Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3) by Jim Butcher
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Book Reviews of Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 3)
Book Review: Just as good as ever
Summary: 4 Stars
This series has the same sharp wit that Butcher is known for. This is the third book in the series and they do build on one another so I would not recommend starting with this one, but it's worth getting the first and reading through all of The Codex Alera. If you like The Dresden Files, these are definatly worth a read.Book Review: The Weakest of the Series
Summary: 3 Stars
Cursor's Fury is the third book in Jim Butcher's six part Codex Alera series. Cursor's Fury does a lot of what you expect from a middle novel - it develops some of the main characters, moves the plot along, sets up the remaining books, but it's easily the weakest entry in the series.
I'll start off with the strengths: Tavi continues to develop into a really impressive character, very cerebral, very witty, very effective and competent, all while remaining a very human character. Likewise, Cursor's Fury does move the plot along nicely, setting up well for the remaining three novels in the series. Butcher ties up a few loose ends while developing some key plotlines. Butcher also reveals some important secrets (though they weren't very well kept to begin with). Finally, Butcher's writing is competent, if never lush.
The real problem with Cursor's Fury is that aside from Tavi, Max and a couple other side characters, the characters are really flat and unrealistic. Isana, who admittedly was always one of my least favorite characters in the series, has become almost painful to read about. Amara has become much more one-dimensional since her debut in the Furies of Calderon. The good guys are so blatantly noble and the bad guys so blatantly bad that it feels like you're occasionally reading a manual on fantasy clichés. While this problem improves somewhat in future volumes, it really detracts from Cursor's Fury. Another major problem is that the novel is remarkably predictable. Butcher executes everything in a competent, fairly logical way, but there are very few surprises, very few twists.
As I said earlier, Cursor's Fury is, in my opinion, the weakest novel so far in the Codex Alera series. If you liked the first two novels then Cursor's Fury is definitely worth your time. Despite its flaws, it is a fairly entertaining read and is certainly a quick read. It works well as a bridge novel and sets up the second-half of the series nicely. Recommended.
Book Review: OK, OK enough...I give up...the white flag has been raised!
Summary: 2 Stars
'Cursor's Fury' is the third book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. It is also the last book I'm reading in this ongoing saga.
First, Isana must go.
As with the first two books, (Furies of Calderon and Academ's Fury) this book started off great. Again, I thought the author had finally begun to realize the point that great fantasy must be reasonably believable...but no...after a few encouraging chapters, it rapidly reverted to its usual form of incredulous rescues and triumphs against staggering odds.
Second, Amara must go.
You know, Jim Butcher can write and can tell a really great tale but somewhere between mind and paper something was lost in this series. He persists in putting out ideas, that to my mind, destroy any possibility of reasonably great fantasy; why...because I need, within the context of fantasy, events and occurrences that I can be comfortable with i.e. the believability factor. Maybe, just maybe this series was written for the young adult audience, because that's what the story telling reminds me of. However, there is nothing on the book covers to indicate this was the intended audience.
Third, Bernard must go.
I really liked the main protagonist of this novel...Tavi; a decent human being, destined for greatness. Yet his girl friend (Kitai) and lover of five years, still insists on calling him 'Aleran' (because he's from Alera). Never once in the two books that she has appeared in, has she ever called him by his real name; not even in intimate or compassionate moments. Just imagine your significant other always referring to you as 'Norwegian', 'Mexican' or 'Canadian' etc. You get the picture. It just doesn't make sense to me.
And finally, Isana, Amara and Bernard need, in the worst way and for the greater good of the series, to be dispatched; written out of the story. I've never seen 3 more bland, emotionless, cookie-cutter individuals in all my fantasy reading. Always nice, forever polite and unreasonably kind...enough to turn your stomach. If I thought there might be a chance of them being 'eliminated' I might read on.
And the really sad thing is that I liked the basic story/plot; it's a great tale filled with wonderful promise. It just needs that missing touch...that elusive magic to transform it to something so special. I'm just sad it fell so short. 2 Stars
Ray Nicholson