Book Review: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

Furies of Calderon Series: Codex Alera #1
by Jim Butcher
Also by this author: Academ's Fury, Cursor's Fury
Published by Penguin on June 28, 2005
Genres: Epic
Pages: 688
Source: Library
Also in this series: Academ's Fury, Cursor's Fury

   


Binge Count # 1 of 6
Binge Notes: This is not only the first in my current binge, but also the first Jim Butcher book I have finished (I DNF’d the first Dresden book before I finished the first chapter)
Continue Binge? ✔ Yes, straight on to book #2!

In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own...
 
For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy—the Marat horde—return to the Valley, Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war...

So, to feed my binge read cravings, I asked for recommendations of completed series that are books that you just can’t put down. This was one of the top recommendations, so I definitely had to give Furies of Calderon, the first book in the Codex Alera series, a try.

My overall impression is that it is a good, familiar fantasy. Meaning, it feels like many other series, but that is not a bad thing. I mean it more in the sense of a comfort read, when you want a good orphan boy’s journey to become whatever it is Tavi becomes in future books, then this will be a good fit. I think we all sometimes crave a book or series that is “familiar”, yet new to us, and unique in some way. So far, It also has some unique/different traits, so its been an enjoyable read.

While there are several POVs, Tavi stands out as the main character. He is an orphan (shock!) raised by his aunt and uncle in a small community, more rural than in one of the cities.

The magic in this world is interesting. In Alera, there are furies, which I would describe as elemental beings that can influence their related element (air, fire, earth, water, etc). Pretty much everyone in Alera will bond with a fury, and then they can use the fury to manipulate the associated element. A person with a water fury can manipulate water and use it to aid in healing. This may be sort of a simplification of it, but gives you some idea.

And when I say basically everyone in Aleran has furies, I mean literally everyone but Tavi who is subjected to ridicule and bullying due to his lack of furycraft. So instead of having the main character be super powerful with magic, he’s considered a freak in that he has no special abilities. That said, he is very intelligent and resourceful, so I think he will do just fine because while Tavi has no ability to furycraft, it becomes clear he will be destined for greatness of some sort in future book.

My main complaint with this book is some of the battle scenes just went on longer than I cared to read them. That could be my mood, perhaps another day I would have been more into them, but this time, I found them a bit drawn out for my taste.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading the next book to find what happens with not just Tavi, but also some of the other characters as well.

Have any recommendations of completed series for me to add to my binge list?? Let me know in the comments!