Jim Butcher Peace Talks (Dresden Files) NOW WITH SPOILER ALERT!

[The Romulan Republic]

All understandable and he had every right to take what time he needed dealing with stuff.

Still frustrating though, and it does seem like at some point he could have just rented an office if he needed a dedicated work space.

Either way, glad the wait will finally end.

Man actually writes pretty fast, overall. This'll be, what, his 23rd. novel in twenty years? In addition to several comics, two short story anthologies, and whatever involvement he's had in the TV adaptations.

Even during the long wait between Skin Game and Peace Talks, he still put out an unrelated novel and several short stories IIRC.

[Ralin]

Man actually writes pretty fast, overall.

He writes at about the same rate as George R R Martin if you go by words published instead of by book. I once saw someone do the math in a thread on another message board.

[The Romulan Republic]

I definitely prefer his approach. I'd rather have one moderately-long book every year or two than a massive tome every decade.

[Broomstick]

The problem is that even if he had rented a decided office for writing he still wouldn't have had the headspace for it. With that much going on crafting a good novel is just not likely.

[Ralin]

The problem is that even if he had rented a decided office for writing he still wouldn't have had the headspace for it. With that much going on crafting a good novel is just not likely.

The comments I've read for him made it sound like the lack of a dedicated writing space was the biggest issue. Which is completely legit. But yeah, can't know what all was affecting him and how much. Tev's post was the first I'd heard about his divorce being especially unpleasant.

[LadyTevar]

The problem is that even if he had rented a decided office for writing he still wouldn't have had the headspace for it. With that much going on crafting a good novel is just not likely.

The comments I've read for him made it sound like the lack of a dedicated writing space was the biggest issue. Which is completely legit. But yeah, can't know what all was affecting him and how much. Tev's post was the first I'd heard about his divorce being especially unpleasant.

Divorce is never nice, there's always bad feelings. Add in the sheer amount of money he'd made from Dresden and Codex Alera? Yeah, that made it unpleasant.

I also get his "need space to work". It was, as Broomstick said, only part of the problem -- he was trying to live with future in-laws (stress), deal with the problems of the house (stress), get a wedding in order (stress), and work on not only Dresden but also the next Cinderspire. Stress becomes depression, becomes lack of creativity, becomes total "Fuck it, I can't do this right now".

[The Romulan Republic]

Cover has been released:

[Ralin]

And the first excerpt: https://ew.com/books/2020/01/16/jim-but ... s-preview/

[Broomstick]

You know, somehow, Dresden standing in what looks like either a battlefield or a meteor crater with "Peace Talks" as a banner sort of sums up the entire series...

[Ralin]

Butcher did say awhile back that it would be one of the more violent books in the series.

[Majin Gojira]

And the first excerpt: https://ew.com/books/2020/01/16/jim-but ... s-preview/

That totally is not a Hound of Tindalos.

[Mr Bean]

And the first excerpt: https://ew.com/books/2020/01/16/jim-but ... s-preview/

That totally is not a Hound of Tindalos.

Bah those are only CR-7, sure the greater teleport and the Gaze can be nasty but Dresden can drop 10d6 in a round without straining himself.

Either way more Outsiders fun should be interesting since one of the long running Chekhov guns is Dresden having an upper hand on them for reasons not yet gone into.

[The Romulan Republic]

Definitely feels like Butcher is getting into his endgame now, now that he's more or less sorted out the immediate aftermath of Changes, and is starting the final build-up to the apocalyptic trilogy he's been promising us for so long.

[Broomstick]

And the first excerpt: https://ew.com/books/2020/01/16/jim-but ... s-preview/

That totally is not a Hound of Tindalos.

I like "cornerhound".

[LadyTevar]

And the first excerpt: https://ew.com/books/2020/01/16/jim-but ... s-preview/

That totally is not a Hound of Tindalos.

Bah those are only CR-7, sure the greater teleport and the Gaze can be nasty but Dresden can drop 10d6 in a round without straining himself.

Either way more Outsiders fun should be interesting since one of the long running Chekhov guns is Dresden having an upper hand on them for reasons not yet gone into.

Nope, totally not a Hound of Tindalos.
But I thought they explained that Dresden had power over the Outsiders because he was born on Halloween/Samhain, a Night of Power.

[Ralin]

But I thought they explained that Dresden had power over the Outsiders because he was born on Halloween/Samhain, a Night of Power.

Surely that's only part of it at most. It would seem very anti-climatic if roughly 1/365ths of the entire human race have Harry's implied special and important anti-Outsider powers.

I mean, Maeve outright mentioned how thrilled she was to be killing a Starborn. Sounds like they're pretty rare. We don't ever hear about Winter recruiting people born on Halloween or something like that.

[Mr Bean]

But I thought they explained that Dresden had power over the Outsiders because he was born on Halloween/Samhain, a Night of Power.

Surely that's only part of it at most. It would seem very anti-climatic if roughly 1/365ths of the entire human race have Harry's implied special and important anti-Outsider powers.

I mean, Maeve outright mentioned how thrilled she was to be killing a Starborn. Sounds like they're pretty rare. We don't ever hear about Winter recruiting people born on Halloween or something like that.

We've been told his birthday is an important as was the time and possibly the place as well. HOW it's important is yet to be explained just a vague kind of oh your birthday was special and few people calling him Starborn

From the wiki

There was a complex confluence of events, of energies, of circumstances that would have given a child born under them the potential to wield power over Outsiders.
— Lash to Harry Dresden during the battle of the Deeps, shortly before her death.[1]

Starborn is alluded to rarely throughout the series, its implications briefly described only once in White Night. He Who Walks Behind calls Dresden Child of the stars,[2] and in Cold Days both the Erlking[3] and Maeve[4] refer to Dresden by the title of "Starborn".

the Leanansidhe implies that He Who Walks Behind was preparing Dresden, molding him

What it MEANS however is still left up to interpretation. What does being Starborn mean is what I want to know. To go back to D&D terminology is this a born on this day gain bonuses on your saving throws thing where we might see McCoy struggling but Dresden is fine with some outsider attack? Or is this a Mistborn thing where if you've got the right power you can dominate an Outsider to your will? Or is it SOMETHING ELSE (TM) like Harry being able to do something very few Wizard can do.

[Vendetta]

But I thought they explained that Dresden had power over the Outsiders because he was born on Halloween/Samhain, a Night of Power.

Surely that's only part of it at most. It would seem very anti-climatic if roughly 1/365ths of the entire human race have Harry's implied special and important anti-Outsider powers.

I mean, Maeve outright mentioned how thrilled she was to be killing a Starborn. Sounds like they're pretty rare. We don't ever hear about Winter recruiting people born on Halloween or something like that.

Being born on Halloween is likely necessary but not sufficient. Given the name, some particular alignment of the stars is almost certainly also involved. And maybe some other things as well.

As for what it means, we know that magic barely works on Outsiders but Harry was able to see off He Who Walks Behind as a teenager, so that's almost certainly part of it. Being able to really hit an Outsider.

[Ralin]

Morgan POV short. Spoilers for Turn Coat, Changes and Cold Days: https://www.jim-butcher.com/posts/2020/ ... t-and-more

Holy fucking shit.

[Lost Soal]

But I thought they explained that Dresden had power over the Outsiders because he was born on Halloween/Samhain, a Night of Power.

Surely that's only part of it at most. It would seem very anti-climatic if roughly 1/365ths of the entire human race have Harry's implied special and important anti-Outsider powers.

I mean, Maeve outright mentioned how thrilled she was to be killing a Starborn. Sounds like they're pretty rare. We don't ever hear about Winter recruiting people born on Halloween or something like that.

Being born on Halloween is likely necessary but not sufficient. Given the name, some particular alignment of the stars is almost certainly also involved. And maybe some other things as well.

As for what it means, we know that magic barely works on Outsiders but Harry was able to see off He Who Walks Behind as a teenager, so that's almost certainly part of it. Being able to really hit an Outsider.

Yes but how much of that was Harry's magic and how much was the petrol station exploding?

[Lost Soal]

New Microfiction set during Changes

[LadyTevar]

]New Microfiction set during Changes[/url]

WOW. That's... ... painful.
I don't know who to feel for more.

[Lost Soal]

She obviously knew what game was being played, that's why she ordered the chest.

[Ralin]

Which does raise the question of whether she did anything else to set up Dresden's resurrection or if she just knew Mab's contingency plans and made sure Kincaid did something survivable.

[Darth Yan]

Damn. The feels