PEACE TALKS - Dresden Files Review

My review of Peace Talks, the latest entry into the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Is it worth the wait? Let's discuss and review Peace Talks!
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[@DanielGreeneReviews]

What did you think of Peace Talks??

[@AdrianFaulkner]

I agree with you. As setup for Battle Ground it's excellent and has me eager for that book. As a standalone episode in the Dresden Files it deals more with personal stuff for the large majority and as a result can feel smaller in scale than some of the recent books. There's some revelations and there is a BIG moment but again it feels like the starter to Battle Ground's main meal.

[@TheRedHaze3]

So short. ;_;

[@james10o1]

I'm still catching up on the series, I'm about a third of the way through ghost story.

[@bearzerger]

I liked it, however you do notice that it was originally intended as only half of a book. So to me it can't stand up to Changes. The pacing is off in comparison to the usual Dresden Files novel, because at least imho it felt like JB wrote it thinking he had more space to develop certain plot threads than he ended up having and had to work hard to rush things to a proper cliffhanger. The best comparison I have is Avengers Infinity War, which also felt like only half a movie. Still worth a read, although for those who have the patience it might be more enjoyable to wait for Battleground and read both books back to back.

[@TheLordofMetroids]

@@bearzerger So would you recommend waiting for Battle Ground and picking them both up together?

[@mikesbookreviews]

I had a good time with it. Felt like part 1 of a two-part midseason finale of a TV series. But I do acknowledge not having to wait 6 years might have me taking it easier on this book than hardcore DresdenPhiles.

[@WinterLady87]

I'm one of those hard core Dresdenphiles who have waited 6 years, and while I would love a 700 page book, I understood Jim's explanation as to why it was cut. I liked the pacing, I liked the gathering of characters together knowing they're really going to be needed. Freaking about about it being half a book is completely useless...because Jim said it was going to be half a book, lol. I'm prepared to have an anuerism on the next book.

[@jdtru1808]

@@WinterLady87 Thank you!

[@rosesnewbeginning3547]

I did not mind the wait, his life as in his divorce etc got so in the way he stopped liking writing harry that's the biggest serie killer in loads of other series and him going back to harry fresh and with enthusiasm makes it worth it

[@signspace13]

I think the most important thing about the Mab scene is that she is in the weakest possible state she could be in in that room. All her power there was political. It is the middle of summer, she is in the mortal realm, she is a guest. She can't exercise her power effectively. Ethniu was putting on a show, and timing was part of it.

[@ccastu]

but that was the best scene for me in that book.

[@signspace13]

@@ccastu well yeah, it's a cool scene, that the antagonist was smart about it doesn't detract from the fact that she kicked Mab threw a building. I'm just saying that Mab was hardly at the height of her power, quite the opposite really. While Ethniu was kitted out in divine armour with an ancient relic bolted to it. I don't doubt for a second that Mab, in the centre of Arctus Tor, with whatever artifacts she has at hand, in the middle of Winter, could totally go toe to toe with Ethniu.

[@svenm4740]

@@signspace13 It would be interesting how that scene would have happened just without the artifact.

[@alexquin4001]

A big thing is that she had lost control and been reminded of her former life. There's a big chance that that could have hampered the mantle greatly.

[@925263]

@@signspace13 Honestly, I'm thinking Mab threw the fight and that this is all her plan. She herself is not allowed to seize more power, as she'd throw off the balance between the seasons. This way, her Winter Knight, over whose actions she doesn't have absolute authority, now wields the strongest weapons in the world.

[@grantpflum6844]

I actually like Marcone. He is basically a perfect anti-hero and one of the best pure humans that we see deal with the supernatural.

[@daniellerodoni4233]

Me too! I’ve always liked Marcone. I read somewhere that Butcher based him on a feudal lord and I think that suits him down to the ground.

[@Miclpea]

I totally agree!

[@grantpflum6844]

@@daniellerodoni4233 Exactly. Its way Dead beat has always been one of my favorite Dresden books despite the criticism it gets. In the very first book we get a look at Marcone's soul and see that at the very core of who he is is a mistake that he would do absolutely anything to take back, the need to prove himself a better man than the one who made that mistake, and a willpower that has yet to be surpassed in the series to make it happen. In Deadbeat we get to see what that mistake is and I personally always thought it was so telling into the psyche of Chicago's deadliest gentleman. Even thought the bullet that did the dead wasn't fired by him or his men, in fact it was fired AT him, Marcone is still aware and responsible enough to not only accept his share of the blame but actually be haunted by it. It's why I havde always said I would love to read a series, or even just a few novellas, told from Marcone's POV.

[@daniellerodoni4233]

Grant Pflum I agree!!! Marcone has always acted with a lot of restraint towards Harry’s antics even when provoked. He’s ruthless but he’s got a conscious which is more than can be said for some, er most of Harry’s allies.

[@grantpflum6844]

@@daniellerodoni4233 Personally, I always thought it was funny how Harry and Marcone would nearly always have the same goals when a big bad comes to town but Marcone is always the one who finds a way to twist the situation to his advantage, usually by using Harry to do the job for him free of charge. It's funny, as often as Harry claims to hate Marcone, he often is forced to play the role of Marcone's personal cruise missile and even save Marcone's life. As much as I like Harry, it isn't really a fair fight when those two have a battle of wits.

[@Nasser851000]

When your next book is called Battle Ground, you know it's going to be anything BUT peace XD

[@billyalarie929]

Hell, when I heard that this book was going to be called Peace Talks.... I felt a level of skepticism.

[@ThatOneGuyOverThere]

I don’t think he should have said what the next book was called. I feel like he sort of spoiled his own book

[@Syko1985]

@@ThatOneGuyOverThere I mean what else could you expect to happen? The fact that there is even another book already confirms that peace doesn't happen.

[@ThatOneGuyOverThere]

Paul Smith yeah, but. It would have been great of everyone read the book and we lose our collective Dresden minds as we see that it leaves out so much that we are starved for the next book till September.

[@jeffreygray9317]

@@billyalarie929 it was anything but peaceful.

[@EdBurke37]

Honestly the most unbelievable part of Peace Talks was that the Chicago PD cared about a former cop being involved in a murder instead of just covering it up.

[@Miclpea]

Sadly, I agree with your assessment, unless you assume that some supernatural creature is behind it.

[@masaheimoi]

Well it was hinted that someone from above was pulling strings.

[@Klickor]

They arent doing the investigation because its the right thing. They are being controlled + Rudolphs personal vendetta. Stinks of corruption.

[@thatginger8897]

Spoilers: Any one else get the vibe that Murphy’s time on earth might be at an end the second she told Dresden “I love you, too”?

[@Allconjecture]

I was thinking the same thing the whole book

[@Waffletimewarp]

Yeah, my immediate reaction was “Well THATS a death flag if I’ve ever seen one” especially when you add in the fact that it’s True Love that defend him from the White Court.

[@lathspell87]

At that exact moment... I felt the exact same way.

[@IanDoesMagic]

Presumably so she can come back einherjar at some point.

[@Allconjecture]

@@IanDoesMagic Damn I never considered that. I just thought Jim's still trying to make Dresden/Molly a thing like a certain someone and Merlin

[@ilikeinq]

As much as I love Peace Talks, it isn't a novel. It is all setup. No payoffs, no resolutions, and none of the storylines really move forward. It felt like there was a lot of publisher (editorial) interference.

[@arbiterprime2145]

yea with the way it was done, with Jim having to split it in 2, it definitely feels like it has that "To Be Continued" Title card at the end. But at least Jim's been honest aobut it and we dont have to wait to log for part 2

[@TheHomicidalTendency]

They should have done one book :/

[@Calintares]

That kind of sounds like what someone might say if they only read Fellowship of the Ring

[@ilikeinq]

@@Calintares lol. That is kind of the point. LOTR was originally one book as well. Peace Talks and Battle Ground being divided isn't what was best for the narrative structure but seems to be purely a move by the publishing house for financial reasons.

[@holywaterbottle3175]

Daniel got Bob in the background helping him with the ancient forbidden art of youtube book reviewing

[@e_spren]

Now I need to start the Dresden Files...my TBR is becoming even more insane after being introduced to your channel

[@Grimscribe732]

No worries. The Dresden Files tend to not clutter up TBRs for long.

[@danielyarsky6128]

you read em fast dont worry

[@ADHDlanguages]

I'm rereading in preparation and in the past 48 hours I've read about 2 and a quarter books, while wrangling my young kids. They are FAST reads.

[@jacquig1939]

Same. I think I'm up to 70ish books thanks to this channel.

[@Scallywaag]

Spoiler Alert On the whole “everything is happening now” feel, Ebenezar did say this was the first time the Black Council was taking a swing fully at Dresden instead of him stumbling on an operation in progress.

[@rainierday8155]

I started reading Dresden Files to get back into reading, after being unable sit down and just focus enough to read an entire book for a couple of years, because of your yearly fantasy ranking video. I just finished the first book, and I'm so excited!

[@paulwinfrey6637]

A lot of incredible moments. I find myself wishing it had come out as one book, but hearing Butcher explain the motivations behind doing so I can't be upset about it really. The Dresden Files is a business that provides a lot of people with income and a book of that size wouldn't be profitable. I got an incredible amount of satisfaction from all the character interactions in this book and it's great to see Dresden continue developing his chess-master skills. Sometimes you really need set-up, especially when events like what appears to be coming are coming. I suppose part of this rests on Battle Ground, but it's interesting to consider that most explosive climaxes don't have the impact they really need if the set-up isn't done first. It's curious because there's every indication that these events and Battle Ground will spill out over the rest of the series. Also Spoiler: The fight between Ebeneezer and Harry at the end, where he freezes the boardwalk to have the footwork he needs to win the duel. This book has a lot of true, Coming of Age moments for Harry which is amazing to watch him really come into his own as a terrifying powerhouse.

[@WinterLady87]

Thank you for this comment. I see so many people freaking out about the slow pacing of the first portion of the book, and "oh, I didn't need to see this character, that's pointless..." You have to know Jim is setting the foundation for a massive conflict, and it doesn't work if there's action all the time.

[@barrylucas505]

Crap

[@evanflynn4680]

Have you read the microfictions on his site? Short reads of a few minutes each, but they're extra amazing little bits of story.

[@shaunweston2310]

Spoilers In my opinion Thomas was being mind controlled by Justin Demorne. He mumbled Jssstn when Harry saw him and passed it off as him being hurt and saying Justine and before he was put in Carbonite he kept mumbling J...J and Harry assumes he was worried for Justine even though Goodman Grey and everyone else said she wasn’t under surveillance at all. Plus Justin has already binded Elaine and tried to with Harry in the same way.

[@reo7859]

ohh that be interesting

[@jasont8181]

Gray said the exact opposite. He said MANY people had Justine under surveillance, many different players watching and tracking her.

[@shaunweston2310]

@@jasont8181 he did, sorry. I just meant she was in no danger.

[@adamdiran]

It was a Venatori thing.

[@DocHoody]

My theory is she’s being controlled by Nemesis. She was there when Leah was tainted, and since then she’s been acting differently then how she was originally portrayed. Butcher did a masterful job of making it look natural though. It also explains how information is leaking from the White Court.

[@NWAdrasteia]

I honestly really hated the whole dresden is special thing, I liked the fact that he was just another wizard that just decided to live out in the open more. I think that changes was one of my favorite books ever written it was just so well put together and the even thinking about the final moment of that battle sends me to tears. I know I listened to the books but James Marsters just does such an amazing job narrating the series. Peace talks just... idk Dresden implied that the white court didn't kill their victims to become who they are when talking about the reds but we know that is not true because of the white king trying to kill him in blood rights. and the whole height thing I think that butcher kinda increased dresdens height over the series so for the longest time I thought he was 6ft 4 but I was wrong on that. That being said I just felt like Macoys hatred was over tuned this book and it just did not feel right to me. maybe im just expecting it to be bad after what 6 years?

[@nesaiamon8727]

I kinda got the same thing - characters seemed off and there was a lot of repetitive moments - especially with McCoy

[@playingserious9108]

I thought he was 6.4 and I was like what mouse is grey

[@kaseybread5781]

Spoilers Mab and Merlin tho

[@DocHoody]

Lore says Merlin was in love with Morgana, so...

[@LetMeDy]

The TEA

[@stephanginther9051]

I was horrified when I got to the end and learned it was a cliffhanger, then I found out that it was split into two books and the sequel would come out in a couple months and I was less sad. Peace Talks went _exactly_ as sideways as I expected it to. (I mean, a book named freak'ng _Peace Talks?_ In _Dresden's world?_ it wasn't a question of if it went sideways, it was a question of angle and crap storm velocity) I LOVE this series.

[@kaneo1]

FYI: Jim said the options were to have 1 $50 book, or cut it into two. So he did the 'split it' option. Part 2 drops in 2.5 months.

[@chelleyroberts]

Kinda like The Matrix parts 2 and 3

[@seanmiller9388]

No one sells $50 books. Sounds like bs.

[@jimmyboyle3543]

Cut to Sanderson laughing on top of multiple 400,000 plus word book that that cost roughly 30$ lol

[@jonathonbartos3061]

Personally, this book felt incomplete to me. Literally nothing was resolved in this book. However, it clearly was meant to part one of the story, and at least we only have to wait for about 2 and a half months or so for Battle Ground, which I assume will answer a lot of questions.

[@kaseybread5781]

I mean Jim said it had to be spit in to

[@jonathonbartos3061]

@@kaseybread5781 Yeah, and in my opinion this book suffered for it. But, I'm going to withhold final judgement, since I don't think it's fair to consider it without part 2.

[@jasont8181]

Not only did it not resolve anything, it didn’t even explain any of the many pieces of the many problems. Wizard vote, no idea what or why. Thomas, no idea what or why. Star child, no idea what or why. Stars and stones, no idea what or why. Wardens issue with him, no idea what or why. Big baddie, no idea what or why. And where’s Bob? (I mean we know where he is but where is he in this story?) I think I read half a book and maybe at the end of Battle Ground it will be the best two book, single story ever. Butcher is pretty brilliant

[@jonathonbartos3061]

@@jasont8181 Yeah, in Jim I Trust. I feel like this duo of books is going to have the same level of impact on the narrative as Changes.

[@jjay2771]

@@jasont8181 The many inconsistencies and the fact Harry brings up whether something could be affecting him in ways he cannot notice many times plus his shield; then how Harry seems to be kept at arms length by many individuals and one specific conversation with a mutual friend and his offer, with the mantle coming up again really makes me think Harry is acting more out of character at times then he realizes; Bob might honestly be scared of him now. I don't think the wizards or Wardens are acting out of character Harry really has shifted a lot; with how much stuff has cycled I feel like there will be another blasting rod event in BG but Harry will actually have had some secret preparation against such interference which will come into play this time. There are a few other things I could mention but I want to avoid spoilers, not noticing a certain being was another significant event to me.

[@nealhoffman7518]

Nutella, ring pop and a Dr Pepper

[@vultureTX001]

I read it- Butcher needed an editor to trim out re-hash chapters, so it could just have been one book. You got way too many professionals and survivors that act like jerks to Dresden still (yet again?) on the eve of a world changing set of peace talks where they been fighting side by side as allies. I honestly felt like some relationships were redoing stuff from 10 books ago.

[@masonwheeler6536]

The thing that kind of knocked me out of the "flow" of the story was when there was a passing reference to the Notre Dame cathedral fire. That happened in 2019. The last book came out about 6 years ago, and the text makes it appear that about 6 months have passed in-universe since then. So what's going on with the timeline here?

[@KairoStark]

I take it like I would take World of Darkness timeline: shitty things happen there way before than they happen in our world.

[@joemoorhead6663]

It's not really acknowledged in text as much anymore, but the files are actually meant to be Harry writing from the future - his memoir basically, like the journals in Ebenezer's office that date back to Merlin.

[@TurusDJava]

Maybe the files are for Dresdens daughter Maggie

[@MercuryManProduction]

@@joemoorhead6663 There is actually a line in Peace Talks that goes along with that. When Ethniu does the hex, and the city shuts down, Harry thinks "Looking back, that was when everything started to change." That is obviously written by a Dresden from later in the timeline. He can't be looking back on those events unless they are far in his past. We haven't even seen everything start to change yet, so obviously the books have to be written much later.

[@joemoorhead6663]

@@MercuryManProduction great pick up!

[@xXKirbyPwnage223]

The book was pretty good, but I think I have two main issues with it that temper that some. Without going into spoilers at all, this absolutely feels like part one of two. They deal with some of the issues, and there was a decent showdown, but in the end they opened a whole bunch of issues that didn't even have a resolution hinted at. The White Council issue, the Old Man issue, the motivation issue. I hope we'll see these at least progressed beyond where they are now in Battleground. The second issue is that I can really feel that Jim took a long time off of this. Maybe it's still the same as it always has been and I'm the one who changed, but it felt like there were a number of jokes that fell flatter than I remember any in the series. Also, the sexuality felt like it was layed on as thick as ever, which has always been an issue when it comes up for me, and it's only partially mitigated by the fact that a lot of it involves the White Court. Basically, while much of it felt like a good and proper continuation to the other Dresden books, a few parts felt like Jim was struggling to recapture the series and had to rely on a small level of flanderization of it instead. Again, definitely a good book overall! I'm looking forwards to Battleground, and feeling like the BAT is looming closer and closer.

[@darthen82]

While I am a huge fan of Dresden Files I have to say that I do not agree that this book was worth the wait. We waited for so long and this book feels more like a teaser to the next one. Yes, I know that the next one will be out in a few months but does this justify that he actually wants us to pay for two books when he could have given us one complete book? It has been 6 years!! And also, lets not forget that there is a lot of "explaining" that is sooooo unecessary (or at least that is how it felt for me). I love this series and nothing will stop me from reading through it but I kinda wish I waited for the next entry in the series, so I would read them as one book. I feel that this book was more of a marketing/business decision than an artistic decision. I may be wrong here but it raised some question marks from my side. Love your videos Daniel! Keep up the great work :)

[@paulwilliams8278]

Here I am waiting for mine to arrive in the mail and this videos just here TAUNTING ME! *Runs away crying*

[@SirZeu]

daniel this is a spoiler free review. me who is starting book 6. oh good. daniel: there are something going on with his brother. me i made a huge mistake.

[@calebmauer1751]

Yeah, probably should have clarified that he meant spoiler free just for book 16.

[@Squish_Squash_Applesauce]

I wish the book was longer. I finished the book in only 3 and a half hours. I also wish that there were some scenes with the different factions about peace and potential solutions.

[@carsonbode6640]

Freydis was a fun addition to the cast. I'm looking forward to seeing some more of her after Battlegrounds.

[@chaneafs]

Thank you for putting together a solid non-spoiler review. I have the audiobook waiting on my phone to start on my drive home from work and I CAN"T WAIT! Having found your channel because of your Dresden reviews shortly after discovering the series myself I was curious to hear what you thought when I didn't yet know what was invovled. Thanks again!

[@matthewrichman6652]

The last couple Dresden files books have had a bunch of “let’s go check in on everyone” vignettes that take away from the overall flow. For me that definitely ties into the scene->scene->scene feeling you were talking about. In this case, maybe his point was to set up all the players for battle ground, but it felt like a lot.

[@robertwinslade3104]

I started listening to Dresden Files on Audible on your reccomendation around 2 months ago. I'm just about to finish Dead Beat and I am loving it so far

[@khross73]

Nice early review. I felt largely the same. My biggest gripe was how the young Wardens were waffling on Harry. They'd come on all hard assed then be ok with him. I get that it was probably to maintain an image of unity in front of the rest of the supernatural community but it just kind of irritated me a bit. I also hope that Ferrovax(?) gets more involved since we really haven't seen or learned much about him yet. Thanks for your review 🤘

[@OutspokenNomad]

I've been so busy I didn't realize it came out on the 14th!! Thank you for a great review, Daniel! I have reading to do!!

[@robertcorley5225]

Haven't read it yet, but I'm calling it now: Thomas' assassination thing has something to do with the Oblivion War

[@clarkkentnaruto4322]

Hey there Daniel. Thanks for another great review. I actually got my digital audio book version today. I also forgot to tell you, that last week, I did finish reading/listening to Grave Peril. It was great. I am right now almost finished with reading volume 10 of the Collector's Editions of the Fruits Basket manga. I just have 2 volumes left to go. After that, I will be diving back into the Dresden Files and the Wheel of Time series.

[@wbrownshadow]

I just started the book less then a hour ago and had to stop at chapter 2 in lue of work. But props to butcher for making me say Damn!! in the first readinv of the first line of dialogue but i was eating lunch

[@Etherman7]

I love the series, just absolutely love it. It's actually gotten me in trouble because Dresden makes me want to be snarkier than I should in a job where people are always... let's say rude. Rude is good. That said, one of the only things I can think of that annoys me at all with the series is the re-explaining that happens, like it's a weekly TV show before the era of reruns or tapes. Dresden explains his beliefs about magic at least once every 2-3 books. It's not a bad explanation and it does get pretty concise later on, but I KNOW ALREADY HARRY, MAGIC IS THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING. I mean, I'm one to talk, I ramble about things I love too so it's not really unrealistic from a "this is a story being related to you" perspective. It's just my only nitpick. I also thought that there was a plot hole from a book waaaaaaaaay back, one that people don't like as much, that was never going to be addressed but it gets addressed so that's a point for Butcher.

[@keithjones5309]

At my age, I appreciated the callback explanations in the book. Going back and reminding me about who that person is, or stuff that they did with Harry would be tiresome if I was chain reading these...but I hadn't re-read these since the last one came out and it helped me quite a bit where Jim gave a little catch-up to us.

[@katw5592]

My copy will (hopefully) arrive Thursday, so I just basically dropped in to say hi, like the video, turn on notifications properly and compliment you on your shirt.

[@dclemans13]

I wasn’t happy with them rehashing the “Dresden isn’t a wizard of the White Council” BS. They already took that to a vote of the senior council, why don’t they have rules against double jeopardy?

[@calebmauer1751]

For real, they made a huge deal about that and said he would be in if he completed Mab's task in book 4. And Harry's done so much for the Council, it's a little ridiculous at this point that he doesn't get more leeway from them. And it's stupid that the Council can vote members out with most of the Senior Council gone. If Council rules allowed that then they wouldn't have remained politically stable for long.

[@manusaxena6691]

I agree too repetitive

[@orcanimal]

Seems like I had more issues with the book than most. Spoilers: Am I the only one that found it failed to deliver on it's supposed premise? This was supposed to be a book about the peace talks, implying lots of plotting and scheming and social hierarchy navigating, and interacting with heavies we haven't seen (or seen much of) before. Jim has said in the past that Ferrovax will participate in the peace talks, as well Vlad Dracul the first (who ended up a no show). I was expecting various interesting new characters, and basically a more politically charged story. We ended up getting none of that stuff, Ferro barely says three words and there's zero faction political conflicts. It just felt like a bait and switch to me. And the surprise "baddie" was completely out of left field, but not in a good way. It felt abrupt and unearned and even a little nonsensical. I don't know, it just wasn't anything like the story I was expecting, and it wasn't bad, and it did build interest, but it felt meandering and it didn't make use of the new scenario at all. I was expecting the peace talks to come to blows or get blown up, literally or otherwise, but the subversion was just too out of left field for me. And with a completely new character too? Felt a bit lazy, to be honest.

[@manusaxena6691]

orcanimal I agree. In a way it was incoherent, almost. Like the Outsider attack came out of nowhere and was never mentioned again. And there was no precedent or foreshadowing at all for the appearance of the Big Bad.

[@orcanimal]

@@manusaxena6691 Zero. It was way out of left field. Plus, it was a character that never appeared or was even mentioned in a series of 18 books (I'm including the short story collections)?! It felt like a hamfisted attempt at surprise and shock (what she did to Mab). But what irked me the most was the feeling of bait and switch I was left with. I knew going into the book that the eponymous Peace Talks were going to result in war. That was obvious. But I was expecting at least there to BE peace talks... there was none of that. They ended before they even begun, and it felt like an unfulfilled promise. Had the surprise reveal occurred in the middle or at the end of peace talks taking place it wouldn't have bothered me. But I was waiting for the character interactions implied by them all having to sit down for peace talks, and so was left disappointed when that was just circumvented completely. I'm hoping Battle Ground makes up for the rug pull, though I don't think it can repair the feeling of complete incongruousness Peace Talks left. Also, the magic flu that Harry has? That felt like an incredibly cheap plot device... I thought at first it was a joke, then realized it was meant to be real and was like ... -__-

[@manusaxena6691]

You hit the nail on the head - the title was very misleading, promising something cool it didn’t deliver

[@roems6396]

The book is very disappointing. The WRITING was more shallow than usual. It didn’t provide any substance and just flitted from one scene to another without ever delving deeper into the story. It’s all surface level dialogue. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was when I realized the book ended on nothing at all. Butcher is more interested in doing ANYTHING AT ALL, except crafting a good story.

[@manusaxena6691]

It’s the worst book from him I’ve read

[@GenocidePhoenix]

As a whole I loved the book, though I'll be the first to admit that I'm just a huge Jim Butcher and Dresden Files fanboy so I am obviously a little biased. I get the sense that Battlegrounds is gonna be an Avengers Endgame level event where things are gonna happen that can't be recovered from and most importantly I believe a few if not a lot of characters we've grown familiar with over the series are going to die, very very hard. One thing I have always loved about the Dresden files is Butcher has a great sense of power scaling. He bumps up the power level of threats in a very smooth but still menacing way and the new big bad introduced feels like another great example of that. I agree that the Thomas stuff felt a little out of place in the story but since the book is essentially just set up for the one coming out in 2 months I am absolutely sure it will get resolved or at least it will get more hammered out in the next book. I also feel that there are a few situations, none that I can directly reference off hand cause I don't distinctly remember them, that felt very "missing blasting rod" in nature and it feels like there is something more happening in the background that we are only seeing references of or that we are only seeing the effects of like catching something out of the corner of your eye and I am really looking forward to seeing what will take shape in the next one. One of the biggest things I'm looking forward to in the next one is how Dresden will power scale to come close to being able to deal with Ethnui. Butcher has always done a good job of upping the threat level and then finding a way for Dresden to essentially level up to be able to meet the threat without getting blown out of his socks in one shot. I have a few theories like the Archangels getting involved to help balance the scales or even the Fallen getting involved to because of how big the threat is. I also have considered Dresden somehow being able to harness the powers of The Outsiders to either control them and turn them against the Fomor or just somehow being able to tap their power and use it against them but I feel like the Outsiders story thread is still a little ways down the road before it becomes more relevant. There is also the chosen one thing with the "Starborn" stuff that they haven't really explained but I think using that as the way they get out of this feels more obvious than Butcher usually goes. All and all I am terribly excited for Battlegrounds and I am ecstatic that I only have to wait 2 months for it cause I think I would completely lose my mind if I had to wait a year to get some kind of resolution to Peace Talks. In the meantime I just got the last 4 Codex Alera books in the mail today so I'll be burning through that series to help keep me sane until September. If for some reason I manage to burn through that whole series and completely beat Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 before Battlegrounds comes out I'll just have to find and pick up The Aeronaut's Windlass and devour that one too which will almost complete my entire Jim Butcher collection excluding the Spiderman: Darkest Hour novel that I haven't been able to find cheap enough to afford yet. Just read back through that whole comment and realized "My god, my mind is an total clustered rat's nest of thoughts that really don't like to hold together in a reasonably ordered fashion". My apologies to anyone who actually read the whole comment despite how sporadic and nonsensical it got sometimes. And as always, I love your videos and keep up the great work

[@jameshannum5641]

About ramifications, you must read the short story "Christmas Eve".

[@davidwitt8888]

Spoilers but I’m still trying figure out why he is mad at Odin

[@darthwyvvern]

I think that story takes place after Battleground.

[@teddyagain]

Ken Maloney it does, that’s the point of this comment.

[@jameshannum5641]

@@davidwitt8888 I didn't see what you are talking about in "Christmas Eve".

[@neriumsuitedher]

Damn. A lot of people we like are gonna die. My guess is McCoy, Murphy, Ramirez... probably some of the werewolves... maybe Fix... Damn.

[@sodapopinski8064]

Thomas storyline was odd. Felt like the distraction to keep the starborn busy, but I didn't like how blind it made Dresden. It's not his first rodeo and he should know he's being led by the nose. Other minor complaint about a book I enjoyed was the abrupt ending. I "get" that there was no great way to split these up, but it's still rough when a book just ends as suddenly as this does. It's less of a cliffhanger and more of a "wait where's the rest of this story" that I'm afraid won't age well for people reading this series down the road.

[@neriumsuitedher]

Agreed about the ending. As to your other point... Dresden is often awfully irrational to make the story happen. He still hasn't investigated his father's death, the whole starborn business, his mysterious enemies like Cowl... and he's supposed to be a PI. And he has a spirit of intellect to aid him. It makes no sense that he doesn't pursue these inquiries but then if he did, Butcher couldn't spring these things on him for shock value.

[@arbiterprime2145]

I viewed this and battlegrounds like a 2-parter tv show episode, so you know that at the end of the first theres going to be a "To Be Continued", and where they left off kind of makes sense to me.

[@Chloride37]

Need more River Shoulders! And Toot Toot!!!

[@letsjam19795]

I’ve just started reading it. I’ll come back to the channel when I’m done. Something tells me I’m going to be uber exhausted at work tomorrow.

[@creach34]

Spoiler Warning!!! Ebenezar McCoy does not seem the same in this book, i think nemesis got to him. They are a few things I did not like in this book. They are a bunch of continuity errors. like when harry walks into the Better Future Society and he talks about this is the first time I've been in this building alive. In skin games, he walks into the better future society to pay Marcone the wergild and talk to queen mab and talks to the doorman. When Harry found out the first time that molly did not tell her parents. He made her promise to tell them. Herry even said sooner than later on that promise and molly agreed. in this book, Molly even talks about it's too late to tell her parents because it's been too much time. so she broke a promise? which she does not suppose to be able to do? there is more. I am very conflicted in this book there's too much going on. It really kicked me out of the story with the continuity. I still agree with you it can be a good book and it is nice to have harry back. I'm going to reserve the judgment for after Battlegrounds. What did you notice, that you did not like in this book? Am I wrong or miss remembering?

[@brianmckeefrey1446]

Great memory brother I missed all that stuff 😅

[@jjay2771]

I noticed a lot of similar inconsistencies but can't help wondering if it might resolve in a second event like the blasting rod but with Harry more prepared this time. There were just too many inconsistencies and people keeping him in the dark; it could be a result of time on Jim's writing but I can't help but feel like with how many old topics cycled in PT that BG will have more of it, including a memory related event which Harry gets over easier this time.

[@johnchafin3817]

Basically this book sets the stage for the coming conflict. It places all the characters where they need to be.

[@sterlingdupre9565]

I am very happy with Peace Talks. I like many others wish it'd been the one book that Jim originally meant for it to be but oh well I'll take what I can get. I agree it was a lot of scene-scene-scene stuff going on here but I really enjoyed the book and that big moment was bigger than I ever expected. Battle Ground can't come out soon enough.

[@zollieberdy4405]

I have it checked out of the library. So excited!

[@thtadthtshldntbe]

The being you mention at the end, its not that she is so powerful on her own, its what she had to boost her up.

[@sterlingdupre9565]

That display of power was influenced by a variety of things that made her seem more powerful than I think she will be shown to be later on. Still that's an S-tier threat.

[@jimenglish5192]

Spoilers Anyone bought the kindle version, and seen the spelling mistakes like when butters and Sanya are fighting, it calls Sanya “Santa”

[@PANKURUCHA]

That typo was in the hard back too. 😂

[@christianemden7637]

Regrettably there were considerably more typos in this book than usual.

[@kasperfabchbrandt537]

Also continuity errors. It was pretty clear it was rushed. I think it was good anyways (at least a long as you don't think of it as a self-contained story), but could definitely have used another editing pass or two before release.

[@kasperfabchbrandt537]

@@MattMighty There's a list here: www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/comments/hr7g81/spot_the_continuity_errorretcon_peace_talks/

[@faintoheart5731]

About 80% of the way through Peace Talks absolutely FLOORED

[@007scraps]

I've only read the first three books and done a bunch of wikipedia spoiler searches... but it's great to see that you are happy with this book.

[@yannispapoulis7550]

I'm not seeing word counts, but based on the audiobook time on Wikipedia, Peace Talks is larger than the first four books. I think it just felt shorter because of the time since the last book and how the pacing was skewed more towards the build. It felt like Changes until they leave for Chichen Itza with some more action. Personally, I loved it. I'll probably die of anticipation before the next one though.

[@chrisgee8441]

Honestly, my buds and I just didn't have time to reread a bunch, so we've been super thankful for the little refreshers he threw in this book. There were so many times we went; "I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT!" for some major story arcs in the past...

[@grendelentertainment9642]

Finally! Can’t wait for my pre order to get to me!

[@cullencase3114]

I think Thomas tried to kill Etri because he found out (or strongly suspects) Etri was actual the father of Justine's baby. Re-read "Bombshells." 1.) Justine states that she will pay the price to free Thomas. 2.) Justine stays behind to distract Etri while Molly and Andi go searching for Thomas. 3.) When Etri shows up after the fire alarm goes off, he is naked, holding a sword. 4.) None of the other svartalves show up naked. 5.) Thomas says White Court vampires are rarely fertile, and that he took precautions on top of that.

[@neriumsuitedher]

You should give a spoiler warning. But as to your point. Very clever. I don't think I'd realized what must have happened between Etri and Justine. But the child being Etri's wouldn't fit into the timeline. Bombshells happened before Molly became the Winter Lady, and then Harry spent A LOT of time on Demonreach and then Skin Game happened which relative to Peace Talks must have been more than a few months. Hardly likely, since Justine isn't even showing yet. But I think it might be a Nemesis plot. They either got to him or to Justine. When Alfred described Thomas I got the distinct impression that the phrasing he used, i.e. parasite-ridden or parasite-infested (don't remember it exactly) could be interpreted as Thomas carrying multiple parasites, meaning his Hunger and something else.

[@EccentricSM]

I've always been interested in the Dresden Files books. Guess I will add it to my list. Thanks for the vids.

[@ZabreDarklight]

Just finished listening - Wow... that was one hell of a ride. And James Masters again does a great job (even though whenever he does Thomas - I can't help but picture spike.......)

[@sephestra.]

Thankfully, I just finished rereading the series over the last couple of months (anticipation, yo), and Brief Cases in particular on Sunday. At midnight my Kindle was downloading Peace Talks and I'm loving it. But jfc, Butcher just never pulls any punches. 36% in and it's a roller coaster.

[@dmann1982]

Wasn't there a short story that is post Peace Talks and Battle Ground that touches on the events, through Harry making a bike and getting gifts for Maggie?

[@reveranttangent1771]

The christmas story

[@lovelymzc]

I loved the start of the book, his engagement with Maggie is very tender, however, it did seem to grind to a stop for me during the fight with the "Cornerhounds." I really didn't like that portion of the book. Then, happily, it picks up again and becomes more interesting. I do think it finishes strongly. We learn more about Dresden's birth time; fans will remember that "Lash" hinted to his birth time being special, right before she was destroyed. Why did Thomas do it? I think Butcher needs to answer those and other questions in the next book. Loved seeing River Shoulders again and reading of his offer to Dresden. Looking forward to "Battle Ground."

[@lemnoch]

Jim stated in several books how Chicago is a crossroads of the supernatural world's. Chicago has a ton of ways through the never never. And a few other reasons Chicago is always a hot spot.

[@harmonygibbs7904]

Great vague review! Its about the impression i got from my friend who has read it already. I skipped the spoilers but will come back for them after my read....which will be a bit closer to Battle Ground cause i hate cliffhangers.

[@ravenwright7830]

Something that threw me off, was the vehemence of Ebenezer towards the white court and Dresden. I understand he has prejudices, but think this is the first time they have come out and so strongly. It just feels artificially blown out of proportion, as his concern for Harry being kicked out out of the White Council. Don't get me wrong. We've seen Ebenezer erupt before. But the last time I remember Ebenezer, he was giving Dresen comfort in the fact that he's walked a similar path, made similar mistakes and would help him with the Council. He was calm, the mentor. I also understand stuff happens with these characters between books, but he just comes in with a certain level of tension I wasn't expecting based on where we were left before. I always expected them to face off, but there is something just off about it. I don't know if it's because we are seeing Ebenezer's feelings through the lense of Harry, or if it is "reality". Overall I had a great time with this book and am excited about the second half. There is just so much going on, that this interaction felt out of place/character.

[@MurdochCreates]

I see it as a man who did go through the same things, and lost his daughter, and had become over protective of Dresden, then seeing how Dresden was keeping his daughter close as opposed to sending her away for her safety, he lost his rational thought because emotions got involved. Also, we’ve seen his view on vampires: He threw a satellite at one, and the red court hated him so much they tried to wipe out his bloodline. He got some long-standing beef with Vampires, and with how old Mcoy is, and the battles he must have fought, that hatred burns for a loooong time.

[@mattroxursoul]

Not worth reading it right now. If I had known that it was only half of a story I would have waited till September. I am pretty disappointed in this outing for the most part. Not that it was awful, it is just the main plot points are never addressed. The attack in the beginning is never explained in any shape or form, I can hazard a couple guesses but until the next book I just feel kinda bleh. Upsides are there for sure though. Lara has pretty much moved to the top of the list for favorite antagonists. Nicodemus was a distinctive leader going in but I think she may be on top now. Enjoyed the Butters interaction with Andi and Marci. Always great to see Sanya and Michael has long been a favorite just as a person. After 5 years though getting half of a story is not good. At the moment though I have kind of lost interest over all. Not sure I am anything to go by, but if others feel as apathetic as me then that is bad news

[@MrCam143]

I've been a longtime sub of the channel and I believe you read most of the Dresden books in the last 12 months. I agree Dresden files books often spend time to reintroduce characters / events, but keep in mind, many Dresden fans last read about these events when the books were published 10-15 years ago. So I'd argue for the majority of Dresden's audience, it is helpful to have the author wordsmith in some crucial reminders.

[@Nickalotahpuss]

I loved this book. I have a feeling most of the Thomas stuff in this book is directly related to his short story. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out his stuff is more related to the outsiders as a whole. He might be the linchpin to discovering more about the apocalypse trilogy before it happens. That said, I really hope we get some information from him as quickly as Battleground even though it’s shaping up to be insane.

[@Sombriage]

Didn't realize this book was out until rather recently. Finished it in like 2 days and re-read a few bits after. I think a good LotR quote sums up my feelings well enough: Gandalf: It's the deep breath before the plunge. Pippin: I don't want to be in a battle. But waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse.

[@jellevanbreugel325]

HELLS BELLS!!!!!!!!! Just read it and definitely worth the wait!

[@Sambsox]

Loved a lot of the character work especially Laura and dresdin! But partially. Wish the book had just been a double the size book or I’d just waited till battle ground came out. But so excited for it!

[@Ink129]

Really looking forward to this one - will wait before reading it until Battle Ground releases later this year though. It's gonna be good!

[@loganc9441]

It was a great book! but my one problem was (spoilers!) the title “Peace Talks”; there was no peace talks, there was a meeting that was Immediately used as a platform to declare war. There were no ‘talks’ in Peace Talks.

[@maxxcreese9911]

Precisely. It was more like let these guys meet big bad shows up beats one of the big powera there and then have them team up to beat her. Jim should of let the talks go a bit longer. But since this is apart one of two story prehaps the real talks take place after?

[@manusaxena6691]

And there was no foreshadowing at all - the big bad just came out of nowhere

[@michaelshawii6722]

Given recent events in my personal life, combined with both the fate of Thomas, and the release date this book hit me VERY hard. I look forward to the release of the next one. (Which also has a very sketchy release date for me personally.)

[@renehouse2015]

My copy of 'Peace Talks' is arriving today so I'll be all over it once it arrives. Until then, I guess I'll just have to wait.

[@Kent1261]

I hope you've read the short story Jim Butcher released on Christmas this last year with St Nick. If you haven't, it alludes to some of the possible results of Battle Ground.

[@Waffletimewarp]

It’s also going to be put in at the end of BG because to quote Jim, “We’ll need it”.

[@jakalair]

This book only made me cry twice. Just the way it was written, Chapter 9 broke me. I think it is a good book, but it did feel like a big refresher. I felt like Marcone had a Prophecy 3 "fried food" moment.

[@sunnysouthpaw]

I love your shirt, your taste in books, and I enjoy your videos.

[@thechevyferrari9559]

I really enjoyed Peace Talks, but it definitely has Part 1-itus. Not a lethal or debilitating case of Part 1-itus, but extremely noticeable and does hold the book back if it stands on it's own. It doesn't have it as bad as Deathly Hallows Part 1, but it doesn't do it as well as Infinity War, if you get my meaning. But it's still loads of good Dresden sense & nonsense. As for the "How are all these happening at the same time?" thing, I'm gonna go ahead and put all chips on either (scroll for spoilers, i guess, but cause it's a part one, we have no clue) Black Council or The Adversary/Outsiders. I'm not sure if those are intrinsically linked or not, my dream is the black council and the outsiders are taking advantage of each other instead of black council just being servitors, but I'm fine with either. Point is, cause this feels like the nexus of power struggles, I think these shadow fornicators are finally reaching their endgame.

[@Andreasdenfrie]

I was not entriely sold (am re-reading it now, just to be sure, since I am usually a massive fan) - one of the things I love about Butchers books is how "tight" they usually are - pretty much every arc is completed, every Checovian gun fired and only a few plot points are left hanging to connect to the over-arching story. That also means that nothing big ever happens in the books without being either set up or explained shortly afterwards. In Peace Talks that is not the case (probably due to "Battle Ground" containing most of it). Most major events either "comes from nowhere" - that is, will probably be explained in the next book - or have not come to fruition yet. SPOILER ALERT: the most glaring of these "half-arcs" is the assasination attempt - which on face is the main arc of this book - which is never really resolved (everyone keeps speculating about motives etc. but nothing is ever confirmed). SPOILER WARNING ALERT OVER Another thing that had me a bit off-put is that there seems to be fewer try-fail cycles. In most Dresden Files book tension is gained by Harry planning hard getting ready to make a move and then failing terribly (Jim talks a lot about this in his panels). In Peace Talks Harry... Succeeds. Im against it.

[@stanleytehee]

Too damn short! Can’t wait for the next one.

[@hollyh4061]

C’mon Daniel you’re killing me here! I NEED to know what happens now! Lmao every other sentence went “I won’t go into spoilers”

[@wbrownshadow]

Holly H made me say Damn in the first line of dialogue and i hadnt even turned the page

[@neil3202]

Then read the book?

[@wbrownshadow]

yeeep pretty much

[@toughtalkwithteacherspodca5410]

So sounds like Cold Days a little bit! Excited to read it, but have to finish Skin Games and then the short stories books.

[@katokhaelan4881]

Very astute review. I concur, good sir.

[@Goji-Berries]

The main plot was “meh” at best and when it finally get good is chapter 30 in a 36 chapter book. Splitting the book up into Peace Talks and Battle Ground feels like a cash grab, especially after waiting 6 years for it.

[@davidmaltais2828]

You are so right. If each book was half the normal price, it wouldn't be so bad. But paying full price for two half-story books... It's just... No.

[@nesaiamon8727]

Sadly I agree

[@Nasser851000]

There will be a livestream with Nicholas Eames and Andrea Stewart today :)

[@pkrdy3]

So first off, I really, really enjoyed reading Peace Talks. So great to get back into this universe. Ok, now my complaint: am I the only person who is incredibly confused and disappointed this story was split into two books? There is no resolution whatsoever! This is literally just half a book: it's the shortest entry in the Dresden Files since Stormfront. I watched the Jim Butcher interview Daniel did and understand the official explanation, but it makes absolutely no sense to me. Oathbreaker was 1,248 pages and something like 424,000 words. If that could be published as one book, why couldn't this? Unless Battleground is 3x the size of Peace Talks, even together these two books will be fewer pages than Oathbreaker. Again, loved the story and am excited to see where it goes: that's probably why this bothers me so much. It's hard to not feel disappointed and like the publisher is operating in bad faith (I don't blame Jim at all!). I think Jim said the book would have ended up being too expensive at retail if it was one volume. More expensive than buying 2 separate books? And are there really Dresden fans out there who would have been like, "Oh, I won't buy that. It's $10 more expensive than the other volumes! I don't care if they had to up the price because it's longer than usual, I won't buy it." I highly doubt it. It feels a lot more to me like the publisher figured they could make more money off of double book sales. I dunno, I just finished about 30 minutes ago, so I'm still reeling from the shock of being dropped with so little resolution. I knew it was originally one book that was split in half when I went into it, but I still expected it to feel somewhat like its own story arc.

[@stevenwhite6632]

Different publishers have different standard lengths, and unfortunately, Berkley/Ace/Roc doesn't like to publish the super long books, especially in the Urban Fantasy genre. Especially when they can get two books out of it and double their income LOL

[@jordanembry9905]

Sorry if this is the incorrect place for this question regarding the Dresden files but I thought perhaps this is a good place to ask a question I have. I picked up Storm Front after seeing how high you placed Dresden files in your favorite series and wanted to know if the character of Harry gets less chauvinistic/sexist (“old fashioned”) regarding the way he observes and interacts with women. I know you said the series improves as it goes on but I had to set the book down because of It and just want to know if that aspect of his character improves? Thank you for your reviews and all your hard work! You’re my fav booktuber.

[@nightraven9817]

Anyone know where I can find an audio book for this? I really want to get into this. Current pandemic, I don't have the money and I need something to do

[@StormRinger47]

To be fair, in your interview, Jim said Battle Ground was going to have the events that rivaled Changes just in the pure world-altering ramifications. I liked the book. But yes, it felt like only half the story. I'm glad I don't have to wait, but I don't think I can adequately rate/review this book without reading Battle Ground. (Yes, I'm 3 years late. Better late than never.) Also, I need to read the side stories now.

[@yodhanhunter]

Going to get the book after work tonight. Not looking forward to the grudge match between my wife and I over who gets to read it first.

[@dorkwithstyle73]

Peace Talks was amazing. Well worth the wait. Part of me does hope that the story was complete, but because it isn’t, means we have another book coming out in September, so I guess it’s ok ( as long as the one after Battle Ground is not another five year wait)

[@mrbigbillyb8475]

When Butcher was talking about writing Peace Talks, he talked about wanting to write a story that half-way through you thought you knew what kind of story it was going to be (based on previous Dresden experience) and then it would suddenly flip to a completely different kind of story. I think you can definitely tell that based on the story line that seemed to be put on hold, that it was never intended to the main reason for the book. I think that is the repercussion of Butcher trying for so long to do that "gotcha" kind of flip, it kind of felt like it didn't belong. But it definitely gives us something to look forward to, even if it's not resolved in Battle Ground.

[@d.a.blankenship366]

I see Promise of Blood in the background. I enjoyed that series!

[@neriumsuitedher]

I don't understand why Bonea doesn't figure more in the story. Harry has 2 daughters. It seems kind of unfair that he's only really thinking about the mortal one.

[@Dubh1969]

I think Brief Cases (not Briefcase) & Side Jobs contain stories with a lot of impact in my opinion. You have a fair bit on the Svartlves, a huge foreshadowing of the end of Peace talks, significant background that informs so much of the Mccoy/Dresden interactions as well many others who appear in here (Rivers Shoulder, Mouse and Molly) and why they are treated/react the way they do is informed by the short stories. They might not be critical but I think readers will get a lot more if they have read those. It would be like watching Infinity War/Endgame and never seeing any of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies at this point. At 16 books (Not including the 2 short story collections) these background pieces become highly relevant if anything to help keep things fresh and give some depth that may be missing in parts of the larger story. As far as the why all this and why now with Dresden, He demonstrably become much more powerful, gathering more and more powerful allies. Since every full scale assault on him has failed (Just ask the red court how good of an idea that is) they are trying the death by a thousand paper cuts. They looking to metaphorically bleed him out by hitting him with too much at a time when he cannot spare any. I think this will be much more significant than Changes (Please do not follow it up with another Ghost story for the love of all that is holy!), as the Unseelie Accords which have long been a foundation face a massive upheaval, alliances will greatly shift and I think some may even go to war against each other. changes was a massive upheaval of power levels and Dresden's place in the world. Peace Talks/Battleground will be a massive upheaval of everyone else's place in the world and characters we have not seen as part of the larger narrative regarding the various councils will come into play .

[@GankbotShuk]

I picture Marcone facing these things with the same stature as James Mason from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. But his Friendly to Cold demeanor taking a queue from Christof Waltz from Inglorious Bastards. Combine those two somehow and you have a villain that is both badass and terrifying.

[@deanryanmartin]

Daniel is filled with enthusiasm when reviewing a Dresden Files book.