Ghost Vulnerabilities - GP vs. GS Inconsistency

[vultur]

In GP, Harry goes on about how ghosts are really hard to harm or affect at all - you have to get them to acknowledge you (at least if you're not in the Nevernever?) and Harry makes ghost dust out of weird, exotic, hard to get ingredients like depleted uranium to fight ghosts with.

But in GS, ghosts seem way more vulnerable. Sir Stu is nearly destroyed by fire, and Harry as a ghost talks about how running water could destroy him.

But if plain old fire could destroy ghosts, why bother with ghost dust? Just use a torch or something...

[Wizard Sibelis]

Harry and Stu both tended to acknowledge the material world though...

[Mr. Death]

In GP, Harry goes on about how ghosts are really hard to harm or affect at all - you have to get them to acknowledge you (at least if you're not in the Nevernever?) and Harry makes ghost dust out of weird, exotic, hard to get ingredients like depleted uranium to fight ghosts with.

But in GS, ghosts seem way more vulnerable. Sir Stu is nearly destroyed by fire, and Harry as a ghost talks about how running water could destroy him.

But if plain old fire could destroy ghosts, why bother with ghost dust? Just use a torch or something...

Because fire is very tricky and not easy to control, even when you're not Harry "I have this problem with buildings" Dresden.

I mean, fire will also kill ants, but generally speaking that's not how you want to take care of them when they're in your house.

[wardenferry419]

Maybe because Harry is still learning and "ghost dust" is a target-specific weapn.

[Kindler]

They were in a hospital in Grave Peril—specifically a nursery. You want to go slinging fire around a bunch of newborns? (Not that I'd be tossing DEPLETED FREAKING URANIUM either). I saw it as Harry locking Agatha into position so Michael could deal with her.

[Ulfgeir]

Guess it could also be depending on how powerful they were. Agatha was powerful enough if I recall correctly to have created her own "shadow-world" in the Nevernever.

/Ulfgeir

[groinkick]

In GP, Harry goes on about how ghosts are really hard to harm or affect at all - you have to get them to acknowledge you (at least if you're not in the Nevernever?) and Harry makes ghost dust out of weird, exotic, hard to get ingredients like depleted uranium to fight ghosts with.

But in GS, ghosts seem way more vulnerable. Sir Stu is nearly destroyed by fire, and Harry as a ghost talks about how running water could destroy him.

But if plain old fire could destroy ghosts, why bother with ghost dust? Just use a torch or something...

Comes down to power level probably.  Most ghosts cannot really disrupt the mortal world while the spirit he was going against could kill people.  Harry couldn't even ruffle someone's hair.

[vultur]

Harry and Stu both tended to acknowledge the material world though...

That's a good point. Harry goes on and on about how you have to get a ghost to acknowledge you, and people without magic may not be able to do it at all, etc. ... but maybe that only applies if the ghost is trapped in reliving its memories, which Harry and Sir Stu weren't.

I re-read the fight with Agatha Hagglethorn, and yeah, Harry doesn't outright say that ONLY ghost dust hurts ghosts. So maybe there's no inconsistency.

I saw it as Harry locking Agatha into position so Michael could deal with her.

Yes, that's definitely the case:

I had enough ghost dust to pin down Agatha and a dozen spooks like her, and allow Michael to dispatch her swiftly, with a minimum of muss and fuss - just as long as I didn't miss.