The Barabbas curse

[seanham]

This is the curse that Nicodemus tried to kill Harry with in Death Masks, but Shiro took Harry's place. From my understanding, this curse is a more advanced and deadly version of an entropy curse (a curse that kills by coincidence). Nicodemus is able to cast this curse once a year (maybe refreshing around Easter, the anniversary of Barabbas's freedom, and Jesus's condemnation?) as long as he possesses the nose. Since Harry is obviously a thorn in Nicodemus's side, why hasn't he tried to use the curse on Harry again?

My only guess is that the curse can only be targeted at someone once, meaning that Harry is protected from the curse. However, those around Harry are still vulnerable. Who recently annoyed Nicodemus and whose death would cause Harry a lot of pain? Murphy. I think Nicodemus sent the Barrabus curse to kill Murphy, and the curse used Rudolph's poor trigger discipline as a weapon. When Harry finds this out, he will go berserk and hunt Nicodemus down.

[CrusherJen]

This is a good theory, and very possible. Jim often calls himself a lazy writer, who likes to reuse story elements and characters. And we haven't had a mention of the Barnabas Curse in quite a few books...

It also casts Murphy's death in a more meaningful context, which is (IMHO) both good and bad. The way Karrin died seemed really random and out-of-left-field, so tying it in to Nick's stratagem grounds it, helps it "make sense." It also means there was no way for Harry to save her,, and that might bring him some small comfort..

On the other hand... it also feels a bit like fridging Murphy for Dresden's detriment, making her a pawn in the battle between hero and villain, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. No matter how odd and out-of-place the death was, Murphy died trying to save others. It was still a hero's death, enough to qualify her to become an einherjar. I'm not sure if reframing it as a consequence of Nicodemus' schemes diminishes the impact of that.

We'll have to see how Mr. Butcher writes it. I suspect how it plays out will make a difference in how we view it.

[forumghost]

I'm not sure how you got the impression that Murphy's death was random or out of left field.

The woman needed a cart for all the death flags she was carrying around in PT/BG.

She went out into a war with a bunch of Demigods and Demons and Monsters that could probably  kill her on her best day while half-crippled.

[CrusherJen]

I agree on the death flags, but I'd expected she'd fall fighting one of the monsters, not getting shot by Rudolph. That seemed like a bizarre way for her to go, which is why it felt odd to me. ‍‍:shrug:

[Mira]

I agree on the death flags, but I'd expected she'd fall fighting one of the monsters, not getting shot by Rudolph. That seemed like a bizarre way for her to go, which is why it felt odd to me. ‍‍:shrug:

Me as well, and while one could argue in the context of everything she did die to save others.  It really isn't true, she died stupidly at the hands of an insane careless cop.  Not a hero's death at all. 

[seanham]

Me as well, and while one could argue in the context of everything she did die to save others.  It really isn't true, she died stupidly at the hands of an insane careless cop.  Not a hero's death at all.

Exactly! That is why I feel like there has to be something more.

[Mira]

Exactly! That is why I feel like there has to be something more.

Then again, it could merely be a heavy dose of irony as to how she would ultimately die.  Murphy has been fighting above her weight class for some time now.  Until Skin Game she usually came out on top because of smarts and skills, which I think, especially after Harry died, resulting in her getting things a bit out of perspective as far as herself was concerned.  She became over confident, it ended badly for her in Skin Game.  She was tricked and out matched by Nic, result, a broken Holy Sword and crippling injuries.  Again in Peace Talks and Battle Ground, she ignores her real limitations and it results in her getting killed in a really wasteful way.  So while true the bazooka was an equalizer against the giant, Harry was right, with her injuries she didn't belong on the battle field.  If it hadn't been the paranoid cop blowing her away, it would have been some other creature out matching her, resulting in her demise.. So death by stupidity, one way or the other.. 

[groinkick]

Remember how when Harry was cut by Butter's and there was the smell of sulfur?  What if Nicodemus did this as a way to try and make Harry go dark side?  That if Harry gets angry enough, and has enough hate, the connection between him, and Lasciel could be restored?  Maybe the point of Murphy's death was an attempt to make Harry go all the way bad?

[forumghost]

Remember how when Harry was cut by Butter's and there was the smell of sulfur?  What if Nicodemus did this as a way to try and make Harry go dark side?  That if Harry gets angry enough, and has enough hate, the connection between him, and Lasciel could be restored?  Maybe the point of Murphy's death was an attempt to make Harry go all the way bad?

I think that after Harry nearly killed him on Demonreach and Signed on with Mab Nick has given up recruiting Harry.

Though it's not the first time that Harry has displayed some abilities that are reminiscent of his time with Hellfire- When he confronts Arianna in Edinburgh his Staff starts glowing Red like it used to do when he used Hellfire.

Iirc there was some speculation at the time as to whether or not he still had access to it.

Could be that Dresden is able to Flip Uriel's gift on it's head and use Hellfire instead of Soulfire if he gets mad enough.

[Mira]

 Or it is a safety that Uriel put on the gift of Soul Fire.  Soul Fire isn't a gift given to most mortals and because they have free will, can be abused.  The smell of sulfur was a warning of what can happen.  After all all the Fallen angels including Lucifer were angels in heaven once.  So all angels are capable of it, even Uriel, himself, none are immune to temptation or anger, which could lead to their fall.

[TheCuriousFan]

I agree on the death flags, but I'd expected she'd fall fighting one of the monsters, not getting shot by Rudolph. That seemed like a bizarre way for her to go, which is why it felt odd to me. ‍‍:shrug:

But now, that death, Murphy's death at the hand of a human seems to me to be very significant in terms of the series and had you always intended that that was going to be the case since you started thinking about it more seriously?

What I really thought about it was "what's the /worst/ way for Murphy to die?" Not like the most painful or the most dramatic but the one that would be the worst for the people who loved and supported her. What is going to make the reader suffer the most to read and so it's like she can't die in battle she has to die and it's got to be to this weasel, she can't be taken straight-up because it's not who her character is but to be killed by this weasel sort of by accident almost, you know death by incompetence seems to be even worse *unintelligible*. I had a lot of fun planning that out and I know there's a lot of people who are really angry at me and to them I can say "well keep reading we'll see what happens".

[Mira]

Yup, the worst way for Murphy to die, was the way she did, a stupid wasteful way, not heroic at all.

[groinkick]

Yup, the worst way for Murphy to die, was the way she did, a stupid wasteful way, not heroic at all.

She had literally just blown up a giant, and died fighting to save innocent people.....  Her death may have been senseless but she had a heroic death, which is exactly why she was taken up by the Valkyrie.   

That's the thing to be mad about...  A senseless death.

[Phygers]

What is going to make the reader suffer the most to read I had a lot of fun planning that out and I know there's a lot of people who are really angry at me and to them I can say "well keep reading we'll see what happens".

I think Jim is underestimating how angry people are at Murphy going out the way she did on top of his sudden disinterest the relationship he spent 17 books building between Harry and Karin before what happened in BG given you can go look on TvTropes and under brokenbase https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/BrokenBase/OtherMedia under the lit selection and it's not wrong with friends and family that also walked for good or want to punch Jim in the face. It spells nothing good going forward with Dresden that wants he readers to suffer the most while reading and thinking they are going to come back for another go around is dumb. I have wonder if anyone pulled him a side and ask if he thought it through because of what it might cost him

[K.L.O.E.]

I think Jim is underestimating how angry people are at Murphy going out the way she did on top of his sudden disinterest the relationship he spent 17 books building between Harry and Karin before what happened in BG given you can go look on TvTropes and under brokenbase https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/BrokenBase/OtherMedia under the lit selection and it's not wrong with friends and family that also walked for good or want to punch Jim in the face. It spells nothing good going forward with Dresden that wants he readers to suffer the most while reading and thinking they are going to come back for another go around is dumb. I have wonder if anyone pulled him a side and ask if he thought it through because of what it might cost him

Yeah, I won't be surprised if the next books don't do as well. I know that the person introduced me to the series is done because of the way Jim wrote the Winter Mantle and Murph getting fridged. What he liked about the series isn't there so why keep going?