Which absent villian will appear in Peace Talks?

[raidem]

It depends if erlking wanted the eebs preserved.  And I don't think rafferout is nemfected.  Maybe it was the one big guy who wanted to kill both groups.  It was his advice that erlking rejected.

[LordDresden2]

OHGODYESPLEASE!!!

Darth Wannabe rolling up as a Fomor Servitor, or even better as the "Semi-immortal shapeshifting guru" that was mentioned as an Independant Signatory. I'd love it if Darth was something super-powerful that was just trolling Dresden.

I wouldn't.  I really wouldn't.

We've already got plenty of hidden powers and forces.  One reason that that short story was so good was precisely that it didn't have that, it was just a day off that kept trying to go south.  I absolutely loved the interaction between Harry and DW, it was just about a perfect scene, esp. the bit where Darth was more afraid of Harry's .44 than he was Harry's magic (which tells us something about just how ignorant of who and what he was dealing with DW was).

Let DW be DW.

[LordDresden2]

I wouldn't call Lara Raith exactly a villain...   She is more of a predator than a villain in my opinion..

As I noted once a long time ago, we should ask Anna Ashe for her analysis of Lara's nature...but we can't.

Even her predatory nature only goes so far.  From the POV of a rabbit, a wolf is a villain.  It doesn't make much difference from the rabbit's POV if the wolf is not 'evil' in the larger scheme of things, any more than it matter from the wolf's POV that the bear that stole its kill is not 'evil'.  It's still a threat to be dealt with, it's an enemy because of what it is.  The prey isn't safe until the predator is neutralized.

Lara arranged for the deaths of Anna Ashe and the other minor practitioners (albeit indirectly) not out of hunger, but because it made sense as a move in the Game. 

[LordDresden2]

Laura Raith is definately a villain. Just because she's used Harry as her catspaw doesn't mean that they're friends or anything.

They're enemies...but also frenemies, sorta.  I think Harry wants to hate her, but can't quite, she'd like to corrupt him, but is glad when he refuses.  It's a mess.

[KurtinStGeorge]

They're enemies...but also frenemies, sorta.  I think Harry wants to hate her, but can't quite, she'd like to corrupt him, but is glad when he refuses.  It's a mess.

Sounds like the beginning of a totally dysfunctional romance.

[DonBugen]

Harry and Lara are mutually blackmailing each other into a peaceful stalemate.  Pretty sure that both see the other as potentially useful, but extremely dangerous.

[Snark Knight]

I doubt Cowl, as he's due to show up in Mirror Mirror per WOJ

I don't think I've seen that one yet? If you happen to remember where it was from, I'd be curious to read his exact wording about the Cowl appearance.

[Rasins]

I'd like to suggest an edit to the initial poll.  Cowl AS Cowl.

He may make an appearance, as whomever he really is, and we wouldn't know it.

Someone else I'd like to see are the two who met at Murphys in GS.  The little Wampire that Murphy beat up, and Marcone's man. 

[DonBugen]

I don't think I've seen that one yet? If you happen to remember where it was from, I'd be curious to read his exact wording about the Cowl appearance.

It'll be a little while until I find it, but I'll say first that I'm pretty sure I misquoted this.  I don't believe that Jim technically said that Cowl would appear in this book; just that it would be in this book that we learn Cowl's identity.

[Snark Knight]

It'll be a little while until I find it, but I'll say first that I'm pretty sure I misquoted this.  I don't believe that Jim technically said that Cowl would appear in this book; just that it would be in this book that we learn Cowl's identity.

That's actually a little more surprising, personally. I thought he'd hold that mystery over us nearly to the end.

Mind you, at one point before CD came out he had claimed Cowl would be in that one too. So either Cowl acts under a lot of identities, or Jim sometimes changes his mind about what's going to happen when.

[exartiem]

Darth Wannabe rolling up as a Fomor Servitor, or even better as the "Semi-immortal shapeshifting guru" that was mentioned as an Independant Signatory.  I'd love it if Darth was something super-powerful that was just trolling Dresden.

I could see this.  We know that the Fomor have been going after minor talents.  We also saw in Murphy's story, that they are impossibly pompous, so Wannabe's personality would fit right in with them.  I could see Wannabe being approached or captured by the Fomor and then selling out to them to get back at Harry.

[kazimmoinuddin]

We have seen a couple of demons in the story so far. I wonder if part of their plan, the circle shared the names of demons to encourage their summoning. So imagine if Harry got his hands on this list of names, and summoned them into the well. They might not be worth even minimum security, but it might be worth it. I bet the island has the power to actually kill such lower level entities.

[DonBugen]

Oh drat, I'm actually really wrong. It's at this link below, at 1:05:26. Jim says that we won't find out Cowl's identity until book 17 OR 18. So no, there's no guarantee that he'll show in Mirror Mirror. There's only a 50-50 chance that we'll even find out who he is.

https://youtu.be/MDJDn-ggqOo

[wardenferry419]

I'd like to suggest an edit to the initial poll.  Cowl AS Cowl.

He may make an appearance, as whomever he really is, and we wouldn't know it.

Someone else I'd like to see are the two who met at Murphys in GS.  The little Wampire that Murphy beat up, and Marcone's man.

Since Cowl's ID is unknown that is how I was going with it. I guess I would like to see Hendricks and Gard. Though, I don't classify them as villians.

[KurtinStGeorge]

That's actually a little more surprising, personally. I thought he'd hold that mystery over us nearly to the end.

Mind you, at one point before CD came out he had claimed Cowl would be in that one too. So either Cowl acts under a lot of identities, or Jim sometimes changes his mind about what's going to happen when.

Jim has occasionally given out information that turned out to be false or premature.  Right after Cold Days came out I read an interview Jim did; which unfortunately I can longer find, in which he described a rather funny conversation Harry would have with Michael; which Michael wouldn't find funny, about Molly being the Winter Lady.  Harry would tell Michael that he would have to cut Molly some slack when he saw Molly wearing a very tight fitting and suggestive outfit because she was now the Queen of slutty faeries. Apparently Molly would be dressing to fit the image.  This would strain Harry and Michael's relationship and we could look forward to learning more about this complication in the next book. 

Of course the next book was Skin Game from which Molly was absent until the very end of the story and she didn't do anything public that could draw her parents attention.  Perhaps we will see such a scene in Peace Talks or perhaps Jim was just having some fun with the interviewer.  We'll have to wait and see.