Customer Reviews

Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 2)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

This book takes place 2 years after the events in the first book of the series. Tavi is now a trainee Cursor at the academy in the capital and still has no furies to call his own. However, when the First Lord collapses one evening while alone with Tavi it is up to him to decide the best way to prevent this sudden health problem from plunging Alera into civil war. At the same time those in the Calderon Valley discover that the Wax Forrest has spawned a new evil that makes the previous wars in the valley look like child's play and could destroy all of Alera.

This story is played out in the space of a few days as Tavi tries to balance final exams with impending invasion and the political games of the high lords. Tavi is growing up and this comes through clearly in this novel, and though it was somewhat disappointing to find him still fury-less, Tavi still manages to do more with his brains than many powerful people with furies ever achieve. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next volume of this series, though its clear that without furies Tavi's options are becoming more limited, still, this is a series I will continue to be happy to buy in hardback.

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.

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

We started out as fans of Jim's other series: The Dresden Files. Since we'd run out of those books, we thought we'd give the Codex Alera a try. We're now hooked on this series as well. All of Jim's work is a joy to read, full of plot twists, and always some humor, even in the middle of the worst battles. As long as Jim keeps writing them, we'll read!!!

Academ's Fury (2005) is the second fantasy novel in the Codex Alera series, following Furies of Calderon. In the previous volume, Doroga -- head of the Gargant Horde -- led his and other Marat hordes against Atsurak's warriors and broke the siege of the Calderon Garrison. Fidelias forced the evidence of the betrayal from Tavi and returned it to Lady Acquitaine.

Countess Amara sent her report of the incident to the First Lord. Gaius Sextus came to Bernardholt and gave rewards to the survivors. Tavi's reward was to gain Gaius's patronage in the Academy.

In this novel, Kitai discovers that the Wax Forest has been abandoned. She shows the frozen and rotten valley to her father Doroga and tells him that tracks led out of the valley to the west. She wants to warn the Alerans, but Doroga refuses to let her go. Instead, he will carry a warning to the Garrison.

Tavi is a student in the Academy and also being trained as a Cursor. He becomes friends with Ehren and Antillar Maximus. Despite his lack of fury talent, Tavi manages to save Ehren and himself from the efforts of Kalarus Brencis Minoris and his minions. Naturally, he has more than a little help from Max.

Sir Miles tries to get Gaius Sextus to rest, but Gaius shows him why he has been so exhausted. A series of powerful storms have been breaking on the Aleran coast. Gaius believes the storms are being sent by the Canims. In any case, Gaius has been trying to reduce the effects of these storm and thus has lost much sleep.

In this story, Tavi, Max, Ehren and Gaelle undergo weapons testing by their Cursor Maestro. Tavi is tested first in each skill and shows a different flaw in each test. Yet his mates perform in an exemplary fashion. After the others are dismissed, Tavi stays behind to discuss his deficiencies with the Maestro.

The Maestro compliments Tavi for reminding his mates of their weak points and gives him another assignment. The city has been inflicted with a burglar who commits his crimes without the aid of a fury. The civic legion has not been able to apprehend the thief, so the Maestro gives Tavi until Wintersend to catch him.

Doroga and two thousand of his warriors follow the trail and attack the vord. He takes the two hundred survivors to the Calderon Garrison for treatment. But one of the creatures has escaped and is headed toward the capital.

This story interweaves the stories of the Alerans, the Marat, and the Canim. Tavi somewhat knows how to deal with the Marat and learns even more from Kitai. So now he finds out how to interact with the Canim.

This tale keeps expanding, but also explores previous threads that were left unexplained. We learn more about Tavi's father and mother and more about Alera itself. The next volume will explain even more and further broaden the action. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Butcher fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of covert operations, crime investigation, and a bit of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Overall: I rate this 4.5 stars. It is a very good continuation of the Codex Alera series of books by Jim Butcher. Tavi's life at the Academy shows an interesting view into the political intrigue of the "civilized" Alerians. He is forced to hone and refine his mental skills in order to pass his classes and become a Cursor. The other students in the Academy will no doubt play interesting and fun roles in the upcoming books. Tavi's relationship with Kitai becomes clear to him after he understands the bond she has formed to him.

Details:
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Characters -- the characters are developed a bit further than in the first book. Tavi is clearly a "special" person besides the fact he has been effectively handicapped by a lack of Furies. Tavi, Kitai and Gaius get the most character development. Bernard and Amara work out their situation which was nicely handled.

The character development is intermixed with the typical Butcher level of action / excitement.

Action -- The bulk of the action is in dealing with the Vord (think Aliens meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers). The Vord are very smart, deadly and effective. The tension produced by the combats is very well done as the Vord are a clear and present danger to all life in Alera. The action sequences are well written and snappy. You can be sure the Vord will be back in a later book.

Writing -- Typical Jim Butcher --> clear to the point but leaves enough the imagination to heighten your reading pleasure.

Plot -- The plot is pretty simple -- Destroy the Vord before they destroy you (but do it without exposing the weakness of Giaus to avoid a war of succession / civil war). The relationship with Kitai gets a nice little twist at the end of the book.

The political intrigue of the rest of the key players in the world are developed in preparation for the next three books. The Canines will be a very interesting group to deal with in the next book.

Overall:
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Characters: 4 stars
Action: 5 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Plot: 3 stars

Academ's Fury is a mostly agreeable novel in a mostly agreeable fantasy series by Jim Butcher. It's not innovative or genre-breaking, but it offers action, romance, intrigue, likable characters, and monsters. Butcher is a welcome, if not refreshing, addition to the guild of high fantasy authors.

Academ's Fury is about Tavi, a capable teen who has to protect the First Lord from assassins and monsters. He is hampered by his lack of furycrafting; in this world (Alera), people are able to control and manipulate wind, water, air, earth, wood, and metal furies (think elementals). Considered a freak due to his "disability," Tavi has to rely on his wits to overcome more powerful opponents. I wish that Tavi's "disability" was more central. Other than making him the target of bullies, it doesn't impact his life greatly. He isn't ostracized or a self-loather. I would like to know more about how he feels about it: whether he sees himself as damaged or incomplete.

The novel is patched together with elements from other works: insectoid aliens (a lot like the aliens in Alien), pseudo-zombies, beast-riding barbarians, wolf-men, a Shieldwall and Icemen (reminiscent of the wall in A Song of Ice and Fire), and an ancient-Rome-like setting. I think that Butcher is a genre geek who uses other works to inspire him, which makes the novel somewhat unoriginal. While a neat idea, furycrafting feels more like a substitute for traditional magic than a unique invention. It lacks the individuality of say, allomancy in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn saga.

Anyone who likes fantasy action will revel in the numerous battle scenes between furycrafters and aliens and swordsmen and wolfmen. I especially like how the alien vord use ambush and attack strategies against the legionaries. Butcher describes the clash of men and monsters with flourish, but after awhile it becomes repetitive. Far too many characters smile in the midst of combat for my taste, and more than one warrior dispatches an enemy "with contemptuous skill." People are also saved too often at the last second by allies, which seems to me to be lazy plotting.

In the few breathes between battles, the novel features compelling doses of intrigue. I hope that later volumes in the series focus more on the politics and less on the combat. In particular, I like how the "villains" such as Fidelias and Lady Aquitaine have understandable agendas and may even be right concerning their opposition to the First Lord.

Despite its shortcomings, Academ's Fury is a solid fantasy offering. The characters think, fight, and plot, and so do the monsters, which is uncommon. I look forward to reading more about Tavi's adventures in Alera.

"Academ's Fury" is the second 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)). It picks up about two years after the first book. If you liked the first book, you'll almost certainly like this one: an interesting world, good writing, and, for the most part, fairly well done characters. I also felt that the pacing was a bit better in this one. Plus, Butcher added a bit (just a bit) more information into the furies, themselves. I only had three significant disagreements with the book:
- First, there doesn't seem to be any adult supervision at the Academy. A good chunk of the plot revolves around things happening that just shouldn't be able to at the premier learning institution in the world. I mean, nobody in their right mind would leave a group of (essentially) magic-wielding teenagers alone to practice their group-dynamics on each other like this.
- Second, as in the first book, the low-life human antagonists (not the elite ones) are just over done: they stick to their unpleasant behavior far past the point where it would make any sense. After a while, I'd just throw up my hands, roll my eyes and say "not again."
- And, third, it takes an awful lot of pounding to do any damage to anyone.

This is a fantasy book, though. Not high literature. So, I'm not putting too much emphasis on those things. Like the first book, this one is captivating and well worth the read. I rate it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

...and that's saying something, for a trilogy. Most of the time, the second book is the weakest; the author has to raise the stakes, while resolving the present-time problems though not the larger ones. Butcher does an excellent job at this, while developing the characters of the people we met in the earlier novel. He also manages to throw in a few delightful surprises.

The end result is a story that I simply kept reading. In fact, I stayed up way too late to finish the book, because I just had to know what happened. And now, alas, I have to wait for book #3!