Academ's Fury
Ratings151
Average rating4
Another Great Tale by Butcher
Once again, Jim Butcher has crafted a well-told, well-thought out tale in a world he has created that rivals that of The Dresden Files.
My full review can be found at SFF Book Review.
It's been two years since the events of Furies of Calderon and Tavi is now training to be a Cursor and stuying at the Academy. He makes some new friends but he is also being bullied because he still doesn't have a trace of furycrafting. But when the realm faces several new threats, Tavi's everyday life becomes secondary to doing what he can to save Alera from a civil war - or utter destruction.
What Jim Butcher does very well - and continues to do well - are action scenes. Personally, I prefer the “smaller” fight scenes to his big, sweeping military action but they are all told in a thrilling way that will keep you at the edge of your seat.
What was missing in the first book becomes a little clearer here. We learn more about the Marat - a fascinating culture, if you as me - and a few new species. The vord are simply terrifying and whenever our heroes face them, I found myself chewing my fingernails (shame on me).
If you liked the first book, you will like this one as well. I'm still curious about how exactly furycrafting works, what rules there are to it, as well as the politicial situation in Alera. We only get glimpses of that so far but I have high hopes for the third novel in the series to answer my questions.
Recommended.
I'm glad I took @etherius' advice and continued with this series. It felt like Butcher got past the gimmick of the first book and really started to believe in his own creation. However, that cursor continues to piss me off by standing around, sword in hand, watching while her enemies chop up her allies. It's ridiculous. FIGHT already, dammit!
Jim's strongest point has got to be his ability to maintain a consistency of character for his protagonists. This results in the reader getting to know each of the players better even if the plot in itself is not very strong. This is certainly the case with Academ's fury. The plot is not very strong and fairly predictable but the reading pleasure is still strong. Onto the next book then!
Executive Summary: The chosen one goes to school in the capital and politics abound! If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll find a lot to like here as Mr. Butcher continues to build out the world from the first book.
Audio book: Kate Reading once more does a great job as a reader. I've gotten used to her reading all the male voices so it's much less noticeable.
One of her voices in this one is so spot on to what I imagined, I find it annoying (because I find the way that character talks to be annoying). Doing the audiobooks for this series aren't a must like Mr. Butcher's Dresden Files, but they certainly aren't a bad option in my opinion.
Full Review
Like the last book, this one started a little slow for me. It also leans heavily on tropes. We get a bit of the magical school trope here, though not a lot of it. For me that's a bad thing, because it's one of the reason I like Harry Potter so much.
Then again when your protagonist has no magical abilities to speak of, I guess it makes little sense to dwell on the magical training that takes place there. Instead most of the focus is on politics between not only the various Aleran factions, but also with the Canim, a fierce wolf-like race who despite being considered enemies of the Alerans, maintain an embassy in the capital. This leads to one of my favorite characters of the series, Ambassador Varg.
This book also introduces my other favorite in Antillar Maximus. His antics remind me a bit of Harry Dresden and add some levity that was mostly lacking from the first novel.
Now what magical school story would be complete without the asshole bully, that I like to call “The Malfoy”? (I know Harry Potter wasn't the first to use this trope, but its arguably the most popular). Tavi must deal with bullying on a more severe scale than he ever faced back home in the form of Kalarus Brencis Minoris, son of High Lord Kalarus and his two cronies. Is it a requirement the bully have exactly 2 cronies? It certainly seems like it.
The stereotypical bully isn't the only thing of concern here however, and there are once again shades of gray when it comes to just who is “good” and who is “bad”, all rolled up into the politics between nobles that are the most powerful in more than just title. Seriously, you do not want to be trapped in a dark alley with a High Lord or Lady whose pissed at you. It won't end well.
The story is also split with events back in the Calderon valley. I found that subplot a bit slow/uninteresting on this re-read, although Doroga helps to make it worthwhile and the second half of that story is a lot more enjoyable than the first.
Overall I found there is a lot I like here, in particular the politics and some of the new characters, that help me get over some of the slower parts of the story.
On to book 3, which is one of my all-time favorites!
This is the second in a series of six and this entry was every bit as exciting and thrilling as the first (Furies of Calderon). This book takes up two years after the events in the first book (Tavi is seventeen now). Many of the same players from the first book are back and there are many more new villains. Butcher keeps the action going strong and the interest level high which makes for a fast and fun read. The Codex Alera is fast becoming one of my favorite fantasy series. This book also delivers some cool plot twists/revelations. Highly recommended.