So if Codex Alera is the zerg invasion, does that mean that Cinder Spires is the Protoss invasion (or at least far into the aftermath)?   

Folly's description of the things (crystals?) growing in Ferrus was interesting.  I'm betting that Cavendish has them too, but she's not in rough enough shape to die from it just yet. 

I enjoyed the Abigail portions, personally.  Gwen will get her chance to butt heads with Cavendish on the surface in the next book for us to get back to her. 

It would have been nice to have a reference to Vincent in Aeronaut's Windlass (or maybe there is one that I didn't notice).  Also, Spire Atlanta was very prominent in this book to be an unknown in the first one.

Evil Bob could have easily gotten shelter in the NN.  He doesn't even need to cross Lea's garden if he leaves Harry's house before sunrise and crosses over somewhere else.

Also, creating a demesne in the NN probably doesn't take a lot of oomph.  Mortals do it when they dream.  Evil Bob isn't a weak spirit by any means, anyway. 

True.

He hired Gard when Dresden repeatedly turned him down, and most fan theories have him accepting Namshiels coin after the Fomor incident.

Mostly because he almost lost Hendricks and his life, him not using Namshiels in that situation was recklessly putting himself and a useful subordinate or two in peril he couldn't recover from easily.

I think it was roughly after he returned from the Vatican in GS that he took up Namshiel.  That aligns with Marcone doing his homework before jumping into something dangerous.  Even Hand was before Changes, though granted, Even Hand could have convinced Marcone to start looking for more personal power to directly call upon.

Marcone will have taken up the shadow and got it to show him its worth, but probably waited years to take up the coin.

The host can influence the shadow as Harry/Lash proved. Harry was the only previous host not to quickly have the coin fully taken up and the shadow rejoin with the Angel. This rejoining never happened with Harry, due to Lash’s sacrifice, but if Marcone had the Coin for years he was working on the Namshiel all that time with his considerable will. When he finally took it up Namshiel will have had a much changed shadow returned to him, changing him in a way which has not previously occurred, and one not expected

Marcone deliberately and purposefully corrupted a Fallen Angel as an exercise of Free Will. I think he has been successful.

If someone like Michael or Father Forthill took up a shadow and held it for years and then took up the Coin could this lead to a redemption of the Denarian? The ultimate purpose of the Knights of the Sword is to redeem those who who have taken up the coin, like Sanya. What is they can redeem via the shadows the Angel?

The next host for the shadow of Anduriel (Master of Shadows)will be Michael, when he persuades Nicky, sans his tie to drop his coin. That is a reason to for Jim keep Michael alive.his purpose is NOT complete.

What makes you think that changing the shadow of a Fallen changes the Fallen themselves?  Even if they rejoin later instead of being simply overwritten, the metaphysical weight of a Fallen is much much bigger than the weight of their shadow.  It's not going to redeem them in any appreciable way.

WOJ please, whilst Jim can re-write his rules as he pleases but this hasn’t been shown in BG, all the immortals zapped by the Eye survived though I think only the Erl King was a genuine immortal not reliant upon a Mantle for his immortality.

What the Eye can do is break reality, little point being an immortal if reality has ended.

I don't think there are any immortals absent a mantle.  The immortal mantle is what makes an immortal immortal (noting that not all mantles confer immortality).  The Erlking is the Eldest goblin.  "Eldest" is a powerful mantle in Faerie, and there are a few of them.

I'd also guess that either Grimalkin or Cat Sith is the Eldest malk.  Scarecrow was the Eldest fetch.  And, going out on a limb, the Redcap is the Eldest gnome.


Even outside of the fae, other gods have mantles.  Hercules's mantle got passed over to the Hulk, for example.

I don't think there was three.  I think Jim put his own spin.  There are 3 Fates.  Mother, Queen, Lady.  3 Fates for Winter, 3 Fates for Summer.  If there wasa 3rd Mother, what would she represent?  Not a season as the other 2 do.  A 3rd Mother would be out of place from the readers perspective.  There is a precise balance between Winter and Summer, and a 3rd Mother wouldn't make sense.


EDIT:  Unless before they took up Winter, and Summer, there were 3 Mothers, and the 3rd Mother leads the Fomor who Jim did say were defeated by the Sidhe.

Nah, I'm not a fan of the Fomor mother idea.  The Fates were seen as maiden/mother/crone triple deity.  That got split in half to get the six queens we know and  love.

To be clear, we have exactly one instance of the "Cassius Effect." 

Sort of.  The half-rampires of the Fellowship of St Giles also had the rapid aging once their supernatural sponsor left the picture.

Cassius is the host. Saluriel is the Denarian (the usual -el ending). Even without the coin Harry sees energy around him as he releases the curse. I think Cassius may have been a minor practitioner pre-coin. And I think ALL the Denarians have some ability, if not as much as Namshiel. Remember Ascher seemed AWFULLY good - I think Harry said Senior Council level, and she only had Lasciel.

Ascher was better than Harry with fire, but only with fire.  She wasn't senior council level, not a wide enough pool of talent.