The opening of 'Fool Moon' begins inside the fiction-famed pub and grill
The first scene in Fool Moon, the second book in Jim Butcher’s Dresden series, takes place inside McAnally’s. The Irish pub and grill is initially introduced in the first book, Storm Front, but readers can’t be sure at that point if it’s a fleeting, background place in the storyline. By the first page of Fool Moon, it becomes clear that McAnally’s is a staple in the world of Dresden and crucial to the adventure that is Harry’s life.
In the beginning of Fool Moon, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is sitting in a booth at McAnally’s with a human friend named Kim Delaney. Delaney is trying to bribe information out of Harry, dangerous information that Harry is reluctant to give her. While she is human, Delaney had shown intense interest in developing her skills in magic and Harry had helped her with her endeavors previously. That is the reason he feels partially compelled to give her the information she requests, but the chivalry inside him forces him to compromise and give her only parts of the information. Well, the chivalry and the smell of steak and ale to a hungry man who’s been pinching pennies for months.
So Harry caves and gives Delaney part of the information she begs from him. And Harry eats his steak and chugs his beer. For now.
In what kind of place could a wizard and a human have a serious discussion about magic, you ask? Only a place like McAnally’s Irish Pub & Grill. Deemed a “neutral zone” for the supernatural by the Unseelie Accords, all supernatural creatures can meet there without fear of harm as can humans. The Unseelie Accords, according to the Dresden Files Wiki, are a set of agreements similar to the Geneva Convention, that govern the behavior of the major magical powers. Because McAnally’s is “Accorded Neutral Ground”, it functions well as a negotiating ground as all signatories have agreed against violence within.
Should anyone, supernatural or otherwise, break any of the neutral zone rules….without question, he or she would be face to face with Mac’s shotgun. Mac is the owner of McAnally’s. It’s rumored that he has quite the trigger finger and doesn’t ask questions. Mac stays out of everyone’s business inside his establishment, aside from his own, preferring to grunt to inform customers of their orders’ readiness. With its famed step-down entrance, low ceilings with fans, and various repeats of the number 13, Mac and McAnally’s resonates with everyone inside Dresden’s Chicago.
Given that Mr. Butcher’s 3 square block section of Chicago, called “Mid-town Chicago,” appears nowhere outside of his stories, it stands to reason that most of the places he references within are also fictional. McAnally’s is one of those fictional places. The closest thing to the pub that pulls up on internet searches is various Dresden RP websites, Dresden Wikis, bulletin boards, and blogs that mention the pub. There’s also a myriad of places in Chicagoland called McNally’s, along with people on the popular professional networking site, LinkedIn, whose last name is McAnally. The one place sharing the pub’s beloved name is actually a religious resource located in Plainfield, IL, a suburb about 2 hours southwest of the city.
While McAnally’s Irish Pub and Grill is fictional in Mr. Dresden’s world, surely its inspiration comes from somewhere in the city. Speculation is fun….Billy Goat Tavern, anyone??
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