BAT rumor thread

[wardenferry419]

Just a place to compile and discuss what we know and would like to see happen.

[wardenferry419]

LotR meets Dresden.

[Kindler]

Well, it's all a matter of scale. One of the reasons the Codex Alera books are done is because it's pretty hard to scale up the conflict from where they left off. Most of the Dresden Files gradually widen and increase the scale of the conflict, with radically higher stakes, with a few exceptions (White Night and Skin Game are more personal, though White Night was about a plan to eliminate wizards from the gene pool within a few generations). It stands to reason that the Big Apocalyptic Trilogy (considering that's what it's been called) will have the highest stakes possible for the Dresden Files: reality itself.

So, I think it's pretty safe to say that the Outsiders are the BAT's Greater Scope Villain. I submit the idea that Harry will resolve it by killing the Outside—by Book Two. By that I mean he destroys it completely, or seals it off permanently, negating the need for the Outer Gates, which pits Harry against Mab, who no longer has a purpose for her massive army, and who threatens to steamroll the planet. That kicks off the rest of the Armageddon scenarios, with every remaining deity simultaneously trying to fulfill their prophesied End Games. Harry has to stop them all, and he does it by bringing the Vanillas into the game for real.

Where are they now?

Humanity takes the reins of the future, and Harry goes back to working privately as a consultant, with Maggie as his new apprentice. Molly's freed from the Winter Lady's mantle after the destruction of the Winter Court. She works as a liaison between the remnants of the White Council and mortal governments, alongside Ramirez, who's opened up a private supernatural security firm. Murphy works for the FBI with Tilly. Billy and Georgia manage to finish the Northwest Passage project thanks to financial backing from the Erlking, who was brought in by Tessa. The Erlking gets to hunt there whenever he wants, so he's fine with dumping a bunch of money into it. The Carpenter family opened up an orphanage with the help of Father Forthill, and Amanda and Daniel run it together.



That was fun. This was all just plopped in on the spot, so I haven't thought too deeply about this particular end scenario.

[wardenferry419]

Interesting. I just wanted a place to see rumors. But, other peoples expectations are cool, too.

[Kimmy T]

My prediction on how the BAT will pan out goes as follows:

Part 1 – Stars and Stones
]In Part One the stars and planets(Stones) are about to align in the right way for the Outsiders to begin their invasion/bid to destroy our reality and, of course, Harry has no clue.  JB has stated that the little girl from “Restoration of Faith”, now grown into another femme fatale, will have a part to play, so I predict that the BAT will start with Faith Astor showing up and manipulating Harry into going on a Quest.  During the course of this Quest, Harry will finally get the answers to some of the series most persistent questions.  Most probably, what exactly is a Starborn and what exactly was Harry’s mother trying to accomplish by creating one?  Of course, Faith will prove to be either an Outsider agent or a dupe and the purpose of her Quest is to trick Harry into being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and doing the One Thing He Should Not Do.  The book will end on a cliff-hanger in which Harry looks on at the Outsider army rampaging through the remains of the Outer Gate, or at the monsters escaping from under Demonreach, or at some other disaster he has caused and commenting “Oh $#@&!  I just started the Apocalypse.  I really shouldn’t have done that.”

Part 2 - Hells Bells
In Part Two the Outsides are rampaging throughout our reality and Harry is desperate to find a way to stop the apocalypse he has started.  The answer he comes up with is Harry must go to Hell.  Either there is some maguffin in hell, like the Holy Grail from Skin Game, that he thinks will help him defeat the Outsiders, or Harry must do a literal Deal with the Devil in order to bring Hell onside in the battle to save reality from the Outsiders.   The book then ends on another cliff-hanger as Harry completes his mission to Hell and returns to the real world only to come face to face with the Big Bad Outsider who has been behind everything in the series revealed at last.

Part 3 – Empty Night
In the finale of the series the Big Bad Outsider behind it all has been revealed in all its horrific glory and it is about to End the World.  All that remains is for Harry to gather all his friends and allies and face the Outsiders in one final battle.  The battle will be long, fierce and devastating.  Each of Harry;s family, friends, and enemies will either rise to the occasion or die trying.  The Big Bad Outsider will come close to defeating Harry and company, but Harry will defeat the Outsiders and save the world by pulling off one last ditch Hail Mary play.  But the cost of this victory is very steep.  Many of Harry’s friends, family, and allies have died to save the world.  Mab and Titania have both been killed over the course of the BAT, so the Fairy Courts are in chaos.  Most of the Senior Council of the White Council have been wiped out and the White Council of Wizards in in ruins.  Even the Vampires and Fomor have been decimated in the battle and have slunk off into the shadows where they belong.  In essence, the old order of the supernatural world has been destroyed by the battle and Harry Dresden is left as the Most Powerful Wizard in the World.  As the series comes to a close, Harry is now the New Merlin leading the effort to rebuild a new supernatural order.  Harry takes a moment from his duties to reflect on how he got here and remarks “You don’t become Merlin by collecting bottle caps.”  He then sits down with pen and paper and begins to write out Storm Front and we the reader realize that the series has been Harry Dresden’s account of his rise to power.

Let me know what you think.

[wardenferry419]

I see it going as follows:
Part 1
   Mab died at end of last casebook. Outsiders are breaking free. Harry tries to rally the collective supernatural elements and fails. Ends with death of McCoy in brave sacrifice.
Part 2
   Running battle. Heavy losses. Outsiders gaining ground. Death of Merlin and White Council dissolved.
Part 3.
   Mortal world involvement. Multi-front battles. Small team led by Harry attacks heart of problem. Outsiders contained but not eliminated. Mortal world cannot deny supernatural.
   
   

[Rasins]

Three books - Big issue - Harry has trouble - Mouse wins the day

[wardenferry419]

Does anyone think that there will be one major hero death in each BAT book?

[Ananda]

You guys seem to have the gist of it. Just write it out and save us from having to wait till the 2030s for the books.  Just remember to add some time travel to make raidem happy and bring Deirdre back to make me happy. 

[wardenferry419]

I am not a writer just a strange fellow that spends alot of time thinking about books that haven't been written.

[Rasins]

I am not a writer just a strange fellow that spends alot of time thinking about books that haven't been written.

I'm not a writer just a strange fellow.

[wardenferry419]

That's okay, we all a little crazy here but mesh well.

[Rasins]

*runs around waving his arms and giggling*

yes we do.

[wardenferry419]

*crows like rooster while doing the chicken dance*
Don't mind me; just doing my exercises!

[Kindler]

I've always preferred the "I'm waiting for the apocalypse and have a bunker filled with MREs and bullets, because they'll be the currency after the End" type of crazy.