Gregory’s Comments (group member since Feb 17, 2010)

Gregory’s comments from the All Things Jim Butcher group.

If Butcher lets Harry live, I can think of only 3 paths (right now) that he could take:

1) Harry survives and becomes the new Merlin and ruler of the world. (Classic hero ending, Example: Pug from the Riftwar Saga)

2) Harry saves the world, but hides from fame. He goes back to his old job and lives his life. (Judge Dredd ending)

3) Harry survives but is worn out and becomes a recluse, spying on people from a distance like a creeper. (Robin Hobb's ending from Farseer Trilogy)


Personally I think if Butcher lets Harry live he'll go for Option 2, but honestly I think it's a literary cop-out designed to leave room for future books when money goes dry.

It's tragic, but I feel that Harry should die. Think about it, Harry fights against the Apocalypse! That is the end-all fight for the world and all life, nothing will ever compare! So far we have:

Heaven vs. Hell vs. Faries vs. Wizards vs. Vampires vs. Other Gods (Odin)

Yes, I'll be sad when/if it happens, but Harry's death will leave me with a conclusive finality to the Dresden Files, and that will bring utter satisfaction.


Edit: In retrospect it's actually pretty futile to speculate on the series' ending now, we're only currently at the halfway point. We've got a long way to go and plenty of things could change.

Well, and this is pure speculation, maybe Harry dies from being shot at the end of book 12 and Ghost Story is all about Harry fighting from the other side as a ghost before some magic person/item brings him back to life.

Hmm. I just made that up in a few seconds but it sounds plausible enough for Jim Butcher.

Only time will tell.

Kharm wrote: "I also want to see what on earth is going on with the Council/White Council/Gray Council/Black Council stuff."

I'm pretty sure that's the Apocalypse plotline for the end of the series. Butcher's been hinting that the Black Council has been behind every major bad thing to happen in the series thus far, we just don't know the motives yet.

I'm guessing that Butcher will rip the mask of anonymity off the Black Council at the end of book 20. Then his subsequently stated 3-book Apocalypse trilogy will deal with Harry and gang fighting the Black Council to prevent the world's destruction.

At this point I also believe that the wizarding world will have been revealed to the general public and human society has sunk into chaos.

It IS the Apocalypse after all.

Edit: Also, I think Harry has to die. His character has been self-sacrificing from the beginning, so if his death meant the world's salvation then he'd be cool with that. Yeah, it's the typical "Jesus Ending" but it works. When series don't follow that rubric during an Apocalypse then readers don't like it. Example: Harry Potter.

http://io9.com/5522390/changes-gives-...

I don't think he's wrapping things up actually. Sure a bunch of stuff plotwise occurs in Changes, but as I mentioned here when I saw Jim last Thursday he said his "dominoes are all set up, and I can't wait to finally push them all over. I pushed the first with Changes."

In a projected 23 novel series (20 normal books & an apocalypse trilogy), the 12th book Changes notes that we have crested the hill, and are now beginning the descent to reach the ultimately epic apocalyptic finale.

In other words, I'm excited. :)

Last night's signing went fantastic. The line for the event stretched back through hallways, up staircases and into the courtyard outside. Easily 300 people, and once we poured into the large amphitheater it seemed everyone couldn't contain their excitement, so Jim skipped the reading from Changes and spent 8-9pm just taking questions from the audience. He talked about so many topics, and I couldn't believe how funny his responses were! (Sidenote: Jim asks everyone to keep an eye out for his hair. Apparently he woke up a few nights ago and his hair had not yet returned from fighting nightly crime. He fears the worst.)

Some topics of interest include future works. Concerning the Dresden Files he said that everything is just getting started, and the minor plot points he planted in early novels will soon be coming to fruition. His "dominoes are all set up, and I can't wait to finally push them all over. I pushed the first with Changes."

He talked a bit about other works as well, recounting the story of Codex Alera and the goal to win a bet by writing a series about Romans and Pokemon. He also said he might be dabbling in a science fiction novel about space US Marshals, and he'll be co-writing a book with a New Zealand author about broken heroes in a post apocalyptic world after they failed to stop [insert dark lord name here:].

At 9pm he started signing books. Nearly every person attending had a copy of Changes, and over half of them also brought other books for Jim to sign. Since I had the most at 21 books to be signed I decided to wait until every other person was finished having books signed and pictures taken. It wasn't until after midnight that I finally met Jim. By that time he was completely exhausted so I didn't want to take too much of his time in conversation, so I kept it short and thanked him for his continued works and patience in signing my books.

Bottom line, I recommend everyone go see Jim Butcher if you have the chance and like his works. He's very funny, keeps the focus and intrigue in his works, and most importantly he cares about and is patient with his fans. Him signing my 21 books is just testament to that fact.

Jim Butcher started his signing tour for Changes last night in Texas. Tonight, he happens to be in Seattle, WA, only a couple hours from where I live.

I have never met him before, missing out on my chance a few years ago when he was last in the region. However, I will make making the trip tonight. :)

Being the avid collector that I am, I currently own 21 books by Jim, including both US and UK versions of the Codex Alera series. I have only been to one book signing event before for a small author and don't really know the proper etiquette for these large events where event tickets are charged.

I would really like to bring and have signed all 21 of my books, however I understand that this might not be allowed. As the determined individual I am, I have been working on finding out the answer since early this morning. I called the bookstore hosting the event, emailed Butcher's publicist Angela Januzzi a few times, posted questions on forums, etc. No one could give me a straight answer until I just received this email not 30 minutes ago:


Jim Butcher to me
2:46 PM (29 minutes ago)

If you're willing to wait to run through the line a couple of times, I'm willing to keep on signing until everyone is happy.

Jim

Sent from my iPad


That is just awesome. Jim Butcher himself emailed me to answer my question. Pretty cool that he goes that far for a random question from a fan.

So has anyone else here met Jim?

Indeed, hardcover release for the USA is tomorrow.

If you already read it, via ARC or other, then congrats! We'll all be joining in just a few short days.

Jim Butcher posted a map of the Codex Alera regions, and it's pretty awesome. See the small sample below and check out the article HERE to download a copy!



Also, I stumbled across this website before and there is some awesome information on this fan created livejournal for the Codex Alera series.

Check it out and enjoy!

http://community.livejournal.com/codex_alera

Here's a short review:

http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot...

Bad wording on my part. To explain, Harry is not "having" a kid, apparently he has one already...

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65...

I don't know any more than the description, but if you go to Butcher's website you can find and read the first 4 chapters of Changes there.

I'd say it's hard to choose on that front. The Dresden Files and Codex Alera are two completely different fantasy genres in respect. Dresden is more urban fantasy, with dark gritty humor and bitter themes, and Codex Alera is definitely high fantasy with a twist on magic usage.

Even the protagonists differ in the same regard. Dresden is mostly a loner, few friends, and has been known to give in to his inner demons on occasion. He's sort of an anti-hero in that his motives are just, but his actions are not always so. Tavi on the other hand started off alone and ridiculed but quickly grew into the heroic commander for peace and justice whom all adore.

Granted, it is difficult to make a full comparison seeing as Codex Alera is finished, and the Dresden Files are not. Who knows, maybe Butcher will fall off his writing and the Dresden Files will plummet. I am already a bit apprehensive about Harry having a child in the next novel...

Welcome Jon, you are certainly in the right group!

I agree that The Dresden Files are Butcher's stunning achievement, and Hell's Bells it brings great joy to know that he is only halfway done with the series!

Well, by searching for that ISBN on DealOz that pricing does not seem to be a mistake:

http://www.dealoz.com/prod.pl?cat=boo...

My only guess is that it has something to do with extremely limited printing. Some might not know, but the Dresden Files were not originally released in Hardcover format. In fact, all of Jim Butcher's books were paperback only up until Furies of Calderon, which was his first Hardback.

I can understand that if the Dresden Files were re-released in hardcover format years after the paperbacks have been out, then the publishers would understand that the only individuals who might buy the hardcover would be collectors. It wouldn't surprise me if Fool Moon only had 300 copies or less printed worldwide in hardcover format.

Concerning the $24 versions: Firstly, make sure that the sellers did not mix up their posting for that hardcover version with an alternate version seen here:

http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merc...

Other than that, I have no other advice. If the $24 version is in fact the $1000 version seen elsewhere, then I would probably suggest buying it.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

I did a quick search, but could not find the price range that you are referring to. In order to get the best feedback from us, it would help if you could provide the exact ISBNs that you are searching by, and a link to the exorbitant priced item.

Well I am not quite sure on the specific details, but Furies of Calderon is rare for two reasons.

First, this is Jim Butcher's first ever hardcover book. The Dresden Files were originally published in paperback, and it wasn't until he signed the deal with Ace for the Codex Alera series that he earned the hardcover book status.

Secondly, the Furies of Calderon had a very limited printing. Butcher had been turned down numerous times before in the traditional fantasy realm, and I am thinking that Ace supplied low printing numbers for the first hardcover as they were not sure if the series would appeal.

Bottom line, if you have a hardcover edition of either the Furies of Calderon or Academ's Fury, then you are sitting on some valuable books my friend.

I completely agree with you Shawn! I think that changing the physical size of the books halfway through a series is just awful. If you start a series in one format, then you need to finish it in the same manner.

I am glad I am not alone in this opinion!

Well Patrick while I fully understand the convenience of eReaders and think it's pretty neat, I personally stand against them based solely on personal reasons. I've loved books since I was a kid, and have been building my own library since I was about 6 years old. E-books trapped inside of an electronic device just doesn't do it for me like regular books do.

I guess it's a nostalgia concept. The appeal of e-books will bring in a more diverse reading population given society's excitement for new technology, but there will always be those individuals slowly building libraries of their own who will only be satisfied by the classic presence of a real book in their hands.

Cheers Patrick :)

After about 20min of searching the cheapest I found it for was $84, so if you need hardcover and can get it for around $40 then I would consider buying that one.

Also, I would never recommend buying electronic copies of books over the real thing. eReaders like the Kindle are great if you are less interested in the "book" compared to the "story", but for book aficionados like myself and possibly you, given your desire for a hardcover, a physical book is the only way to read.

Good luck Shawn!

Okay, so Jim Butcher is my favorite author with the Dresden Files and the epic Codex of Alera. I've always marveled at the awesome cover art on his books, especially for the Alera series.

I recently stumbled upon this article:

http://lurvalamode.wordpress.com/2009...

And my jaw dropped at the cover art for the UK versions of the books. Now, I have never before imported books to the US, nor would I ever have considered buying alternate versions of books that I already own. But in this special case, I gave into my momentary impulse buy and ordered all 6 books from Amazon.uk. Yes, that was expensive, but I don't mind that much since this is such a great series anyway.

I'm just wondering if anyone else here also agrees that the UK covers beat the US?