Started this series of five books on a recommendation from my boss (who reads bucket loads of fantasy). This one is very exciting and does a lot with a cool premise. In this world there is a nation of Alerans who, somewhere around puberty, acquire the ability to command one of the six types of furies (or elementals). The six types are of wood, earth, air, fire, water, and metal. The different types of furies come with varied abilities and weaknesses. Someone commanding an air fury could command a wind strong enough and focused enough to enable them to fly for instance. There are a number of excellent characters both good and bad to follow in the Calderon valley of Alera. There's 15-year-old Tavi, who bristles at the fact that he has yet to command a fury of his own but his cleverness makes up for it. And Amara, an agent of the First Lord, Gaius Sextus. Amara commands a wind fury and gets embroiled in the intrigue surrounding Lord Gaius and a group of mercenaries and another Lord plotting to overthrow his rule. And then there are the savage Marat people: strong, proud, fury-less people who are split into various clans that don't all get along. There's a lot going on in this story and the action scenes are exciting and inventive. I'm looking forward to picking up the second book in the series (but first, I'll be making some detours). ( )

This is in the "Codex Alera" series. I have enjoyed this author's Dresden files books, and am surprised at how much more I am enjoying this series. He has created a pseudo-medieval world in which most people command an elemental fury, or maybe even more than one. Our hero, Tavi, however, is without a fury, and must make do with his wits and skill. And still he cheats death.

His family is an appealing one, and the author makes us care for each member -- then he splits them up and has us follow each one into danger. In the "Furies of Calderon," we meet the Cursor Alera (combination messenger and spy) and her mentor. They have adventures before she finally meets Tavi, the apprentice shepherd boy, and we start to follow his story and that of his uncle and aunt. The danger is great, with consequences to their own steadhold and to the entire Kingdom if they fail. The action barely pauses, even for a moment. Highly Recommended. ( )

One of the blurbs on the cover calls it "high fantasy in the style of Tolkien." Well, no. It's not in the least Tolkienesque, it's straight-up sword & sorcery, taking place in a Roman-type society on a world inhabited by "furies," elemental creatures that ally themselves with certain people and give them near-magical abilities. The story revolves around a 15-year-old boy named Tavi, one of the few people who hasn't bonded with a fury and has no power of his own, and his unwitting involvement in a plot to overthrow the king.

It's well-written and action-packed, but I was repelled by certain aspects of the story, mainly the casual acceptance of slavery, and a subplot involving a reprehensible slaver. It was a good book, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in this series. ( )

I swore off Tolkein-derivative, sword-and-sorcery fantasy over a decade ago after seeming to have exhausted much of the genre. I was tired of wooden characters, over-built worlds, and the easy checklist--elfs, orcs, a wizard, a young boy who turns out to be something special, etc. In retrospect, it probably was Robert Jordan who did me in.

Butcher hasn't avoided the entire checklist. The key protagonist, Tavi, appears to have a background of great importance that will be revealed later in the story. The battle at the Garrison seems to have been cribbed from the battle at Helms Deep, although it does have Butcherian over-the-top stakes and impossible odds. Ironically, the Codex Alera books were apparently written on a bet over the worst possible premises imaginable.

But I still read it. Rapidly.

I count myself a fan of the Dresden books, and one familiar with the other series will find several Butcher hallmarks translate: irreverent one-liners, piled-up cliffhangers, and complex and inscrutable-at-times world building with minimal infodumps. On the other hand, we get third-person POV instead of Dresden's first-person, which allows faster and deeper access to multiple characterizations, including antagonists.

I would have rated The Furies of Calderon higher, but I think Butcher cheated the readers during the final battle, where almost all of the cast appeared to have been killed, only to find out that nobody actually died in the following chapters. Apparently, every major character still has a role to play in the grand outline. I'm now doubting Butcher's ability to kill his darlings (see G.R.R. Martin for further guidance). ( )

What a great read! The pacing was pure Jim Butcher, never a let up on action and plot twists. Surprise after surprise, and a skillful weaving of interconnecting plots. Characters were skillfully and fully shaped with depth and color.

Highly recommended! ( )