Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 2) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jim Butcher (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 28, 2006

In Furies of Calderon, bestselling author Jim Butcher introduced readers to a world where the forces of nature take physical form. But now, it's human nature that threatens to throw the realm into chaos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for his Harry Dresden fantasy noir novels (Dead Beat, etc.), bestseller Butcher shows he's equally adept at epic fantasy in the second Codex Alera book. Two years after the events of Furies of Calderon (2004), the First Lord of Alera, Gaius Sextus, struggles to control a realm facing growing border troubles and civil strife as High Lords scheme to advance their own causes. Fortunately, Gaius has loyal supporters such as his nephew Tavi, now a 17-year-old Academ, a student of Alera Imperial's great Academy, who also serves as Gaius's page and is secretly training to become a Cursor, one of the First Lord's elite spies. Then Gaius falls ill, leaving those closest to him, including Tavi, desperate to keep his weakness secret. With Cursors being murdered, an ancient menace known as the "vord" heading for the capital and civil war on the horizon, Tavi has his work cut out for him. Butcher skillfully weaves in the necessary back story without slowing the pace. Solid world-building, intriguing characters and vivid action make this a solid addition to a marvelously entertaining series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Tavi, the young hero of Furies of Calderon (2004), is now in the capital, ostensibly serving as a page but secretly training to become a spy. When the first lord falls to a sorcerous attack, Tavi and his closest friends and teachers must conceal the lord's condition lest the realm fall into civil war. In the Calderon Valley, a long--forgotten horror awakens and heads for the heart of Alera, while Tavi's closest relative, the newly appointed Steadholder Isana, faces at least two sets of assassins. This is a fine coming-of-age, fantasy-action novel. The characterizations are excellent, and the plotting is very well developed. The second book of the Codex Alera, though not as exciting as Furies, includes plenty of action, and Butcher provides enough background so that it can be enjoyed without having read its predecessor. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Ace (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441013406
• ISBN-13: 978-0441013401
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Butcher read his first fantasy novel when he was seven years old--
the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. By the time he turned eight,
he'd added the rest of the Narnia books, the Prydain Chronicles, every
book about Star Wars he could find, a great many Star Trek novels and
the Lord of the Rings to his count.

So he was pretty much doomed from the start.

Love of fantasy, his personal gateway drug, drew him toward a fairly
eclectic spread of interests: horseback riding (including trick riding,
stunt riding, drill riding, and competitive stunt racing), archery,
martial arts, costuming, music and theater. He played a lot of role-
playing games, a lot of fantasy-based tactical computer games, and
eventually got into live-action roleplay where players beat each other
up with boffer weapons.

So, really, he can fly his nerd flag with pretty much anyone, and
frequently does.

He took up writing to be able to produce fantasy novels with swords and
horses in them, and determinedly wrote terrible fantasy books until,
just to prove a point to his writing teacher, he decided to take every
piece of her advice; fill out outlines and worksheets, and design
stories and characters just the way she'd been telling him to do for
about three years. He was certain that once she saw what hideous art it
produced, she would be proven wrong and repent the error of her ways.
The result was the Dresden Files, which sure showed *her*.

She has not yet admitted her mistake and recanted her philosophy on
writing.

Jim has performed in dramas, musicals, and vocal groups in front of
live audiences of thousands and on TV. He has performed exhibition
riding in multiple arenas, and fallen from running horses a truly
ridiculous number of times. He was once cursed by an Amazon witch
doctor in rural Brazil, has apparently begun writing about himself in
the third person, and is hardly ever sick at sea.

He also writes books occasionally.

Jim stands accused of writing the Dresden Files and the Codex Alera.
He's plead insanity, but the jury is still out on that one. He lives in
Missouri with his wife, romantic suspense and paranormal romance writer
Shannon K. Butcher (who is really pretty and way out of his league),
his son, and a ferocious guard dog.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#9 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#15 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#17 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#100 in Books

#9 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#15 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#17 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#100 in Books

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first book January 25, 2007

By Paul O'Connor VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Other people have done a very good job of describing the plot so I'll use my review to explain my reaction to this book and why I gave it such a good rating.

First, a word of warning, one of the other reviewers commented that it is a fragmented middle book to a trilogy (typically the weakest link of the story). While I don't agree completely with him, there is some justice to this claim so I'd recommend that readers finish the first book before moving on to the second one.

The first book was a delightful romp into a new fantasy universe but the characters were two dimensional, their likes and dislikes were stamped in metal and were unchangeable throughout the entire novel. This worked because the universe was so new and interesting to the reader. Fortunately Jim Butcher recognized the weakness and corrected it in this book. Setting the story two years after the novel was an excellent idea, the characters are still recognizable but have matured and don't see everything in such black-and-white terms. Sometimes good people have bad things happen to them and they have to make compromises to survive.

Another interesting facet of the story is that while the characters were extremely capable in the last book it turns out that they aren't all-powerful. When Butcher pulls back the lens and allows the reader to see more of the environment they exist in, you realize that they may be powerful but there are much larger powers that regard them as toys to be played with or broken at a whim. This revelation makes the characters much more believable and interesting.

Finally, I don't know how he did it, but the author believably maintains the suspense level right through to the last page.... There's more action here than in a dozen Hong Kong martial arts movies and it flows clearly and logically from one scene to the next.

I've just read that Mr. Butcher has contracted to write at least three more books in the series. I can't imagine how he's going to maintain this level of interest and intrigue over such a long period but I have faith and I'm very much looking forward to finding out when the next book comes out in paperback. Read more ›

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Butcher does no wrong August 31, 2005

By Dussan

Format:Hardcover

He takes to pure fantasy like a fish to water and going a route that pleases me immensly. One thing I dislike in the current fantasy trend is the "realistic" fantasy that is coming out these days. Taking historical incidents and weaving a fantasy tale, with a different planet and characters yet have the same brutal feudal outcome does not appeal to me. I like my fantasy to have magic, and action, a bit of romance and a lot of fun.

Martin and many others coming along seem to revel in bombarding you with the phrase "no one is safe". That gets old after a while and you want to sit back and read about characters you enjoy.

Butcher does this. With Academs Fury Tavi grows to a young man with still the sameproblems, being the only human unable to control a Fury. This time around we see Tavi at the Academy, when the Emperor falls ill. Thanks to Tavis' quick thinking and wits he and the Emperors most trusted aids are able to keep the realm from falling apart, if only for a short time. Back home, Tavi's family is underseige by a new threat, one that he may have unleashed. This threat could destroy the whole Empire if it is not stopped.

Butcher keeps many of the secrets and the path of the story to himself. Tavi continues to display a fantastic intellect, with quick thinking and bravery that rivals another of my favorite underdogs in literature Miles Vorkosigan. Tavi does not let his handicap interfere with what needs to be done, yet you can feel the lack of inability to Furycraft during each incident and adventure. For in a world where the smallest of childerend and the most unintelligent of men can use this power effectively, you just know that if Tavi had this power he would be a force to reckon with....

I give it five stars because of the sheer originality of the symbiotic realationship between the Furies and humans as a system of magic.

It may not appeal to the hardcore fantasy fans, that love the gritty realism in fantasy these days. But to Butcher fans this is pure gold. I eagerly await the next round. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The plot thickens November 4, 2009

By Timothy Fitzgerald

Format:Hardcover

You could tell that Jim Butcher was still finding his legs in the Swords and Horses Fantasy genre with his first effort, Furies of Calderon. You could still see through the text straight to the writers who he acknowledges influenced him in many parts. However, throughout that offering you could "hear" Butcher's voice taking center stage, so that by the end it felt like a Jim Butcher novel. Not a Jim Butcher trying his hand at Tolkien novel.

Thus, by the second book of the Codex Alera, we find that the series has begun to take on a life of its own and becomes a legitimate endeavor for Butcher. Beginning with Academ's Fury, the series really takes off and distinguishes itself as a rich and intriguing new Fantasy world. This is due largely to two reasons: the author introduces us to the villain of the saga, The Vord, and the main character, Tavi, really takes center stage for the first time.

Prior to this book, and even then I would say prior to halfway through this book, Tavi has been the main actor in an ensemble piece. While nominally the main character, there really was not much in the way of page time to distinguish him as such. While not as much time was dedicated to a single character, save perhaps Amara, you could still go many pages and chapters before coming back to Tavi. This was necessary to create the world and give it depth, make you form attachments to the various characters moving forward. However, Tavi is easily the most interesting character in the saga, so Butcher dedicating more time to him in Academ's Fury is a very welcome change. While I like Bernard, Amara, Isana and Fidelias, none of them grab me the way that Tavi's character does.... Though I admit he is perhaps at an advantage, as the characters he interacts with: Gaius, Araris, Sir Miles, Maximus and Kitai, are all some of the better ones in the series.

It works so well, I am sure intentionally, because this is also the "becoming a man" moment in the saga for Tavi. While he was the hero of Second Calderon in the first book, that was more of a "coming of age" kinda tale. At the end of that people still viewed him as a precocious kid who needed to be cared for because he was without his Furies. However, by the end of Academ's Fury, even his superiors have to stop themselves from referring to him as a "kid" and instead acknowledge him as a Man.

As the Marat Barbarian Doroga says, "Tavi does things big." So it is no surprise that Tavi's adventure in the Wax Forest in FoC awakened The Vord, a menace so great it has become fireside nightmare stories even to the Marat. Doroga and Kitai discover the Vord have left their valley, and pursue them. The Marat are able to destroy one Vord Queen's nest at great loss of life, but he comes to warn Alera that the other two have taken root within the Realm. While Bernard and Amara join with Doroga to assault the one in the Calderon Valley, Isana goes to the Capital to try and warn Gaius and Tavi. Meanwhile, Tavi, the Academ, is in training to become a Cursor when all hell breaks loose, again, and he is the only one who can save the day, again.

Just as in the first book when Butcher introduced the Marat as the primary threat, but teased the Vord as well, in Academ's Fury Butcher fully makes The Vord the primary threat, but also teases The Canim: A sentient Wolf-like race who have been at war with Alera for hundreds of years. Ambassador Varg is the Doroga of the second book: He is a leader of a race hostile to Alerans, but comes to respect Tavi's courage, cleverness and honor. While he plays a key role in this book, you also can tell that he will be instrumental somewhere down the line in later books as well, just as you knew Doroga would be.

Finally, the amount of politics is much higher in this book, much more complex than the previous book. While this does an admirable job of distinguishing it from FoC, elevating the age level a bit, it is one of the dragging points in the novel. I was never as interested in Isana as much in this book, though I did enjoy her scenes with Lady Aquitaine (who just gets better from the first book). I also felt that Doroga and Walker just totally steal the show away from Bernard and Amara, who were really at their most boring in this book. I like the story that revolves around them, but I felt that it was interesting more because of the Vord, Doroga and Walker than Bernard and Amara. However, fully immersing us in the Politics creates a good segueway into the events of the following books, where they are more seamlessly integrated.

In all this is a fine follow-up to Furies of Calderon and an even better lead-in to the rest of the series. Tavi could only be a child hero so long, and this book really makes the transition flawlessly to his taking the reigns as the primary action star of the saga as well. We get even more hints at his destiny and his secret identity and past, and are made to realize that whatever happens in the future, Tavi is going to be at the forefront trying to hold things together. The last 150 pages really fly by, paying off even some of the more tedious elements earlier in the book before it really gets in gear. Another solid entry in this fine saga.

469 HC pages 4.5 out of 5 stars Read more ›