Cold Days is here. (SPOILERS Maybe)

[Treasure]

last week I picked up the book at 7pm.... finished the book by 5 am (minus about one hour for driving/eating and mild conversation)

I felt like it took off like a shot and kept picking up speed..... and Molly becoming winter lady was a complete blindside - was not expecting that at all, didn't see it coming.

I know I laughed A LOT reading this - but that with Molly almost made me cry
and i completely understand why he wouldn't go see his daughter... also I think Thomas is going to be one hell of an asset in learning to "turn off" the winter knight mentality

[DaDairyDruid]

actually Maeve caught it from Lea during her stint in Rehab. probably sometime between White Night and Small Favors.

[Jay 2K Winger]

actually Maeve caught it from Lea during her stint in Rehab. probably sometime between White Night and Small Favors.

Except Lea was put in rehab at some point before Proven Guilty. We saw her "rehab" when Harry went into Arctis Tor to rescue Molly. Lea was infected by the cursed athame given to her by Bianca during Grave Peril, and that athame, I believe, was given to Bianca by Cowl and Kumori, who were also at that party (though not identified until Dead Beat).

Lea got infected that way, and was put into rehab by Mab. So at some point between Dead Beat (when Mab revealed that she had imprisoned Lea) and Small Favor (where Mab is in her fury), Maeve got infected.

Granted, that's less than the eight years I originally quoted, but any amount of time in which Maeve was able to run free without consequence from Mab, lying freely, and possibly infecting other members of the Winter Court.

[DaDairyDruid]

although it does seem that Maeve was focused on corrupting Lily as much as she could. it probabl y mitigated her effect on recruitment in winter, but not as much as we might think. In Proven Guilty she and Lily are pretty chummy so sometime before that, as Maeve is starting to imply Mab is nuts.

[Jay 2K Winger]

although it does seem that Maeve was focused on corrupting Lily as much as she could. it probabl y mitigated her effect on recruitment in winter, but not as much as we might think. In Proven Guilty she and Lily are pretty chummy so sometime before that, as Maeve is starting to imply Mab is nuts.

Right, exactly.

And after re-upping some of my Dresden knowledge, I stand corrected on who gave Bianca the athame. Cowl & Kumori were at the party, but it was Mavra who gave her the athame. (Then again, Mavra might just be a part of the Black Council as well-- not that she'd be stupid enough to try to cross Harry again, given how dire of a warning he gave her the last time she did.)

[thansal]

Borrowed the book from a friend last Sunday, gave it back to him this Sunday after both my GF and I had read it :P (I'll be buying the softcover when it comes out)

So, here there be spoilers:

The GF caught something that my friend and I missed:
Santa pointed out (just before he left) that many masks/mantels (and made a point that the words are fairly interchangeable) can be gained/shed on Halloween. This means that Dresden has a year to plot out how to get himself and Molly out of their new titles.

Also, I'll chime in, I'm sure that we will see Mavra again. Bad Guys in the Dresdenverse simply do not back down.

[Scorpodael]

Gotta wonder if the whole 'Immortals can be killed on Halloween night' thing applies to Outsiders who have been brought into the world at the appropriate time. ... Probably not.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Borrowed the book from a friend last Sunday, gave it back to him this Sunday after both my GF and I had read it :P (I'll be buying the softcover when it comes out)

So, here there be spoilers:

The GF caught something that my friend and I missed:
Santa pointed out (just before he left) that many masks/mantels (and made a point that the words are fairly interchangeable) can be gained/shed on Halloween. This means that Dresden has a year to plot out how to get himself and Molly out of their new titles.

Also, I'll chime in, I'm sure that we will see Mavra again. Bad Guys in the Dresdenverse simply do not back down.

That's a good point, about the mantles/masks thing and Halloween. Problem is, who do you pass them onto? If you're Harry, who do you trust to pass the mantle of Winter Knight to, hoping that they have the wherewithal to not succumb to its temptations like its previous holders? Ditto for the Winter Lady.

I agree, we'll see Mavra again, but I do like the notion that there are some baddies in the Dresdenverse that are just flat-out terrified of him. (Mavra, Nicodemus)

Gotta wonder if the whole 'Immortals can be killed on Halloween night' thing applies to Outsiders who have been brought into the world at the appropriate time. ... Probably not.

This book really seemed to emphasize the notion that Outsiders are, well, "outside" the normal rules. Given the names that He-Who-Walks-Before gave to Harry (Gatebreaker, Harbinger, Feargiver, Hopeslayer), I have no doubt we'll see Sharkface again. Just like there's no doubt in my mind that we'll see He-Who-Walks-Behind as well.

[DaDairyDruid]

That's a good point, about the mantles/masks thing and Halloween. Problem is, who do you pass them onto? If you're Harry, who do you trust to pass the mantle of Winter Knight to, hoping that they have the wherewithal to not succumb to its temptations like its previous holders? Ditto for the Winter Lady.

Can I nominate Thomas and Lara?

[Jay 2K Winger]

Can I nominate Thomas and Lara?

See, I could see Thomas as Winter Knight. But Lara, already a dangerously manipulative bitch and power-hungry sort, as Winter Lady? A mantle which evidently turned Maeve into a psychopathic hosebeast even before she got whammied by Nemesis?

Nooooo thank you.

[thansal]

Yah, I would pass on Thomas and Lara. Thomas has just as many issues as Harry does, and Lara is "a dangerously manipulative bitch and power-hungry" (quoth Jay).

I honestly don't have a good answer, though I would almost suggest Kincaid for winter knight. I mean, he is a psychopathic (sorta) killer to start, but has a crazy strong willpower, and some degree of humanity/morals too boot.

As for Winter Lady? Really, just anyone that isn't Molly, she is ending up as thoroughly abused by Jim Butcher as Dresden is :P

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yah, I would pass on Thomas and Lara. Thomas has just as many issues as Harry does, and Lara is "a dangerously manipulative bitch and power-hungry" (quoth Jay).

I honestly don't have a good answer, though I would almost suggest Kincaid for winter knight. I mean, he is a psychopathic (sorta) killer to start, but has a crazy strong willpower, and some degree of humanity/morals too boot.

As for Winter Lady? Really, just anyone that isn't Molly, she is ending up as thoroughly abused by Jim Butcher as Dresden is :P

Kincaid isn't exactly human. He's some kind of half-human, half-something-else, who once worked for Vlad Dracul and has pissed off Ebenezer McCoy bad enough that McCoy tried to shoot him on sight (and Kincaid doesn't want anything to do with him, if he can help it).

Besides, Kincaid is devoted to the Archive-- witness the way he held her in his arms after they rescued her from the Denarians in Small Favor, complete with his "teddy Glock." Taking up the mantle of Winter Knight would force him to give her up, and I doubt he'd be okay with that.

[gremcint]

unless the archive was the winter lady...

Speaking of things we will see again, we didn't see Cat Sith's body...

[Jay 2K Winger]

unless the archive was the winter lady...

Speaking of things we will see again, we didn't see Cat Sith's body...

No. I like Ivy the way she is, somewhat creepifying until the little girl pops out to squee over kitties or dolphins.

Yeah, Cat Sith is gonna be a tricky one. Especially since we don't know how Sith's mind is going to react the fact that now he knows he's been infected by the adversary, which actually hijacked his body when Harry got Sith to fight back against it...

[Scorpodael]

No. I like Ivy the way she is, somewhat creepifying until the little girl pops out to squee over kitties or dolphins.

Otters. It was Mister in Death Masks, otters in Small Favor. <_< >_>