Dresden Files Reread - Fool Moon Chapter 1

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Sorry for the prolonged absence, everyone. I sorta got knocked over sideways by a combination of freelance work, abdominal pain, and one of those periods where I don't really want to do anything but read. I just went through three of Natalie Goldberg's books, and I have thoughts, which will hopefully make their way into a post of their own at some point. But for the moment, we're talking about the first chapter of Fool Moon. 

The chapter opens with some deeply unsubtle hints about the status of the moon, and how Harry never used to keep track of it. Technically, it does not say "This one is about werewolves, you guys", but it might as well. 

Kim Delaney, a young woman of some magical talent, whom Dresden describes as a "sometime apprentice", wants Harry's take on a greater circle, for which she has a hand-copied diagram. Calling her an apprentice here stands in direct contradiction to to Harry's assertion in Proven Guilty that he's "never been on this side of an apprenticeship before", but I think that reflects growth in his understanding of what the master-apprentice relationship actually entails, especially given how disastrously irresponsible he is about it here. 

The circle has three nested rings, one a standard circle, but more powerful, supported by special symbols, one a barrier against physical beings and objects, and the last meant to contain creatures of flesh and spirit. Kim says her interest is purely intellectual, and that she doesn't mean to use it. Harry is understandably skeptical, but explains how the first two layers ought to work. He balks at the third, however, and lies to Kim, telling her that it is incoherent, as the kind of beings it's means to contain don't exist, and refusing to discuss its mechanics with her. We are told in narration that they do exist, but they're things like angels, and it's White Council policy to deny it to anyone who's not a wizard. More on that in a moment. 

I do wonder if a circle like this could be used to contain an Outsider. It's not entire clear where they fall on the corporeality spectrum, but they don't seem to dissolve into ectoplasm when "killed", so it seems possible. On the other hand, they may not be spirit creatures at all, since they aren't from the Nevernever any more than they're from the mortal world, so it's possible they could stroll right out of this thing. 

Kim presses the issue, and gets frustrated when Dresden tells her outright that this is too advanced and she should leave it alone. Now, Harry was sorta valid inasmuch as Kim probably would have had a bad time using the circle on hr own, even with all the advice Harry could give her in the course of a single lunch meeting. The responsible thing to do would have been to say "This is too advanced for you, but I know you're a sensible person, and you wouldn't be trying it if it weren't important. If you want my help on this, you have to actually let me help", and then assist with the construction of the circle, consulting with Bob if necessary, and make sure it's done right. 

Photo by Jay Wennington on Unsplash   

That said, Dresden knows he's handling this wrong. You can tell because he doesn't feel like he deserves to eat the steak sandwich Kim bought him, and because the reasons he gives in narration for not being more forthcoming are not things he actually believes. He cites White Council policy, and the fact that Kim isn't a fully accredited wizard, but Harry doesn't actually accept the legitimacy of the White Council's authority. He also brings in the possibility that the Council will do something to Kim for knowing things she oughtn't, but as I discussed extensively in my posts about the previous book, that has never been a real thing. What's actually going on here is that Harry doesn't trust his own moral intuitions, because he believes himself to be a bad person, so he's turning to the only external standard to which he has access, even though he knows it's pretty much bullshit. And of course, there is also an element of misogyny here, which he need not examine if he's not relying on his own judgment. As much as he acted wrongly, his shitty actions in this scene feel way more consistent and understandable than some of the nonsense he pulls in the first book. 

As an aside, this scene is also the first suggestion that Harry's level of power or skill is anything out of the ordinary for a wizard of his age and training. No one in Storm Front suggests that Harry is anything special in this area. 

Kim crumples up her diagram and walks out, to be replaced almost immediately by Murphy. Harry is snippy with her, initially, because she has barely been in contact with him since the end of the previous book, but he has to get over himself about it pretty quick, because Murphy needs his help with a dead body.