Review: Cursor’s Fury by Jim Butcher

Cursor's Fury Series: Codex Alera #3
by Jim Butcher
Also by this author: Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury
Published by Ace Books on November 27, 2007
Genres: Epic
Pages: 704
Source: Library
Also in this series: Furies of Calderon, Academ's Fury

   

Binge Count # 3 0f 6
Continue Binge? ✔ Yes

In his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. But even magic cannot sway the corruption that threatens to destroy the realm of Alera once and for all...
 
When the power-hungry High Lord of Kalare launches a merciless rebellion against the First Lord, young Tavi of Calderon joins a newly formed legion under an assumed name. And when the ruthless Kalare allies himself with a savage enemy of the realm, Tavi finds himself leading an inexperienced, poorly equipped legion—the only force standing between Alera and certain doom...

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed Cursor’s Fury a bit more than the last. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly why that last book seemed slower or easier to put down, but this one certainly picked back up for me.

Alera finds itself threatened by not just the threats to usurp the First Lord, but also a foreign threat. There’s plenty of conflict, intrigue, political backstabbing and other nefarious on goings to keep this story going. We also get to learn more about the Marat and Canim, two other races that live in areas outside of Alera, to better understand the world they live in.

Tavi’s relationship Kitai continues to grow in this book. I really enjoy Kitai’s blunt, honest opinion on all things, and while blunt and honest are to be expected from someone of the Marat race, which has no word for lie, it’s still very entertaining. Her interactions with Tavi continue to amuse me, I like them together and enjoy seeing how everything with them will pan out.

Tavi is now done with the academy and is sent on his first assignment as a cursor. He sheds his adolescent self in this book, and becomes not just more of an adult, but is able to use his strengths to become a real leader. Tavi’s personality has always been one to take charge and get things done, and so now its just on a bigger, more visible scale.

We also get much more of Isana’s back story through flash back/dream passages. I enjoyed these sections, as they definitely helped fill in some of the missing pieces. More importantly, you get to see another side of Isana, as well as a couple of other critical characters, like Fade, that are in her dream flash backs. It helps balance her as a person I think to get the history that helps shape who she is in the current timeline.

There are so many trilogies out there, it is strange to find myself only half way through the series after finishing book three, but I am glad because I just don’t see how the story could possibly be complete in just another book or two.

Overall, this was another enjoyable book in the series, and so I plan to go on straight to book 4!