Bob is a spirit of air and intellect in Harry's possession, bound to a bleached, unadorned human skull. He serves the purpose of a living library or computer. As he largely takes on the personality of his owners, under Harry, Bob has a snarky, smart-aleck sense of humor. Unlike Harry, however, Bob is obsessed with sex, and Harry keeps a stash of trashy romance novels on hand to bribe the spirit.
He has limited ability to animate his skull, and when his 'eyes' are open they appear to be two orange flames. When Bob is out of his skull he can possess other creatures and Harry frequently has him possess Mister to go on scouting missions around town. Sometime in his past he angered the Fairie Queen of Winter, Mab, and he avoids returning to Faerie at all costs as a result.
Notable Past Owners
- Etienne the Enchanter: Bob's first owner. He binds Bob's spirit to a random human skull somewhere in late 14th to mid-15th century France. Bob has been passed down, wizard-to-wizard, ever since.1
- Kemmler: owned Bob for about forty years, from about 1920 to 1961. During that time, he used Bob to work out the theory on a rite of ascension and other necromantic spells. As Bob's personality tends to reflect that of his owner, Bob existed as a powerful dark spirit.2
- Justin DuMorne: When Kemmler is killed (again) in 1961, Warden Justin DuMorne steals him and becomes his new master. Bob purposefully forgets what happened under Kemmler.
- Harry Dresden: After killing Justin in self-defense, Harry picks him up from the ashes and gives him a name. Harry is Bob's current owner.
- Cowl: briefly took Bob and used him to figure out the rite of ascension known from the Word of Kemmler. Dresden took Bob back after successfully disrupting the spell.
TV Series
See Bob (tv series).