I used the knife. I saved a child. I won a war. God forgive me One of my favourite quotes of all time

'Here lies Harry Dresden, he died doing the right thing'. Even his enemies know it 1:47

I agree on how you pointed out that the sacrifices Harry was making were chipping away at his soul. But you glossed over one that I felt hit harder than all the rest. When Harry ‘chose’ to murder Susan. Not with the knife, but when he knew he could goad her into sacrificing herself. “One day I hope God will forgive me for giving birth to the idea that came next. Because I never will. I knew how angry she was. I knew how afraid she was. Her child was about to die only inches beyond her reach, and what I did to her was as good as murder.” That’s the line that sticks with me from Changes.

Mouse is a very good boy. Everybody says so.

First, some lighter notes: [1] Harry tries his best, but Sanya easily has the best one-liners in the entire series. "It was probably just a coincidence." "You are drug dealer. To tiny fairies. Shame." Gold. [2] Mrs. Spunklecrief is a stone cold Badass, and thirty years ago would have totally hatted up and killed her way across a field of vampires with her bare hands. [3] Butters proves he's the smartest character in the series by immediately donning body armor the second he hears Harry is up to shenanigans. [4] Sanya telling Harry that Sam was the true hero of LOTR gets me every time. [5] Harry's interactions with Mouse while transformed into a hound are hilariously awesome. Mouse is so gracious in letting his sidekick take the spotlight every so often. I think you covered all the Big Events, but there was one (comparatively) small thing I didn't really think about until later. When Harry loses his apartment, he also loses everything in it: the only photo he has of his mother & father, from their honeymoon. The postcard Susan sent him at the end of Grave Peril. The original Star Wars poster that Will gifted him. All the photos he must have taken with Susan. Harry doesn't have cloud backup; all he's got left are his memories.

Oh…you did the audiobook. Mr Marsters did a hell of a job

Merphy covered a lot, but I'm surprised she didn't mention that Mouse TALKS in this book. Also, the whole fandom loves the LOTR scene where Harry thinks he's Gandalf, but he's given the role of Sam (the actual hero of the story). Also, Martin is given the role of Boromir. Talk about a funny scene being revealed to be a major foreshadowing.

Harry commits human sacrifice twice to power a magical rite/ ritual and he commits genocide and I am still on his side. I love that you recognise the SA that Mab does to Harry because the narrative buries that aspect of his trauma and Harry generally supresses this kind of violence. I really hope that this scene and what the Red Court vampires at Bianca's (in Grave Peril) did to him. Right after he kills Susan he blacks out. He can't remember how he got Maggie of the alter. We rarely get a fade to black like that and I think something interesting happened and he suppressed it/ an outside force blocks the memory to protect him.

"Hard book for him, great book for me" has been Jim Butcher's motto for the last decade+

"Die Alone" - Quintus Cassius in Death Masks. My mind instantly went back to this death curse at the end of Changes. I also love the ominous feeling of the title as it breaks the two same-length words format. It is rumored that this will be roughly the half-way point of the series, which is so appropriate. Butcher's growth as an author is so amazing as he goes through Harry's journey. I'd definitely watch a review of Side Jobs! Random thought: I really want an adult animated Dresden series, with Marsters as Dresden.

Ah Changes. The book that flipped the table on the status quo so hard we're only now starting to re-establish something resembling normalcy for our boy.

Jim Butcher set it up so that Harry could either become the Winter Knight, take up Lasciel's coin, or use the Word of Kemmler and the Darkhallow. And, according to interviews, he didn't know which way it would go until he began composing that chapter after the call with Uriel.

Arianna - "Cattle. You are cattle" Harry - "Moo" 🐮 Favourite quote from the book 😂😂

About the sexual violence in the book that you mentioned: I found the confusion you expressed about how it was described/how other characters reacted vs what Harry experienced in the scene with Mab was very real to me. That's often how you're treated when that happens to you as a man, especially if people know about it. They joke, or ask probing questions, but never about you. The presumption is that you liked it and that its okay to joke about or treat casually. Like you said, the narrative rarely matches the experience. I'm sure some of that is projection, and maybe butcher didnt intend it, but that's what i saw.

“False gods!” she cried, her blue eyes blazing as she stared at the Red King and the Lords of Outer Night. “Pretenders! Usurpers of truth! Destroyers of faith, of families, of lives, of children! For your crimes against the Mayans, against the peoples of the world, now will you answer! Your time has come! Face judgment Almighty!” -Angel via Murphy So many great moments but this one always stands out to me, so powerful.

According to Jim Butcher, he found out exactly when his editor finished reading the manuscript when she called him in the middle of the night, and said as soon as he picked up the phone: "You Killed him!" His answer? "Now the fun can finally begin"

As I recall a fair few of the stories in Side Jobs have impact on future books so a spoiler review would be good. I really liked his verbal sparring with the Earl King to show just how sharp he can be.

How could you forget Mouse talking? Mouse is a good dog.

So for side jobs i think it really should have a spoiler review because otherwise you cant really talk about it and some of the short stories are really good

My favorite moment in the book is when everyone was turned into dogs by L, and Mouse "talks". So many impactful moments in this book, and so many hard decisions for Harry to make. Butcher's writing is fantastic!

And please do a spoiler review of Side Jobs! Would love to hear your thoughts on The Warrior & Aftermath

"...and then fighting a few giant caterpillars..." Just a casual, regular day in the life of Harry Dresden, apparently.

James Marsters is the reader for the audiobook and it's so good

I love this book. One thing that always comes back to me is how Ebenezar does not come to Harrys aid untill he knows he himself is in danger. It always feels like that should have been noted more in this book. I would love a video for the short stories! I think they "deserve" them and that you will want to do one after you read them, (some of them stand out a lot but I like all of them tbh)

I have several friends who I got into the Dresden Files. In each case, as I’ve seen them get hooked, I’ve warned them that they must not start Changes unless they have Ghost Story ready to go, because that first sentence is about as strong a hook as has ever been. The first such friend did not heed my warning and said that as he put Changes on his shelf he ominously thought “I was warned…” Not only did he not have answers ready for him, but when he went to the bookstore the next day they didn’t have GS available and he had up wait several days😂

The voice acting for this book series is an absolute clinic on how it should be done and I hope that the guy who did it got awards for his skillful interpretation.

Remember when one or two books ago we told you to keep in mind how Harry reacts when a child is involved ? Well... Now we know how he reacts when HIS child is involed: sells his soul, goes to war and does a bit of genocide on the way to hugging his kid Worth it Also, it made me think of this episode of Doctor Who where this poem is recited: Demons run when a good man goes to war Night will fall and drown the sun When a good man goes to war Friendship dies and true love lies Night will fall, and the dark will rise When a good man goes to war Demons run, but count the cost The battle's won, but the child is lost

I remember when Changes first came out and people were saying as soon as Harry killed Susan they threw the book across the room, or or threw it in the trash and vowed to never read another Dresden Files books because "it went against Harry's character." Which was a very odd statement to me. This came out in 2010, I'd been reading since 2006, this seemed very in line with Harry as a character to me. NOW that you've gotten through Changes, the real stuff can begin.

Murphy with the sword and Bob was so cool. Nothing like having a representative of the capital G speak through your best friend to say what happens next is officially sanctioned judgement Almighty. I also loved Lea in this book. Getting so giddy about turning everyone into hounds and her surprise attack in the battle made her more endearing and more creepy at the same time some how.

This book was such a shock as Butcher upended every single thing the readers had grown accustomed to in the series. The book almost systematically takes Harry's life apart and gives us a new status quo going forward. What also was great was giving Mouse a character voice. Mouse vs Leah was absolutely hilarious.

FINALLY!!! BEEN WAITING ON THIS ONE!!!! Changes is peak one of the DF books

Man. Just hearing you talk about it makes me tear up. That book was one hell of a ride.

Yes! Spoiler reviews are a must for both of the short story collections!!! Especially the novella at the end of "Side Jobs" that takes place from Murphy's perspective!

THANK! GOODNESS! FOR MOUSE!! Me: Mouse is a good dog.

My favorite part of the book is when they all transform into dogs and we FINALLY hear Mouse talk. And he’s even more awesome than we thought. I agree that Butcher did a great job of making us empathize with Susan and Harry’s choices.

Was waiting for this review. Merphy as a mom must have quite the views on this book

First off, I would LOVE a spoiler review of Side Jobs. There are a couple of stories in there that are heartbreaking. Second, the Molly in love with Harry thread doesn't entirely go away, but it does get mentioned less and less as the series progreses. Rest assured, Harry NEVER goes for it. EVER. Finally, one thread in Changes that I found compelling which you didn't mention was that despite all of the parental emotions he was going through, a part of him couldn't shake the idea that this was all a setup. And that Maggie wasn't really his. He was still going to save the child but his experience with supernatural entities gave him doubts which reinforced the pain of not having family. The moment when he got confirmation from Uriel, and the relief he felt knowing she was actually his daughter (even with the current situation), made ME cry.

As a not mom, I do agree Susan was super sympathetic in how difficult her choice was because you could also see how much it hurt her to not be with her daughter all the time. I also love how Harry always phrased it as a dad who Shows Up and talks about it with Molly and how he wants to be a dad who Shows Up for his daughter and now I'm crying again thanks. You're ruining my manly aura merphy

The Dresden audiobook are so very good !!! ouch this reminded me of what's coming ...

This book is epic, really pushes the series from good into great for me. Definitely want a spoiler review for Side Jobs please!

Was waiting for this! Glad you liked it and I'm still so glad you're reviewing this series in general. I am shocked by your ability to wait 2 months to read Ghost Story. I mean I didn't have a choice but to wait a whole year for it. But I was ready to drive to Butcher's house and demand answers personally when I finished Changes lol. I'd rather have a longer video on Ghost Story and nothing on Side Jobs than a shorter video on Ghost Story and also a video on Side Jobs. But I don't know if it works like that lol. Ghost Story is one of my favorites.

Here’s my vote for a spoiler review for side jobs!

definetly do Side Jobs, the final short story in the collection begins right after the final scene from Changes and is from the perspective of Muphy dealing with the fallout.

The Harry/Mab rape scene is actually treated exactly how most men I've met treat their own experiences of sexual assault and rape. It's joked about as if it were consensual and rarely, if ever, expressly called what it was. I've had a bunch of my friends tell me stories about being lied to, tricked, or physically forced into sexual encounters they otherwise would have avoided to the best of their ability, not one of them said they were raped until after I pointed it out. most still wouldn't use that word even after they acknowledged that it fit.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for!!!

Oh man it was so powerful to relive this incredible book through you today. One of my favorites of all time, and right with you on how powerful the character work is in it throughout, hitting so hard emotionally. Not sure if Side Jobs will be worth a review, but maybe as part of a vlog where you can comment on a few stories at a time. Can’t wait for you to continue on with Ghost Story!!!

Definitely interested in a spoiler review for Side Jobs or you could do a bunch of mini spoiler reviews of each story over the course of a month.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Side Jobs. Dohbly so for the stories with PoVs that AREN'T Harry, and thus give some really neat changes in perspective. By and large they're really well written and are nice little snippets of Dresden in lower stakes situations that still feel no less important.

Definitely worth spoiler review for Side Jobs. It won't be a super long video but no reason not to with what it tackles and you'll have plenty to say.

I love this book so much. With how all these books being pretty self contained that slowly progressed other story threads this one truly felt like the culmination of the series so far and it was amazing. Also the title of the book is one of the most apt I've ever read. Nothing is the same after this. Also it broke up the title formula of two words with the same number of letters for a single word. It doesn't impact the story at all but just a neat detail that I've always liked.

Yay! I've been waiting a year for this one! The next 3 are also top tier Dresden books. Listening to the end of this book with Marsters reading that scene... just haunting and perfect.

James Marsters is extraordinarily as the narrator of this series and he is integral. It was apparent in the next book when he had scheduling conflict. And as the absolute champion he is, he recorded the book later and Audible rereleased it.

Also - this series is one of if not my favorite fantasy series, and it is a joy to watch you react to it. Reminds me of when I read through it the first time.

There are a few short stories in Side Jobs that I really want to hear your take on. Especially one called Aftermath and another called The Warrior. The short stories vary wildly in quality but even just these two make the book a worthwhile read in my opinion.

Do a bunch of KZfaq Shorts for Side Jobs. One quick short pert short story. They're good xD

“The fallout of this world” Side Jobs. :)

Hey, this is the absolute best book in the series so far and that saying a lot because this is one of the best modern fantasy book series I have ever read

Oooh yes, finally the Changes video. And as an audiobook too? 10/10. The way Marsters delivers those four lines at the altar. Even on re-listens I'm never quite ready for them. "And thank goodness for Mouse!" could be the subtitle for so many of these books. Big yes for spoiler review for Side Jobs. Ghost Story is a big shift in many ways. It gets some flak from some readers. Especially the ones who had to finish it and then wait a long time for the next one to come out. I've apprechiated it more on rereads for sure. And let's be honest, how to you follow Changes except for with a little bit of a breather, at least compared to that madness. (ps: I think it's really funny how Martin wasn't mentioned in this whole half hour review, he really is bland and forgettable like Harry describes him huh)

Such an astonishing book. That scene... THAT scene kills me every time. I would enjoy a Side Jobs spoiler review if you feel like making one.

Would love a spoiler review for side jobs!

I started reading the book the day changes was released, binged the 12 books in 2 weeks and i couldn't read anything for the next two. Just kept processing😮‍💨. A very beautiful but horrifying experience

I absolutely love your reviews, so more is always a good thing. Yes, I’d love a spoiler review of “Side Jobs”

I would say that the mab "scene" and the reactions from harry's male friend's echo what a lot of men and boys that are sexually abused go through when they tell their male friends and family.

"It's a hard book for him, it's a great book for me" -sums it up

I think Side Jobs is definitely worth a spoiler review! Many fun stories and a few from new perspectives that merit spoilery stuff 👍 Great video. I love reliving the books through these reviews

Great review. Two scenes that I loved were when he asks Uriel for help, cuz he knows he won’t get the help he needs but he has to try to do it the “right” way. And when he ask “Karrin” to take Maggie to Father Forthill and that he doesn’t need to know where she will be taken to. Another scene that hits hard if you are a parent I guess.

Remember that thought on the decisions made when taking care of Maggy.

You could knock out a Side Jobs review in a 15 min video, I would really love to hear your take on three of the stories in particular, most of them you can just say a thing or two about them and it’s plenty. But the Thomas POV story, the Warrior, and the Merphy POV ones I think we would all love to hear your take on.

I would say do the spoiler review for side jobs and not just wait for Ghost Story. They may be short stories but some of them advance the world in ways the main series can't and I for one would like to hear your comments on the non Harry first person perspective ones

Deadbeat was when I realized there was much more depth to Butchers’s writing Changes was such a crazy blockbuster, that some of the poignant moments get lost in all the mayhem I’ll be curious to hear your reaction to the shorts and Ghost Story, I thought it was so well written Thanks for another great review!

I used the knife. I saved a child. I won a war. God forgive me. Sums up the book so we'll and is just heartbreaking.

On the hand, Mab IS supernaturally attractive and Harry has certainly described her that way. On the other hand, you don't have sex with a thunderstorm. So it's kinda tough to tell

I recommend the 12.5 compilation. It was a breath i needed after changes. But also ends with slotting you right back in for ghost story.

Great video as always. I truly wish you'd had time to talk about every chapter of this book, I feel like every single one has brilliant bits that are worthy of discussion! It's really one of my favourite things on the internet to hear you discuss the Dresden books... I hope your life becomes less hectic, and perhaps when you have more time or are short of video ideas you could return to the series, and particularly to Changes, to discuss it in as much detail as needed. Also when Ebenezer gives Harry his staff and summons the Blackstaff instead is maybe the coolest bit of any book ever.

Some of the short stories are extremely good and it has some great character moments in it. Would really love your review of it. It does so much to flesh out side characters in the books.

Definitely want a spoiler review for Side Jobs!

Oh Merphy Napier you and I could go for hours arguing the various points you brought up here even though we both ended at Amazing Book lol. Changes is my number 1 Dresden Book and a Top 5 at a minimum book overall for me. Your review of Side Jobs should be interesting to see and then we move on to probably the most polarizing book of the whole Files with Ghost Story. Can’t wait to see what you think!

“Hard book for him great book for me” loved that

So excited for this, I've been waiting. My favorite book in my favorite series.

As for Mab raping Harry, it's described as having sex with a thunderstorm IIRC. Also this is the second time Harry has been SAed in the Files. At the end of book 3 their is a fade to black moment and it's heavily implied the Reds SAed him. A couple of books later he meets some of those vampires and actively refuses to remember that night while they taunt him about it. Really puts Harry in book 4 into perspective. It wasn't just losing Susan that made him act the way he was acting, he had PTSD.

Oh yeah. Good old Changes. Masterpiece of a book. Really lives up to the hype around it. Now on to Side Jobs, which is a fun and very interesting collection. Ghost Story is awesome, but soooo much different. I'd say it is a much more mature story than all the previous books. I hope you love it.

I’m not feeling very well this morning so this is a nice pick up for the start of the day 😊 Like Harry (but with a fraction of the childhood trauma), a future family has been one of my primary motivations my whole life. In most stories I’m a little reactive to mom’s keeping their kids from dads but in all the times I’ve read or listened to this book I’ve never felt that way towards Susan. My heart hurts for both of them but I get it. Butcher did a great job. I think I speak for everyone: maximum video and discussion per book. Reading vlog, long spoiler talks, whatever it is we want it.

1000% yes for a spoiler review for the short stories!

This is my favourite Dresden Files book, and the one that FINALLY sold me on this series. Yes, it took me 12 books to be sold, but now I'm a legit fan. Great video, Merphy!

“The man once wrote: Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. Tolkien had that one mostly right. I stepped forward, let the door bang closed, and snarled, "Fuck subtle.” MOUSE SPEAKS! This books is absudebalz amazing! And for the longest time it was my number 1, it was edged out of that space by #15 (Skin Game). But that's aways down the line for you.

James Marsters is doing an amazing job being Harry, but that book... he is spectacular.

God, the end of Changes, I remember staying up late reading it, and that last line where he dies! I had to start the next one and I was so tired.

The audio book is more heart wrenching by a lot. I've done both. I recommend the audio book but sometimes a reread tells you more the second time. Agree on the Mab thing. It was definitely the r-word. I don't see another way to describe it. Harry is in danger of doing a full Anakin fall to darkness. Really excited for you to see the fallout for this and how Molly deals with it. This book more than any other shows how different the Dresden Files reads if you think Harry is an unreliable narrator. He grabs a ton of power, murders his lover and all the witnesses are dead. If we didn't trust Harry, he would look like a bastard.

LOVE the Dresden reviews! I can't wait for your mind to be blown as you catch up....

Whenever I tell people about Changes, I tell them it goes from zero to 100 in twelve words. I haven't watched the review yet, but I'm certain you've loved it as we all do. The bit that gets me choked up even thinking about it is Dresden's quote as the dust is settling after his blackout: "She leaned against me, using a fold of the cloak as a pillow, and I sat down on the top step, holding her, to see what I had paid for." Unrelated, but I'm eagerly awaiting your review of Toll the Hounds.

You should definitely talk about Side Jobs

Side Jobs is awesome, but contextualizing what it is is important. The stories were written between other books, so there is a bit of style change. but the last story is a novella that takes place immediately after the close of Changes. It is really awesome reading some of the stories that are from OTHER points of view. The Thomas story and the Murphy novella were awesome reads.

One of the big “changes” in this book that you circled but didn’t specifically pinpoint is that Harry fully departs from moral black and white in this book. He has clung vehemently to the idea of doing the right thing to get to the right outcome up until this point. Here, he finally finds the end that will justify any means. His actions in this book range from heroic, to morally grey, to actions devoid of any morals. Becoming a parent is just about the most irresistible form of forced character growth there is and it was incredible to read

I'd still enjoy a spoiler video after you read Side Jobs. The short stories and micro stories(available on his website) are the only times we get perspectives from other characters.

Yes to a spoiler video on Side Jobs!

Please do a spoiler review with side jobs. I've really enjoyed these reviews with the rest of the series. It actually wouldn't feel right to me unless you do.

It's usually not the moment people bring up in terms of Harry giving up parts of himself but there's the passage where Dresden talks to Uriel when his back is broken: "Damnit," I said, my voice breaking. Tears started from my eyes. The colors and lines in my imagination began to blur. "Please."... "Please," I said again. "You know who I am, You know I'd rather have my nails torn out than beg. And I am begging you. I am not strong enough to do this on my own." It's a sequence that I still think back on because it's so reflective of the quiet desperation and the fact that we've never seen Harry pushed this far before. As you said he gives up parts of his soul, parts of his family, parts of his humanity, but even before those things he gives up his pride and his image of himself here. We've had 11 books to see Harry be defiant and a wiseass but also to see the kind of pride Dresden has in building himself up from a warlocks apprentice, to being one of the good guys who is the help people can call on even when he's scared. Here though he can't, and all the other sacrifices later hit hard, but this is the first real crack that Harry is never going to be the same. To have that then followed up with the kind of hope and what good represents in this (Uriel) vs what kind of evils he has to negotiate or bargain with later (Denarian, Darkhallow, Mab) where good in the Dresdenverse is only telling Harry the truth about whether Maggie is actually his daughter, vs all the evil elements that simply want to use his daughter to manipulate and control him. It's nuanced and specific the kind of factions and what they represent and how different and meaningful those differences actually are. I wonder if you feel like Changes was overhyped or not, it's your favorite now but do you feel your expectations were met based on the hype? Knowing the options Harry had to gain power do you like that we went with Winter Knight Dresden vs Denarian or Darkhallow and how do you think the series would have changed depending on those turns. Side jobs does fill in some perspectives and is a bridge, I feel like it doesn't warrant a full review so much as maybe a 5-10 min recap or highlights mention during the Ghost Story review but I understand the scheduling means one book at a time. Either way glad you got past this point because it was one of the major break points for spoilers so after this and the next few books it'll be easier to reference things and speculate. You probably won't do a full reread any time soon but if you do end up reading this in e-format or in paperback it'd be cool if you perhaps had some shorts covering some of the highlighted passages. There's a few details like in the Mab scene where if you know the magic system are pretty cool, as is the costuming of the fellowship and other neat things people have mentioned that I didn't pick up on until they pointed it out. It's a dense book and also putting it up against the context of the rest of the series and how far the world and the characters have come is perhaps another interesting thing to discuss in a short.

Changes!! 👏 Without watching I know you LOVED IT! Let’s go! Emotional impact review 👀

So glad you're enjoying this series! It's one of my absolute favorites!

I became a dad to my daughter just a bit over a year ago, and read this book in February. The line "Hang on kid, dad's coming" reverberates through me and will for the rest of my life.