Ghost Story Book Club - Chapters 46-FINISH **MAJOR SPOILERS**

[Arjan]

Harry got Bob when he was around 16. Hormones and what not...

And now he is into food as well. Never got a real chance for that with Harry.

[huangjimmy108]

Okay, I am sorry if this have been discuss before, or if this is more suited for another thread, but I have something here that I think may give a clue to the familiar female voice at the end of Changes.

Here is a quote from Death Mask. The fifth book of the Dresden files. SPOILER ALERT!!! just in case.
***
Chapter Fifteen

 

I had bad dreams.

 

They were the usual fare. Flames devoured someone who screamed my name. A pretty girl spread her
arms, eyes closed, and fell slowly backward as dozens of fine cuts opened all over her skin. The air
became a fine pink spray. I turned from it, into a kiss with Susan, who drew me down and tore out my
throat with her teeth.

 

A woman who seemed familiar but whom I did not recognize shook her head and drew her hand from left
to right. The dream-scenery faded to black in the wake of her motion. She turned to me, dark eyes intent
and said, "You need to rest."
***

A fimiliar but unrecognizable female in a dream? What do you guys think? Could it be Magi SR?
 

[Sunburned White Court]

Magi SR? huh? Lash?

[habu987]

Pretty sure he means Maggie Senior (aka Harry and Thomas' mommy)...

[Sunburned White Court]

OHH!!!!!!! Oooooooh. Interesting. (thanks habu)

[LordScythe]

He is talking about Susan killing him and becoming a person who is familiar but not really.  Her transformation into a full blood red court vampire!

[raidem]

Flames devoured someone who screamed my name.

This seems to be possibly Elaine, or Justin.

A pretty girl spread her
arms, eyes closed, and fell slowly backward as dozens of fine cuts opened all over her skin. The air
became a fine pink spray.

This seems to be Aurora.

[Snaps At Fireflies]

Will Harry get back Bob so he can stop being super dork Bob?

I don't think so. I think Butters will keep Bob for at least several books.  I mean just look what he did with Bob's help in only a few days of consultation and cobbling together of stuff.  Before Ghost Story, Butters didn't have a lot to bring to the table in support of Dresden and the others.  He had medical training to patch up holes, and investigative knowledge regarding causes of death.   That was it really.  Well, that and a pair titanium cajones when he needed to. (SUE!!)  But really, the Hole Patching job is usually an after-the-fight kind of thing, and the medical knowledge was usually an Act 1 reveal kind of thing.  After that though, Butters would usually fade back into the background. 

With Bob though, he is participating directly.  He is taking his brain (considerable) and applying it to this new area of reality, and coming up with spectacular things in no time.  He has become the Magical Q to Harry's James Bond.   

And really Harry didn't use Bob much in the later books.  He was too busy rushing off because hey, that's what Harry does.  If given the choice between sitting back and consulting his research when something dangerous is brewing, or charging in Staff Akimbo, Harry usually picked the Charge In approach.   

Butters knows that's not his strong point. Oh sure he will go into danger if he has to, but he is far more useful as support and research.  And now....with Bob, he has a huge reservoir of arcane lore and understanding to draw upon and apply to the fight. 

So yeah, I think Butters will keep Bob for a while.  Or at least I hope he does.  I eagerly await the scene where Harry walks into Butters' place and sees all kinds of weird stuff laying around, and Butters gleefully showing off what neat magic thing they can do. 

I mean really, given Butters Straight Man sense of humor, and Harry's Snark, the comedy value alone is golden.   

[JEdward]

And, Butters has something that no one else has:  Polka!  That's got to count for something!

But yeah, I see Butters keeping Bob for a while.

[mstorer3772]

Bob with Harry could quite likely result in something like...
Mab: "Knight, I command you to surrender that skull"
Bob: >dies<

IIRC, Bob did something to Really Anger the winter court a while back.  His coming back into Harry's possession could be Very Bad for him.


Bob w/Butters OTOH is pretty awesome:

I don't think so. I think Butters will keep Bob for at least several books.  I mean just look what he did with Bob's help in only a few days of consultation and cobbling together of stuff.  Before Ghost Story, Butters didn't have a lot to bring to the table in support of Dresden and the others.  He had medical training to patch up holes, and investigative knowledge regarding causes of death.   That was it really.  Well, that and a pair titanium cajones when he needed to. (SUE!!)  But really, the Hole Patching job is usually an after-the-fight kind of thing, and the medical knowledge was usually an Act 1 reveal kind of thing.  After that though, Butters would usually fade back into the background. 

With Bob though, he is participating directly.  He is taking his brain (considerable) and applying it to this new area of reality, and coming up with spectacular things in no time.  He has become the Magical Q to Harry's James Bond.   

Indeed.  I believe in the DFRPG, they also mention that its POSSIBLE for someone to learn to use magic without innate magical senses that wizards are born with, its just Very Very Hard.  Akin to a blind person learning how to paint.

EX: Anyone can empower a circle.  What else can anyone do, given the combined mental horsepower of Bob-n-Butters?  I suspect the answer will surprise Harry quite a bit.

I also expect the B&B team to develop some way of protecting technology from being accidentally wrecked by the proximity of a Wizard, the magical equivalent of a Faraday Cage.

[Sunburned White Court]

well THAT would just be cool! Love your avvy btw

[Anthony]

It was the Prince of Darkness cheating in Small Favors that dragged Uriel into the story, and it seems the Prince of Darkness cheating in Changes dragged Uriel back in again.

I am in the camp that does NOT believe the whispering voice is one of the Denerians. Just think: the Denerians are fallen angels who whisper in the ears of many mortals. They are not visited by Uriel. All those that are killed or influenced by Denerians do not get a second chance or special treatment by Uriel or other angels. So it stands to reason, the voice is not one of the Denerians but another fallen Angel (nor does that implicate that it is The Devil that did the whispering).

An argument here could be that the Denerians have a counter mechanism in the form of the three swordbearers. But if it is that simple, than Uriel would not have interfered with Harry's death. So, I do not think it was one of the Denerians but another fallen Angel. This can be Lucifer, but it could also be one of his great generals (it stand to reason that Jim would choose a "famous" deamon for the role of whisperer and not an unknown/own invented one).

what do you guys think about the ending? Some reason it didn't leave me excited for the next book. I'm glad he's alive and all back as the winter knight but what's the whole ordeal of the demonreach and mab? It barely left room for a suspense moment but saying stuff has to be done for the court. Seems like it could of ended in a more dramatic mind thinking matter then that.

I agree there was little suspense at the end of the book. But the ending was not a great surprise. Most people expected to have Harry being alive again at the end of the book. That just was not a surprise, it just was a matter of how, why and perhaps who. Also I found the attack on Corpstaker's lair through the nevernever boring/just not nicely written. The same with the introduction of "Evil Bob", just not very nice.

I was waiting so long for the next book that I was happy to read it, but it was a bit disappointing. But that was to be expected: I want to read about Harry the wizard, not harry the ghost. Also there were a few parts I did not like. So all in all, it was a bit of a letdown for me. But I understand that it was necessary.

Just two things:
- I loved the fact that his little girl lives with the Carpenters. I had hopes that would happen (I believe I posted that some time ago), but loved to see that happen. Thanks Jim, for that!
- Did others have the same idea that when Fitch was introduced that he would become the boyfriend of Molly in later books? I have no idea why I thought this.

[raidem]

Just two things:
- I loved the fact that his little girl lives with the Carpenters. I had hopes that would happen (I believe I posted that some time ago), but loved to see that happen. Thanks Jim, for that!
- Did others have the same idea that when Fitch was introduced that he would become the boyfriend of Molly in later books? I have no idea why I thought this.

Yeah, I am happy that Maggie came to live with the Carpenters.  I had posted about that prediction too.  And yes, I had an impression that Fitz could divert Molly's love interest away from Harry and to himself. 
Concerning the whispering voice, your arguments against a Denarian seem sound but perhaps they are allowed to whisper to those who touch their coin and not to others. 

[john4200]

And yes, I had an impression that Fitz could divert Molly's love interest away from Harry and to himself.

I don't remember Fitz and Molly even meeting each other. It seems a stretch.

Of course, they both have either actually or effectively killed completely innocent people (even though they did not intend to), so they have that in common.

[raidem]

I don't remember Fitz and Molly even meeting each other. It seems a stretch.

They didn't.  I just remember thinking when I read the book, "How would Molly move on from Harry."  And now we have this other character who is her age, has magical talent, is a bad boy but trying to be better.  It was more of a thought than an impression though.  Just trying to think of how Molly would end her crush on Harry.  Hey, for that matter Carlos is a possibility too.