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Grave Peril (novel)
Encyclopedia
Grave Peril is a 2001 contemporary fantasy
novel by author Jim Butcher
. It is the third novel in The Dresden Files
, which follows the character of Harry Dresden
, present-day Chicago's only professional wizard.
, the story begins with Harry Dresden hunting a ghost with Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Cross and wielder of the holy sword called Amoracchius. They drive the spirit into the Nevernever before destroying her, and Harry discovers the ghost was under a spell of torment that caused the ghost to go on a rampage.
At that moment, the faerie Leanansidhe and her Hellhounds encircle them. She greets Dresden as her godson and reminds him of a long-ago pact he made to serve her. Dresden lies his way out of the situation and returns to the real world, only to be arrested by the Chicago police.
Michael's pregnant wife Charity bails Michael out of jail, and Susan appears to bail out Dresden. Back at his apartment, a pair of vampires deliver an invitation to a party celebrating the promotion of Madame Bianca, the head of the Red Court vampires in Chicago. Dresden is required to attend as the representative of the White Council of Wizards; to turn down the invitation could provoke war. Susan, not understanding the danger, can hardly wait to go to a vampire party, but Dresden insists that she not attend.
The next morning, Michael and Dresden visit Father Forthill at St. Mary of the Angels Church. Lydia had hidden there, but panicked and fled when attacked by another spirit. Dresden consults a local ectomancer, Mortimer Lindquist, who explains that the barrier between the real world and the spirit realm is getting thinner, which makes it easier for things to cross over, and which also makes new ghosts much more powerful. .
Later, Murphy calls Dresden for a personal favor, to try to help one of Murphy's fellow officers, who is trapped in the same icy torment spell that had affected the ghost in the hospital. Finally having time to track down Lydia, he finds her and is attacked by vampires who abduct with Lydia.
Affected by the narcotic vampire venom, Harry falls asleep and dreams that he is attacked by the demon which he battled during a previous case involving the aforementioned sorcerer, Leonid Kravos. He is wakened by his assistant, a spirit of knowledged called Bob, who helps him to discover that he really was attacked and that this Nightmare-demon drained a significant portion of his magical power. Dresden realizes that the Nightmare's targets are those who foiled Kravos' schemes, and that sleep makes the victims susceptible in spite of other protective measures. He rushes to help Murphy, the next likely target, but the Nightmare has gotten there before him, disguised as Dresden himself, and Dresden is only able to chase him away and try to minimize the damage. Now only he and Michael are left from the group who had defeated Kravos, and it seems the demon knows that the best way to hurt Michael is to threaten his family. Still disguised as Dresden, the Nightmare kidnaps Charity.
Dresden tracks the Nightmare a cemetery and attacks, when Leanansidhe appears as Dresden is beaten down. In exchange for a pledge of service, his godmother points out the water streams around the cemetery, and Dresden tackles the Nightmare into one, causing it to melt into ectoplasm. Dresden picks up Amoracchius, intending to use it against his faerie godmother, but the sword wrenches out of his hands and lands at the faerie's feet. Since Dresden defiled the holy blade by attempting to use it in an act of treachery, Leanansidhe is able to pick it up and steal it.
Dresden calls on assistance from a friend in Chicago PD to get Kravos's journal from the evidence lockers in order to learn the name of the demon. Since Dresden cannot determine which of his enemies is controlling the Nightmare, he casts a spell that binds the Nightmare to focus its attention only on him.
When Dresden bound the Nightmare to him, he felt the presence of the sorcerer that was controlling it. He and Michael go to Bianca's party reasoning that it's unlikely to be a coincidence, and that they may be able to identify the person there. At the entrance, they meet Thomas Raith, the representative of the White Court vampires, and his human date Justine. Thomas facilitates Dresden's introduction to the vampires, who poison him with narcotic vampire venom. Michael keeps Dresden on his feet so they can find the sorcerer. Then, Susan arrives with a forged invitation; due to this breach of hospitality, the vampires are free to kill her.
To make matters worse, Leanansidhe is present and her proximity further weakens Dresden due to his broken promise to her. Susan bargains with her to cure Dresden in return for a year of Susan's memory, but not specifying what form that would take. The faerie seals the bargain and leaves Susan with no memory at all of Dresden - the year taken was not contiguous, but rather consisted of every moment Susan had spent in Harry's presence.
As Harry and Michael attempt to get Susan out of the party, they encounter an old foe of Michael's, Mavra of the Black Court vampires. Dresden senses that she is the sorcerer manipulating the Nightmare. Leanansidhe reappears to gift Amoracchius to Madame Bianca. As part of the evening's entertainment, Mavra intends to unmake the sword with the blood of an innocent person, Lydia. It's an obvious trap; Dresden and Michael will have to violate the rules of hospitality and the Unseelie Accords -- potentially triggering war between wizards and vampires -- in order to save Lydia and the sword.
As the Red Court vampires surround them, Thomas explains that he and Justine are also marked for death and offers to help Harry in return for protection. Bianca captures Justine and holds her ransom with the price of Thomas betraying Dresden. Thomas agrees and pushes Susan into the mob of vampires. Bianca double-crosses him and keeps Justine, ordering Thomas' death. He flees while Susan is dragged away screaming. Burning with rage, Dresden incinerates everything in the immediate vicinity and collapses, exhausted. Michael carries Lydia and Dresden out of the inferno.
Dresden regains consciousness a day later. He's slightly burned but Lydia is safe and asleep. Michael has been guarding them in spite of his own wounds and the poor health of his wife and newborn child. Thomas arrives to propose that they work together to rescue Susan and Justine. As an offer of good faith, Thomas returns Amoracchius.
Lydia awakens, possessed by the Nightmare, and attacks them. Thomas subdues her using his vampiric powers and Dresden exorcises the spirit. His attempts to control it using the demon's name fail, and he realizes the culprit is not the demon at all; it's actually the ghost of Leonid Kravos himself, using the demon's shape to distract Harry. Mavra used the torment spell to stir up the spirits, which in turn weakened the barrier between the real world and the Nevernever, thus allowing Kravos to become a more powerful ghost when he committed ritual suicide in his jail cell. Mavra had also been teaching Bianca sorcery, making her a more powerful adversary.
The group decide to journey through the Nevernever to sneak into Bianca's house, but en route, Leanansidhe attacks and captures Dresden. He strikes yet another bargain with her, extracting a promise that she will not bother him for a year and a day. Bound by it, she releases him. However, as Michael and Thomas made no such bargain, she attacks them instead. They urge Dresden to go ahead without them and rescue Susan and Justine while they hold off the faerie and her Hellhounds.
Dresden returns to the real world inside Bianca's house, which turns out to be a trap. Dresden is captured by Bianca and locked in a room with Justine and Susan. Susan has been partially turned into a vampire, a process that will be completed if she kills a human through vampiric feeding. Dresden manages to restore her memory with magic, and he reinforces Susan's self-control and defuses her thirst by finally admitting his love for her.
Together, they seduce and destroy Kravos. Dresden consumes the Nightmare, taking back his and Kravos' power as well. They try to escape, but are stopped by Bianca, who offers a compromise: Dresden gets Justine, his magical items, and safe passage; in exchange, Bianca gets Susan. If Dresden refuses and tries to rescue Susan, there will be war between the vampires of the Red Court and the White Council. Dresden fights back with a powerful spell that exploits the thinned barrier with the Nevernever to rouse the spirits of all the vampires' victims against them. The wrath of the empowered spirits destroys the mansion and the vampires, while Dresden, Susan, and the others escape.
After the battle, Susan disappears; her apartment is up for rent and she's not at her job. Dresden tracks her down to a secluded cottage and proposes marriage, but Susan refuses, leaving him a love note as she flees the country.
Contemporary fantasy
Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy, is a sub-genre of fantasy, set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its sub-genre, urban fantasy.-Definition and overview:...
novel by author Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K...
. It is the third novel in The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...
, which follows the character of Harry Dresden
Harry Dresden
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction...
, present-day Chicago's only professional wizard.
Plot
Set a year after the events of Fool MoonFool Moon (novel)
Fool Moon is a 2001 contemporary fantasy novel by author Jim Butcher. It is the second novel in The Dresden Files, which follows the character of Harry Dresden, present-day Chicago's only professional wizard.-Plot:...
, the story begins with Harry Dresden hunting a ghost with Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Cross and wielder of the holy sword called Amoracchius. They drive the spirit into the Nevernever before destroying her, and Harry discovers the ghost was under a spell of torment that caused the ghost to go on a rampage.
At that moment, the faerie Leanansidhe and her Hellhounds encircle them. She greets Dresden as her godson and reminds him of a long-ago pact he made to serve her. Dresden lies his way out of the situation and returns to the real world, only to be arrested by the Chicago police.
Michael's pregnant wife Charity bails Michael out of jail, and Susan appears to bail out Dresden. Back at his apartment, a pair of vampires deliver an invitation to a party celebrating the promotion of Madame Bianca, the head of the Red Court vampires in Chicago. Dresden is required to attend as the representative of the White Council of Wizards; to turn down the invitation could provoke war. Susan, not understanding the danger, can hardly wait to go to a vampire party, but Dresden insists that she not attend.
The next morning, Michael and Dresden visit Father Forthill at St. Mary of the Angels Church. Lydia had hidden there, but panicked and fled when attacked by another spirit. Dresden consults a local ectomancer, Mortimer Lindquist, who explains that the barrier between the real world and the spirit realm is getting thinner, which makes it easier for things to cross over, and which also makes new ghosts much more powerful. .
Later, Murphy calls Dresden for a personal favor, to try to help one of Murphy's fellow officers, who is trapped in the same icy torment spell that had affected the ghost in the hospital. Finally having time to track down Lydia, he finds her and is attacked by vampires who abduct with Lydia.
Affected by the narcotic vampire venom, Harry falls asleep and dreams that he is attacked by the demon which he battled during a previous case involving the aforementioned sorcerer, Leonid Kravos. He is wakened by his assistant, a spirit of knowledged called Bob, who helps him to discover that he really was attacked and that this Nightmare-demon drained a significant portion of his magical power. Dresden realizes that the Nightmare's targets are those who foiled Kravos' schemes, and that sleep makes the victims susceptible in spite of other protective measures. He rushes to help Murphy, the next likely target, but the Nightmare has gotten there before him, disguised as Dresden himself, and Dresden is only able to chase him away and try to minimize the damage. Now only he and Michael are left from the group who had defeated Kravos, and it seems the demon knows that the best way to hurt Michael is to threaten his family. Still disguised as Dresden, the Nightmare kidnaps Charity.
Dresden tracks the Nightmare a cemetery and attacks, when Leanansidhe appears as Dresden is beaten down. In exchange for a pledge of service, his godmother points out the water streams around the cemetery, and Dresden tackles the Nightmare into one, causing it to melt into ectoplasm. Dresden picks up Amoracchius, intending to use it against his faerie godmother, but the sword wrenches out of his hands and lands at the faerie's feet. Since Dresden defiled the holy blade by attempting to use it in an act of treachery, Leanansidhe is able to pick it up and steal it.
Dresden calls on assistance from a friend in Chicago PD to get Kravos's journal from the evidence lockers in order to learn the name of the demon. Since Dresden cannot determine which of his enemies is controlling the Nightmare, he casts a spell that binds the Nightmare to focus its attention only on him.
When Dresden bound the Nightmare to him, he felt the presence of the sorcerer that was controlling it. He and Michael go to Bianca's party reasoning that it's unlikely to be a coincidence, and that they may be able to identify the person there. At the entrance, they meet Thomas Raith, the representative of the White Court vampires, and his human date Justine. Thomas facilitates Dresden's introduction to the vampires, who poison him with narcotic vampire venom. Michael keeps Dresden on his feet so they can find the sorcerer. Then, Susan arrives with a forged invitation; due to this breach of hospitality, the vampires are free to kill her.
To make matters worse, Leanansidhe is present and her proximity further weakens Dresden due to his broken promise to her. Susan bargains with her to cure Dresden in return for a year of Susan's memory, but not specifying what form that would take. The faerie seals the bargain and leaves Susan with no memory at all of Dresden - the year taken was not contiguous, but rather consisted of every moment Susan had spent in Harry's presence.
As Harry and Michael attempt to get Susan out of the party, they encounter an old foe of Michael's, Mavra of the Black Court vampires. Dresden senses that she is the sorcerer manipulating the Nightmare. Leanansidhe reappears to gift Amoracchius to Madame Bianca. As part of the evening's entertainment, Mavra intends to unmake the sword with the blood of an innocent person, Lydia. It's an obvious trap; Dresden and Michael will have to violate the rules of hospitality and the Unseelie Accords -- potentially triggering war between wizards and vampires -- in order to save Lydia and the sword.
As the Red Court vampires surround them, Thomas explains that he and Justine are also marked for death and offers to help Harry in return for protection. Bianca captures Justine and holds her ransom with the price of Thomas betraying Dresden. Thomas agrees and pushes Susan into the mob of vampires. Bianca double-crosses him and keeps Justine, ordering Thomas' death. He flees while Susan is dragged away screaming. Burning with rage, Dresden incinerates everything in the immediate vicinity and collapses, exhausted. Michael carries Lydia and Dresden out of the inferno.
Dresden regains consciousness a day later. He's slightly burned but Lydia is safe and asleep. Michael has been guarding them in spite of his own wounds and the poor health of his wife and newborn child. Thomas arrives to propose that they work together to rescue Susan and Justine. As an offer of good faith, Thomas returns Amoracchius.
Lydia awakens, possessed by the Nightmare, and attacks them. Thomas subdues her using his vampiric powers and Dresden exorcises the spirit. His attempts to control it using the demon's name fail, and he realizes the culprit is not the demon at all; it's actually the ghost of Leonid Kravos himself, using the demon's shape to distract Harry. Mavra used the torment spell to stir up the spirits, which in turn weakened the barrier between the real world and the Nevernever, thus allowing Kravos to become a more powerful ghost when he committed ritual suicide in his jail cell. Mavra had also been teaching Bianca sorcery, making her a more powerful adversary.
The group decide to journey through the Nevernever to sneak into Bianca's house, but en route, Leanansidhe attacks and captures Dresden. He strikes yet another bargain with her, extracting a promise that she will not bother him for a year and a day. Bound by it, she releases him. However, as Michael and Thomas made no such bargain, she attacks them instead. They urge Dresden to go ahead without them and rescue Susan and Justine while they hold off the faerie and her Hellhounds.
Dresden returns to the real world inside Bianca's house, which turns out to be a trap. Dresden is captured by Bianca and locked in a room with Justine and Susan. Susan has been partially turned into a vampire, a process that will be completed if she kills a human through vampiric feeding. Dresden manages to restore her memory with magic, and he reinforces Susan's self-control and defuses her thirst by finally admitting his love for her.
Together, they seduce and destroy Kravos. Dresden consumes the Nightmare, taking back his and Kravos' power as well. They try to escape, but are stopped by Bianca, who offers a compromise: Dresden gets Justine, his magical items, and safe passage; in exchange, Bianca gets Susan. If Dresden refuses and tries to rescue Susan, there will be war between the vampires of the Red Court and the White Council. Dresden fights back with a powerful spell that exploits the thinned barrier with the Nevernever to rouse the spirits of all the vampires' victims against them. The wrath of the empowered spirits destroys the mansion and the vampires, while Dresden, Susan, and the others escape.
After the battle, Susan disappears; her apartment is up for rent and she's not at her job. Dresden tracks her down to a secluded cottage and proposes marriage, but Susan refuses, leaving him a love note as she flees the country.
Plot points introduced
- White Court Vampires: These vampires are the type that feed on the emotional energy of humans to survive.
- Black Court Vampires: These vampires are the type most similar to the Dracula legends. They are decayed, reanimated corpses that feed on the life force of the living. Many of their number have been destroyed because Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, made their vulnerabilities (e.g. garlic, running water, sunlight, holy symbols) common knowledge. Only the most cunning and powerful of them survived; thus, the few remaining Black Court vampires are particularly powerful and dangerous.
- Red Court Vampires: These vampires are rubbery, bat-like creatures. They often wear a "flesh-mask" which gives them the appearance of normal human, allowing them to keep a low profile in public. They crave blood, and their saliva contains a toxin with potent narcotic effects.
- Knights of the Cross: A group of three people, also known as the Knights of the Sword, who wield swords from God. Each sword allegedly has a nail from the Crucifixion worked into the blade, giving them abilities far beyond normal weapons.
- Unseelie Accords: The rules of conduct that must be followed on all official business between different supernatural organizations.
- Nevernever: The world of spirit and faerie, which is separated from the real world by a thin, permeable veil. Faerie is so large that you eventually have to cross it during any journey. There are Winter and Summer Court faeries. The Summer and Winter fae both have a bright and dark side. Neither one is better than the other. They just exemplify the different natures of the seasons. One stands for growth/warmth and one stands for hibernation/coldness. It’s possible to use Nevernever as a route between locations in the real world.
Returning Characters
- Harry DresdenHarry DresdenHarry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a fictional detective and wizard. He was created by Jim Butcher and is the protagonist of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files. The series blends magic and hardboiled detective fiction...
: Professional wizard and main character of the book. - Lieutenant Karrin MurphyKarrin MurphyKarrin Murphy is a major character in Jim Butcher's contemporary fantasy series, The Dresden Files. The character also appears as Connie Murphy in the television series based on the novels.- Background :...
: Director of Special Investigations for Chicago PD. - Susan Rodriguez: reporter at the Midwester Arcane, and Dresden's love interest.
- Bob: An intelligent air spirit who resides within a skull in Dresden's sub-basement laboratory.
- Mister: Dresden's 30+ pound house cat.
- Madame Bianca St. Claire: The owner of the Velvet Room and a margravine of the Red Court vampires.
Characters introduced in this novel
- Michael Carpenter: A carpenter, and a Knight of the Cross, who wields the sword Amoracchius. He met Dresden prior to the events of this novel.
- Lydia: A young seer who comes to Dresden for help from something that’s going to kill her.
- Leanansidhe: A Sidhe of the Winter Court; Harry's faerie Godmother.
- Charity Carpenter: The wife of Michael Carpenter. She met Dresden prior to the events of this novel.
- Father Forthill: A priest at Saint Mary of the Angels church; he provides a safe house for the Knights of the Cross. He met Dresden prior to the events of this novel.
- Mortimer Lindquist: He sees dead people and communicates with them.
- Detective John Stallings: An officer and a friend at SI.
- Thomas RaithThomas RaithThomas Raith is introduced as a vampire of the White Court in Grave Peril of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. It is revealed in Blood Rites that Thomas is the half brother of Harry Dresden, the protagonist of the series, and, until Changes, Harry's only known...
: A White Court vampire and the least favored child of the White King. - Justine: Thomas' girlfriend and a woman with a secret.
- Mavra: A Black Court vampire and a sorceress.
- Don Paolo Ortega: A duke of the Red Court vampires.
Grave Peril in other media
- Grave Peril has also been recorded as an audio book, narrated by James MarstersJames MarstersJames Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
. - This book is available as a Kindle book and a MP3 CD.
External links
- The first two chapters of the book are found on the author's official website.