You and me both Dave. The preview of chapter one promises many wonders. It'll be good to see some proper action again after Ghost Story, which wasn't bad but definitely not the best Dresden book either. Plus, it's got Mab. Can't go wrong with Mab.
Is it really 2 copies when one of those sets is an audiobook? I own most books that I like in both formats >.> (Thank you Audible for being cheap as hell).I would love to get into the Dresden series - my wife loves it. Unfortunately, I just can't justify buying two copies of an entire series of books, and she's bought every single one in audiobook format, something that I hate.
Whoa! And...ordered! With shipping it was only $23!http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cold-days-butcher-jim/1113759889?ean=9780451419521&x=25101411
Limited Signed Editions of Cold Days available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble! If you're into that sort of thing.
Which ones exactly?
In Summer Knight, Lily was essentially "promoted" to Summer Lady I think. I don't think Titania would have given it to her by any stretch of the imagination. However the queens of the Sidhe have to be female, so it couldn't work that way for Fix and Harry, so the power went to whoever could take it (and was female). The only power that returns to the queens is that of the Knight because they get to choose who gets the power, and there is no one under the Knights who could be promoted. Remember, there was a lot of talk about how the Ladies would automatically inherit the Queen's mantle should the Queen die as well.
You should check out that YouTube link I posted up above where Jim is on Sword and Laser.I did not know that. That's kinda awesome.
Just reread the ending of Summer KnightKeep in mind that we have no idea what happened at the end of Summer Knight because Harry didn't really know either. You're inferring. I was thinking the same, but I basically listen to the audiobooks often enough to realize that nothing was really clearly defined rules wise there.
Also...
I assume that the power of the Summer Lady had no where to go because of the circle, and Mab could very well have consented to give the power to Molly, if you really think about it. Also it makes sense for the mantles of the Queens to pass automatically, because there can't be a gap in their power or else lots of things are fucked. The Knights are just mortals with extra power and not nearly as vital.
You are assuming that Lily knows what she is talking about as well. It has been *well* established already that she's not very smart, and that Titania didn't teach her shit, only Maeve did. Maeve could have already been tainted by that point, and it's to her advantage to keep Lily ignorant.
Even Bob gets things wrong once and a while, and he's basically just a giant collection of knowledge.
Keep in mind as well that Maeve was taunting Mab with the fact that her chosen vessel was now *gone* and "Haha Mom, now you have no plans on who to give the mantle to and you can't let it be idle," not realizing that Mab had plans within plans. Even if you go on the assumption that Maeve's mantle would just go to Mab, it would have to be replaced ASAP, the power vacuum CANNOT EXIST or everyone is fucked. So she basically taunted Mab with the idea that she had no other person who was prepared to take it (incorrectly). Remember, Lily getting the Summer Mantle was a HUGE fuckup, which happened because Titania did not see it coming and did not have an alternative on hand anyways. Mab *knew* Maeve was tainted, Maeve *knew* she was preparing her replacement and acted, but Maeve was too short sighted to realize that Mab also had her lieutenant training someone. She was most likely training Molly to replace Lily, but the point is SHE HAD A BACKUP.
Stop. SHE IS INCAPABLE OF SAYING SOMETHING SHE BELIEVES TO BE A LIE. That is not the same as only being able to tell the absolute 100% truth even if she doesn't know the answer. I *hate* when people even try to use that argument.Lily the Summer Lady who is incapable of lying
Do you realize how much shit started falling apart just by *Lily* getting the Summer lady mantle? Did you even read into all of that nonsense? Lily was inexperienced and lonely (and stupid)enough to be swayed by the first member of the court to show even a hint of niceness to her. Titania was completely wrapped up in her grief and Maeve was able to twitch Lily around like a puppet. And Summer is only there to keep Winter from doing dumbass shit to mortals. For fuck's sake, if the wrong person got the mantle of WINTER LADY, who at least has some responsibility to PROTECT EXISTENCE FROM THE OUTSIDERS, it would be REALLY BAD. Maeve was influenced by the Outsiders and was fucking things up left and right on purpose, and we probably have yet to see all the shit that Mab was not able to cover for. Molly at least has a grounding in the way the Fairy Courts work, she has the right magical strengths to be able to understand her power, and will most likely be able to have a reasonable enough grasp to figure out WTF is going on before end game. Tempus Fugit as Nicodemus likes to say.Actually it can exist. During the conversation Mab says to Maeve that she has not been doing her duty. So we know that the world won't come to a crashing halt if the Winter Lady stops fulfilling her duty because Maeve wasn't doing the duties of the winter lady.
And Rashid actually said that a handover of power most years wouldn't be a problem at all but with the increase in the outsider's aggression and Maeve's attitude it would be a huge problem. Not that it was impossible.
And of course it seems to me that most of the duties of the Queens is done pretty much automatically by the mantle. IE the huge war that was going on without Mab needing to oversee it personally every second. No reason to believe that everything would fall apart the second somebody inexperienced gained the mantle. After all Mab at some point gained the mantle without the universe crumbling.
Except that she is directly answering a question as if she has direct knowledge of it. When she tried to do the exact same thing in Cold Days she had to say that she thought X or that she hadn't inspected Mab but Maeve had. There was no such statement there. She isn't guessing this is the way she understands it.Stop. SHE IS INCAPABLE OF SAYING SOMETHING SHE BELIEVES TO BE A LIE. That is not the same as only being able to tell the absolute 100% truth even if she doesn't know the answer. I *hate* when people even try to use that argument.
Do you realize how much shit started falling apart just by *Lily* getting the Summer lady mantle? Did you even read into all of that nonsense? Lily was inexperienced and lonely (and stupid)enough to be swayed by the first member of the court to show even a hint of niceness to her. Titania was completely wrapped up in her grief and Maeve was able to twitch Lily around like a puppet. And Summer is only there to keep Winter from doing dumbass shit to mortals. For fuck's sake, if the wrong person got the mantle of WINTER LADY, who at least has some responsibility to PROTECT EXISTENCE FROM THE OUTSIDERS, it would be REALLY BAD. Maeve was influenced by the Outsiders and was fucking things up left and right on purpose, and we probably have yet to see all the shit that Mab was not able to cover for. Molly at least has a grounding in the way the Fairy Courts work, she has the right magical strengths to be able to understand her power, and will most likely be able to have a reasonable enough grasp to figure out WTF is going on before end game. Tempus Fugit as Nicodemus likes to say.
Mab is already doing a shit load to cover up Maeve's lack of working. This is evident by the way that she blatantly ignored the Red Court trespassing in her territory. It was clearly Maeve massing troops on Summer's border to keep them busy while Mab was distracted with something, most likely Outsiders or Denarians acting in concert with them to attack Arctis Tor. (Which is also likely around the time Mab starting realizing that Maeve was messed up)
Rashid was specifically referring to Maeve ascending to Winter Queen, when she is insane and erratic. And just because Rashid only referred to it as a "huge problem" does not mean he isn't understating the issue.
Mab most likely gained the mantle at a time that Winter was not in the middle of the one of biggest push on the gates in recent history as well.
EVERYTHING Lily knows about being a Fairy Queen she learned from Maeve. If you assume that Maeve has been able to lie since she was introduced (which is 100% possible) then Lily can easily lie her ass off without realizing she is lying. She does in fact say things that are lies such as calling the island evil, because she doesn't realize that she is wrong. Even if you just assume flat out stupidity... Lily could assume that the mantle passed to her because she was the nearest member of the Summer Court, and not just because she was the nearest compatible vessel. People speak assumptions as 100% truths all the time. If you think about it, who else was there? A bunch of men. None of which are compatible. The only other women there couldn't get through the barrier or died trying.Except that she is directly answering a question as if she has direct knowledge of it. When she tried to do the exact same thing in Cold Days she had to say that she thought X or that she hadn't inspected Mab but Maeve had. There was no such statement there. She isn't guessing this is the way she understands it.
Be that as it may, Mab finally had to clear out Maeve because she COULD NO LONGER AFFORD TO HAVE THE POWER VACUUM. Again, End Game. I assume she put it off as long as possible because she didn't want her daughter to die. But that doesn't mean it was a good choice.Good catch now that I think about it Mab does get super pissed just 2 books later which would be in line with he getting suspicious right around Proven Guilty. But still my point stands that there can be a drop in a Fairy Queen's activity such as her power residing in the one of the other members of the court without the wheels of the universe coming off while a new Lady, Queen or Mother is picked.
I mean if the queen can cover up for an actively dissenting Lady there is no reason why a Mother couldn't cover for an inactive queen or inactive Lady.
Well except that when she made that statement it was only a day since she had gained the powers which would probably be too quick for Maeve to do much disinformation. And even if she had why would Maeve lie about something so... minor? We do know that she had talked to Titania and probably asked her how the mantle came to her but that is me creating a conversation that is nowhere in the books.EVERYTHING Lily knows about being a Fairy Queen she learned from Maeve. If you assume that Maeve has been able to lie since she was introduced (which is 100% possible) then Lily can easily lie her ass off without realizing she is lying. She does in fact say things that are lies such as calling the island evil, because she doesn't realize that she is wrong. Even if you just assume flat out stupidity... Lily could assume that the mantle passed to her because she was the nearest member of the Summer Court, and not just because she was the nearest compatible vessel. People speak assumptions as 100% truths all the time. If you think about it, who else was there? A bunch of men. None of which are compatible. The only other women there couldn't get through the barrier or died trying.
Again and again, the point is hammered home that Lily was the perfect textbook example of "Ditzy Blonde." There is no way she had any idea of the way things work in the Fairy Courts. But she would 100% believe anything told to her by Maeve. Therefore she could say everything she learned from her as 100% truth.
Well Mab had finally decided to act against Mab because all the pieces were in place and I have no problem with her having prepared Sachrissa and Molly as possible hosts for the Lady mantle. Hell I wouldn't even have any problem if Butcher says "Mab just put the power in Molly immediately"Be that as it may, Mab finally had to clear out Maeve because she COULD NO LONGER AFFORD TO HAVE THE POWER VACUUM. Again, End Game. I assume she put it off as long as possible because she didn't want her daughter to die. But that doesn't mean it was a good choice.
It is mentioned in every single book that Lily was really stupid before she got the mantle. Just because she learned how to maneuver (in theory) does not mean that she isn't still just Maeve's puppet. Though considering that I'm pretty sure the whole debacle with the Fetches was Mab's doing in some form or another, I think she was a puppet on a lot of different strings and just didn't notice.Well except that when she made that statement it was only a day since she had gained the powers which would probably be too quick for Maeve to do much disinformation. And even if she had why would Maeve lie about something so... minor? We do know that she had talked to Titania and probably asked her how the mantle came to her but that is me creating a conversation that is nowhere in the books.
Also where did this Lily is teh dumb thing come into the books?
I reread Proven Guilty just recently and there was no mention in there that she was really stupid. And the actions with giving Harry summer flame so he would use it in the fight can easily be handwaved to Maeve suggestions but the second that Harry goes (Paraphrased) "I put Molly's life in danger so I owe you therefore I will give you the favor these two owe me to you" Lily catches on.It is mentioned in every single book that Lily was really stupid before she got the mantle. Just because she learned how to maneuver (in theory) does not mean that she isn't still just Maeve's puppet. Though considering that I'm pretty sure the whole debacle with the Fetches was Mab's doing in some form or another, I think she was a puppet on a lot of different strings and just didn't notice.
Except this really only strengthens my statement that Butcher probably made a mistake here because Harry is immediately like "OMG Yes that is completely how I have always understood the succession of the Fairy court." Not at all like Dubyamn who when he read that was "That is definately not the way I remember the fairy court succession working. But okay I'll roll with it to see where he's going"Also, misdirecting Harry about how the mantles transfer is not so minor if you think long game. If Harry thought that the power of the Lady would just flow back to Mab to reassign, then he could very well end up accidentally passing the mantle of the Winter Lady to someone wholly unsuited once Nemesis had gotten it's use out of Maeve, thus fucking up the Winter Court hard. Could you see if that mantle had gone to Murphy? Or Susan? Or any of the other random women that Harry might go after Maeve with? It's just another blind on Harry's judgement.
(Yes Susan is dead, we are discussing a Book 4 PoV here)
Assume that Lily heard Titania say "Nearest appropriate vessel" and Lily took that to mean that she was the Summer Knight, and not just the nearest Fae touched female. Then Lily said what she believed to Harry, and the end. I already mentioned the semantics angle, just added in the "Also it could be way more convoluted and devious" on top of that.Except this really only strengthens my statement that Butcher probably made a mistake here because Harry is immediately like "OMG Yes that is completely how I have always understood the succession of the Fairy court." Not at all like Dubyamn who when he read that was "That is definately not the way I remember the fairy court succession working. But okay I'll roll with it to see where he's going"
And even then it's not as though Maeve or Nemisis would have any way of insuring that Harry would hear about that being the way that the mantle passes on and it is a huge risk since if any of the other queens hear it Maeve is immidiately exposed as being able to lie.
That's why I did it. The only posts were basically empty except for the spoiler buttons!Isn't the "now with Spoilers" in the thread title enough for the spoiler tags to be unnecessary? I ask cause reading everything in italics hurts my eyes on the phone