Jim Butcher: Furies of Calderon

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Ace (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044101268X

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 furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat horde - returns to the Valley, Tavi's courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war...
   
  Having only read the first of Butcher's Dresden Files Series, I didn't have any expectations for this series. Not good, not bad. I knew it was going to be different, as it was more in the epic genre, and I wasn't sure how he was going to deal with that. As it turns out, he handled it quite well. Some have said that the story took a few chapters to pick up pace, but I would disagree. We're thrown right into the action in the first chapter, and the mystery starts right up from there. Who? And why?
  He doesn't leave us hanging, however. Through many twists and turns and multiple characters' points of view, Jim Butcher weaves a story of betrayal, murder, and strange friendship. The thing that first jumps to my mind about this book is the relationships. My favorites were Bernard and Amara - I hope we get to see more of them in the future. Second was the unexpected Doroga. I really loved Doroga. He was noble and courageous and his offspring, Kitai, is probably going to turn out to be a close friend of main character Tavi. The three of them had some of the best interactions in the book. All of the characters, in fact, had some standout trait about them.
  The plot: was great. It's not Tolkien level quality, nobody's that good, but it was still really well done. He left plenty of mystery for coming books, including, but not limited to: Tavi's heritage, Fade's history, and the future of the kingdom in general. In the first chapter, we learn of a rebel force that is being secretly assisted by Amara's mentor, Fidelias. Ironic, considering his name is a form of fidelity. Tavi is a Fury-less boy who just wants to go to the Academy. And Amara has the weight of the world on her shoulders.
  I really have no complaints about this novel. It was extremely well done and leaves you to anticipate the next. However, I have no idea how long that will be for me. Because the publisher started releasing Jim Butcher's books in their so-called "Premium Tall Editions," and I'm OCD so all the books must be the same size and format, and I have the regular format, I won't be able to read the next book until I find an older printing that is not ridiculously tall for two extra dollars.
  Overall: A+