HUGE BATTLE GROUND SPOILERS - (Un)Answered questions

[wardenferry419]

Long time gone from forums. Just finished the book. Still processing the details. Murphy's scene was rough but gave a good glimpse at what a villain-Harry could be. Mab was awesome and Sanya is the best. Marcone may be a Baron but Harry is king of the castle!

[Wrane]

My opinion of this book is far lower than others have posted. 
Bigfoot vs Drakul fight offscreen (boo). 
The book felt like the first 45 minutes of Saving Private Ryan. (all action no story)
The familiar beats of Dresden learning and having a moment where he gets it just weren't there.
The fact that Christmas Eve needed to be included to provide any sense of closure or character evolution, is quite damning as a it relates to the structure of the novel.

The questions that remain unanswered are not very interesting or have been undermined. LTW has info for Harry but since he got tossed there is no reasonable way for Harry to get the info from the WC.  The argument the WC made is complete crap. (You have secrets therefore you are out and we are going to send family to kill you if you break our rules which we wont tell you.)
The writing feels uninspired in order set up something in the future.   

[Rigil Kent]

Hmm. Does Mab know the Marcone secret? It almost seems as though Harry didn't actually reveal that ... or at least, I don't think it was remotely addressed after the fact...

[Conspiracy Theorist]

She does, she went full Spock Eyebrow.

[morriswalters]

Why is Thorned Namshiel the only Denarian with two names?

[Yuillegan]

Technically, he's just Namshiel. But maybe that's just how everyone sees him. And of course, because that's how Jim names him. It is odd, I admit. Although technically, Nicodemus and Tess both have two names.

Wrane - Shame you didn't like it. I personally very much enjoyed it. We all get something out of different books. Can't say I agree that the remaining unanswered questions are uninteresting though. Plenty of good stuff handed out, but so much more to know now. And I appreciate Jim finally got around to actually dealing with some of them. Dresden did learn heaps though. From conversations with LtW, Mab, Bob, Vadderung, Eb, Drakul plus observation and overhearing other things. Seems like finally he starts paying attention and asking the right questions.

Hmm. Does Mab know the Marcone secret? It almost seems as though Harry didn't actually reveal that ... or at least, I don't think it was remotely addressed after the fact...

Oh yeah, she got it. And I daresay Vadderung already knew. He didn't seem too fussed though, so make of that what you will.

Vadderung and Uriel have lunch together every year.

And which day? That seems important.

[wardenferry419]

My guess would be day after X-Mas to compare notes.

[huangjimmy108]

Wow, so Battle Ground was the quite the ride. In my opinion well worth waiting for and been split from Peace Talks because a *lot* happened there.

So Battle Ground provided quite a bit of exposition and answered some questions that have been discussed a lot on here before, as well as some events that people had predicted:

- Murphy's death and ascending to Einherjar...dom
- Marcone did take up Thorned Namshiel's coin (interesting to look back at Skin Game with the Denarian involvement with this in mind?)
- We finally got to see Drakul! It's interesting because I had always interpreted WoJ re the Black Court to suggest Drakul didn't have much to do with it and Dracula had run away from him to form it. This suggests Dracula isn't really involved (or even un-alive) as Drakul seems to be very past-tensey about him.
- Pretty much word for word confirmation Mac is an (ex)Angel.
- Confirmation Justine is Nemfected

The reveals just kept coming, I couldn't put it down (happily took the day off work).

Anything other readers have been waiting to see or questions that were answered? And what questions do people want answered subsequently?!

BG answers the question about power levels. This book show us that even the likes of Mab is not at the level of *Divine* yet, while angels, even those fallen ones who are bound in the coins are at *divine* status. In other words, being *immortal* is not = being *divine*

The assertion that the Queen of faeries aka Mab and Titania is equal in power to angels, as stated in book 4, is now proven false. Book 4 Harry is wrong about this matter.

[Yuillegan]

My guess would be day after X-Mas to compare notes.

New Years Day? Start of a new year? Perhaps the lunch bit is significant.

BG answers the question about power levels. This book show us that even the likes of Mab is not at the level of *Divine* yet, while angels, even those fallen ones who are bound in the coins are at *divine* status. In other words, being *immortal* is not = being *divine*

The assertion that the Queen of faeries aka Mab and Titania is equal in power to angels, as stated in book 4, is now proven false. Book 4 Harry is wrong about this matter.

Indeed, finally some clarification. However, Immortal is still Immortal. Mab couldn't be killed with explosions. She would just come back. Even cold iron. Apart from Conjunctions, intense magical power can do it. Ethniu and perhaps her Eye. Mab resisted one strike but I doubt she would have resisted two.

Just to be clear though, it was Lea in Book 4 that compared Mab to the Archangels. No matter, Jim's done a soft retcon. Sort of established well before this but clearer than ever to see.

Also, Ethniu seemed to know the Angel she was talking to. Personally. Called him traitor and coward. Seems like they both were once on the same team, and his siding with TWG and humanity seems an act of treachery.

[Greywolf]

Unanswered question: was there an offscreen reason why Molly and Lara are so mad at each other that I missed? Is it just that Molly is jealous of Harry and Lara’s relationship, like heard the rumours from the Peace Talks or something? Or are we meant not to know?

[Yuillegan]

No, but I think it's implied it's because of the wedding.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I think Marcone has ‘corrupted’ Namshiel. Generally he may have had subjugated hosts in the past, and now he has Marcone, the exact opposite.

Namshiel is suspected of being part of the raid Nicodemus didn’t know about at Arctic Tor, which is suspected to have been Black Council, and not Denarian.

Marcone has stripped Nicodemus of much of his power in relation to the events of SG, perhaps Namshiel sees an alliance with Marcone as the opportunity to replace Nicky as head of the Denarians. Perhaps this was his aim with the Black Council, but Marcone has achieved this in reality.

[ClintACK]

Unanswered question: was there an offscreen reason why Molly and Lara are so mad at each other that I missed? Is it just that Molly is jealous of Harry and Lara’s relationship, like heard the rumours from the Peace Talks or something? Or are we meant not to know?

Strong implication is that Molly knew that Lara's first "favor" request to Mab had been Harry's hand in marriage.

[Arjan]

Michael and Charity already knew. Just like with Harry and Lasciel's coin.

So when did they see it?

[TheCuriousFan]

Michael and Charity already knew. Just like with Harry and Lasciel's coin.

So when did they see it?

Probably when she had to rush them out to the other side of the street to dodge Listen's goon squad.