History Literature / SummerKnight

''Summer Knight'' is book #4 in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Now has its own [[ShoutOut/SummerKnight Shout Out]] page.

* BeardOfSorrow: Harry starts the book on the tail end of a HeroicBSOD due to losing Susan in the [[Literature/GravePeril previous book]], during which he neglected his business and grooming.

* YouAreNotAlone: At the beginning, Billy the Werewolf is trying to dig this idea into Harry's re-enforced concrete skull. After the assassination attempt, Harry comes to realize Billy is just trying to be his good friend and is very much in the right.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Had [[spoiler:Mab and Titania just talked with each other or their Mothers, the truth would have been realized]].

** When the Senior Council is considering candidates to replace a vacant spot, several of the reasons for these venerable men and women not being present are of this sort. Wizard Gomen is "sleeping off that potion." Others interesting reasons include one man "got real married," another wizard is "living under the polar ice cap," and "Pyramid sitting."

** Morgan [[spoiler:suggests Susan was this from the start for the Red Court and she never loved Harry.]]

** Toot-toot and fairies similar to his status love pizza. [[spoiler: Harry used this to gain their help when fighting against Aurora. See DeathOfAThousandCuts for more]].

* ColdIron: The fae, large and small, loathe iron and any alloy that contain it. To harm a fae with iron is seen as a heinous and vicious act. The [[PhysicalGod Winter Queen]] herself jumped back from a ''rolling nail'' like Harry had just tossed boiling acid at her. [[spoiler:Aurora dies from steel blades slashing her up.]]
* ComesGreatResponsibility: [[spoiler:Ancient Mai feels Harry fails at this idea, and so should be stripped of his rank as Wizard. If he passes the trial set forth by the Gatekeeper, though, she will agree he has it once more]].

** [[spoiler:The Queen Mothers are mostly kind entities who don't want the battle that is coming to happen. To that end, when Harry proves himself worthy of their wisdom, they give him aid in their own way]].

'''''Summer Knight''''' is book #4 in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Now has its own [[ShoutOut/SummerKnight Shout Out]] page.

** Harry insists he really had nothing to do with the [[Literature/StormFront broken elevator in his office. It certainly wasn't because of a magical scorpion trying to kill him.]]
** Lea reminds Harry she is still bound to not harm him as was their deal at the end of ''Grave Peril.''

** This book introduces several characters whose lives and choices will lead to trouble for Harry. First, [[spoiler:Wizard Samuel Peabody, the one who reads of the list of the most senior wizards,]] plays a major role in ''Turn Coat''.

* ColdIron: The fae, large and small, loath the metal and any mixture of metals that contain it. To harm a fae with iron is seen as a heinous and vicious act. The [[PhysicalGod Winter Queen]] herself jumped back from a ''rolling nail'' like Harry had just tossed boiling acid at her. [[spoiler:Aurora dies from steel blades slashing her up.]]

* CosmicKeystone: The Stone Table [[spoiler:which sits between the lands of Summer and Winter. It trades ownership between the two Courts on each solstice. It is a storage unit of power as well. Should one be slain on the table, the power of the person is irrevocably placed into the Fae Courts. The Big Bad plans to place the Vessel of the Summer Knight's Mantle there and kill her, the power of the Summer Mantle will become Winter's for the next six months, but in that time the courts will be completely unbalanced and Winter will win the war]].

* DidntSeeThatComing: Harry was very confident [[spoiler:he wouldn't be handed over to the Red Court as requested in their letter of appeasement because the Council, while not liking him, wouldn't give into monstrous bullies like that. But then [=LaFortier=] of the Senior council moves to strip Harry of his title of Wizard, thus meaning he no longer has the protection of the Council. If it happened, they could consider handing him over.]]

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: What would have happened if Harry hadn't gotten involved. [[spoiler: The Summer Lady intended to sacrifice the new summer knight on a special altar on the summer solstice, which would have resulted in the power of the summer knight transferring to winter. Since Earth's weather patterns mirror the war between the summer and winter fae, this would have resulted in an Ice Age]].

* EvilGloating: The assassin ghoul Tigress [[spoiler:has Murphy, suffering from a panic attack as she flashed back to the MindRape, and gloats about her being a weak human. Then she laughs at Murphy. [[BerserkButton Murphy didn't take that too well.]]]]

** Mab's rather understated [[OhCrap Oh Crap]] moments when she realises that [[spoiler: Aurora is behind the plot and the Gatekeeper views this as a matter he should get involved in]] are likely her first realisation that [[spoiler: [[Literature/ColdDays Nemesis can infect the Queens]].]]

* TookALevelInBadass: The Alphas had gone from skinny NewMeat to the the supernatural world in ''Literature/FoolMoon'' to muscular, seasoned fighters more than capable of helping Harry and Murphy should they need it.

** The White Council meeting is protected by, in part, by stone dogs which will come to life an attack any who have even hints of dark magic on them.

** [[spoiler:The Queen Mothers are mostly kind entities who don't want the battle that is coming to happen. To that end, when Harry proves himself worthy of their wisdom, they give him aide in their own way]].

** When the Senior Council is considering candidates to replace a vacant spot, several of the reasons for these venerable men and women not present. Wizard Gomen is "sleeping off that potion." Others interesting reasons include one man "got real married," the wizard is "living under the polar ice cap," and "Pyramid sitting."

* PubertySuperpower: Changlings, half-human and half-Fae, generally show their Fae side when they hit puberty.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Excluding the fact Mab and Titania are old enough to be many people's grannies, this trope applies to [[PhysicalGod Mother Summer and Mother Winter]] who may appear to be old ladies but are by far the strongest of the Queens, able to read minds without Harry even sensing them doing it. [[spoiler:They are also strong enough that Aurora must use Harry as a patsy to get the Unraveling as Aurora is far to weak to try and steal it. Furthermore, Mother Winter is able to produce the Unraveling, a piece of Antimagic capable of dispelling any enchantment, including the Vampire Curse Susan suffers from.]]

* NeverMessWithGranny: Excluding the fact Mab and Titania are old enough to be many peoples grannies, this trope applies to [[PhysicalGod Mother Summer and Mother Winter]] who may appear to be old ladies but are by far the strongest of the Queens, able to read minds without Harry even sensing them doing it. [[spoiler:They are also strong enough that Aurora must use Harry as a patsy to get the Unraveling as Aurora is far to weak to try and steal it. Furthermore, Mother Winter is able to produce the Unraveling, a piece of Antimagic capable of dispelling any enchantment, including the Vampire Curse Susan suffers from.]]

** [[spoiler:Only someone imminent with Senior Council Simon Pietrovich's methods could have bypassed them and allowed the Red Court entry into his domain.]]

* MyCountryRightOrWrong: [[spoiler:When Harry points out to Talos, Lord Marshal of the Summer Court, Aurora is insane. He simply replies, she is still his Queen and must follow her commands, even if it means the end of the world.]]

** A business type. Mab, now the owner of Harry's considerable debt to his godmother Lea, makes him a him a deal. Do three favors for her and the debt is forgiven. She even grants Harry the right to refuse the favor and she will make him suffer no consequences. So, in typical Devil fashion, her favor for this book will be linked to his personal survival where if he refuses other people will kill him.

** When Harry meets [[spoiler:Mother Winter and Mother Summer, they examine him, seeing his inner pain and previous actions, and then ask him some questions to see what sort of man he is.]] In the end, they decide he is a far wiser man than he lets on, and a wiser person than the BigBad for understanding things the person doesn't. Because of this, they deliver to him [[spoiler:the Unraveling.]]

* FacePalm: Harry has a particularly memorable one here. [[spoiler: He has just escaped a quicksand like death trap and is hanging by his belt from a tree branch about twenty feet up dripping mud and boots, no sooner does he thank his lucky stars that there is no one there to see him then somebody shows up!]]

** The BigBad needs [[spoiler:the Unreaveling but knows Mother Winter would never give it to one of the big bad's minions. So, she sets Harry up to get to Mother Winter]] and obtain it.

* LeaveYourQuestTest: After completing the task he's given at the start of the book, [[spoiler:The Gatekeeper]] shows up and asks Harry whether he'll act on the newly uncovered knowledge that [[spoiler:the Summer Lady is attempting to do something which will result in the world's destruction]], or go home, knowing his job is done. After Harry chooses the former, [[spoiler:The Gatekeeper]] says that if he had answered otherwise, [[spoiler:The Gatekeeper]] would have killed him right then and there.

*** Nothing prevents a Queen from taking the person and leaving them in the middle of the ocean or dessert or other likely fatal place. Technically, it isn't the Queen qho does the harming.

** Mab [[spoiler:knew how to play Harry to get him to take her deal to get him out knowing he would be forced to accept her first request, as if he didn't he would likely be given over to the vampires as an appeasement.]]

* WhyDontYaJustShootHim: A perfectly justified example. When the topic of killing a captured Harry comes up, it's pointed out that all wizards have the ability to use the spark of magic generated by their own lifeforce for what's called a death curse. As the name implies, it's not something the user will survive, but generally it results in a HeroicSacrifice to which the term "blast radius" is appropriate. [[spoiler:This makes Aurora change her mind about how to kill Harry and opts for a slower drowning and leaving him so when he dies she's out of range.]]