Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher (2006)

Book Three of the Codex Alera

Reviewed by Angela Grosheim 1/17/09

Cursor's Fury, Jim Butcher's third offering in the Codex Alera series, continues to follow the adventures of our young hero, Tavi of Calderon. Jim Butcher has built a world full of mystery, intrigue, secrets and politics that is both terrifying and interesting to read. The characters, likewise are very human in their needs and desires and both heros and villian are resourceful and intelligent.

Tavi, our main hero, is unique among his Aleran peers, as he does not have access to the powerful Furies that give the rest of the Aleran's the ability to furycraft. However, this does not hold our hero back from doing brave and stupid things. Instead, Tavi must rely on his friendships, his own strengths and his wits to survive in this world, where it seems he is at a disadvantage.
The other characters are just as enjoyable to read about as well, though unlike the previous books, Jim Butcher tended to focus on a single character for several chapters at a time, instead of switching more regularly back and forth between the character's points of view. While I understand the necessaity at points - there is a lot happening to all the characters - it still seemed that it could have been broken up a bit more to give a little more suspense or maybe just a little more variety in some places to help keep the pace of the novel flowing a little more strongly.

As the third title in the six book series, this really starts to move the series along the path that you may figure out it would take after the second book. Many secrets are revealed, others remain hidden, however, at the end of the book, there are new questions unanswered and the biggest question of all leaves only more speculation and a healthy desire to discover the answer by gobbling up the next book as quickly as possible.

While reading, I kept trying to figure out exactly what it is that make this series so good. It is actually harder, I find, to review a book that I throughly enjoyed than to review one that I didn't appreciate so much, or that I could pick out the flaws in. So, what then, makes a good book? I find I am always drawn to strong characters and a good story. This has both, but it also has something more, more than just the fanastic world that Jim Butcher has build, or the magics of the furycrafting and ritualists of the Canim. It is alos Jim Butcher's writing style and the weaving of the plot. The series so far is very well rounded and when I read them, they make me want to be a better writer. I think that is a victory in any novel, and I highly reocmmend the series as a whole to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

The Codex Alera series, is one to be somehow be both devoured and savored at the same time.

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Read the first two books in the Codex Alera Series!