Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera #5)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

4.35 of 5 stars 4.35 · rating details · 16,754 ratings · 402 reviews

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Captain's Fury" and the Dresden Files novels.
Tavi of Calderon, now recognized as Princeps Gaius Octavian and heir to the crown, has achieved a fragile alliance with Alera's oldest foes, the savage Canim. But when Tavi and his legions guide the Canim safely to their lands, his worst fears are realized.
The dreaded Vord?the...more

Hardcover, 386 pages

Published November 25th 2008 by Ace Hardcover (first published 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Most Interesting Magic System

130th out of 927 books — 2,835 voters

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Best Fantasy Books of the 21st Century

224th out of 1,013 books — 3,204 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 17, 2011 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, 2006-2010, fantasy, political-fiction, audiobook, tolkienesque

Sadly, this is a classic example of a star crossed reader/book relationship.

I am only giving this 3.0 stars and yet I have almost nothing but positive comments to make about the novel. This is a well-written, terrific story with a nice balance between detail and pacing and with characters drawn and developed with enough weight that you can really care about them. The problem is simply that traditional high, epic fantasy and I have lately just not been clicking. It's all become a big, confusing...more

44 likes · like · see review

Apr 02, 2010 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: butcher fans of the codex alera.

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2008

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

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2011 June rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Alera fans

Shelves: fantasy

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

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2009 Susanne rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: absolutely everyone

Shelves: sff

Butcher delivers once again. I bit many a nail waiting for this book, and then many more while reading it. Extensive action and battle sequences in this one, executed fantastically. What I love most about the Codex Alera, however, are the characters. Starting this book was like a family reunion, and sure enough, everyone's there. Tavi, Kitai, Max, Crassus, Magnus and Fidelias are travelling with the Canim to their home world. Amara, Bernard and everyone else is soon locked in deadly battle with...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

First let me say I'm a Jim Butcher fan. There are a few things here that keep me from going 5 stars on this book, but then in some ways this series suffers in that it will inevitably be compared to JB's other series about Harry Dresden. While these books are good, they just don't meet that mark.

I feel I need to be somewhat apologetic in saying that as I know the series means a lot to Mr. Butcher and he really wanted to write it. Don't get me wrong, Codex Alera is a great read.

This book picks up...more First let me say I'm a Jim Butcher fan. There are a few things here that keep me from going 5 stars on this book, but then in some ways this series suffers in that it will inevitably be compared to JB's other series about Harry Dresden. While these books are good, they just don't meet that mark.

I feel I need to be somewhat apologetic in saying that as I know the series means a lot to Mr. Butcher and he really wanted to write it. Don't get me wrong, Codex Alera is a great read.

This book picks up where the last novel left off following the development of Octavian (Tavi).

***Please note***

I am assuming that if you are reading this review that you have read the other 4 books in the series and that anything said about them will not be a spoiler for you. SO below this line there may be details about the last 4 books...you have been warned.

**********

Tavi was raised by his mother, who, he was told was his aunt. See being the crown prince and given that his father was murdered (or assassinated as we say about leaders, kings, dictators, emperors, princes and so on) it seem prudent to his overbearing, bossy, annoying, demanding, mother to hide him. Now since she is an extremely powerful water crafter (I'm assuming you have some knowledge of the series' magic system here) she decided that it would be just a peachy keen idea to retard his growth. You make him small for his age. Yes nothing keeps a guy safe like making him much, much smaller than everyone else his age. Sadly in retarding Tavi's growth she also (unintentionally) retarded his ability to do use the elemental furies that are the basis of the world's magic system. Thus Tavi was considered a freak and a weakling. Well, while all that may have a down side (or more than one) at least no one ever thought he could be the crown prince.

As a result of not having all the magic advantages Tavi learns to use his brain and to become well versed with swords and so on...you fight like the common people who don't have furies.

We have followed Tavi through his life and discoveries up to the great war in the last book. By the end of said book Tavi's late arriving talents were at last...well arriving or awakening.

Now another threat has arisen, one that has been dreaded by those who knew about its existence. The book opens with Tavi unaware that the (view spoiler)(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 16, 2009 Kate Coombs rated it 5 of 5 stars

My five stars are for the entire series, but I'm too busy (lazy!) to write a review for each book. I had faithfully read all of the Dresden Files books, but was less interested in the Alera series. Then I picked up the first one, and pretty soon I was madly reading the other four, completely engrossed. When I read something this compelling, I'm reminded why I'm a Reader!

When we first meet our hero, Tavi, he lives on a steadholt in the outer reaches of Alera with his uncle Bernard and his aunt Is...more

4 likes · like · see review

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

Da der Inhalt schon grob von den Anderen zusammengefasst wurde, spar ich mir das mal. Ich muss sagen ich war vom 5 Teil der Reihe etwas enttäuscht. Der Titel heißt ja "Die Befreier von Canea" und ich habe mir darunter halt vorgestellt das sie Canea von den Vord befreien und nicht das sie vor ihnen flüchten. Ich habe mich so auf einen Kampf mit Octavian, Crassus, Max und Fidelias, aber daraus wurde nichts. Sie haben zwar die Überlebenden gerettet, aber Canea verloren. Dafür wird der Krieg woander...more Da der Inhalt schon grob von den Anderen zusammengefasst wurde, spar ich mir das mal. Ich muss sagen ich war vom 5 Teil der Reihe etwas enttäuscht. Der Titel heißt ja "Die Befreier von Canea" und ich habe mir darunter halt vorgestellt das sie Canea von den Vord befreien und nicht das sie vor ihnen flüchten. Ich habe mich so auf einen Kampf mit Octavian, Crassus, Max und Fidelias, aber daraus wurde nichts. Sie haben zwar die Überlebenden gerettet, aber Canea verloren. Dafür wird der Krieg woanders ausgetragen.

Miles kam mal wieder so gut wie gar nicht vor, er hat nur einen sehr kurzen und kleinen Moment, dabei mag ich ihn doch so!! Fidelias muss auf der Hut, der alte Magnus fängt langsam an zu ahnen das etwas mit ihm nicht stimmt. Fidelias ist mir so ans Herz gewachsen. Es werden viele neue Figuren vorgestellt, darunter der Hohe Fürst Antillus Raucus, die Vordkönigin, und viele die sonst auf der Ersatzbank waren spielen nun ganz vorne mit, der Hohe Fürst Aquitanius Attis, Ehren, usw.

Die Sache mit Gaius Sextus war so traurig!!! Alle haben ein so falsches Bild von ihm und denken nur schlechtes, nur Tavi kann seine Gefühle und sein Verhalten nachvollziehen. Als Herrscher muss man nun mal schwierige Entscheidungen treffen und Opfer bringen und keiner kann die Last und Schuld auf seinen Schultern verstehen, da sie nie "erste Fürst" waren.

Amara und Isana kamen für meinen Geschmack mal wieder zu oft vor, aber das ist ja Ansichtssache. Varg und sein Sohn kommen diesmal ganz oft vor und spielen eine noch größere Rolle als in den Bänden davor. Je mehr man sich mit ihrer Kultur und ihrem Verhalten auseinandersetzt, desto sympathischer werden sie einem. Sie besitzen viel Humor und sind dabei absolut tödlich.

Fazit: Die Handlung ist spannend, witzig, gewaltvoll und besitzt sehr traurige Momente. Der 5 Band ist nicht so super wie der 3 und 4 Band, aber immer noch sehr gut!! Wir kommen dem Ende immer dichter und hoffen das sich im letzten Band der Reihe all unsere Fragen lösen werden!!(less)

like · see review

Feb 12, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of epic fantasy and/or the Dresden Files

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-epic, fantasy-magic, series

I finished all six volumes in Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series, so I’m writing one review to cover the whole set. Regardless of which of the books this review is attached to, if you want to read this epic saga, start with the first book: Furies of Calderon . I’ve also read all fourteen of the full-length books in his Dresden Files, and there are some interesting points of comparison.

First and foremost, this is a well-crafted and engrossing tale — definitely worth reading.

The tale follows the lif...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 Nathaniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

NOTE + SPOILER ALERT: I am reviewing the entire, 6-book series in this review. The 5th book may seem odd, so if you don't want spoilers for the entire series, DON'T READ FARTHER. I stuck my review here mostly because I liked the 5th book much more than the sixth. I also discuss a lot of the Dresden Files books in-depth, so spoilers for those too.

------------------------------

As a long time fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels, one of the main reasons I read this series is that he asked me t...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Books-treasureortrash rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

Book review: 2 Treasure Boxes

Princeps ‘ Fury is an action filled story, told in great Jim Butcher style. The story continues with the threat of the Canin greatly reduced, but Tavi is once again sent away, this time overseas with the Canin. The High Lord is hoping to protect Tavi but once they arrive, they are met with a huge surprise. In the meanwhile back in Alera the Vord have reappeared. This story takes place in both Alera and Canin.

This is the fifth of six books in the Codex Alera Series. I...more

like · see review

May 29, 2011 Algernon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

By this fifth volume all I'm interested in is to finish this series and get it over with.
It's not that it's a badly written story, or that the characters are unlikable, it's just that the plot is so ridiculously apocalyptic, the dialogue bombastically heroic and the good guys always face ridiculous odds and almost always come up to fight another day. The one exception is easy to guess if you check the title of the next book.
This fifth volume maintains the tone and the pace set in the previous bo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. The series is 6 books in length, the last book is "First Lord's Fury". It was not as good as the previous book, but still a very good read.

Tavi is heading off to the Canim's homeland with the First Aleran. There he hopes to return the Canim to their homeland without incident, unfortunately a big sea storm devastates the fleets of ships and plans change. What Tavi and the Canim find upon reaching the shore is horrible and unexpected...more This is the fifth book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. The series is 6 books in length, the last book is "First Lord's Fury". It was not as good as the previous book, but still a very good read.

Tavi is heading off to the Canim's homeland with the First Aleran. There he hopes to return the Canim to their homeland without incident, unfortunately a big sea storm devastates the fleets of ships and plans change. What Tavi and the Canim find upon reaching the shore is horrible and unexpected. Back in Alera the First Lord (Gauis) is dealing with a crisis of his own. As Gauis's health continues to deteriorate he is left dealing with an attack from the Vord. The Vord are an insect-like race that was fought in the first few books in this series. The First Lord calls on Amara and Bernard to, once again, take on a dangerous mission to figure out how the Vord have learned Fury-craft. The last storyline deals with Isana, now the First Lady. Gauis sends Isana to the north in an effort to make peace with the Ice-men there; in hopes that the Aleran forces in the North can leave the fighting on the northern Shieldwall and lend their assistance to fighting the Vord in the south.

As you can tell from above there is a lot of fighting in this book. There is less character development than in previous books, but still a lot of great action scenes. This book was more about Butcher moving the characters around to where they need to be for the final book than anything else. It is very much a transition novel.

That is not to say that a lot of things don't happen, a lot of things do happen. The characters' situation is worse than ever before and there are no great victories in this book. Our heroes continue to pull off feats of imaginable strength and daring; the enemies continue to horrify us. The Vord are definitely a horrible enemy,

Like in the last book, Tavi pulls off one crazy scheme after another and makes it through unscathed...this is a bit unrealistic and irritating. The other down point of this book is that Butcher uses too many words to describe everything. There was just a lot of description that we didn't need to know and at times this slowed down the relentless pace of the story a bit too much.

Nothing is resolved in this book, but all the players are moved into position for a powerful and awesome conclusion in the next book. I would recommend buying the last book with this one so that you don't have to wait to read it. Also you do need to read the previous books in this series to follow what is going on in this book.

All in all it is a great story, with a complicated plot, great action scenes, and wonderful characters. It is just not as great of a story as the last book. I have high hopes for the concluding novel though and am excited to read the next book.(less)

like · see review

Dec 20, 2010 Wang Xiuyi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jim Butcher had done a very good job building up the excitement in the first half of the book. In fact, his writing does excel in highlighting despairing situations. Like all other codex alera books, I greatly enjoyed the first half (or third) of the book more so than the rest put together.

There is plenty of action and plot twists all around the book. But by now, the twists have been used to prevalently throughout the series that they now come as expected. I pretty much felt that whenever the ch...more Jim Butcher had done a very good job building up the excitement in the first half of the book. In fact, his writing does excel in highlighting despairing situations. Like all other codex alera books, I greatly enjoyed the first half (or third) of the book more so than the rest put together.

There is plenty of action and plot twists all around the book. But by now, the twists have been used to prevalently throughout the series that they now come as expected. I pretty much felt that whenever the characters deign to plan anything, chances are it will somehow go wrong or something will change.

Somehow, the author just failed to deliver according to the anticipations built up in the earlier portions of the book. The book, like the rest of the series, suffers from some major issues in the plot. The most obvious ones lie with the ultimate villian - Why was the vord so insistent on killing them down to the last person? What will they eat then? Why would such a strong opponent seek an outright war with them if they seem most effective in a war of stealth? I still find the Takers more frightening than the rest of the Vord capabilities. As powerful as the Vord may be, they do not seem particularly frightening except for the sheer volume of numbers. In fact, they yet had to rely on human technology to keep their human victims in check. How then, were they able to defeat both the Canim and the Marat(before) just by their own strengths before? The Vord's reliance on human furycrafting seems to suggest human superiority that contradicts the notion about how each race is complicated yet equally valuable.

The main character, Tavi, was also described to be so brave and selfless (to the extent he completely lacks self-preservation) that he is almost unbelievable. Lets face it, realistically a person like him would have long expired if not for the ever trustworthy sense of instinct or the combination of luck and ingenuity turning events into his favour. Aside from this characteristic flaw to consistently put himself in the harm's way, there is a lack of a genuine character flaw that marks him as human, and therefore, a more relatable character.

I find this series' another main problem is its inability to maintain my level of excitement and interest when the armed conflict starts. Something is just missing from Jim Butcher's narrative when it comes to large scale conflicts, perhaps a sense of detachment in his narrative. I have read fantasy books that draw me in during large scale battles, and Jim Butcher simply failed to meet these expectations. In fact, the legion battles are about the most boring parts of the book.

All in all, I still rate 4 out of 5 because the author has managed to do a very good job with the first half of the book. Any less would be too harsh because I honestly did enjoy reading it. My review simply highlighted some problems the book suffers from, but perhaps disparate attention was paid to the good aspects of it. I am very unsatisfied with how Jim Butcher resolved the conflict in this book, and hopefully the next in the series would do a better job. (less)

like · see review

May 19, 2010 Marcos rated it 3 of 5 stars

An epic fantasy series that's getting too epic for it's own good. A lot of the fun in the first novels came from big personalities colliding, and from the sense of skill and resourcefulness shown by the protagonists during those collisions. The best parts in this book follow similar parameters, but the series' need to continue raising the stakes has forced most of the rest of the plot into bloated battles featuring hundreds of thousands of combatants. There isn't much room, anymore, for the clev...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 05, 2010 Debra rated it 3 of 5 stars

The stars are for the entire 5 book series of which Furies of Calderon was first and this volume is the conclusion. I found the first book difficult, only saved by the refreshing idea of the hero being the only person without a fury. The furies are elemental beings of earth, air, water, and fire which bond with individuals when they are young. Some people have more than one, some have more powerful furies than others. The young boy Tavi is furyless and must rely on his wits to get him through li...more

like · see review

Sep 04, 2009 drey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads, fantasy

Princeps' Fury is book number 5 in the Codex Alera series. Tavi has been recognized by his grandfather as the Crown Prince, and leaves to guide the Canim home, along with the Free Alerans. More for his own safety than anything, really. Seems the Alerans might have a problem with a Crown Prince without any furies.

What he finds when they reach the Canim mainland confirms his worst fears. The Vord have laid waste to the Canim lands, and only one holdout warrior-state remains. Tavi and Varg must con...more Princeps' Fury is book number 5 in the Codex Alera series. Tavi has been recognized by his grandfather as the Crown Prince, and leaves to guide the Canim home, along with the Free Alerans. More for his own safety than anything, really. Seems the Alerans might have a problem with a Crown Prince without any furies.

What he finds when they reach the Canim mainland confirms his worst fears. The Vord have laid waste to the Canim lands, and only one holdout warrior-state remains. Tavi and Varg must convince the leader of that state to let them help him fight the Vord. Not an easy task when the Canim warrior-states are usually at each others' throats.

This book has lots of the same for Tavi - growth, angst, cleverness, and last-minute-hold-your-breath-are-they-going-to-survive suspense. The interactions between the new Canim, and Tavi & the "old" Canim (i.e. the ones who came back from Alera), are sometimes humorous, seeing as how Tavi, Varg, and Nasaug have all gone through the motions.

And while Tavi's away, his grandfather is slowly losing his health, and has to fight the Vord on Alera as well. Isana is sent to the north to negotiate a truce with the Icemen so that the legions there can head south to assist against the Vord. And I have to admit, I skimmed past a lot of the storyline involving Amara and the Count. Because you just know that they're going to do the right thing. Every. Single. Time. Regardless of personal sacrifice and hardship, yada yada yada... Like they're bloody Paladins or something. Ok, gripe over. But c'mon! It's like they're thrown into the book to save their country/people/livestock/whatever, just to fill pages. Because there's no question that they'll do it. And win.

I felt like this book is kind of a throwaway, except for two things. One, Tavi had to be out of the way for political reasons. And two, he had to bring help back to fight the Vord in Alera. So send him & the Canim away, and come back with more of 'em. Oh, and three - there needed to be a Princeps book, to follow the naming scheme of these books. Hopefully the next one's the last. It'll be interesting to see how Tavi adjusts from having no furies to having the most powerful fury in the lands. Will he still trust his instincts and use his brains to solve problems, or will he resort to using brawn, as most are wont to do if it's available?(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 30, 2013 Gabrielle Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's crazy to me that I /know/ I read this book, but I couldn't remember a single thing about it. Every plot point, save one, was entirely a surprise to me. And the one is the only reason I'm absolutely sure my memory of reading it is accurate.

Which I guess really leads to my only real complaint with the book, and the series as a whole to this point. For everything that happens, it's so hard to really /feel/ for the characters. I enjoy them a lot, several of them, but with a couple exceptions, I...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 31, 2011 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once again, this will be short as I have read these books way to fast to separate them well enough in my mind to give detailed reviews in each.

The plot. It wasn't as good as the previous books I feel. It was necessary, and I appreciate that, but at the same time I feel that it didn't add as much as it did in the previous books. That of course is not to say that it is a bad plot; not by a long shot. It is captivating, fun and most of all intriguing and well within the boundaries of excellence of...more Once again, this will be short as I have read these books way to fast to separate them well enough in my mind to give detailed reviews in each.

The plot. It wasn't as good as the previous books I feel. It was necessary, and I appreciate that, but at the same time I feel that it didn't add as much as it did in the previous books. That of course is not to say that it is a bad plot; not by a long shot. It is captivating, fun and most of all intriguing and well within the boundaries of excellence of the series - even if it isn't the best of them.

The Characters of course are as good as before. I have said in previous reviews that they have become real and tangible to me, and that is no more true than in this book. To me these characters exist. End of. - Butcher has created them so well, down to individual characteristics, motivations... the works. This is no shoddy fantasy relying on the plot. This is top class, with everything being perfect.

His writing continues to stare down his critics - which, frankly, don't have a leg to stand on from where I am sitting. He brings together the plot and the characters so well to create this world that we love, and does it so well that hours pass and you don't even know it. With this book alone I had a three hour sitting, where I sat and read - I did not go to the toilet, I did not drink/eat, I did not lift my eyes from the page - and it felt like a tenth of that.

The best thing about this that really brought it up from 4.5 to 5 stars, is the way that Butcher managed to get across the enormity of the Vord and the dire situation that the characters found themselves in; normally when faced with 'the ultimate enemy', while interested you just know that the heroes will survive and you have ideas on how they are going to do that. Here... no such thing. I did not know they were going to survive the series; I was scared for them, truly scared. Furthermore, I could not see how they were going to do it. And this impressed me. Not only was I scared for the characters I did not see how they were going to get out of it.

Recommendation: Read this series

Have Fun Reading. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 21, 2009 Cissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

About 2/3rds of the way in: Butcher has sat on some of his quirks in this one, Thus far, my highest count-per-page for "quietly" used to modify "said" is 3, and that only happened once; in the previous volume, I had at least 2 hits of 5 per page. I'm not sure that I enjoy "rumbled" as a synonym for "said", especially not 2+ times per page... but at least it's not the overuse of "quietly".

I wish the plot was twistier, though; it's more in the Good Guys/Bad Guys line. And i don't think the Vord- t...more

like · see review

Nov 15, 2011 Kathy added it

Shelves: action, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3 story lines (surprise, surprise)

Isana and Lady Aria Placida are sent to the north, to broker a cease fire with the icemen and High Lord Antillis. Isana realizes that the icemen have some sort of furycraft, that brings out emotions a bit (for instance, Lady Placida surprisingly verbally attacks Doroga, who has a relationship and is mediating with the icemen)... and that they bring storms. The Icemen have peace chiefs and war chiefs... and they are ready for peace, and agree to stop attacks whil...more 3 story lines (surprise, surprise)

Isana and Lady Aria Placida are sent to the north, to broker a cease fire with the icemen and High Lord Antillis. Isana realizes that the icemen have some sort of furycraft, that brings out emotions a bit (for instance, Lady Placida surprisingly verbally attacks Doroga, who has a relationship and is mediating with the icemen)... and that they bring storms. The Icemen have peace chiefs and war chiefs... and they are ready for peace, and agree to stop attacks while Antillis and his men fight the Vord. Isana challenges Antillis to the Juris Maxis when Antillis attacks during peace negotiations... Isana blocked the attack, and then fights Antillis. Antillis had carried many burdens as High Lord - and feels guilt over the death of his friend, Septimus and distrust of Isana's possible role in his assassination. As the fight the Juris Maxis, Isana stays true, and when he almost kills her, he stops, and then agrees to follow her with his legions to fight. in a later discussion, he gives her two letters from Septimus - one in which he confides his love for Isana (and his distaste for Invidia, whom his father wants him to marry - and thus explaining in part Invidia's conniving against Alera & Gaius and for power)... and his concern over Kalara and another future high lord (both of which Gaius ultimately kills) - explaining finally, Septimus' death. And Antillis tells her that Alera needs a leader with will, heart, and intelligence - Gaius has will and intelligence, but not heart. Septimus had all three, and Isana has all three. Gaius uses the last of his strength to furycraft a volcanic eruption to stop the Vord, and give his people time to vacate the Alerian palace. Aquitaine is now in charge. Isana agrees to work with Aquitaine (Gaius is dead) until her son returns.

Amara and Bernard are sent to spy behind enemy lines... the Vord are capturing the furycrafting knights, and with the aid of Invidia (whom the Vord Queen saved from the poison Fidelius attacked her with) and Brensis Kalare they are being placed in special slave collars and their skills used against Alera. Amara is 'caught', saved from the slave collar by Bernard placing one around her leg, superceding the one aroung her neck, and allowing her to kill Brensis. and then she frees the furycrafters who have not yet been enslaved with the help of Bernard.

And Tavi - he returns with Varg and Nasaug to Canea (along with Varg's tribe), only to find all, but one part, of Canea is overrun by the Vord. and Varg names Tavi Tavar - and later we learn that a tavar is a small but fierce beast of Canea. After a bit of political maneuvering with the remaining tribe, Tavi devises plans - he moves the survivors to the coast, he has his crafters build ice ships to move 60,000 canim, he and Kitai, Varg, and Max go to fight the local Vord queen - they let Tavi go in alone, he thinks they don't know he wants to try and negotiate... the queen talks with him (she has Kitai's face) and we learn a bit more about the Varg - but when she is about to kill Tavi, the rest are in Vord armor (hence hidden) and rescue him, and kill the queen, buying some time. Tavi is, of course, one of the last to try to make it to the ships, and is taken under the water by a frogVord - he fights him off, and Kitai pulls him up, and the shipmaster (mara?) furycrafts the ship's lady (on the prow) to reach out and pull them on board. and as Tavi is recovering from his seasickness, his fury finally manifests itself - she is Alera, and embodies all the furies, and she comes to him at his grandfather's death. hmmmm(less)

like · see review

Apr 21, 2010 Noah Bogart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, novels-read

Always makes me feel good to finish a book in a day. Like I've totally conquered the author. "Ha! In your face, author! I win!"

Tavi is a fucking spartan. He's tougher than every other character ever. Totes awesome. Max turned into a whiny chump for half this book, which I felt was totally out of character. Two more people displayed "wolfish" grins this time around. And why does Isana feel that slapping is so much better than a punch? Just ball your fist and break his nose, goddammit. Varg can't...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2010 Heather Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-challenges, fantasy, ate-it-up, write-a-review

Let me just start of by saying that I am a huge supporter of Jim Butcher. I have devoured all of the Dresden files (all eleven with in 3 weeks). So when I say the Captain's Fury and the Princep's Fury sitting their on the library shelf I was grinning ear to ear.

However a sad reality of my beyond humanly possible high expectations is that every one is human and tries to please the masses by what is known and comfortable. This is a good summation of about 75-100 pages of the story. One of my worst...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2009 Nick TheLibraryGuy rated it 3 of 5 stars

First off, I enjoyed Princeps' Fury, so don't misunderstand the puny 3 star rating. What prevented it from reaching higher was my overall feeling while reading of "been there, done that."

Tavi's major encounters this time around are too familiar: The Canim and the Vord are the only major players from outside Alera. Yes, the Icemen are the focus of the introduction; I had high hopes that the constant state of war with them would finally get some treatment.

But it never came to pass.

Instead, I had t...more First off, I enjoyed Princeps' Fury, so don't misunderstand the puny 3 star rating. What prevented it from reaching higher was my overall feeling while reading of "been there, done that."

Tavi's major encounters this time around are too familiar: The Canim and the Vord are the only major players from outside Alera. Yes, the Icemen are the focus of the introduction; I had high hopes that the constant state of war with them would finally get some treatment.

But it never came to pass.

Instead, I had to settle for a slightly expanded view of Canim society, gained mostly through interaction with characters I'd met before. The few new Canim of importance enjoyed little time with the main characters, and they could easily be compared to friends and villains from the past.

And the Vord? I liked them as a coming-of-age obstacle for Tavi and Kitai. The almost hopeless chase and battle through the bowels of the capital city was riveting. Devoting another book to them (with no resolution) seems a bit much in my mind. Sure, they were the root cause of the Canim incursion in Alera. Yeah, they might unite all the races we've met so far. But, as a friend pointed out, they are much too similar to the way the Borg were used in Star Trek. A convenient and cliche boogeyman. And those races that we're trying to unite? I know them pretty well by now, and the few pages north of the great wall with the race I don't know felt truncated, possibly cut short by publication deadlines.

I felt cheated by the cursory nature of the Icemen subplot.

These things combined made it harder for me to lose myself in the story being told.

And in those places where the narrative starts to take off, I was distracted by...
Too many.
Dramatic.
Short sentences.

Beyond all that, I did enjoy spending some more time with the Tavi and the gang. But there were no major revelations this time, no great lesson learned for the First Lord in training. I was expecting more, I suppose, and that is coloring my review.

I hope that this one was preparation for great things to come.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 31, 2010 joby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

"Knowledge is your weapon...Kill them with it."

The Good
--------------------------------------
Smarts over Power: A major theme of the series -- not only is it a great lesson to emphasize, but it makes for better stories. All four of the threads feature Intelligence and Wisdom besting raw strength.

The Richer Series Arch:
Book 1 -- Intro to the world
Book 2 -- Deeper understanding of the world and Intro to the real threats of the world
Books 3&4 -- Rebellion and Invasion
Books 5&6 -- Scourge of...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 28, 2009 Joe Moley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow.

First off, I am a huge fan of Butcher's Dresden books. His fantasy series has always played second fiddle in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, they're good. But so far, they've been simply that. I don't enjoy the series enough to fork out the extra cash for hardback releases so I've been stuck waiting on the paperback version. Having the kindle gave me an opportunity to purchase this at a lower cost so I figured what the heck.

I'm so glad I did.

Easily the best book in the series by far. I cou...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 02, 2009 Rachel Blackman rated it 4 of 5 stars

While we've always had diverging storylines in the Codex Alera books, this is the first time that the two storylines did not directly intersect (well, until the last paragraph of the last page!), which I found slightly disorienting. Hence the four stars.

On the other hand, many threads from earlier books are starting to come together, and this was overall as enjoyable a read as I've come to expect from the Alera books. We finally get to understand a bit more of what happened to Septimus all those...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 25, 2011 trishtrash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-fiction

This fifth book in Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series had better balance than the previous instalment, which had sections that dragged; Butcher’s talent for pacing is a double-edged sword, because when he adopts a lazy attitude to certain things, the reader immediately notices the lag. It was nowhere near as intrusive in this volume; although, sending Tavi overseas just to have to retreat again, giving events in Alera time to position themselves for the last book, was a bit too obvious a plot-hold...more This fifth book in Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series had better balance than the previous instalment, which had sections that dragged; Butcher’s talent for pacing is a double-edged sword, because when he adopts a lazy attitude to certain things, the reader immediately notices the lag. It was nowhere near as intrusive in this volume; although, sending Tavi overseas just to have to retreat again, giving events in Alera time to position themselves for the last book, was a bit too obvious a plot-holder. Then again, it was at least an enjoyably written plot-holder that had me fooled into believing it was the point of the book for a long time… I love Tavi’s relationship with the Canim (or perhaps I just enjoy the thought of giant, fluffy warriors).

While Tavi is rescuing Canim from the Vord – or at least manoeuvring them until they rescue themselves, and him, and the Free Alerans with them – back in Alera, the Vord are destroying the humans in their path with little effort. Taken fighters and citizenry, with their attending furycraft, bolster the enemy’s position until whole cities are abandoned or destroyed. Isana negotiates a truce between the Icemen of the north and the legions holding them back, to free the forces to engage the Vord, but every advantage gains them only time. For once, all the lines of story – Isana’s, Amara and Bernard’s, and Tavi’s, were each as engaging as the other, so there was no frustration in the switching of points of view. And once more, Butcher uses personalities layered with varying loyalties, friendships and family bonds to devastating effect.

I think, even had this book been a puddle of sludge, pace-wise, I would have forgiven it everything for the appearance, finally, of Tavi’s manifest Fury, and the means by which he gained it (cryptic to avoid spoilers, sorry). That was well worth waiting for.

Each of these books has left me with an eagerness to read the next, which is the only reasonable marker of a great series, fantasy or otherwise. High Lord’s Fury looks to be the thickest of the books, and I look forward to lots of intrigue, fighting with various foes and conscripting of unlikely allies, and some proper Vord ass-kicking - because they give me the creeps.(less)

like · see review

May 19, 2012 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, favorites

4.5 stars, probably. I don't know what it is about the Vord, but they just aren't my favorite villains in the series. The two books so far that have had more focus on them were still very enjoyable, but not as interesting as when other humans or the Canim are the principal threat. That being said, I really enjoyed watching the Alerans being forced to work with former enemies to stand against a stronger threat.

Tavi is, as always, an excellent protagonist who always tries to do the right thing. He...more 4.5 stars, probably. I don't know what it is about the Vord, but they just aren't my favorite villains in the series. The two books so far that have had more focus on them were still very enjoyable, but not as interesting as when other humans or the Canim are the principal threat. That being said, I really enjoyed watching the Alerans being forced to work with former enemies to stand against a stronger threat.

Tavi is, as always, an excellent protagonist who always tries to do the right thing. He has become an accomplished leader--of men and other species--and I have enjoyed watching him shoulder more and more responsibility and to do so successfully despite his doubts.

For the first 2/3 of the book, the only POV I cared about was Tavi's, and the others felt like wasted time. Fortunately in the last 1/3, things turned around and were exciting in all of the viewpoints. A solid ending here from Butcher.

Just one book to go--seems like a good length for a series.

Rating: PG-13 for war/action violence, some sensuality, and mild language.

***SPOILERY THOUGHTS***
(view spoiler)(less)

like · see review

Jul 07, 2012 Rob rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: codex-alera

This is the 5th book in the codex of alera story, and it continues to be great.

Unlike past books, when the story shifts away from Tavi to other characters, I found myself completely interested in what was going on with them too. In past books, I found them more often to be obstacles to overcome in order to get back to the main story with Tavi.

This looks to be heading into a final book or books, that will be painful to wait for based on the cliffhanger ending of this one. It was worse than where...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Den rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the fifth book in Butcher's Codex Alera series.

Tavi, now recognized as the grandson and heir of the First Citizen, Gaius Sextus, is leading an exhibition across the ocean to return Alera's formerly invading Canim army to their homeland. Meanwhile, Alera is facing a new threat from the Vord and Sextus must pull his people together so that they can defend themselves. It's not an easy task, as Sextus' health is failing and he expects to die very soon.

So far, this is the strongest of the Co...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (14)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

1,241 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

78 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

50 users

Fantasy > Magic

42 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

42 users

Epic

40 users

Adventure

26 users

Literature > American

17 users

Adult

17 users

Science Fiction

16 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jim Butcher

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.

More about Jim Butcher...

Books by Jim Butcher

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Princeps' Fury

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Princeps' Fury

“Knowledge is your weapon...Kill them with it.” — 16 people liked it

“An inferior sense of smell," Marcus said, as if absolutely nothing of significance had happened, "is distinct from being told that one smells unpleasant.” — 10 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Princeps' Fury
avg rating	preview: Princeps' Fury Goodreads rating: 4.35 (16754 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2903736-princeps-fury?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1315082776l/2903736.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2903736-princeps-fury?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher[/url]

Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera #5)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website