Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3)

I am a big fan of the Dresden Files series, and I occasionally like sword-and-sorcery books, so one day when I was waiting impatiently for the next Dresden book, I started the Codex Alera series. I picked up the first one in the series, Furies of Caderon, I read it, and I thought, "Well, what a good book, that Jim Butcher is a talented author." Then I went about my business for a while, without any burning desire to read book two. I checked bookstores when I passed the fantasy section, but for some reason bookstores never stock book two, and it was almost a year before I finally bothered to order it. So I finally read book two, Academ's Fury. And by the time I was done, I was totally hooked on the series. The first thing I did after I finished the last page was order book three, Cursor's Fury, even though it was only available in hardback. I couldn't help it. I had to know what happened. Cursor's Fury was even better than Academ's Fury - Butcher has this truly incredible ability to get a series off to a good start and then make each book better as it goes along. I think it's only now, at the end of the third book, that this series is really ready to begin. All of the characters are on the brink of major changes, all of them are well developed, there are incredibly complex relationships between them, conflicts between personal and political goals, between feeling and principle. Characters must choose between good and evil, but they must make even more difficult choices between different goods, which cannot both be obtained, and different evils, which cannot both be prevented. We know who the (many) main characters are, what they're up to, and how it came to be so. I love the character of Tavi, and I really love that Butcher has written against the genre and created a character who can be a hero in a magical world without ever using magic. And I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment of the series to appear.

For a fantasy adventure to work it has to have a believable world with characters involved in situations where you can understand and believe in enough that you care what happens to them. You can believe in the world of Alera. Here the forces that make up the world: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Wood and Metal, take physical form. It's not the way it works here, but you can believe in it. After all, it's not to far from what our western culture believed in the past. You can also believe in the corruption, manipulations, short sightedness and incompetence of the people in charge. We certainly have a lot of evidence for those conditions. You wonder how the got in charge in the first place, but that's unfortunately not too uncommon here either. This is the third book in the series, so there was dlearly enough interest on the part of readers and the publisher to produce this volume. Conclusion: I liked it, a lot of other people liked it. And I've found a new author whose future books I intend to read.

The feeling to which I refer is probably familiar to readers around the world. You know the one - you're in the bookstore, all of your favorite authors are between installments, and then you choose something based on the back cover (paperback) or inside flap (hardcover). Who knows if this will be worth your time or end up in your next garage sale? I am grateful for the day I discovered Jim Butcher and "The Dresden Files," because that is a well-written, enjoyable series in its own right. However, having been a sword-and-sorcery connoisseur for much of my life, I may be even more pleased with the Codex Alera. Mr. Butcher has created a world and society that are different enough to capture interest (the furies are an inventive twist on "magic") but familiar enough so that you don't spend all of your time trying to puzzle out different languages and unpronounceable names. Almost all of the primary characters in these books are likable, or at the least, intriguing. As I tend to prefer, there are shades of gray and uneasy alliances. The reason I prefer this is because it injects some "real life" into the proceedings. I love the shifting political winds and the actions taken to adjust to them. But mostly I really enjoy Tavi, the protagonist, and his efforts to survive and excel while being possibly the only Aleran citizen with no ability at furycraft. His history and the hints that he may be more than he seems are handled masterfully, not too heavy-handed or too cryptic. I will continue to follow this series and I know I will enjoy Tavi's ascension to whatever fate awaits him. Thank you, Mr. Butcher, for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I've been reading science fiction and fantasy all my life, like many of you. You know when you find a good writer. Jim Butcher is a rare talent, and seems to be getting better with each book he writes. He also seems to write new books fairly quickly, which is obviously important to us readers (How long has the Wheel of Time been turning?). Each book in the Codex Alera is superb, and Cursor's Fury is no exception. So what? Lots of writers do that. But how many series have you read where the author starts out great, then after a couple of books the story starts wandering across an overly descriptive landscape with characters that do nothing but talk? For example, I loved the first books from Jordan, Eddings, and Goodkind. Well, enough of that. Jim Buther creates great characters on both sides - not just the good guys. Every plot line he opens he brings to a logical conclusion. Yes, the major story ends with a teaser, but we want that. You can actually finish the book satisfied, but still wanting more. If you've read Modesitt, you'll understand what I mean, although Modesitt's books are a little more standalone. Many other great reviewers have described the storyline very well here, so I won't bore you with details. The bottom line, as others have noted, is that this is a excellent book in a great new series. Get it now.

Tavi is now a fully fledged cursor and Gaius sends him to a newly formed legion under cover. However, as a few other characters point out, Tavi has a gift for attracting trouble and this assignment proves that gift true. This series seems to be getting better with each book. Tavi is still a likeable main character who you cheer on - though you can't say the same of some of the other people in the book. This installment in the series also starts to provide some concrete answers to the mysteries in Tavi's background which is very welcome development - and I have to say the end of this book is very encouraging for the next volume in this series. I'm very much looking forward to the next book of the Codex Alera and am glad I have stuck with it so far.