This thread isn't about Rudolph's future; can he be redeemed, will Harry forgive him or will a dark entity offer Rudolph real power, like one of the Blackened Denarius coins.  (I like that last idea.)  This post is an open question about Jim's writing, about what he was trying to do when he introduced Rudolph in Fool Moon and used him again in Grave Peril.

I just started rereading the series again and just finished Grave Peril.  Now, I'm trying to remember if we see Rudolph again before Changes.  Maybe his name was mentioned once; that he'd left Special Investigations to go to Internal Affairs, but other than that I think he pretty much disappears from the overall story.

I'm wondering if the character of Rudolph is similar to Waldo Butters.  Perhaps Jim just needed a bumbling idiot and someone who couldn't believe what he was seeing when the Loup Garou was rampaging through S.I.'s HQ, but then decided to expand the character and make him a thorn in Harry's side. 

In Grave Peril we find out that Rudolph ran away rather than face Kravos and his demon.  So, by the third book Rudolph is a complete coward.  In Fool Moon, Rudolph is in shock and he's panicky, but he isn't running away.  Of course it helped that Carmichael told Rudolph to stay with Harry, but panicked as he was, at no time did it look like Rudolph would bolt and run.

Also in Grave Peril, Jim sneaks in a continuity error about Rudolph; which I don't think was an error at all, just another subtle indication we are watching events taking place across a multiverse.  After describing Rudolph running away from Kravos, Harry says, "Before that, I'd escaped police custody while he (Rudolph) was supposed to be watching me. I'd had a darn good reason to escape, and it wasn't really fair of him to hold that against me, but hey. Whatever got him through the day. " But that was wrong.  Rudolph wasn't at Harley MacFinn's mansion, or if he was we never saw him.  More important, it was detective Carmichael who put Harry in a police car and left him by himself, which allowed Tera West to help Harry escape.  (OK, this entire paragraph is a bit off topic, or maybe not.  I just had never noticed that continuity error before.)

Then there's this other bit of odd dialog between Rudolph and Harry in Grave Peril, after the Nightmare had attacked Murphy.  Rudolph's expression was serious, earnest. He'd never much liked me, anyway. ""You'd better not be a fake, Dresden," he said, quietly. "I'm not really sure what's going on here. But so help me God, if something happens to the lieutenant because of you ...  "I mean it, Dresden. If you let Murphy get hurt, I'll kill you."  What is that all about?  Does Rudy have a crush on Murphy, is that why he cares what happens to her, or is this more multiverse shenanigan's?  Maybe we are seeing a scene in one universe where there is a Rudolph who actually cares about the people he works with, someone who isn't a total jerk.  I don't know. 

To get back to my main point, am I forgetting something?  Is Rudolph in any of the books or short stories that run between and include Summer Knight and Turn Coat?  If not, is he mentioned in one of them?  I wonder if there are any more clues that I am missing.

This subject is for any odd or unusual situation or mystery you want to know more about or have explained.  Even if the mystery is something that Jim might never take the time to fully answer.

I was looking at the thread about the possible origins of the Red and White Courts of Vampires, and I started wondering about something Nicodemus said about the Red Court back in Small Favor.  Nic offered to help Harry wipe out the Red Court.  Specifically, Nic said of the Red Court, "They're large, well organized, dangerous to my plans, a plague upon mankind, and aesthetically repugnant. They're parasites who are inconvenient in the short term, dangerous in the middle distance, and fatal to any long-range plan. They need to be destroyed at some point, in any case."

Of course, there is no way to know why the Red Court were a threat to Nics plans until we find out exactly what those plans actually involve.  So far, I've haven't seen anyone make any detailed speculation on what Nic's long-term plan is.  I think there has been some talk about Nic; and by extension Anduriel, wanting to defeat the Outsiders, but do so in a way that probably wipes out most of humanity.  I could see the Red Court; if they were still around, not being very happy to see most of their food source disappear, but if Nic's plan involves the use of the Holly Grail or other items that were in Hades vault, I don't understand how the Red Court could get in Nic's way.

This isn't an huge issue or mystery like who fixed Little Chicago or who was responsible for Malcolm Dresden's death, but I don't want to see it get glossed over when Nic's plan or plans come into full view.

What odd or minor issue or mystery do you want to see explained?
     

So, I re-listened to the audio books of PT and BG while doing some hiking before the Summer temperatures exploded here (St. George, Utah which is at the Eastern end of the Mohave Desert) a few days ago.  I have to say I liked both books; especially BG, much more than when they came out two years ago.  I think because I already knew that PT didn't have a lot of actions scenes and I didn't have any expectations that I had the first time I read BG, it made a difference; though I still wouldn't rate either book or both together as being near the top of my best of Dresden Files list.

I'm wondering about the sign that Harry got Mac to nail up at the pub.  Talk about a Chekhov's Gun moment.  It looked like Mac might be forced to make a last stand against the Fomor and then we never saw him again.  I could be wrong, but I doubt Mac was with the crowd that followed Harry's Banner.  Perhaps once he nailed up the sign Mac was compelled to stay and defend that spot or perhaps his not quite mortal nature precluded him from coming under the influence of the Banner.  In any case, the sign and where it is now located will come into significance later, though I wonder when and in what way.

There has been some speculation about how long Thomas will remain imprisoned underneath Demon Reach, but I don't want to make guesses about that.  Prior to PT and BG there was some speculation that Thomas will one day take up Amoracchius; and I guess I could still see that happening, but there's a problem; actually two, that I don't see The Sword of Love helping to solve. 

I can envision a scenario where the new KotC saves Mr. Etri, his sister or perhaps both of them from some peril and that might balance the scales with Swartalves.  That, and an explanation that Thomas was compelled to attack Etri, it wasn't something he wanted to do.  Even if potential complications from that scenario get ironed out, how would that help Thomas with his need to feed?  The island can protect Thomas from his Hunger but what happens the moment he's released from captivity?  OK, let's say there's a solution to that problem, I don't see how taking up Amorachius would help Thomas with his Hunger and the demon behind it. 

Well wait a minute, maybe I can.  Removing the hunger demon from a White Court vampire would be fatal, but perhaps if Thomas took up Amorachius it would kill his inner demon; because love is poison to the White Court the Sword of Love should be equally poisonous, but protect the man who took up the holy sword.  Thomas would become a mortal human.  I suppose it could work, but that still doesn't do anything to get Justine back and free her from Nemesis.  I doubt that even Amorachius could help with that task.  That sword should be able to cut up Nemesis just fine; because when Michael was still a KotC Amorachius had no problem dealing with Outsiders, but unfortunately it would do the same thing to Justine, making the sword unusable.

Then again, we know one sword that appears to be capable of hurting Nemesis without harming Justine or her unborn child.  Fidelacchius seems made for the task and it's likely Nemesis wouldn't know a thing about its new abilities and limitations.  Nemesis would get a real surprise if Butters swung it at Justine.  One possible complication to Butters freeing Justine is he might be in more danger than usual.  If Butters didn't get sent a message from On High to help free Justine, if it was something Harry or Thomas asked Butters to do then Waldo might be at greater physical peril.  At least Harry believed that Michael was injured more often when Harry asked the Knight for his help rather than Michael's mission was Heaven sent.

The only other questions I have after BG are mostly issues that have already been widely discussed in other threads, like the possible long-term influence of Thorned Namshiel on Marcone.  It might take several books, but I suspect we will eventually see some sign that Marcone is changing for the worse.  There's also the question of Thorned Namshiel's feelings about Nicodemus.  Just because Marone would like to destroy Nicodemus that doesn't mean Thorned Namshiel thinks the same way.  I'm remembering the time Nicodemus called on Lasciel's shadow to paralyze Harry so Nic could recruit him.  There's no reason Thorned Namshiel shouldn't be able to do the same thing to Marcone.  That's not even a WAG, just an extreme thing that could happen if Marcone and TN's interests diverged from one another.     

When will Harry call upon Ethniu to do his bidding?  My guess is not for a long time.  One possible scenario would be when Harry has to deal with a kaiju, but that's just pure speculation without any real evidence to back it up.       

There are questions about Lara and the White Court, but some of those predate PT and BG and it appears we will be seeing a fair amount of her in the next novel, so that should be fun.  Of course, if the above scenario of Thomas taking up Amorachius and becoming a mortal human came true, Lara would not react well to that.  However, there's no guarantee that Thomas will be released from Demon Reach in the next book, so this could be a long-term issue.

Just when I think I'm finished there's always one more issue to cover.  I wonder what answer LTW will give Harry in one year, about what it means to be Starborn.  When Harry asked the Starborn question the first time, LTW essentially told Harry that he didn't have any other options than wait for a reply.  When LTW comes to tell Harry if he will answer his question, I'd like to see Harry start the conversation by telling LTW that if he can't or won't tell him what it really means to be Starborn, Harry has other sources who will give him the answers he's been seeking, and do so within the hour, because it's true.  Harry could ask Bonea about being Starborn; though if Harry didn't ask the right questions or ask them in the right way, he might not learn everything he really needs to know, but it would be a way of telling LTW; and the others who are in the know, that they can work with Harry or he can go his own way without them.  Mostly, I'm tired of waiting myself.  We've been waiting a long time for many different mysteries to be solved, I think it's time some of this jigsaw puzzle starts to get filled in a bit.   

I'm making an assumption that at some point Thomas will not only leave Demonreach prison, he will somehow manage to balance the scales with the Swartalves, so they're no longer invested in killing him.  Then again, for all we know the Swartalves could get wiped out.  No one is safe, and it happened to the Red Court so there's no reason it couldn't happen to them.  That would solve Thomas' problem too, though not in a very satisfying manner.

Once that issue is dealt with, how long must Harry keep it secret that Thomas is his half-brother?  Harry isn't a member of the White Council any more.  Other than not overtly breaking the Laws of Magic, Harry doesn't have to play by their cultural rules or worry about their politics.  Unless they decide to kill him, of course.  However, the one person it could hurt is Ebenezer; so, maybe I'm wrong about Harry not having to worry about White Council politics.  However, I'm not expecting Ebenezer to be around much longer, and once he's gone that issue disappears.   

Rather than undermining Harry I think the White Council may have actually empowered him by cutting him loose.  Any one else agree with me and can you think of another way no longer being a member of the Council may benefit Harry.

Oh yea, if Harry allows his family relationship with Thomas to become public, it takes away the leverage Lara has of knowing the secret.

There's only two things that I can think of at the moment, but I won't be surprised if there are other issues some of you might dream up.

First, I strongly doubt that TN will say anything to Marcone about assaulting Arctis Tor.  So when Mab decides to get payback against the spiny demon, I doubt Marcone will see it coming.

I would guess that TN would rather not talk about Harry kicking his ass and leaving his former host a complete mess.  However, even though Marcone didn't witness the fight in the Shedd Aquarium, I wouldn't be surprised if he noticed how badly Thorned Namshiel's former host's body was torn up after the denarians returned to Demonreach.  Though Marcone might feel it's both natural and necessary to ask the denarian for some details.   

“Nemesis,” she breathed. “Speak it carefully—or it may hear you.”

If Harry is talking to Mab; or anyone else clued-in about Nemesis, and the conversation involves the strategy and tactics needed to defeat it or its aims, I can understand that keeping Nemesis from listening in on that conversation would be a good idea.  However, by now Harry has had two open conversations with the Nemesis personality of one of his friends and one of his allies.  Those conversations weren't exactly subtle.  Nemesis knows that Harry knows about it.  So now, shouldn't Harry be able to warn his friends about Nemesis without worrying that it may hear him?

I thought the risk of doing this is that a Nemfected individual would react to finding out that Harry was aware of Nemesis by trying to nemfect Harry.    But Harry must already be on Nemesis' hit list.  For example, if Will or Georgia has already been takin over by Nemesis, wouldn't they already be looking for an opportunity to do the same thing to Harry.  Conversely, keeping his allies in the dark makes for having less effective allies.  Even if Harry held to using the term Adversary, the risk of talking about it doesn't seem any greater than the risk of not talking about it.  What do you think? 

 

There's a thread about Summer Knight foreshadowing which is about Aurora in SK and Morgan in his microfiction letter, both calling Harry a Destroyer.  What I have to say here is related but goes off on a tangent that deserves a separate discussion.

I think that while Martha Liberty does not use the word Destroyer; with the hindsight we have from reading Morgan's microfiction and what Aurora said about Harry in Summer Knight, Liberty strongly implies that is exactly what she meant when she says of Harry to Ebenezer, "You know what he was meant to be."  Also, Mother Winter described Harry as a weapon in Cold Days.  The way I read this passage is that Mother Winter wasn't referring to Harry as a thug who would kill anyone who pissed off Mab, she was saying that Harry was a weapon that was created with a deeper purpose in mind.   

So, for whatever purpose was envisioned for Harry, or whatever it is he is supposed to destroy, an awful lot of people know it.  Apparently Margaret LeFay wasn't very good at keeping Harry's purpose a secret.  It probably explains HWWB's interest in Harry when they first met and the reason why HWWBf kept saying "Send out the wizard" in Cold Days.  The Walkers wanted to turn Harry's purpose and ability to their own advantage.

To follow this idea a bit further; in Blood Rites Ebenezer told Harry that he and Margaret argued over some scheme she was working on with Lord Raith, and possibly Duchess Ariana of the Red Court.  Justin DuMorne was one of Margaret's associates so it seems likely that he was also aware of this plan.  Though at present this is just speculation, it seems to me that a solid guess is that Harry's birth, the timing of it, and its exact purpose are at the center of this scheme.

So look at the list of characters; besides LeFay, Raith and Arianna, who have some knowledge of the plan: Ebenezer McCoy, Martha Liberty, Donald Morgan; and if he knows Arthur Langtry must also know, Justin DuMorne, Summer Lady Aurora, Mother Winter, Mother Summer, and probably HWWB.  There are others who are also highly likely to be in the know, such as the Leanansidhe, Mab, and Titania.  This list might also be extended to Ancient Mai,  Aleron LaFortier and the Gatekeeper.  Finally, Captain Anastasia Luccio should be in the know.  You would think the head of the wizard's secret police would find out, whether or not the Senior Council would have officially informed her.

What I want to know is how did they all find out?  Did Ebenezer have to make a report to the Senior Council about this diner and what was said there?  That would explain the Senior Council members knowledge.  I could see Lea finding out directly from Margaret LeFay.  Justin may have also found out from Margaret or he may have had a hand in the planning.  It doesn't explain how the Summer and Winter Mother's, the Queens and Summer Lady found out.  It's possible Maeve was too lazy to keep herself informed, but then again perhaps she knew as well.  I suppose HWWB could have found out from anyone with knowledge of the plan who became nemfected.

When is Harry going to start asking questions about this?  I really hope Ebenezer has another conversation (or three) with Harry in the next book so we can start to get some answers.  Does anyone want to take a guess about how knowledge of the plan spread or guess at any other characters who may know; or might have known before their demise, about Harry the Destroyer?