In Furies of Calderon, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher introduced readers to a world where the forces of nature take physical form. But now, it is human nature that threatens to throw the realm into chaos… For centuries, the people of Alera have harnessed the furies—elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal—to protect their land from aggressors. But no fury can save them from the dangers they face within. A mysterious attack from across the sea has weakened the First Lord. Should he fall, a bloody civil war is inevitable. The responsibility of fending off assassination attempts and treachery within the First Lord’s circle of spies falls on Tavi, the one man with no fury to call...
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"Well... this was a fun read. Although he has this set for when the main character is in school, this is not your typical student fantasy novel... you know what I'm talking about. Harry Potter, the Crestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones, etc. Nothing like that. This is political intrigue, drama, sword fighting, hints of aliens and such (not sure where that might go) etc. Which means fun!"
— Clarice (4 out of 5 stars)
High adventure with engaging characters and a satisfying conclusion.
— Locus“A fun romp of a book...the action is fast and furious.
— SFRevu“[A] cleverly constructed world.
— ChronicleSolid world-building, intriguing characters and vivid action make this a solid addition to a marvelously entertaining series.
— Publishers WeeklyThe author of the Dresden Files series demonstrates his skill with epic fantasy...A fresh approach to magic and a cast of appealing characters make this an exciting read.
— Library JournalA fine coming-of-age, fantasy-action novel. The characterizations are excellent, and the plotting is very well developed.
— BooklistJim Butcher is a brilliant world-builder.
— Midwest Book Review" I really enjoyed this series. "
— Salvador, 2/7/2014" hmmmm.... Tavi is 2 years at the academy, also training to be a Cursor under Killian; one early scene has Tavi, Max, Gaelle, and Ehren are in the tunnels with Killian for a cursor test - there are 3 'battle' tests, and Tavi goes first - criticized for ducking a shoulder, or not keeping his eye on the something... and apparently failed the tests; he stays after the others leave and Killian complements him, saying did you notice Max remembered not to duck his shoulder, and Gaelle did not - Killian was using Tavi to remind the others how to avoid giving into their weakness... He is picked on by some of the boys, especially as he does not have any fury power so he continues to use his wits to overcome them and his friends... Max is a strong ally, and they protect Ehren, intelligent but weak furycrafter - and Tavi is Gauis' aide (along with full time student)... one night he goes to Gauis when he is in his meditation chamber - and Gauis has been trying to furycraft aid a village by the ocean overcome with storms and he yells as Tavi and passes out, becoming comotose - and Tavi's quick thinking has him calling Killian and Sir Miles to strategize - and pull in Max to furycraft looking like Gaius to make it look like Gaius is healthy during the festival, to prevent (funny scene when Max as Gaius has finished with a delegation, and Gaius' young wife comes in angry that he never called for her, and Max flirts with her, distracting her - and when Gaius is finally awake, she goes to him in his bath, surprising the real Gaius). In the meantime, Doroga goes to Amara, Bernard, and Isana to tell them that he has lost 2/3rds of his people to the Vord - an enemy his people has dealt with before. The Vord queen(woken by Tavi in the last story) and the Others will want to take over the world - the queen has 2 more queens, and they split to conquor - they Take over individuals - taking their souls and living in their bodies, making it difficult to fight as they are their friends. The steadholders join Doroga in trying to track down one of the queens (1 is dead, 1 is after Tavi, and 1 is in tghe steadhold)... so their battle is 1/3rd of the book - as they fail to save one of the steadholds (except for the children that had been protected in an earthcrafted hole - and then try to withstand the queen's attacks while waiting for reinforcements. It is harrowing, they keep loosing people, but keep fighting - Amara and Bernard marry (though Amara knows they should not marry as she cannot give Bernard children, part of his commitment to his position) and on their last ditch assault to try to kill the Vord queen, Aqualaine's mercenary's get there to help. Isana is sent with Serai (a cursor / cortesan) on Gaius' request during festival... she cannot get to Gaius (as he is in a coma, and Tavi et al are turning all away) when her retenue is killed and she is injured, she is saved by Fidelius, by request of Lady Aqualaine, who wants an alliance with her & ultimately against Gaius. Isana agrees with the concession that aid is sent to her brother (it gets there at the end). Isana hates Aquataine and Gaius, and lets both know. at the very end we find out for sure that she is Tavi's mother, though she doesn't tell Tavi. In the town there is a theif who is stealing by bypassing the furies, and not using fury... when Tavi needs to break Max out of the Grey Tower which is imprenatable to furycrafting, he tracks down the theif - and it ends up to be Kitai - Kitai;s first words to him are something like, darn - dad was right, you did grow. Kitai helps Tavi from this point on - at a quiet time, he asks her why she is in the town, and starts to better understand their mating bond (though it isn't discussed directly) and he tells her that her people go to the tribe where they are or will be mated to observe and learn about them - she is there to study his people - and she has some very perceptive insights, in both the positives and negatives of the Alerians - and finds much to admire inspite of seeing both the bad and good. and Tavi - is finding his voice of authority, when he simply must act... he has a quick grasp of situations and options, and implements the right response, guided byhis heart of goodness and rightness. He accepts Kitai (and they get to do some making out once everything is better)... and the Vord's Taken, Others, and queen do not harm him when there is fighting - hmmmm I think because of the drop of blood that he spilled on the queen's body in the first book. "
— Kathy, 2/7/2014" Better than the first book, but the character development still isn't satisfying and I have to wonder if my suspicions about certain characters arise because it is the writer's intent or because a lack of story. "
— Kanani, 1/30/2014" I loved book 1 of this series and thought I knew what to expect in book 2. I was wrong. Academ's Fury is even better. The book reminds me of the exciting parts of Harry Potter. :) I LOVED this book. Can't wait to read what happens next. "
— Elizabeth, 1/20/2014" I really enjoyed this book. It was a great second book and yet still a beginning of this series. I also liked how you learned more about characters as the book progressed and got hints for the future. This was a solid adventure and I'm looking forward to the others in the series. "
— Wonderbunny, 1/18/2014" I'm enjoying the series. I thought this book did a good job of developing Tavi's character. I got kind of tired of the Amara / Bernard love story and will be happy when they cool their heels a little or at least stop it with the intense glances and fluttering hearts. "
— Neil, 12/30/2013" Academ's Fury starts two years after the events of Codex Alera's first installment, Furies of Calderon. Tavi is now in training to be a Cursori and while he still can't Fury-Craft, he has developed his mind and body to the point that he has already begun to perform important tasks for the crown. However, his impending graduation is interrupted when the First Lord falls into a coma, Tavi being the only person to witness it. With the First Lord's political position unstable, and his enemies seeking his overthrow, Tavi takes the fate of all Alera in his hands as he tries to juggle being an Academ, the First Lord's personal page, a Cursori, and dealing with an incursion from a dangerous new enemy. Academ's fury was everything that I expected it to be, no more and no less. It is a solid, character driven fantasy novel in spite of its employing some old cliche's. Three stars for the solid but not surprising Academ's Fury. "
— Jason, 12/16/2013" The reviews say that this one is better than the last...I had my doubts because the first book was amazing. But alas, it was incredible. Thank you Jim Butcher for a wonderful story! I'm currently reading book 6 of the Dresdin series...and love that too! "
— Bob, 12/12/2013" This is a great series, by a great author. I like that he has the versatility to write such different style of story. "
— Clayton, 11/12/2013" The second in the "Codex Alera" series by Jim Butcher. Again, a great read. If you like classic fantasy, you will like this series. "
— Criss, 11/10/2013Jim Butcher is a martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago. He turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and the Cinder Spires novels.
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.