Since Jim is not monitoring the boards due to writing crunch times, I thought I'd create a thread specifically aimed at him to check when he can, in order for some questions to avoid being buried in time.
However, we have to be careful and not flood this thread with random questions. So, rules of this thread:
1) No questions obviously aimed at plot points that will be revealed later, such as "Who is the girl Marcone's protecting?" or "What really happened at Arctis Tor before Harry arrived?" or "Who is Cowl under the hood?" This can be a fine line, depending on the question. For instance, "Does Murphy know how to use those katanas, or are they just decorative?" does not violate this rule and will be allowed. Jim may not answer it, of course. Jim may not answer any of these questions.
2) Nothing personal, in this thread. This is for Dresden Files questions, only. If he deviates, well, he's allowed.
3) Don't discuss or derail the thread. If you want to discuss something he's said, make your own thread and quote him. He can come in that thread and discuss it with you...the point of this thread isn't a one-stop shop for all things Jim, but simply a place where he can see questions and answer them. If we get into discussions, this thread will wander all over the place (something I normally don't mind, but this thread is an exception).
4) Please do your homework before asking a question...see if you can find the answers elsewhere, first. Unlike some, I do not mind when someone new to the boards asks a question that's been discussed to death, but if an answer is readily answerable elsewhere, then it's a waste of breath in this particular thread. Please also note that there's a FAQ forum near the top of this board. At the time of this writing, it's a tad threadbare, but it is growing.
Can you give us a rough schedule for the next book? I'm assuming next April, but that may not be the case since your other series is finished up.
Priscelle has posted that the Estimated Publishing Date for Book 13 (As yet not-officially named) was April 5th 2011
Jim has proposed a name and Anne Sowards (his editor) tells me the name is publisher-approved. Awaiting official announcement. If it does turn out that his original title is what gets used, it is TEH AWSUM.I bet you know secrets about the next book that you are not telling us, you horrible person. You know of what I speak. :P
What the hell *is* Mouse? And mister...he's getting up in age for a regular cat. IIRC Dresden'd had him for a while as of Storm Front which would be like 10 or 11 years ago...cats live like 15-20 years.
swear to god, if he kills the pets I'm going to cry like a baby. Even if it's old age :(
Do you need to have the anguished screams of your readers for nourishment, like plants need sunlight, or do you just enjoy them?
I think he needs them for nourishment but has become a gourmet connoisseur of the infinite variety of readerly pain and trauma.
Was what appears on page 286 of the hardback my 10,000 post nod? ;)
ROFLMAO!!! Don't give the devil any ideas. Let him work for it! ;) :D
Why? The ideas he comes up with always end up cooler than the ones we make, anyway. ::)
*Takes out my Blow horn.* WHEN IS THE DRAGON'S GOING TO STAGE ANOTHER COMEBACK? *Shuts off the blow horn and sits.* No but seriously. We get a glimpse of Ferrovax a Dragon in the Roman Legion armor in Grave Peril. I'm really curious your take on the Dragon's in Dresden's world.
How comeknew that Telling Arianna about Maggie will lead to(click to show/hide)(click to show/hide)
How comeoooh. i just reread over those pages , because i sped through it the first time. It's explained on page 416 of changesknew that Telling Arianna about Maggie will lead to(click to show/hide)(click to show/hide)
Yeah...I have a question..
What did I ever do to you except like your books and give you my money?
You're gonna leave me hanging on THIS cliff for a year?
Now pardon me while I walk away and rampantly speculate in a dark room as I'm the only one of my friends who's read this book yet so I can't say a darned thing.
Stupid authors. Jerks.
Was what appears on page 286 of the hardback my 10,000 post nod? Wink
Listen closely: Jim is THE Skavis. His life force is sustained by our wails of anguish and despair. Grin
Was what appears on page 286 of the hardback my 10,000 post nod? ;)
P.S. And no, folks, Jim can't be a Skavis--if he was why would he work so hard to make us HAPPY!?! I swear, even when tears are streaming down my face, I'm still grinning so hard my cheeks hurt. Thanks, JB!
Make it to 20,000 and get in the next book, too ;)
Make it to 20,000 and get in the next book, too ;)
I got the making it to 20,000 covered.
Rub it in, why don't you? :-*
I can't rub anything in until you get within arm's reach, dear.
I got the making it to 20,000 covered.
My handle's a Terry Pratchett allusion, though, so not really Tuckerisable in quite the same way.
It that a short joke? :P
Nah, it was a "geography's a bitch" allusion. I have more respect for my hide that to make short jokes at MSD; for those, we have Shecky.
286 ??? what are you tlking about on it.
know its personal and against forum rules but humor me.
Here is a question
is Changes the last book in the dresden files series?
2.Why do you hate us?
2.Why do you hate us?
Way back in 'Death Masks (??) Shiro mentioned a 'Jade Court' of vampires. Will we ever get to 'see' them? All we got was that one little reference & I've been wondering about them ever since.
I think we have a comment from Jim elsewhere on the site to the effect that we won't see them before the big final trilogy. (Which is not a promise that we will see them then.)
Though the "Jim is Lazy" postulate suggests that there is a reasonable chance they will make it in.
Actually, I think that Changes did what I wanted. It effectively (and very nicely) Ended the Dersden Files.
Priscelle has posted that the Estimated Publishing Date for Book 13 (As yet not-officially named) was April 5th 2011
I am torn between being glad Jim is taking time to do a good job (so many authors don't, and they suck)...and REALLY NOT WANTING to wait another year. Hmph. Well, it gives me time to reread.
He's not taking time.
Book 13 is already a couple of chapters in. He'll probably have it finished by july at the latest.
His Publisher won't put out a Dresden book more than once a year.
Then he must be super super strong and filled with energy from our anguish...misery...suffering....woe
HEY MAYBE IF WE ALL RALLY AND BE JOYFUL OVER SOMETHING ELSE HE'LL WEAKEN AND BE FORCED TO
RELEASE THE BOOK A MONTH OR TWO EARLIER..
BE JOYOUS OUT THERE ALL OF YOU
1: Who do you think you're kidding? I mean(click to show/hide)
2: What happened to the migranes? You made a big deal of them having gone on for ~six months at the beginning of Turn Coat, but there's not a word on the subject in Changes. Did it just fall off the edge of your plate, or was the omission deliberate for some reason?
While I wouldn't mind Jim publishing the book earlier, I have to admit, I love having it published in April, as it has for the past few years. It feels like Jim is unofficially acknowledging it as my present, since my birthday's on April 9th :)
Me too mines the 17th
Here's a question: Aside from that brief glimpse (not even a glimpse really) of her in SK, is Titania ever going to make herself known the way Mab constantly does?
Here's a question: Aside from that brief glimpse (not even a glimpse really) of her in SK, is Titania ever going to make herself known the way Mab constantly does? It just occurred to me when I reread Small Favor that we've met all of the Sidhe Queens except, officially, for her.
Another question. Meryl Trollgirl is gone, and Fix and Lily are Summer's Knight and Lady -- what ever happened to the fourth person in their group, Ace?
RPG gave some info on Ace. Harry has no idea, Ace just fell off the radar. I'll have to reread, it might be that he's dead...
Ace is dead *In joke*. Ah, I really hate Butcher for using that cool name in that character .
Jim did say, when asked if we were going to see Ace again, "what makes you think you haven't ?"
I guess he was the driver in the hit and run at the beginning of PG and possibly behind the carbomb in WN.
Jim did say, when asked if we were going to see Ace again, "what makes you think you haven't ?"
I guess he was the driver in the hit and run at the beginning of PG and possibly behind the carbomb in WN.
If I could ask, when did he say this? Was it recently, or in the press releases for the other books?
I was wondering about Mab's rage. Why was she so angry and if her condition stems from Harry's actions at Arctis Tor?
Interesting to know, thanks. Which still sucks for us. Darn publishers.
There's a collection of Jim's DF short stories coming out later this year.
Barnes & Noble has it for pre-order (hardback rel Oct 26, 2010). It's supposed to have all (or most) of the DF shorts published seperately in other anthologies & the two on his website.
At the signing I went to he also said it would also include a 'novella' from Murphys POV that picks up about 30-45 minutes after the last scene in 'Changes'.
was Harry's father a vanilla mortal? or was he something more? u said harry had the power to fight the outsiders, well no other wizard has that power, why does he have it? he didnt get it from his mothers side? and we know very little about his father plus maggie dresden had a knack for being involved with dangerous induviduals, maybe his father was an outsider or demonic figure in the guise of a human?
How far have you read into the series? Harry's potential to wield power over Outsiders - and how it came about {to some small degree} - is discussed by Lash/Harry in White Night.
Malcolm Dresden was vanilla mortal.
Happy belated birthday, then! :D
And I'm April 11--it is a great month to have a birthday.
When were the Old Ones cast out, before humanity or did we already exist?
And by whom?
Does anyone know if we will be seeing Tera West again? I'd actually really like to see her again :(
*raises hand*
I think I remember Jim saying that we do. Anyone else remember that?
ANSWERS FROM - JIM BUTCHER — April 14, 2010 @ 2:29 pmThanks to Persephone for transcribing the answers to the Q&A thread :D
"I seem to remember at a Q&A a few years ago, you said Tera West would be showing up in Book 13 aka Ghost Story. Is this still happening, or has her character been shuffled down the line a bit due to the change in total number of case file books?"
My first answer is "bump her down a couple." But on the other hand, it might be interesting to see her again in this book.
We'll see what happens.
He just answered this in the bittenbybooks q&a. He said he was thinking a later book but it may get bumped up to 13 depending on how the story goes. Thanks to Persephone for transcribing the answers to the Q&A thread :D
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,11734.340.html
"Put some clothes on, you weird, yellow-eyed, table-dancing, werewolf-training, cryptic, stare-me-right-in-the-eyes-and-don't-even-blink wench."
I know Aftermath starts about 45 minutes after the conclusion of Changes but it to be from Murphy's POV, which will be completely different.
I have another question,
Does it actually start 45 min after the conclusion of Changes or 45 min after Murphy leaves? Has either been confirmed?
I recognize that the source got nuked, but there ought to be at least a crapton of ThreeEye junkies running about with WICKED cravings and crazy nightmares. At the very least the sheer torture of withdrawal would attract a metric crapton on Skavises. Skavi. Skavisises. Whatever.
So what happened to the drug addicts?
I don't recall anything saying it was particularly addictive.
I don't recall anything saying it was particularly addictive.We get a great description from Monica Sells of how much a person craves the three eye even after the first time they take it. Victor Sells forced her to take it, so Monica knows what she's talking about. That happens near the end of Storm Front when Harry visits her at her house. Sorry, don't have the book in front of me so I can't provide a page number.
We get a great description from Monica Sells of how much a person craves the three eye even after the first time they take it. Victor Sells forced her to take it, so Monica knows what she's talking about. That happens near the end of Storm Front when Harry visits her at her house. Sorry, don't have the book in front of me so I can't provide a page number.
OK, let me rephrase.
I remember the experience of the Sight brought on by the drug being compelling. I do not remember the drug being physically addictive.
I may be misremembering.
The taller one nodded. “Stuff hooks harder than crack. Thanks for the help. Didn’t know you were a civilian, though.
She continued, speaking in a low, hurried rush. “I wanted more. Even when it was over, even though it was horrible, I wanted more. I tried not to let it show, but he could tell. He looked into my eyes and he knew, Mr. Dresden. Like you did just now. And he started to laugh. Like he’d just won the lottery. He kissed me, he was so happy. And it made me sick.
I'm a social worker.
Psychologically addicting things are just as dangerous as physically addicting ones. Addictions to things like gambling, internet posting, and sex (to name a few common ones, and no I'm not joking about the internet thing) are just as psychologically damaging when suddenly removed as things that are physically addicting.
But that's just my SCIENCE talking.
That Book blew my mind. IS Harry really dead and is there a 13th book coming out.
i can't wait
Why isn't Odin missing an eye?
He wasn’t all that imposing to look at. A man in good shape, maybe in his early fifties. Lean and spare, in the way of long-distance runners, but too heavy in the shoulders and arms for that to be all he did. His hair was long for a man, and just a bit shaggy. It was the color of a furious thundercloud, and his eye was ice blue. A black cloth patch over the other eye combined with a vertical scar similar to my own made me think that I’d been right about the corporate logo.
*cough*
Uhm, is it possible for one of the High Sidhe to become possessed in some way? Kind of like how the Fallen can possess a mortal I mean? Or that could otherwise get to them through the people they are bound to?
So what is the science behind endogenous addictions? (I'm a social worker too, and biochemistry is kicking my social work brain'sass!
Wow, how many Social Worker's read The Dresden Files!? I'm a Social Worker too...
Ok, maybe this has been answered already, but has there been any word on what Jim's new post-Alera project will be???
Good reading, this, and the source is fairly reliable :D
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,5955.msg160950.html#msg160950
In AAAA Wizardry from the Our World. What anime wall scroll was hanging from the room with the three girls with big eyes in it?
Or is it one of the more recent Italian renditions of anime similar to W.I.T.C.H.?
Curious anime fan has checked in!
Not absolutely positive, but my strong guess is the PowerPuff Girls.
(At least, that would show excellent taste on Jim's part. ;D
LML
Except he's changed his mind since then. Currently, the space opera is on indefinite hold (just like its protagonist :D ). As of right now, Jim's done his extra short stories and is starting up with Ghost Story. There are rumblings of a fantasy project with Cam Banks, but those are unofficial (so says Cam, anyway ;D ). The EPIC epic fantasy is also in a holding pattern. Mostly, Jim's finally able to relax a little bit - the writing and publishing schedule of the past several years has been a real bear on him and his fam, and I'd be willing to bet they're all appreciating the lowered demands on his time for the moment. :)
I've been editing / proofing 'for fun' since I started reading...I tend to be a natural at it. I mean, I still make typos myself, but your/you're, sense/since, quiet/quite and the like tend to jump out at me and disturb the flow of what I'm reading. Netspeak crap like your/ur is very annoying. As you can imagine, reading message boards or practically anything else online tends to set off that peeve on a near-constant basis. I try to control it, but I always have the urge to say something about it. Do you get that urge too? If so, how do you turn it off?
I tend to be a natural at it. I mean, I still make typos myself, but your/you're, sense/since, quiet/quite and the like tend to jump out at me and disturb the flow of what I'm reading. Netspeak crap like your/ur is very annoying. As you can imagine, reading message boards or practically anything else online tends to set off that peeve on a near-constant basis. I try to control it, but I always have the urge to say something about it. Do you get that urge too? If so, how do you turn it off?I think the cycle o' death went more like
*******
Ok, a question for Jim. What happened to all of the Red Court infected? Was their connection strong enough to kill them? Were they cured? Did they remain as they were, meaning the next time one loses control and kills, the Red Court is reborn?
Also, as I understood it, the bloodline curse would travel up the generations, killing all direct ancestors. If Maggie had been killed, it would have taken Harry's and Susan's parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. If it could jump over to siblings as well, Thomas would be in danger, who would have passed it up to the White King. Possibly Lara and the other Raith sisters could have died as well, if the curse could spread to the other siblings of a half-sibling. Suffice it to say, many would die. The trouble comes in if the curse is also able to trace it's way down bloodlines. It seems to have done that in the Red Court. Susan was sired by Bianca, sired by Ortega, sired by Arianna, sired by the Red King. Any other childe (please excuse my use of V:tM terms) of Bianca, Ortega, Arianna, or the King would die. So that takes out the first and second generation vamps, but descendants of 2nd generation vamps other than Arianna would not be in direct ancestry or the siblings of someone that was.
Red King - Arianna - Ortega - Bianca - Susan
|________N2 - G3N2 - etc.
\________N3 - G3N3 - etc.
While nobles N2 and N3 (on through Nx) would die because they were siblings to Arianna, the 3rd generation vamps of their lines are only cousins to Ortega, not siblings. Since those vamps did die, that means the curse traveled back down bloodlines from anyone it targeted, as well as up them.
The trouble with that is, if Maggie had been killed, the entire human race, and possibly all life on the planet could have died with her. Either this curse was only theoretical until now, or it can't travel up and then back down other branches, and there are still Red Court vamps around, just with no central authority.
I suppose that another possibility is that the curse's ability to trace back down lines of ancestry stops at any point that the direct ancestors are already dead. Then it would seem that Thomas was safe, because Margaret was already dead. Any other children of Ebenezer would die, but unless his mother or father were still alive, any siblings or cousins of his would be safe. However, the fact that the Red King was still around meant that every vampire of his court would die, as the curse traveled up to him and then back down every branch coming from him.
Hmm, that was much longer and more difficult to explain than I'd expected. Perhaps I can mock up a better family tree illustration if necessary.
I think the cycle o' death went more likeOnly other vamps made by Bianca would be Susan's siblings. The rest would be cousins.
Susan dies, then all the vamps of her generation, her 'siblings'. Then it goes to her 'parent' Bianca and all of Bianca's 'siblings' as well wiping out that generation. Then Bianca's sire and his siblings, so on and so on, wiping out whole generations as it climbs upwards along the tree.
Also, as I understood it, the bloodline curse would travel up the generations, killing all direct ancestors
This is way late, but thanks for the info! ;)
Is Changes the last Dresden Files Book? Is Harry dead?
I would like to really know.
And there are at least 10 more planned books.If he is dead, but is then resuscitated (second time for that trick, so I doubt that's exactly how it plays out), then I guess that technically releases him from Winter Knighthood. There is no "spirit of the law" in Faerie rules, so the technicality stands. It stands, even as crazy as it may make Mab to have finally gotten whom she loves, only to have him independent, unowned again. Really, do you think Maeve or Aurora made such a production to celebrate when they claimed Slate or Reuel? Harry was starting to melt the Ice Queen's heart a little, and since she cannot be other than what her nature makes her, the paradox made her a little nuts. The cold snap after losing him so soon is sure to be horrific. I wouldn't be surprised if all of Lake Michigan freezes solid down to it's bed this winter.
Apparently, yes. Harry is dead. In October you could check "Aftermath", a new short story that would be published on "Side Jobs", the book that recollects the short stories of the Dresdenverse. Aftermath takes place 45 minutes after "Changes" and it is narrated by Murphy.
Of course, there's also the question of who ends up being the closest vessel of Winter that ends up with the mantle. Toot-toot usually isn't far from Harry, and he considers himself part of winter now, right? That would be hilarious in a way, but also very sad if Mab does something nasty to him in a fit of rage. She's also unlikely to recruit a new Knight anytime soon, as she tries to get Harry back. Whomever ends up holding the mantle may be blocked up in ice for a while.
Only the Queens are eligible vessels for the Knight's power. If just any Summer faerie could receive the power, Harry wouldn't have been able to deduce anything useful from the information the Mothers gave him in Summer Knight--in particular, he wouldn't have known that Aurora did it.Hmm, ok... I just figured Aurora made sure she was near when it happened, but I see your point. Scratch that part, then.
-Max
I love the PowerPuff Girls. Bubbles is my fav
It stands, even as crazy as it may make Mab to have finally gotten whom she loves, only to have him independent, unowned again. Really, do you think Maeve or Aurora made such a production to celebrate when they claimed Slate or Reuel?
"loves " ?
Harry is the strongest wizard of his generation, and Mab may well know about his nigh-unique power over Outsiders; that's plenty of reason to celebrate exceptionally, without an atom of love involved.
Harry has a history of making nonhuman minds a little more human by the way he interacts with them, such as with Bob and Lash. it's almost as if thinking of them in human terms causes his mortal free will to rub off on them a little.
I read that as "harry is good at anthropomorphising non-humans he hangs around with for any length of time", fwiw. That it's a perception thing rather than necessarily an entirely real thing.Sure, that's how it begins, and then the anthromorphisms stick. Lash eventually drifted enough from Lasciel that she sacrificed her existence (or most of it, at least) in order to save Harry. Bob has no reason to have a personality except that Harry treats him as a person. Harry's id may agree with Bob pretty often, but the rest of Harry finds Bob's perverse fascination with sex to be annoying and strange. When it's just one of many air/intellect spirits, or a shadow that lives entirely in Harry's head, there's not a lot of consequence to it developing a more human persona, but even a tiny drift in the mind of a being like Mab could have a huge impact, possibly compounded by the athame. Perhaps it was Margret's.
I read that as "harry is good at anthropomorphising non-humans he hangs around with for any length of time", fwiw. That it's a perception thing rather than necessarily an entirely real thing.Harry is like a virus, or a really good, not overly dogmatic, proselyter. He gets in between the spaces of your thoughts and settles there like dust. Then you can't get him completely out, no matter how much you shake your head, or pound it against the wall, or have someone blow into your ear. - from the unauthorized memoirs of Lash ;)
Sure, that's how it begins, and then the anthromorphisms stick. Lash eventually drifted enough from Lasciel that she sacrificed her existence (or most of it, at least) in order to save Harry.
This is what Harry likes to think; it may well serve Lash for him to be mistaken here....and maybe the entire series is the schizophrenic fantasy of an institutional patient.
...and maybe the entire series is the schizophrenic fantasy of an institutional patient.
Whatever, I'm done. :)
I hardly think "one character, who is noted for the skill of her deceptions among beings who habitually deceive on a scale of centuries, and who has already been shown capable of fairly large scale deceptions (cf. 'Shiela') deceives our protagonist on an important plot point" is on a par with "Harry is actually one of those guys at the back of the room in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and it's all in his head".Somewhere, though, JB actually said that Lash really did change, and it's not some con.
Somewhere, though, JB actually said that Lash really did change, and it's not some con.
Thanatos would appear to have changed/deleted the post I intended to respond to here, but I just want to say; I did not intend any personal antagonism, and I apologize for coming across as in any way personally antagonistic.I would PM this but your inbox is full...
Peace :)
And Rock and Roll....
which of these is the greatest, Jim?
I called and you came! Another manifest proof of Jung's notion of collective unconscious =)
And Rock and Roll....
Love has a sword. Rock and Roll, of course, has an axe.
(http://bitstream.soundandvisionmag.com/.a/6a00df3521c6368834010535e93013970b-320wi)So who get's the rock axe? I just can't visualize anyone else but full grown Toot wielding that baby.
For your last, I think the book itself has your answer:
Changes Spoilers:(click to show/hide)
We don't know if he was correct to think that, of course. But at this point, it's likely that we'll never find out.(click to show/hide)
For your last, I think the book itself has your answer:
Changes Spoilers:(click to show/hide)
We don't know if he was correct to think that, of course. But at this point, it's likely that we'll never find out.(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
Is a change from half vampire to full vampire an immediate change or does it take a little bit of time?
If the change rids an individual of a soul, then does the person lose memory of there human life?
The way I remember reading it in Changes it was a process. Susan said she was feeling different emotions/sensations and the process wasn't complete before she died because she would have attacked Harry if she was full Rampire.
(and how does the process compare to other half-to-full transitions, such as changelings Choosing to become Fae?)
Oh...I never realized this thread existed...wwwhhhhoooooooboy....here we go, let's see if I can get them all in one *takes deep breath*and finally...(click to show/hide).....(click to show/hide)
Jim, can I have Ghost Story now?
Do you need to have the anguished screams of your readers for nourishment, like plants need sunlight, or do you just enjoy them?Probably both. He's one of them Malvora folk. Can't you tell by his wickedly good looks?
A couple of Questions:
1: which is more fun to write, Dresden or Alera
2: Do you play the Dresden Files RPG, if so, can we see your character?
Jim, we know you're probably commenting through at least one or two logins
I'm just saying he's probably got an account to log in with to throw in a comment or two without everyone going "OOOO" and AAHHH" over it.
I believe he's answered both of these in interviews.
1) "Different, and fun for different reasons" is a good summary as I remember?
2) He will neither play nor GM Dresden files. As a GM it would "be too much like work" and as a player I believe his exact words were that he'd "be a GM's nightmare. 'It is this way and I'll put it in the next book if I have to!' ".
Hope that helps. Can provide links to interviews if you need.
That really would suck as a GM - I could also hear something like that can't happen or didn't happen because of this... Sucks that he wouldn't GM it because I could see that game rockin'
--- Magis
Um... huh?
Jim averages .2 posts per day. My guess is Neuro and Shecky spend a cumulative ten x more time contemplating the DV than the man himself, at least these days =) I had suspected the same thing when I first signed on to the boards, but word prints don't match up on any of the likely suspects. And then I realized I was chasing a will-o-wisp. Jim has fun in his life, and I *believe* he loves what he does, but his fun times likely come from something non -work - related.
Unprobable. Jim is maniacal and loves to jerk us around, but the man does have a life... He does other things than read through what his fans are endlessly speculating about. And he's actually pretty nice. When he speaks it is often open to interpretation and we run with that just fine. He doesn't need another login to jerk our chains.
Edited: for spelling. (unprobable is not a word but gets my point across)
My guess is Neuro and Shecky spend a cumulative ten x more time contemplating the DV than the man himself, at least these days =)
improbable?
Jim, I have a few questions.
Where did Mister go after Harry's house burned down?
Now that Harry's gone, will Micheal go back in to the monster-smiting business, at least to defend Molly from the White Council?
Also, now that's Harry's gone, what kind of personality can we expect from Bob?
Give the newbie a break, Shecky! No harm in asking. It's not like Jim's gonna give him a straight answer anyway. We all know he's more Fae than Mab! ;D
Here's another question that won't likely get an answer :P
Why is Demonreach "aptly named"?
Thanks! I'll be here all nights
Try the chicken instead.
'Nother question - who is Jim's favorite "hero" and "villian" to write excluding Harry?
I read somewhere (not sure if it was in a transcripted interview or on the forums) that the ends of the black staff have the ability to take life and give it back. If this is the case has Eb ever used the staff to its full potential?
The above says that the Grey Council is 13 persons but why did then Eb say this in Turn Coat hardback version page 405.
"So where does that leave us" <--Harry
""With pure hearts and good intentions," he answered. "Our strength shall be the strength of ten."
I was kinda worried bout that. So to rephrase the question in a way that leaves out speculation. As the Blackstaff we know Eb can break the laws of magic, has he ever brought someone back from the dead?
My guess would be that if he had that ability, he'd bringback to life.(click to show/hide)
You'd think so, but there is so little known about 1) what offenses Maggie1 actually committed and 2) what their relationship was like. But guessings fun. 8)Plus Eb seems very practical, who knows what bringing someone back from the dead like that does? It could have adverse on the individual and perhaps even on the veil that seperates life and death. We've seen what happens when people poke that particular border.
My guess would be that if he had that ability, he'd bringback to life.(click to show/hide)
Because Eb is fond of Tennyson. (Heck, perhaps he met him.) Its a line describing Sir Galahad's strength, not a numerical descriptive.
I thought it more a nod to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". :D
Plus Eb seems very practical, who knows what bringing someone back from the dead like that does? It could have adverse on the individual and perhaps even on the veil that seperates life and death. We've seen what happens when people poke that particular border.
i should also point out that(click to show/hide)
i should also point out that(click to show/hide)
Wait wasn't she like 8 in Changes, which would mean she was conceived in Fool Moon, right?
i should also point out that(click to show/hide)
[ Spoilers for Changes ](click to show/hide)
(click to show/hide)
Nah, after talking in the killing Nic thread I want to know that as well. Something else that I also want to know since I saw some people discussing the possibility some time back.
Can you use the NeverNever to travel to other planets (or does each planet have it's own NeverNever)?
Hi. I've asked this question before and been pointed to various non-Jim posts, but I'd like to ask it here (and love it if Jim answered it):
Is the flavor text of the RPG Canon? I can see Jim disregarding the rule mechanics as he writes, but is the book filled with what Harry, Billy, and Bob believe the world to be (at the time of writing)?
Richard
Im sorry if this sounds too much like im asking for info in the next book, but in the DV is it possible for a ghost to practice ectomancy?I think I recall WOJ to the effect that ghosts are merely psychic imprints or echoes. If so, they don't think, are on auto-pilot and shouldn't be able to practice anything.
I think I recall WOJ to the effect that ghosts are merely psychic imprints or echoes. If so, they don't think, are on auto-pilot and shouldn't be able to practice anything.
Jim, you mentioned that wizard "Listens-to-the-Wind was of the Illinois. That was a sizable confederacy
made up of a number of cognate tribes: Peoria, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Cahokia, and Tamaroa, to name
the five most populous. Listens-to-the-Wind also spoke about the annihilation of his tribe because of his
refusal to intervene.
As one who has studied the Illiniwek in depth, I concluded that Listens-to-the-Wind spoke of one of three
battles: the devastation of Kaskaskia (Village) in 1680, the extermination of the Tamaroa sub-tribe shortly thereafter,
or the siege at Starved Rock.
Did LTW refer to one of these three historically recorded events or something lost through the ages?
This is the link to my Illini web site and the pertinent sub-unit: Scholarly citations are provided.
http://rfester.tripod.com/iroq.html
but according to Jim and the product info on the next book saysWe'll have to wait and see but I suspect that Harry is not literally a ghost but his 'soul' is wandering about lose. Pure conjecture on my part.therefore my question, lol(click to show/hide)
hmm, but if thats the case wouldnt he still have access to soulfire?
Yeah, I've wondered about this myself. If angels can use soulfire, and angels are nothing but soul-- which, according to Bob, is the case-- then angels can use magic, since soulfire is a mixture of a soul's energy and magic. If Harry is a soul, and if his soul is structurally similar to an angel's soul, then it seems like he should also be capable of using magic, at least potentially. Maybe the problem in Ghost Story is less that he can't use it and more that using magic as a soul is different from using it as a living mortal, and he just doesn't know how to do it. Or maybe it's as simple as Harry not believing that he can use magic while he's a soul, which could effectively make him unable to do so.
Actually i think soulfire is completely different from magic. It feeds into to magic rather than the other way around. I bet the angels don't use magic, because remember when michael told harry that magic was evil/unholy
“So what you’re saying is that this hand construct was made out of my soul,” I said.
“Your soul and your magic fused together, yeah,” Bob said. “Your soul converted into energy. Soulfire. In this case, the spirit energy drawn from your aura right around your right hand, because it fit the construct so well, it being a big version of your right hand and all. Your standard force-projection spell formed around the matrix of soulfire, and what had been an instantaneous exertion of force became a long-term entity capable of manipulation and exertion to the same degree. Not really more powerful than just the force spell, as much as it was more than simply the force spell.”
Bla.
Did i do it right
Yep and thanks Myyrdn Eopia
At least, that's what it sounds like to me. I could be wrong.
For some reason this has bothered me recently.
Why, over the past decade, has Harry never 'gazed Murphy?
he did when they first met, its been said a few times, but she insisted on it
I wonder what HIS soulgaze would look like.
I suppose. To take it in more of a fourth wall breaking way though. Everyone else around him has either forced him, tricked him, or accidentally soulgazed him. He does it at least once a book.
I suppose. To take it in more of a fourth wall breaking way though. Everyone else around him has either forced him, tricked him, or accidentally soulgazed him. He does it at least once a book.
He even tries to 'gaze murphy in Grave Peril, but she's lost in the Nightmare.
I just wonder what her soulgaze would look like.
First, if Stoker and Lovecraft were "on to something", what about Mary Shelly? Do Dr. Frankenstein's experiments exist in the DV and if so what happened to his Monster?
Is Elaine still more skilled than Harry at this point, or has he caught up with her or surpassed her?I've always considered Harry a bit of an obsesive-compulsive. IMO, to the extent that Elaine has more talent, Harry has: 1) more raw muscle; and, is incredibly more focused on improving, considering his life experiences to date.
I've always considered Harry a bit of an obsesive-compulsive. IMO, to the extent that Elaine has more talent, Harry has: 1) more raw muscle; and, is incredibly more focused on improving, considering his life experiences to date.Harry is going to grow into a more impressive wizard, over time, for that reason. The best engineers and mathematicians I know took home books on non-linear math and read them for *fun*. Harry is into this stuff. Elaine I think has issues and while I see her as talented, she seems more likely to plateau.
On the other hand, she might be so thoroughly traumatized by her experience at the hands of Justin and so driven to make certain she is never a victim again that she adheres to a fanatic regimen of study and self-improvement. A bit like the medical student whose close friend died of cancer who studies fanatically to enter into med school and/or to work as a research scientist. Highly motivated.
Elaine may also be motivated by a sense of competition with Harry.
It may be she didn't know what else to do, so imitated Harry just to have a job. I agree Harry's teaching experiences forced him to get better, but I'd also include access to Bob as a real bonus for Harry. I think Harry is flat out stronger, with less control, but I think he's gained a lot of control and would be more powerful than Elaine, except for possible sneakiness/deception on her part.
Jim, how was your birthday?
was "injun joe" nekkid when he transforms in TC because the alphas always are.?
Suckup. I wish I had thought of that.
It's not like he actually answers these
Oh I didn't mean any against him but has he actually posted in this thread?I don't think he has posted in this one but he has posted in the earlier parts, and sometimes he replies in other topics in the forum ;)
It's not like he actually answers these
Mr. Butcher sneaks into the forum like a NINJA and posts in a couple different places before anyone realizes, then there is a rush to get to those threads, and then Mr. Butcher tends to leave after answering a few questions and responding to a few comments. He's been busy, he made a lot of con appearances and added Side Jobs to his schedule this year. I figured he wouldn't be here in a while. And for about a month after he's made an appearance people are all abuzz and on very best behavior hoping to spot him again.
He definitely does bop into his forum to see how things are here, pats his rabid fans on the head, and hand out a tidbit of information that leaves us completely confused and ravenous for more.
Was Harry's Grandmother () a Wizard? Or rather, did she have any magical talent at all?(click to show/hide)
Love the books, even though Changes was a little traumatic. What can you tell us about what happens next without giving too much away?
Why aren't vampire predator spirits left at the door when they cross a threshold? I mean, if the human part of Thomas can die with the demon part staying alive, why not the other way around?
Hey Jim, saw you at the 'Changes' signing in SoCal & forgot to ask you about this.
Way back in 'Death Masks (??) Shiro mentioned a 'Jade Court' of vampires. Will we ever get to 'see' them? All we got was that one little reference & I've been wondering about them ever since.
Here's a question: Aside from that brief glimpse (not even a glimpse really) of her in SK, is Titania ever going to make herself known the way Mab constantly does? It just occurred to me when I reread Small Favor that we've met all of the Sidhe Queens except, officially, for her.
New question for Jim:
Did Harry name his foundling kitten after Mister Mistoffeles from the play Cats?
After all, that Mister has a magic/stage illusion theme...
Okay, so House Raith feeds on sexual energy, and people affected by true love burns them. Is the entirety of the White Court affected by love the way the Raith clan is, or is it different for Malvora and Skavis? Because for Skavis, the opposite of despair is technically hope...
'Nother question - who is Jim's favorite "hero" and "villian" to write excluding Harry?
As the Blackstaff we know Eb can break the laws of magic, has he ever brought someone back from the dead?
Ah. But what did he have to DO to ressurect his dead love, is the question. Bob says "he crossed the line. Several times." And while the magic isn't being depicted from the same angle as the books, there /are/ several similarities in the rules that govern magic, one of which is: you don't get something for nothing. The forces of magic exist in balance. I mean, if you want to bring back someone from the dead, it's only reasonable that someone /else/ must . . .(source (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,2130.msg44024.html#msg44024))
"Or his death curse was something subtle Harry did not notice."
Regarding Justins potential Death Curse...
"From here on you shall ALWAYS take cold showers!"
Dear mr Butcher and anyone else reading this,
I am practicing posting as I have hardly ever been using this (or any other) forum before. How fortuitous that I have a whole bunch of questions (to be answered if/when you have the time and/or inclination of course)! Here is a warm up one:
How does Justine feel now?
When Harry met Justine in Bianca's laundry room she was mad with too much feelings. To me it seemed as if she had had that problem before and being with Thomas made it better. I got the feeling that this was one of the things that made her so attractive to Thomas from the start, for a creature who feeds on emotions a person like that must be like an all-you-can-eat free buffé. No one feeds on her now, as she is protected by True Love, but does she still have her emotional problems? Or did the huge chunk of her life that Thomas ripped out of her cure that?
JB said that? Weird. I though Justine would be sad about Thomas.
But when they are alone together, nothing else going on, their like totally cute. Justine wears like these grownup version of footie pajamas so that she can snuggle up next to him on the couch and watch TV without actually burning him.
unending guilt & self-recrimination?
How is Gard's name supposed to be pronounced?
Thank you so much for the pointers the answer to my last question! Here is a new one:
In SmF, Harry talks about how the Swords of the Knights of the Cross can be destroyed if someone picks them up when they are, as Lea puts it, ownerless. Destroyed as in not only rendered powerless, but also melted or shattered or otherwise made unable to function as swords normally should.
What does it take for the church to be able to destroy the coins? Not just make a bearer give them up and the fallen to loose it's power over them, but actually, physically destroy the coins?
Quote from: bobIt seems to me that as long as the Church has some of the coins, those paerticular Denarians are neutralized. Doing a Mt Doom with the coins might free up the spirits housed within to act freely in the world.
Well. Not quite freely, but MORE freely, certainly. The Fallen bound in the coins are the freaking elite of Hell--everyone the big D didn't want trying to stab him in the back, basically. If they were suddenly freed it would do all kinds of horrible things to about a million balances of power, with repercussions that would last for centuries.
Which assumes that they /can/ be destroyed. I mean, don't think that in 2,000 years, no one has ever TRIED it. And there are still thirty of them kicking around.
Which isn't necessarily to say that it's impossible. But it sure as Hell wouldn't be easy. And given that, while in the coins, they ARE effectively frozen in carbonite without a human agent to assist them, containment certainly seems to be a prudent course.
Funny you should mention that whole notion about redeeming Lasciel . . . > :)
Jim
What would it take to get the Archangels, or Heaven at all for that matter to get sufficiently provoked to get "involved" and I dont mean involved by handing soulfire to a reckless but well meaning young wizard. Would we ever get a chance to see "Jake" cut loose on somebody, anybody?I think seeing "Jake" cut loose would cause extreme imbalances. Remember, Jim has said that the last Archangel to so directly interfere with the mortal world's moral compass was about 90 degrees off true and he is rather notorious.
Is it possible to use the NeverNever to get to the Moon or Mars or someone else like that?
Harry probably does laundry-- either it got done by his Summer Court cleaning service, or Harry uses a laundromat. Washing machines are not, in general, complex and overly reliant on delicate electronics. Or, rather, they don't have to be, and those at a laundromat probably wouldn't be. Another alternative is that he could do his washing by hand. Yes, by hand-- they still sell mechanical 'washing machines' for use in a sink.
Jim, will Toot-Toot and/or the rest of the Za Lord's guard ever get their own "short" story? hehe see what i did there?
"You think the dry cleaner can get this out?"
(...)
"The last time I took something stained by a slime golem to a cleaner, the owner burned his place down the next day and tried to collect on the insurance."
(From the beginning of It's My Birthday Too)
So Harry has used dry cleaning at least once. ;)
I thought it Luccio trained both Ramirez and Steed.
(Highlander reference, for those playing the home game.)
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!
you aint it ;)
Ramirez should've been it. My only real grouse about the original movie.we shall have to have a chat about that someday. pros and cons I think he was tired and basically LET Conner have it but I digress. I've no Idea who trained which wardens.
we shall have to have a chat about that someday. pros and cons I think he was tired and basically LET Conner have it but I digress. I've no Idea who trained which wardens.
I was under the impression Harry and Elaine were about the same age. However when Harry is imagining her in his head (the last time he saw her) he imagines Elaine as a 19 year old ? Is elaine 3 years older than harr?
“I don’t have any relatives. We were both adopted by the same guy, that’s all. We lived together, drove one another nuts, hit puberty together. Do the math.”
She nodded. “How long were you together?”
“Oh. Until we were about sixteen.”
Here's one. If Lovecraft is true, and Dracula is true, is Frankenstein true? If so what happened to Dr Frankenstein's monster?
Here's one. If Lovecraft is true, and Dracula is true,
here is a question that came up in another thread (I'm younking it directly from parthagenon)
Why does the ban on enthrallment still apply to nonhumans, while the Law prohibiting killing only applies to humans?
in other words can we get some more info about how the Law about Enthrallment come about and what it is there for?
I hope I'm asking this in the right place! :-[
Browsing Amazon.com I noticed a new short story collection (Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy) with a story by Jim due out on July 5. Will this be a Dresden Files story? If so, will there be any problem having come out before Ghost Story, spoiler-wise? I'm fairly sure the dude on the cover is supposed to be Harry, but I could be wrong.
Does Nicodemus have any alternate forms other than his shadow?
No, he just has his shadow do things for him. You go relying on an alternate form to get things done, that still puts you in personal danger and Nicodemus is more practical than that. He'd rather stand over here and let something else kill and get the work done. Unless it's something cool like a Knight of the Cross, in that case he's still got something to prove.
The story is called Curses I believe, and it takes place well before Ghost Story on the timeline. It was supposed to come out a while ago but the release was delayed. (and yes, that is Harry on the cover ;D its one of the main reasons I'm actually gonna buy the collection instead of just drinking coffee with it at Barnes and Noble)
Since most books (except changes which clearly is a huge turning point even more so than usual) have a 2 word title i was wondering if there was a cool story, some significance, or just why they happen to be the same length (fool and moon are both 4 letter words, grave peril are both 5, etc.)?
Also dude sweeeeeeeet books man
Since harry does explicit power calculations a few times, there must be some unit of "magical energy". What is it called? How is it defined?
Since harry does explicit power calculations a few times, there must be some unit of "magical energy". What is it called? How is it defined?
Thaum, as in the "the first law of thaumodynamics".
I don't know if this question has been asked yet but:
What is up with MAC? Don't get me wrong cause I think he's all sorts of hidden bad assery underneath the layers of two word sentences. I just want to know if you have awesome plans for him. I don't need specifics or spoilers, just a yes or no will do! ;) thanks!
Who takes care of the Archive/Ivy when Kincaid is away on "business"? Also, she was too young to do anything on her own when she became the Archive. Who originally hired Kincaid as her protector and did he have to change her diapers? :D
Wasn't he working for her mother when she was born?Kincaid had worked for the grandmother and knew the mother. When grandmother was killed
Changes SPOILERWelcome to the club Alilisa :). I think you'd need to read the rest of the series to understand where this fits in. For Harry, I don't think he had any other option to(click to show/hide)
remember your spoiler tags! --Blaze
New question:
Will the RPG ever get a cameo in the series?
Jim mentioned once that Mother Summer in SM is the second mother summer in recorded human history. I was wondering if anything significant happened in relation to the change.
coughcoughiceagecoughcough
In Grave Peril, Harry crosses into the Nevernever from his apartment living room. It goes to "his apartment, only a bit cleaner and brighter". In Changes, he crosses from his lab (only one room away), and ends up in a garden with a primrose path (I see what you did there ;) ). So, do different parts of Harry's home lead to different parts of the NN, or did the NN 'next to' his apartment change between the two books?
(In the search results, this was only discussed kind of tangentially)
SpoonR
I think the CrossOver from his lab is the one that Lea has had guarded to keep UglyNasties from coming in from. And I don't think he knew of it until he got his mother's gem from Lea.
Yeah, but Leah says she's protected allllll of his apartment, not just the lab. Go back and read that recent thread -- lots of thoughts there.
Yeah, but Leah says she's protected allllll of his apartment, not just the lab. Go back and read that recent thread -- lots of thoughts there.
Some time does pass between GP and Changes.
How did Micheal become a Knight of the Cross and how/when did he and Harry first meet? Also, I reread Small Favor recently and it left me wondering...Who is/was Mab in debt to?
Ooh, there's a question.
Is Mab older than the Dinosaurs?
When?
Mab has a line in Small Favor when she is talking to Harry where she says something akin to "Don't question me. I am Mab and I have paid my debts."
“There are others yet who will pay for what they have done,” Mab snarled in her own voice. It sounded hideous—not unmelodious, because it was as rich and full and musical as it ever had been. But it was filled with such rage, such fury, such pain and such hate that every vowel clawed at my skin, and every consonant felt like someone taking a staple gun to my ears.
“I am Sidhe,” she hissed. “I am the Queen of Air and Darkness. I am Mab.” Her chin lifted, her eyes wide and white around the rippling colors of her irises—utterly insane. “And I repay my debts, mortal. All of them.”
I don't think she means she owes someone a debt in the same way that Harry owes her. I think she means repay my debts the same way someone might say I owe them a good beating. Her 'debt' is to those that have wronged her.Yes, that's how I read it too. :)
Me three. Would NOT want to be Thorned Namsiel when she gets her
cold claws on him. (not sure of spelling - sorry) She's so gonna make
his life miserable.
oh...
Can the sidhe be infected with the Denarians?
oh...
Can the sidhe be infected with the Denarians?
We don't know, but I doubt it. I don't think the sidhe has individual souls.
I've got an authory question. Did Jim know how long the DF series was going to be when he started?
I'm re-reading Dead Beat right now and from the way Mab spoke of Kemmler, a lot of the signatory nations of the accords may have viewed him as a potential threat.
What would happen if someone walked through an empowered circle without first breaking it with their foot?
I'm pretty sure it just breaks it IIRC. Binder was going to throw a rock across Harry's circle so his demons could eat Harry and Murphy.
I'm pretty sure it just breaks it IIRC. Binder was going to throw a rock across Harry's circle so his demons could eat Harry and Murphy.
I'm pretty sure it just breaks it IIRC. Binder was going to throw a rock across Harry's circle so his demons could eat Harry and Murphy.
and even from the rumor I heard about the fact that he wanted to name Ghost Story something else, but was more-or-less railroaded back into the Two Word title. I feel like he wants to shake things up, and if so, then it's his darn series, so let 'em rip!
I think the new title is better myself.