(SPOILERS)Grumping about the timeline in BG

[Smaug with OCD]

Okay, let me begin by saying I really enjoyed the ride. It was a fun book. Things exploded. People died. My expectations were - in some ways - exceeded. But... I can't help feeling like having the battle take place over a more stretched out span of time would have been helpful to the story.

What if, instead of a single night of crazy, it had been two or three days? With things as desperate as they were, the defenders of Chicago fight a desperate battle, slowly giving ground. Being pushed back. Wizards collapse under the strain of throwing around so much magic. Sleep a few hours, then get back up to do it again. I'm not sure this would have worked with the city-destroyer that we were led to believe the eye was. But... what we got from it wasn't that. Building destroyer, yes. City? Not so much.

We could have had the National guard show up to complicate things in the middle of the battle, instead of as one big "sweep the fish back into the ocean" moment near the end. They were foreshadowed so much, and we were told they would be such a problem... but in the end they became the reinforcements that allowed the final push against the bad guys. Not a complication for our heroes. I don't have a huge problem with this. It was still fun.

I just feel like the battle could have been... longer? bigger? Not sure bigger is the right word.

Thoughts?

On the other hand, I can't wait to see how things change once footage from that night starts leaking out into the wider world and the cover-up begins to break down.

SIDE NOTE: I hope the grand apocalyptic trilogy doesn't end up on this kind of condensed timeframe.

[Regenbogen]

My thought was, the books PT and BG could have been kept as one with the battle shorter. 
But not less intense. Sometimes I had the feeling, Jim Butcher lost himself a bit in describing the battle scenes.
Don't get me wrong. He wrote them in an excellent way and I enjoyed reading them. But sometimes less is more. I would have wished more emphasis on the storyline.
And I would have wished

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Murphy to leave later in the book. It was at about 50% when she died.

But all in all I liked it.
A longer battle would not have made sense. This would have meant less fighting, more siege situations. I.e. less action.
It was OK. I'm looking forward to the next book, but I expect something like Ghost Story after Changes. Something almost completely off, so that Harry has to learn something new. Maybe we won't even see the

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wedding

, if it even comes to that. But I think it does. I try to imagine now how Harry's and Maggie's lives will change because of that. And how they will deal with it.

PS: and I would love to read about Harry accompanying Lara to the mentioned political events. Whatever made Mab say that? Does she really believe he might be a help for Lara being diplomatic? Oh dear. This must be funny to read. Oh, please write that. LOL
PPS: maybe she wants Lara to teach him diplomacy.

[Smaug with OCD]

My thought was, the books PT and BG could have been kept as one with the battle shorter. 
But not less intense. Sometimes I had the feeling, Jim Butcher lost himself a bit in describing the battle scenes.
Don't get me wrong. He wrote them in an excellent way and I enjoyed reading them. But sometimes less is more. I would have wished more emphasis on the storyline.
And I would have wished

(click to show/hide)

Murphy to leave later in the book. It was at about 50% when she died.

But all in all I liked it.
A longer battle would not have made sense. This would have meant less fighting, more siege situations. I.e. less action.

Yeah, a siege was more along the lines of what I was thinking. Something like what happened in the third Codex Alera book(love that battle...). Was still fun, though. Shortening the battle would have been a dis-service to the scale of the conflict, I think. The Accords members were supposed to be fighting a legion/legions(according to the scary kitty's scouting session). Having that all take place in the last fourth or fifth of a usual-sized book would be kind of underwhelming for something that was supposed to be "un-ignorable."

It was OK. I'm looking forward to the next book, but I expect something like Ghost Story after Changes. Something almost completely off, so that Harry has to learn something new.

Well, Mirror Mirror is supposedly next. So, your guess about a Ghost Story situation being next makes a lot of sense. I'll bet you five imaginary dollars Harry disappears just before the wedding. I can't imagine any other situation that would complicate things as much, unless someone comes along for the ride.

Maybe we won't even see the

(click to show/hide)

wedding

, if it even comes to that. But I think it does. I try to imagine now how Harry's and Maggie's lives will change because of that. And how they will deal with it.

PS: and I would love to read about Harry accompanying Lara to the mentioned political events. Whatever made Mab say that? Does she really believe he might be a help for Lara being diplomatic? Oh dear. This must be funny to read. Oh, please write that. LOL
PPS: maybe she wants Lara to teach him diplomacy.

I'll admit the Harry x Lara wedding kind of threw me for a loop when Mab proposed(hehe) it. Peace Talks started with Mab warning her not to... what was her turn of phrase? Something about not eating her food? Given what usually happens on one's wedding night and Lara's... enticing proclivities... how exactly are they going to get around this conflict of interests? Just a thought.

Although, it could be that Harry is just reaching the end of the allotted "mourning period" rather than disappearing on the wedding day itself.

[Dina]

I just want to say that I agree with Regen post and that the fight here is more or less what I expected for the BAT! In fact, if not for a couple of things (like the wedding), it would be a fitting ending for the series. I mean, it is a not-so-Big Apocalyptic Duology. Not-so-BAD.

[Regenbogen]

.   Well, Mirror Mirror is supposedly next. So, your guess about a Ghost Story situation being next makes a lot of sense. I'll bet you five imaginary dollars Harry disappears just before the wedding. I can't imagine any other situation that would complicate things as much, unless someone comes along for the ride.   

I would bet with you, not against.
And he could be replaced by Mirror-Harry. Just imagine. There might be some sucking sound and then Harry will be sucked backwards Alienlike (Ripley's bastard child) through a small hole into another dimension, while no one but Maggie will look his way. On the other side Mirror-Harry will plopp out. Standing there confused. But looking like original Harry. In the Mirrorverse original Harry will plopp out into another ceremony looking like Mirror-Harry, complete with goatee and eye-patch. LOL

Edit: the wedding ceremony will have started already but no vows yet. So that Mirror Harry will have to do the vows, which makes original Harry NOT married to Lara.
***wiggling eyebrows***

[Dina]

I liked the last part. Also, Lara could feed (and have sex) with MM-Harry without worries about True Love. Of course that would indicate her that he was not real Harry. But both of them will probably enjoy it.

[Rigil Kent]

Heh. I don't actually want Harry to get out of it. Because the insane number of shenanigans that could spring up for Harry Dresden, Winter Knight, Wizard of Chicago, and Husband of the White Queen (because honestly, at this point, it's an open secret that she's in charge and not her dad) due to the marriage are too glorious to imagine.

[Arjan]

Heh. I don't actually want Harry to get out of it. Because the insane number of shenanigans that could spring up for Harry Dresden, Winter Knight, Wizard of Chicago, and Husband of the White Queen (because honestly, at this point, it's an open secret that she's in charge and not her dad) due to the marriage are too glorious to imagine.

The only ones who do not know are in the white council

[Rigil Kent]

The only ones who do not know are in the white council

I'm not sure if that's accurate. I seem to recall Luccio make a comment to Lara about the White King obviously still being in charge...

[Arjan]

I'm not sure if that's accurate. I seem to recall Luccio make a comment to Lara about the White King obviously still being in charge...

She obviously knows but she is a wizard....

[Rigil Kent]

Oh. Did you mean "White Court" instead of Council? I personally think that pretty much everyone knows that Daddy Raith is not in charge anymore ...

[Mira]

I think part of the problem might be that Jim spent too much time on "diversions."  The end result the battle became a bit disjointed. 

[Arjan]

Enenezer doesn’t know. Every time someone tries to explain him something about the white court he explodes and starts throwing fireballs. 

[Dina]

Yes, Eb with the White Vampires is the magical equivalent of this


Also, why is Harry involved with so many WC? (White Council, White Court of vampires, Winter Court)

[Arjan]

Yes, Eb with the White Vampires is the magical equivalent of this


Also, why is Harry involved with so many WC? (White Council, White Court of vampires, Winter Court)

You forgot the Water Closet. The only WC everyone knows.