# Dresden Files #18 Releases 01/20/26 \[Open spoilers starting with post #14\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 27, 2025, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107 "2025-12-27T21:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/21 "2026-02-23T05:45:24Z")
Just finished listening to this. It’s the first DF I have read as a new release. I liked it quite a bit and found the recovery realistic. Some new, interesting characters were added. One thing that I didn’t buy (or maybe I missed a convincing explanation) was that Thomas wouldn’t sacrifice himself to Etri instead of letting his son be adopted. Unless we’re supposed to take away that Thomas is selfish. > [@Chronos](#): > > And who wants to lay odds on Matias becoming the next Bearer of the Sword of Love? This is an interesting idea. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/22 "2026-02-23T22:49:05Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > I hadn’t thought of that. Have there been wizard Knights of the Sword in the past? I think there have, but Matias isn’t a wizard. He’s one of the guys who was staying with Harry because his own home was destroyed, and then took up a shotgun during the big fight. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/23 "2026-02-24T02:11:03Z")
Great ending(s) but Dresden spends way WAY too much of the first two thirds of the book moping and feeling sorry for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/24 "2026-02-24T02:39:03Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > moping and feeling sorry for himself IOW, being Dresden? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/25 "2026-02-24T02:50:51Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > IOW, being Dresden? Sure, for a chapter, or so. Not 2/3rd of a book. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/26 "2026-02-24T03:01:11Z")
I mean, given what he’d just gone through? It needed most of an entire book for him to get over it. Or at least, enough over it to move on. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/27 "2026-02-24T04:39:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I mean, given what he’d just gone through? It needed most of an entire book for him to get over it. It could also be “A year later…”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107/28 "2026-02-24T11:49:30Z")
Which would have been entirely unsatisfying. It wasn’t enough for him to get over it. We needed to see him getting over it. It’s the journey, not the destination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dresden-files-18-releases-01-20-26-open-spoilers-starting-with-post-14/1026107.md?page=1)