Cursor's Fury
Ratings143
Average rating4.2
Executive Summary: To me this is where the series really starts to shine. Mr. Butcher established the world and the key players in the last 2 books, and now he gets down the business of telling the story.
Audio book: I didn't like Ms. Reading too much at the start. Her male voices bothered me. By this book however, I couldn't imagine anyone else reading this. There is a scene where random legionaries are calling out and Ms. Reading does different voices for all of them.
I think she's also flushed out the voices she uses for all the main and secondary characters to really add that extra something that not all audio books readers seem to manage.
Full Review
I was both a bit eager and nervous for this re-read. This is only of only a handful of books that I've given 5 stars to and on my favorites shelf. My memory of it seems to have held up pretty well however.
This book seems feels far less trope heavy to me as the last two. You still have your chosen one story, but I was just so wrapped up in the awesomeness of it all that I just didn't spend any thinking about it.
The first half of this book is good, but the second half is even better. Unlike the last book where I somewhat dreaded any chapter that took us away from the main story, the secondary stories in this book are much more interesting. Adding a lot of depth to the politics of the world and many of the secondary characters.
For a book that focuses mostly on a newly formed legion, there seems to actually be less time spent on battles, which may be a plus or minus for you depending on how much you enjoy reading them. Personally I think he strikes the balance just right and Tavi really shines in this book as a result.
No one is going to accuse this of being some deep, complex series full of numerous unexpected twists and turns. However while some of it is pretty predictable, I think Mr. Butcher does manage a few surprises amid the more expected plot developments. But honestly, who cares? I was having far too much fun listening this book to spend much of the review getting into that.
Part adventure, part political thriller, part war novel with a decent amount of romance thrown in, there is a likely something for everyone here. I for one had trouble stopping for the day by the end and had to jump right into the next book.
My favorite Codex Alera novel so far. My review can be found at SFF Book Review
Tavi keeps making a name for himself by being stubborn and quick witted. That's a winning combination in my book. I can see the outline of the epic arc he is headed on finally, and I approve. Even the cursor is finally starting to ACT, rather than stand around mindlessly while her allies get chopped and diced. I appreciate the explanation of why Tavi is so different (though I don't know if I believe that expanation.)
This entry in the Codex Alera find Tavi at the age of 19 and sent to the western province of Ceres to join the First Aleran Legion under the assumed name of Rufus Scipio. Ceres is just north of Kalare and Tavi ends up in the thick of trouble as Lord Kalare is goaded into trying to take the throne from Gaius. Things take a little while to get interesting in this book but around halfway in it gets very good. Tavi's got his hands full dealing with an overwhelming army of Canim (huge dog-like warriors) and Amara and company are tasked with a risky rescue mission. As before, the last ten pages have some eye-opening revelations.