3,576 books
—
25,327 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1)” as Want to Read:
Furies of Calderon
(Codex Alera #1)
by
In this extraordinary fantasy epic, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files leads readers into a world where the fate of the realm rests on the shoulders of a boy with no power to call his own ...
For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bonds with the ...more
For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bonds with the ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 688 pages
Published
June 28th 2005
by Ace
(first published October 5th 2004)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Furies of Calderon,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Sharon Schultz
No, this book leans more towards adult audiences. Slavery, Rape, Cannibalism and Violent combat are in this book.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1)
Aug 09, 2017
Anne
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Anne by:
Romans & Pokemon
I don't really read a lot of high fantasy. In fact, I'm not even sure what makes something high fantasy.
I have my ideas, though...
I've been reading Butcher's urban fantasy series, Dresden Files for a long time now, but I've avoided reading his Codex Alera stuff because it sounded too weird for me. Even the name Codex Alera is just...?
Ehhhhh? Seemed like there would be too much funky Lord of the Ringsy world-building for a fantasy-lite reader like myself. Some of us don't do well with that sort ...more
I have my ideas, though...
I've been reading Butcher's urban fantasy series, Dresden Files for a long time now, but I've avoided reading his Codex Alera stuff because it sounded too weird for me. Even the name Codex Alera is just...?
Ehhhhh? Seemed like there would be too much funky Lord of the Ringsy world-building for a fantasy-lite reader like myself. Some of us don't do well with that sort ...more
Romans and Pokemon.
That was my initial reaction when I heard of Codex Alera's concept and I am sure your face looks like this as well (don't deny it fellow readers,it's a normal reaction).And to answer your next question,NO it was not lame and weird,YES it was a brilliant,brilliant high fantasy book.
You're intrigued,aren't you?
The story
Alera is an empire similar to Rome regarding the social layers,the administration and the army,founded by the descendants and the camp followers of the Lost R ...more
That was my initial reaction when I heard of Codex Alera's concept and I am sure your face looks like this as well (don't deny it fellow readers,it's a normal reaction).And to answer your next question,NO it was not lame and weird,YES it was a brilliant,brilliant high fantasy book.
You're intrigued,aren't you?
The story
Alera is an empire similar to Rome regarding the social layers,the administration and the army,founded by the descendants and the camp followers of the Lost R ...more
Oct 11, 2017
Petrik
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Beginner to adult fantasy
2.5/5 Stars
Furies of Calderon is a good beginning to a series but honestly, I’m quite disappointed with it.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about Butcher’s books, and although he’s most famous for his Dresden Files series. However, Codex Alera seemed to interest me more at the moment; the combination of two totally different concepts that I loved: Roman and Pokemon? In a high fantasy book? Now THAT is something that sparked my interest. I’ve had this book on my TBR shelf for a year already, and ...more
Furies of Calderon is a good beginning to a series but honestly, I’m quite disappointed with it.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about Butcher’s books, and although he’s most famous for his Dresden Files series. However, Codex Alera seemed to interest me more at the moment; the combination of two totally different concepts that I loved: Roman and Pokemon? In a high fantasy book? Now THAT is something that sparked my interest. I’ve had this book on my TBR shelf for a year already, and ...more
Most of the people know the background of this series. For the rest of you I will tell it again. Jim Butcher made a bet he could write a fantasy book(s) based on Roman legions
and Pokemon.
This is the result. You have a society somewhat resembling that of Ancient Rome with its military being almost exact copy of Roman legions. Magic also exists and comes in the form of Furies (glorified Pokemon). Some of them are related to wind, some to wood, some to fire, etc. This is not Harry Dresden series. ...more
and Pokemon.
This is the result. You have a society somewhat resembling that of Ancient Rome with its military being almost exact copy of Roman legions. Magic also exists and comes in the form of Furies (glorified Pokemon). Some of them are related to wind, some to wood, some to fire, etc. This is not Harry Dresden series. ...more
I probably made a huge mistake by reading this novel before any of The Dresden Files. At the time I was shuffling through my Kindle library and I had just finished one or two urban fantasy novels. I was not in the mood for another one, so I thought, Hey! How about The Furies of Calderon!?
Oh poor, unwitting me. You had such good intentions.
My first problem with this book is where the premise came from. Although I could not find any definite evidence, the rumor is that Butcher was bet he couldn't ...more
Oh poor, unwitting me. You had such good intentions.
My first problem with this book is where the premise came from. Although I could not find any definite evidence, the rumor is that Butcher was bet he couldn't ...more
This is a unique series, I could instantly describe a few happenings, settings and character progressions out of each part because everything fits so perfectly together and is described in an ultimate Wow! style.
The enemies, my gosh, this is such a fresh setting and I love how the author got the idea for the whole series as someone told him in a kind of bet or joke or something he should write a novel including pokemon fighting characteristics.
The fighting scenes brought me to the idea of how ...more
The enemies, my gosh, this is such a fresh setting and I love how the author got the idea for the whole series as someone told him in a kind of bet or joke or something he should write a novel including pokemon fighting characteristics.
The fighting scenes brought me to the idea of how ...more
**Edit: The original review discussed Codex Alera's rather entertaining "origin story," which involved a flamewar, a bet, Pokemon, and the Roman legions.
Because this is "author behavior" that is not discussed in the book, it may not be in line with the impressively subjective new policies of GR.
I don't want to break these shiny new rules, so I am deleting most of
My original review is posted over at booklikes--you can take a look at it there, if you want. Sorry abou ...more
Read from December 26, 2015 to January 03, 2016
This review is for the whole series (spoiler free). First of all, I would like to say that reading some other reviews, you will get the impression that the story has Pokemons, or at least something similar. That's kinda bullshit. It has nothing to do with either them, or anything resembling them.
Codex Alera is a nice fantasy story, taking place in Alera, a realm strongly resembling the Roman Empire. The magic system is the best i have encounter, sav ...more
This review is for the whole series (spoiler free). First of all, I would like to say that reading some other reviews, you will get the impression that the story has Pokemons, or at least something similar. That's kinda bullshit. It has nothing to do with either them, or anything resembling them.
Codex Alera is a nice fantasy story, taking place in Alera, a realm strongly resembling the Roman Empire. The magic system is the best i have encounter, sav ...more
$0.99 on Amazon, go grab your copy
https://www.amazon.com/Furies-Caldero...
I became a fan of Jim Butcher after reading book 3 in The Dresden Files series, it was a superb book. Codex Alera is totally different than the Dresden series, and Furies of Calderon proved for once and for all that the author is much more important than THE great idea (if you don't know what I'm talking about - this book was conceived as a result of a bet. While Butcher was trying to prove his point that the author has a ...more
https://www.amazon.com/Furies-Caldero...
I became a fan of Jim Butcher after reading book 3 in The Dresden Files series, it was a superb book. Codex Alera is totally different than the Dresden series, and Furies of Calderon proved for once and for all that the author is much more important than THE great idea (if you don't know what I'm talking about - this book was conceived as a result of a bet. While Butcher was trying to prove his point that the author has a ...more
Jul 07, 2017
Michael Britt
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Michael by:
Derpa
Actual rating: 4 Stars
Back in the late '90s, maybe early 2000s (don't feel like looking the exact date up), Jim Butcher made a bet with some stranger on an online forum that he could make any 2 ideas into a good book. That man chose the Lost Roman Legion and Pokémon. This is the result of that bet.
Now that we have a bit of the backstory on why it was created, let's talk about the result. The story follows 4 POVs; Tavi, Fidelias, Amara, and Isana. Furycrafting is basically the name of the mag ...more
Back in the late '90s, maybe early 2000s (don't feel like looking the exact date up), Jim Butcher made a bet with some stranger on an online forum that he could make any 2 ideas into a good book. That man chose the Lost Roman Legion and Pokémon. This is the result of that bet.
Now that we have a bit of the backstory on why it was created, let's talk about the result. The story follows 4 POVs; Tavi, Fidelias, Amara, and Isana. Furycrafting is basically the name of the mag ...more
Furies of Calderon is your typical fantasy epic. Swords, sorcery, world turning upheaval, the blackest of evil and noblest of good. Only, the true hero of the story is not only powerless... Because that's been done before. No, the true hero is now only powerless, he's the ONLY powerless character. Even the other lowly farm hands can command boulders to simply pull themselves out of crop fields.
The savage Marat barbarians all have years of fighting experience from birth and great mighty beasts wh ...more
The savage Marat barbarians all have years of fighting experience from birth and great mighty beasts wh ...more
This series does never get old - FAVORITE ALERT!!!!!!
Update 12-28-19
I decided to read the books instead of listening to the audiobooks. And I actually devoured all 6 novels over the last 10 days. I didn't want to leave the house, or be social. And on most nights I read until 2am, and the all consuming feel was still there.
Codex Alera is an amazing series, anyone that loves Words of Radiance should pick this series up.
___________________________________
Fantastic!!!!! I loved it. The word buildi ...more
Update 12-28-19
I decided to read the books instead of listening to the audiobooks. And I actually devoured all 6 novels over the last 10 days. I didn't want to leave the house, or be social. And on most nights I read until 2am, and the all consuming feel was still there.
Codex Alera is an amazing series, anyone that loves Words of Radiance should pick this series up.
___________________________________
Fantastic!!!!! I loved it. The word buildi ...more
2.5
Okay not much to say, because I was mostly bored reading this. But let’s list things properly,
Characters
I enjoyed some of them. Tavi and Bernard are my favourites. I enjoyed Tavi’s perspectives, but hated Amara’s. Felt neutral over Isana and didn’t care much for Fidelias, even though I was impressed at the beginning by how cunning he is. It didn’t last long though.
The writing
The writing is descriptive, which isn’t necessarily always bad, but in this case I almost gouged my eyes out. It wa ...more
Okay not much to say, because I was mostly bored reading this. But let’s list things properly,
Characters
I enjoyed some of them. Tavi and Bernard are my favourites. I enjoyed Tavi’s perspectives, but hated Amara’s. Felt neutral over Isana and didn’t care much for Fidelias, even though I was impressed at the beginning by how cunning he is. It didn’t last long though.
The writing
The writing is descriptive, which isn’t necessarily always bad, but in this case I almost gouged my eyes out. It wa ...more
I am a huge Dresden fan and loved the unconventional means by which this series came into existence –
It’s basically a series of half a dozen books set two thousand years after a lost Roman legion travelled through a rift to a world where pokemon exist, and now the legionnaires live and work with pokemon, except they’re called “furies” (I’m not even making this up, he did it as a dare after being called on one of his assertions by a crowd at a convention: He said everything in writing is about ex...more
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
I was thoroughly entertained reading Furies of Calderon. Was it groundbreaking? No. But it was fun, and I really enjoyed the characters. The plot is heavily based in the politics of Alera, so it definitely appeals to me on that level. I am interested to continue and see what happens in the rest of the series.
If you're looking for an amazing writing style...maybe look elsewhere. Lots of repetition of phrases and words. LOTS. So much so that it was distracting to me as the ...more
I was thoroughly entertained reading Furies of Calderon. Was it groundbreaking? No. But it was fun, and I really enjoyed the characters. The plot is heavily based in the politics of Alera, so it definitely appeals to me on that level. I am interested to continue and see what happens in the rest of the series.
If you're looking for an amazing writing style...maybe look elsewhere. Lots of repetition of phrases and words. LOTS. So much so that it was distracting to me as the ...more
First of all... I consider Jim Butcher to be a very talented writer, and I have greatly enjoyed the Dresden Files for a number of years. So when reading my complaints, you must also keep in mind that, having read all of the Dresden Files books more than once, I had a certain level of expectation that needed to be met.
They weren't. With the exception of a few short scenes in the beginning and in the middle, this first book in the Codex Alera was very, very subpar. It's not even all that long and ...more
They weren't. With the exception of a few short scenes in the beginning and in the middle, this first book in the Codex Alera was very, very subpar. It's not even all that long and ...more
Dec 02, 2020
Hamad
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Hamad by:
Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥
Virginia's Pick for my 10 readers, 10 recommendations challenge!
DNF @25%
I really tried but I couldn't get into it after reading quarter of the book. I felt like I could push through the book and finish it but I can't do that to a 6-books series. It just felt too generic and like things I have already read before. This was written many years ago and I believe if I read it then I would have liked it but currently I am not planning to continue it anytime soon. ...more
DNF @25%
I really tried but I couldn't get into it after reading quarter of the book. I felt like I could push through the book and finish it but I can't do that to a 6-books series. It just felt too generic and like things I have already read before. This was written many years ago and I believe if I read it then I would have liked it but currently I am not planning to continue it anytime soon. ...more
99c Kindle sale, April 13, 2019. High fantasy series by Jim Butcher (better known for the Harry Dresden series) based on Roman legions and ... Pokémon? Hmmm. It’s just 99c so maybe I’ll give it a shot.
Buddy read with my tbr twin Laura
Actual rating is 1.5 stars
Am so disappointed with this book. I really wanted to like it but Alas I ended up hating it. But on the bright side, this book broke my record of never giving a book one star.
How I felt while reading this book
It was so boring, am not even kidding. Am certain my chemistry textbook would be so much more fun than reading this book.
The whole experience felt like I was stuck in the middle of an ocean, in a rowboat trying to paddle my way to ...more
Actual rating is 1.5 stars
Am so disappointed with this book. I really wanted to like it but Alas I ended up hating it. But on the bright side, this book broke my record of never giving a book one star.
How I felt while reading this book
It was so boring, am not even kidding. Am certain my chemistry textbook would be so much more fun than reading this book.
The whole experience felt like I was stuck in the middle of an ocean, in a rowboat trying to paddle my way to ...more
I am shocked at how many people actually really liked this novel. The pacing was awful, the characters were flat and there were too many (often I couldn't tell who was on which side) - and the lame novice-to-hero progression of several characters was painfully uncreative. The only good parts were parts where the men spoke a little like Dresden (Butcher's other major series' protagonist). The one witch was creepy enough, and the monsters were pretty cool, but that seems to be Butcher's general st
...more
*9/17 update* So I reread this, and while I still really enjoyed it, there are some aspects around sexual violence that stood out to me in ways they didn't the first time around. I'm not going to change my rating, because that feels, I don't know, dishonest or something? But while sexual violence is not brushed off, the way it was depicted still felt a bit sensationalized.
THIS WAS SO GREAT!! SUCH a fun epic fantasy! Even though this is the first book in a fantasy series, this didn't run into a ...more
THIS WAS SO GREAT!! SUCH a fun epic fantasy! Even though this is the first book in a fantasy series, this didn't run into a ...more
Feb 03, 2016
Scott Hitchcock
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
epic-fantasy,
butcher
I did this one as an audio book with Kate Reading as the narrator. She was excellent as always.
Much like in Wheel of Time there is a discipline collar similar to the A'Dam. For whatever reason these get a rise out of me worse than any of the other evil things in books much darker than this or WOT. There's just something so wrong about being able to throw a collar around a person's neck and controlling them against their will.
I liked but didn't love the characters and found Tavi and Isana to bo ...more
Much like in Wheel of Time there is a discipline collar similar to the A'Dam. For whatever reason these get a rise out of me worse than any of the other evil things in books much darker than this or WOT. There's just something so wrong about being able to throw a collar around a person's neck and controlling them against their will.
I liked but didn't love the characters and found Tavi and Isana to bo ...more
3.5 stars.
The novel was exciting, action packed, and filled with loads of twists. The author crafting a really fun adventure story which captures your attention from the first pages and holds it unto the last. Just an excellent fantasy to spend hours on.
My favorite part of the narrative (besides the non-stop action) was the cast of compelling characters. I enjoyed all of them: good and bad, sane and crazy, Alearan and Marat. Each of these people crafted in full dimensions, complex in their hist ...more
The novel was exciting, action packed, and filled with loads of twists. The author crafting a really fun adventure story which captures your attention from the first pages and holds it unto the last. Just an excellent fantasy to spend hours on.
My favorite part of the narrative (besides the non-stop action) was the cast of compelling characters. I enjoyed all of them: good and bad, sane and crazy, Alearan and Marat. Each of these people crafted in full dimensions, complex in their hist ...more
4.0 stars. Great, well developed characters, an excellent magic system and wonderful world-building and plot pacing. Appears to be the start of a compelling series. Will defintely read the next books in the series.
A fun fantasy novel that is a good start for this series. Jim Butcher is great at getting a plot rolling, and like a snow ball rolling down hill, it gets bigger and faster and picks up material as it goes. There are three main strands to the plot, Tavi's adventures in the Steadholt, the shenanigans in the Empire, and the traitors and the Marat hordes that they are allied with. Butcher gets them tangled together quickly, not drawing out the exposition like many other fantasy authors.
Butcher write ...more
Butcher write ...more
worst fantasy book ever, too many books like this out in the fantasy genre out there! too many tropes! so formulaic of a story! the first line on the back cover tells the whole plot to the series! please stop writing books like these! if this was written in the late 70s or the early 80s, then it would have worked a lot better and fresher
I only read about 150 pages into the book and stopped
I only read about 150 pages into the book and stopped
Putting it aside for now. I feel bogged down by the amount of fantasy I've read this month and it's almost spoiling the reading experience for me, though the 100 odd pages I've read, I thoroughly enjoyed. Will pick it up in the near future!
...more
Well... THAT WAS REALLY REALLY AWESOME!
I started to read this series, knowing that the author´s main inspirations for these books were the old Roman empire and Pokémon. That sounds really weird but after hearing this I was very curious about picking up the first volume and I wasn´t disappointed.
First of all it was not very difficult to get into the story and this is a problem which I have very often with other High Fantasy series, especially in the first novel. The plot was very exciting from th ...more
I started to read this series, knowing that the author´s main inspirations for these books were the old Roman empire and Pokémon. That sounds really weird but after hearing this I was very curious about picking up the first volume and I wasn´t disappointed.
First of all it was not very difficult to get into the story and this is a problem which I have very often with other High Fantasy series, especially in the first novel. The plot was very exciting from th ...more
BR with my TBR twin Tessy
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
An entertaining read. Good but not great.
I loved the concept of furies and liked the characters even though they're not that easily to identify with. The battle scenes felt a little bit (ok a lot more) drawn out up to the point when they became boring. But still it sets a good premise for future books and the ending made me curious as to what will happen next.
If you like action and A LOT OF DESCRIPTIVE BATTLE SCENES this book is just right for y ...more
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
An entertaining read. Good but not great.
I loved the concept of furies and liked the characters even though they're not that easily to identify with. The battle scenes felt a little bit (ok a lot more) drawn out up to the point when they became boring. But still it sets a good premise for future books and the ending made me curious as to what will happen next.
If you like action and A LOT OF DESCRIPTIVE BATTLE SCENES this book is just right for y ...more
Executive Summary: A fun but trope-heavy fantasy story that combines a Lost Roman Legion with Pokemon. Yeah, you read that right.
Audio book: I've long heard both good and bad things about Kate Reading. I actually got to meet her last year for the A Memory of Light book tour as she and her husband both live near me, but had never listened to a book by her before now.
Personally I think she's a really good reader. However, she may not be well suited for this book as it has many male characters (the ...more
Audio book: I've long heard both good and bad things about Kate Reading. I actually got to meet her last year for the A Memory of Light book tour as she and her husband both live near me, but had never listened to a book by her before now.
Personally I think she's a really good reader. However, she may not be well suited for this book as it has many male characters (the ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shut Up & Read: Furies of Calderon, by Jim Butcher | 25 | 8 | Aug 17, 2021 09:43AM | |
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Fantasy, main character is a young adult, male. Read 2010-2014. Humans have elemental spirits, and can control one element. Young male from a farmland goes on a journey to find his spirit/save his uncle. Viewpoint changes depending on chapter. [s] | 5 | 28 | Mar 26, 2020 02:40PM | |
| Sci-fi and Heroic...: Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher | 40 | 61 | Feb 25, 2019 06:02AM | |
| Play Book Tag: The Furies of Calderon - Jim Butcher 4/5 | 5 | 20 | Jan 07, 2019 09:18AM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera #1) by Jim Butcher - Starting September 4th 2018 | 2 | 28 | Sep 04, 2018 08:44AM |
Readers also enjoyed
6,533 users
621 users
401 users
336 users
198 users
192 users
173 users
170 users
138 users
Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resi
...more
Other books in the series
Codex Alera
(6 books)
Articles featuring this book
Dragons, demons, kings, queens, and the occasional farm boy (with a special destiny, of course): Fantasy literature has it all! To celebrate...
520 likes · 292 comments
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“The course of history is determined not by battles, by sieges, or usurpation, but by the individuals. The strongest army is, at its most basic level, a collection of individuals. Their decisions, their passions, their foolishness, and their dreams shape the years to come. If there is any lesson to be learned from history, it is that all too often the fate of armies, of cities, of entire realms rests upon the actions of one person's decision, good or bad, right or wrong, big or small, can unwittingly change the world.
But history can be quite the slattern. One never knows who that person is, where he might be, or what decision he might male.
It is almost enough to make me believe in destiny.”
—
82 likes
But history can be quite the slattern. One never knows who that person is, where he might be, or what decision he might male.
It is almost enough to make me believe in destiny.”
“Because a sound tree doesn't have bad roots, Amara. No enterprise of greatness
begins with treachery, with lying to the people who trust and love you”
—
64 likes
More quotes…
begins with treachery, with lying to the people who trust and love you”
