Furies of Calderon

Codex Alera, Book 1

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal - 15-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos - when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies - Tavi's simple courage will turn the tides of war.

©2005 Jim Butcher (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Epic fantasy in the best way, inspired by Tolkien.” (New York Times best-selling author Simon R. Green

“A stay-up-all-night-’til-you-finish-it-book, Furies of Calderon is a marvelous read.” (Number-one New York Times best-selling author Patricia Briggs)

“Absorbing...Butcher does a thorough job of world building, to say nothing of developing his action scenes with an abundance of convincing detail.” (Publishers Weekly)

An enjoyable new world

Would you consider the audio edition of Furies of Calderon to be better than the print version?

I was easily drawn in to this story. I enjoyed meeting the characters, learning about the world and their abilities. I am not sure what more to say to not get into the story and give away plot. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and will be starting the next book .

My thoughts

The story is really good and engaging but I don't really like the horns they've add, it doesn't add anything to the storyline. I think it takes away from it.

Love you Jim

It's Jim Butcher. Do I really need to say more. He is one of the best at world building. I beg that you give this books a chance. You won't regret it.

Really good...What the hell is with the trumpets?

What did you love best about Furies of Calderon?

I quite enjoyed the book- I had heard about it on a podcast I listen to.
And kate reading is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators, due to her work on this series, and cherie priests clockwork century series.

But seriously. The horns. In the MOST random places.
It seemed to be mid-sentence sometimes. It wasn't something that ruined it, it actually would make for something of a drinking game. but it was odd.

Awesomeness

i totally loved it.....another winning series by Jim Butcher. fantasy swords and magic well worth the read!

Good opening to a series

Great story, a little slow at first, but then gets rolling. Only complaint is that Butcher describing female characters is like reading a MadLib where every adjective is "languid". Starts to grate on you after a while. Overall though, I'm interested to see where Tavi goes next!

Enjoyable, unique and an easy listen

I have to say, I keep forgetting that this series is written by Jim Butcher. I love the Dresden Files written by him, but this series is so different from the Dresden Files that it is hard to imagine that they come from the same author. That is not a bad thing, in fact, I love the uniqueness of the series and have found it to be a very entertaining listen.

This first book is quite good, and it is pretty easy to learn about the world that Butcher has created. In my opinion, the following books just improve upon the series (even the middle books are entertaining) which is not the norm for "epic" fantasy - at least not in my experience. The characters are easy to relate to, and Kate Reading does a very nice job with the narration, easily differentiating between a number of characters.

Overall, I would say this book, and the entire series, is "light" fantasy. By that, I mean that things always work out in the end and there aren't massive casualties amongst the main protagonists. (I haven't read the 6th book in the series yet, so I am not sure if this changes.) There are dark themes and battles and death and strong emotion, but at the end of each book, "happily ever after" is not too far off the mark for a description of the ending. Not quite...but close. Which I am perfectly happy to read! There is nothing wrong with the good guy winning!

If you enjoy the first book, then you will definitely enjoy the following ones. They are somewhat (quite) predictable, but I'm not reading/listening to them for a mind-bending puzzle...I'm looking for a nice enjoyable story and these fit the bill perfectly. Well worth the credit or $!

Not Bad for a Bet Book

What did you love best about Furies of Calderon?

The plot lines were woven to provide interesting variety.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the female protagonist.

What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?

Kate brings good emotion into the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Great book, awesome delivery!

Great novel, wonderful delivery - the reader really brought the story and the characters to life. The only thing that threw me was the random trumpet blasts interspersed throughout... they broke the continuity and seemed to have very little bearing on what was actually happening.

Slow start, but gets good

The story begins right in the middle of a few characters' lives, and from there the story develops but without giving you a reason to care for the characters. This went on for at least 7 hours until it started picking up. From then on, the story is gripping and exciting. If you are patient, you are in for a good long listening experience.