sholio | The cover of Dresden Files: Book 12

Doesn't he have a gun pretty much all the time? I remember him mentioning it a lot. Also when I toyed with a doing a fanart for a scene from Dead Beat I had to look up pictures of weapons because I had no idea what the different kinds look like.

... does he? You know, now that I think about it, I think you're right -- I just tend to think of him in terms of his magical armaments, the staff and blasting rod. I'm pretty sure it hasn't shown up on the cover before, though.

Looking at my notes, apparently in the early books it was a gun called "Smith & Wesson .38 Chief's Special" and then later it changed to a .44 revolver without mentioning a specific model -- by book five I think, because he looses his .38 in a battle in book three and temporarily replaces it with something described as "a medium-barreled .357" which he promptly looses in book 4 in the battle with the Faerie, so in book five he mentions that he lost it and says that he moved a .44 from his office to his home. Fan trivia FTW...

It's the title that gets me -- isn't "changes" sort of a redundant title for a Dresden novel? Can't poor Harry go a little while without everything changing on him?

And I think you're right, this is the first time a gun's been on the cover, but he does usually carry one. Not mystical enough for previous covers?

He has his gun out on the hardcover edition of Small Favor:
http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/10/

Ah, you're right! Apparently paying more attention to the covers would be in my best interests, ha.

Well, it is not as if book covers are necessarily close to the content of the books. Though I like the hardcover US book covers better than the US paperback ones. For the paperbacks I bought when I caught up with the series I actually bought the UK edition which has fairly plain covers because I found the US covers so hideous, except for one that was out of print just when I wanted ot have it or something like that (anyway amazon couldn't get that to me). And that was even though the UK edition cost me slightly more (iirc, because that was pre-financial crisis so the pound hadn't collapsed against the euro) but I just couldn't take how ugly the US covers were when there was an alternative that wasn't that much more expensive.

Generally speaking, I prefer the UK to the US covers on a lot of books! The Harry Potter ones were much nicer, and there have been quite a few others where I've preferred the UK one, too (like Verdegris Deep, aka Well Witched in the US). The US ones seem to go for more of a flashy, commercial sort of design that I don't like nearly as much as the slightly artsier UK covers.

Here cover images are less flashy than in the US too. Actually there are whole novel lines that don't have any cover images at all, just a distinctive typographic design. Admittedly more often mainstream literature rather than genre, but still.

For example Suhrkamp has several publication lines in mainstream literature that have no images on the covers at all, and even their science fiction and fantasy line has covers that just have a small image but are dominated by typography as well, they just have all the same purple color and design so that you will recognize the publisher immediately rather than recognize the individual author and if you like their editorial style it is very easy to find their books. So they establish a visual brand for themselves instead of a cacophony. They will look like this in a shelf:
http://ombresblanches.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/bookshelf-1.jpg
and individual covers, like for example this Lovecraft collection, like this:
http://www.bathory.biz/images/dasgrauenimmuseumundandereerzaehlungen.gif
Or this by Stanislaw Lem
http://bilder.buecher.de/produkte/03/03359/03359216n.jpg
or this SF cover:
http://www.harrys-world.de/pimages/suhrkamp_phant_585.jpg

But even less "high brow" publishers don't have covers that are as noisy as a typical US cover, for example the first book of the Dresden Files in German has this cover:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B2OsSQKqL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Considering the way the last book ended, this one worries me a lot! Poor Harry ... I hope his life isn't about to go all kablooey. Well, more than it has already, I mean.

"More than it has already" being the part that worries me, yeah. Poor Harry. :( And we have 8 months to worry about it. :P

Oh, gods. That IS apocalyptic looking. Maybe the skulls have to do with the Mayan/Aztec temple in the background? But the "Changes" title is ominous, especially given events in the last book.

I know; the ending of the last book puts a particularly unpleasant spin on the possibilities of that cover and title.

One of the things I've loved most about the series is the way that Harry's assembled this group of loyal and close-knit friends and family; the idea of losing any of them is really hard to take!

Oh dear. Now there are skulls? Sacrifices? Hasn't he made enough already?

And like

neonhummingbird commented above, we have 8 months (give or take a bit) to worry about it. :D

Heh, it looks like his staff still has the "runes"...

(the "runes" - at least if they're those from earlier books - crack me up because they're just sideways katakana - and katakana spelling out "matrix"; I'm pretty sure they were taken from The Matrix somewhere...)

But otherwise...owww, yes, doesn't look cheerful. I will be most unhappy if "changes" includes "killing characters I like"...which is most of them!

On the "runes" -- hahaha, really?! I had no idea!

They had BETTER not kill anyone! Butcher faked me out really good on Michael, and that was traumatic enough ...

You're right, it doesn't look like a happy book! And yet, I can't wait to read it! I got so desperate for new Jim Butcher, I've started on his other series.

I got so desperate for new Jim Butcher, I've started on his other series.

... oh dear. XD I read the first book of Codex Alera and was very, very unimpressed. (Ask [Bad username or site: naye! @ livejournal.com] I complained to her at great length!) Hopefully you will have better luck than me ...

I've not gotten far, but I think you're right. POV changes so quickly, and I'm just not liking some of the characters. *sigh* HOW much longer until the new Dresden novel?

*Sobs* *Whines* but I wanna read it nooooooow *end whine* the Dresden Files are pretty much the only books I look forward to these days.

And how the heck does he manage to work on two series and still get them out on a yearly bases? I've tried working on two stories at once. So far, it's a fight to keep me from slamming my head into the table, followed taking one of the stories outside, blindfolded, and shooting it :P

And how the heck does he manage to work on two series and still get them out on a yearly bases?

Perhaps it helps that they're very different sorts of books? But, yeah ... I'd like to know, too!

I got to attend a Q&A with him where someone asked something similar. He said that he spends eight hours a day writing, and he doesn't believe in writer's block. He just has days where he spends more time surfing on the internet than others ;-)

Okay, forgot to say - it isn't the apocalypse. Harry just got really, really mad again ;)

...also, the title is simply "Changes", instead of the usual two-word pun. UH-OH.

Just saying.

But Harry does usually carry a revolver. And it's been on the cover of other books, too. (Not saying anything else, because I have spoilers, and I know you probably do not want. *g*)

...also, the title is simply "Changes", instead of the usual two-word pun. UH-OH.

I KNOW! *clings* Somebody somewhere said that this is the midpoint of the series, so the title reflects that. But I am very worried ...!

(And I'm sorry your day sucked yesterday! Hopefully today will be much better...)

*waves hi! :D *

I don't know if you know this, but the first two (three?) lines of the novel have also been released and...well, 'changes' is right. XD

On the cover- Jim Butcher has said he doesn't have a whole lot of say on the details of what goes on the covers- like the hat, for instance. Harry's never worn a hat in the series, but almost all the new covers show him wearing one. (there are interviews of JB saying stuff like,'that goddamn hat!' it's kinda funny. XD)

The huge sword on the cover of Turn Coat was never mentioned in the story, either, though I think I heard somewhere that the idea for it originally came from a deleted scene where Harry would have used Morgan's sword.

I think the only thing we can depend on from the cover is a change in the scenery- instead of Chicago, I think the book'll probably take place somewhere in South America (those opening lines I mentioned have something to do with that guess, as does the Aztec temple behind Harry in the cover).

Hope you don't mind me dropping in, I don't usually get to talk about this series on LJ all that much. It's fun to stumble on other people who like the series. ^_^

eta: gah, I'm sorry, I just realized something I wrote could be considered a vague spoiler- something along the lines of a summary blurb on Amazon, but still vaguely spoilery. edited out!

Edited 2009-08-18 05:25 (UTC)

First three lines? Where? :DDDDD (I am normally a spoilerphobe, but I figure that excerpts from the actual book don't count!)

And hi! You are more than welcome to drop in and stick around if you want to. :D

Okay, so I found the opening lines I was talking about and possibly I exaggerated a little bit- it's not three lines, it's one and a half.

But those one and a half lines are really huge in terms of surprise! <-flimsy defense

The first line of Changes is:

I answered the phone, and Susan Rodriguez said, "They've taken our daughter."

The line was confirmed by Mr Butcher on his forum here (http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,12148.msg534042.html#msg534042).

And thank you for the welcome! :D :D

a;lskdf;lkajsdf

Okay, yes, CHANGES is right! Wow. Wow. EIGHT MONTHS 'TIL NEW BOOK? How can I hold out? *flails* (Wait, isn't Susan a sorta-vampire these days? HOW? Why? What? *flails more*)

Yeah, she's this weird mix of human and vampire- if I remember right, she's got increased strength, increased senses (especially smell), the saliva venom, and the blood thirst. We know she's been in South America for a while with the group called the Fellowship of Saint Giles - patron saint of lepers. Not really sure if the group is completely made up of half-vamps, but we do know of at least one other half-vamp, Whatshisface, Mr Bland, who we met in Death Masks. We know she's got some kind of weird tattoo over half her body that acts as a warning system for when she pushes too hard and the blood thirst rises.

None of which tells us if it's possible for Susan to actually get pregnant. Or if it was really her on the phone. Or if it was her, but she had Changed and the whole thing is a trap.

But if it is true? Then Harry has a daughter he never knew about. A daughter who is the six/seven year old offspring of a half-vamp and a world class wizard, a kid who has possibly inherited all of her parents' enemies. And 'they' have taken her.

The latest books have all mentioned (usually through Murphy and Thomas) how much Harry doesn't like change. How he still lives in the same dingy apartment, how he still drives the same wreck of a car, how he even orders the same things from the same fast food restaurants. His everyday life pattern hasn't changed all that much over the course of the series, despite becoming a Warden and taking Molly on as an apprentice.

I'm pretty interested in seeing just *how much* gets changed after this book. XD

Also, I like to blab about my fandoms. A bit. *sheepish*

No worries! I am very blabby about my fandoms too. :D

You remember way more about Susan in canon than I do! Oh Harry. THIS CAN'T END WELL. But, wow, Harry having a kid ... "changes" doesn't even begin to cover it! I never in a million years would've expected the series would go there. And thinking about how protective he is, of kids and women and friends, I can only imagine Harry in total avenging-angel mode, trying to give his daughter a better life than he had. WANT! BOOK! NOW!

Jim Butcher has an LJ! I've added him as he has some interesting points on writing. Thanks for the link :D

Hi there! Found you looking for dresden fics, btw I loved "Wild for harry" and just wanted to join in the squee about the new book. It's nice to find other dresden fans :D Mind if I friend you?

Hi! Feel free to friend - I'm not all that interesting and I talk about a lot of stuff other than Dresden Files, but there is quite a bit of squee when a new book comes out. :D (Actually, I just read the Butcher short story in Many Bloody Returns and had been meaning to post and squee about it -- I should go do that!)

And thank you very much; I'm happy you liked the fic! :)

The cover of Dresden Files: Book 12

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through friendsfriends~

Re: through friendsfriends~

took me forever to figure out how to put up that spoiler bar, asldkfjasdf

Re: took me forever to figure out how to put up that spoiler bar, asldkfjasdf

Re: took me forever to figure out how to put up that spoiler bar, asldkfjasdf

Re: took me forever to figure out how to put up that spoiler bar, asldkfjasdf

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