The Dresden Files

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The Dresden Files is a fantasy/mystery novel series by Jim Butcher. Each novel in the series is told from the fictional perspective of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden (named by his father after Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Sr., and David Copperfield). Dresden is the only professional wizard in modern-day Chicago (he is in the phone book, under the yellow pages heading "Wizards").

Butcher's original proposed title for the first novel was "Semiautomagic", a title that sums up the series' balance of fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and more. The general public that Harry Dresden works to protect does not believe in magic or the large array of dark forces which regularly conspire against them. This makes it tough for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye. Fortunately, the Chicago PD's Special Investigation unit led by Lt. Karrin Murphy regularly employs Dresden to help solve cases of a supernatural nature.

The series is also notable for Dresden's references to modern pop culture, such as the Evil Overlord List.

Publishing History

Jim Butcher decided to become a professional author at the age of 19. Subsequently he wrote three novels within the fantasy genre and one which he has classified as paranormal - books which the author has described as being "terrible".^[1] In 1996 he enrolled in a writing class where he was encouraged to write a novel similar to the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, rather than the more traditional High fantasy that had been his focus in the past, as Butcher had previously stated that he enjoyed the Anita Blake series.^[2] Despite initial resistance, he wrote the first book that semester, closely following the instructions of his teacher, author Deborah Chester.^[3]

When I finally got tired of arguing with her and decided to write a novel as if I was some kind of formulaic, genre writing drone, just to prove to her how awful it would be, I wrote the first book of the Dresden Files.

– Jim Butcher, in 'A Conversation With Jim Butcher', 2004 ^[4]

The result was Semiautomagic, later to be retitled as Storm Front. His writing teacher declared it to be publishable, and Butcher started hunting around to do just that.^[2]

Butcher failed to secure a publisher for between two and three years. During this period he completed the second novel, Fool Moon, and had made significant progress on the third, Grave Peril. Deciding to focus on agents and editors who have already published similar novels, Butcher targeted Ricia Mainhardt, the agent representing Laurell Hamilton, and submitted a copy of his manuscript.^[4] It wasn't accepted.^[1] Finally, Jim Butcher met Laurell Hamilton at a convention, and was invited to lunch along with her agent (Mainhardt) and a second agent, Jennifer Jackson. Ricia Mainhardt agreed to represent him, and six months later The Dresden Files had been sold to ROC, an imprint of Penguin Books.^[1]

The first hardcover volume of Storm Front was released in 2000, while the next two novels in the series, Fool Moon and Grave Peril, were released shortly thereafter, in January and September of 2001. Subsequent novels in the series have been published annually since then, with the forthcoming novel Small Favor due to be published in April, 2008. Omnibus editions have been released by the Science Fiction Book Club, with each of the four volumes reprinting two of the novels in the sequence.

Orbit Books purchased the series for UK publication, and released the first novel, Storm Front in September, 2005 - five years after the initial US release. They then proceeded to publish two books per month. In November, 2007, Orbit Books announced that they had purchased the rights to the as-yet-unnamed 12th and 13th Dresden novels.^[5]

The series has been released as audio books by Buzzy Multimedia, all of which have been read by James Marsters.

Books in the series

All the books are published through ROC, an imprint of Penguin Books. The Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC) is reissuing the series in hardcover omnibus editions. So far, all of the audiobooks of The Dresden Files have been read by actor James Marsters and are produced by Buzzy Multimedia Publishing.

Graphic Novels

In October 2007, Jim Butcher revealed on his website that Dabel Brothers would be producing a Dresden Files comic book series, similar to the Anita Blake graphic novel series:

"Working together with Dabel Brothers Productions, the Dresden Files are going to be translated into a graphic novel format. The current plan is to lay out the Dresden Files storyline at the rate of one of the novels every twelve to sixteen monthly issues, with occasional side-trips and independent stories thrown in. (Ever wonder what happened in Branson the month before Storm Front? How about what somebody saw in the lake in Minnesota between Storm Front and Fool Moon? Maybe I’ll get to tell those stories now! How cool is that?)

I will be assisting with the writing of the comics, and am also involved in the design and approval of the characters, art, tone, and so on. This is an actual hand-in-hand project in which I have full creative input and influence, and I’m friggin’ giddy about it. I mean, come on! Comic books!"

The first issue is set to come out April 30, 2008. It is the first issue of a four-issue miniseries called Welcome to the Jungle, which is a prequel to Storm Front.

Novelettes

Backup: A Story of the Dresden Files is a novelette set in the Dresdenverse, but narrated by Thomas Raith, Harry's half-brother. In the novelette, Harry is in danger and is unaware of it, and Thomas runs interference for Harry, trying to protect Harry without him realizing it.

The novelette is due to be published on October 31, 2008 by Subterranean Press.

Short stories

• "Restoration of Faith" (Harry Dresden short story)
• "Vignette" (Harry Dresden vignette)
• "Something Borrowed" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (October 3, 2006, ISBN 0-312-34360-4)
• "It's My Birthday, Too" (Harry Dresden short story), published in Many Bloody Returns (September 4, 2007, ISBN 978-0-441-01522-1)
• "Heorot" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (December 26, 2007, ISBN 978-0312375041)

Upcoming:

• "Harry's Day Off" (Harry Dresden short story), to be published in Blood Lite (October 21, 2008, ISBN 1-4165-6783-6)
• Untitled (Harry Dresden short story), to be published in Strange Brew

Other Media

Television

The Dresden Files was adapted to television in 2007 by the Sci-Fi Channel. The series was cancelled after one season. For more information see The Dresden Files (TV series).

Role Playing Game

Jim Butcher has spoken openly about a pen and paper role-playing game in development based on the Dresden Files universe. The game is being produced by Evil Hat Productions for a future commercial release.^[6][7]

As of late 2007 a firm release date has yet to be established.

As of January 2008, the project went into an early alpha phase of testing.^[8]

Characters

Main article: List of The Dresden Files characters

The Seven Laws of Magic

The Seven Laws of Magic are intended to guard against the abuse of magic by wizards against other wizards and humans. Wizards in violation of the Laws are called warlocks and can be spared from the punishment of execution if a wizard of the White Council takes responsibility for them. The Laws are as follows:

1. Thou shalt not kill by use of magic. Wizards of the White Council are forbidden to kill human beings through the use of their power. This is the Law that Harry was believed to have broken in killing his mentor Justin DuMorne (Justin Morningway in the television version). Self-defense is very occasionally allowed as a mitigating factor. This Law is also a primary reason Wardens wield swords. Several times throughout the series, however, Wardens have fought to kill with magic against other human wizards; it's possible wardens are given somewhat of a free pass in regards to this Law in combat circumstances. The law is very flexible, however, in regards to things that are not actually human. A wizard may kill, for example, a vampire, ghoul, or any being of the Nevernever without penalty.
2. Thou shalt not transform others. Thus demonstrating why, despite Harry's occasional threats, we will most likely never see him actually turn anyone into a frog. Even if done successfully (it is an extremely difficult spell), transformation of another's body against their will -- changing a man into an animal, for example -- creates an imbalance between body and mind that ultimately degrades the transformed subject's mind to an animal state as well. (Transformation of oneself through magic is not necessarily as destructive, but still risky and potentially hazardous -- see the section on shapechangers, below.)
3. Thou shalt not invade the mind of another. Forcible magical violation of someone's mind by extracting knowledge against their will is inherently destructive in the Dresdenverse -- Harry describes it as not black, but "dark, dark, dark gray". Mind magic is so dangerous that the Council has not even dared trying to explore how to build better defenses, which gives an advantage to black wizards less bound by scruples.
4. Thou shalt not enthrall another. Enthrallment is the term for dominating another human's mind and personality through magic by binding their will to your own; it is not the same as compelling beings of the Nevernever through arrangements or exchanges. So long as the wizard in question does not actually control the being through magic, the law is not broken. A popular alternative is trapping the creature in a magic circle until it accepts the terms of a bargain, though some Wardens have ignored this distinction in their zeal. As with mind-probing, magically controlling the mind of another person is an inherently destructive and evil act -- it is almost impossible to control safely and precisely, and taints the user of the power as well as the subject even if done for the best of intentions. This taint often sends the user into a self-destructive downward spiral, where every act of magical mind control further twists the user and makes more such acts likelier; if the cycle progresses far enough, the user becomes functionally sociopathic, and impossible to rehabilitate short of execution.
5. Thou shalt not reach beyond the borders of life. This prohibits the research and practice of necromancy, described as the summoning, binding, and exploitation of the unwilling dead (the psychic talent of mediums for speaking to willing spirits is called ectomancy, and is not governed by the same Law). It would also theoretically prohibit any attempt to genuinely resurrect someone from the dead back to true life, although nobody in the Dresdenverse actually seems to know what kind of afterlife, if any, exists (ghosts in the Dresdenverse, even the most apparently intelligent and self-aware, are only psychic echoes of people created by violent death, not the actual souls of those people themselves). As the Laws are intended to protect humans against the abuse of magic, a loophole in this law (exploited by Harry in Dead Beat) allows the practice of necromancy on non-human dead.
6. Thou shalt not swim against the Currents of Time. This prohibits any attempt to change the past through temporal manipulation for fear of paradoxes. Even divination of the future is frowned upon in all but the vaguest, most general instances.
7. Thou shalt not seek beyond the Outer Gates. It is unknown just what the Outer Gates are, but the implication of the series is that they mark the furthest boundaries of Dresden's multiverse. Beings from beyond the Gates are known only as Outsiders, and are among the deadliest threats to humanity known -- their sheer existence is antithetical to the universe (this seems to be a Lovecraft-inspired idea, as the Necronomicon has been mentioned in Blood Rites), and they are noted as being immune to most magic. One Senior Council member is known by the title of the Gatekeeper, conjectured to be permanently assigned to watch for attempts upon them due to the extreme threat.

Organizations

The plot summary in this article or section is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the article. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot.

The White Council

The White Council is the governing body of the Wizard community in the world. They primarily protect humanity from abuses of magic, but also shield this world from the Sidhe and other creatures that wish humanity harm. It is also a political and democratic organization seeking to unite Wizards throughout the world, and can make or break treaties with the other supernatural powers as necessary.

The Council is governed by a Senior Council of seven wizards, with the leader referred to as the Merlin. Beyond the Senior Council, which constitutes the executive branch, there are the actual wizards of the council that contribute to the legislative branch. The Judicial branch belongs to the Wardens, a combination police force and military. Meetings of the Council are traditionally conducted in Latin, a procedural point which has, not coincidentally, served to keep younger wizards from gaining too much standing or momentum by making it very difficult for them to speak eloquently or even coherently to the rest of the Council.

The Senior Council

The Senior Council is the executive branch, with its chair entitled the Merlin; traditionally the Merlin is regarded as the most powerful wizard in the world, though the politicking required to secure the position may suggest that factors other than raw power are equally important. The Senior Council arrives at its decisions through majority vote, but the Merlin has proxy authority to cast the vote of any Senior Council member not present at a Senior Council meeting who has not designated a substitute; politicking at this level often turns simply on who does and does not arrive at a meeting before a vote is concluded.

The Senior Council can reserve certain matters to the Senior Council only, not involving a vote of the White Council as a whole.

The Wardens

The Wardens enforce the Seven Laws of Magic, and are empowered to deliver summary judgment when confronting a violator of the Laws. This can be anything from advising new practitioners of the Laws, to delivering suspects to trial in front of the Senior Council, to simply beheading criminals in the field. During times of war (such as the current conflict with the Red Court), Wardens also serve as the White Council's military branch. The two "badges" of the office of Warden are their grey cloaks (which, according to Harry, blood cannot stain) and silver longswords with the ability to break enchantments.

There are three ranks, or grades, of Wardens.

- Captain: commands the entire force of Wardens. Reference: "Dead Beat"

- Commander: commands significant forces of Wardens, such as a whole continent or part of a continent. Specific assignment may be established by the Captain. Commanders report to the Captain. This is Harry's rank. Reference: "Dead Beat"

- [Ordinary] Warden: all other members of this force who are not Commanders or the Captain.

It would appear that Warden rank nomenclature is more related to Navy grade nomenclature than Army.

Morgan is not only a Warden, but a Commander as well; in the event that the Captain is incapacitated, Morgan becomes Acting Captain. Morgan also appears to be of a higher rank than Dresden, however this may simply be due to seniority. Reference: "Dead Beat", however Morgan's rank is also mentioned in other books such as "Storm Front."

The Blackstaff

In addition to the Wardens, the Council also secretly appoints one wizard to serve as its Blackstaff. The Blackstaff is given unique authority to violate the Seven Laws of Magic at his or her sole discretion without penalty—to be, as Harry phrases it in Blood Rites, the Council's "wet work man", their covert assassin and counteragent. This was implemented as a last-ditch solution in situations where the Laws are being exploited to prevent the Council from taking necessary action against its enemies. Ebenezar McCoy is the current Blackstaff.

Vampire Courts

There are three vampire courts which have made appearances in the novels: White Court, Red Court, and Black Court. A fourth, the Jade Court, has been mentioned but no information has been provided about them as of the novel except that they are very secretive. These courts made their first appearance in Storm Front.

White Court

This Court is the most human-like group of vampires. They are similar to succubi and incubi, feeding off the emotions and life force of their prey. They are born to their vampiric state, rather that being created (as is the case with Black and Red Court). They are for all intents and purposes human until it manifests sometime around the age of their maturity. As with the Red Court, their first feeding (with its subsequent and almost inevitable kill) usuall marks their full transformation. However, under specific circumstances, individuals descended from White Court vampires may curtail their transformation into vampires; see "Death Masks".

There are different Houses within the White Court, each comprising a close-knit family. There is much in-fighting between the Houses, but House Raith is considered to be the most powerful. The Houses are mainly distinguished by their choice of emotions to feed upon, but this has been represented as a strong preference rather than a restriction.

Those of House Raith are sexual predators, using their supernatural good looks and psychic aura to attract both men and women. During intercourse, or any direct physical contact where emotions like lust are heightened, they feed off their prey. Victims of the feedings of House Raith grow to enjoy the experience and become bonded to their predator like a drug addiction.

House Malvora's members feed off fear. Most prefer very strong fear such as that of being in a potentially deadly situation, but some (such as Thomas's cousin Madrigal) satisfy themselves with smaller scares like those created by horror and slasher movies, of which Madrigal is a writer and director.

The vampires of House Skavis feed off despair, preferring to drive a victim into the depths of depression and in many cases driving them to suicide.

The White Court is not endowed with as much physical strength as the Red or Black courts under normal circumstances; usually, their physical performance levels (standing jump heights, endurance and so on) are slightly better than those an ordinary human of equivalent size and health, but they can channel unused emotional energy as fuel for performance boosts of limited duration. On the other hand, they make up for it by having far fewer vulnerabilities. Sunlight and symbols of faith do not harm them at all (Thomas feels "uneasy" at the thought of entering a church, but this is possibly due more to his own guilt than any objective vulnerability, as he was in fact able to enter the church). Their power derives from an internal demonic essence they call the "Hunger" which acts like a battery. If they refrain from feeding for too long, the "Hunger" drives them into a frenzy where they must feed (almost always killing their victims), and can drive them permanently insane. When needed, they tap this store of energy to augment their strength, speed, resilience, and healing ability far beyond normal; while doing this, they radiate waves of cold (possibly an illusory reaction of normal humans to their energy sink), their skin whitens, and their eyes turn an unnatural silver. White Court vampire blood is pinkish instead of red.

Their largest weakness is true love: people who are, or have recently been, in real, affectionate and sacrificial love are highly resistant to White Court control, and can even physically burn and blister vampire skin. Also, White Court vampires are born, not turned like Red and Black Court vampires; if the offspring of a White Court falls in love with someone that feels the same way before feeding for the first time, the love can destroy the demonic side before it can manifest allowing the person to live a normal, mortal life.

Unlike the other courts, the White Court prefers to avoid direct confrontation. They are a court of schemers and prefer to stab each other in the back in exquisitely detailed plots to impress the others in the Court. At the moment Thomas's father is, in name only, the King of the White Court. In reality, Thomas's older sister Lara is in charge, pulling the strings from the background to keep up appearances.

Red Court

The Red Court of Vampires are less human-like than the White Court. Instead they are slimy bat-like creatures hidden behind incredibly sensuous human costumes (made of an outer skin). They use these costumes to trick their prey into being more comfortable and to hide in plain sight. They are incredibly strong and fast, and can shake off any injury quickly. The Red Court is vulnerable to sunlight and by having their bellies cut open, which can spill the blood they have drunk and eventually kill them. Their saliva contains a potent magical narcotic which gives the prey a euphoric feeling and is highly addictive, allowing the Red Court to control their victims rather easily. The narcotic lowers the victim's inhibitions while dulling the pain of the vampire's bite. Addicted humans have been shown to go to great lengths to protect their vampiric masters, and willingly provide information from the mortal community as needed.

The Red Court is also capable of transforming ordinary humans into vampires in a two-step process: the human is first infected with the vampiric thirst for blood (gaining supernatural speed, strength and endurance in the process) and then completes the change into the demonic form upon killing a human victim in their first feeding. Infected humans with sufficient strength of will have been known to refrain from feeding for an indefinite length of time (magical bonds, regular exposure to sunlight, and avoiding physical intimacy all help), but no cure has yet been found for the "half-vampire" infected state. It is intimated that the Faerie Queens, or a being of similar power, could cure, or rather completely destroy, the vampiric infection with a magic known as an Unraveling (see Summer Knight) Their hunger for blood makes controlling their emotions very difficult, and when in a situation where emotions run high (such as during a fight or when engaged in physical intimacy), it is much easier for them to lose control.

The Red Court is highly organized in a feudalistic system with a King at the top, followed by Dukes and other ranks. Currently, the Red Court is waging a war against the White Council in an effort to destroy them.

Black Court

The Black Court comprises the most well-known kind of vampire, the reanimated bloodthirsty corpses popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula. In fact, in the Dresdenverse, the publication of that book at the behest of the White Court is believed to be the primary cause of the Court's downfall, as Stoker supposedly published the book as a "how-to" manual to hunt the Black Court. Black Court vampires still inhabit the human bodies that they lived in before they were turned into vampires, with the only difference being their bodies rotting like zombies in the time that they have been undead. Black Court vampires possess all the classic strengths and weaknesses of Stoker's Dracula: they can lift and throw cars with one hand and crash through concrete walls without harm; but must sleep in their native soil and fear garlic, objects of faith and sunlight (although in the novel and faithful adaptations Dracula was not destroyed by sunlight but only weakened). Mavra, an ancient Black Court vampire, has demonstrated the ability to use magic in the same way wizards do. The Black Court is currently the smallest and (politically) weakest of the Courts, although those few who survived the purges caused by Stoker's book are among the strongest and most cunning monsters in the world by virtue of sheer Darwinian necessity.

Jade Court

Little has been revealed about the Jade Court in the Dresden books, except that their realm of influence covers an unknown amount of Asia and the Far East and that they are very secretive.

Werewolves

Multiple breeds of shapeshifters have been encountered in the Dresdenverse. The one thing all have in common is that none of them, so far, demonstrate the classic contagious bite as seen in books and films and cannot infect surviving victims with their condition.

"Classic" Werewolf

The "classic" werewolf is someone who uses magic to transform themselves into a wolf. This is not necessarily a wizard or well-trained practitioner of magic, since the transformation spell will work for anyone who learns it. The physical body is transformed, but the mind remains the same. This can be a disadvantage in the beginning because, although the person gains all the senses of a wolf, they do not have the life experience of using them. The werewolf must learn to use smell and hearing as their primary sensory input rather than sight, and learn to move and react to their environment as a four-legged creature. All this takes time, but the werewolf can eventually learn to do well in their new form. The wolf form has all the natural capabilities of an ordinary wolf; silver is not needed to kill them and they do not heal wounds any more quickly than normal wolves. This type of werewolf can reassume its human form whenever it wishes.

The transformation spell can be cast on another, forcing someone to assume the form of a wolf (or any animal the caster chooses). This is a violation of the Second Law of Magic (see above), because the mind of the transformed person is eventually lost and all that is left is the mind of a wolf. If the spell is reversed in time, the victim will recover; however, once lost, the personality cannot be restored and the person is, in a sense, dead. The Alphas are the werewolves featured predominately in the series.

Hexenwulf

A hexenwulf uses a talisman imbued with powerful magic to transform itself into a huge wolf. The hexenwulf's wolf form is much larger and more powerful than any natural wolf, possessing enhanced speed, strength, and ferocity. The only part of the hexenwulf that is unaffected by the transformation are the eyes, which remain the same color as their human form. The talisman itself may take many forms, including a ring or amulet, but most commonly appears as a belt made from a wolf pelt. The talisman engenders the transformation by providing an anchor for a spirit of bestial rage, and is activated with an incantation by the wearer. This spirit protects the human personality while in wolf form. However, the hexenwulf loses all human inhibitions and runs more on primal human desires. The hexenwulf can be wounded or killed by normal weapons and can be forced to transform back into human form if someone manages to remove their talisman. A hexenwulf may reassume human form at will, but the power that the talisman gives the user is addictive -- in many cases, this addiction begins to affect the user's mind and personality in human form, much like a drug addict needing a fix. The most seriously afflicted lose all impulse control, becoming violent and sociopathic.

Lycanthrope

A lycanthrope is someone who is a natural channel or medium for a spirit of rage. The lycanthrope is born with this ability; it does not allow them to physically change into a wolf, but grants them a beast-like strength. When this spirit takes over, the lycanthrope becomes stronger, more aggressive, and more resistant to pain, injury and sickness. They heal wounds rapidly and tend to congregate in groups much like packs with an Alpha leader. Although harder to hurt or kill than an ordinary person, lycanthropes can be killed with ordinary weapons. In Fool Moon, Bob explains that the Norse berserkers were lycanthropes. The lycanthropes featured in the series are a biker gang known as the Streetwolves.

Loup-garou

A Loup-garou is the closest to the monsters of legend. These werewolves have been intentionally cursed by someone, usually a very powerful sorcerer, demon lord, saint, or one of the Faerie Queens to be possessed by a wolflike demonic entity at every full moon. They become near-mindless killing machines with supernatural speed, strength and ferocity. They recover from injury almost instantly, are immune to poisons as well as any kind of sorcery that attacks the mind. They can only be killed by a weapon made from silver which has been inherited -- not just purchased. The curse of the loup-garou can be hereditary if the one who placed the curse specified it as such. Usually the person afflicted with the curse is aware of their condition and will have enough sense to isolate or shield themselves from society to prevent the horrible damage they would inflict on the rest of the people with the next full moon. As such, Loup-garou attacks on the populace are thankfully rare. The only one featured in the series to date is Harley MacFinn whose family curse originated from St. Patrick himself.

Other Shapeshifters

Little has been revealed about other types of shapeshifters in the Dresden universe, but one other type has made an appearance. Tera, the fiancé of Harley MacFinn in the book Fool Moon, was seen as a supernatural being, most likely from the NeverNever, as when she looked into Harry's eyes there was no soulgaze. She was able to change form into that of a wolf at will and seemed to move much more gracefully than any other of the types of werewolf. At the end of the novel, she transformed into a wolf and joined a pack, causing Harry to surmise that she was, in fact, actually a wolf that was able to take on the form of a human. No other creatures of this type have appeared in the series as of White Night.

Faerie Courts

The Sidhe Courts are the two ruling bodies of the Sidhe and their lands make up most of the Nevernever. Their combined power can affect the real world through the barrier of the Nevernever, and maintaining the balance of power is greatly important to most members of the supernatural community. It supposedly is responsible for the continued cycle of the seasons, and is rumored that great ecological disasters such as Ice Ages and Global Warming were caused by imbalances between the two Sidhe courts.

Each court is ruled by three Queens -- Queen Mother (neither of whom have been given a name outside of their title of Mother Summer and Mother Winter), Queen, and Lady. They are forbidden from taking hostile action against mortals without their consent -- such as making a deal with one of the Sidhe. However, each court has a Knight, a mortal champion appointed by a Queen, who may involve him or herself in mortal affairs.

Sidhe cannot tell a direct lie, but instead are masters of twisting words in order to convey falsehoods without actually lying. They are strictly concerned with the wording rather than the intent of agreements and will specifically place loopholes in agreements which they can exploit. In almost every case, a mortal making a deal with a Sidhe will end up causing the mortal to get the short end of the stick with any attempts to withdraw from the deal causing the mortal to become further involved with the Sidhe. Sidhe are also vulnerable to cold iron. This weakness also extends to any form or alloy of iron, such as steel blades or iron nails. The Knight of each court does not share these weaknesses.

The two sides are engaged in a Cold War, in which both sides are mobilized for battle but never engage in anything more than skirmishes. Large battles between the two courts have great effects in nature including weather patterns, and are usually avoided unless there is no other choice such as in the events of the novel Summer Knight. Each side is stronger during their namesake season, with the balance of power shifting during the Summer and Winter Solstices. Despite their ongoing conflict, both Queen Mothers live together seemingly peacefully in a cottage. Also, members from both courts have worked together, most recently the Winter Lady and Summer Lady in the events of the novel Proven Guilty.

The Sidhe exchange control of an artifact called the Stone Table, located in a region of Faerie called Awnsidhe, twice a year, at Midsummer and Midwinter. Whichever Court is in control of the Table steadily gains in power, and in order to preserve the balance, the Summer Court hand it over at Midsummer, the height of their strength, and the Winter Court hand it over at Midwinter, the height of their strength. The power of any being killed upon the Stone Table goes instantly to the court which is currently in possession of it.

Summer (Seelie)

The Summer Court is the more warm and caring side, but is just as scheming as its Winter counterpart. Summer faeries typically are more nurturing of mortals, but this is not always true. They are associated with the element of fire. Their lands in the Nevernever are bright, sunny, warm, and lush with vegetation. Most of the lesser creatures of Summer are typically not malicious, but can seem so when they involve themselves in mortal affairs. It is important to note that the Summer Court is not inherently "good", and that victory over Winter is not a desirable outcome. As Bob explains to Harry, such a triumph would result in an era of rampant growth, "especially if you were an Ebola virus"

The current Summer Queen is Titania, the Summer Lady is a former changeling named Lily, and the Summer Knight is a former changeling named Fix.

Winter (Unseelie)

The Winter Court is cold and much more merciless than its Summer counterpart. The lands of Winter resemble a tundra or frozen wasteland, with the center being Arctis Tor, a large castle made entirely of ice. Some of the lesser creatures of Winter include trolls, goblins and phages, spirits which feed on the fear of others.

The current Winter Queen is Mab, the Winter Lady is Maeve, and the Winter Knight is a human named Lloyd Slate. Harry's Godmother Lea is also, suggested to be a very powerful member, if not THE most powerful outside of Mab and Mother Winter, of the Winter Court. Harry owes Queen Mab two favors in order to free himself from his obligation to the Sidhe. She has twice asked Harry to take up the mantle of Winter Knight, which Harry has refused because (among other reasons) the only way for a Winter Knight to abandon his title is through death.

Wyldfae

The Wyldfae are creatures of Faerie which do not belong to either Winter or Summer. Most of them do freelance work instead, capable of choosing whichever side they want in a given conflict. During full-scale conflicts, the Wyldfae feel a "calling" which drives them to choose one side or the other. If they are forced to choose sides in a war between Summer and Winter, they will align themselves with the faction most appealing to their personalities. Therefore the nastier and more murderous aid Winter over Summer. There is no direct leader of the Wyldfae, although the being known as the Erlking or Elfking is probably the closest counterpart. He is a Faerie at least as powerful as Mab and it is said that he is King of the Goblins. He can be summoned by ritual to Earth in order to lead "The Wild Hunt" a massive predatory stampede in which the Erlking calls all nearby beings (mortal, supernatural, faerie, or otherwise) who consider themselves hunters to join him in his charge. The Wild Hunt will kill anything in its way unless it joins the hunt.

Changelings

The offspring of a fae and a mortal is called a changeling. They may have odd appearances depending on their parentage. The offspring of a human and a troll, for example, may appear as a human which is incredibly tall and broadly built with a bulky mass and well-defined jaw. Other changelings have been shown as simply having oddly colored hair, such as naturally green hair. Changelings must eventually Choose whether to become a mortal or to become a Sidhe. Upon making the Choice, the changeling becomes completely either mortal or Sidhe, no longer retaining any of the characteristics of the other half. It is unknown if there is any specific time or age at which a changeling must Choose, but during times of war, they are affected by the calling to Choose just as the Wyldfae.

Miscellaneous groups in the series

Black Council

At the end of Proven Guilty, Ebenezar McCoy and Harry Dresden suspect the existence of a hitherto unknown group of black wizards, and other beings, which Harry dubs the Black Council. Evidence of this group includes the surprisingly strong offensive power of the vampire courts during the war, the betrayal of secret Warden safeholds, the actions of the faerie courts, the number of black wizards and magical foes that Harry has faced in previous books, and the summoning of Outsider demons, which can be done only through mortal magic. The identities of this group's members are unknown, although McCoy and Dresden suspect that at least one member of the White Council—and likely the Senior Council—is in league with this group. They believe the traitor is one of four people, Morgan, Injun Joe, Ancient Mai, or the Merlin, as they were the only Council members to be aware of the location of the Warden boot camp which was leaked to the Red Court. As Ebenezar vouched for Injun Joe and Harry vouched for Morgan it would seem that either Ancient Mai or the Merlin himself is the traitor.

One possible member of the Black Council (initially encountered by Harry in Dead Beat) is the necromancer calling himself Cowl. He appears to have once been affiliated with the White Council, and an apprentice of Heinrich Kemmler, one of history's most powerful and terrifying necromancers. In White Night he is affiliated with an organization calling itself the Circle, which may be the Black Council's own name for itself. In "White Night", Warden Carlos Ramirez mentions he referred to the group as The Black Hats, though he believes Harry's name is better.

Knights of the Cross

Also known as the Knights of the Sword, the Knights are men (and, presumably, women, though no female Knights are mentioned in the books) chosen to wield one of three holy swords that God sent to Earth. Much like the legendary Excalibur, the swords serve the righteous for a just cause. Each is reputed to bear a nail from Christ's crucifixion inside the hilt. They cannot be touched by "unclean" beings, although this protection can be disabled if the bearer attempts to use them in a dishonorable or evil way; the only known way to destroy a Sword is to use it to kill a truly innocent being.

The three swords, whose Latin names represent the three prominent Christian virtues, are:

• Amoracchius (Love), a broadsword, currently possessed by Michael Carpenter. In Proven Guilty, Michael states in a conversation with Harry that the original Merlin was briefly a custodian for Amoracchius, and speculates that the sword may actually be Excalibur, as it has never actually been altered like the other two have.
• Fidelacchius (Faith), a katana with a water-patterned steel blade and a wooden-cane scabbard, formerly possessed by Shiro Yoshimo, the Knight who trained Michael. It is now in the temporary care of Harry Dresden. According to Michael, Harry is the only member of the White Council to hold a sword in care since the original Merlin. Harry has not been inducted as an official Knight, and is expected to pass the sword on to a worthy individual who will reveal himself. Michael has asked Harry to do this as quickly as possible.
• Esperacchius (Hope), a heavy saber, currently possessed by a Knight known only as Sanya— a young Russian man of African descent with a bleak personal history with the Order of the Denarius as he was once possessed by a Denarian himself. He has claimed that the archangel Michael himself gave him his sword— despite this encounter, he claims to be agnostic.

The Knights are endowed with the power of Faith. Their Swords act as foci for their faith, and seem able to harm any supernatural being. They cannot, however, harm innocent mortals, as such an act would completely unmake the sword. The Knights are also frequent beneficiaries of seemingly coincidental events that either aid their cause or lead them to places where their assistance is required (such as Father Forthill's coincidental appearances at the Carpenter household in Grave Peril when someone is needed to look after Michael's children in his absence). Very little information is given on the Knights, though Shiro was revealed to be a descendant of Shō Tai, the last king of Okinawa. The only Knight to be featured prominently in the series is Michael.

The original founding purpose of the Knights was to battle the Order of the Blackened Denarius (see below) and redeem those humans corrupted into serving the Fallen.

The Fellowship of St. Giles

A relatively new player on the supernatural scene, the Fellowship of St. Giles (named for the patron saint of lepers and outcasts) is made up of people who have been infected by Red Court vampires, but have yet to drink the lifeblood of another human to complete their transformation. The Fellowship helps its members control their urges, support each other, and fight the vampires who infected them. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court, but have little communication with them. Despite their recent emergence on the playing field, a member of the Blackened Denarius recognized Susan as a member because of her markings.

They have mystic tattoos placed all over their bodies that both grant them more restraint and act as a warning when they expend too much strength and are in danger of losing control. Normally the tattoos are not visible, but as the person uses the abilities their partial transformation gives them they begin to change. They initially are black and seem to swirl on the skin. As the Fellowship member reaches the danger zone, the tattoos turn red.

The Alphas

The Alphas are a group of college werewolves that act as Harry's apprentices and backup in the series. As classic werewolves they were taught a wolf transformation spell by a reverse werewolf (Tera), as well as how to behave in their transformed state. They are slightly nerdy students led by the werewolf Billy. While physically weaker than many of their adversaries they make up for this with the use of teamwork and guerrilla tactics, such as ambushes and hit and run operations.

The Venatori Umbrorum

An ancient order of humans dedicated to fighting the darker aspects of the supernatural. What they lack in magical or supernatural powers, they make up for in political influence, knowledge, and conventional firepower. Very little is known about the Venatori; Harry describes them as being "like the Masons, but with more flamethrowers." While they have some armed assets, they excel at using their influence in society to hinder the movement of supernatural predators such as vampires. The Venatori have been credited with freezing bank accounts, cutting supply lines, exposing mortal collaborators, and even going so far as assassinating or kidnapping agents of the Vampire Courts. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court. The order's name, Venatori Umbrorum, is presumably Latin: "The Hunters of Shadows".

Demons

There are several different types of demons in the Dresden universe.

The Nevernever Demons

Not much has been revealed about the inner workings of these demons, except that there is a caste system, with lower demons at the bottom and older, more powerful beings at the top (sometimes referred to as gods). They must be summoned by a wizard or sorcerer using their true name to appear in this world, with two obligations to fulfill once done so: first, to escape whatever confinement may hold them, and second, to kill whoever summoned them. In appearance and ability they all resemble monsters, have some magical ability and are very strong. Like all creatures from the Nevernever they must create a body made of ectoplasm to exist in this world. If this body is destroyed, the demon is not killed but returned to the Nevernever. Despite their strengths and the intentions of the wizards summoning them, these demons are uninterested in affecting the mortal realm on their own, if they even notice it at all.

Scions

Although not stated outright, it can be assumed that scions, like changelings, are the result of a demon (or other non-fae being of the Nevernever) and a mortal creature having a child. These children tend to look inhuman, often disfigured or insane; even those who appear to be normal humans have an "inner" demonic form that can be seen by a wizard's Sight. As only two human scions have been directly depicted in the series, it is unknown exactly what if any superhuman abilities they possess, though those scions that have been featured or mentioned are among some of the more dangerous characters.

• Kincaid, a mercenary and assassin for hire currently working for the Archive, was strongly implied to be a scion during Blood Rites, when Harry caught a glimpse of him with his Sight. Though Kincaid has shown no obvious supernatural powers -- his primary choice of weaponry is firearms -- he has demonstrated literally superhuman marksmanship (never missing a single shot out of dozens fired) in at least one firefight. He has also shown himself to have amazing physical strength, to the point of being able to kick down a bolted door with little sign of effort, and survived intense violence that should have killed an ordinary mortal. He is several centuries old, and has long been known as the Hound of Hell, or simply the Hellhound. He served as the right hand of Vlad Drakul.
• Lucius Glau, a servant of Madrigal Raith's in Proven Guilty, was said by Madrigal to be the scion of a djinn. Though mostly human in appearance, he displayed sharklike teeth and was capable of superhuman speed and ferocity, but could be injured by normal means.
• Mouse, Harry's dog, has been said to be the scion of a divine guardian-dog spirit from the Nevernever and a mortal canine; he has demonstrated above-average intelligence, and is capable of seeing and effectively fighting supernatural beings. Also referred to as a Temple Dog, he has proven to possess several supernatural abilities in accordance with his guardian heritage.
• Grendelkins, the short story Heorot reveals the existence of creatures called Grendelkins, scions of the original Grendel. They are large, vicious, overtly masculine monsters who spread their seed through raping virgins, which then tear their way out from the womb.
• The original Vlad Drakul has been stated to have been the scion of a demon (referred to as a quasi-immortal), but the truth of this has not been verified in the series.

The Fallen

The Fallen are angels that have been cast into exile, presumably during Lucifer's fall. Unlike the Nevernever demons, they are very interested in affecting the lives of mortals, but are placed under strict limitations, capable of only tempting or possessing a human. The reason for this is not known, though one theory is "God said so". The most powerful of the Fallen are the Denarians.

The Order of the Blackened Denarius

The Denarians are unions of a human host and one of the Fallen. There are thirty such Fallen, each bound to a tarnished silver Roman denarius which bears its respective Fallen's sigil; the thirty denarii represent the thirty pieces of silver paid to the apostle Judas, and may possibly be those very coins. Once a human has physically touched one of the Blackened Denarii, the Fallen bound to it is free to communicate with its new host, able to bestow knowledge, physical prowess, and magical ability, for as long as the host maintains possession of the coin. Even if the human does not play host to the Fallen and tries through some means of binding the coin (through magic) the Fallen still leaves a sort of impression on the host that keeps a constant connection. Even this mental copy is capable of extreme power, such as casting life-like illusions.

The amount of influence a Fallen can exert over its host appears to vary—in the case of Ursiel, the Fallen had completely taken over the host body, and kept the host's soul tortured and trapped. In the case of Nicodemus and his Fallen Anduriel, the two work in what appears to be a mutually beneficial partnership. In all cases, however, the free consent of the bearer is necessary to permit Fallen influence. If the Fallen has not completely overtaken its host, it appears that the host is able to consciously free himself or herself from the influence of the Fallen, simply by abdicating the power it provides and surrendering the Denarius. In the case of Quintus Cassius, a Denarian bonded with Saluriel, Cassius surrendered the coin to Knights of the Cross to avoid execution. Sanya admits to having once been a member of the Order, but he surrendered his Denarius freely prior to becoming a Knight of the Cross.

The Knights of the Cross were founded specifically to save people from the Fallen, and will almost always become involved (often by seeming random chance) in any situation that requires confronting one or more of the Denarians.

If the host of the Fallen is a wizard or magic-user of some sort, as most of those shown have been (although it is not clear if it happened before or after they became hosts), one way to be free of the Fallen is for the host to put aside magic forever and give up the coin.

Several of the coins are currently in the possession of the Knights of the Cross and/or the Venatori Umbrorum. These coins are kept in heavily warded boxes.

Outsiders

Little of the Outsiders or "Walkers" has been revealed. They may be the most powerful of the Demons, or stranger and even more powerful entities akin to Lovecraftian Great Old Ones. It takes wizards centuries to develop defenses against them and magic apparently has little effect upon them. They can be defeated by, among others, the powers of the Knights of the Cross (Michael faced and beat several of them near the end of Proven Guilty); Harry Dresden himself also faced and defeated a particularly infamous Outsider known as "He Who Walks Behind" at the age of sixteen, as part of the final confrontation with his mentor Justin DuMorne. However, according to Bob, Outsiders cannot actually be killed, only damaged sufficiently as to require long years to recover; this was confirmed in Blood Rites when He Who Walks Behind was summoned by a mortal magician and recognized Harry before escaping from the disrupted summoning ritual, promising to wreak vengeance. As Harry claims only a sketchy memory of the fight and sustained many scars both physical and metaphysical from the struggle, this impending confrontation may be the most dangerous of Harry's life -- though the fallen angel Lasciel has told Harry that he has the potential to wield great power over the Outsiders, and hinted he may possess a special birthright.

Wizards are terrified of the Outsiders and of their power; however, as only mortal magic can summon an Outsider (neither vampires nor faeries can do it), the temptation to gain power can be irresistible, and the Seventh Law against Outsider summoning is unique among the Laws in that a single Senior Council member is assigned to enforce it full-time. (Though the Blackstaff of the Council can summon an Outsider, as part of his general exemption, it is yet unknown whether the current Blackstaff has ever done so.) Their internal organization is only sketchily understood, but they appear to have a caste system which includes empires and knights. It is as yet unknown whether they are the "Lords of the Outer Night" Bianca mentioned as supporting the Red Court, but Outsiders have aided the Reds in the war since.

Dragons

As with the Outsiders, little is known of dragons. The only dragon to have appeared (in shapeshifted human form) so far in the Dresdenverse was met by Harry at Bianca's masquerade, in Grave Peril . It is unknown if they are beings of the Nevernever, combinations of spirit/mortal nature like vampires, or some other order of being altogether. What is known is extrapolated from things said and hinted at during the encounter in Grave Peril with the being called Ferrovax, self-identified as the eldest and strongest of his kind.

As noted, Ferrovax could shapeshift into human form, and possibly other forms; Ferrovax stated that dragons "are what [they] wish to be." The true appearance of a dragon is (according to Ferrovax) terrifying enough to drive a beholder to madness; even in shapeshifted form, Ferrovax betrayed his true nature by his smoky breath. Ferrovax also demonstrated immense magical power, and is either immortal or long-lived enough to make no difference (his costume at the masquerade, a Roman centurion, appeared to be a legitimate relic of Imperial Roman times). However, the scope of his claims may merit at least a degree of skepticism; Michael Carpenter has fought and slain at least one other dragon, suggesting that not all dragons are as powerful as Ferrovax.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Butcher, Jim (2004). How'd Jim Get Published?. Jim-Butcher.Com. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
2. ^ ^{a b} Whiteside, Lee (2007). "A Conversation With Jim Butcher". ConNotations 17 (2). Retrieved on 2008-02-04. 
3. ^ The Wizard interview with Jim Butcher. Wizards Harry.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
4. ^ ^{a b} McCune, Alisa (2004). A Conversation With Jim Butcher. The SF Site. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
5. ^ Pagan, Bella (November 7, 2004). More, more, more Dresden Files!. Orbit Books. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
6. ^ Dresden Files RPG - News and Press. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
7. ^ The Game's the Thing Podcast.
8. ^ [http:http://www.dresdenfilesrpg.com/news/archives/2008/01/evil_hat_interv_1.php Dresden Files RPG - News and Press]. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.

External links

• The Dresden Files Series at Jim Butcher's website
• The Dresden Files RPG—an in-progress role-playing game based on The Dresden Files.
• The Dresden Files Fan site
• Buzzy Multimedia—Publishers of the audio books

1. Amazon.com