the outcome. When Harry views it with his Sight, he sees a great battle field with the energy that each Queen is expending pouring out against each other like a giant grid or game of chess, focused around the Stone Table. In the greater more cosmic analogy - I think Earth is the Stone Table. Just my thoughts.

Yıldız assassination attempt - 1905 Istanbul.

Eb states that he and Kincaid were contemporaries of sorts and during the early 1900s Kincaid crossed professional boundaries in Istanbul. After which, Eb swore he would kill him if they met again. Which only got tested 100 or so years later.

The Yıldız assassination attempt was a failed assassination attempt on Sultan Abdul Hamid II by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation at the Yıldız mosque on 21 July 1905 in Constantinople, in the Ottoman Empire (later Istanbul). It is described as one of the most sensational and greatest political conspiracies of modern times.

I will give you the cliff notes version. Essentially the Hamidian massacres and the Sultan's anti-Armenian policies created a climate of rebellion. Lots of major resistance movements took place to try and create awareness and fight for freedom. It seems that the ARF started producing explosives in secret and worked out the Sultan's movements. They had some setbacks, including the deaths of the original planners but moved forward anyway. The Sultan prayed every Friday at the mosque and usually left around the same time. The ARF planted a man to drive his carriage on the day. He set the time for 42 seconds, but because the Sultan was delayed and got caught in a conversation with the Sheikh ul-Islam, when the bomb was thrown he had a chance to take cover and survived. The terrorist died, as did 26 others and 52 wounded. A Belgian anarchist was also arrested in the subsequent investigations.

In Dresden Files terms? I think it might have been Kincaid himself who threw the bomb. Perhaps Ebenezar was protecting the Sultan. Or perhaps the reverse. But bombs do seem more Kincaid's style. Either way - this is the only historical event that matches up.

What do you all think was the thing that made them such bitter enemies? What line did Kincaid cross?

JUSTIN IS ALIVE

1. As established in the WOJ there is a big difference between Dead and Gone. So just because Justin is D-E-D, doesn't mean he is out of the game. Hell, Malcolm Dresden isn't out of the game and he IS dead.

2. Secondly, if Justin wasn't just a run of the mill Warden who's initial dabbles in the Dark Arts got him in over his head and killed, then he likely had access to magic that makes him able to do lots of things that Harry and perhaps even elements of the Council would not be aware of.
    We know Justin wasn't some mere dabbler - he was a powerful Warden (to the point where most doubted some young punk wizard could have defeated him in a magical duel, more on that later) and well connected to several mysterious individuals that have ties to the Big Things going on. He knew Margaret Le Fay, Ariana, Lord Raith, Leah and was personally present at Kemmler's defeat (to the point where he actually grabbed Bob's skull, more on that later).  We know only a little of his abilities, yet we can assume he was a powerful Evocation specialist (otherwise he couldn't have been a Warden). We also know he taught Harry most of the foundation of what he knows - so he clearly has a wide range of skills. We know he could reach beyond the Outer Gates (knowledge that is so difficult and dangerous and highly guarded that barely anyone even knows what the gates are). If he broke that Law, we can make a reasonable assumption he had broken some of the others. We know he could Enthrall, and likely invade minds. So could he transform others, perform Necromancy, mess with Time? Likely he could do the first. My belief, and it seems likely, is that he understood at least some Necromancy. Harry even says in Grave Peril, it wasn't complex to Raise Sue, but just a lot of magical effort.

3. How did he know about Bob? How did he recognise him for what he was? Why didn't he destroy him? Why didn't original/evil Bob try and destroy him?
    All questions that are difficult to answer. If you are raiding a extremely powerful and dangerous Necromancer's lair, surrounded by his minions and traps with his home field advantage, are you going to notice a relatively boring skull amongst likely lots of other skulls? Probably not unless Evil Bob was running around obviously - which if he were, the Council would have seen and destroyed such a Thing. So probably it was either advising it's Master (Kemmler) or it was hidden. Either way, of all people there (including Simon), Justin found it. If Simon were Cowl, surely he would have been pretty interested in finding Evil Bob and using it for his own purposes (including a Darkhallow, ahead of schedule)?
    If Justin was a regular Warden, and he noticed Bob he would have destroyed him. If he was already corrupted, he might have made a deal for more power. But that doesn't explain how he found it when no one did. Also clearly Evil Bob is so powerful in his own right, he can kill regular Wizards easily. In fact, he was only really behaving for his holder (similar to a Djinn) or bullied by the Necromancers. Evil Bob normally would have just killed an enemy like a Warden, so only if Kemmler was about to be out of the picture might he jump ship, but even then it would be as a Master to a new apprentice. Only a powerful and experienced Wizard, especially with powers directly over spirits, could subdue him into an advisory capacity.

4. How did Dresden defeat DuMorne in a wizard's duel, a term first mentioned in Grave Peril, when Anastasia rightly points out Dresden has little experience in such things (which by this point is decades after his fight with Justin) yet he is far more experienced by now than when they first fought (especially more so than the new Warden recruits) and Justin was a highly experienced Dark Wizard duelist?
    Well this is a tricky one. If Dresden has 'super' wizard powers from being a Star Born, then perhaps this was how. However we have only really seen that against Outsiders. Justin clearly taught Harry the idea that you don't just rely on magic, you use the environment, regular mundane fighting weapons, and anything else you can to defeat an enemy. So considering that, the fact they had a magic duel is quite unusual. In fact, Harry almost never relies on magic alone. Now we know almost nothing about that fight (for obvious reasons) and so we are in the murky area of guesswork. However I think we can imagine that Harry after running away and defeating He Who Walks Behind, would have tried to get the jump on Justin. Especially after realising that Justin likely thought he was dead. Also, he has just made his deal with Leah for the power to defeat Justin. Which Harry has always assumed was a Dumbo's feather situation since then. Likely Leah gave him a few strategies to help him defeat Justin too.
    But Justin despite all this, is a very skilled warrior. He obviously would have had wards on his property, which would have alerted him to Harry's return. He probably had ones that even stop enemies from entering uninvited. Say Dresden knew how to disable the wards, Justin still would have eventually realised Harry had survived. He then has his magic shield, and many practiced evocations and possibly even magical devices (not to mention his Warden blade) at his disposal. So unless Harry completely overwhelmed him in that first vital few moments, it is unlikely that he would have had much trouble duelling with his own student. He would know Dresden’s weaknesses, and considering how far in advance Dresden normally prepares (which he would have learned from Justin) he was probably prepared for such a situation. La Fortier even mentions how many were never convinced he actually did defeat Justin in a straight duel, but perhaps accidently killed him with the fire (or as some above have suggested, he was implying Justin might not even actually BE dead).
   Which begs the question, if HWWBH was actually running the show and was trying to convince Harry to use magic for violence, what was Justin’s intention? Consider for a moment that Justin was not surprised but in fact prepared for his final duel. Perhaps he wanted to teach one last lesson. Perhaps he wanted to get Dresden to kill him – so he would be comfortable with breaking the Laws of magic when he felt it was necessary. 

5. DuMorne in French is roughly "of the Mountains". The French connection between Margaret, Justin, Grails, Arthurian references etc cannot be denied. It is important because it establishes a link between several highly important series elements. Always look for the literary devices when constructing theories; they hold the key. E.g. Vader means Father, and a common narrative structure is the Hero’s Journey. Not to mention the Son killing Father trope is as old as any story you might care to name. Interesting he has Morgana Le Fay’s athame, of all things. White Council started by Merlin, who also helped form the knights of the round table – including eventually Lancelot Dulac (of the Lake).

6. Finally, when and how did Dumorne get corrupted to evil? Was it Nemesis or Dark Magic or was he always pretty bad? Never been properly examined in either the text or in theories (afaik). There are several possibilities.
   One, he was a good old Warden and got Nemfected. Possible, but as we know so little about how Nemesis works we can’t really say either way. If that were the case it could explain away a lot of his behaviour and probably why he has been discarded after use and how he could reach beyond the Outer Gates.
   Two, he got corrupted by using too much Dark Magic. Now assuming that is different to Nemesis infection (which at this point it seems to be, if they were the same thing it wouldn’t affect immortals the way it does or the Council would be more aware of it, but they don’t seem to be), we can assume that he started to go mad with power. However, many wizards go Dark and don’t seem to go raising Outsiders. In fact, it seems like it takes a hell of a lot of set up to get that knowledge, which your average power mad warlock doesn’t seem to be involved with. Even if Justin did go that bit extra, how did he get the knowledge in the first place? Much easier to raise regular demons.
   Three, he was bad for a LONG time. Consider that Justin wasn’t always Justin. Perhaps he was a body swapping Necromancer etc. Maybe he was just some Wizard who got pulled into the wrong crowd early on. Maybe he even went looking for knowledge to defeat evil and got convinced by a charismatic/persuasive person to join the dark side. Kemmler is pretty persuasive and charismatic (see A Fistful of Warlocks). He also had several acolytes with him back then in the Wild West (one was Grevane). Perhaps one was Corpsetaker. One seems to resemble Cowl. But even if he isn’t that old, Kemmler is around until 30 October, 1961. Harry is roughly Jim’s age (JB’s bday is 26 October, 1971). So let’s say around 49. Meaning let’s say Justin is looking 40s when he adopts Harry he is probably 60s (Wizard aging remember). So when Harry is 16 (six years after being adopted in ‘81) the year is roughly 1987. Justin is in his 70s perhaps, still looking flash, highly experienced Warden and dangerous as anything. He would have been relatively young for a Warden when Kemmler’s assault took place (probably 50s), remember Harry is considered by the White Council for the first part of the series to be incredibly young and inexperienced (and they are sort of right). So let’s say Justin turns bad sometime between 30 and 50 years old, for whatever reason. He meets Kemmler and enters into an apprenticeship with him, but realises he is mad. Decides he can do it better. Perhaps, and even likely, betrays him to the Wardens. Good cover for his own plans. Helps kill off his old mentor, secures a few choice possession (such as a certain Spirit of Intellect) and claims stellar points for helping bring down Kemmler finally. Good Guy Justin. Starts enacting his own dark plans, manages to acquire not one but two Star Born, and is preparing to execute his strategy when plans change.

If this is the case then he is Cowl. This makes the most sense.  So let’s examine the possibility and discuss evidence of Justin = Cowl.

COWL = JUSTIN

       We know Cowl, for whatever reason, seems to be able to cheat death. He isn’t worried about Death Curses. He survived the backlash of the Darkhallow (which should have obliterated him). If Cowl is Justin, it makes sense that he survived a simple fire (even if his chosen meat suit died). He could have jumped into another body (prepared for such events), he might even have some yet unknown ability, technique or deal that allows him to come back from death. Cowl works with Outsiders – that much is clear (see Nemesis infecting Leah). Justin works with Outsiders. Cowl knew about Bob, something none of the other Necromancers seemed to be aware existed until Cowl revealed it. How would he know that Bob had survived AND Harry had him? Well unless he received some magical/divine revelation, he couldn’t have. Only Justin and Elaine knew about Bob’s survival, and the Harry would have taken him. Unless we get in the Time Travellers – which we won’t here. That is a whole can of worms that until we know more about Time Travel we cannot really discuss with any real meaning.
Cowl is highly, highly proficient in magic. Described as having a stronger heavy punch than Ebenezar (admittedly, we haven’t seen Ebenezar unleashed yet) and having quick and effective wards, skilled at illusion (including a voice-altering spell), able to cause massive electronic and machine failure (and several other subtler disruption spell), mental assaults, and incredibly skilled at opening Ways (something so complicated only Wizards with years of formal instruction can do – it is clear even Wizard-level talents like Hannah Ascher cannot do this without the appropriate training). Cowl also is mixed up with a lot of the people Justin was (the Raiths, the White Council, Ariana, obviously Kemmler and possibly Margaret Le Fay). On Ariana, though this is never seen we can infer that she or Ortega connected him to Bianca. Arianas play for power mirrored a trend of the old order being washed away for a new one, and clearly there is a link between the Red Court nobility and the Necromancers (likely through Cowl). How else would a plan to wipe the White Council out have been formed – do we really think they just thought “maybe we’ll just call up the local Necromancer and get him to be a God and take out the Senior Council”? No, this was a plan long in the making. Cowl also has interesting links to the Formor – a group that seems to have replaced the Red Court as the face of organisational antagonist. We can guess at this from the scent of mildew from his lair on his side of the Way, and also from Corpsetaker’s links to the Formor. Perhaps even from his voice, which sounded like he was talking underwater.
         
         Cowl uses a gun. That right there is plain weird. Almost NO wizard and supernatural types use guns. Something Justin taught Harry was to use any weapons, not just rely on magic. Cowl also has big old scars on his arms (see Grave Peril climax). Where might he have got this? One idea is a pretty nasty house fire.  Interestingly, Darth Vader is so scarred and burnt he looks nothing like Anakin and his voice changes. Huh. All the Necromancers are skilled in weapons (Swords, Chains/Kusari etc). Justin would have been skilled too, the skill transfer over. But Cowl doesn’t have a sword? Well Justin hardly could carry his old Warden sword, that would be a big neon sign saying “Here I am!”. But Cowl might carry one concealed. Cowl knows about Halloween being the time Immortals become unlocked and Mortal. That is such a big secret right there, even the other Necromancers didn’t know. Except likely Kemmler. How would Cowl know unless he took is from Kemmler. He might have learned it from Outsiders, but this information is so highly guarded and dangerous to have it puts you on just about every immortal’s radar. Interestingly, both Cowl and Nicodemus are not sure if they are mad. But they are able to examine it. This doesn’t fit with irrational power-hungry schitzo sorcerers. This is deeper, and far more scary - Nemesis or otherwise.

       Kumori is a strong indicator that Cowl is Justin. If Justin did survive, with or without Elaine’s help, why did he not come after her? She wasn’t in WC custody. Maybe she went to the Summer Court of her own will, maybe not. Elaine uses Egyptian and Japanese words for magic. Kumori is a Japanese name, and while we never hear her language for magic, that would align. Kumori is odd too. Deadly, yet compassionate and idealistic. Truly wants to end death. We know NOTHING of what Elaine’s life was before Justin. Maybe she really wants her family back. Elaine is also been weirdly involved in some big events, not totally as innocently coincidental as it appears (Summer Knight, White Night anyone?) Not to mention, she is almost Harry’s height, and a big painful distraction. Perfect for a really mean sucker punch. Yet a complicated one, she does seem to genuinely love Harry. Kumori is tall enough to hold a 6’9” Dreden’s hair back and put a knife to his throat. Only quite a tall lady could do that. Kumori also find Dresden humorous and frustrating, like an old lover.

        Finally, it makes narrative sense. If Cowl is some other character, only a few are going to impact Dresden as much as the return of Justin. An old enemy, long thought dead comes back more powerful than ever, and the hero realises how long this has been in the making and how unprepared he is. If it were say, Simon then some character mentioned only in one or two books (who Dresden has never met) is revealed as the villain it becomes a bit anti-climactic. A missed opportunity. A common (because it works) trope is the return of the old teacher. Especially an old enemy. Harry would be scared, angry and devastated that Cowl is Justin (far more than if someone else) and not only that, has Elaine onside. And is behind so much stuff that has been awful in his life. That would be much worse than some random old guy who hasn’t really made much of an impact. Vader was always much more scary and upsetting to Luke initially because he was the former Jedi Knight and Father. If he had been some member of the Jedi Council, would it have had the same impact? No bloody way.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST COWL = JUSTIN.

1.   Justin is Dead. D-E-D Dead.
     a. Well as I stated earlier, big difference between Dead and Gone. That is cannon people.  Jim could say he never lied, just that we assumed that he meant Justin was no longer a part of everything. When Necromancy is involved, the line between life and death becomes very, very squishy. We know that you can body swap. We know you can even die and then re-enter a host from beyond the grave (see Ghost Story). Not to mention those that continue to work from beyond the grave, in purgatory or otherwise. He even could have hitched a ride in Elaine, until he found a more suitable host. Hell, he might even just have abandoned the body for a bit then come back in when buried.
    b. He could have faked it (pre-ready corpse etc.) and used his considerable powers to open a Way (whether he was Cowl or not, this is possible).   
    c. No Death Curse. Harry is always going on about why it is a bad idea to kill a Wizard who sees it coming for more than a split second. They can tag you back, a final F U. Justin was no slouch, and his Death Curse would have been quite strong. Harry was likely exhausted, how would he defend against a Death Curse? Justin surely would have been mad enough to do it. And if he died in the fire, as is implied, he still would have been able to do his Death Curse. He wasn’t mad like Grevane, who truly believed that death didn’t apply to him.
   d. Anakin Skywalker was dead. Darth Vader wasn’t. Same person, just different legally. Anakin died when Vader was born in Palpatine’s office after the murder of Mace Windu. One might say that just because Justin is dead, doesn’t mean that Cowl is. Like a parody of Vadderung, two people same body. Oh look Vader I mean Vadderung. Weird similarities there. Why call Odin Vadderung? Surely Jim wouldn’t have more than one hint…

2. But Simon is Cowl.
    a.   Simon is dead. But you said-no! All the reasons above do not apply. Simon’s body was recovered, and the WC would have been A LOT more concerned should the Ramps have taken his body. Think of how worried they were when a Lieutenant Warden was taken – no magnify that. A completely terrifying threat. Simon was a powerhouse. The WC would have examined his body thoroughly.
   b.   Simon was apparently overwhelmed unexpectedly. Even though he knew Vampire lore best, even though he had an impregnable fortress, they snuck through. The main theory is only someone who knew his wards could have got in. Justin was his apprentice – and he sure as hell didn’t teach Harry what those wards were.
   c.   He released a Death Curse. And while they can be faked, we know that it is unlikely that he did in particular. His Death Curse was mighty, and even if he could fake it there would be signs of such a thing. There is a well-known WOJ on this.
  d.   It is pretty common that the strategy when facing a powerful foe is neutralise their advantages. Taking out their most knowledgeable Wizard on Vampires, plus one of their most powerful warriors (along with his feared Brute Squad) seems like a pretty good idea.

3.  Cowl seems like he doesn’t recognise Dresden.
    a.   Well, if he is hiding his identity he is hardly going to give hints about who he really is.
    b. Justin also hasn’t seen Harry fight probably in since their “duel”. I think he would be curious to see how powerful Harry was. And like an old teacher, disappointed when their high expectations aren’t met. Also like Justin, Cowl switches between rage and calm easily, like a psychopath or sociopath.
    c.   And Justin wouldn’t know this Dresden. He only knows kid Dresden. So in a way, he doesn’t really recognise him.
    d. Would Cowl really want to kill Dresden? Who says he wasn't trying anyway and Dresden did outmaneuver him? Not to mention, if Cowl has further plans for Dresden, which is again highly possible, why would he kill that asset? Justin is the pragmatic, cold type. He isn't going to care that Dresden burnt him and his house. He might be mad about ruining his plans (assuming that wasn't what he wanted in the first place), but he works in a cold and logical way. 

A recurring event in the series is Harry's universe revealing more of itself, subverting and oftentimes correcting Harry's previous assumptions.

Harry believes X, learns Y *Shock*. A recent example is when Harry learns that the Outer Gates are not metaphorical, but in fact (somewhat) literal - at least as far as Harry's brain can understand. Though in fairness, there is a reasonable argument to say those things arn't really exclusive when it comes to such things.

Often this forum loves to speculate on what those reveals might be (and I will post another thread shortly to talk about some insights I have had) so my thinking is, how much of what Harry believes is true is actually true? I think a handy way to tell is probably the further back and more deeply held the assumption is (with certain exceptions), the less likely it is in fact true.

E.g. Harry assumed Justin sent a plain old nasty demon to kill him and we learn later that it is HWWB (an Outsider - a demon on the level of an Archangel) who was running the show and wasn't really trying to kill him, but trying to have Harry learn to believe it is fundamentally right to kill and cause harm with magic (according to Harry and Leah's assessment).

So, perhaps a list is in order. What things are going to be proven to be other than what they seem?

1. The Almighty - and his legions. To paraphrase a WOJ "The Almighty is awesome, it is all of us who are stupid...there is more crossover between the religions than all the people on this little planet know.
2. Conversely, the Devil is not what he seems (and perhaps nor are his legions). We know he has an argument with the Almighty over *something* - likely Free Will. We don't know the details of the argument. We also know Power has Purpose, not all Evil is unnecessary as uncomfortable as that might be (see: Mab).
3. Gods of the various pantheons. Probably a major subversion here - I am expecting beings who are called different things to different people. Likely the role of Gods is to be protectors, shapers and guides against demons/monsters and perhaps Outsiders.
4. Outsiders - this is probably the big one. Harry believes they are Evil (and they seem to fit that definition) however we know they "look different depending on which Universe they are trying to get into" WOJ
5. The Knights of the Blackened Denarius. Likely all have their own ends - but it seems clear that they are not always in alignment with the big D, sometimes directly counter to. And Harry likely will have to work with them at least one more time - probably fighting a bigger threat.
6. The Fae (Sidhe, Furies, Fireies etc). Seem likely that pantheons such as Norse , Greco-Roman and Egyptian poured a lot of Power into them in order to maintain influence in the world. Why they were fading, and that the Fae were chosen and less likely to fade, and the true purpose of Gods is a bit of a mystery.
7. Marcone - definitely a sort of good guy. Likely important for the end.
8. Margaret - Definitely a lot worse than Harry has imagined. Margaret's life and atrocities are probably there to sucker punch Harry like Ebenezer's sucker punch did.
9. The Circle and/or Black Council. Likely people Harry knows and trusts are involved. Maybe some double and triple agents. Likely working towards the end of everything (knowingly or unknowingly).
10. Cowl and Kumori - like Nicodemus, probably believe they are doing good. I think one group will be (but by distasteful methods and one is blind).
11. WAG - Necromancy actually serves a fundamental purpose in Creation. It is a necessary evil.
12. Arthur (Current Merlin) - probably either a lot better or worse than Harry knows.
13. Someone(s) who Harry believes are definitely Dead - are not gone
14. Harry's Starborn status - a curse more than a blessing (but centered around Choice).   
15. Kincaid is good (but his Dad is really bad) - maybe Drakul?
16. Drakul is effing terrifying. Harry is nowhere near prepared.
17. Dragons are important - their deaths have caused long-term problems
18. Not all the warriors of light are good. (Lawful Evil).
19. Universe is infinitely larger than Harry knows. We know this but it is gonna rock Harry's world.
20. Harry's kids might have a bigger role than him in the end.
21. The really big players have made moves in the background all through Harry's life (and the Files). We will see the evidence when we learn who they are and what they want.
22. Harry's problems are still small scale (the Fight is far larger than Harry knows).
23. The Merlin was a lot more than he seemed. And Harry and he will//have crossed paths.
24. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. The End Times are nigh.
25. Harry is going to be alright. He doesn't know this, but that is his destiny (after all the rubbish he will have to go through).

I have probably missed a bunch, so let me know what you think is coming that Harry doesn't know or has the wrong idea about!
3.

Alright guys, here is a pretty wild theory here.

In Marvel comics, there is a being of extraordinary power called Nemesis. It existed before the Universe (ultraverse/multiverse) and became tired of it's existence. It split itself six ways into the infinity stones. And that act was the Big Bang that destroyed the previous universe creating the current one.

Now we know that Jim is a good old marvel fan, and has been reading it a long time. Perhaps as part of his inspiration was this story.

I do not think that the Nemesis in the DF is the being that split into the Queens of Faerie, I think Hecate is still a strong connection there. But I do think then that perhaps the Nemesis in DF might well be something from before the Universe. I suspect that it might even be related. Perhaps even on the scale of a Creator itself. Why do I say that? Well just think about what it can do for a second. It can cause beings who cannot lie, to lie. It can corrupt the good and twist the evil into destroying themselves. It literally changes reality with it's corruption. It can take a way a mortal's free will. It does what even an Archangel cannot. That is TWG level power. It literally can create new futures - new realities - by taking away or subverting Free Will and Choice.

Thoughts?

In the fight between Karen and Nicodemus, he has just shot Karen in the belly during their sword fight. She still manages to get Fidelacchius to his throat somehow...and then when she strikes while he is defenceless (after asking to be saved and removing his tie, coin and weapons) she then breaks the sword. Immediately he headbutts her and strikes her in the jaw. Then she fights back and loses their sparring and ends up in a lock the forces her to her knees. Then SOMEHOW he strikes her knee and breaks is, and she falls to the ground. The thing is though..how is that possible? She was already on the ground kneeling (a very strong position for a knee for a start) and then he breaks her knee and she falls to the ground again. But she was ALREADY on the ground

I would probably take a good look at the series and go, it has been a while ride but 22 books (plus 3 mega books) is too much. I would condense the next 6 books into 1 or 2 books, and make the capstone trilogy just one book. Then continue on with new works or prequel stuff etc.

I know it is harsh, and he has had more than enough personal woes, but it is probably the most sensible option. Take the pressure off and enjoy his life. But some closure for the fans - that won't take another 20 years would be great.

I fully respect his ambition and his will power to create his achievements over the past two decades, but another two just seems a bit ridiculous.

I have a very tenuous theory, but it feels right.

When Harry asks Binder who Madeline Raith is working for (in Turn Coat) Binder says he never knew. All he did know was 

it was some bloke with a lot of money. I never talked to him. When she was on the phone with him, they spoke English. He wasn’t a native speaker. Sounded like he’d learned it from a Continental.

Continental tends to mean Europe. Christos is Greek and described to wear wealthy designer suits underneath his Wizard robe.

Just a thought.