re: Have we discussed Battle Ground yet? (Spoilers)

I finally finished it today, and I am very impressed with both books overall. Unlike some of you on here, I didn't have a problem with Peace Talks, because I knew it was part 1 of 2. I let it play out to form my final thoughts, which I will give now based on both books being read as one.


- My biggest issue is the handling of McCoy. Butcher dropped the ball on this one. He has a plan for him that he forced into the story, because he comes off as incredibly bipolar. Everything he has done in his life for Harry was to protect him, and he has been established as family first. He had put himself at risk with the WC to do so. Now we have him trying to kill Harry in a major fight, and we leave off with him being in charge of killing Harry as The Blackstaff? This was all a complete 180 from everything that has been established about him, and it damn near ruins this book for me. This is terribly sloppy work by Butcher.


- I am shocked that Butcher had the courage to kill off Murphy. As that scene was playing out I was thinking this is not going to happen. No way he removes the second most important character in his series, but he did. I thought the writing of the scene was a bit awkward; however, he makes up for it at the end. That conversation with Guard was so well written, and it was full of genuine emotion. It probably is my favorite scene of the book.

quote:

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Murphy dying and becoming a Valkyrie

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She didn't become a Valkyrie. She was rewarded with a Valkyrie's death and afterlife out of honor for her heroism in life and her dying a warrior's death.

quote:

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Those battle scenes were freaking amazing

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Butcher really hit a homerun here. This was basically 30 chapters of fighting, and it was done masterfully. I thought it would become exhausting after a while, but it never did. He managed this with perfection.


- Ramirez, unlike McCoy, was handled deftly as well. He has always been completely loyal to the WC, and you can feel his internal conflict when that loyalty comes at odds with his friendship to Harry. I loved how this played out, and I am curious what will eventually come of this.


- River Shoulders and Goodman Gray are my two favorite secondary characters. I want to see them in their own stories. GIVE ME MOAR!

- Marcone being a Knight of Denarius caught me completely off guard. Holy shite what a reveal! While Nemesis has been the big baddie that has been built up for nearly this entire series now, I have a feeling that Marcone will be the final main baddy that Harry battles to finish off this entire series. I'm starting to believe Marcone is the leader of the Black Council, and we will see that play out after the Nemesis story is completed.

- One very interesting and possibly important character development I noticed with this. Anyone else notice a changing of Mab throughout these books? At the end you start seeing some sense of humanity showing with her. Unlike the McCoy situation in which Butcher abandoned the canon of his character (unless he's inflicted with Nemesis, which I will forgive all of this if so), I get the impression that he is showing with Mab that faries actions by law of nature are not absolute.

Here's how I see it. It's been established that each fairy is a particular way by law of what they are. Winter Queen is manipulative and sinister by nature of being the Winter Queen. It doesn't matter that she was mortal prior to that title; the mantle eventually dominates and eliminates that mortal side.

Mab, however, is showing signs of caring and empathy by the end of this book. They are minimal and relatively subtle, but they are there. Pay attention to what Harry tells Molly about how her being raised by the Carpenters has allowed her to be a great Winter Lady and not give into the mantle. I think this is the clue to show that it is in fact NOT absolute as they believe it to be. Harry has been able to resist the mantle, and Molly has as well.

Now we are seeing Mab show signs of her humanity again, and it is all in direct response to Harry's actions. I get the impression that Butcher is setting up to show that Harry's heroism and honor are so inspiring that it can break the hold of the mantles and bring forth the human nature of others. If this is indeed what's happening, I think it's a brilliant and endearing "moral to the story."



Ok, my wall of text is over...