Academ's Fury

Academ's Fury takes place two years after Furies of Calderon. Tavi is at the Academy (hence the title), still fury-less (magic-less), training to become a Cursor (secret agent), and working as the First Lord's page. It's finals time, and as his final exam as a Cursor, he's to catch the Black Cat--a thief who's been plaguing the capital but is inexplicably able to avoid the watch furies. He has other finals as well, which should be enough pressure, but then the First Lord collapses, and Tavi has to get him aid while keeping it a secret to prevent the realm from falling into civil war. Meanwhile, back on the steadholt, Tavi's aunt Isana is attacked by an assassin as she's preparing to go to the capital for Wintersend, where she's to make public appearances as the first female steadholder. And then the Marat arrive, led by Doroga, a small band who've survived a battle with a foe called the Vord. Cross the Borg with zombies, maybe, and throw in some horror movie spiders, and you'll get an idea of what they're up against. Oh, and it seems that one of the three Vord queens is looking for Tavi. So now Isana has a bigger mission for her trip to the capital--alert the First Lord to send aid to the Calderon Valley, and warn and protect Tavi, while Bernard and the cursor Amara stay back in Calderon to fight the Vord there. We're introduced to Tavi's new friends, the powerful but tormented Max and the weak but wily Ehren. And we're introduced to the Canim, huge wolf-like creatures. The story is exciting and fast-moving. The book, as do the others in the series, alternates between story threads, and Jim has a habit of leaving readers on a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter, which could make one skim through some threads, if they weren't all so exciting. In addition to the book-long plot of the fight against the Vord, there are also dramatic developments in the ongoing series plot. Tavi's growing both physically and mentally and gaining confidence through his Cursors training, as well as making important friendships and learning to wade through the politics in the capital. We learn more about the other races on Carna, and through them, more about the Alerans. And some events occur that will have repercussions for years (and books!) to come. It's all just so tightly written that everything has a purpose, even as it's telling a thrilling story.

I started reading these because I am a fan of the Dresden Files (his other series)and because I love fantasy.I was not dissapointed! Butcher juggles a lot of characters, plot and cultures so well. The tension is constant throughout. I've now read all three, as have my roomates, all of us staying up until 5 am to finish them. I highly reccomend all three books. What really amazes me is Butcher's ability to humanize "evil" characters and giving the reader a lot of gray areas to deal with. So, read and enjoy!

Other people have done a very good job of describing the plot so I'll use my review to explain my reaction to this book and why I gave it such a good rating. First, a word of warning, one of the other reviewers commented that it is a fragmented middle book to a trilogy (typically the weakest link of the story). While I don't agree completely with him, there is some justice to this claim so I'd recommend that readers finish the first book before moving on to the second one. The first book was a delightful romp into a new fantasy universe but the characters were two dimensional, their likes and dislikes were stamped in metal and were unchangeable throughout the entire novel. This worked because the universe was so new and interesting to the reader. Fortunately Jim Butcher recognized the weakness and corrected it in this book. Setting the story two years after the novel was an excellent idea, the characters are still recognizable but have matured and don't see everything in such black-and-white terms. Sometimes good people have bad things happen to them and they have to make compromises to survive. Another interesting facet of the story is that while the characters were extremely capable in the last book it turns out that they aren't all-powerful. When Butcher pulls back the lens and allows the reader to see more of the environment they exist in, you realize that they may be powerful but there are much larger powers that regard them as toys to be played with or broken at a whim. This revelation makes the characters much more believable and interesting. Finally, I don't know how he did it, but the author believably maintains the suspense level right through to the last page. There's more action here than in a dozen Hong Kong martial arts movies and it flows clearly and logically from one scene to the next. I've just read that Mr. Butcher has contracted to write at least three more books in the series. I can't imagine how he's going to maintain this level of interest and intrigue over such a long period but I have faith and I'm very much looking forward to finding out when the next book comes out in paperback.

He takes to pure fantasy like a fish to water and going a route that pleases me immensly. One thing I dislike in the current fantasy trend is the "realistic" fantasy that is coming out these days. Taking historical incidents and weaving a fantasy tale, with a different planet and characters yet have the same brutal feudal outcome does not appeal to me. I like my fantasy to have magic, and action, a bit of romance and a lot of fun. Martin and many others coming along seem to revel in bombarding you with the phrase "no one is safe". That gets old after a while and you want to sit back and read about characters you enjoy. Butcher does this. With Academs Fury Tavi grows to a young man with still the sameproblems, being the only human unable to control a Fury. This time around we see Tavi at the Academy, when the Emperor falls ill. Thanks to Tavis' quick thinking and wits he and the Emperors most trusted aids are able to keep the realm from falling apart, if only for a short time. Back home, Tavi's family is underseige by a new threat, one that he may have unleashed. This threat could destroy the whole Empire if it is not stopped. Butcher keeps many of the secrets and the path of the story to himself. Tavi continues to display a fantastic intellect, with quick thinking and bravery that rivals another of my favorite underdogs in literature Miles Vorkosigan. Tavi does not let his handicap interfere with what needs to be done, yet you can feel the lack of inability to Furycraft during each incident and adventure. For in a world where the smallest of childerend and the most unintelligent of men can use this power effectively, you just know that if Tavi had this power he would be a force to reckon with. I give it five stars because of the sheer originality of the symbiotic realationship between the Furies and humans as a system of magic. It may not appeal to the hardcore fantasy fans, that love the gritty realism in fantasy these days. But to Butcher fans this is pure gold. I eagerly await the next round.

A growing changing tapestry of characters and events in an unfolding map of adventure and peril. . .I LOVE this stuff. With each new book Butcher has rapidly ascended to the levels of the best of the master storytellers. It is enthralling to watch Tavi grow into his strength, to realize his love, to find his duty and to barely keep his head above water as his world explodes around him into complexity. Through it all there is a sense that there is something momentous about to occur and I kept waiting thinking okay now but it still is to come. . .WooHoo, this is fun. With all of this going on Butcher manages to keep his balance and his humor and a vast sense of enjoyment about him. This is really good stuff indeed. The only thing that ticked me off is that hard as I tried I couldn't slow down or put it down until I was done and wishing for more. Right now! Dammit.