Sample Chapters on TOR

[Mira]

There's every chance it was one of the paranetters that was grabbed. Or it could have been a scion as you said.

Crossed with what?

[ClintACK]

There's every chance it was one of the paranetters that was grabbed. Or it could have been a scion as you said.

That's a horrifying thought. Not a scion at all, but a human dragged down to the depths and exposed to Lovecraftian imagery until its body and soul were twisted into a tentacular eldritch horror itself.

[Mira]

That's a horrifying thought. Not a scion at all, but a human dragged down to the depths and exposed to Lovecraftian imagery until its body and soul were twisted into a tentacular eldritch horror itself.

  Now that sounds more plausible, or there are many Greek myths for example where a human has displeased the gods for one reason or another and thus are turned into something else.

One more thing, now I think she may get it after the battle by the end of chapter two.  But in chapter one I got the feeling that Harry couldn't fully get across to Murphy what they were about to face.  It was like she couldn't fully grasp it which is unusual for her.

[BrainFireBob]

No, which if you will remember surprised Harry, and actually made him a bit afraid of Marcone.  However he did find a corner where Marcone was vulnerable.  One has to wonder, perhaps Marcone wasn't afraid because he was trying to come up with a way to use Harry?

Marcone's attitude changed and he nodded to himself. I tend towards he recognized that Harry couldn't be bought, but was a man bound by his principles to wage war to the mattresses for causes he supported. So, a man you can point at things but not one to control or influence, and one that will tie his own hands against you if you don't give him cause.

I tend towards thinking Harry looks like a take on Hades, or some of the book covers. He is the storm, and held by his will, the power to unleash hell.

Could you imagine that? Id-Harry staring into your soul, looking . . .considering . . .while holding the leash of the hounds of hell loosely?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry is wondering how to get close enough to Ethnui to use the Athame without being turned to a pile of dust. I think the answer is on the cover, he attaches the Athame to his staff and fires it at the eye like he did Hailstones in SG. We may even get to see the super punch he build into this version of his staff which we haven’t really seen used yet. Of course he then needs to recover the Athame afterwards. Harry even tells us what happened with Lugh in the same position.

The other tactic depends on whether he figures out who Mac is and uses him to get close to Ethnui.

[TheCuriousFan]

The problem with using the athame at this point is that, judging by the fires, the fighting has already moved past the shoreline.

[ClintACK]

I will say I was happy with the Murphy of these two chapters.

She's still present and has Harry's back, but she didn't try to leap into the water and fight the kraken or even shoot it. She took an active role, doing things like getting out a flare and lighting it, or giving Freydis a grenade, but she's acting well within her body's limits and not blindly charging in and becoming a liability. I should have had more faith.

She seems to be taking over some of the best parts of Butters' role in Dead Beat. She's a mortal, in over her head, but still able to help through grit and competence. And she gets to be the reader-stand-in for much needed world exposition. (Not everyone has been researching the Ethniu myths since Peace Talks came out! And there's going to be a lot more that we don't know.)

Their relationship even felt more real and healthy than in their first chapter in Peace Talks, where it felt like they were always maneuvering through a minefield of prickly topics. Maybe it's just that they put all the small stuff to the side when things get serious, but it was nice to see. (I'm not sure if it was intentional, but on second reading I laughed at how she's now *physically* "lumpier and pointier than the dictates of romance..." where she was like that metaphorically in chapter 5 of Peace Talks.)

[vultur]

I guess. Maybe I'm not reading enough into that, it just seemed an odd line to have, if there weren't immediate consequences backing it up.

It seemed odd to me too.

But I think the point was that a normal person would probably have been totally helpless (blind in the darkness and shocked by the cold) but some kind of Winter Mantle thing "switched on" and Harry could suddenly see in the dark.

Crossed with what?

Well the Fomor have biological warping abilities... Not necessarily a hybrid, but a transformation. Maybe something like a Loup-garou or Hexenwolf transformation, only to a monster-squid rather than a monster-wolf.

Or the kraken might be an actual 'alien', ie a separate sort of ensouled being not derived from humans, maybe even from a very divergent parallel universe where kraken rather than humans are the main mortals.

[Yuillegan]

I do like the idea that the Fomor have been transforming mortals into monsters. But tbh I think what happened with the Soul Gaze is explained well enough much earlier in the series. That it isn't exactly sharing souls, but he looked into the core of the being that he was fighting. He even says early on in the series that there are plenty of reasons not to look at monsters in the eye because of all the terrible psychic things that might happen. Although, Jim also says that Soul Gazes only happen during moments of intimacy. Which is curious, because that's a very recent quote. And I wouldn't say that was an intimate moment myself. So perhaps there is something to transforming mortals theory.

I think we will see many more monsters of myth and legend before we are through.

Curious that Dresden was saying Ethniu's name full well knowing that might grab her attention (he clearly learned nothing during Skin Game).

Also, seems interesting to me that he isn't even sure he can beat Ethniu altogether. I suspect he will try and neutralize or steal that Eye with the Athame and get her to pursue him to the shores of Demonreach. From there Alfred will be able to hold her temporarily while he attempts to bind her. Although I suspect it will hurt Harry spiritually. All of that is apparently plan Z though. So what is plan A?

[Mira]

I will say I was happy with the Murphy of these two chapters.

She's still present and has Harry's back, but she didn't try to leap into the water and fight the kraken or even shoot it. She took an active role, doing things like getting out a flare and lighting it, or giving Freydis a grenade, but she's acting well within her body's limits and not blindly charging in and becoming a liability. I should have had more faith.

She seems to be taking over some of the best parts of Butters' role in Dead Beat. She's a mortal, in over her head, but still able to help through grit and competence. And she gets to be the reader-stand-in for much needed world exposition. (Not everyone has been researching the Ethniu myths since Peace Talks came out! And there's going to be a lot more that we don't know.)

Their relationship even felt more real and healthy than in their first chapter in Peace Talks, where it felt like they were always maneuvering through a minefield of prickly topics. Maybe it's just that they put all the small stuff to the side when things get serious, but it was nice to see. (I'm not sure if it was intentional, but on second reading I laughed at how she's now *physically* "lumpier and pointier than the dictates of romance..." where she was like that metaphorically in chapter 5 of Peace Talks.)

Yes, I'd agree, however don't you think it odd that Murphy couldn't seem to grasp the magnitude of
the danger?  Harry not making a wise ass remark about it sort of got her attention but when Harry tried to relate what the impact will be even if the city survives, her answer is a trite, "things always change?"  I also find it odd at the end of the chapter he says that she and Molly had his back and seems to give Lara no credit when it was she who jumped the lake knife in hand [would of loved it better if it was in her teeth pirate style] to do battle with the monster to save his ass? Even if it was
because if something happened to Harry, Thomas would never get out of jail.

However it does underscore how injured Murphy is, and no, she isn't even in good enough shape to
go along with him like Butters did in Dead Beat.   

[vultur]

Although, Jim also says that Soul Gazes only happen during moments of intimacy. Which is curious, because that's a very recent quote.

I believe the quote was that something like that is needed for non-wizard supernaturals (the example was Kincaid and Goodman Grey). Wizards get soulgazes a lot easier.

The scene is sort of parallel with Harry's soulgaze with Ursiel in DM; Harry is attacked by surprise by a big monster and gets an unexpected soulgaze.

Also, seems interesting to me that he isn't even sure he can beat Ethniu altogether.

Ethniu is a really major power, greater than Mab. With the Athame and Demonreach, Harry has a chance to harm and/or imprison her, whereas most people simply couldn't do anything effective at all. But she could still kill Harry trivially.

So what is plan A?

Good question. To me the obvious one would be a surprise attack while Ethniu is bogged down fighting some of the major powers, Forzare the Athame at her to get some blood then Forzare it back to his hand, then do the binding ritual.

[Mira]

The scene is sort of parallel with Harry's soulgaze with Ursiel in DM; Harry is attacked by surprise by a big monster and gets an unexpected soulgaze.

Yup, and he gets unexpected insight into what it is really like to play host to a Coin.  It went a long way in helping him resist Lasciel's shadow, because he wouldn't fully buy what she was selling because he didn't want to end up like the poor bugger who was the host.  I don't think it was Ursiel though that he soul gazed, I think it was one of the ones Shiro killed.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry thinks he needs to wear Ethnui down ‘to Harry her’ that means physically and emotionally so his will is the stronger. I think this is where Mac comes in, Harry has skirted over Lugh’s father, describing him as a ‘handsome Tuatha’ so is Harry going to go all Larry Fowler over Ethnui? “Ethnui, as a surprise we have in the studio your long estranged husband, who seduced you in prison after a millennia of confinement”.

Physically? there are likely only three weapons on the field which can injure Ethnui the two swords and the Athame. Gungenir is with Odin, and whilst Etri might have Mjolnir, unless Hendricks is Thor, not an option. I doubt even the rune axes of the Valkyries would have much impact. The swords are also most likely to get close to Ethnui, and allow their wielder as to be able to survive the Eye under the protection of the White God.

I also have this idea that Harry gets the eye out and turns it on the Fomor like the head of Medusa, decimating their forces, eventually taking it back to the armoury with the rest of his superweapons. I wonder if Alfred could wield it?

[Mira]

I also have this idea that Harry gets the eye out and turns it on the Fomor like the head of Medusa, decimating their forces, eventually taking it back to the armoury with the rest of his superweapons. I wonder if Alfred could wield it?

I doubt it,  Alfred is powerful on the island, but he was designed by Merlin to be a guard, and that is all. On the island, he really doesn't need a weapon like the Eye to contain anything, he just does it. Now Harry, if he does bring it back to the armory on the island, as Warden, he might very well be able to wield it, he has that kind of will, but only as a very last resort I think in the BAT.

[noblehunter]

Butcher made a point of saying the Winter Knight was dangerous in the cold and the dark but we didn't get to see any real WK mojo. Resisting cold is fine and all but not very interesting.

We know soulgazes are mediated by the recipient, Harry gets images and video but I think Ramirez get music. I think the recipient's frame of reference also affected what they experience. So everyone gets a different version of Harry. That's why the normal people who soulgazed Harry are gibbering over whatever it was that could frighten a kraken. They see the parts of Harry that matter to them.

Though I'm pretty amazed that kraken qualify as people enough to get a soulgaze. Do the rules of magic then apply? It's kind of alarming, to be honest.