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Academ's Fury (Codex Alera #2)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

4.24 of 5 stars 4.24 · rating details · 17,325 ratings · 600 reviews

In "Furies of Calderon," bestselling author 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.

Paperback, 704 pages

Published November 28th 2006 by Ace (first published 2005)

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May 23, 2012 Anna-louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not as tense as the first book but its still really good. The action is great you still go through that up and down sensation when you think everything will go smoothly but something then happens yet again!
The story line is different, more political, but equally as interesting and the main characters are developing well and i'm very invested now to find out what happens to them through the series, So i'm straight onto the next one even though i have a huge pile of books i had planned to...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kaila rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-aficionados-challenge-2012, 2012, magic

As seen on Stumptown Books.

Although this installment was easier for me to read than Furies of Calderon (my groans were cut down by about a third, I'd say), I liked this second novel no more than the first one. It has been two years since the events of Furies, and we're plopped right back into the action without so much as an update, which at first had me a little miffed. The problem with plowing through novels so quickly is that proper nouns quickly find their way into the oubliette, so even tho...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of HF who are tired of the same Tolkienesque ideas being rehashed time and again

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, fiction, fairly-decent-tbh, high-fantasy, horror

Yeah it took me a while to read this book.

I admit I started it in November, as I was starting NaNoWriMo (and if any of you have ever taken part in that month long literary self flagellation then you will know that the last thing most people want to do in that month is read lol). As such, effectively, I didn't really start reading it until December.

Let me say I'm not gonna give much background here, I've already covered that here... Now on with the review!

The first half of this book is very, ve...more Yeah it took me a while to read this book.

I admit I started it in November, as I was starting NaNoWriMo (and if any of you have ever taken part in that month long literary self flagellation then you will know that the last thing most people want to do in that month is read lol). As such, effectively, I didn't really start reading it until December.

Let me say I'm not gonna give much background here, I've already covered that here... Now on with the review!

The first half of this book is very, very heavy. There are massive political tones to the storyline. Now this is the second book of a six tome series of High Fantasy by Jim Butcher (famous for his Urban Fantasy writing), and it is a gem in my opinion. I trudged through the heavy, yet intriguing, first half of the book. I even put it down for a bit to mull over the deeper political storylines, accurate to the politics of the roman basis for the Aleran people of the series.

It even has everything a reader could want. There is a blossoming love story, political intrigue, deception, war, historical tactics and even zombies (kind of) in the form of a new enemy to this world, the Vord (a parasitic almost insectile creature that have no machinations (view spoiler) .)

Then a switch is flipped at the halfway point and a battle from four separate perspectives rages, from two separate locations in this lusciously crafted world. The prose flows smoothly, propelling the story along with the momentum of a boulder making it's way down the side of a mountain, starting slow then building up so much momentum that you can't help but be drawn in. Over the past 2 or 3 days I've read nearly 350 pages of a 628 page tome, that's how absorbing I found it.

The story, whilst having the usual fantasy elements of beasts, magic and an almost medieval setting, doesn't really focus on the magic of the people. It puts across the idea that no matter what "tools" you have at hand, they are no substitute to a quick and intelligent mind. The development of the characters had me laughing and at one point very, very close to tears. I was powerfully moved by the emotional journey of the characters.

Honestly I can't wait to dive into the next book of the series (despite how heavy they are politically) just to see the growth of the characters continue.

All I can say really is, if you're a fan of High Fantasy then definitely look up the Codex Alera series. It has good world building, with minimal info dumping. (less)

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Jan 14, 2011 Qing rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Brief premise: The vord abandoned its home in the huge tree, with the intent of invading places as much as they can.^^^^Doroga's forces/warriors were decimated in killing one of the vord nests (once they leave to spawn elsewhere, they split into three groups) and warned Bernard of the other nests.^^^^Bernard, Amara, and Doroga goes to locate and kill one of the nests, while Isana left for the Citadel to warn that one of the vord nests would be in the city and ask Gaius to send reinforcements to...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Considering I was left in my post-book grumpy mood for hours after finishing this book, I think that's a pretty firm signal that I'm enjoying this series. Set two years after the first book (Furies of Calderon), we see more political intrigue from the capital as well as the uncovering of the hidden threat of the main villain of the series. A hidden threat that is replicating all over the continent, who has untold and unknown powers, oh and can hide in plain sight - yeah, they're screwed. Or so w...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Linda Jaejoong rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wer Band 1 "Die Elementare von Calderon" schon umwerfend fand, wird Band 2 geradezu einatmen!! Tavi lebt nun schon seit 2 Jahren in der Hauptstadt Alera Imperia, wo er zum Kursor ausgebildet wird und leider immer noch keine Elementare beschwören kann. Man lernt seine neuen Freunde kennen, Max, Ehren und Gaelle. Natürlich gibt es auch solche die Tavi seinen Platz an der Akademie nicht gönnen, so wie Brencis und seine Handlanger Renzo und Varien, da Tavi nicht so ist wie sie. Doch auch von außerha...more Wer Band 1 "Die Elementare von Calderon" schon umwerfend fand, wird Band 2 geradezu einatmen!! Tavi lebt nun schon seit 2 Jahren in der Hauptstadt Alera Imperia, wo er zum Kursor ausgebildet wird und leider immer noch keine Elementare beschwören kann. Man lernt seine neuen Freunde kennen, Max, Ehren und Gaelle. Natürlich gibt es auch solche die Tavi seinen Platz an der Akademie nicht gönnen, so wie Brencis und seine Handlanger Renzo und Varien, da Tavi nicht so ist wie sie. Doch auch von außerhalb droht Gefahr, denn die Vord kommen und haben nur ein Ziel, die Vernichtung allen Lebens. Wird Tavi auch diesmal wieder seinen Mut beweisen können?? Wem kann er trauen?? Wer ist Feind und wer ist Freund??

Wer dachte Band 1 war nervenaufreibend der sollte erst mal diesen Band lesen!! Wir treffen alte Bekannte wie Bernard, Amara, Isana, Doroga, Kitai, Gaius oder Fidelias und eine ganze Handvoll neuer. Am besten hat mir von den neuen Max gefallen, er its Tavi ein richtiger Freund und würde alles für ihn tun. Ich hoffe wir erfahren in den anderen Bändern noch mehr von Max's Vergangenheit. Wir erfahren mehr über Tavi seine Mutter und man kann sich eigentlich schon denken wer sein Vater "war", aber ob meine These stimmt muss sich noch heraus stellen, also behalte ich sie für mich!!

Tavi tut mir richtig leid, so wie die drei Idioten Brencis, Renzo und Varien ihn behandeln. Bernard, Amara und Doroga kämpfen im Calderon Tal um das nackte Überleben und Isana muss eine schwerwiegende Entscheidung treffen, die vieles verändern wird. Auch Fidelias zeigt eine ganz neue Seite an sich und beweist das auch er so etwas wie Gefühle besitzt. Wie erfahren mehr über Faede "Araris" und seien Familie, das is so traurig!! Kitai hat diesmal eine größere Bedeutung als in Band 2, was mich sehr gefreut hat. Sie und Tavi passen einfach so gute zusammen. Tavi hat eine gewaltige Entwicklung durchgemacht und zeigt allen das man auch ohne Elementare etwas großen vollbringen kann.

Fazit: Spannend, herzzerreißend und gewaltig, das ist "Codex Alera 2: Im Schatten des Fürsten"!!! Es liest sich super flüssig und man will es gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen!! Die Figuren, egal ob Neben- oder Hauptfigur, sind einfach der Hammer und bringen immer wieder frischen Wind in die Storie!! Am besten solltet ihr gleich alle 6 Bänder zu Hause liegen haben, denn man kann der Sucht nicht entkommen!!(less)

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Feb 05, 2013 Clinton rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book was cool, Jim could of cut like 200 pages out of it and it would have been much better. I really dont like all of the different perspective that they keep switching between in this book and the last. Just pick 1 or 2 and stick with it. I like the furies they remind me of the shadows in the Seventh Tower series. I dont like that so far Tavi hasnt gotten one yet.

Speaking of Tavi I love him and Kitai's relationship. Its interesting and as natural as you can get in their weird world. Its t...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Jon rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I draft Goodreads reviews in my head as I read. For the first 50-100 pages I was planning on saying something along the lines of, "As in his other series, Codex Alera takes a turn for the worse when in book 2 Butcher introduces werewolves. JB keeps up his trend of book 2 being a low point that leaves me ready to bail on a series." Or something like that. While the intro was slow, Academ's Fury picked up and I liked it quite a bit better than the first. It felt less sloppy and a whole lot more de...more I draft Goodreads reviews in my head as I read. For the first 50-100 pages I was planning on saying something along the lines of, "As in his other series, Codex Alera takes a turn for the worse when in book 2 Butcher introduces werewolves. JB keeps up his trend of book 2 being a low point that leaves me ready to bail on a series." Or something like that. While the intro was slow, Academ's Fury picked up and I liked it quite a bit better than the first. It felt less sloppy and a whole lot more deliberate.

Midway through I realized what I enjoy about Butcher. His characters get things done without waiting for a perfect solution. I'm used to the situation where a character has a goal and it seems like the only way to reach it is to bargain with the enemy. The character is too self righteous to ever do anything that helps the enemy, so he whinges about his dilemma until his cleverness prevails and he manages to accomplish his goal and screw over the enemy.

That doesn't happen with Butcher. His characters will make trades and compromises to do what needs to be done. I think it's a lot more interesting to see where a flexible character bends than a resolute character who continues to endure.

Anyway, here's what I didn't like. Spoilers ensue.

Isana doesn't work for me. She's kinda bitchy but loves her family. That just didn't give me enough reason to care about her. She's the tertiary POV character though, so at least she didn't bother me too often.

So this isn't a problem with the story, but with the publisher. They list the names of the other books of the series right in the book. Academ, Cursor, and eventually, First Lord each have a Fury. Looking at the pattern one would expect Tavi to become First Lord. There was some hinting about this towards the end of this book, but I'm not sure this is the conclusion I would have jumped to if I hadn't seen the other book titles. I can take a few guesses at Tavi's lineage and Fade's back story at this point, but I'd rather have had them revealed to me at the appropriate time. I don't mind seeing through a plot, but it felt like a spoiler slipping through in this case.

One of the things I've enjoyed about the Dresden Files series is that it's a modern magic series about a wizard named Harry, but it doesn't make you think Potter. Academ's Fury did make me think Harry Potter. I think it was the whole, main character in wizard school saving the world while keeping up appearances in his classes thing. It was distracting. I want to say I'm not sure how else a book with that sort of structure could work, except that Rothfuss managed it in Name of the Wind. I think the difference there was that there was so much else going on that I couldn't be bothered to think about the structural similarities. At any rate, I'm optimistic about Codex Alera, since the spoiler titles indicate Tavi won't be an Academ forever.(less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Grace Viray rated it 4 of 5 stars

I honestly shouldn't be surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. Of course, it was amazing. It's written by Jim Butcher! I had to stop reading a few times in the tense battle scenes to revel at how brilliantly crafted and suspense filled the battle scenes were. They weren't predictable, nor were they dragged out. They were simply amazing. I also loved the political touch added to the very complicated plot making the conflict and resolutions far more interesting and intriguing. Which si...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Nev Percy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Nev by: Steph Clarke

Shelves: fantasy

Whilst the first one had the advantage of introducing for the first time a lot of Jim Butcher's premises for his world of Alera -- mostly the Furies, obviously -- I think he developed his skills some more by this book, and I liked it even better.

"Academ's Fury" sounding like it was going to be about Tavi's life as a student in the capital of the fantasy-Roman empire, I was dreading a formulaic school/Hogwarts/military academy tale. I should not have worried. The story is absolutely cracking, and...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one a little more than the first one, I think. Jim Butcher certainly writes some long, tense battle scenes.

However, a few things about his writing style have become more obvious with a second book to analyze. Firstly, one of his strategies seems to be taking elements from other successful franchises and throwing them all in the mix (Tavi and the beautiful savages storyline = Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves, vord = any zombie flick, giant spiders is always good horror, furycrafting...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Liyah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unterhaltend und spannend, aber nicht tiefgründig

Dies ist der zweite Teil der "Codex Alera"-Reihe. Wie das Erste auch hat es seine Schwächen, doch ist dafür ein wenig spannender.
Dieses Buch macht einen zwei Jahres Sprung und die Charaktere, vor allem Tavi der Hauptcharakter, sind älter und ein wenig reifer. In diesem Buch gibt es viel mehr Kämpfe und Action, gefühlt 90% des Buches, es bleibt also nicht viel Platz für tiefgründige Charakterentwicklung oder Plottwists. Wie im ersten Buch auch, kan...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Books-treasureortrash rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes

Academ’s Fury takes place about 2 years after The Furies of Calderon. Tavi is away from home, studying. He still has no ability to use Furies and needs to deal with the prejudice and overall lack of strength that this causes. Regardless he is very talented in many ways and is training as a spy for the crown. We are introduced to the evil Vord with Tavi and the empire facing this vile enemy.

Academ’s Fury is the second of six books in the Codex Alera Series. This is a...more

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May 23, 2011 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I enjoyed reading this second book in the Codex Alera series more than the first, though I think a large part of the reason may have been accurate expectations. This book followed the first in excitement and danger. We continue to basically follow the same four characters (though we get short scenes from two other viewpoints). Tavi continues to be an exciting hero, using wits instead of magic because he has no choice -- and besting the strongest fury-crafters with intelligence alone.

The biggest...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, bought-copy, fantasy

Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher is the second novel in the Codex Alera sequence, featuring Tavi, a young man who has been taken under the wing of the First Lord of Alera and provided with sponsorship so that he can train as a Cursor. In the course of this book, the Alerans discover the threat of the Vord, a race of shapeshifters governed by queens who aim to destroy all life in Alera. Tavi discovers that his lack of furycrafting (the ability to manipulate natural forces) is a boon in the fight agai...more Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher is the second novel in the Codex Alera sequence, featuring Tavi, a young man who has been taken under the wing of the First Lord of Alera and provided with sponsorship so that he can train as a Cursor. In the course of this book, the Alerans discover the threat of the Vord, a race of shapeshifters governed by queens who aim to destroy all life in Alera. Tavi discovers that his lack of furycrafting (the ability to manipulate natural forces) is a boon in the fight against the Vord, and he steps to the fore to try and push them back.

Ugh, well, that summary took me around twenty minutes to write. Strikes me I don't want to be writing this review. Not because I didn't enjoy the book - in fact, I romped through it and immediately picked up the third book in the series. I like my high fantasy heroism, but this novel prompted me to ask the question on Twitter: "Should I write a review of individual books in a series or just provide a wrap up of the entire series?" Fact is, this review will read much like the first in the series (which can be found here).

Academ's Fury is heavier on the political intrigue and moves much of the action to the city of Alera. There is more romance and more heroism. But there is also a greater feeling of D&D to this one - it feels like a mission written by a games master for a group of role players. For instance, the Vord came mostly out of nowhere - we sort of saw them in the first novel, but they were just called the croach or wax spiders. Suddenly in this book, they are the Vord and they have the capability of destroying all life. The fact that the Marat (eternal foes of the Vord) didn't recognise the Vord in the first novel is explained away glibly by the fact that they are shapeshifters and therefore unrecognisable. I found all of this completely unsatisfying.

The characterisation is again the greatest part of Jim Butcher's writing. I loved the gentle romance between Amara and Bernard, and Kitai the Marat maiden is inspired - a sort of blend of Aviendha from the Wheel of Time series and Arya from A Song of Ice and Fire. Tavi is a very likeable hero indeed.

But with that said, this novel felt more "empty" than the first. The cliches were definitely cliches, rather than fantasy tropes used well. Kid with lack of powers finds a way to defeat his enemies; woman decides to work with the enemy faction to protect her family, even though she despises them; heroes save the day in the end. It felt very light and, although I'm not looking for gritty, I wanted more depth than this.

Ha, I've just discovered why I should be writing this review - in the process of writing it, I've found out that I actually didn't like it as much as Furies of Calderon, which opened the series. I still enjoyed a great deal about it - the furycrafting, the female characters (who are as gutsy, sly and interesting as the men), the Marat race and the Canin (which sort of remind me of the jackal-headed warriors from Ancient Egypt). Speaking of that, I also liked the soft world-building which borrows greatly from ancient civilisations such as the Romans in the form of legionares. But I struggled against the easy nature of it - the fact that I knew people wouldn't die, the fact that everyone essential would be rescued from peril in the nick of time. There was little tension or drama due to this, and therefore Academ's Fury had little impact.

Consider this a mixed review. If you read and enjoy Furies of Calderon, you will end up reading this book. It is doubtful, however, that you will be able to remember many individual details soon after the reading process. (And my conclusion is that I always need to write reviews in order to make sense of how I really feel about a book!) (less)

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Sep 02, 2010 Jacqie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a solid fantasy, not quite as excellent as the Harry Dresden series but an enjoyable read. Definitely an improvement over the rather stilted "Furies of Calderon".
We see Tavi, our hero, a couple of years into his education. He is also in secret training to be a Cursor, a title which I don't quite understand, a combination liegeman/spy/advisor, maybe? We are introduced to the Canim, a canine race who are enemies of Alera, and the vord, an insectile borg-like threat. There are some solid...more

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Nov 06, 2009 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book really deserves more than five stars because it was better than Furies of Calderon. Tavi, our furyless hero from book 1, has moved on to the big city and the Academy. Of course this is danger and intrigue there. Of course, he is hated and bullied for being different. Of course he gathers together a group of loyal friends/accomplicies to take them (and everyone else) on. It is fantasy lit 101. But, in my opinion, it is when you can do all of that and STILL make it irresistible....that's...more This book really deserves more than five stars because it was better than Furies of Calderon. Tavi, our furyless hero from book 1, has moved on to the big city and the Academy. Of course this is danger and intrigue there. Of course, he is hated and bullied for being different. Of course he gathers together a group of loyal friends/accomplicies to take them (and everyone else) on. It is fantasy lit 101. But, in my opinion, it is when you can do all of that and STILL make it irresistible....that's when you know it is good.

New secrets are revealed in book 2, some you might have suspected already if you read Furies of Calderoncarefully, and some that were straight out of left field. New characters were introduced, some you're supposed to love, some you're supposed to love to hate. And, as I've learned by listening to the Dresden series, there are seeds planted which will grow in importance over the next few books. Things that seem insignificant/unimportant at first have a habit (sometimes a bad habit) of biting characters (and readers) in the ass four books later.

The action of this book is both physical (with an new breed of Big bad invading on TWO fronts) and political. There are places, of course, where they intersect. If political intrigue fantasy is NOT for you.... you may find yourself disappointed. It isn't all political intrigue, but it is a large part of the book as well as the overall story. If it bores you, you may find yourself skipping over huge chunks to get to the characters you like/fighting scenes/etc.

Speaking of skipping: I split this book between listening and reading. What is great on audio (Kate Reading is a genius, by the way) can be kind of tiresome on the page. Butcher describes. A lot. It sounds much better when someone is reading it to me. When I'm reading all of that description for myself, my eyes tend to glaze. Yes, even thought I know something of it will likely be important later. It isn't a criticism or a accolade, just something to be aware of. If you're a person who gets bored with that kind of detail, you may find your thoughts wandering. In my case, the incredible way Butcher does characters and family dynamics is more than enough to keep me reading his books. Codex Alera series has hooked me in a way that Dresden could not (even though I like those books very much.) This is the new book crack. (less)

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Aug 07, 2009 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

Academ's Fury is the second novel in the Codex Alera sequence by Jim Butcher. Although he is far more well known for the Dresden Files novels, here in the second book of the Codex Alera series, he starts to really show he can do epic fantasy too.

The novel takes place some time after the events of the first novel. Tavi, as promised in the conclusion of the first novel, is now a student at the Academy in the capital city, and serves Gaius Sextus, the ruler of Alera, as a page.

The political threat...more

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May 30, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first book in this series I rated as only four star. This second book gets a full five stars. This is the continued story of Bernard, Tavi and Isana as they attempt to make their way in a world full of very strange races of beings. In this book, we learn of the dog-like Canim, who are savage as they are honorable, or at least most of them are. We also learn of the Vorn, though we were actually introduced to them in the last book, even if we didn't know it.

Tavi, a vigorous seventeen, feels h...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Jared W rated it 3 of 5 stars

A more nuanced follow up to Butcher's epic fantasy world. We continue to follow the story line of the major characters as the world continues to spiral into chaos, held together by the few people left who actually care. It emphasizes the choices of the few, as well as the price--and power--of remaining steadfast and ethical in a world of politics. What Butcher loses in his shield-and-spell fantasy, he makes up for in his complex (in a good way) presentation of good and evil. While good and evil...more

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Sep 11, 2011 trishtrash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-fiction

Two years into the Academy, and Tavi still can’t furycraft. He is, however, being trained in secret as a Cursor, a spy for the realm. An insidious, deadly enemy endangers Alera on two fronts, and Tavi must somehow protect an incapacitated First Lord while his uncle, Count Bernard, and the Cursor Amara are facing the emerging horror with only a handful of troops back at the holmstead. Isana, desperate to help her family, is forced to change allegiance to get aid to either of them; the Aquatines a...more

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Aug 30, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am going to keep the subsequent reviews short for this series, as I am flying through them way too fast to be able to keep separate thoughts in my head regarding them.

So. This book was great, fun book but not quite up to the standard that came about in the first. Despite this slight dip in form though, it was still a brilliant book that only adds to the series greatness and should be read by anyone who loves fantasy.

The writing was a great as ever, with Butcher showing his amazing talent as w...more

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Jul 15, 2011 benebean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, violent-sexual-content, cleaness-granny-frowns, could-recommend, medium, epic-fantasy, comfort-reads

So overall I liked this book and I like this series. The character development is pretty good-- not the most remarkable I've come across, but it produces realistic, interesting and likable characters. I applaud Butcher for pulling off a character like Tavi that manages to believably scrape through so many rough situations using his wits even though he is so clearly weaker than all of his opponents. Isana kind of irritates me. I guess she's realistic as a character, but she keeps claiming to know...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Gabrielle Morgan rated it 3 of 5 stars

When it was first published, this series was one of my favorites in the fantasy genre. Now, re-reading it on the heels of reading an absolutely breathtaking trilogy for the first time, I find myself disappointed. I still enjoyed it, but there's very little depth to this book. It's riddled with clichés, which isn't unexpected but which seemed far less noticeable when I was a teenager reading it for the first time. Maybe I've become more jaded (and far pickier) in the last few years, or maybe it w...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Joell Smith-Borne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-f

This is Jim Butcher's go at epic fantasy--he's the author of The Dresden Files books, which I read earlier this year. There is an afterword in every one of the Dresden Files books about this Codex Alera series, and I was resisting reading the series just because I found that afterword repeated over and over pretty annoying. But I found it though the library in an ebook format, and was in the mood for epic fantasy, so I went for it. It's like milkshakes for me--not a big deal in moderation, but w...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sarah by: Peter

Shelves: epic-fantasy, huge-fantasy-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 29, 2012 Rich Tate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy

The second volume of Butcher’s Codex Alera picks up two years after the original story and makes great strides in establishing a more comprehensive piece of storytelling.

Every first installment high fantasy novel truly suffers from the same necessities that we’ve all become used to. It takes time to set the stage, establish the land and characters and most importantly get the story rolling. In this novel Butcher is allowed to stretch his literary legs and truly get to the fun of the story itself...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Warning: there be spoilers ahead.

I really liked this book. It doesn't quite tip over into love, but it's pretty close. I enjoyed seeing Tavi deal with things at the Academy, even though I really tire of the constant bullies surrounding him. That's probably the only reason I didn't quite fully love this book. I understand that stories need villains, but the only believable villains in this series so far have been Fidelias and his cronies in the first book. They did evil things, but had actual re...more Warning: there be spoilers ahead.

I really liked this book. It doesn't quite tip over into love, but it's pretty close. I enjoyed seeing Tavi deal with things at the Academy, even though I really tire of the constant bullies surrounding him. That's probably the only reason I didn't quite fully love this book. I understand that stories need villains, but the only believable villains in this series so far have been Fidelias and his cronies in the first book. They did evil things, but had actual reasons for it. The bullies who are popping up for Tavi in this book are just evil for the sake of being jerks.

Maybe that's what made me not hate Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. Sure, he was a bully, but it was understandable why he was that way. The reasoning went beyond the "it's because he's a High Lord's son and that's just the way they are" thing that seemed to be accepted by the characters in this book.

That small quibble aside, the rest of the book was good. I enjoyed the pace and how it quickened a lot toward the climax.

Lastly, the spoilers. I had figured out exactly who Tavi's parents were by about 75% of the way through Book 1 via slightly heavy-handed foreshadowing throughout that book. So hearing Isana admit to herself while alone that Tavi is her son rather than her nephew was not the least bit shocking or intriguing to me. But it was not until I read the Epilogue with the conversation between Gaius Sextus and Miles Valerian that I finally figured out what Tavi's full name is. Sure, it's never even alluded to in the text, but the hints are there. After all, Antillar Maximus is known to everyone in the book as "Max" and there are a couple of other instances where people's full Latinesque names are shortened to nicknames. This is why I am somewhat ashamed that I didn't put it together that Tavi's grandfather is Gaius Sextus, his father was Gaius Septimus, and he is Gaius Octavius. OcTAVIus. I should have seen that a LOT sooner. So should Tavi, really, what with how clever everyone says that he is.

One more thing about the Epilogue. Clearly, Gaius Sextus knows something about Tavi's latent abilities that have not yet manifested. Is it common for those of the royal line to go a long time without Furycraft and then suddenly gain the ability and become super-powerful and skilled at it? Perhaps Gaius is familiar with what Tavi is going through and that's why he expects him to "change" as he put it and suddenly gain the ability. I think that has already started to happen, actually, given the hints during Tavi's POVs while he was desperately fighting to protect Kitai, Max, and Gaius Sextus in the climax of this book. He felt anger, rage, and FURY that somehow gave him the extra boost of strength and speed to defeat the final Taken Cane? Sounds an awful lot like earthcraft and metalcraft, that. And Tavi's tears rained down on Kitai after she had been bitten by the wax spiders, and apparently she did not need much healing later when the skilled watercrafters came along to heal everyone up? Sounds an awful lot like Tavi unknowingly healed her with his own innate watercrafting without realizing it.

I have deliberately avoided spoilers for this series and therefore don't know when Tavi is going to gain awareness of the fact that he is indeed a very powerful furycrafter himself, but I look forward to it. The combination of his use of his wits that he developed when he thought he would never have any furies along with some powerful furycrafting would make him into a superduperawesomesauce hero. (less)

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Apr 29, 2010 Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Many reviews I've read have been disappointed in this second book in the Codex Alera series, claiming that it was slower than the first. I admit it has less actual battle, but there's more intrigue and at least as much intensity and excitement as the first book, in my opinion. Plus there's two concurrent battles taking up the last few chapters that last long enough to more than make up for the scarcity of armed conflict in previous pages. In this book, Tavi, the hero of Calderon, is in the capit...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Mitchehs rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book I read, Academ’s Fury, had me on my toes from page to page. Throughout the story Jim Butcher leads the reader down a hallway of twists and turns, picking up two years after the first book, Furies of Caulderon. Now a member of the Academy of Alera, the main character, Tavi, has to yet again stop an invasion. Jim Butcher set Academ’s Fury in the same area as the first book and also brought back many of the previous characters. This helps keep the book interesting by taking what you alread...more

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A martial arts enthusiast whose resume includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, his son, and a ferocious guard dog.

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“There are old swordsmen and bold swordsmen. But few old, bold swordsmen.” — 97 people liked it

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Academ's Fury (Codex Alera #2)

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