Ghost Story - Dresden Files

[felix77]

Anyone read this yet? Really intrigued on will happen to Harry after the epic events in CHANGES.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Finished it the first day it came out, lol.

It's pretty good overall, though some of it feels like set-up. I want the next book now!

Anyone know what it's supposed to be about?

[jediracer]

non spoilers:

I'm listening to the audiobook version. I must say, it's quite a shock to hear a different voice after having James Marsters read the past 12 books. It's like when a tv show changes the actor of a character. Just seems...wrong or off somehow.

That aside, the story is starting a bit slow (i'm about three hours in). Though I am very much into it. 'Changes' was breakneck edge-of-your-seat action from the first sentence to the very last. How or if Butcher will ever be able to top that book I don't know. It's like if you had sex with the most gorgeous sexpot you ever met. Every woman you had sex with after her would just be like "meh...."

Perhaps it will take him 12 more books to build up to another climax like in 'Changes'. And you know what, I think I'd be just fine with that... :)

[felix77]

It'll take a week for the book to reach here in Asia.

Wouldn't mind a few spoilers.

[Expletive Deleted]

It was good. Lots of ghostly action, some fun twists and expansions of the mythology, and a bunch of really promising (if occasionally heart-wrenching) new status quos for the supporting cast.

I thought the ending was a bit of a cheat, but it probably had to be. Good cliffhanger, though.

One thing I should mention is that the Fomor play a fairly prominent role, even if they're not the primary antagonists. They've only been seen in short stories to this point, "Aftermath" in Side Jobs and "Even Hand" in the multi-author Dark and Stormy Knights anthology. Butcher does a decent job explaining who they are, but I think it'd initially be a bit confusing if you haven't already encountered them.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

Currently reading it now.

I've had it for about a month or so, but my girlfriend snatched it up before I could really take a look at it. Her review will be posted to the Flames Rising site pretty soon.

-Matt

[felix77]

Dresden must be earning a MAJOR Rep now after eliminating such a major power in the Supernatural world. I wonder how the White Council reacted to it?

Read Side Jobs and Even Hand, so i am familiar with the new Fomor antogonists. They have some interesting tricks, though i don't find them as threatening as the Red Court.

[The Once And Forever]

Finished it the first day it came out, lol.

It's pretty good overall, though some of it feels like set-up. I want the next book now!

Anyone know what it's supposed to be about?

Given the ending of Ghost Story, and the rumored(?) title of Cold Days, seems like its going to get deep into Dresden's working for Mab.

Which. Eh. I'm sure it'll be fun.

[Inkthinker]

Blew through it in two days. LOVED it, but I'd forgotten how breezy a read Dresden books can be... still, Butcher is a great character writer, at least when dealing with Harry Dresden. It's something the TV show completely failed to nail.

Harry is the sort of guy who would gather up a horde of the worst ghosts in Chicago, prepare to unleash them upon the enemy... but ensure that when they attack, they leap out screaming "BOO!".

Literally. "Boo". Had me cracking up for near a solid minute.

I especially liked the ending. Must confess, I didn't expect Dresden's killer to be who it was (the hitman I had sussed, but his employer was a surprise).

[Jared H.]

Finished it a few days back. Please, PLEASE let it be that

spoilers:

the parasite mentioned by the genius loci is Lash.

end of spoilers

[Jared H.]

Finished it a few days back. Please, PLEASE let it be that

spoilers:

the parasite mentioned by the genius loci is Lash.

end of spoilers

On that same note I bet that

spoilers:

the fallen angel who whispered the 7 bad words was either Lash or the real Lasciel.

end of spoilers

[Expletive Deleted]

The latter seems likely. The former . . .

spoilers:

Lash was a parasite, but she was a disembodied entity powered by Harry's soul, the entirety of which was elsewhere in this instance. The parasite that Demonreach mentions kept Harry's blood flowing, so I'm thinking whatever it was, it was something a bit more substantial than Lash.

end of spoilers

[Jared H.]

The latter seems likely. The former . . .

spoilers:

Lash was a parasite, but she was a disembodied entity powered by Harry's soul, the entirety of which was elsewhere in this instance. The parasite that Demonreach mentions kept Harry's blood flowing, so I'm thinking whatever it was, it was something a bit more substantial than Lash.

end of spoilers

Actually...

spoilers:

Wasn't Lash residing in Harry's brain? When she took the mental assault in White Night, it was said that part of Harry's brain was damaged.

end of spoilers

[Expletive Deleted]

I'm going to dispense with the spoiler tags here, because we're mostly in the realm of old spoilers.

Read the conversation between Bob and Harry in White Night again.

“Oh, well,” Bob said. “It is energy, you know. And I wonder if maybe…maybe…well, look, Harry. There was a tiny bit of Lasciel’s energy in you, supporting the entity, giving you access to Hellfire. That’s gone now, but the entity had to have had some kind of power source to turn against the essence of its own originator.”

“So it was running off my soul? Like I’m some kind of battery?”

“Hey,” Bob said, “don’t get all righteous. You gave it to her. Encouraging her to make her own choices, to rebel, to exercise free will.” Bob shook his head. “Free will is horrible, Harry, believe me. I’m glad I don’t have it. Ugh, no, thank you. But you gave her some. You gave her a name. The will came with it.”

I was quiet for a moment, then said, “And she used it to kill herself.”

Lash, once she became independent from Lasciel, was "living" in Harry's brain as a psychic entity, powered by his soul.

[Kusanagi]

Finished it yesterday and I'm already going through Dresden withdrawal. Slower than Changes, but that was to be expected as that was pretty much an all out war. Though it was a darker story, it managed several funny bits. spoilers:

final battle on the enterprise, Dresden equating ghost powers with the X-men

end of spoilers. Hope we get some short stories between now and Cold Days though.

One thing that got me though spoilers:

was we never got to find out if Good Bob made it out or not. Can bet that will be a plot point later. Also felt he and Butters made a great team.

end of spoilers