Death Masks (novel)
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| Death Masks | |
 Death Masks |
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| Author | Jim Butcher |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Lee MacLeod |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Dresden Files |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction, Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | New American Library |
| Publication date | August 5, 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 374 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-451-45940-7 (first edition, paperback) |
| Preceded by | Summer Knight |
| Followed by | Blood Rites |
Death Masks is a 2003 novel by science fiction and fantasy author Jim Butcher. It is the fifth novel in The Dresden Files, his first published series that follows the character of Harry Dresden, professional wizard.
This book is published by New American Library with the ISBN 0-451-45940-7
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Harry is challenged to a duel by Duke Paolo Ortega of the Red Court of Vampires, in an attempt to end the war. If Harry wins, Chicago becomes neutral ground, while if he loses, the Red Court will press for peace completely. If Harry refuses to duel, the Red Court will kill all those whom Harry loves.
And, as if a life or death duel isn’t enough, a Catholic priest, who professes not to believe in magic, hires Harry to find the Shroud of Turin, which is currently believed to be in Chicago after having being stolen from France.
Susan Rodriguez, Harry's ex-girlfriend, returns to Chicago to cut off all the last vestiges of her old life.
Murphy asks Harry to investigate a mysterious corpse that has come to the morgue with no head, no hands, and that seemed to die from every disease known to man, all at the same time.
Harry is attacked by one of the Denarians, a fallen angel who can manifest on Earth. He is rescued by the three Knights of the Cross, who are acting in concert against the Denarians. The Knights ask Harry to leave this case to them. Harry learns this is because they believe he will die, according to prophecy, if he is involved. However, he learns that the prophecy also states that if he is not involved, all the Knights will die, as will everyone in the city of Chicago. The Knights did not know this part of the prophecy.
The Archive arrives to make the arrangements for the duel. She will be making sure the event is on the up and up.
Later, Harry tracks the Shroud to a boat and attempts to recover it. The thieves prevent Harry from escaping with the shroud, but the boat is then assaulted by the Denarians. Harry and the remaining thief flee, and the Shroud remains with the thieves.
Harry, Ortega, and their seconds, meet to settle all the details of the duel with the Archive's representative, as the Archive is the neutral mediator of the duel. The duel will be one of Willpower at sundown the next day at Wrigley Field.
Susan tracks the Shroud to a large art sales event run by Johnny Marcone that evening. She and Harry attempt to infiltrate the event and intercept the sale. After Marcone attempts to remove them, Harry tracks down the sale, which is interrupted by Denarians. The Denarians manage to take both the Shroud and to kidnap Harry.
Nicodemus, leader of the Denarians, attempts to get Harry to accept one the Denarian's coins and become a Denarian himself. Harry refuses, but before Nicodemus can kill him, Shiro arrives and trades himself for Harry. Harry is pursued but gets away with help from Susan. Susan and Harry are pursued all the way to Harry's place, where he is able to activate powerful defenses. Unfortunately, this means Susan cannot leave, and she is driven nearly to madness by her hunger for Harry's blood.
Harry manages to magically bind Susan. Additionally, in the relative safety of her magical bindings, they are able to consummate their love once again, when before it had been too dangerous because of the close correlation between Susan's bloodlust and bodily lust.
After the danger has passed, Susan leaves and Harry returns to the Knights. He there discovers that the local pastor has a tattoo similar to the one on the unidentified corpse. The only other person with a tattoo like that in the world is the priest who hired Harry to track the shroud. The Knights and Harry discover that one of the Denarians has taken the place of the priest, and force him to reveal the Denarians' plans to create a deadly plague, powered by the magic of the Shroud. The spell is to begin that evening at O'Hare Airport.
Harry, now seconded by Susan, heads to Wrigley to fight in the duel. The Archive brings out a piece of Mordite, a stone made of Anti-life, that is enchanted to move as it is willed to. If it touches either duelist, they will die. If anyone interferes or cheats, they will die. The duel begins and Ortega takes a commanding lead, then reveals that if Harry does not give in, he will kill all of Harry's loved ones, despite their agreement. This gives more power to Harry's will, and he begins to win. Ortega attempts to cheat with a gun, but is stopped. It is obvious he has cheated and the people monitoring the duel attempt to stop him, but he escapes. Harry appears to be the winner of the duel.
Harry races to the airport with the Knights to stop the plague spell. They are too late, and find Shiro dying in the airport's desecrated chapel, the spell triggered by his spilled blood. Shiro dies, but not before revealing both that the Denarians are traveling by train to St. Louis to continue spreading the plague, and that the plague can be stopped if the Denarians lose the Shroud. Harry enlists the aid of Marcone to reach the train in time, and Marcone, Harry, and the Knights do battle with the Denarians to retrieve the Shroud. They succeed when Harry guesses the way to defeat Nicodemus. It had been rumored that the noose around Nicodemus’ head is what allows him to continue to live, despite being almost killed several times by the Knights of the Cross over the last few centuries. Harry guesses that Nicodemus might be able to be killed by his noose, and Harry and Michael almost die in the attack, but are rescued by Marcone.
Fairly beat up, Harry is taken to Michael’s home, where he spends several days in the guest room recuperating. After Charity deems him fit to leave, he receives a letter from Shiro, revealing that he had previously been diagnosed with cancer and came to Chicago knowing he would sacrifice himself to save Harry. Shiro then entrusts his sword to Harry, saying that Harry will know when to give the sword away.
Later, Harry talks with Susan, who tells Harry that after she awoke from being knocked out at the duel, she was over Central America. Her partner from the Fellowship of St. Giles, who had supposedly come to keep an eye on her, had really come to kill Ortega, and used Susan for cover. Susan then tells Harry that Ortega is gathering his most powerful warriors to personally hunt Harry down. The next day, Ebenezer calls, telling Harry to check the news. In what the newscaster describes as a freak accident, an old Soviet satellite has crashed into Ortega’s fortress, leaving no survivors. Harry shivers, realizing the realms of power in which he is moving.
Harry confirms that Marcone had the Shroud stolen, hoping to use it to cure an unnamed comatose teenage girl at a secluded hospital. Harry allows Marcone three days to see if it will work, after which the Shroud must be returned to the Church.
Harry then goes to Michael’s house for a cook-over. A car drives by, and flips a coin into the yard. Harry picks up the coin to prevent Harry, Michael’s youngest son, from doing the same, and realizes that the coin is a denarius. Harry hears Nicodemus’ calling from the car, and feels the power within the coin. Sanya, the third Knight, comes out to check on Harry, and Harry slips out of the party to bury the coin, reflecting on all that has happened. He then buries the coin in his sub-basement inside a magic circle.
[edit] Plot points introduced
- Denarians: The Denarians are unions of a human host and a Fallen. There are thirty Fallen, each bound to a tarnished silver Roman denarius which bears its respective Fallen's sigil; the thirty denarii represent the thirty pieces of silver paid to the apostle Judas to betray Jesus, and may possibly be those very coins.
- Fellowship of Saint Giles: The Fellowship of St. Giles (named for the patron saint of lepers) is made up of people who are half-human and more specifically those who have been infected by Red Court vampires, but have yet to drink the lifeblood of another human to complete their transformation. The Fellowship helps its members control their urges, support each other, and fight the vampires who infected them.
[edit] Characters
Characters that return are in bold, major characters are Italic.
- Harry Dresden: Professional wizard and main character of the book
- Lieutenant Karrin Murphy: Director of Special Investigations
- Gentleman Johnny Marcone: Crime lord of Chicago
- Susan Rodriguez: former reporter at the Midwester Arcane, and Dresden's love interest. A member of the Fellowship.
- Mac: owner of McAnally's tavern
- Mister: Dresden's 30+ pound house cat
- 'Bob': A intelligent air spirit who lives inside a skull in Dresden's sub-basement laboratory.
- 'Michael Carpenter: ': A Knight of the Cross, bearer of Amoracchius
- Shiro Yoshimo: A Knight of the Cross, bearer of Fidelacchius, diagnosed with terminal cancer before the events of the story and killed by Nicodemus. Is only a baptist because of a misunderstanding at an Elvis Presley concert.
- Sanya: A Knight of the Cross, bearer of Esperacchius. Former Denarian a Russian. Also an agnostic even though the archangel Michael gave him his sword.
- The Archive: a young girl who has had the sum of all human knowledge passed down to her along the maternal line. Nicknamed 'Ivy' by Dresden since she has no given name
[edit] Death Masks in Other Media
Death Masks is not yet available as an audiobook.
[edit] External links
- Death Masks The website summary of Death Masks and the first four chapters to preview.
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