A Fistful of Warlocks (SPOILERS: FISTFUL OF WARLOCKS)

[ClintACK]

Happy 4th of July.  A new Dresden Files short story arrived on my Kindle this morning.  What a wonderful present!  (in the anthology Straight Outta Tombstone)

Obviously, a day filled with other things so I've only read the story once. 

Eye-popping moments:

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• McCoy!!  He was the Captain of the Wardens back then.
• Grevane!!!
• Kemmler!!!!
• The Thule!
• Magic Coffee Spell!
• Magic Spectacles

Definitely enjoyed the story.  Will be reading it again.

[jonas]

Is that out?? What is on in on paper? I want!

[ClintACK]

The book is:    Straight Outta Tombstone
Edited By:      David Bloop

Amazon shows it available now in e-book and in stock in paperback.

[Mira]

Wow!  A great gift for the 4th!

[Zaphodess]

Somebody must ask Jim about the backstory to this one

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McCoy used to be the Captain of the Wardens in late 19th century. By the time we meet him (SK), he usually doesn't show up to Council meetings any more and the Merlin tells him that he isn't welcome there. Huh?

[Darkest-Before-Dawn]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, although it was midnight in the UK when I remembered it was out but of course I had to stay up and read it.

Somebody must ask Jim about the backstory to this one

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McCoy used to be the Captain of the Wardens in late 19th century. By the time we meet him (SK), he usually doesn't show up to Council meetings any more and the Merlin tells him that he isn't welcome there. Huh?

That's a really interesting point.

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It's strange actually, I was only wondering the other day if McCoy, having such an affinity for battle magic, had been involved with the wardens. I hadn't made this connection when I read AFFOW. My mind went more in the direction of "Ah, if he was captain of the wardens for a while then it makes sense he'd be trusted enough to be Blackstaff".

[Serack]

Somebody must ask Jim about the backstory to this one

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McCoy used to be the Captain of the Wardens in late 19th century. By the time we meet him (SK), he usually doesn't show up to Council meetings any more and the Merlin tells him that he isn't welcome there. Huh?

Jim had his Reddit podcast Q&A around the time he wrote Fist Full of Warlocks and said this:

Eb took up the Blackstaff in 1884-1885 somewhere in there.  The Blackstaff chooses his successor. 

Which is only a year or 3 after the events of Fist Full of Warlocks.  Could be related to your question.

[Zaphodess]

Thanks, Serack. I forgot about this, cause I had the New Madrid earthquake of 1811 as a starting point for Eb's Blackstaff career in mind. 

It really fits too well to be coincidence.

[Aminar]

Jim had his Reddit podcast Q&A around the time he wrote Fist Full of Warlocks and said this:

Which is only a year or 3 after the events of Fist Full of Warlocks.  Could be related to your question.

Near as I can tell the story is in 1877. So almost a decade, but not a terribly long time. (As that appears to be when Earp and Bat were working as deputies in Dodge city.)
From wikipedia.

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Masterson soon made a complete recovery and settled in Dodge City. On June 6, 1877, Masterson tried to prevent the arrest of a certain Robert Gilmore – who was known to the locals as "Bobby Gill."

[Snark Knight]

Thanks, Serack. I forgot about this, cause I had the New Madrid earthquake of 1811 as a starting point for Eb's Blackstaff career in mind. 
It really fits too well to be coincidence.

Wait, were we just assuming he'd done New Madrid all along? Somehow I'd got the impression it was one of the ones he admitted to Harry in BR (along with Krakatoa and Tunguska).

Edit: Krakatoa was 1883. So I guess either he pretty much used the Blackstaff immediately upon taking it up to cause the eruption (and it's within the margin of error to Jim's ca. 1884-85 answer), or the eruption broke both the laws on time travel and collateral damage of mortal lives.

[Serack]

Near as I can tell the story is in 1877. So almost a decade, but not a terribly long time. (As that appears to be when Earp and Bat were working as deputies in Dodge city.)
From wikipedia.

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Masterson soon made a complete recovery and settled in Dodge City. On June 6, 1877, Masterson tried to prevent the arrest of a certain Robert Gilmore – who was known to the locals as "Bobby Gill."

I've never spent a lot of time reading up on the Wild West, so when I beta'd the story, I looked up information on Earp and Dodge City, and landed on the "Dodge City War" as the timing for the short story, since it pretty closely resembles Earp's description of the tensions in the city/saloon.  Hence my estimate of the timing between the two events. 

[Rasins]

I have a theory that the Blackstaff can removed ALL black magic taint from it's user.  Even taint that was gained prior to the Blackstaff's acquisition.

Therefore, it's possible that Eb did some horrendeous things before acquiring the BS, and the BS cleaned him up aftwards.

[Mira]

Wait, were we just assuming he'd done New Madrid all along? Somehow I'd got the impression it was one of the ones he admitted to Harry in BR (along with Krakatoa and Tunguska).

Edit: Krakatoa was 1883. So I guess either he pretty much used the Blackstaff immediately upon taking it up to cause the eruption (and it's within the margin of error to Jim's ca. 1884-85 answer), or the eruption broke both the laws on time travel and collateral damage of mortal lives.

Yeah,  New Madrid happened somewhere between 1811 -1812

[Snark Knight]

I have a theory that the Blackstaff can removed ALL black magic taint from it's user.  Even taint that was gained prior to the Blackstaff's acquisition.
Therefore, it's possible that Eb did some horrendeous things before acquiring the BS, and the BS cleaned him up aftwards.

I'm not sure I buy that Eb was walking around with the taint of having caused hundreds of deaths on him for eighty-odd years between New Madrid and gaining the Blackstaff, apparently as captain of the Wardens for a chunk of that time, and nobody would have noticed something wrong with him.

Although given the WOJ that the Blackstaff chooses his or her own successor, it's possible they'd be heavily biased in favour of one of their own apprentices as the person best trusted to use it responsibly. I wonder if the collection of journals is not just a chain of masters and apprentices, but Blackstaffs and their chosen successors? In that case, New Madrid might have been an act of Ebenezar's predecessor, or the predecessor loaned a trusted apprentice the artifact for one-time use for some compelling reason.

[ethical crackpot]

I'm a big fan of weird west, particularly Deadlands. I had no idea this was coming out! So glad I started lurking here when I started reading the series a 2nd time!