History Literature / GhostStory

* DumbassHasAPoint: From [[spoiler:Evil Bob]]'s perspective Harry is an infant wizard with potential but clouded by stupid things like morality. However, when Harry claims that killing him isn't in the being's self-interest, the being replies that it lacks "self-interest." Harry rationally points out [[spoiler:that Evil Bob hesitating in killing Harry for even a second has no apparent rational basis, as Bob is stronger and in the superior position, serving the Corpsetaker would be best done by killing Harry, and Evil Bob isn't stopping to talk for Harry's sake]], therefore the hesitation is caused by [[spoiler:Evil Bob]] believing Harry being alive might be better off for it than a dead Harry, ergo it is in its self-interest. Egro the being has some level of "self-interest." The being realizes there might be some validity to this and will think on it later, but now must kill Harry.

''Ghost Story'' is book #13 in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''.

* AbnormalAmmo: Sir Stuart uses a large gun to blast a wraith to oblivion. Harry finds out that, much like everything else a ghost can do, it is powered by memory. Stuart makes a great effort to recover that energy each time it is used. [[spoiler: Harry finds out later that he can use magic again if it is powered by his memories of using magic. However, if Harry does not recover that energy (and there is no apparent way to do so, unlike Sir Stuart's bullets) he himself will eventually dissipate since, as a ghost, Harry is made of nothing ELSE but memory. Harry, being Harry, realizes this just a bit too late.]]
* AfterlifeExpress: Right at the start of the book, Harry narrowly misses the "southbound" train barreling at him. [[spoiler: When the Corpsetaker is destroyed by her own wraiths, her screams are drowned out by the sound of the same train.]]

* AndTheAdventureContinues: In payment for all his years serving [[spoiler: as Mortimer's protector, Uriel recovers a damaged Sir Stuart and offers him a new job among his forces. Seeing how much his descendant has grown, Sir Stuart decides to take his leave and accepts the position of working for an Archangel]].

** When Daniel is facing off against [[spoiler: Aristedes]] blade-to-blade, he sarcastically asks [[spoiler: Aristedes]] where he got his knife from. After the other replies that he got it "from the last fool to try a blade against [him]," Daniel gets this line in:

** After Harry realizes the angel of death isn't there to cause the death, but guard the soul to its final resting place, she tells Harry, "If this is [his] time, I will see him safely to the next world. The Prince of Darkness himself will not wrest him from me. Neither will you, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, noble though your intentions may be."
*** And it becomes doubly badass in universe -- by using of all his names in the "right way," the angel is demonstrating she basically owns him.

* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: [[spoiler: ArchangelUriel]] reveals to Harry that [[spoiler: he was unduly influenced by a Fallen saying a lie with seven words that led him to wanting to die after becoming the Winter Knight]]. To balance things out in the end, [[spoiler: Uriel is able to give Harry seven corresponding words of Pure Truth to help him see through Mab's manipulations]].

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: This is the thirteenth book in the series, and Harry is dead. [[spoiler: Well, until the end. Or, depending on your point of view, he never was dead in the first place, just royally screwed]].

Not to be confused with the 1979 horror novel by Creator/PeterStraub, or its 1981 film adaptation.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: Present in some of the later books, but ''Ghost Story'' takes this to new heights: it is ''impossible'' to discuss its plot (WhoDunnitToMe) without giving away the last few pages of ''Changes''.

** Harry looks upon [[spoiler: Uriel and tells him to not even try the "Mysterious Ways"-BS and things he is not meant to know before making him choose whether to go onto the next train or stay on Earth as a shade. He was twice screwed with, once by a Fallen lying to him, and the other by Captain Jack's lie of vagueness. He deserves to have some key questions answered if Uriel is all about openness and honesty]].

* YouAreNotAlone: [[spoiler:Molly's current path and choices leaves her going at things alone. When Karrin and Father Forthill try to get her see she isn't alone, she rebukes them and ignores them. While training with the ''Leanansidhe'', Harry's godmother tries to teach Molly she isn't alone and needs others to survive. She does this by pushing her to her limit and then summoned servants of the Fomor to attack. Had Harry not been present, she would have died and she makes sure Molly knows this when things are over]].

* YouOweMe: Harry bluntly tells [[spoiler: ArchangelUriel]] he is owed some straight up answers to allow him to make an informed choice. [[spoiler: Uriel, after a moment, sees that Harry has been jerked around by one of his subordinates to come back to Chicago on top of being ''lied'' to by a Fallen]], so he agrees to give Harry the information he asks for.

* UnskilledButStrong: Molly's penchant for illusion magic. As mentioned under NoSell, not that impressive by White Council standards. It is, however, a powerful tool against the unskilled in magic and those who cannot open their Sight.

* UnbrokenVigil: The ending reveals [[spoiler:Mab and Demonreach have been doing this to Harry while his soul is away. It is necessary as they are helping sustain Harry's body until he can return to it. The months sitting there have left Mab with a thin body described akin to a cadaver]].

* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: It’s revealed Harry [[spoiler:went through this with his planning his own assassination. His back was broken and he saw no way to save Maggie but to go to Mab and become her Knight. He couldn't stand the thought of becoming a monster and arranged for Kincaid to kill him after Maggie was saved and for Molly to remove the memories of the plot]]. It is then revealed [[spoiler: this was invoked by a Fallen whispering a lie to Harry during a MomentOfWeakness to shove him into a tragedy by adding an incredible weight of guilt to his mind]].

** Fitz cares about the runaways under his care. And they care about him. [[spoiler:It's this brotherly love which helps Fitz break them free of Aristedes' control. It is also for their sake Fitz returns to face the man when Harry tells him Aristedes would soon just kill the lot of them now that they have seen him injured]].

** Justin [=DuMorne=] shows himself to be this. He is sometimes cruel to Harry when teaching him magic ("Pain is a good teacher"), but he is ''always'' strict and demanding. When he asks something of Harry, he doesn't like to repeat himself. If Harry misbehaves, he will strike Harry, although claiming that it is never in anger. When Harry excels at magic, like casting a spell for the first time, he is warm and comforting for a time, although kindnesses (like a new baseball glove and playing catch outside) may turn into cruelty (like throwing baseballs at Harry's face, ''hard'', until he learns to shield properly).

** Many characters who are experts in the spirits, like Father Forthill and Morty, [[spoiler:note there is something queer about Harry's ghost. Morty bases this on a magical scan and Forthill by Harry entering St. Mary's, which should block all ghosts. What the reason is for these differences, they don't know, but Morty is scared this some trick aimed to capture him.]] It is later revealed these suspicions were founded as [[spoiler:Harry was different from ghosts because he isn't one. He is an astral projection and what's running around is his pure ''soul'' without the protection of the shade.]]

* StealthPun: Flickum Bicus is actually kinda subtle unless you regularly flick your bic. It's explained outright, though: [[spoiler:when Harry was training under Justin [=DuMorne=], he tried to cheat at a magical fire-lighting test with a lighter, causing Justin to remark "You won't always be able to flick your Bic." When Harry finally does light the candle with magic, he uses "Flickum Bicus" as the invocation as a nod to Justin's lecture.]]

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler:The Leanansidhe]] rebukes Molly's claim that she was strong and fought with Harry at Chichén Itzá. The rebuker noted that Molly did but she was taken out of the fight because of a bullet from a muggle mercenary and nearly died from it.

* RuleOfSeven: [[spoiler: A Fallen Angel spoke ''seven'' words to Harry back in ''Changes''. These seven words were a ''Lie''. To balance the scales, Uriel speaks seven words of pure Truth in the final chapter.]]

* RewatchBonus: Several moments take a new meaning when one knows [[spoiler:Harry is still alive on Demonreach, being cared for by Mab and the Island]]. In particular the discussion between Harry and Lea. When interrupted by Eternal Silence [[spoiler:Really Demonreach]], Lea appears to be listening to a voice Harry can't hear, which makes her reconsider her answers, and later suddenly act courteous to Eternal Silence. [[spoiler: She's listening to Mab's commands, who is on Demonreach itself.]]

** [[spoiler:Corpsetaker, as it turns out, wasn't ''insane'' enough already to be able to manifest from a Shade to a ghost able to screw with the world of the living. So she consumed the craziest of the shades under Mort's protection, giving her not just the memory power but sufficient insanity to break into the world of the living]].

** When Fitz realizes he is hearing the voice of ''Harry Dresden'' he has a minor one--which is then inverted, as the first thing that he remembers hearing about Harry is that he helps people, which helps solidify the at-the-time touchy alliance he and Harry had.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Because they are using unsecured CB radios, Murphy insists on only nicknames being used over the radio. So Butters is "Eyes" and the Alphas in general are "shadows".

* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: It is revealed Harry [[spoiler:went through this with his planning his own assassination. His back was broken and he saw no way to save Maggie but to go to Mab and become her Knight. He couldn't stand the thought of becoming a monster and arranged for Kincaid to kill him after Maggie was saved and for Molly to remove the memories of the plot]]. It is then revealed [[spoiler: this was invoked by a Fallen whispering a lie to Harry during a MomentOfWeakness to shove him into a tragedy by adding an incredible weight of guilt to his mind]].