Furies of Calderon

by Jim Butcher

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044101268X
• ISBN13: 9780441012688
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 688 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 4.2" x 7.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Boring

I purchased this book since i lijed the dresden files. This series is beyond boring. There is no connection made with the characters to each other or the story.it judt rambles on.no backstory either.boribg beyond belief.i wasted my money.jim butcher has lost my readership.

Sparked my interest in reading!

This book, and overall series, sparked my interesting in reading again after it dwindled as a young teen. The characters in this series grow and develop naturally and the descriptions are amazing! 10/10 recommend!

one of my favorite series

I'm not sure it's categorized as YA but I think that is where it best fits. I love this series though. All the characters are pretty well developed and the likeable ones are likeable and the "bad guys" are most definitely bad. It's a fun adventure and a good coming of age story. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy.

Fun, witty, and entertaining

A well crafted fantasy by Jim Butcher. The setting is a Romanesque empire called Alera where the people bond with furies (elementals) of air, earth, fire, water, or metal during their childhood or early adolescence to obtain magical powers and thus defend the land against their foes. Our main hero's name is Tavi. He is a 15-year-old shepherd boy, one of the only people in Alera who has not bonded with a fury. Obviously he turns out to be more than he first appears. Amara is a courageous and resourceful heroine; Fidelias a bold and daring villain. As I've come to expect of Mr. Butcher, the writing is excellent, witty, and very entertaining. His style in this one is quite different from the Dresden novels, however. For example, rather than remaining first-person throughout, the perspective bounces around between the three main players. The pacing is superb, a real page turner. While the Dresden Files are more my style, I very much enjoyed this book as well. Recommended read.

What a great start!

Indeed, I'm immensely please with Jim Butcher's new fantasy novel. While in his Dresden books, his main character has a wry, cynical wit--Codex Alera#1 doesn't have the same tone. Immediately this is noticed, but instead of being disappointed, for I love cynical wit, I was quite pleased at this adaptation. I don't think every author can pull it off. The characters were dynamic and the world an exciting new one that didn't seem to be like every other fantasy world--it was more mercenary and the book seemed to be on the dawn of a huge war, which is always exciting. I'd give this a whirl--it certainly won't disappoint.

Loved the first book

What a good start for a new fantasy series. In some way this book remind me Eddings first fantasy book(Pawn of Prophecy). The book is a fast read, and you get caught up in the action and could not put it down. I like the character Tavi and Amara. I think the most intresting character of the book is the slave Fade, I think he is key to answer who really is Tavi's parents, and why he is so protective toward Tavi. If you like Eddings and Feist, you should pick up this book.

A good first fantasy novel and a new series

All the people of Alera are bonded with elemental furies which come to them in their childhood or early adolescence - except Tavi, who at 15 does not have his fury yet and is considered somewhat of a freak. However, it is Tavi and the escaped Cursor Amara who will set off a chain of events that will change their world and help foil an invasion attempt of their home instigated by traitors. This is an action-adventure fantasy novel that moves along at a brisk pace with a fairly wide cast of characters. Jim Butcher has created an interesting world with this novel and it is obvious that most of the secrets of Tavi's family have yet to be explored, but thankfully there will be another book which may flesh out some of the lingering mysteries. My only slight disappointment is that Butcher succumbed to the fantasy cliché of using an orphaned 15 year old boy as his central character - but that did not stop me actually liking Tavi. On the whole I'm glad I've read this book and will be looking forward to book 2 when it is published.

Another great series!

A much shorter review would be to say, "I loved 'Furies of Calderon' and highly recommend it", but I'm going to try to give you a little more than that because I think this book deserves it. :) In "Furies of Calderon", the first book of a new series, Jim has created a world of characters that will draw you in and leave you ready and waiting for the continuation of their stories. If you are a Jim Butcher fan already and are expecting Furies to be similar to his Dresden Files novels, you will be in for a surprise. One of my first thoughts was that it's like trying to compare apples to oranges. Suffice it to say that it is a well-written, engaging book that begins a new fantasy epic. Jim shows what a talented author he is by writing in a totally different, but just as effective and entertaining, style. Whether you are a Butcher fan already or a potential new fan, if you are looking for a wonderful, new series to begin, Furies is for you. The book has a smooth flow, and the characters have a very natural "feel", which to me, is another sign of the talent of the author. I won't repeat the basic storyline since Harriet Klausner's review gives a concise over-view of the novel. While Tavi, a 15-year-old boy, is the central character, Amara plays an equally important role in Furies. The large ensemble cast of characters that is introduced hints at multiple, intriguing possibilities for the future books. In short, just what Book 1 of a series should do. Furies does an excellent job, in my opinion, of showing us that, as in most conflicts, battles and wars, both sides feel that they are right, just and even justified and rarely is the intent purely evil. Actually, several of my favorite scenes were among the 3 main "bad guys", Fidleias, Odiana and Aldrick. The humor and sarcasm (snark) that we expect from Jim is present in small, appropriate doses; a good example is: "`The pretty boy?' Odiana asked. `I wasn't hurting him. I was killing him. There's a difference.' She sniffed and said, `It wasn't anything personal.'" Also, there are a few romance scenes that show the start of relationships that I think will develop over time; the way they are written is just right -- the heat or hint of heat is there without being overt or 'clinical'. I'd like to add that if you have teenaged children in your family, this is a good book for them also. To go back to where I began: "I loved "Furies of Calderon" and highly recommend it."