We've seen the Denarians outright control their hosts before. Thorned Namshiel wasn't depicted in human form before the Marcone reveal, right? In Small Favor, he's transformed the whole time, as far as I can remember. Maybe he had to hijack the body completely during Proven Guilty.
Or maybe the host wasn't ever Infected to begin with, and has been playing a completely different game from the ones we've seen thus far.

Jim used 12 books to set up the Reds. And he built them up so they had menace.  For instance the attack on Archangel, you only see it in the reflection of it's results and it's scary. One of his better pieces of storytelling.

On the other hand here come the Fomor kill all the humans and then talk trash. Then declare war.  I can imagine every reader thinking, WTF?  What was the Titan thinking? Tell the enemy that you're coming and give them time to get set? This is like the allies telling Hitler that they were hitting the beach at Normandy on D day at first light and inviting him to concentrate his forces there. How dumb is that?

I'm gonna be uncharitable and suggest that this is the result of the book being split. He needed a break for a boating trip to Demonreach. It makes the Formor look silly without intending to be.

I think it might've been effective without Marcone. Seeing (an apparent) vanilla mortal stand up to a Titan who just kicked Mab through multiple walls and declared war on the planet, then immediately turn around and start giving orders had an impact. It was the best scene in Peace Talks, bar none. You saw the ghouls turn and try to leave. I wouldn't have been surprised if others followed. But the point is that you had someone there to shame everyone who was thinking about bailing into staying. Maybe Odin or the Erlking would've filled that role without Marcone, and it probably wouldn't have been terribly effective, but it might have convinced one or more factions that fighting was stupid. I'm 99% certain Ferrovax wouldn't have done... whatever the hell he was doing during BG without the public display, at least.

Anyway, on topic, I agree. The Fomor appear to be pretty weak and fairly chumpy as villains. Kind of like that season of Buffy where the main villains were three nerds pretending to be supervillains, and who managed to kill one of the core cast and drive another into murderous, insane rage. Chumpy and lame on their own, and their planning really does suck, but hey, we've lost more major characters in the few books they've been on the page than we did in the entire series up till now.

The other side is that Harry is WAY less of a chump now than he ever was when the Reds were a threat. We all know the details of his powerups since Dead Beat first gave him Hellfire. He's got a lot of serious power now, and allies to match. Plus his attitude is different. He didn't go looking for fights when the Reds were the boogeymen. Now he freezes background jerks to death just to make a point.

I don't think the Reds would've come off nearly as threatening as they used to if Harry met them now. I think most of these villains are probably just as chumpy as the Fomor are.

Except for Cowl, Marcone, Nicodemus. You know, the ones who mostly focus on outmaneuvering Harry rather than trying to beat him in a fistfight.

I think the plan was for the next book to be The Olympian Affair. The YA series was (last I heard) going to be co-authored with his sister. The way he described the process sounded as though they would collaborate on an outline and he'd move on (meaning his sister would do the writing). Kinda like what RA Salvatore did during the War of the Spider Queen series in the Forgotten Realms (though hopefully something better and more evenly characterized).
Only thing we know for sure is that Mirror, Mirror was pushed back, and another full novel has been added to the main series (currently titled "Twelve Months).
https://www.jim-butcher.com/faq/upcoming-works
That hasn't been updated this year yet, but it claimed that the next novel Jim is writing is The Olympian Affair, book 2 of the Cinder Spires.

Personally, I think Carlos will play the part of the virgin for the eventual Dresden Holy Grail quest.

*cough* Galahad *cough cough*

Hold tight, because this is a long one. I thought I had posted the following claims and hypotheses a couple of years ago, but I cannot find that post. I did, however, find a Word document that held a big chunk of it, but was unfinished. Here follows my thoughts on Hastings (which has been mentioned too many times for coincidence), and why I think that, Stamford Bridge, and the Norman Invasion were the "last time a Starborn was running around."

Before I start, my claim: I think William the Conqueror was a Starborn. I think Hastings, and (perhaps more importantly) the Battle of Stamford Bridge represent the last time control of the Outer Gates changed hands. I think Odin and the Norse pantheon used to serve that role. I think Hastings itself was the conflict in which the Winter and Summer decided which Court would guard the Gates.

Evidence:

Word Of Jim, from the KC Signing circa 2013:

You said the Winter, rather, Knights’ mantles change fairly often? How often do the Ladies’, Queens’ and Mothers’ mantles change?
Uh, the Ladies, Queens and Mothers, their mantles change very, very, very rarely in general. I mean, Mab’s been there for better than 1,000 years. And Maeve’s been there….there was a Winter Lady before Maeve, uh, in Mab’s time. And she didn’t fare so well the last time a Starborn was running around. And so….Mab and Maeve, um, **unintelligible**, I leave things here, don’t miss ‘em.

I'll do my best to break this down as clearly as I can. It's probably best to start with some background and important details from the Word of Jim above:

Mab—and presumably Titania—have had their mantles for "better than 1,000 years." The Battle of Hastings, which kicked off the third (successful) Norman invasion of Britain, and ended the Anglo-Saxon line of succession permanently, was in 1066, for those of you who weren't aware. The conflict itself was basically one of succession—William, Duke of Normandy, was contending for the throne, which was held by King Harold, who was childless; William was his cousin (something like once removed).

But the conflict for the throne wasn't limited to the Normans and English: King Harald Hardrara, of Norway (Read: Vikings) wanted in on the action. But they got surprised at Stamford Bridge by the Anglo-Saxons, and were wrecked; out of more than ten thousand across a few hundred ships, only a few dozen ships made it home.

The following may or may not be related to the rest of this, so I'm spoilering it to keep this as tidy as I can:


Now, the Age of Vikings was well on its way out at this point, but their defeat at Stamford Bridge was pretty much the final nail in their coffin. Their influence on the world—especially Britain—was waning, and this ended it completely. Before this, if you look at transcripts of Calendars and records kept by monasteries in England, Viking invasions were basically a yearly occurrence. It was an ongoing joke with my thesis adviser that every entry ended with, "In the Summer, the Vikings invaded."

I believe strongly that Stamford Bridge represented what was taking place in the supernatural world: a transfer of power from Vadderung/Odin to the Faerie Courts. I believe this conflict effectively ended the Norse Pantheon’s stewardship of the Outer Gates. I don't think that influence is a simple binary transfer, and that there was a tumultuous period that ended with Stamford Bridge, and that the Fae had to establish their own pecking order afterward, which culminated in… Hastings.

The first major, major clue in the books (which sparked this line of thinking for me) came in Cold Days. Titania states that she and Mab haven't spoken to one another since Hastings.

To me, this implies that something happened there that fundamentally altered their relationship. I don't think they were best friends—in fact, I think they were opposites since at least their Ascension. But I believe their conflict was more... cordial before Hastings, to the point that they would, at the very least, engage in conversation, the way Harry and Marcone do; they're fundamentally enemies, but they'll work together if they have to—such as when gathering power for their Courts (and all of Faerie) or defending assaults from the outgoing King of the Hill, Odin.

I’d like to review a few facts before I get into further supposition and theorizing.

1. Jim has stated that Mab has held her mantle for “over 1,000 years.” Unless the DF is actually set a century in the future, that means that the Fae Courts definitely existed during Hastings, and that Mab was the Queen of Winter.
2. The Winter Lady before Maeve was killed.
3. [The Winter Lady] “didn’t fare so well the last time a Starborn was running around.”
Originally, I had thought that Hastings was when Mab and Titania became Queens of their Courts. However, the WOJ above kind of makes that impossible. Something prior killed both Queens of Faerie, something dating anywhere from 500(ish)–1,000 AD. It’s entirely possible that there was a conflict going on between the Queens during Saint Augustine’s spread of Christianity to Britain in 595. It’s possible that the Vikings were involved. There was a lot of conflict in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales during that period. The Danish invaded (and settled there), there were conflicts over succession, etc. It is also worth noting that I believe this to be the period during which the White Council in its current form was founded by Merlin.

Now, the Word of Jim on the “1,000 years” piece might have been disproven entirely by Peace Talks. This line, spoken by Corb during the initial attack on Marcone’s Castle, is a big, fat, honking, stinking cluebat that smacked me squarely in the face and left me a senseless:

“Old woman,” Corb taunted. “I remember you as a bawling brat. I remember your pimply face when you rode with the Conqueror. I remember how you wept when Merlin cast you out.”

Peace Talks, Chapter 29, page 276 on Nook.
“The Conqueror” is the appellation given to William of Normandy, the winner of the Battle of Hastings and King of England. There is obvious subtext here, and it actually makes me believe my earlier theory that I thought had been disproved by the WOJ!

Unless there is another “Conqueror” with which Mab rode, this means that Mab’s face was still “pimply” when she rode with William—in other words, a teenager, a young woman—and decidedly not the Queen of Winter. I think Corb was just being an a**hole when he used the adjective “pimply” (because I doubt that any Faerie Queen would really suffer from facial blemishes the way vanilla mortals do). 

No. I think that Mab was the Winter Lady at this point. For how long, I’m not sure—in fact, it may be a way to reconcile the WOJ and Corb’s taunt: Mab wasn’t THE Winter Queen for over a thousand years, but was A Winter Queen for that long.

One last note on the major players here:

“Odin” has been “Odin” for a long time. Before he was king of the hill in the Norse Pantheon, Gaul traditions held stories of “Woden,” a kind of wizard-like figure who was known for bravery and cunning. His story morphed into Odin over centuries. This is important.

Now, finally, I will get into the series of events that I think took place. I’ll try to be as clear as possible.

1. The Norse Pantheon held Stewardship over the Outer Gates for a time—or, at least, Odin, Woden, and any other “masks” (his term) he wore did. I think his stewardship ended with the Norse, however.
2.  Odin’s influence began to wane. The spread of Christianity throughout Europe likely limited his reputation over generations. I don’t think it works on American Gods rules, where belief = power, but I think it does matter. The important bit is that other challengers began to rise up.
3. The Faerie Courts begin gaining power and influence over mortal affairs. They grow significantly for a while. They influence politics. But the Summer and Winter Courts are still opposed; they aren’t working in concert. One seeks to rule the other.
4. Their political gamesmanship starts coming to a head on January 5th, 1066. The King of England dies. Succession is complicated, and several people claim the throne is theirs. Winter aligns themselves with the Normans (William). Summer aligns themselves with the Earl of Wessex (Harold).
5. Seeing a chance to weaken his strongest opponents (and likely foreseeing the death of King Edward), Odin’s own champion, Harald Hardrara, King of Norway claims he was promised the throne.
6. Harold (Summer-aligned) is crowned King. Them’s fightin’ words. Odin-aligned forces move to attack England. The date: September 25, 1066 (Gregorian). (September 19th, 1066 in the Julian Calendar—may or may not be important).
7. Summer is prepared. They attack the Viking forces at Stamford Bridge, and win. Odin retreats. It’s possible that he was distracted by an attack on the Outer Gates at this point, else I suspect he could have committed more to the fight. Regardless, the battle was lost, and Viking influence dramatically contracted permanently afterward. (This is pointed to as the end of the Age of Vikings by historians).
8. A few weeks later, William the Conqueror lands in England. The Battle of Hastings ensues. William (Winter) wins, and, essentially, becomes the King of England at this point. The date: October 14th, 1066 (Gregorian). October 8th, 1066 (Julian).
9. Here, I believe, is where the Queens die. I don’t think they fell during Hastings, but in the desperate clashes that were happening in England-Above-England. I believe that Winter and Summer clashed alongside the Normans and Anglo-Saxons.
10. I think their fight lasted for weeks. William’s fight wasn’t quite done after Hastings, too: he marched around England putting down resistance wherever he found it. He was crowned King until December 25th. In other words: the conflict continued for weeks afterward, and may very well have continued during Samhain, when Immortals can die.
11. The Queens kill each other—or, possibly, William kills them. At the beginning of this post, I claim that William is a Starborn. I think it’s possible that he was a Starborn, and might have been a Wizard for all we know (he kind of has to be for the 666-year clause to fit).

Here, now, my line of thinking is much less certain. I see two most likely possibilities, and trying to square either one of them with WOJ is difficult. Which one is correct depends on the starting state of the Faerie Courts.

   A.   Mab and Titania are already in the Courts, as Ladies. The Queens die, and they both ascend. Their daughters become the next Ladies.
   B.   Mab and Titania are humans (or changelings). The conflict between Courts is so severe that the Queens and the Ladies die. Mab and Titania then simultaneously become the Ladies, and then immediately ascend to Queen. Their daughters become the new-new Ladies. Note that it may not have been “immediate.” It’s possible that the Ladies died, Mab and Titania were Called, and then the Queens died. But the Ladies had to die first.
Winter won Hastings. I believe they also beat Summer, and became the “greater” of the two Courts.

Whichever of the above happened, I finish my claims by stating that, in the aftermath of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, with Norse influence waning and the Courts growing, Odin abdicated his role as Defender of Reality, and Winter—the entity of the next greatest power and influence—took over. Summer, which lost the struggle against Winter, was granted enough power and influence to serve as the check against Winter. (I assume this role was previously filled by Jotunheim during the Norse stewardship.)

And that wraps up my thoughts on Hastings, Stamford Bridge, and the Outer Gates.

Arguments and criticisms are welcome.

Do you mean that the Winter Lady was possessing the Scarecrow similarly to how the Summer Lady was possessing the chlorofiend?
(I do enjoy how Dresden deliberately names it and then has to follow it up with "plant monster" every time he actually uses it in a sentence).

It is mainly about the let the world burn mentality and what he did to Molly. Harry breaks himself about killing Susan but that was not the point, Susan wanted it and for good reasons. I do not think the killing of Susan was considered evil at all. There was not that much attention to it given in ghost story as a thing Harry had to learn about.

Personally, I've always thought Changes was about Harry's personal chickens coming home to roost—the consequences of all of his decisions between Storm Front (really, everything he'd done since Justin) and Turn Coat. The friends (and enemies) he'd made, the Big Things he'd done, the cataclysms he'd stopped... all of it came to a head, and he was left with a terrible situation. We know how he "resolved" that. But, in my opinion, the plot of Changes was still very much happening with Harry; it was his own, personal comeuppance. Naturally, Harry's comeuppance isn't focused on making him suffer. It's centered on making someone he cares about suffer, because that's what would suck more for him. The fact that the heartripper ritual would kill him too almost doesn't even matter to him.
Ghost Story was about the impact of Harry's decisions (including the genocide and subsequent suicide) on everyone else. It's about showing him the debris field of him bullrushing through a dozen or two major events and mistakenly believing that he was the one paying for all the damage he caused. He paid for a lot of it, but not all of it; others wound up trying to cover the remainder of the bill. And now he wasn't there to even help...provide... cover for the dine-and-dash? The metaphor is getting away from me.
Anyway, I see Changes and Ghost Story as mainly illustrating two sets of consequences of The Decisions of One Harry Dresden, Mad Wizard and Defender of Little Guys: the first for himself, the second for everyone else.

On the microfiction: this kinda ties in really well with my thoughts on the Defenders of the Bean. Molly is expanding Harry's reputation tremendously here. Makes me wonder what kind of impact that's going to have later on, if any.