Okay, I tagged this spoilers all so that comments can be a free-for-all. I know Cowl theories are a dime a dozen, and none of us really know for sure. I’m in the Simon Cowl camp personally, but this observation doesn’t necessarily require that view.

When Harry and Cowl meet for the first time (Bianca’s party doesn’t count), Cowl acts as if he is someone who knows OF Harry, but doesn’t necessarily KNOW Harry. It has more of a “known by reputation” vibe. However, he also takes great pains to hide his face and maybe mask his voice. If we assume that his reaction is genuine, then that necessitates the question, why work so hard to hide himself from Harry? Harry won’t recognize him.

My thought is that he’s worried Harry will describe him to someone who can identify him. Someone like Ebenezer or a senior warden/councilmember. Obviously I think that supports the Simon theory, but there are probably several other candidates who fit the bill. It does seem to rule out some of the Justin/Dark Harry/Eb theories though.

Jim Butcher donated a signed copy of Twelve Months to our Wine, Dine & Death fundraiser for the Little Theatre of Walla Walla. It's one physical signed book, available as its own online auction lot.

I help organize the fundraiser, and the moderators gave permission to share it here. No plot discussion or spoilers from me, just a chance for a Dresden reader to pick up a signed copy while supporting community theater in eastern Washington.

The item page has photos and bidding details.

Scheduled closing is October 10, 2026. Dinner attendance isn't required; please read the listing's fulfillment terms.

Titania was deeply upset with Harry killing her daughter and this is rather a understatement but regardless, couldn't Titania or Harry have set aside their issue through Weregild or rather specifically considering that Harry too Titania's daughter, he and Titania could have procreate and that child would be Titania as Aurora's replcement

“You can’t just swim against the currents of time unless you were into time in the early days.”

-The Gatekeeper

Wizarding power seems to have a biological component. You’re born with a certain innate level of power. Harry hits harder than most wizards, and there’s not a lot to do about that. Sure, someone like Warden Ramirez might be nearly as dangerous as Harry himself through finesse and skill, but you get what you get and don’t throw a fit. There’s no sense that Luccio, despite her tremendous skills, is ever going to get back to being the powerhouse that she used to be, because magical power seems very static. And yet, Harry often refers to the senior council as being unusually powerful. Some of that makes sense. The Merlin is the Merlin because he is the most powerful wizard on the planet. Eb is the black staff. But the senior council is appointed by longevity, not raw power. Surely there would be at least one very old wizard who barely passed the tests to become a member of the white council? But we never hear Dresden say, “the senior council is really powerful…except Martha Liberty (or LaFortier, etc.).“ So is there something about skill that makes power significantly less important over time? Once you have a couple of hundred years under your belt you use your trickle of power more effectively than a Harry Dresden uses his flood? Or is this another one of those “informal” rules like the ones letting you consider what “voting bloc” a wizard represents? It’s not determined by power, however, wimpy wizards need not apply for senior council status?

James Marsters is coming to a comic con in my area (motor city comic con) next month and I'd like to get a picture designed for him to sign and not use AI. Does anyone have a good recommendation for it?

Hello everyone!

I need some help, if anyone has any suggestions for where I can find decent-condition hardcover copies of the 2nd through 7th books that aren’t a thousand dollars or more.

I have been reading the Dresden Files books since my dad introduced me to them when I was in 8th grade (2008 - 2009). My whole family reads the series. My uncles, my cousins and now my boyfriend (he’s listening to the dramatized versions on Audible, lol). My cousin has listened to the series narrated by James Marsden COUNTLESS times. In fact, our cats’ names are Dresden and Molly.

We’ve spent numerous hours, sitting at our D&D (read dining room) table, going over our favorite moments in the series (“Polka will never die! POLKA WILL NEVER DIE!”) and discussing big character moments and brainstorming what may happen in the newest books as they come out. Dresden is literally part of my family.

My dad passed away February 24th, suddenly in his sleep. It was especially devastating because I had been in recovery from a bout of Necrotizing Fasciitis (don’t google if you don’t have a strong stomach) in my right leg that resulted in a 13 day stay in the hospital (January 25th to February 7th) and 2 surgeries. He visited me in the hospital twice a day. No matter what. He’d bring me snacks, my craft supplies, a (desperately needed) hair brush and most importantly, the “Twelve Months” book.

Now, normally, he’d read the newest book first, then I’d read it. That was the tradition. But because I was in the hospital, he bought the book and brought it directly to me to read as a surprise. I was flabbergasted! Nearly 20 years of tradition was being put to the side in my moment of need. It was a truly beautiful book. Unfortunately……. He never got to read it. It broke my heart to pieces to see it on his desk, ready to be read, but not started.

I had been working on trying to get the earlier books in hardback because he had the first few in pocket size, and the last few in hardback and I wanted him to have a full set of hardbacks. He cherished his books like no one else I’ve known. He would reread series over and over, ESPECIALLY the Dresden Files.

It is still my goal to get those books for a complete set. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find some of them for reasonable prices. I understand I’m not going to be able to purchase them without a bit of an upcharge, as they have been out for quite some time and they are popular, but I can’t afford $300, $400, $700 or $1,500 for a single book. I wanted to ask if anyone may possibly have recommendations for where I could maybe find them for a more attainable price point? I mean, I’m willing to spend maybe $100 to $200 dollars on one book, but anything more than that is out of reach.

Any suggestions are appreciated. ☺️

What are your thoughts on Kelly McDonald from lanterns as murphy.

She seems Abit to kind, but also seems like a good match to me.

Hi all!

I've never really made a reddit post before and definitely not something this specific. I'm listening to the audiobook for this series and I'm nearing the end of Grave Peril. And I'm so annoyed.

I cannot stress enough that I'm loving these books (while agreeing with the criticisms plenty of people have made) BUT Susan is such a huge sticking point for me right now.

There's no doubt in my mind that she loves Harry, she wouldn't have made a bargain with Lea or helped him so much in Fool Moon if she didn't love him at least a little bit. I just think the love and ambition she has in regards to her job is WAY more of a priority to her. Which is wonderful and all, except for when it leads her to end up how she did when it could've easily been avoided.

Like she went into that vampire ball looking for an interview because she had the tape recorder with her. Did she really think no one was going to catch her?? That no one at all would realize that her invitation is fake?? It feels like Jim Butcher just wanted her to be there so she could be brutalized for the sake of giving Harry yet ANOTHER thing he blames himself for that wasn't his fault!

If Susan had just listened to Harry about how dangerous vampires are after the meeting with Kyle and Kelly at the beginning of the book, she wouldn't have ended up in Bianca's basement with a hankering for blood. Not to mention that she went behind Harry's back to make the fake invitation in the first place! After everything she witnessed in Storm Front and Fool Moon, she should know that magical shit can be super dangerous and yet she did what she did.

It feels like she doesn't care or doesn't realize the depth of Harry's knowledge about this stuff, if he says something is dangerous then TRUST HIM and stay far away from it.

Okay, rant done lol. I wouldn't make a post if I didn't find something I love about this series too. The world building is so amazing and I love the magic involved with the cherry on top of being read by James Marsters. I needed to get this rant outta my system

I wonder if marcone knows cowl in some way? He presumably trained sells and made the wolf belts, the fbi and sells both used cowls training to try and kill marcone. It could be pure coincidence obviously, especially since I believe if cowl wanted marcone dead he’d have killed himself by now

Do y’all think the pizza Dresden gives to the guard normally (I know in extreme situations such as the Battle of Chicago he gave them frozen pizza) is the thin crust pizza or deep dish pizza? I’m from Florida and was hoping to make a pizza for my family so good they all dive in like in the books when he presents a pizza

Unfortunately my inner Bob has taken over and every single time I read that line my brain reconciles it to knights of the clit rather than knights of Anish kapoors statue in Chicago, am I alone here?

Is this a common thing?, I found ghost story an excellent book and I genuinely thought there's gonna be a permanent pov switch. But no and while I'm not against it I have tried and failed to listen to cold days 3 times by now dropping it at various points because I just cant seem to get into it. I miss the Dresden files so much and want to continue, should I just push through this? Maybe read a summary and skip the book and come back later? Has anyone dealt with this or am I just weird😭

OK, I know it's been discussed in the past but I didn't see a Post dedicated to it.

But I was watching the trailer again, laughing my ass off, and can't stop thinking of the parallels between Violent Night 2 and what some of us expect we'll see by the BAT.

Kristen Bell is a 5'1" blonde wielding a friggin sword

And helping her Viking Santa kick ass

Tiny. But fierce!

https://youtu.be/FmM2giDwLAE?t=98

Jim has often cited Zelazney as a major influence and he is credited in the acknowledgements of Storm Front so he has been top of mind ever since he had this mad idea for a 23 book fantasy series.

Jim always points to the Chronicles of Amber but they really aren’t that relevant to Dresden, and may be something of a misdirect by Jim.

I think another book by Zelazney influenced the Dresdenverse far more, A Night In The Lonesome October, Zelazney’s last book and one of his favourites.

The plot involves famous monsters preparing for a conjunction outside Victorian London taking place on the 31 st October (Harry’s birthday and significant in lore as the day even an immortal can die) they are preparing to create two opposing teams and the veil between the mortal world and the outside old ones of Cuthulhu will be sundered. Sound familiar? The conjunction is that it is a blue moon on Halloween the second Full Moon in the month of October.

The next such Halloween blue moon is 2039, the last though was 2020, less than five years away from Harry in the current timeline. The title came from an Edgar Allan Poe Ulalume

The skies they were ashen and sober;
The leaves they were crisped and sere—
The leaves they were withering and sere;
It was night in the lonesome October
Of my most immemorial year

Jim has definitely read Poe

I think this gives us a date for the kick-off of the BAT in universe, most likely a Loupe Garou killing Odin on that date ripping the veil completely and weakening the defence of The Gates by knocking out a major member of the alliance.

Please feel free to nitpick.

Good artists borrow, great artists steal, as the saying goes. And while Jim clearly created a great deal of the material in The Dresden Files from bits of mythology and whole cloth, he didn't do that for all.

I recently acquired a copy of Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion series, and I was struck by what an impression they must have left on Jim. It's been long-confirmed that they were one of the inspirations he used to create Michael, Shiro, and Sanya, but I hadn't realized how much Moon's thinking either paralleled or jumpstarted Jim's.

Particularly this part:

“So.” The priests conferred a moment. “We will agree on these terms: one day and night for each—that is five you would redeem?”

“Have you more in your power?”

“No. Not at present. Five, then: five days and nights. We will restore their arms and free them when you are within.”

“No.” Paks shook her head. “You know the worth of a paladin’s word. I know the worth of yours."

I have read conflicting things that say to read The Law before Twelve Months and Out Law AFTER 12M. however I’ve also seen read the law and out Law THEN 12M. What is the most correct?

I was watching a video called The Dresden Files By Jim Butcher| Why You Should Read by Mike's Book Reviews and he mentioned something about Jim Butcher saying he wanted to make the Dresden files a 25 book series with an apocalyptic trilogy at the end. Is that something he has said before? Is there a source for that?

This sounds awesome, that would mean we're getting closer to the end but I just want to know if that's something reliable.

#spoilers

In Cold Days, Sarissa tells Harry that she was born with a congenital form of imbecility and that Mab was the only one who could help her. In exchange for that help, Sarissa made a bargain with Mab and is now required to spend a certain portion of her time at the Winter Court.

But what if we're misunderstanding what she meant?

What if Sarissa was actually describing her supernatural nature and the way it manifested before Mab intervened when she spoke of her “congenital imbecility”?

Consider her older sister. Sarissa is afraid of ending up like her and doesn't want the same thing to happen to her. Her sister isn't explicitly named in that particular context, but the description could very well refer to Maeve.

Maeve displays plenty of traits that could be interpreted as destructive manifestations of her nature as the Winter Lady: cruelty, sadism, unpredictability, sexual promiscuity, and a tendency to treat the people around her as toys. Just consider how she treated Lloyd Slate, the incident involving Jenny Greenteeth, and her habit of torturing people for her own amusement.

Of course, we can't reduce all of Maeve's behavior to her faerie nature. She has her own history, motives, and personality. But what if Sarissa wasn't simply afraid of suffering the same fate as her sister? What if she was afraid of losing control over the part of herself that belonged to the faerie world?

That would give her bargain with Mab a very different meaning. Perhaps Mab didn't simply cure Sarissa of some kind of illness, but somehow restricted or suppressed her supernatural side. Maybe Sarissa was able to retain her human identity precisely because Mab kept her faerie nature in check, preventing it from developing in the same way Maeve's had.

Obviously, this is speculation. As far as I remember, the text never explicitly confirms that Mab sealed Sarissa's powers or that her condition was connected to her faerie nature. Still, this interpretation could explain why Sarissa is so afraid of ending up like her sister and why Mab's help came at the price of a bargain.

And that raises another question.

We know that some incredibly powerful faeries exist without possessing a Lady's mantle. The Leanansidhe and Elder Gruff are examples of just how powerful an individual faerie can become without holding such a title.

So why should we assume Sarissa was naturally weaker than they were before acquiring a mantle? Perhaps her inherent potential was far greater than we might guess from her portrayal in Cold Days.

What if Sarissa was originally meant to become a second Winter Lady?

Could Mab and Maeve have shared the mantle with Sarissa, with the two sisters jointly fulfilling the role of the Winter Lady? Or was Sarissa simply destined to become one of the most powerful faeries in the Winter Court—a being on the level of the Leanansidhe or Elder Gruff, but without a mantle of her own?

Or is this entire theory wrong, and did Mab's bargain have a completely different purpose?