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They are very good. Try not to get one of the later ones, the earlier, the easier it will be to understand the whole thing.
[EDIT] This may contain some spoilers for some parts of the books, but should not do much to give away the storyline. Just a warning, this is a very long post.
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Vampire courts
White Court
This court is the most humanlike group of vampires. They are succubi and incubi who feed off the emotions and life force of their prey. White Court Vampires can do this in many ways. Thomas and House Raith are sexual predators; they use their supernaturally good looks and an energy aura around them to attract both men and women to them. During intercourse, or any contact where emotions like lust are heightened, they feed off their prey. Other Houses such as House Malvora (with which Thomas's cousin Madrigal is involved) feed off fear. Victims of the feedings of House Raith grow to enjoy the experience and become bonded to their predator like a drug addiction. The White Court is not endowed with as much physical strength as the Red or Black courts, but they make up for it by having many fewer vulnerabilities. Sunlight and holy artifacts (both of which affect vampires of the other Courts) do not harm them at all. Their power derives from an internal demonic essence they call the 'Hunger' which acts like a battery. If they refrain from feeding for too long, the 'Hunger' drives them into a frenzy where they must feed (almost always killing their victims), and can drive them permanently insane. When needed, they tap this store of energy to augment their strength, speed, resilience and healing ability far beyond normal; while doing this, they radiate waves of cold (possibly an illusionary reaction of normal humans to their energy sink), their skin whitens, and their eyes turn unnaturally silver. White Court vampire blood is pinkish instead of red. Their largest weakness is true love: people who are, or have recently been, in real, affectionate and sacrificial love are highly resistant to White Court control, and can even physically burn and blister vampire skin. Unlike the other courts, the White Court prefers to avoid direct confrontation. They are a court of schemers and prefer to stab each other in the back in exquisitely detailed plots to impress the others in the Court. At the moment Thomas's father is the King of the White Court, but in name only; his sister Lara is in charge, pulling the strings from the background to keep up appearances.
Red Court
The Red Court of Vampires are less human-like than the White Court. Instead they are slimy bat-like creatures hidden behind incredibly sensuous human costumes. They use these costumes to trick their prey into being more comfortable and to hide in plain sight. They are incredibly strong and fast, and can shake off any injury quickly unless their bellies are cut and their blood is spilled, which will kill them. The Red Court is vulnerable to sunlight and are known for their seductive "Kiss". Their saliva contains a potent magical narcotic which addicts humans to their control very rapidly. The narcotic lowers the victim's inhibitions while dulling the pain of the vampire's bite. Addicted humans will go to great lengths to protect their vampiric masters, and willingly provide information from the mortal community as needed. The Red Court is also capable of transforming ordinary humans into vampires in a two-step process: the human is first infected with the vampiric thirst for blood (gaining supernatural speed, strength and endurance in the process) and then completes the change into the demonic form upon killing a human victim in their first feeding. Infected humans with sufficient strength of will have been known to refrain from feeding for an indefinite length of time (magical bonds, regular exposure to sunlight, and avoiding physical intimacy all help), but no cure has yet been found for the "half-vampire" infected state. The Red Court is highly organized in a feudalistic caste system with a King at the top, followed by Dukes and other ranks. Currently, the Red Court is waging a war against the White Council in an effort to destroy them.
Black Court
The Black Court comprises the most well-known kind of vampire, the reanimated bloodthirsty corpses popularized by Bram Stoker's Dracula; in fact, the publication of that book is (in the Dresdenverse) believed to be the primary cause of the Court's downfall. The Black Court is currently the smallest and (politically) weakest of the Courts, although those few who survived the purges caused by Stoker's book are among the strongest and most cunning monsters in the world. Black Court vampires possess all the classic strengths and weaknesses of Stoker's Dracula: they can lift and throw cars with one hand and crash through concrete walls without harm, but must sleep in their native soil and fear sunlight, garlic and crosses. At least one Black Court vampire has demonstrated the ability to learn and teach human wizardry.
Jade Court
The Jade Court is a fourth vampire court, and little is known about them. Their realm of influence covers most of Asia. Dresden has never been in contact with a Jade Court vampire, and only recently learned of their existence from the Knight, Shiro.
The White Council
The White Council is the governing body of the Wizard community in the world. They primarily protect humanity from abuses of magic, but also shield this world from the Sidhe and other creatures that wish humanity harm. It is also a political and democratic organization seeking to unite Wizards throughout the world, and can make or break treaties with the other supernatural powers as necessary.
The Council is governed by a Senior Council of seven wizards, with the leader referred to as the Merlin. Beyond the Senior Council, which constitutes the executive branch, there are the actual wizards of the council that contribute to the legislative branch. The Judicial branch belongs to the Wardens, a combination police force and military.
The Senior Council
The Council is governed by a Senior Council of seven wizards, the leader of whom is entitled the Merlin; traditionally the Merlin is regarded as the most powerful wizard in the world, though the politicking required to secure the position may suggest that factors other than raw power are equally important. The Senior Council arrives at its decisions through majority vote, but the Merlin has the authority to cast the vote of any Senior Council member not present at a Senior Council meeting; politicking at this level often turns simply on who does and does not arrive at a meeting before a vote is concluded.
Currently, the Senior Council consists of the following Wizards:
Alfred Langtry (the Merlin)
By convention, the Merlin is the most powerful wizard on the planet. He leads Senior Council meetings, and is the closest thing the White Council has to a chief executive. The Merlin wields a proxy vote for all Senior Council members unable to attend meetings, a power Langtry can and has used to influence the outcome of critical votes.
Langtry himself is a powerful wizard of British origin. In addition to being a master of Wards (defensive magicks), he also has centuries of experience in the political arena that make him a formidable opponent both in and out of Council session.
Ancient Mai
An elderly Asian woman. She appears to handle contact with other supernatural powers for the Council, having sent emissaries to both Sidhe courts at the start of Summer Knight.
Aleron LaFortier
A French wizard and, so far, a minor character in the series.
The Gatekeeper
A tall, mysterious individual who typically dresses in a full head-to-toe cloak, with a hood that shadows his face. In general little is know about the Gatekeeper. It has been revealed that he is Muslim, and has been referred to as 'Rashid' and 'that old desert fox' by Queen Mab. He is the keeper of the outer gates, and has the power to see the past and future.
Martha Liberty
An African-American wizard, and another relatively minor character as of Proven Guilty.
Joseph Listens-to-Wind (aka Injun Joe)
A Native American shaman, and the only "real American" on the council (he refers to McCoy and Liberty as "a bunch of Johnny-come-latelies"). He is often accompanied by his familiar, a raccoon named Little Brother.
Ebenezar McCoy (the Blackstaff)
Scottish, by way of Arkansas. In addition to taking the place of the late Simon Pietrovich on the Senior Council, McCoy also serves as the Council's Blackstaff. He has a long-standing unspecified disagreement with the Merlin, which has not been explored deeply within the series. It is worth noting that McCoy's title of Blackstaff is independent of his appointment to the Senior Council. He served as the Council's wet work man for decades, but was only recently appointed to his current Council position.
In most matters, the Senior Council is divided into two voting blocs: The Merlin, Ancient Mai, and LaFortier representing conservative interests, and Martha Liberty, Injun Joe, and McCoy taking a more progressive stance. The Gatekeeper tends to be the deciding vote in these cases, weighing all available information before casting his vote.
The Wardens
The Wardens enforce the Seven Laws of Magic, and are empowered to deliver summary judgment when confronting a violator of the Laws. This can be anything from advising new practitioners of the Laws, to delivering suspects to trial in front of the Senior Council, to simply beheading criminals in the field. During times of war (such as the current conflict with the Red Court), Wardens also serve as the White Council's military branch.
The Blackstaff
In addition to the Wardens, the Council also secretly appoints one wizard to serve as its Blackstaff. The Blackstaff is given unique and unrestricted authority to violate the Seven Laws of Magic at his or her own discretion without penalty. This was implemented as a last-ditch solution in situations where the Laws are being exploited to prevent the Council from taking necessary action against its enemies.
The Seven Laws of Magic
The Seven Laws of Magic—violation of which carries a penalty of death—are as follows:
Thou shalt not kill by use of magic.
Thou shalt not transform others.
Thou shalt not invade the mind of another.
Thou shalt not enthrall another.
Thou shalt not seek to open the Outer Gates.
Thou shalt not reach beyond the borders of life.
Thou shalt not swim against the Currents of Time.
Note: These laws were put in place to protect "normals" (non-magical humans) as well as other Wizards from abuses of magic, not from vampires, the Sidhe, or other creatures of the Nevernever.
Faerie Courts
Summer
Summer is led by Mother Summer, then the Summer Queen Titania, and finally the Summer Lady Lily. The Queens, as they are called, rule over the vassals and lands of Summer in opposition to the Winter Queens. The power of Summer is linked to fire. Additionally the creatures of Summer tend to be more nurturing and kind to mortals than other Faeries. The Queens have a mortal ally in the Summer Knight, a position currently held by a mortal named Fix. The Summer Knight is given great power by the Summer Queens to act as their mortal liaison but is not forced to tell the truth. Like all Faeries the summer fae can only speak the truth and are vulnerable to Cold Iron, which gives them great pain. After the Red Court crossed through Summer and Winter lands to attack the Council, Summer called for war against the Red Court, but the Winter Queen Mab moved her forces nearer to Summer's borders, halting Summer's advance and creating a pseudo-Cold War. The Summer Court tends to remain neutral in most mortal affairs.
Winter
The Winter Court is as cruel and merciless as their power of choice, ice. The creatures of Winter excel at cold and ice attacks and predominantly have or wear colors associated with darkness and winter. This Court is led by Three Queens: The Mother, Mab, and Maeve. Their Knight, Lloyd Slate, is held in Mab's fortress for plotting against Winter in the service of the late Lady Aurora, the insane ex-Lady of Summer. Another difference between Winter and Summer is that the Winter court purposely goes out of their way to affect the mortal realm. Harry's godmother Lea is one of the more powerful Winter Faeries, so much so that she was struck down and imprisoned by Mab herself so Lea could not become more powerful than her. Currently Harry has been offered the position of Winter Knight twice and has turned it down both times. He still owes Mab two favors as part of a deal where his debt to Lea was mortgaged to Mab.
Wyldfae
The Wyldfae are creatures of Faerie which do not belong to either Winter or Summer. Most of them do freelance work instead, capable of choosing whichever side they want in a given conflict. If they are forced to choose sides in a war between Summer and Winter, they will align themselves with the faction most appealing to their personalities. Therefore the nastier and more murderous aid Winter over Summer. There is no direct King of the Wyldfae, although the being known as the Erlking is probably the closest counterpart. He is a Faerie at least powerful as Mab. He can be summoned by ritual to Earth in order to lead "The Wild Hunt" that will kill anything in its way unless it joins the hunt.
Black Council
At the end of Proven Guilty, Ebenezar McCoy and Harry Dresden suspect the involvement of a hitherto unknown group of black wizards, and other beings, which Harry dubs the Black Council. Evidence of this group includes the surprisingly strong offensive power of the vampire courts during the war, the betrayal of secret Warden safeholds, the number of black wizards and magical foes that Harry has faced in previous books, and the summoning of outsider demons, which is done only through mortal magic. The identities of this group's members are unknown, although McCoy and Dresden suspect that at least one member of the White Council is in league with this group.
The Fellowship of St. Giles
A relatively new player on the supernatural scene, the Fellowship of St. Giles (named for the patron saint of lepers) is made up of people 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. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court, but have little communication with them.
The Venatori Umbrorum
An ancient order of humans dedicated to fighting the darker aspects of the supernatural. What they lack in magical or supernatural powers, they make up for in political influence, knowledge, and conventional firepower. Very little is known about the Venatori; Harry describes them as being "like the Masons, but with more flamethrowers." While they have some armed assets, they excel at using their influence in society to hinder the movement of supernatural predators such as vampires. The Venatori have been credited with freezing bank accounts, cutting supply lines, exposing mortal collaborators, and even going so far as assassinating or kidnapping agents of the Vampire Courts. They are allied with the White Council in the war against the Red Court.
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There are some other things about magic that you need to know, but I don't have time to post them right now.
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Four Gods wait on the windowsill,
Where once eight Gods did war and will,
And if the Gods themselves may die,
What does that say for you and I?
Now, three Gods wait on the windowsill
Where one God's blood was lately spilled
While black tongues lap at the spreading pool
And build the strength they need to rule.
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('Course, we only have two players so far)
