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The Dresden Files => DF Spoilers => Topic started by: Havockitten on March 13, 2026, 06:32:32 PM

Title: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Havockitten on March 13, 2026, 06:32:32 PM

MAEN, all :)

I'm only part way through book 7 at the moment, but I'm curious about people Harry meets who give off that little spark of "This person has some kind of magical talent". If they don't know they have it until after they meet him, and then ask him about it, would he direct them to someone or to certain books or anything if they wanted to learn more about cultivating whatever talent they might have? I was thinking about how he felt that spark when he met Shiela at Bock Owned Books and was wondering if she asked him for help figuring out her ability, what he would tell her. Granted, I haven't finished the book yet, or the rest of the series obviously, but am just insanely curious about that information and am hoping someone could tell me :)

Thank you for reading my inquiry.

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: g33k on March 14, 2026, 12:01:18 AM

Quote from: Havockitten on March 13, 2026, 06:32:32 PM

MAEN, all :)

I'm only part way through book 7 at the moment, but I'm curious about people Harry meets who give off that little spark of "This person has some kind of magical talent". If they don't know they have it until after they meet him, and then ask him about it, would he direct them to someone or to certain books or anything if they wanted to learn more about cultivating whatever talent they might have? I was thinking about how he felt that spark when he met Shiela at Bock Owned Books and was wondering if she asked him for help figuring out her ability, what he would tell her. Granted, I haven't finished the book yet, or the rest of the series obviously, but am just insanely curious about that information and am hoping someone could tell me :)

Thank you for reading my inquiry. 

In general, there's a huge range of ability.  Harry can tell -- very roughly -- how much ability someone has, by the feel of them up on skin-contact.  Most are very limited, with very-specific talent; a few have broader, but weaker talents.  A few books further along, we meet a "coven" of  so-called "Minor Talents," and learn a bit more.  Many are so specific/unusual as to not really be able to benefit from Harry's training (or most other White Council wizards).

If you think back to "Fool Moon," you'll recall that Harry trained Kim Delaney for a while (happened off screen, before the start of the novel).  She was relatively strong, with a broad multifaceted talent... as minor talents go (well-below the caliber needed to join the White Council).  Harry had previously helped her a lot; but she was impatient, and he misjudged the new situation, stonewalled her search for more info (and tragedy ensued).  Harry usually offers help where he can; but often can't help all that much.

Dresden's own mentor, Ebenezer McCoy, is the author of one of the most-respected "magic apprentice primer" books; but young wizards also very-much need an actual mentor/master in their lives, as without oversight they can be the proverbial "danger to themselves and others."

Sheila in particular is an unusual case, however (about whom I'll say no more; you'll learn more this book, and Sheila will play a relatively big role in several future novels).



P.S. -- Welcome to the fandom!  I strongly advise you to *NOT* read most of this board, for now... they are not kidding when they named it "Spoilers"!!!

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Mira on March 14, 2026, 08:59:43 PM

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If you think back to "Fool Moon," you'll recall that Harry trained Kim Delaney for a while (happened off screen, before the start of the novel).  She was relatively strong, with a broad multifaceted talent... as minor talents go (well-below the caliberto join the White Council).  Harry had previously helped her a lot; but she was impatient, and he misjudged the new situation, stonewalled her search for more info (and tragedy ensued).  Harry usually offers help where he can; but often can't help all that much.

  I agree up to a point, but I think Kim Delaney isn't the best example. Why? 1) She had real delusions about her talent, she thought because they were close in age her talent had to be as good as Harry's talent.  2) She never was apprentice to Harry.  Molly was his first apprentice.  Yeah, he might have taught her some minor stuff, but that didn't make her his apprentice. 3) Kim was not only dishonest with MacFinn, claiming she had the know how and the talent to construct the special circle he needed to stay confined.  She lied to Harry about it as well, why she wanted to see it, how to construct it, which made Harry suspicious. Truth of the matter is once Harry realized what kind of circle she wanted, one that he was forbidden to pass on knowledge about, he stopped telling her more about it.  And yeah, since it had not been all that long before this happened, Harry, himself was under the Doom, not giving the likes of Morgan the excuse to put him back under it or worse, he wasn't going risk giving up that knowledge to someone like Kim without good reason.  Then she lied to him as to why she wanted the knowledge, never told Harry she needed it to keep a Loop confined.  Even if he had given it to her, it is doubtful she would have been successful doing it.  What she wanted, was to get the payment and credit from MacFinn, so she tried to pull it off herself.  Further lying when she went back to him without either the knowledge or the power, tying to pull it off anyway, in way over her head,and she died for it.

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Lord Kinbote on March 15, 2026, 02:35:57 AM

Quote from: Mira on March 14, 2026, 08:59:43 PM

  Then [Kim Delaney] lied to him as to why she wanted the knowledge, she wanted to get the payment and credit from MacFinn, so she tried to pull it off herself, in way over her head,and she died for it.

This topic is listed under DF Spoilers so I don't think using the Spoiler function is strictly needed but out of an abundance of caution . . . 

(click to show/hide)

Maybe she got better.  I will be surprised if Kim Delaney isn't Kumori.  We know her master Cowl is a necromancer, as is Kumori.  Kumori's and Kim's physical descriptions match, and Kumori speaks to Dresden in a familiar way, as if she knows him, and also in a caring, almost affection way at times.

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Mira on March 15, 2026, 12:47:48 PM

Quote from: Lord Kinbote on March 15, 2026, 02:35:57 AM

This topic is listed under DF Spoilers so I don't think using the Spoiler function is strictly needed but out of an abundance of caution . . . 

(click to show/hide)

Maybe she got better.  I will be surprised if Kim Delaney isn't Kumori.  We know her master Cowl is a necromancer, as is Kumori.  Kumori's and Kim's physical descriptions match, and Kumori speaks to Dresden in a familiar way, as if she knows him, and also in a caring, almost affection way at times.

That could be, who knows?  It's been so long since Cowl and Kumori have been mentioned, that except for the conspiracy theorists doesn't seem relevant at this point.. However, since Harry did briefly bring up both Cowl and Kumori in Twelve Months, thinking maybe there is a connection between them and the Denarians as a passing thought.  I would not be shocked if they are featured, if not heavily featured in the next book.  Or Jim is just waving a red hankie in front of our bullish noses.. ::)

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Havockitten on March 16, 2026, 02:46:14 PM

Thank you all, I appreciate your thoughts on it. I had forgotten about Kim until you mentioned her. I've been reading the books so far apart due to lack of time that I forget some of the previous stuff. I just got past the part yesterday where he went to Sheila's apartment with the wards up and she used her ability, so I realize now she already knew and didn't need his help anyway, so I had apparently forgotten a part of their initial meeting too, but my curiosity about unknowns would still have remained even if I had remembered that.

side note: is having a really bad memory considered a talent? j/k

I do kind of wish there was a real version of Ebenezar's book, I'm so curious how he would have written it. One of those cool lore things that would look nice on the shelf right next to all my Dresden Files books :) I don't suppose there are any excerpts from it in the rest of the series?

and thank you g33k for the warning. I've been trying not to look at anything else in here, but I figured the answer to my question would probably involve at least some knowledge from future books, so I didn't want to accidentally release a spoiler in the wrong part of the forum for others.

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: Mira on March 17, 2026, 12:22:51 PM

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Thank you all, I appreciate your thoughts on it. I had forgotten about Kim until you mentioned her. I've been reading the books so far apart due to lack of time that I forget some of the previous stuff. I just got past the part yesterday where he went to Sheila's apartment with the wards up and she used her ability, so I realize now she already knew and didn't need his help anyway, so I had apparently forgotten a part of their initial meeting too, but my curiosity about unknowns would still have remained even if I had remembered that.

Except, and I will put it under spoiler if you haven't read that part yet,  there is a bit of a problem with Sheila;

(click to show/hide)

Sheila is an illusion, all in Harry's head!  She was created by Lasciel's shadow, the apartment isn't real, none of it.  It wasn't until Butters pointed out that none of what Harry thought he was seeing and experiencing was real, Harry didn't know. This is how Harry discovered that Lasciel's shadow who later becomes Lash was in his head./spoiler]

I get the part about memory, with so many books sometimes it all runs together and easy to get mixed up.  Many of us have read and reread many of the books in the series more than once so stuff sticks out in our memories.  I do suggest that you go back and reread the whole thing about Sheila.

Title: Re: Question regarding people with some skill (like the ones that create a "spark")
Post by: g33k on March 17, 2026, 04:04:00 PM

Quote from: Mira on March 17, 2026, 12:22:51 PM

Except, and I will put it under spoiler if you haven't read that part yet ...

Yes; the OP is mid-read of that book right now (personally, I'm not putting such spolerific content in this thread (not even under spoiler-tags)).

Last time they said where in the book they were, Harry had just gone over to Sheila's apartment iirc so she could find him the relevant bits of Die Lied der Erlking.