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Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3) By Jim Butcher ( Ace )
Release Date: 2007-11-27
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Product Description
In his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world in which the powerful forces of nature take physical form. But even magic cannot sway the corruption that threatens to destroy the realm of Alera once and for all.
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 breathtaking ( msmoby )
Oh, geez. There is no way I can do this book justice. I tend to babble when I love a book, and waffle between fangirly squeeing and a dry synopsis. I've been a fan of Jim Butcher's writing for 8 years--hard to believe it hasn't been longer than that. The books have always been good, but each book is just a little bit better than the one before, making Cursor's Fury his best when it came out. Captain's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 4) is even better.
Cursor's Fury is the third book in the Codex Alera. FYI: the Codex Alera is not a trilogy. It was never intended as a trilogy. But neither is it an open-ended series. It's a 6-book series.
Anyway. The series is mostly about Tavi. If you've read the other books (and you really need to read this series in order, because each book builds on the previous ones--though enough details are given so a newcomer wouldn't be completely lost), you know that Alera is a world of magic, where people use elemental furies (air, earth, water, fire, metal, & wood) the way we use technology. And Tavi can't use furies. At all.
In Cursor's Fury, Tavi is now a cursor (secret agent for the Crown)--hence the title--and as such, he's sent to the newly-formed First Aleran legion as a junior officer (think butterbar). It's composed of soldiers and officers from every part of Alera, and they're sent off to the far reaches of the realm where, presumably, they'll all just spy on each other and keep out of trouble. Instead, they find themselves facing an invasion of Canim (huge dog-like creatures), and nearly the entire command structure of the First Aleran is killed, leaving young, fury-less Tavi in charge of once again saving the realm.
Meanwhile, High Lord Kalare is attempting a coup, and fellow cursor Amara has to team up with the scheming Lady Aquitaine to rescue the hostages he's taken; and Isana is busy fighting for both her life and that of the slave Fade, as she tries to heal him of a poisoned wound he received in Kalare's attack on the city of Ceres.
The characters are very complex--none is entirely good or entirely evil, and their personalities are backed up by their histories. Cursor's Fury gives us not only the external plot, but also developments in the character's emotional lives, and their emotions are clear and affecting without being manipulative or sappy.
One of the things I like best about this series (and it applies to the Dresden Files as well) is how deceptively simple it is. I've been reading a bit more fantasy again lately, and the contrast is marked. For me, reading an average fantasy book is like wading through thick mud. Reading the Codex Alera is like running on a track. It reads smooth and clean. There's plenty of atmosphere, and the worldbuilding is first rate, but it's not hidden in a dense tangle of oddly-spelled words and long passages of dull description. Conversely, the plot of the average fantasy book is really rather straightforward once you get to it, while Cursor's Fury's plot is just full of twists and turns and tiny details that turn out to be major clues to future events. The closer you pay attention, the more complex the book gets.
I loved the military setting, particularly Tavi's assuming command. You could see hints of his future in the way he dealt with it.
Amara's thread of the story was mostly exciting action, but there was also a bittersweet emotional content to it as well that put a lump in my throat.
Isana's thread was the most emotional, and through it we learned a lot of the history we'd previously surmised. That one had me in tears more than once.
A note about the cover. It's been the wallpaper on my monitor for months now. It's not perfect, but the scene it depicts is one of my favorites in the book. It's an exciting life-or-death moment, and an emotional one for two different reasons. It makes me smile every time I see it.
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Keep your day open...
These books keep you seated--you're going to want to keep your day open when you start reading them, because you're not going to want to do a whole lot else.
I started reading Butcher's other series, and, sadly, really hated them; so, when someone coersed me into reading them, I was completely surprised when I fell in love. It's so rare in the fantasy-genre to find a book with so much plot.
I'd recommend these books to everyone who likes a fast paced-action/adventure, political intrigue, and good character development and anyone who's a fan of the genre, especially: Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and Weis/Hickman's early Dragon Lance books.
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best butcher book
as far as im concerned, this is butchers best book to date...
though from reading the sample chapters for princeps' fury i might have to change my opinion in about a month...
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Different type of fantasy fiction ( kimulus )
I'm not really a horse&sword reader, but I really enjoy Mr. Butcher's writing style so I gave this series a try. The first book was all plot building and I couldn't "see" the characters yet, but the second book made Tavi and his friends more real. Max is a hoot and I liked the juxtaposition of the character's development. The third book is the best so far: all the intrigue, plot twists, and hopeless scenarios kept me on the edge of my seat. We finally get some answers in this book: Tavi's furyless condition and his parentage.
As I was thinking about the story this morning, I liked how the encounter with the Vord has shown the Marat, Canim, and Alerans at different stages and decline of civilization: Marat used to be advanced but are now a shadow of their former selves; the Canim are at their peak but on the downswing; and the Alerans are reaching their peak. Very neat writing trick and of course it helps build the suspense.
If you're thinking about the series, it's full of political intrigue, adventure, military battles, and its own variety of fantasy/magic. I never know where the book's story will end and that's very entertaining. I usually steer clear of horse&sword because elves, magicians, or other fantasy creatures are over done, but this series will give you a new, fresh fantasy adventure. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
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Another Butcher Grandslam!
I started reading this series a few scant months ago, and the entire line of books reads very fast. I can't put them down once I start a new one. I would definately recommend the Codex Alera series to any avid fantasy reader. I am anxiously waiting the fourth installment, Captain's Fury in two weeks.
If you were a fan of the Drizzt novels, you will absolutely love this line of works. It is a truly unique perspective on the use of magic, and Tavi will quickly become one of your new hero's.
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