First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 6)
by Jim Butcher
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jim ButcherEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-24
ISBN: 044101769X
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Book Reviews of First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 6)
Book Review: Odi et Amo
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems this is the year for both of Jim Butcher's fantasy series to come full circle. First it was Turn Coat, wrapping up the first half of the Dresden Files, and now it is First Lord's Fury resolving the story of Tavi of Calderon. Codex Alera began with a young shepherd boy losing his sheep and subsequently being caught up in the larger political machinations of a treasonous High Lord attempting to usurp power from the First Lord in the Calderon Valley. It is, therefore, only fitting that the Calderon Valley is the backdrop for the final act of the Codex Alera.
Eight years later, in Alera, and that shepherd boy has grown into an Academ, a Man, a Cursor, a Captain, a Princeps and finally The First Lord. However, one thing has not changed: the fate of Alera still rests on his shoulders.
Tavi, now known as Gaius Octavian, returns from his journey to Canea to find his land under siege from the deadly Vord. Already having conquered the Canim, the Vord Queen has now turned her attention towards Alera. In Princep's Fury we saw her armies march on Alera Imperia, causing Tavi's grandfather, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, to sacrifice himself and Alera Imperia to slow the march of the Vord Army. Sextus' sacrifice allowed the Aleran Legions breathing room, but was ultimately just a delaying tactic that made it possible to set up the dramatic last stand of Alera.
One of the more unique aspects of the Codex Alera series is that while it is told in 3rd person limited (which I failed to initially identify, thank you Christopher), it feels, to me, very much like a 1st person fantasy series told from several different character viewpoints. Unlike Dresden, where we are in Harry's head the whole time, we are privy to the thoughts of anywhere from four (Tavi, Isana, Amara and Fidelias) to six (+Ehren and Invidia) characters as Butcher tracks the progress of the story on several different fronts. After the first book, we have been spending more and more time tracking Tavi, which has been a great boon to the series. Gaius Octavian is every bit as interesting as Harry Dresden, and the more time dedicated to him, the better. With so much going on, and so many variant story-lines folding together across continents, it was inevitable that Butcher would have to dedicate more time to other characters in this final act. While this is somewhat disappointing, nearly every character is as or more interesting in this installment than they have ever been.
I really feel the addition of Ehren ex Cursori's viewpoint has been the best addition to the series since Cursor's Fury altered the character of Fidelias to Valiar Marcus. He has another fine role in this book, and as in Princep's Fury, Ehren allows us to be privy to the thoughts of a First Lord from an advisor's POV. We experienced more Gaius Sextus in PF via Ehren, and Sextus is easily the second best character in the series, and is a large part of why I like PF so much.
First Lord's Fury sees the addition of Invidia Aquitaine's POV , and she is well done, but I feel she would have been more interesting to explore before she was taken by the Vord. While her arc is pivotal and works well within the story, it would have been more effective if we had more of an insight into her mind in earlier books. She was always a good character, but seeing her fall from the inside could have been even more tragically satisfying.
Surprisingly, I would honestly consider that it is Attis Aquitaine who, in the end, proves to be the more interesting character. Butcher explores Attis in much more detail, and I honestly feel that of the ancillary characters, he has the most memorable character progression. I found myself honestly touched reading the last scene between he and Amara.
In the end though, the series begins and ends with Tavi. One of the brilliant strokes of the series is the relationship Butcher cultivates between Tavi and Fidelias, as it means that the two most interesting viewpoint characters now spend so much time together. Their interaction, and Fidelias's own dynamic character arc, is definitely among the high points of this final book. But the growing up that Octavian has done, the way he is forced to deal with politics, betrayal, betrothal and brotherhood while trying to carry the world upon his shoulders has just been well done from start to finish. I would very readily read more books told from the viewpoint of Octavian.
While I love First Lord's Fury quite a lot, I do feel it could have been a little better. Clocking in at 465 pages, it is still not as long as Academ's Fury, and I feel pushing it to 500 (or even the 480 Amazon lists) would have allowed Butcher to finish the series without it feeling quite as rushed. The book still works, and I would say it is comparable to Princep's Fury, but after PF's brevity (presumably penultimate syndrome) I really felt that FLF needed to be the longest book of the series. I am actually mostly disappointed by the fact that we never get to read Sextus' letter to Octavian that he gives to Ehren at the end of Princep's Fury! I was hoping for a nice five page letter full of wisdom, lamentation, approval and just all the things you wanted Sextus to say to Tavi (probably because we are in Tavi's head and we know HE wants it) but was never able to. Anything, really, to have Sextus be a presence in the book.
Still, the action is seriously top-notch. Octavian's interaction with Alera is very well done, as is his continuing relationship with Kitai. Thanks to both, Tavi's furycraft has finally grown to the extent that we are able to see just how potent it can be, as well as how creatively it can be utilized. The Ice Ships at the end of PF were just the beginning! Once he sets his "damned clever little mind" to a task, now accompanied by powerful furycraft to compliment it, the magical action is finally as exciting as Dresden, especially coupled with the fine swordplay.
First Lord's Fury has nearly everything a fan of the series could want, and complaining that you want more (guilty!) is not the most compelling of arguments to claim the book was "disappointing". So I will not! It was a book I could not wait to read, a book I could scarcely put down while I was reading it, and one that I was thinking about or wishing I was reading when I was not. The addition, finally!, of a Map of Alera also squashes one of my major complaints about the packaging of the series. I re-read the Codex Alera prior to FLF coming out, and at this time I know that it is both good enough, and satisfying enough, to re-read it again in the future. Overall I would rate First Lord's Fury comparable to Princep's Fury, slightly better than Captain's Fury and Academ's Fury, but still not better than Cursor's Fury. A fine end to a stellar series so well done I eagerly anticipate anything Jim Butcher has in store for us, even if it is not about Gaius Octavian or Harry Dresden.
465 HC pages 4.5 out of 5 stars
Summary of First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 6)
The next book in the thrilling New York Times bestselling series.For years he has endured the endless trials and triumphs of a man whose skill and power could not be restrained. Battling ancient enemies, forging new alliances, and confronting the corruption within his own land, Gaius Octavian became a legendary man of war-and the rightful First Lord of Alera.
But now, the savage Vord are on the march, and Gaius must lead his legions to the Calderon Valley to stand against them-using all of his intelligence, ingenuity, and furycraft to save their world from eternal darkness.
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