Codex Alera 1: Furies of Calderon by Jim ButcherAs you probably have noticed by now, I am a huge fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. The books are fun reads - fast-paced, gritty and realistic, while still maintaining that a tarnished patina of fantasy about them. They have a great narrative voice and I could read them the same way I eat a bag of Doritos - all in one sitting, unsure of how it happened, but with less orange Cheez (tm) on my fingers. I know for a fact that as long as Jim Butcher continues to write The Dresden Files, I will continue reading them.At a certain point, I became aware of his Codex Alera series, mainly because he talked about them in author's notes in the backs of the latest few Dresden paperbacks. I didn't really read through the notes, usually because I was far too impatient to get into the next book, but I knew they were out there and that I would, sooner or later, have to read them. I also knew that they would be a different beast from what I was used to.This series is Butcher's real baby, as he tells us. From his childhood, Butcher was fascinated with high fantasy, the kinds of epic journeys that were made famous by people like Tolkien and Eddings, Zelazny, Brooks, and Weis and Hickman, to name a few. So, when he decided that he wanted to be a writer, it was on that kind of world-spanning, epic fantasy that he set his sights. He found what a lot of young writers find - that this kind of fiction is viciously hard to do well, and is really suitable only for writers who have either mutant-level innate talent or who have spent many, many years honing their skills. Out of the process of working on his craft, of course, Butcher gave birth to Harry Dresden, which has certainly made the world a better place, but he never forgot his dream of writing an epic fantasy series. After much hard work, and what was no doubt a series of terrifying decisions to let it go public, Butcher published The Codex Alera, his contribution to the Sword-and-Sorcery genre.It introduces us to the nation of Alera, an old and massive country build on swords, intrigue, and the strange talent possessed by most people to shape and control the very elements themselves. Within the very earth itself, in water and air and fire, trees and metal and stone, there are furies - spirit beings that can bend these elements to their will. The furies, in turn, link to a human, who gives them direction and purpose. A human in control of a fury is a force to be reckoned with, whether they are just bending a water fury to tell if someone is telling the truth, or compelling an earth fury to raise great walls in defense of a population. Most everyone has one or two furies at their command, and some of them have more. Young Tavi, living in the frontier region of Calderon, has none.Despite his disadvantage, however, Tavi is surrounded by good people. He's been raised by his uncle, Bernard, who is the leader of their community at Bernardholt, and Bernard's sister, Isana. Like all people on the edges of empire, the people of Bernardholt have learned to be tough and live without the security of armies or the support of central government. They take care of their own matters, thankyouverymuch, and don't need a lot of interference from the rest of Aleran political society. Unfortunately, of course, what they want doesn't really matter. They soon find themselves at the heart of a violent coup, a plan to overrun the empire and topple its leaders. With the help of the inhuman Marat, the traitors to the First Lord are willing to sacrifice everything in order to save what they believe are the best parts of their nation.Of all the themes that kind of got lost in this book, that last one is the one I wish had gotten more play - that sometimes people do horrible things for reasons that they believe are not only defensible, but actually good. The main antagonist, a man with the hilariously ironic name of Fidelias, starts out as a wonderfully conflicted character. He tricks his apprentice, the Cursor Amara, into traveling with him to the rebel camp. He makes an attempt to convert her to his way of thinking, and when she rejects a place in his coup, he reverts to Villain Pastiche - the former teacher who is very, very disappointed with his student, to the point where he just has to kill her so she won't give away the plan. Fidelias travels with a sword-happy knight, Aldrick, who is almost invincibly good at what he does, and the knight's lady-friend, a semi-psychotic water-crafter named Odiana.It's kind of unfortunate, really - I really wanted to be uncertain as to whether Fidelias and his crew were actually good guys, but I was pretty much convinced of their alignment within a few chapters. If I had one wish for this book, it would be that Butcher had kept me wondering throughout the book. I mean, it's not impossible that the First Lord was deserving of being toppled, and that Amara had given her loyalties to the wrong man, but I stopped questioning that pretty quickly once Fidelias reached mustache-twirling levels.In general, there were some parts of the story that I really liked, some that left me cold, and a lot that had me playing "Spot The Fantasy Trope" drinking game. Some of the best scenes were fast-paced and full of action, scenes that Butcher has always been good at. Whether it's Tavi being chased by giant, heat-seeking spiders, or an all-out assault on a semi-impregnable fortress, Butcher does a very good job at controlling the action and making sure the reader knows what is going on where.On the other hand, a lot of the narration itself, especially in the beginning, is way too talky. Probably one of the hardest things for any epic fantasy writer to do is to introduce his or her world to the reader in a way that is not only clear, but that also makes sense from within the story. Often characters spell out details of history and culture that they already know, and really don't need to recap. It would be as though I called my friend back in the United States and said, "As you know, President Obama, who was democratically elected by the people -" "Yes," my friend says, "in a process that was established over two hundred years ago!" "Indeed," I say. "President Obama - who is African-American - is thought be some to be Muslim!" "But he isn't! He is a Christian!" "That's right, a follower of that ancient religion founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ...."It would be weird. But writers do this all the time, especially in Fantasy and Science Fiction. And you have to feel a little sorry for them - they have all this information to give us, and no natural way to do it, because the residents of that world already know it. That's why so many epic fantasies (this one included) tend to start in backwater, isolated regions, where people haven't seen a tax collector in generations, and why the protagonists tend to be young, working-class people. They are the only ones who would need this kind of history recap. It's one of the most common ways of filling the audience in, from Lord of the Rings to The Wheel of Time to Star Wars, and Butcher is not an exception.There is a lot of potential here, though, shining through all the weight that the first book of a fantasy series always has to bear. There's a complicated political system that we have barely begun to explore, and the way that people and furies interact is shown to be very flexible and creative. As we follow Tavi through the rest of the books, we'll get to see how someone without the ability to call on a fury might make his way in the world.Incidentally, that is a place where I have to give Butcher credit. I seriously expected Tavi to finally gain his furycrafting powers in a big way at some point in the book, but he never did. For all intents and purposes, Tavi is a cripple in this world, and that is going to be a serious obstacle in his future endeavors. It looks like Butcher's going to allow the boy to stay disabled, which makes for a far more interesting character in the end.Anyway, out of loyalty to an author I really like, and in the hopes that he will be able to break the shackles of the Fantasy Formula, I will continue with this series. Don't disappoint me, Jim....-----------------------------------------------------------------"Two days ago, I had a lot more sense...."- Tavi, Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher-----------------------------------------------------------------
Well. I was definitely surprised by this story...There were parts that I liked a lot, but there were also parts that were just awful. Obviously everyone has different taste and I can see why people could love this book, but for me a lot of it ended up being a chore to get through. I don't want to get into too many specifics since I think it might give a bit too much away. And to be honest, this book is sort of predictable anyways so there's that. Basically, I think if the story had solely followed Tavi, I really would have loved this book. Tavi doesn't have Furies like everyone else, but he's a quick thinker and you keep hoping that he comes into some power sooner or later. There's also plenty of mystery surrounding Tavi's past which keeps him interesting and keeps you wanting to know what happens to him next. The other characters are too, I don't know, meh. They fluctuate from being strong to being weak to being strong. I hate it when this kind of thing is happens, since it leaves the story feeling like this just happen for the sake of the story rather than it playing out how it actually would with this characters. It feels forced(Tavi's parts did not feel this way). And I guess that's the thing. It wasn't that I didn't like these characters. It was simply that who they were didn't fit how their story played out. This might sound dumb, but I really don't know how else to put it. The battle that ends up happening is one of the worst battles I've ever read. Honestly. I love battles. Usually they are the best part. Full of action, quick thinking, bravery, and brilliance. This battle had nearly none of that. It was just stupid. I almost threw this book into the DNF pile because of this battle. If you think I'm wrong please tell me why, but I honestly hope that this series does not involve more battles like this one, because I don't know if I'll be able to get through it. Oh and the evil man Kord should have stopped being involved in the story real early on. And he seriously could have. He didn't really add anything to this story when it was all said and done. He just kept popping up to be evil and rapey, because for some reason most fantasy novels can't be real enough unless you involve a character who deals in the rape department. This whole thing felt forced into the story and it honestly would have been better without it. I'm not saying that fantasy stories need to completely ignore the problem of rape (In many fantasy stories I think it is believable to suggest that it is a problem there as it is in our real world), but just to be thrown in for the sake of evil was such a forced addition to this story that also nearly made me throw this book into the DNF pile.Especially considering that most of the good guy character knew this evil dude Kord was a slave trading, murdering, rape monster, but had only now began to address the problem after his son was accused of raping someone else's daughter. Dumb...Well enough of that I suppose. When it's all said and done. I am glad I finished the book. The ending, though maybe a bit cheesy, was sort of satisfying. It certainly made me want to find out what happens to Tavi next. But that's thing. I want to know where Tavi's story goes from here. I could care less about the other characters. Well maybe I want to know what happens to Fade. He has some mystery around him that sounds cool, but this mystery is definitely connected to Tavi, so yeah haha. I'll continue the series. I hear it gets better, so that sounds promising.
What do You think about Furies Of Calderon (2005)?
I am shocked at how many people actually really liked this novel. The pacing was awful, the characters were flat and there were too many (often I couldn't tell who was on which side) - and the lame novice-to-hero progression of several characters was painfully uncreative. The only good parts were parts where the men spoke a little like Dresden (Butcher's other major series' protagonist). The one witch was creepy enough, and the monsters were pretty cool, but that seems to be Butcher's general strong point.I found myself thinking, "These are some of the most boring, characterless heroes and heroines I have ever read about." Pretty much the only thing you find out about anyone is what weapon they can wield, where their allegiance lies, and who they fancy. That does not a character make. I realized part of the way through that it has the exact same plot in general as the Dresden books, too. It's just slow and not funny and harder to follow.Overall I was shocked after having found the Dresden Files to be a breath of fresh air, compelling, fantastic characters and world, great noir... I really had to struggle to read all the way through this book because I was hoping it might get better. I'm definitely not planning on reading more of the series after such a disappointment. And please, everyone, stop writing about those four elements. It's not cool anymore.
—Twyla
Most of the people know the background of this series. For the rest of you I will tell it again. Jim Butcher made a bet he could write a fantasy book(s) based on Roman legions and Pokemon.This is the result. You have a society somewhat resembling that of Ancient Rome with its military being almost exact copy of Roman legions. Magic also exists and comes in the form of Furies (glorified Pokemon). Some of them are related to wind, some to wood, some to fire, etc. This is not Harry Dresden series. A young boy Tavi who also happened to be practically the only one without any magic whatsoever did not take care of his herd on time because a girl asked him to get some special flowers. Finally trying to get the herd back he sees something he is not supposed to see and as the result got mixed up in Big Politics. We all know the life expectancy of little people who happened to be in the way of ambitious politicians. Fear not, this is a fantasy world so unlike in real life Tavi has a slim chance of survival. At the same time a graduate of local Academy called Amara has to infiltrate an enemy camp and do some reconnaissance as a graduation exam (boy, these guys are serious about testing their pupils). She also sees something she is not supposed to see resulting in the same situation as the poor guy I mentioned above. This is not Harry Dresden series. I cannot stress it enough. If you need another Dresden fix before the next book of this better-known series is published look elsewhere. The signature humor of the famous Chicago wizard is not present at all. The only similar themes I found were fast-paced plot and last moment escapes. This book reminded me of a summer blockbuster. I already mentioned non-stop action: at times I felt I did not have a moment to catch my breath. On the other hand this book has a lot of fantasy cliches - I would say the majority of them were present here. So if you look at exciting but mindless fantasy read this book is for you. Just remember that this is not Harry Dresden series. If you want a book which would make you think about the meaning of life this is exactly the wrong one.In the conclusion I need to explain why I kept saying that this is not Harry Dresden series. I saw people gave this one a low rating for the only reason that they expected something similar to that series; this on is not, so if you start reading this one keep it in mind.
—Evgeny
Executive Summary: A fun but trope-heavy fantasy story that combines a Lost Roman Legion with Pokemon. Yeah, you read that right.Audio book: I've long heard both good and bad things about Kate Reading. I actually got to meet her last year for the A Memory of Light book tour as she and her husband both live near me, but had never listened to a book by her before now.Personally I think she's a really good reader. However, she may not be well suited for this book as it has many male characters (then again what fantasy series doesn't?) and her male voices aren't as good. They aren't bad though, and eventually I got used to her so I wasn't thinking about the fact that it was a woman attempting a man's voice even though it was always apparent.I think her theater background is apparent with the variety of inflections and voices she uses as well as the emotion and inflection of her reading. Full ReviewUntil maybe 2 years ago I didn't really read that much anymore. I wasn't well-read in fantasy. In late 2006 I discovered Jim Butcher and the Dresden Files. I devoured all the books that were out until I was stuck waiting like everyone else. Then I noticed in the back of the books that Mr. Butcher had 3 books in another series though, called Codex Alera. Unlike the Dresden Files, it wasn't Urban Fantasy, but closer to "traditional" or epic fantasy. I picked it up and devoured those books as well.For awhile I liked this series better than Dresden Files, but it was a close thing. One thing was for certain, Jim Butcher wrote the kind of books I liked to read. For 3 glorious years I had 2 new Butcher books/year to look forward to.Fast forward 7 years or so and I recently did a re-read of Dresden Files in audio, but haven't read this one since it ended back in 2009. I'd consider myself much better read in Fantasy than when I first discovered this. I was a bit apprehensive about a reread. Would the series live up to my memory of it? Or would I find all the tropes tired and boring? The answer is a little of both it seems.It took me a bit to get back into this book. I was starting to get nervous that I was ruining my memory of this series. However once things really got going, I remembered why I enjoyed it so much.This is a "chosen one" story through and through. However most chosen one stories tend to have a protagonist who is suddenly great at everything. This one does not. In a world where everyone posses at least a little magic, Tavi has none. He is considered a "freak". That notion of being an outsider is something I've always identified with. I liked that Tavi had to use his wits to make it in a world where he was always at a disadvantage. That said, a 15 year old shepherd boy who saves the realm has been done. A lot.The book also has some "mustache-twirling" bad guys. Mr. Butcher does a good job at making me hate those characters, but at the same time they feel a bit cartoonish. That said, there are other antagonists in the series who are much more complex. They aren't evil necessarily, but are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals. Those goals happen to be set against our young protagonist and his family, so they come out looking evil. But are they really? That's an ongoing question that won't be answered here.I didn't know it until many years later, but Mr. Butcher was challenged to write a story based on a "lame idea". He countered that he could it using 2 Lame ideas, that of "Lost Roman Legion" and Pokemon. It sounds really stupid, but it somehow works for me.I know almost nothing of Pokemon apart from the whole capturing magical creatures thing. There may be more to it. I don't know. The strongest furycrafters in the book have the ability to summon powerful elementals ala Pokemon, but they aren't the only part of it. His magic system is really fun and creative, though you really don't get the full experience in just this book. To this day though, it's one of the magic systems I've most enjoyed reading.So if you can get past the heavy trope use and magic system based on Pokemon, the only other thing that may turn people away is battles. This series is battle heavy. I'd guess most of the last 25% of this book or so is one long battle. I loved it. People that aren't into that kind of thing, may find it tedious.I think the story is pretty well self-contained. There are a lot of bigger questions looming, but all issues of the book are wrapped up pretty nicely in my opinion.I had originally planned on alternating the books in this series with books from another, but by the time I got to that battle, there was just no way I could stop. I jumped right into the next book, and may continue on all the way to the end without a break.
—Rob
