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The Dresden Files – Peace Talks Is on the Way


I myself, and Jim Butcher fans everywhere have been waiting for an announcement surrounding the next installment of the Dresden Files, aptly titled, Peace Talks. Though we have known what the next book was going to be called for quite some time now, we have been impatiently waiting for a release date to follow. Well the wait is over, we still don’t have a release date but on his website www.jim-butcher.com, a notice has come out that this past January he started writing it. I know, I know, we have been waiting for months to find out what the world has next in store for Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden and it seems we will be waiting a little bit longer but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

When we last left our smart-mouthed, spell slinging, champion of the people of Chicago he had just finished reprising his role as the Winter Knight for the second straight novel. Mab had her mortal hit-man squaring a debt between herself and Nicodemus Archelone, the leader of the Knights of the Blackened Denarius. Harry was ordered to tag along and help Nicodemus steal the Holy Grail from Hades’ underworld vault.

Knowing Nicodemus as we do, we all knew immediately that he had ulterior motives and that there was no way he was going to be playing by the rules. Mab as much as warned Harry of this before the mission began. But she also told him that she “would expect superior treachery from him in return.” Though Nicodemus did manage to make off with the Grail, he did not manage to grab the other five biblical weapons that had sat on the same pedestal. On top of that, he sacrificed his own daughter Deirdre – losing his second in command – and had his name ruined under Mab’s Unseelie Accords. As a fervent follower of the Dresden Files I think I can safely say that we will not be hearing much about Nicodemus for quite some time – though I have been wrong before.

The question now becomes, what happens from here. As I said earlier, the title of the next book has already been released and I can’t help but wonder what can be insinuated from Peace Talks? My first inclination is that it has something to do with the quietly spoken of and often referenced Black Council, mainly because Dresden managed to end the war with the Red Court Vampires in cataclysmic fashion, completely wiping the last remnants of them from
the earth in Changes.

But there is also the fact that Dresden unwittingly became the Warden of Demonreach by forging a bond with the intellectus – which has put a great deal of potential dark power in the palm of his hand, and with his history, the White Council will be wary. Or there is Dresden’s ongoing love/hate relationship with Gentlemen John Marcone, Chicago’s crime lord and the only mortal signatory to the Unseelie Accords. At the end of the last book, Skin Game, Dresden straight up threatened Marcone, in front of Mab no less which does not bode well for our hero. But as a reader you can never truly be sure what is going to happen when Marcone and Dresden end up in the same room. It can go either way. Butcher’s ability to foreshadow leaves an endless number of possibilities, and I have no idea what to expect, except that whatever it is will be amazing.

If you visit Butcher’s website and search through the news/announcements page you will find a screenshot of a tweet that Butcher put out. To sum it up, we are teased with the idea that the first line of Peace Talks will apparently be, “Justine is pregnant.” An innocuous sentence without any background information. Justine is Thomas Raith’s – Dresden’s white court vampire half-brother – love, she is also the executive assistant to Lara Raith, the shadowy leader of the white court. This would make the baby growing in Justine’s belly a direct family member to Dresden, and we all know how seriously he takes the safety and well-being of the members of his family/friends. If this is indeed the route that Butcher is going to take while writing Peace Talks, all bets are off.

There are multiple side stories going on at the same time that have been progressing from early on in the series. I would like to see a couple of them finally come to a close, or at least for Butcher to go more in depth into the details because it is killing me as the reader – I lack the patience needed when a story is so damn entertaining. I would like to find out exactly why the White Council of Wizards was so terrified of Dresden’s deceased mother Margaret LeFey. She has been referenced in virtually every book and always as a type of anti-hero. Once we found out that Thomas was also her son I expected that portion of the story to be thoroughly discussed but we are still waiting.

I also want to see more of Dresden’s daughter Maggie. We have met her several times, and she is always in the back of Dresden’s mind in the subtext. I think the most burning question will be, will she develop the magical talents that run though her father’s veins?

With no release date set yet, Dresden Files fans will simply have to try and be patient as we wait for Butcher to finish another of his masterpieces. But as cliché goes, good things come to those who wait. To get the story from the very beginning head to your local book store and pick up the first Dresden Files novel Storm Front and let the addiction take over.

To read more Jim Butcher, check out The Codex Alera, a six book series that Butcher has already finished set in the primal world of Carna. Or check out the Aeronaut’s Windlass, the first book in his new series The Cinder Spires.

Alex Scantlebury is a founding partner and senior content creator for Initial Public Relations. Previously he was the senior writer for EBM Professional Writing Services and has also written for theweeklygeeky.com, Career Options Magainze and F-OFF. He is happily married to his wife Alicia and they are currently expecting their fourth daughter. Follow him on Twitter at @IPRWriter.

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39 thoughts on “The Dresden Files – Peace Talks Is on the Way”

  1. I think you all missed the very real point about divorce, alimony, and ownership of intellectual property. If Butcher is divorced and the ownership of Dresden was community property then ALL future proceeds from the use of the characters would be split at minimum 50/50. Smart business would be to build NEW series, try to hook your fanbase in, and drag Dresden out a long time.

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  4. From Jims upcoming works section:
    THE DRESDEN FILES
    Novels:
    As of November 2016: Jim is currently writing Peace Talks (#16), so we’re still quite a ways from having a release date. We’ll announce any updates in the news blog.

    Does that mean he’s only just started writing it as of this month?

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    2. Well, apparently all the books will take much longer, if ever finished because he had to give up half his rights to the Dresden files when he got divorced. So there’s no money in it for him, it’s why he’s doing two series after swearing never again. Confirmed by Woj, his answer was ‘alimony.’

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      1. I’m having a tough time waiting for the sequel like most of my fellow fans. I wrote a fanfic in the same world called Warlock of Omaha. You should be able to find it with a Google search. Maybe it will help tide you all over.

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  5. Personally… I think he wrote the book already and just set it aside… and is smart enough to create the perfect amount of “oh just give it here” without a second thought to the point where new readers will start the entire series from book 1 just to see what the fuss of book 16 is all about. 🙂 lol

    So, my real question… what in the heck to read while I wait for this book??? lol I need GOOD suggestions in a bad way?

    I read all of the Iron Druid Chronicles (9 books) in a half the time I’d heard that Butcher started writing book 16 thinking by the time I get through these books, book 16 would be waiting on the shelf (yeah, surprise). I haven’t seen anything else that seems to come close to the same world Dresden is in or at least something good to pass the time, any surprises out there??

    Honestly, I half expected Dresden to jump out in the middle of the Iron Druid books and say that he and the ancient Druid are cousins or something… lol Just Kidding, but perhaps that their worlds could easily collide for sure… Maybe Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne should consider collaborating on something. 🙂 Just saying…

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    1. I guess it would depend on what parts of Dresden/Iron Druid you liked best. If it’s the urban fantasy aspect, then I’d recommend Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books (though written for a slightly younger audience than the Dresden Files) or Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim books (conversely, slightly more adult stuff in those books than the Dresden Files).

      If you like the magic stuff and aren’t attached to the urban fantasy setting, most anything by Brandon Sanderson has some really great and well thought out magic systems. Mistborn is the perfect trilogy to start on for him, IMO. If you want something more stand-alone to get a feel for him before starting in on a series of books, Warbreaker and Elantris are both good. Though I think the first Mistborn book, The Final Empire, stands alone pretty well.

      If you want something that has a real similar feel to the Dresden Files (though not really as good, imo) Mike Carey, of comic book writing fame, did a series of novels about a character named Felix Castor, a sort of morose, down on his luck exorcist in London. It always felt like a weird British Dresden Files to me.

      If you just plain like Jim Butcher’s writing, there’s, of course, his Codex Alera books and the first book of his new Cinder Spires series. Both very different in feel from the Dresden Files, but both with a lot of good stuff.

      And if you just want some well-written fantasy, The Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss is one everyone knows is great. Though who knows if he’ll ever finish the third book. Also Scott Lynch’s Gentlemen Bastards sequence is just awesome. Though it also deals with the long wait for the next book issue that plagues fantasy series.

      If you want a good writer who puts out books with frequency, I’d refer you back to Brandon Sanderson or else to John Flanagan’s stuff. Sanderson puts out books like a freaking machine. The problem with his stuff is, he’s got 5 or 6 series on the go at once (some inter-related, some not). So you don’t have to wait long for one of his books, but if you’re attached to a specific series but not to the others, you might still be waiting a couple of years for the next book in that series to come out. Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series finished, but segued into Brotherband Chronicles and a prequel series, all of which take place in the same universe. His stories aren’t as deep and nuanced as Butcher’s or Sanderson’s and the books tend to be pretty short, but they’re fun, and he puts them out pretty regularly.

      It’s all about what you personally want out of the books.

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      2. Benedict Jacka, Alex Verus series set in London. Great action, perhaps not as much depth as Dresden but tiding me over for now

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  6. You know as a fan of dresden files all i wanted was him to write. Its been OVER 2 years and it is very aggravating to see him not follow his 2 books a year model. Everyone has things going on in their life and yes I know he wants to do other things but the core of his fans (in my mind) just want to read. Bring back Alera ( Maybe in a past or in a more future setting) and bring back Dresden Files.

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    1. IMHO Alera was a snooze fest. Cinder Spires seems to be well below Butcher’s best too. I don’t mind him writing other stuff except that it means either I or Jim, or possibly both of us, will be dead before the final Dresden novel is published.

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  7. Does Harry still have the ruby that he was given from his Godmother “the sum of all knowledge of the ways” I have not heard it referenced after “Changes”

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  8. I’m waiting for Harry to realize the impact of the Third True Answer he Godmother gave him in his grave. The person for whom the assassin worked is far more dangerous than the assassin.

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      1. Indeed it was, but I don not think that it has sunk in that his godmother considers Harry far more dangerous than Kincaid.

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  10. I’m just as excited as everyone else about the new book. What I would like explored more is the fact that Thomas Raith is McCoy’s grandkid. And everyone seems to be forgetting about Harry’s second child, a spirit of intelect, with Lash. Also as mentioned in other posts, I too would like to know more about who could possible be or have been Harry’s Granny.

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  11. So mad that he started writing another series in the middle of the Dresden files. Now it’s gonna take 15 years for him to finish the series!!! According to jb.com he’s only just started writing peace talks in June 2016. Rein in the ADHD Butcher!

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    1. The post in June was just a reminder because of all the curious Dresden Fans. Look further back in his news posts and you will see the earlier ones.

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  12. A good summation with a few points that need clarification. Threatening Marcone is not a violation of the Unseelie Accords, it’s just a stupid thing to do. Mab might be annoyed by Harry’s inability to avoid trash-talk, but the danger is from Marcone. And Harry’s mom is presumed dead, but there are no details or a body. She doesn’t even have a grave. In contrast, Harry actually does have a grave and he isn’t dead. I’m thinking Ma Dresden is Cowl or someone close to Cowl.

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    1. I was making the observation that throwing down with Marcone would have violated the accords. As for Harry ‘ s mom, it was stated that she used her death curse in order to stop Raith from being able to feed ever again. Though the idea of her being close to Cowl is very interesting.

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      1. I went back and reread from the beginning. Chauncey gives Harry info about his mother. Since it was a gift rather than information Harry bargain for it seems likely all that info was lies or willful misdirection. And speaking of misdirection…. When Thomas and Harry soul gaze both see a vision of their mother. But since Harry had touched Lash’s coin at the end of the previous book I believe that this was a covert ploy by Lash to get her hooks deeper into Harry’s head. The gift of “insight” from dear Mom is most plausible as a trick of the Fallen rather than a spell that lasted decades. Which means all of information about Margaret’s death is suspect. Even when Lea talks about it she uses ambiguous phrases like “near the end” which wouldn’t be used for a death in childbirth and could mean near the end of something other than her life. Also, Thomas states that his father feeds on his daughters to control them, so obviously he can feed, alleged death curse aside.

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      2. I think we will have to agree to disagree. I consider Butcher to be a master of foreshadow, often in subtle but substantial ways – and I have read the series cover to cover, most books numerous times. I believe his mother is dead. I have been proven wrong before, but in this case I don’t think so. I have enjoyed this debate, I don’t often get to argue the finer points from this series. Let’s pick this up when Peace Talks hits the shelf.

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  13. Awesome! I was wondering when the next one would be coming out, this doesn’t answer the when, but it does indicate he’s working on it, and he has a good record of a book a year or close to it, unlike *some* fantasy authors. (George is not your bitch, though!) Also hoping Doors of Stone is out this year, fingers crossed, but I also want it to be perfect (it will be) so I don’t mind waiting… in concept. In practice… UGH!

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      1. Like Morrgan le fay mirrors mab and Molly mirrors, and is now the Lady and Dresden is as the Warden the successor, so his Grand-mother must be the mirror from the Mother of Winter. The name of Morrigans mother in the Celtic Mythologie is Ernmas, and means Iron Death, then we need in conclusion a badass, deadly old Lady. Or perhabs, it was the mother all a long, and Morrigan was a changling. Because in the Arthur Mythos, Merlins mother, would be Morrigan, bzw.: Mab in the Dresden files, and……. you get it.

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    3. Given the lifespans and physical regenerative abilities of wizards Margaret’s mother could have been human and died a century of more ago. Margaret could have been over a hundred when Harry was born. I don’t think who Ebenezer’s last wife was is likely to be important.

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    1. I started with the Codex Alera but when I found The Dresden Files life was fulfilled lol. Thanks for commenting.

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