[Aptorian]

Please put any spoilers for Battle Ground in a black box while people take their time to read through the book.

___________

It's out! And for some reason it was only 12 dollars on Amazon.

[champ]

Ah, Dresdencrack... just started and straight into the action.

[QuickTidal]

Here's where waiting to read PEACE TALKS till I could read them back to back pays off. See you in a few days biznitches!

[Chance]

Didn't think I'd have time for my usual day one read of any new Dresden but it got done just barely.

Spoilers on what I think about the book first, not spoilers of content but maybe by implication.

Spoiler

It is a decent installment of the Dresden files easily not the worst and not the best. It is without doubt the worst written however, at least thrice it just ignores what came before without any explanation. Sometimes its like characters don't really remember what came a few chapters before or in Peace Talks. It is also disjointed in multiple chapter transitions including one for me very immersion breaking way in the very long boss fight. Also is it something new from butcher with those () inner voice things they are awkward as shit and bad practice. The book is poorly edited and the finish on the product is kinda of crap compared to Butchers normal level.

Real spoilers

Spoiler

While I think this books didn't really need to exist it could easily have been a slightly shorter Peace Talk with another two hundred pages and been done with that it does have a lot of awesome in it. Murphy's murder, Marcone being a companion with the fallen since like what Small Favour? Dresdens expulsion from the White Counsel, Justine and so on. For Marcone and Justine I guess the question is if those revelations seem entirely likely for what has come before, I'm not entirely convinced. As well as a lot of small moments such as Dresdens banter with the Jotun Warrior, Mollys foil to the murder of the carpenters, Dresden spooking everyone by calling up a gazillion small folk. It was a satsifying read and I'll probably enjoy listening to the usually excellent audiobooks later but I'm more interest in whats next. We have two spoilers of that Listen-to-Winds promise to tell within a year what starborn shit is about, Laras-Mabs marriage allaince while I guess Drakul will have to wait for a book or two, I'm guessing Drakul is setup for later but who knows.

This post has been edited by Chance: 29 September 2020 - 07:04 PM

[Skywalker]

Finished the book and my response (to quote one of the characters) is: Jesus Remington Winchester Christ!

Fun read. somewhat clunkier in prose than previous books. Lot happens. LOT of fighting. I have no idea how he tops the set-pieces from this book in the promised Apocalyptic Trilogy that will cap the series, but then I figure that's how I felt when I saw the Airport scene in Captain America: Civil War and then they went and did Endgame

[D'rek]

I'm on page 50 or so, and there's like two different, but very similar descriptions of Vadderung and the Erlking a handful of paragraphs apart, each as if it was the first time he appeared in the book. The weird editing/lack thereof from Peace Talks continues, I guess.

[amphibian]

I thought the writing was much better than Peace Talks - especially regarding how the women were described and how the emotional components of the story were handled. It was also quite nice to not have another heist story.

[HoosierDaddy]

Got it checked out from the library first thing today! Free Dresdenfix is best Dresdenfix!

[D'rek]

D, on 30 September 2020 - 03:23 PM, said:

I'm on page 50 or so, and there's like two different, but very similar descriptions of Vadderung and the Erlking a handful of paragraphs apart, each as if it was the first time he appeared in the book. The weird editing/lack thereof from Peace Talks continues, I guess.

Several hundred further in and haven't noticed anything as wrong as ^^that, so seems like it was just a one-off. Good.

[champ]

Half way through... WHAT? Bozhe moi...

[Cause]

This has been out since yesterday!!!! Dammit.

[End of Disc One]

I'm a little over halfway through and am really enjoying it so far.

Is it just me, or does Butcher use the word "freaking" in this book way more than in other books? It's like several times per chapter.

[Aptorian]

It's better than hella sweet dude.

[Aptorian]

Finally got around to reading Battle Grounds.

I'm 17% in, Toots just showed up. Ahh, I missed that little terror.

Spoiler

I gave them the kindergarten-level, probably cheaply animated run-down on who Ethniu was. “And now,” I concluded, “she’s coming here to kill all the people.”
“Uh-huh,” Toot said, nodding, listening, completely supportive. “
And me,” I said. “Uh-huh,” Toot said, brightly, waiting.
“And all the pizza shops,” I said. “Oh no!” Toot wailed. He buzzed in a vertical circle. “Oh no, oh no, oh no!”
“That will definitely be better for your teeth,” Lacuna said.
“The stars take my teeth, woman!” Toot bellowed. Lacuna gasped, shocked.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 09 October 2020 - 06:51 PM

[Slow Ben]

“The stars take my teeth, woman!”

One of the best quotes in this book.

This post has been edited by Slow Ben: 09 October 2020 - 07:38 PM

[D'rek]

I forget, did we already know Lacuna was a tooth fairy before this book or was it newly revealed by that?

[Slow Ben]

You mean just revealed by you pointing it out just now?

Then yes.

This post has been edited by Slow Ben: 09 October 2020 - 08:03 PM

[Cause]

Finished, the shakes. They started again.

[Aptorian]

30% in. Dresden is at a graveyard. Wow Butcher is introducing some old names in this one.

Spoiler

Dracula! Never thought we'd actually run into him. What happened to not being able to travel without his native soil to sleep in?

I can't remember is Drakul the same character that is referred to as the Beast?

[Aptorian]

I'm 51% in. Fuck. Fuck no. Not like that. That's not right. Fuck. I'm sitting here blubbering on public transit.

Spoiler

Fuck.

Spoiler

I was about to post a comment about that sweet giant fight, well, could have been cooler but still a fucking giant fight. I LOVE GIANTS.

And then Rudolph killed Murphy. Ahhh. Fuck. I suspected it would happen but not like that. The meaningless of it. If Dresden doesn't go full Sith lord by the end of this book it will be a miracle.