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The Dresden Files => DF Spoilers => Topic started by: Dina on November 27, 2020, 07:25:54 PM
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Well, I finally bought Brief Cases and read Zoo day.
For all of you who know me and my feelings about Maggie, this won't be a surprise. I hated that story. A lot. And the WoJ before it made them even worse, with JB saying that Maggie was not in the original plan, that we had a chance of having a non-dad Dresden. Jeez, I would have loved it. But ey, at least I liked Mouse voice, even when he apparently does not know red but knows silver blue. I liked Mouse calling Harry "My Friend", capital letters.
And then, I was surprised to realize I was interested in Austin. I wish we see him again.
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I'd like to see Austin again, too.
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Even though I don't mind Maggie, I actually agree in that I think the story might have been better off without her. Mostly because it has created this awful thing of Harry being like "I have to be a real Dad and be present and take her to every game of soccer" while the world is ending. It makes almost no sense and drags the story. And while I agree with Dresden's sentiment, I don't find it very believable considering what's going on. It's almost a you can have your cake and eat it type of thing. I personally think it would be better writing and a better story if Dresden has to choose one or the other and we get to see the consequences of it.
I would prefer the story where he chooses to be absent Dad to save the world, or even if forced to and just can't be there for her. That's emotional stuff! But if he chooses to be super Dad and hide from the world and the world goes bad, that would also be interesting. A man who had the power to change things, but didn't. People would be so mad at him. Would make for a darker story I think.
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I hear what you're saying... but I don't agree. What we're seeing in the novels and short stories are typically the biggest events in his life-- a highlight (or lowlight) reel. There's plenty of time in between for Harry to deal with more mundane matters, like laundry, paying bills... or managing time with his daughter. We're not seeing him abandon his responsibilities; in Peace Talks we're shown that when he's required to deal with dangerous situations, he sends his daughter to safety so he can go do his job, and Maggie accepts it. Michael Carpenter often had to do the same thing as a Knight of the Cross, yet he still had down-time with his family (if not as much as he would have liked.) If Michael made it work, Harry should be able to as well.
At some point Harry might need to make a choice between Being There for Maggie and saving the world, and that could be interesting. But if the world is ending, it's a fairly slow-moving apocalypse (so far.) So I think we can have both... until the BAT, when all bets are off. A darker turn of the story at that point would be appropriate, but I don't feel we're there yet. But that's just my take on it, YMMV.
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I hear what you're saying... but I don't agree. What we're seeing in the novels and short stories are typically the biggest events in his life-- a highlight (or lowlight) reel. There's plenty of time in between for Harry to deal with more mundane matters, like laundry, paying bills... or managing time with his daughter. We're not seeing him abandon his responsibilities; in Peace Talks we're shown that when he's required to deal with dangerous situations, he sends his daughter to safety so he can go do his job, and Maggie accepts it. Michael Carpenter often had to do the same thing as a Knight of the Cross, yet he still had down-time with his family (if not as much as he would have liked.) If Michael made it work, Harry should be able to as well.
At some point Harry might need to make a choice between Being There for Maggie and saving the world, and that could be interesting. But if the world is ending, it's a fairly slow-moving apocalypse (so far.) So I think we can have both... until the BAT, when all bets are off. A darker turn of the story at that point would be appropriate, but I don't feel we're there yet. But that's just my take on it, YMMV.
Indeed, there is downtime. But what is Dresden ignoring so he can look after his daughter? Guarantee that he hasn't been as involved as he could have been. Almost certainly things have slid a bit in some areas. His White Council relationship might have been better had he spent more time working with them. And Ebeneezer wasn't wrong in that it makes Maggie a target having her out in the open. I mean, Eb would know. He has clearly lost people because of their association with him. So has Harry, which is what Ebeneezer was trying to point out. I wouldn't be lured in by Jim too much here - it's part of what he is good at. Making the ground appear solid then ripping it out from under Dresden (and by extension the reader).
Michael is an almost literal paragon of virtue so isn't a great comparison to Harry - who clearly isn't much of a white knight. Michael also probably quite literally has the universe helping him along. Harry is much more the just getting by guy. That's what makes him a great character - it's far more real and relatable. And as far as I am aware, Michael never dealt with anything of the scale of conflict or level of problems Harry did. In fact, Michael even says as much to Harry in a conversation. He feels sorry that Harry has such terrible choices in front of him. Harry's fate (for want of a better word) is to be the guy who faces the Abyss and has to keep on going.
I think Apocalypse isn't a Hollywood feature that goes for 3 hours. It's a process. As both Nicodemus and Nemesis say, it's a state of mind. It literally an uncovering - a revelation. But one would have thought things would have kicked off enough after the events of BG for Harry to give it his all. Perhaps he doesn't understand the stakes, or realise the timeline (which even Ethniu made reference to - there's a whole WOJ about how multiple beings keep talking about how time is running out and know the 2 minute alarm has gone off, which I think after BG it might be the 1 minute alarm). But cataclysm has arrived and is guaranteed to get worse. Jim's choosing to draw it out for his own reasons (or so it appears) but make no mistake: the avalanche has started. We are just nowhere near the end of it all.
I agree, the BAT was meant to be when it all kicks off. Not sure why Jim accelerated the timeline here then. You can't deny that the events of BG would quite literally be the worst assault on American soil ever. That in itself would be bad enough, but the discovery of the supernatural out in the open would tip it over the edge. If Russia had caused that much damage to America then WW3 would have kicked off. We're just in the opening scenes of it. Titania even implies this when she talks to Mab for the first time in a millennia.
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I completely agree with you.
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Michael had a wife and Angels to watch over his family. Harry has zero sane family. Peace Talks shows exactly how it will happen each and every time. There will be an obligatory, I must get Maggie out of harms way chapter. It was dumb in Peace Talks and will never be less dumb going forward. And there is no way for Jim to duck on it. He did it and he's stuck with it. And I don't think there will be a successful children's series out of it. Bluntly Zoo Day was wooden and stilted.
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Yes.
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I enjoyed Zoo Day. I like seeing the story from 3 different points of view, and Mouse is actually a great POV character. Maggie needs to exist. What else but his child being in danger would cause Harry to become the Winter Knight? What else would make Harry willing to sacrifice Susan to destroy the Red Court?
As for help with Maggie, he has the whole Carpenter family.
What's going to be interesting is how will things work with Maggi's new step mom.
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If Michael made it work, Harry should be able to as well.
Which Michael alluded to in the first couple of chapters of GP.
Even though I don't mind Maggie, I actually agree in that I think the story might have been better off without her. Mostly because it has created this awful thing of Harry being like "I have to be a real Dad and be present and take her to every game of soccer" while the world is ending. It makes almost no sense and drags the story. And while I agree with Dresden's sentiment, I don't find it very believable considering what's going on. It's almost a you can have your cake and eat it type of thing. I personally think it would be better writing and a better story if Dresden has to choose one or the other and we get to see the consequences of it.
I think that probably has to do with a lot of real world propaganda, most directed at girls, that one can "have it all." There's just not enough hours in the day to "go to every soccer game" and be at the pinnacle of your field.
Peace Talks shows exactly how it will happen each and every time. There will be an obligatory, I must get Maggie out of harms way chapter. It was dumb in Peace Talks and will never be less dumb going forward. And there is no way for Jim to duck on it.
He could ship her off to boarding school right there in Chicago, which is kinda the choice everyone is implying he would have to make anyway. Also, Jim has said that's what Harry's going to do.
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He could ship her off to boarding school right there in Chicago, which is kinda the choice everyone is implying he would have to make anyway. Also, Jim has said that's what Harry's going to do.
Let's remember what Jim has done to his child protagonists starting with Harry and Thomas. He turns Thomas into a Vampire. He puts Harry in the system and then gives him to Justin and forces him to fight his way out. His mother was abused by Ebenezer. Molly was kidnapped and taken to Arctis Tor. Maggie was kidnapped by the Reds and a whole family keeping her was dismembered by the Reds. And last but not least the Carpenter children have been attacked multiple times as recently as Skin Games. And now he is being pawned off to Lara. I wouldn't eat any Turkey at that table during the Holidays. Grandpa is a one man death squad, step Mom eats people, and the Wicked Faeries get a seat at the table. Thanksgiving plan. Snatch a drumstick and try not to get eaten. ;)
Anyway I know I'm an outlier about this. But it is what it is.
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speaking as a 55 year old man who never got married and never had kids. I love it when Butcher writes about being father. I am very aware that I am in a minority and my enjoyment comes from my desire to have been a parent at some point in my life. I like it but story wise for the series it does not fit. years ago Mr Butcher said he wrote Susan out of Harrys life because it created a trap to fall into with his writing. The trope of Susan being the damsel in distress that harry has to save every book she is in. Maggie is the same sort of trap.
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The trope of Susan being the damsel in distress that harry has to save every book she is in. Maggie is the same sort of trap.
Only in a specifically personal way in Changes. SG in a way, but Harry would have hauled ass as fast as he could if it was 'just' the entire Carpenter family and the archangel at risk of being murdered too. Otherwise it's been an extra dimension of not wanting the city to get blown up because his daughter is in it.
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Michael had a wife and Angels to watch over his family. Harry has zero sane family. Peace Talks shows exactly how it will happen each and every time. There will be an obligatory, I must get Maggie out of harms way chapter. It was dumb in Peace Talks and will never be less dumb going forward. And there is no way for Jim to duck on it. He did it and he's stuck with it. And I don't think there will be a successful children's series out of it. Bluntly Zoo Day was wooden and stilted.
And this is why she'll be at St. Marks boarding school for most of the year.
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Only in a specifically personal way in Changes. SG in a way, but Harry would have hauled ass as fast as he could if it was 'just' the entire Carpenter family and the archangel at risk of being murdered too. Otherwise it's been an extra dimension of not wanting the city to get blown up because his daughter is in it.
Not SG "In a Way" The only reason Harry agreed to be a part of that was because Mab held the Parasite over Maggie head as a threat. (Incidentally, good job Heavenly retirement package. No use against mortals, no use against Spirits of Intellect, no use against mortals that have been given Formor upgrades (Listen) really, what are you even paid for?)
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Not SG "In a Way" The only reason Harry agreed to be a part of that was because Mab held the Parasite over Maggie head as a threat. (Incidentally, good job Heavenly retirement package. No use against mortals, no use against Spirits of Intellect, no use against mortals that have been given Formor upgrades (Listen) really, what are you even paid for?)
Yeah it does seem odd. But tbh, I think that's the point. If you're in the mortal world the truly mortal things can get you. I doubt Bonnea would have got through into the Carpenters even without Angels though. More likely a hit on the way to school. But, for some reason the Carpenter house is always protected from the worst. Might be that Heaven nudges things so that the worst never quite gets through. And the spiritual beings are the ones who can break the rules and do all kinds of horrible stuff, hence the need for Angels I suppose.
And this is why she'll be at St. Marks boarding school for most of the year.
Sort of runs against being the perfect Dad thing though. It's not a bad solution, but it isn't the best either.
Only in a specifically personal way in Changes. SG in a way, but Harry would have hauled ass as fast as he could if it was 'just' the entire Carpenter family and the archangel at risk of being murdered too. Otherwise it's been an extra dimension of not wanting the city to get blown up because his daughter is in it.
One would think that he wouldn't want to city blown up regardless of his daughter...pre-Changes Harry felt that way.
speaking as a 55 year old man who never got married and never had kids. I love it when Butcher writes about being father. I am very aware that I am in a minority and my enjoyment comes from my desire to have been a parent at some point in my life. I like it but story wise for the series it does not fit. years ago Mr Butcher said he wrote Susan out of Harrys life because it created a trap to fall into with his writing. The trope of Susan being the damsel in distress that harry has to save every book she is in. Maggie is the same sort of trap.
It's poignant writing, sure. Jim's good at what he does and clearly has the life experience to draw from. But as you say, Maggie has become the same sort of issue in the story as Susan. I suspect Jim couldn't like Dresden as much if Harry was a bad parent. But I wonder if he could come up with a solution that perhaps involves all his allies bunkering down in a sort-of sanctuary, during the end times. Who knows?
Let's remember what Jim has done to his child protagonists starting with Harry and Thomas. He turns Thomas into a Vampire. He puts Harry in the system and then gives him to Justin and forces him to fight his way out. His mother was abused by Ebenezer. Molly was kidnapped and taken to Arctis Tor. Maggie was kidnapped by the Reds and a whole family keeping her was dismembered by the Reds. And last but not least the Carpenter children have been attacked multiple times as recently as Skin Games. And now he is being pawned off to Lara. I wouldn't eat any Turkey at that table during the Holidays. Grandpa is a one man death squad, step Mom eats people, and the Wicked Faeries get a seat at the table. Thanksgiving plan. Snatch a drumstick and try not to get eaten. ;)
Anyway I know I'm an outlier about this. But it is what it is.
If you're an outlier then so am I. I tell you what, better to be part of a nice boring family than such a dangerous one. People tend to romanticize it a bit too much.
Which Michael alluded to in the first couple of chapters of GP.
I think that probably has to do with a lot of real world propaganda, most directed at girls, that one can "have it all." There's just not enough hours in the day to "go to every soccer game" and be at the pinnacle of your field.
He could ship her off to boarding school right there in Chicago, which is kinda the choice everyone is implying he would have to make anyway. Also, Jim has said that's what Harry's going to do.
Grave Peril was 20 years ago...his perspective might have changed a bit since then. Couldn't agree more - it's the whole idea that not only can one "have it all" but you should in fact "have it all" and do it all! An impossible and frankly absurd notion. If you replace Harry's job as a wizard as a CIA agent or special forces soldier, it would be both insane and unfair to assume he could also be the ultimate suburban good parent. Harry does fine with the time he has, but there is always a cost to those choices. We just might not see all those results just yet. It's what the whole series is about really.
Michael had a wife and Angels to watch over his family. Harry has zero sane family. Peace Talks shows exactly how it will happen each and every time. There will be an obligatory, I must get Maggie out of harms way chapter. It was dumb in Peace Talks and will never be less dumb going forward. And there is no way for Jim to duck on it. He did it and he's stuck with it. And I don't think there will be a successful children's series out of it. Bluntly Zoo Day was wooden and stilted.
Agreed. But I do hope Jim's editor tells him that it's a bit stale and needs to be fixed. He cannot keep shoehorning in a chapter about getting Maggie to safety every time. And the boarding school idea is only a temporary solution. What happens when the masquerade falls?
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Sort of runs against being the perfect Dad thing though. It's not a bad solution, but it isn't the best either.
But it is what is happening, for the majority of the year it'll be entirely doable have stories without the whole leave Maggie behind bit or her being targeted yet again. Though I suspect your issues are at least part of how he's griped about how Harry having Maggie does cause some problems.
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But it is what is happening, for the majority of the year it'll be entirely doable have stories without the whole leave Maggie behind bit or her being targeted yet again. Though I suspect your issues are at least part of how he's griped about how Harry having Maggie does cause some problems.
Jim just needs to make a big decision on what sort of series he wants. Can't have both "world is getting worse building to an apocalypse" and "Harry the good Dad but also fighter of supernatural threats". It's a bit late in the day for that. Tbh, he probably should have written in Maggie much earlier. Would have given him more time.
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Indeed, there is downtime. But what is Dresden ignoring so he can look after his daughter? Guarantee that he hasn't been as involved as he could have been. Almost certainly things have slid a bit in some areas. His White Council relationship might have been better had he spent more time working with them.
But that assumes Harry is obsessed with Wizarding duties 24/7, and I find that wholly and completely unrealistic. Harry deserves a personal life, as much as anyone else with an extremely important job. Sure, there may be some tradeoffs in some areas, but I wouldn't dismiss raising a daughter (who is also a potential wizard and if so, will benefit from seeing a good example) as unimportant or meaningless. As the short story "The Warrior" reminds us, the battle of good and evil is fought on many different levels, from huge battles to small, seemingly insignificant interactions between people. So loving and spending time with Maggie can be a contribution, as much as slinging spells or swinging a staff. It's certainly proven a strong motivation for him to fight for the world, and to win. What image did Harry hold on to in order to withstand Ethniu's attack of Will? Holding Maggie and Mouse, his family. Would he have been able to save Chicago without that image to give him strength? Maybe, maybe not, but it does argue that parenting vs. wizardry doesn't have to be a question of either/or.
I keep seeing "well, Harry can't be the perfect parent," and yeah, that's probably true. But why does he have to be a perfect parent? Harry's not a perfect wizard either. He struggles, he makes mistakes, and he does the best he can. That keeps him relatable, and interesting. A perfect anything makes for a very boring story.
I get it, I do. It's a pretty huge change for the series, and it's different, and Harry being a parent just isn't going to appeal to some readers. And that's fine. It's definitely a tricky storyline to weave into the kind of major conflicts Harry's been facing lately, and I expect we're going to see Maggie shoved off-stage a lot over the rest of the series. We'll have to see whether or not it works out over the next few books, I guess.
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Pretty much. I understand it can work in the series and it's a good motivation. I just don't like it, never did, and I wish Maggie never had existed. Also, as a lesser problem, Maggie steals Mouse from us.
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This is true... I miss Mouse a lot. But I have a feeling he's got a big part to play in some future story, when we get to discover why he picked Harry. ;D
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Pretty much. I understand it can work in the series and it's a good motivation. I just don't like it, never did, and I wish Maggie never had existed. Also, as a lesser problem, Maggie steals Mouse from us.
I agree, it is much too cliche, and totally agree about Mouse. But she is here now, so I also agree with CrusherJen, give Harry a chance to raise his little girl. No, he will never be the perfect parent, heck, anyone who has ever been one, knows there is no such thing.
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I agree, it is much too cliche, and totally agree about Mouse. But she is here now, so I also agree with CrusherJen, give Harry a chance to raise his little girl. No, he will never be the perfect parent, heck, anyone who has ever been one, knows there is no such thing.
I agree
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Agreed. But I do hope Jim's editor tells him that it's a bit stale and needs to be fixed. He cannot keep shoehorning in a chapter about getting Maggie to safety every time.
On the other hand, it's also really annoying when people have a kid, usually in a sitcom, and the kid is rarely if ever mentioned again. Instead of a chapter or whatever, it could be mentioned in a sentence. GS is a good example where Molly explains to Harry that Maggie is safe. That was maybe a paragraph.
And the boarding school idea is only a temporary solution. What happens when the masquerade falls?
The masquerade falling doesn't mean that everyone knows that St. Marks is part of the supernatural. Think of it more like 1492. After the discovery of a whole new set of continents and people, it took a while to figure out even pretty basic details. Like that it wasn't the far east.
Also, as a lesser problem, Maggie steals Mouse from us.
That's the larger problem for me.
Depending on parenting style, Maggie either is or soon will be old enough to stay home by herself. If Castle Dresden is half as secure as Demonreach, that's a solution too. Especially considering she's going to have Mouse and two spirits of intellect around.
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On the other hand, it's also really annoying when people have a kid, usually in a sitcom, and the kid is rarely if ever mentioned again. Instead of a chapter or whatever, it could be mentioned in a sentence. GS is a good example where Molly explains to Harry that Maggie is safe. That was maybe a paragraph.
Yet the existence of little Maggie and Mouse were pivotal in Harry's defeat of the Titan. She almost won when Harry thought that little Maggie and the Carpenters were dead, but when Harry realized she wasn't it was his love for her and his visualization of both her and Mouse hugging him that kept his concentration and will in tact, along with the boost from the Spear, the Titan couldn't defeat that.
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But that assumes Harry is obsessed with Wizarding duties 24/7, and I find that wholly and completely unrealistic. Harry deserves a personal life, as much as anyone else with an extremely important job. Sure, there may be some tradeoffs in some areas, but I wouldn't dismiss raising a daughter (who is also a potential wizard and if so, will benefit from seeing a good example) as unimportant or meaningless. As the short story "The Warrior" reminds us, the battle of good and evil is fought on many different levels, from huge battles to small, seemingly insignificant interactions between people. So loving and spending time with Maggie can be a contribution, as much as slinging spells or swinging a staff. It's certainly proven a strong motivation for him to fight for the world, and to win. What image did Harry hold on to in order to withstand Ethniu's attack of Will? Holding Maggie and Mouse, his family. Would he have been able to save Chicago without that image to give him strength? Maybe, maybe not, but it does argue that parenting vs. wizardry doesn't have to be a question of either/or.
I keep seeing "well, Harry can't be the perfect parent," and yeah, that's probably true. But why does he have to be a perfect parent? Harry's not a perfect wizard either. He struggles, he makes mistakes, and he does the best he can. That keeps him relatable, and interesting. A perfect anything makes for a very boring story.
I get it, I do. It's a pretty huge change for the series, and it's different, and Harry being a parent just isn't going to appeal to some readers. And that's fine. It's definitely a tricky storyline to weave into the kind of major conflicts Harry's been facing lately, and I expect we're going to see Maggie shoved off-stage a lot over the rest of the series. We'll have to see whether or not it works out over the next few books, I guess.
Maybe not 24/7. But many frontline detectives, agents and defence personnel don't have much personal life because of the job. That's the a big part of the sacrifice. Harry is in that category. I don't disagree - Harry does deserve (as much as anyone can "deserve") a personal life. But it just isn't all that realistic. The less realistic Jim is within his universe, the harder it is to believe and relate to. I am not at all saying Maggie is meaningless to the story and certainly to Dresden. Part of what Jim likes Dresden to be is the guy who makes better choices in very difficult circumstances. In saying that, it closes down story lines and removes the potential for drama if Harry always makes the best choices. And that's what it comes down to as well: possibilities. Nothing worse than reading about people being happy and nothing going wrong. Conflict, and conflict resolution is what draws the reader in. \
The Warrior is a great example of the fact that you can be good in your own way and fight the good fight. It is also a great example of the fact that stories are much more interesting with drama in them. If the Warrior had been an uneventful story about Harry and Michael going to a little league game and talking about the weather I doubt it even would have been written, let alone published. It's precisely why no one writes those stories. You would only create something like that as a scene to contrast against something darker. While spending quality time with Maggie might be an important contribution to the greater cosmic battle (although that seems a fairly arrogant proposition), if someone was being murdered out the front of his building I can't see Dresden just ignoring it to make pancakes. In point of fact, he deliberately doesn't ignore trouble.
Harry did hold onto the image of Maggie - but if there was no Maggie it could have been Murphy, or Susan, or his Dad etc. Jim went with Maggie because it made the most sense. I suspect it still would have been Maggie even if he wasn't being much of a parent though. I don't think him spending time with her makes all that much difference to how he feels about her, apart from guilt.
Not sure I saw anything about Harry being the perfect parent. I doubt even the exceptional Michael Carpenter wins that award. I think it's more about a question of what are realistic priorities and actions based on what we already know of Harry and what situation is going on around him. I agree, we don't want a perfect Harry. All any of us want is a realistic Harry. The moment he becomes unbelievable we can't relate, and therefore connect, and then we don't care anyway.
It's not Harry being a parent in and of itself that bothers me. It's the way it's been done and it's impact on the series. At any rate, I am of the opinion something has to change otherwise the story will continue to be dragged and become uninteresting. Quite right though, it's all just a wait and see.
On the other hand, it's also really annoying when people have a kid, usually in a sitcom, and the kid is rarely if ever mentioned again. Instead of a chapter or whatever, it could be mentioned in a sentence. GS is a good example where Molly explains to Harry that Maggie is safe. That was maybe a paragraph.
The masquerade falling doesn't mean that everyone knows that St. Marks is part of the supernatural. Think of it more like 1492. After the discovery of a whole new set of continents and people, it took a while to figure out even pretty basic details. Like that it wasn't the far east.
That's the larger problem for me.
Depending on parenting style, Maggie either is or soon will be old enough to stay home by herself. If Castle Dresden is half as secure as Demonreach, that's a solution too. Especially considering she's going to have Mouse and two spirits of intellect around.
1. I get that. It all has to be dealt with the right way. I think it isn't unbelievable for Harry to become the absent father though, something he himself never thought he would be. Something he will hate about himself. I see it as Harry trying to be too perfect and Jim just trying to force it through. Harry can't be everything after all. It could even be a big part of his thoughts (Maggie, that is) without necessarily having to have the whole "I better take Maggie to school for picture day, oh wait I think a Demon Lord is attacking the Mayor of Chicago and the police". There are shows like Wallander which deal with detectives who are good at their job and what they do is very important, but it comes at the cost of their relationships. That's how it goes and that's why it's so often shown, because that's the truth. Anything else is somewhat absurd at best and frankly delusional at worst. It makes light of the struggle that people have trying to do the best they can.
2. Well, they might not. But I am sure the Librarians know. And even if not many know now they might work it out - "Hey what's that weird xmen school with all the weird kids" "No idea, but I did see a Griffyn on the roof and flashing lights" Scared people would probably burn it. You only have to look at the Inquisition or the Witch Trials to see what that did to societies. People wore muted colors in order to not be seen as too weird or strange. It was about fitting in and being "normal" and killing anything that would challenge the status quo. They have much better information gathering techniques and analysis than in 1492 I imagine. Also general knowledge is far better on average. It might still take a while for everyone to get on the level (although there are so many people out there ready to believe).
3. Yes I miss Mouse. But I think that Jim has decided Mouse is too powerful for current Dresden and needs Dresden to get beaten more.
Yet the existence of little Maggie and Mouse were pivotal in Harry's defeat of the Titan. She almost won when Harry thought that little Maggie and the Carpenters were dead, but when Harry realized she wasn't it was his love for her and his visualization of both her and Mouse hugging him that kept his concentration and will in tact, along with the boost from the Spear, the Titan couldn't defeat that.
Pivotal, yes. Essential, not necessarily. And Ethniu was heavily worn down. If Dresden wasn't there it's not like the Accorded Nations wouldn't have had a plan to defeat her. I guarantee if Ethniu hadn't been worn down Maggie and the spear would not have been enough.
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Yes, if Maggie were not existed there could be another McGuffin moving the plot and Harry would have defeated Ethniu by thinking on Thomas, Molly and all the Carpenters, the Knights, the Alphas, Mouse and Mister. Nothing weird with that.
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It's precisely why no one writes those stories.
Apparently you're unfamiliar with Hallmark movies.
Not sure I saw anything about Harry being the perfect parent.
I don't think perfect is the perfect word choice. Maybe something more like the typical idea of what makes a good parent. The whole being there for every soccer game is a good example. (Down below I realized we even have a phrase for this. Soccer mom. In Harry's case we should probably change it to soccer dad. Instead of Harry being a perfect dad, I think what everyone is driving at is Harry being a soccer dad). In a lot of fiction where being an insufficient parent is part of the story, I almost always see "so many missed birthdays and school plays" mentioned.
And as you said, Harry being that kind of parent is hard to believe. The problem Jim has created is that Harry just sending Maggie to boarding school is also hard to believe. I do think Jim has laid out everything he needs for a pretty easy solution though. He's set it up so there are multiple solutions for security. That's actually the easy part. (Michael's, Castle Dresden, SMAGT, Mouse).
He's also set it up where he can leave Maggie under proper supervision for long periods of time. If Jim was being more realistic about how much the diamonds should be worth and how it should be relatively easy for Harry to turn the diamonds into cash, goods, and/or services, a nanny with sufficient knowledge of the supernatural should be easy enough to come by. That would let Harry have someone there full time so he could be a soccer dad until something comes up. He would be able to just take off. Kind of how it went down in Zoo Day, but with some adult supervision.
I'm not so sure people would figure out St. Mark's so quickly. In I Was a Teenage Bigfoot, a lot of the faculty and staff didn't seem to be aware of the supernatural. (Or equipped to handle it). With the masquerade crumbling/crumbled, they could probably up their game on that and bolster security to deal with rowdy townsfolk.
While I think you maybe right about why Mouse has been sidelined, I also think "Mouse is too powerful" is kind of stupid. He isn't Superman in some Justice League story where once he gets there everything is all of a sudden easy. In any given scene, he hasn't tipped the balance in Harry's favor much more than other characters like Michael, Thomas, or Murphy.
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I agree, specially about Mouse.
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But it just isn't all that realistic. The less realistic Jim is within his universe, the harder it is to believe and relate to.
I agree, we don't want a perfect Harry. All any of us want is a realistic Harry. The moment he becomes unbelievable we can't relate, and therefore connect, and then we don't care anyway.
I think realistic and believable are in the eye of the reader. I don't think it's unrealistic for an orphan with abandonment issues to at least try to give his daughter some semblance of a parent and a family life. Will it work out, or will Harry fail? That remains to be seen. Relatability is another personal issue. My own ability to connect to a parenting storyline is limited, since I never had kids, but I can still appreciate a well-told story about it. I feel like it's too early to make a judgement call on how it's gonna work out in the end, but that's my take. I appreciate that others feel differently. YMMV.
...it closes down story lines and removes the potential for drama if Harry always makes the best choices. And that's what it comes down to as well: possibilities. Nothing worse than reading about people being happy and nothing going wrong. Conflict, and conflict resolution is what draws the reader in.
I have a feeling that a conflict between parental responsibility and Harry's professional obligations will continue to be part of the storyline, unless Maggie spends most of each novel at her school. Which might happen, and would resolve a lot of people's worries. Again, we'll see. But I can't imagine we'll ever get Harry in a happy little world where nothing ever goes wrong and he never makes a single mistake. Jim likes to torture him far too much. ;D
I see it as Harry trying to be too perfect and Jim just trying to force it through. Harry can't be everything after all. It could even be a big part of his thoughts (Maggie, that is) without necessarily having to have the whole "I better take Maggie to school for picture day, oh wait I think a Demon Lord is attacking the Mayor of Chicago and the police". There are shows like Wallander which deal with detectives who are good at their job and what they do is very important, but it comes at the cost of their relationships. That's how it goes and that's why it's so often shown, because that's the truth. Anything else is somewhat absurd at best and frankly delusional at worst. It makes light of the struggle that people have trying to do the best they can.
I get the point, even if I don't entirely agree. I think Harry will struggle with the balancing act of personal vs. professional. Most people do in one way or another. Many try to take on too much at once, trying to be perfect, and wind up fumbling their way through, even failing in areas. It may be absurd, but the attempt in itself doesn't feel unrealistic or "making light of struggles" to me. (If he succeeds perfectly, yeah, but I don't see that happening.) I guess I look more for a well-told tale than for complete realism in my reading, especially when it's fiction. (Seriously... we're talking about a wizard. Can we really expect complete realism here?? :o ::) ;D )
It's all relative, of course. I can't blame anyone for not liking the current turn of events. The longer a series goes, the harder it is to keep quality high. I've seen more than one saga collapse under its own weight, and I'm really hoping that won't happen with the Dresden Files. So maybe I'm being more optimistic than I should be... but I really want to see Jim pull it off.
And more Mouse. Always more Mouse. Mister too. ;D ;D ;D
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Pivotal, yes. Essential, not necessarily. And Ethniu was heavily worn down. If Dresden wasn't there it's not like the Accorded Nations wouldn't have had a plan to defeat her. I guarantee if Ethniu hadn't been worn down Maggie and the spear would not have been enough.
That is why Harry admitted he was only the clean up batter after Odin, the Holy Knights, Lara, Mab, etc wore her down. Even in her weakened state though, Ethniu was still formidable and almost won, would have won had not Molly anticipated the attack on her family and little Maggie, moved them as in The Lord of the Rings, but kept Mouse out of her illusion that they were still at the Carpenter home, knowing that Harry would know that the Turtlenecks would only get to Maggie over Mouse's dead body. Even with that, it was still a close thing.. However the reason Maggie and Mouse were more effective than calling up a vision of Thomas or even Murphy, is unconditional love. That is the bond between them and Harry, even though Thomas and Murphy love Harry, there are conditions or judgements attached to it.
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Somewhat off topic, but related. I just checked out the official Dresden Files timeline and saw something interesting. Death Masks; when Maggie was conceived, took place in late February, about 3 years after Storm Front. Storm Front took place in March. That means Maggie was (most likely) born in late November, approximately 3 years and eight months after Storm From. Peace Talks and Battle Ground take place in July, approximately 14 years and several months after Storm Front. Maggie is coming up on her tenth birthday, about the time when she should start to show noticeable magical abilities.
Seeing as the next book will take place during the twelve months following Battle Ground, I think Maggie's magical ability will manifest and be noticed by Harry; and at least one other, most likely Lea, near the end of those twelve months. Near the end of the novel, I think Harry will be forced to make some hard choices regarding Maggie's future education, both regular and magical.
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I can't wait for Harry's reaction when she gets her Hogwarts letter.
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Maggie is coming up on her tenth birthday, about the time when she should start to show noticeable magical abilities.
Yup. How else could you think Harry caught conjouritis? Kids are always catching germs and bringing them home to their parents... ;D
Edit to add: I think Maggie was a carrier, since her powers aren't active yet.
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I can't wait for Harry's reaction when she gets her Hogwarts letter.
^ this ;D
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Harry will probably make a (fake) Hogwarts letter for Maggie as a way to explain what she, at first, won't be able to understand.
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Harry will probably make a (fake) Hogwarts letter for Maggie as a way to explain what she, at first, won't be able to understand.
Why shouldn't she understand? She is 10 years old.