Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3) by Jim Butcher
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.70 You Save: $4.29 (43%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.56 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3)
Book Review: An Exciting Read
Summary: 5 Stars
After what I thought was a lackluster second volume in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, Cursor's Fury was a fun and exciting read that kept me on the edge of my seat. Cursor's Fury is broken in to three major story lines: Tavi and his battles with the invading Canim, Isana and her fight to save Fade while Lord Kalare foments a civil war, and Amara as she, Bernard, and Lady Acquitane travel to Kalare to free hostages. The final story is probably the weakest and less exciting of three. In fact, Butcher pushes it into the background for most of the novel.
Rightly so, the majority of the novel focuses on Tavi and his battles with the invading Canim. Butcher is at his finest when he's writing battle scenes. He's obviously done his homework on battle tactics, Roman tactics in general, because he writes them so well you feel like you're right there with the characters. I don't normally get that excited about battle scenes, but Butcher makes them very accessible to the reader. It's also during these scene that we witness the growth of Tavi into a strong military leader who earns the respect of his men. The best part of these novels so far has been the growth of Tavi from the bumbling character we met in Furies of Calderon to the strong leader that emerged in Cursor's Fury.
Isana is also a character that continues to grow and change. I won't reveal any spoilers (even though by now ever reader surely knows the big reveal even though we've suspected it pretty much from the beginning). While a lot happens with Amara, I found her whole story rather forgettable, but important things do happen that could have repercussions in later novels.
Cursor's Fury was a great addition to the Codex Alera series and leaves me eager for the next novel.
Book Review: Different type of fantasy fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Best So Far
Summary: 5 Stars
"Cursor's Fury" is the third in Butcher's "Codex Alera" series (Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1), Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 2), Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3), Captain's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 4), and Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera, Book 5)). As with the previous book, Butcher picks up the story after two years of story time has passed. In just about every aspect, this book continue with, works on, and improves the material from the previous books: if you liked them, you'll love this one. If I stretch, I can find one fault with the book (and it's standard for this genre): essentially limitless hordes of bad guys. But, the quality of writing, the depth of the world, and the emotional satisfaction of reading this easily crush that complaint. I rate this book at an Excellent 5 stars out of 5 and highly recommend the series as well as the book.Book Review: Outstanding!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Jim Butcher has demonstrated himself to be a consistently surprising author. The Codex Alera novels have been outstanding. Though I have long been a fan of the Dresden series, it was with a certain degree of trepidation that I stepped foot into Alera. Three novels later, I am more than enthralled.
While there is no shortage of the extensive battle scenes that have come to characterize the Codex Alera, they are far from gratuitous, and serve to further the plot quite nicely. I find my self reading chapters and chapters past my pre-determined stopping points, and look forward to being able to come home and pick up the book again. After getting about halfway through the second novel, I went and bought the entirety of the series so I wouldn't have to be interrupted with pesky trips to the bookstore.
These novels to have a certain amount of predictability in the plots, but I am inclined to believe that we see precisely what Butcher intends. Additionally, he has truly demostrated himself an excellent word smith, cleverly employing Latin nomenclatures and providing a further bit of insight to those who care to read a bit more carefully. This novel - along with its sibling ones in this series - is a thorough pleasure to read.
Book Review: So impressed with Butcher
Summary: 5 Stars
Many other reviewers have gone into the plot details of this novel, so I'll skip that and go immediately to the part where I rave about the series. When I discovered the Dresden Files I devoured the paperbacks my son-in-law loaned to me and then ordered the entire series to date in hardcover. Butcher is one of those authors that hits the ground running with the first book, gains speed until he achieves lift-off, and then cruises at 30,000 feet. Both the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera series begin well and just get better.
All three of the Codex books I have read so far have kept me up at night, and Cursor's Fury I just couldn't put down. I'm a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy both, but I'm not usually fond of books with a strong military focus. This series is an exception. Butcher's characters evoke a spectrum of strong responses and all of them are complex. The plots and subplots are both entertaining and labyrinthine, and even pages of battle descriptions had me turning pages long after my light should have gone out. I will buy this entire series as well, just wish I could find them all in hardcover now without paying $100.00 for the first one!