Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1)

by Jim Butcher

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 Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy—the Marat horde—return to the Valley, Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war...

• ISBN10: 0441011993
• ISBN13: 9780441011995
• Publish Date: 5 October 2004
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 19 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 440
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ben Pick]

This is a strong opener to the fantasy series. However, I did not feel much attachment to any of the star characters or their voices. Hopefully, that will change as the series progresses. There were parts that I wanted to delve into further and parts which were too detailed. Much of the novel felt like fetch quests during an RPG.

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

The worldbuilding in this one was wicked cool. The social structure and military is Roman-based, which you don't find too often in fantasy. Additionally, Furies of Calderon gives us a magical system that is elementals meets familiars. Powers are well balanced and varied, but the magic exists so easily in the world that it doesn't take over the feel of the fantasy. Still, it was a thrill. Furies has a wide cast of characters, so there's someone for everyone in this book.

My personal favorite is Tavi, who really stumbles unaware into the adventure and ends up not only contributing importantly to the main storyline, but has an excellent little side-adventure of his own. Tavi is a great character - raw and honest in the way that young adults can be but he's also kind-hearted and genuine. I really liked following him.

Furies is definitely not meant for the light of heart - there's everything from slavery to cannibalism mentioned in the book, and there was a scene where I was sort of waiting to see if someone was going to get raped, because it was getting very sketchy. Do know that this has a lot of adult themes between the magic and war, and be prepared for that going in.

[ross91]

This was fun!
A little predictable, a little tropey, but really entertaining!
Tavi and Amara are my fav.