Questions Specifically for Jim, Part 3

[Dina]

And there are at least 10 more planned books.

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.

[Thanatos]

And there are at least 10 more planned books.

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.

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.

All just speculation of course, and I can't wait to see how it actually develops. This is the first true cliffhanger ending, I think. That's certainly done what it's supposed to do!

[jbmdw45]

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.

-Max

[Thanatos]

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.

-Max

Hmm, ok... I just figured Aurora made sure she was near when it happened, but I see your point. Scratch that part, then.

[neofyte]

I love the PowerPuff Girls. Bubbles is my fav

MoJo JoJo for me 

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

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.

[Aakaakaak]

So to play off Ms. Duck's idea a bit...

Is it possible for a pure mortal human (with or without powers) to become fae or sidhe through an ascension or other means?

[Thanatos]

"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. Mab is far more powerful, so her core nature would stay the same, but he may have left some scratches on the surface of the glacier. To someone that's never perceived herself in any way outside her own eternally unchanging nature, that might be significant. That may be part of why she's been acting increasingly odd lately.

[cass]

Changes Question....

(click to show/hide)

When Harry calls Mab and ends up on the Stone Table, he notes that "it was after the equinox" and it therefore made sense that it was in Winter's domain.  I was under the impression (from SK) that the table changes hands on the solstices, when the Courts were at the height of their power-- Summer relinquished its hold on the table at Midsummer, Winter gave the table back at Midwinter.  The equinoxes never really came into the transfer of power in Faerie as described in that book.  Is Harry just out of it here and using the wrong word because he's had a tough day and a half, or is there some wrinkle with the equinoxes and control over the Table that's never been explained onscreen?  I tried working it out that the Courts exchanged the Table on the equinoxes as well as the solstices, but that ended up implying (with the knowledge that Summer relinquishes the Table at Midsummer) that Summer controls the table after and equinox but before the solstice (eg. during spring and autumn)-- which doesn't work with Harry's observation.

[Thanatos]

I noticed that too, Cass, but I figure that either Jim used the wrong word or the editor changed it to the wrong word. Midsummer/Litha and Midwinter/Yule are indeed solstices. Since so much of Summer Knight is based on that timing, as opposed to the smaller part it plays in Changes, I'll take SK as the dominant reference.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_the_year


I think modern Druids tend to focus on the solstice & equinox days (using the "Alban-" names), but since in-between times are supposed to be more significant to witches, Wicca considers the halfway points between a solstice and equinox to be it's greater holidays. Since many Celtic groups considered a new day to begin just after sunset, celebrations for Samhain would have begun on the night of the day before (10/31) according to our current calendar that starts the new day at midnight. Thus, if Harry was born after sundown, he's a Samhain baby.

[cass]

Oh, I'm not doubting that the equinoxes are important to at least *some* denizens of Faerie.  I was just pointing out that Harry's thought process in Changes doesn't match up with our understanding of how that portion of Faerie politics works from SK.

I guess my faith in Jim, Jim's editor and/or the betas is such that I didn't think that using the word "equinox" in place of "solstice" would be unintentional. (I'm paranoid, you say? Why thank you!)  Hence my rambling question about whether it was intended as a clue to an as-yet-untold segment of Faerie politics, or whether it's merely a mistake on Harry's part. (And if my faith in the author and his editing staff is misplaced? Then the second explanation-- "Cut Harry some slack-- he's been through enough to excuse that kind of slip"-- prevails.)

I just want to know if this line is something that should go on my hypothetical corkboard of conspiracy theories.  I also figure that 1) I'm more likely to get an answer if I give Jim an out and 2) if it is significant all Jim has to do in order to cause pain and suffering and rampant speculation (which, I'm told, is pleasing to him) is say, without elaborating, that the word choice was intentional.

[Thanatos]

I suppose it could be intentional, meant as a mistake on Harry's part, but I've always thought the books come from his case files. That's the in-character way they're treated in the DFRPG, as well. From the marginalia there, it seems like each was written up at some unspecified time later (much later in the case of Changes, granted) after the case was closed.

Either way, pointing it out can either get it fixed in future editions, or maybe get a confirmation that it was intentional. Arguing about that sort of thing would be pointless and can only screw up the thread.

Thanks for mentioning the equinox/solstice thing, whichever way it turns out. I meant to ask about it myself. In my case, i have the audiobook, so for me there was a third possibility: maybe the draft Mr. Marsters was working from could have been slightly different, if it came from a version prior to the final edit.

[Dina]

I don't think Dresden, as a character, could make such a mistake. Solstices and Equinox days are too important for magic things for that. A wizard, a person who knows things, shouldn't confuse them.

[cass]

Well, no, he shouldn't-- that's why I wanted confirmation 


Let's just say that, given the days leading up to that line, I wouldn't think less of him for having a lapse in vocabulary if, indeed, that's all it was. 

[dragon80]

It doesn't really make a difference because the equinox was still after the solstice, so what he said was correct. He might have used equinox because it would have been the most recent event and didn't want people to confuse what time of the year it was. Of course it could mean everything, a small detail that doesn't come back until the final trilogy and makes everyone go, "Oh, that was what that meant."