Love Killed the Dinosaurs

I'm a few chapters away from finishing Blood Rites, the sixth book of the Dresden Files series. One of the things that hooked me to the novels is the episodic/serial approach that Jim Butcher (the author) took to writing the stories. Each book is like an episode in a TV series, complete with its own conflicts, antagonists, and story arcs.



Aside from the case assignments that Dresden takes for each novel, there is an ongoing meta-plot that connects all the novels and continues to shape the protagonist. In Blood Rites, Harry Dresden investigates a string of murders in a studio that makes porn films. As the story unfolds, Dresden realizes that the victims are related to one of the Vampire Courts, who are currently at war with the wizards.

In the course of the story, Dresden gets to learn more about his past -- particularly his dead mother and her shady dealings. He also discovers a few secrets about his friends, which changes the way he relates to them.

But what I enjoy most about the book is the dialogue. The writer would sometimes put in bits of pop culture trivia and other ideas that seems odd for an urban-detective-fantasy novel. But it makes sense in the end.

One of the dialogues I liked was between Dresden and the vampire Thomas. They were talking about Love as a potent source of magic and defense against vampires that feed on emotions. Rather than explain Love in a mystical or philosophical way, Thomas explains it as a powerful force that destroyed the dinosaurs:

Thomas: Love is a dangerous force. Love killed the dinosaurs, man.

Dresden: I'm pretty sure a meteor killed the dinosaurs. Thomas.

Thomas: There's a theory making the rounds now that when the meteor hit, it only killed off the big stuff. That there were plenty of smaller reptiles running around, about the same size as all the mammals at the time. The reptiles should have regained their position eventually, but they didn't, because the mammals could feel love. They could be utterly, even irrationally, devoted to their mates and their offspring. It made them more likely to survive. The lizards couldn't do that. The meteor hit gave the mammals their shot, but it was love that turned the tide.

I'd never thought of Love as something that only warm blooded creatures possess. But it did help mammals survive and it helps protect people against vampire attacks (at least in the book).