Dragon Quill

It rained toads the day the White Council came to town.

I’ve generally liked the openings of the books and this marks a sharp change in that.

Last book’s bit about phases of the moon was similarly a gesture toward the cliche and familiar magical elements, but “I never used to” is a twist that tells you some shit went down and if you stick around you can find out what. This is just a vague bit of weirdness. Toads aren’t even all that horrifying to people in the modern day – raining tarantulas would probably better fit how people should feel about a rain of witchy animals, and making it venomous snakes would give some actual reason why this is worth being upset about. It’s further undermined by the fact the White Council is a name outright designed to sound generically goodish, so if they’re showing up at the same time, then even if magic witchy toads are somehow a big deal, well, a bunch of good wizards are there to resolve it.

(more…)

I didn’t think the ghoul would be filing a police report, but I wiped down the shotgun anyway.

So.

This is not, by itself, a problem. The statement “I didn’t think (assassin who tried to kill me) would be reporting I took (weapon they tried to kill me with) to the police who arrest people for assassination.” is very reasonable.

But he didn’t say the assassin, and on the heels of my questions last chapter about what, exactly, the ghouls had done and what, exactly, he had done to them, there’s a different way to take I didn’t think the ghoul would be filing a police report. He’s likely only referring to her as a ghoul because it’s urban fantasy and the author wants to remind you that ooh, ghouls, but normally, the epithet used in this kind of a sentence contains the reason why the person couldn’t go to the police.

Could a ghoul go to the police? (more…)

A Faerie Queen. A Faerie Queen was standing in my office. I was looking at a Faerie Queen.
Talking to a Faerie Queen.
And she had me by the short hairs.
Boy, and I’d thought my life was on the critical list already.

Here we get into the problem with escalation.

This really doesn’t seem like it’s worse than Lea. What just happened with the letter opener was far worse, but instead of pointing to this as a sign of Mab being more dangerous, Harry instead said this was proof Mab had the same control over him as Lea.

So far, Mab wants him to do a thing while Lea wanted him to be a thing. And given how very badly he did against Lea, the year-and-day thing was just delaying the inevitable, so this is a huge step up for him. (more…)

I was scared. Not in that half-pleasant adrenaline-charged way, but quietly scared. Wait-on-the-results-of-medical-tests scared. It’s a rational sort of fear that puts a lawn chair down in the front of your thoughts and brings a cooler of drinks along with it.

Oh, that is a very interesting admission about fear there, isn’t it? (more…)

So, last time, we meet members of the White Council and good news, they’re not all white but bad news, that doesn’t mean diversity, it means ~diversity~.

The oh god why of diversity continues this chapter, as we learn that Simon the Russian is slated to be replaced by one of the Germans.” and Harry’s own mentor-dad, despite his seniority, isn’t allowed in because “There are too many Americans on the Senior Council already for the Merlin’s tastes.” and this is the problem with trying to have an international group, there are continents other than North America and Europe. (more…)

Last time, Morgan demanded they sic the “Chinese temple dog statues” on Harry to be really sure he wasn’t evil.

This time, let’s talk about what his ability to do so means in-universe. (more…)

Ah, the ides of January. Let’s check in on these idiots.

The Merlin’s evil anti-Harry plan is accurately pointing out that they need a full Senior Council even more now that the wolves are at the gate.

“Let me guess,” I whispered. “He wants to fill the opening on the Senior Council so that he’ll be able to control the vote?”

I’m pretty sure he wants to fill the opening because the previous guy is dead and the wolves are at the gate, Harry. (more…)

Well, this seems an appropriate time for a revival.

The rest of the Council meeting was somewhat anticlimactic—for me, anyway.

Dammit, Harry, I don’t care about you, I care about offhand comments that will let me work out how the wizard government functions! (more…)

When last we left off Dresdening, Harry’s previous fridged girlfriend, Elaine, turned up apparently alive! And now this, like her and some dude, returns from the dead. (more…)