Author Topic: Storm Front question  (Read 5503 times)

Offline EBRIEN

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Storm Front question
« on: October 19, 2019, 02:58:06 PM »
Near the end of the story, Dresden is considering the power of black magic and his use of it. A woman's hand brings him back to reality. Guess I'd forgotten about this in both reading and listening to it Is there a definitive answer as to whose hand this is? I guess it could be his mother's, but also Leah's (or even Mab's) given the relationship between Harry's mother and Leah. I don't know that it matters at this point, but thought I'd put it out there.

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Offline Bad Alias

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Re: Storm Front question
« Reply #1 on: October 19, 2019, 04:40:20 PM »
Is there a definitive answer as to whose hand this is? I guess it could be his mother's.
No, and I that's my guess. Here's the quote:
Quote
Then something strange happened. Another hand took mine. The hand was slim, the fingers long and delicate. Feminine. The hand gently covered mine, and lifted it, like a small child's, until I held my mother's pentacle in my grasp.
I held it in my hand, felt its cool strength, its ordered and rational geometry. The five-pointed star within the circle was the ancient sign of white wizardry, the only remembrance of my mother. The cold strength of the pentacle gave me a chance, a moment to think again, to clear my head.
There are several times where there is a woman's voice or some such thing that comes to Harry's aid. Another time is Death Masks, Chapter 15, Paragraph 3:
Quote
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."
There is the time at the end of Changes:
Quote
"Hush now," whispered a woman's voice. It sounded familiar.
And the obviously Dresden's mother one of the soulgaze with Thomas, but I don't know if we should count that one because it is not at all subtle as to who that is.

Am I missing any?

Who is a woman Harry would find familiar but not recognize? He has/had a photo of his mother and after the soulgaze, he has a permanent memory of her appearance and voice. Also, he immediately recognized her portrait in Raith Manor. But he should also recognize Lea and Mab.

In the first instance, Lea had power over Harry, so she could have sock puppeted his hand to the pentacle like Mab did with the letter opener, but that's not exactly what happened here.

Offline Avernite

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Re: Storm Front question
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2019, 08:44:03 AM »
It almost makes me think Harry's amulet is more than just an amulet; maybe it really is a magical artifact able to speak to his mind, somehow, to keep him from black magic (and do a few other things).

Mind, the end of Changes seems like it might also just be Mab saving him (and it coming across weird because, well, Harry's almost dead).

Offline Mira

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Re: Storm Front question
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2019, 02:57:08 PM »
It almost makes me think Harry's amulet is more than just an amulet; maybe it really is a magical artifact able to speak to his mind, somehow, to keep him from black magic (and do a few other things).

Mind, the end of Changes seems like it might also just be Mab saving him (and it coming across weird because, well, Harry's almost dead).

I agree with this, I think since pentacle came from his mother, Harry feels her presence when he touches it, her previous ownership gives the object that kind sentimental meaning.  The pentacle also represents what he has come to believe what purpose of magic is, that he learned from his time with Eb.  So whether or not there were actually the ghostly hands of his mother giving him pause not to let loose with black magic doesn't matter that much.  His mother's pentacle is a reminder, "don't make the same mistakes/poor choices I made," thus he feels her hand giving him pause, not to make a poor rash decision.