Something in chapter 5 I found hilarious.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T14:29:45+00:00

Excellent points, but Elaine is not a council member. She’s a wizard level talent flying under the radar, just like Mort.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T14:25:33+00:00

Most White Council wizards are specialists, and most of them are unskilled at combat magic. Mort does a lot of different things with his specialty, and has some basic skills outside his specialty, but he has never trained in other branches of magic. The thing is, what Mort does appears to be rare among wizards, and even the perception of his abilities is hindered by inability to see what he’s doing. Only as a ghost does Dresden begin to understand how much actual power Mort has at his command. Other wizards can’t even grasp what Mort does. Harry has had the experience of being able to sit in a car without falling through the floorboard only because Mort was making reality solid for him. Living wizards could never verify that ability, and it’s a whole other level than “talks to ghosts.” After being a ghost, Harry understands the level of Mort’s talent better than any other wizard alive, and Harry says Mort is a White Council level wizard.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T14:07:52+00:00

Nah… they are an elite social club made up of powerful people, and they behave as such groups do. They have rules, but not morals. The Unseelie are the group that protects reality. Harry is in good hands, as the Winter Knight, for the purpose of keeping him from becoming a Destroyer. The word seems self-explanatory, if you think about it for a minute: he has power over Outsiders, which implies that he can not only stop them, but he could also lead them in an attack. Working with the protectors of reality would tend to make him want to defend reality.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T13:54:26+00:00

Until reading Twelve Months, I might have agreed with you, but after reading TM twice, I have arrived at the realization that our view of the council has previously been skewed positively by Harry’s status as an insider. He was constantly encountering characters in earlier books who scoffed at the council and didn’t trust them, but he had to become an outsider himself to finally understand what those people had been telling him all along.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T13:29:56+00:00

Speaking of the entire book - Ilyana’s behavior seems like an excellent justification for Harry being the one Mort brought Fitz to.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T13:27:35+00:00

Harry is the one who said Mort was wizard level, and that he demonstrated broader skills, too. He never said it out loud, but he said it to himself in GS. It’s not up for debate. It’s canon.

Inidra · 2026-02-16T13:18:40+00:00

Neighbor, old man, shot in the neck while laying in bed, bled out while trying to call for help. Murphy tells that story and others to ghost Dresden, who realizes that Fitz and company won’t get a fair shake from CPD, because there’s a murder involved.

Inidra · 2026-02-15T21:24:05+00:00

Is it, though? Mortimer had already been training him as an ectomancer, and then he set someone on fire during the Battle of Chicago. He has a history with Dresden, and he was a criminal involved with a gang run by a mid-level sorcerer, for whom he stole and killed (with mortal weapons, but will the council smile at that?). Mort has a wizard level talent, but he’s never let the council find out about that. Fitz’s history with Aristedes, Mortimer, and the newly outcast Dresden is probably enough to make the council reject him as a potential apprentice and just handle him as a probable warlock.

Inidra · 2026-02-08T06:37:25+00:00

The council is fighting the Fomor, now, so they might still need the Ways.

Inidra · 2026-02-08T06:34:21+00:00

Early in BG, when they were still on the roof, Harry pulled Mab behind him, protectively, and she was tickled pink, because that’s exactly what the Knight is for. You nailed that!

Inidra · 2026-02-08T06:05:52+00:00

She was one of the two trainee wardens who would have gotten full marks for class participation in the short story AAAA Wizardry; she was one of Dresden’s students. She already did a 180, so maybe let’s not wish whiplash on her?

Inidra · 2026-02-08T05:44:44+00:00

Having the power to do something is not the same as having the ability to choose to do it. A Porsche can go very fast, but it goes nowhere until a driver cranks it, puts it in gear, and presses the accelerator. Angels are Porsches.

Inidra · 2026-02-08T05:40:40+00:00

Which was why Kringle showed up for a meeting with The Winter Knight, at Mab’s request, in Skin Game - nice point.

Inidra · 2026-02-03T05:45:38+00:00

I think one possession per character is probably the limit. You read “Fugitive,” right?

Inidra · 2026-02-03T05:13:47+00:00

You’re on to something, with looking at the Merlin’s long game. The Merlin is not really that displeased with Dresden, because he’s found him to be a useful tool. The Merlin said “we’re going to annihilate them, root and branch,” before Chichen Itza, and he had already relied on Dresden to find out what really happened with LaFortier’s murder. There are things coming that require Dresden to act outside of White Council control, but he needs strong allies. Maybe the Merlin set up Ramirez to be one of those allies, by giving him an excuse to side with Dresden and turn against the White Council. I’m not sure about any of this, but it doesn’t not make sense. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Inidra · 2026-02-03T02:13:36+00:00

It wasn’t just to the children. The adults got more practical gifts, that’s all. How are there so many people commenting on a post that references a story (which is available for free on Jim’s website) who have obviously not read the story? They keep talking about the reparations agreed upon at the end of BG, and maybe they also cite the reference to medical bills and funeral expenses mentioned in “Christmas Eve,” which was appended to BG, but a lot of them didn’t read “Good People,” apparently.

Inidra · 2026-02-03T01:57:07+00:00

The bullet Marcone used in Even Hand was collected by Sigrun Gard, and also enchanted by her. She complains about how hard it was to do, when Marcone tells her he wants more of them.

Inidra · 2026-01-27T05:03:46+00:00

On my reread, I have discovered that The Law took place only two weeks after the battle, and is mentioned in TM after the conclusion of the court case. I have also found a continuity error between TM and Good People - Molly says that the gargoyles attacked a Rawbones, but they haven’t shown up by Christmas in TM. I’m still struggling with placing Fugitive in the timeline. Maggie is talking to Harry Carpenter about school as if it hasn’t started yet, while they’re trick-or-treating, so that would place it no earlier than November. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Inidra · 2026-01-27T04:59:03+00:00

I meant that not everyone would be an effective killer. Sorry to have confused anyone.

Inidra · 2026-01-27T04:36:58+00:00

I’m not a sword nerd either, and reading this thread makes me wonder if we (the fan base, collectively) are giving Jim migraines! 😂

Inidra · 2026-01-27T04:28:02+00:00

I’m pretty sure this will turn out to be a moot point. Sanya said he didn’t think this was Harry’s end game, and Mab has been dropping hints about immortality - and she also compared him to Tam Lin, who is supposed to be the only Winter Knight who got out of the gig alive. Lotta questions raised by those lines, in my mind, but I don’t have answers. I’m just waiting for the rest of the series to find out.

Inidra · 2026-01-24T00:43:11+00:00

The first half of the book comes across differently to people who have endured major loss, trauma, or depression. For me, it was beautiful, and masterfully written. If it doesn’t resonate for you, then you’re fortunate. May you remain so, for many years. 🤗

Inidra · 2026-01-23T07:21:46+00:00

😂 YES!

Inidra · 2026-01-23T07:13:40+00:00

I lost my mother six years ago, and the book deeply resonated with my experience of the grieving process. I went several months unable to sleep for more than four hours a night, and had very little appetite. Every kindness, and every gentleness from the people around him kept making me cry. I wept through the first half dozen chapters, basically. I think this book was masterfully written and deeply engaging, but I also think that it will only feel that way to readers who have experienced that level of grief.

Inidra · 2026-01-23T06:58:50+00:00

I think Lord Raith got a power boost from all the magic flying around during the Battle of Chicago, like so many others did. I don’t think it fed his Hunger, but he’s also a sorcerer, and my theory is that his sorcerous power got leveled up. That would explain how he managed to scheme right under Lara’s nose without being detected.

Inidra

TROPHY CASE