This morning we will begin reading Fool Moon, book 2 in The Dresden Files. Please keep in mind the grand scheme Jim has laid out for us, and trust no one....not even Listens-to-wind apparently. Today is the first out of ten days allotted to Fool Moon. I'm going the audio-book route for now, because I'm at work so James Marsters is reading me the book.

 

I'll post my notes latter. But fur now, I enjoyed this book more than I remember, like the last one I think it's a case of everyone saying the first two are shit.

I will say it is cluttered and a bit messy plot wise, i feel as if the Strret wolf plot could have been mostly removed.

Murphy was a prick but that's her character in these early books.

I was looking for Dark council hints but didn't get anything from this book apart from the obvious FBI hexenwolves.

One thing I will mention is Butch has said Tolkien is a big influence obviously. In Lord of the Rings Saruman and Sauron are said to fall due to their desire for order not plains evil.

Here we see Denton drawn in by his desire for order. The corruption of his core values. Peabody may be similar, he clearly desires order over messiness and chaos.

Could be a larger theme for the black council.

 

That was absolutely awful if it was intentional.

I did my reread of the series earlier this year, but I'll echo your thoughts about enjoying the early books a lot more than I used to. They aren't great by any stretch, but they tell a story competently.

 

It wasn't intentional when I typoed it, but then I saw it, and still posted it. No regrets.

 

I'd forgotten how frustrating this book was.

It's mostly the structure, which simultaneously feels a little paint-by-numbers, and a little crowded at the same time. I think Butcher was trying to cram everything he could in here about werewolves - though honestly, I can't blame him, they're a fun creature - but it quickly gets overstuffed. You could mostly excise the berserker biker gang subplot and not lose too much.

This is also the first time we meet someone from Harry's past who isn't a Warden. Kim Delaney makes two appearances, once as Harry's sometime apprentice, and once as a corpse. A messy, messy corpse. Now, this does actually serve several purposes, some of which are long-term. It lays out why Harry's such a protective teacher (and a bit of a dick) to Molly once her takes her on as his apprentice. It also serves to send his relationship with Murphy to its absolute bottom, crowned off with him getting shot. But this also opens the door for her to start trusting him again.

As pointed out in the Storm Front thread, Murphy is basically doing to Dresden what he did to her in the last book, ie not telling him everything for his own protection. A taste of his own medicine is, in my opinion, good for him. I mean, seeing him suffer because of his arrogance and wizardly prerogative is actually good for his character. It makes him realize that he needs to open up, let people like Murphy, and eventually the Alphas post-Turn Coat know everything, and damn the consequences. It just sucks that several people - including Kim, who was a lot like Harry, just trying to do the right thing and help out a friend, and Carmichael, who was an asshole, but owned it - had to die for Dresden to learn this lesson.

Speaking of the Alphas... their debut is a touch lackluster. A nice bunch of kids with no self-confidence who try to step up and get completely swatted down. Actually kind of realistic.

Marcone, however, kicks all the ass, and will continue to do so. He's one of the few characters who simply was perfect right from his debut and never changes. He's calm, cold, and wants power. In any other series, I'd say he's Dresden's Nemesis... except I can't say that here, because it'll get confusing. Sigh.

Anyway. I did laugh out loud at a few moments - "Then I blew the wheels off his fucking truck." and 'Buy a Congressman' - but overall, I just felt there was too much going on, not enough focus.

As to long term shit going down... we've got Karrin suddenly rounding the corner from minor antagonist to protagonist sidekick, enter the Alphas, Tera West, who is awesome and has recently been confirmed to be returning in the BAT, Dresden's protective streak backfiring on him, not for the first or last time, Marcone being Marcone, and the Hexenwulf belts, which leads to a reminder of Harry's problem with succumbing to temptation, and is also yet to be explained, but is likely a Nemesis-related gift.

That's all I got.

 

LittleChicago, I'm not entirely finished reading yet, but i did put a big dent in the book yesterday. I felt like that too concerning our biker gang. it was like, lets try and show each were-wolf like creature bob mentions during that earlier scene when harry was getting info. Him getting into that brawl and escaping and then kinda picking back up where he left off... yes it could've been skipped.

I love Jim's use of curse words in the book. It makes it more real to me. I could just see him standing there on the street blasting a truck off the road.


That being said, our time for Fool Moon is coming to a close. On Monday we will begin our third book, which some say is where the Dresden Files finally begins to pick up the pace and become much more interesting.

If you haven't participated, please consider beginning with the third book, we start that on Monday.

 

Yeah, I haven't had time this week, what with the move and such. I'll pick it up again with Grave Peril.

 

My final thought on this book...

Who can throw a damn knife while spinning upside down tied up on a rope? The baron of Chicago ladies and gentlemen.

 

Alright been a busy few weeks but ill finish my thoughts on this book.

I agree with LittleChicago about cramming in all the flavors of werewolves. bob gives us a list at the start and just randomly we see every type in the next 48 .

Obviously thr gang is the easiest to go, the part assigned to them could easily be rewritten with another element.

Also Chicago is Harrys town, i doubt a gang of quasi magical semi werewolves had existed there with out him knowing or hearing about them.

Honestly this whole plot is a cluster fuck. So much of it seems foced and Murphy is at her worst.

Important elements riased are out first true look the workings of the Black council although we dont know it at the time, the connection to the FBI, and Rudolpe who will become a recurrign element latter in the series. Also Carmichael biting it comes up latter.

In terms of ever all elements, we get the Alphas who turn into big story elements. Marcone expanding his knowledge of thr magical world and the first appearance of the leather duster.

I can say while it isnt a horrible book, it is massivly the worst of the series and only boarder line readable in the context of the greater series.

I dont think we get any big clues about future plots unless it turns outnthe Erlking was the one who corrupted the FBI, but that would be worrysome.

Tara West apparently knows Listens to Wind and will come back in the trilogy, not sure what to make of that.