Monday, July 27, 2015

Review - Academ's Fury - Jim Butcher

Title: Academ's Fury
Author: Jim Butcher

This is Book 2 in Jim Butcher's "Codex Alera" -- a series begun with Furies of Calderon.  (I suggest you read the first two paragraphs of my review of that book to get the fantasy context.)

Most of the primary characters from book 1 return for this installment, and in particular, the young boy, Tavi, begins to take center stage.  Tavi has been brought to the school in the capital of the Aleran realm, and is being taught in the same manner as the rest of the Aleran children, but because he has no Furycrafting, and most of the students are relatively highborn and thus have Furies of their own, he struggles.

Still, he has made some friends, and he has a special work assignment as a messenger for the First Lord, so while his life is busy, it is interesting.

Before we get very deep into the novel, it becomes even more dangerous than it is interesting, and Tavi is forced to improvise as he helps implement a political cover-up, while also attempting to solve a mystery, as a strange attack on the empire seems to appear out of nowhere.

This installment is even more intriguing than the first, as Butcher continues to fill out his world with new characters, and with a deeper understanding of the nature of Fury-based power/magic.  Do not read this book until you have read the first, but if you liked the first, you will definitely enjoy the second.

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