Dresden Files #17: Battle Ground

[sholio]

Okay, first of all, that was too many battle scenes. That was way too many battle scenes. Put some back. XD

I actually got to the point after a few chapters when I lost interest and put the book down for a while, and then started skimming and spot-checking to see if anything other than MORE DAMN BATTLE was going to happen ever, and eventually tuned back in when character stuff started happening again. I like a good action scene as much as the next gal, but I think this would've been a much stronger book if the battle scenes had been cut down by about 80% and this book had been combined with the previous book. Apparently they were slated originally to be one book and it got too long, but I feel as if it could easily have lost the majority of the battle without actually suffering for it. There's "show, don't tell" and then there's whatever that was.

But then in the end I actually loved this book a lot, and I'm full of good feelings right now. I'm thoroughly fascinated by how my reaction to this book represents a complete turnaround from a couple of years ago in how I relate to fiction. For years and years, I used to really like complex, dark, and bittersweet in my fiction. And then I did a slow turnaround to just wanting things to be happy. Back in 2017-18 I just wanted happy endings, all the happy endings, fluff forever. I thought it was a permanent change in my reading/viewing tastes, due to getting older and losing people and wanting more escapism from my fiction.

But it's been reversing lately, and in the course of reading this book, I found myself getting just as many good feelings off the sad/hopeful motif of losing someone you really care about and moving on and finding good things in the world again. That was nicely done here, and Mab's comment in particular about how you can't get stuck in the past, you have to open up to someone again eventually, and she knows this because of having buried many lovers herself was just- the perfect mix of cynical and sympathetic and true. I mean, I'm not even actually sad (much) that this book killed off one of the series regulars. I'm relishing the darkly sweet aftertaste instead. Not that I don't still enjoy a happy ending when I can get it, but I guess my taste for dark and bittersweet has swung back again without me noticing it.

I think it's not just that I felt like I could never enjoy anything dark ever again; it's that a couple of years ago I think the death of a main character in a long-running series would have saddened me all out of proportion to any pleasure I got out of reading it, and there's none of that this time around.

The actual death ... I'm still stunned that Murphy died, and also surprised that I'm not that sad about it. She got a good death scene and a good ending. I hope she raises holy hell in Valhalla. I like the extra twist that all living memory of her must fade first, though - so it really is sad, it is a parting, but one that offers something for her on the other side.

It was a complete narrative shock, though. I figured she had plot armor. I really believed she and Harry were the series' endgame pairing.

And then I fell into hardcore Harry/Lara ship feelings in the length of time it took Mab to say "arranged marriage." Both Lara and Mab really shone in the last couple of books - I think they're among my favorite characters now, which is interesting since I don't normally go for the darker characters, but uh ... pleasedon'tkillme I actually ship Harry/Lara harder than I ever did Harry/Murphy, even though I loved Murphy on her own. And I think Lara is going to fit very well with Harry as the darker, more powerful character that he is as Mab's Winter Knight. I know that there's no telling how things will go from here, but I really enjoyed Harry and Lara's teamwork and their tense-angry-uneasy truce in the past couple of books, and whether this thing between them evolves into an actual romance or just a "reluctantly friendly allies/in-laws who fight Walkers together and are technically married for political reasons" kind of situation, I am really looking forward to it.

I cannot WAIT until Thomas finds out. And is no longer in a magic coma. Come on, book.

Other highlights: that was a good death fakeout on the Carpenters. "You forgot the dog." So good, in fact, that I am going to have to remember that particular trick for my own future writing. (Also, I think this is actually the FOURTH time in this series that Butcher has, for real and for sure, convinced me that he's killed Michael, only to have it be a fakeout. One of these days it's going to be real and I won't believe it ...)

I actually sort of liked Marcone in this book. I know, I can't believe it either. Very good reveal on him too. And on Justine. And the end scene was a very nice dose of sweetness to lighten the bittersweet.

There were things I didn't like about this book (way too much battle; many issues I had with the actual staging of the battle - "punch things" is a fucking stupid battle strategy when you have a bunch of incredibly high-powered people with varied skills at your disposal; I dislike it when superhero media does this, and I wasn't fond of it here; the sheer logistical stupidity of taking a full day for the Army to show up (it's Chicago, not Antarctica); and, finally, a smidge too much implied!Jesus for me). But the last, oh, quarter of the book actually was strong enough to make up for how draggy and logistically implausible I found the earlier parts.

And I cannot wait for the next one. CANON MIRROR UNIVERSE. This is going to be AMAZING.