To be honest, I believe Jim was getting so rushed with his last two (one) novel(s) that he didn't apply the polish we are used to. Several times I suspect he just wanted to put the idea on paper but didn't really go through the whole process of working out how that information should come out naturally, and we as readers are highly sensitive to that. It's hard as an author to get that right as it is but when under pressure I am not surprised that things blow out a bit.
That is plausible.
Take Harry's conversation with Bob early on in BG about Reality starting to break. The scene is almost word for word something out of one of Jim's interviews or Q&As - Harry is the questioner and Bob is Jim. Why would Harry say to Bob (in-universe) "Ferrovax the Dragon" when Bob would already know who he meant by saying Ferrovax and Bob probably knows more than Harry about what Ferro really is? And why would Harry bring up a conversation from 20 years ago with a being who wasn't even present for it (as though they were) to ask about this? It was almost as if Jim wanted remind not just the audience but also himself of what happened in Grave Peril when Harry and Ferro first meet.
The conversation would have made more sense (in my opinion) if it read more like:
"Bob, when I first met Ferrovax he told me his true form would crack the Earth - did he mean Reality?"
"Yes, Harry you moron. Did you really think he meant physically crack the planet's crust with his weight? It only took you 20 years to figure that out!"
Or something like that. Instead it came off as clunky, ham-handed exposition. It wasn't the usual standard of Jim's writing at all.
I concur.
Another example is Dresden's mysteriously deep and practical knowledge of how the Arma Christi (Weapons of Christ - the artefacts he retrieved from Hades' vault) seem to work. How on earth did he know how the plaque worked? It's not like that knowledge is just everyday information (there is no lore that suggests it in our world either). If it is common knowledge in Harry's universe (which would be extremely bizarre) then shouldn't more people know? If it is in fact the rare knowledge that it most likely IS (and should be), how does Harry come to possess it? It's not like Harry could just test this stuff either. It's almost like a scene was missing where Harry needed to seek out information on the artefacts of the Redeemer. Same with the Spear of Destiny? How does Harry know it's a spear to everything (I assume that means nothing can stop it)? And what a crude use of it too. A mundane stabbing tool. Surely the Spear of Destiny (supposedly a weapon that makes the holder invincible) can be used better than for a mere tactical contest? We are talking a thing connected to the fundamental and supreme power in the universe. And while we can put it down to Harry being a brute yadda yadda - we know now that Harry hasn't been the brutish "engineer" that Jim wanted him to appear as for a long time. We have seen that he is intelligent, crafty, ruthless, diplomatic (at times) and thoughtful. Harry's should know more about his weapons, that doesn't bother me. But how he came into that knowledge does. It almost appears to just pop into his head. Who knows, maybe it's another type of intellectus (clever tool for Jim to use too).
The way that Harry knew how the plaque worked really bothered me. The spear a little less, but there was a little voice in the back of my mind saying to me, "this is weak." It reminds my of something a certain foul mouthed movie critic (Mr. Plinkett) on the YouTube channel Red Letter Media says about logical inconsistencies in movie scripts that you might not consciously notice; at least on a first viewing, because the movie is fast paced or a major action scene follows; "You didn't notice it, but your brain did." Sometimes it's only when you discuss a movie with other people; or in this case a novel, or re-watch or re-read it, that the writing flaws become easily apparent, but something in the back of your mind was already pinging you that something was off.
My best guess is Jim had a scene in mind that took place on Demonreach where being The Warden of island gave Harry a level of intelectus to understand how the weapons worked. I think it would have been best if that had happened in the denouement chapter of Skin Game. Harry could have locked the weapons in one of the empty crystals meant for prisoners and then had an a sudden understanding of what they did. A short conversation would have followed with Alfred with a surprised Harry exclaiming something simple and direct like "I know what they can do, now," with Alfred replying, "Of course, you are the Warden." Unfortunately, Jim needed to wrap up other elements of Skin Game and reveal future complications and conflicts, so such a scene was never written. It might have also been done in Peace Talks or Battle Ground but perhaps because the story was already pretty long as it was, Jim might have decided that adding a scene like the one I described above might have slowed down the pace of story to an unacceptable level. So, I think Jim probably knows how Harry knows about the Arma Christi, he just forgot to explain it to us. Oops!
Jim has always made a bit of a point through out the series of the dangers of large organisations that impose rules on others. I suspect he himself was channelling his own feeling about bureaucracy (particularly in relation to his rather harsh treatment by the university administration - not the professors - something he mentioned in an interview).
I think I'll refrain from trying to psychoanalyze Jim. You could be right, but I don't know if there could be other factors involved.
It's somewhat thematic too for such an old organisation, so it works in-universe too. Currently he has Harry seceding from the White Council under the guise of this is for the best etc. Maybe it is, time will tell. But it's certainly heading towards the destruction of the White Council and the rules-based order they have helped keep. There may come a time where Harry might regret this. Perhaps he is even being nudged to do this. These days Harry sounds a lot like Cowl when he talks to and about the White Council - but with less haughtiness and style.
Many of us have long known that something like this is coming. Though it might not result in the wholesale destruction of the White Council, but things will certainly get shaken up. The Gatekeeper hinted at this in Turn Coat. Now it seems to be right around the corner. At least in universe it may be right around the corner. For the readers it might be something more like four to six years.
You also have to consider Harry's expulsion was not really about whether he broke the rules, but because people wanted him out of the Council. For varying reasons. Some on the Council think he is a legitimate danger (and clearly there is a big reveal coming about Harry's dark origins and possible future). Some want him isolated from his former allies so he will be easier to manipulate. Some just want him removed so he can be killed easier. It's politics after all.
Yes, there are those who are acting out of fear and those who are playing one kind of game or another.
