Source Tor

Let me start off by saying, Jim Butcher is one of my top two favorite authors. His Dresden Files series is absolutely crazy good. Harry’s newest adventure, Peace Talks, just came out July 14th, 2020, and his next one, Battle Ground, is coming out September 29th, 2020 Anyway, back to SDCC. Jim Butcher was interviewed by Priscilla Spencer about The Dresden Files for San Diego Comic-Con because Harry turned the big 2-0 April 1st. Plus Harry and Mr. Butcher are just that awesome.

The interview actually took place in mid-June rather than live today. Both Jim and Priscilla looked comfy at home. Jim was even in his bed with his dog, Blue. The questions were broken down into three categories: the twenty-year anniversary of Harry, Peace Talks, and fan questions. First up was the twentieth-anniversary questions. Priscilla said there was supposed to be a celebration marking the 20 years but it was obviously unable to happen. As they spoke they talked about spin-offs Jim has talked about. One for of which is for Maggie. Jim also accepted her “challenge” to write a character just to see how the person who does his audiobooks makes them sound.

When talking about Peace Talks, Jim explains the process and his thinking when “trying to build a better mousetrap.”  Jim recommends those who are new to the series to jump in at an earlier book than Peace Talks. Maybe Dead Beat or Changes. He says remember to have fun when diving in. He refers to his novels as popcorn novels. Hopefully the best popcorn but still popcorn. They aren’t to be taken seriously. While writing Peace Talks, he listened to a lot of Viking Death Metal and Basil Poledouris who composed the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. When asked “What is the first frivolous thing that Harry buys with his gym sock full of diamonds?”, Jim responds “…a basketball goal for inside the Great Hall.” What does that mean? Mr. Butcher didn’t tell us when this happens but says we will understand that when we get there. He says it’s in the second book so I believe he is talking about Battle Ground.

When asked about characters that weren’t meant to be a bigger part of the series, Jim spoke of Toot-Toot. Lash and Marcone were more popular with fans than he thought they would be. I guess there are crack theories about The Dresden Files. They talk about a video on YouTube called “Best Of Dresden Files Crack Theory”. Jim doesn’t bother with the crack theories.

There were fan questions that Jim refused to answer because it would give away too much. Other questions Jim gave quite thoughtful answers to. For example “Does Marcone have the bullet that killed Harry?” He walked through the scene and thought process for us. I love that fans asked about Molly and how she is doing in Winter’s Court. Fans also asked about Mouse. Fans even asked about Lea’s creepy murder garden. Jim gives a fantastic answer to the cosmology and the resulting interactions with each other and the beginning of the Dresdenverse. Jim was asked about ectomancy and necromancy in the books. That was an interesting question and answer.

Below is the YouTube video of the interview:

The whole interview was fun and insightful. The questions were very thoughtful and Jim’s answers were perfect. I recommend you watch the interview. Remember that Peace Talks is already out and Battle Ground hits shelves September 29th, 2020. Don’t forget to check out my Dresden Reviews and watch TGON for more on San Diego Comic-Con 2020!