Board 8 > Just finished The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. Damn.(Spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

My gf knew that I was obsessed with the Dresden Files so she got me Furies of Calderon, and it took me a few months to open it up. The first one wasn't that great. The tone was like, very inconsistent and some of the things that happen around the middle point of that book are very jarring.

That said, I liked it and a few of the characters (Fidelias especially) enough to press on, and lord was I rewarded.

If you haven't tried this out, you should. If you've gotten some of the way through Furies of Calderon and stopped, you should DEFINITELY continue. The series gets amazing as Butcher hits his usual stride.

Cursor's Fury is the best of the bunch, but there's a moment in Princeps' Fury which is such a huge hammer blow that I've hardly felt from anything else I've read.

It's the moment where Tavi and Varg are looking out at the croach covered ruins of Varg's homeland, seeing that there is nothing left but the Vord. This is the first and only time we see Varg shook and Jim sets us up for it by our entire interactions with Varg and the rest of the Canim through three entire books. To see Varg like that, completely distraught, punched me in the gut.
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And I'm pretty happy with myself that I finished it by November 1st, considering we have Oathbringer coming out in exactly two weeks!
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Is Cursor's Fury the one where Tavi approaches that one dude and everyone assumes he's going to confirm his identity but instead reveals to everyone what his true identity is out in the open like a boss? Cause that's my favorite moment in the series. And I wasn't expecting him to learn about his heritage halfway through the series.

But yeah, it was a pretty good series! The only thing that truly annoyed me was that none of the true main characters died. But it was definitely more geared toward the younger crowd than Dresden so I get it but...it's a war that nearly destroys the world...come on. Not as good as Dresden but worth a read for sure!
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Ywah I read Furies and it was very mediocre. Not terrible but wow was it not near the quality of Dresden.

I do have the next book so maybe I'll finally get around to trying it.

Furies sound like a cool concept but there's something about their implementation here that that really feels like they are missing something.
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It's been a while since I've read that series, but I remember enjoying it a lot. I don't have super high standards for books I read for pleasure, though, tbh. A lot of the inconsistencies didn't bother me that much.
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MysteriousStan posted...

Is Cursor's Fury the one where Tavi approaches that one dude and everyone assumes he's going to confirm his identity but instead reveals to everyone what his true identity is out in the open like a boss? Cause that's my favorite moment in the series. And I wasn't expecting him to learn about his heritage halfway through the series.

But yeah, it was a pretty good series! The only thing that truly annoyed me was that none of the true main characters died. But it was definitely more geared toward the younger crowd than Dresden so I get it but...it's a war that nearly destroys the world...come on. Not as good as Dresden but worth a read for sure!

Stan, I believe that happens toward the end of Captain's Fury and yeah it's an incredible moment as well.

I kept thinking about how none of the main characters died at some point through Princeps' Fury and found myself being relieved because of how much I was enjoying all of them. I do think they'd have been fine killing off one or two of them, especially in the war at the end.

One thing that I was a little disappointed about was that we never got one final confrontation between Fidelias and Invidia. I thought those two always had such great scenes together and I wanted to see Fidelias' reactions to seeing the full extent of what he'd done to Invidia, and also finally see Invidia explode with rage at someone. Having Amara stab her in the back like that just seemed like kind of a waste. I understand the choice he made, he kind of trapped them all in at the hive there at the end. I just loved Fidelias so much that I wanted to see him/Invidia one more time. "Ah, you've finally come back to me, my spy."
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Just bought the first book of Butcher's other series, the Cinder Spires.

It's gonna be the first real Steampunk book I've read. I decided I would need something to pass the two weeks between now and Oathbringer, and there's definitely not enough time to re-read Way of Kings or Words of Radiance.
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ExThaNemesis posted...

I decided I would need something to pass the two weeks between now and Oathbringer, and there's definitely not enough time to re-read Way of Kings or Words of Radiance.

That's what I'm doing right now as a matter of fact! Just finished re-reading Way of Kings and I should be able to finish Words of Radiance in time. I might also read Edgedancer since I never got around to it
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Damn. I just remember Words of Radiance being an allmighty quest. It was one of the most fun reads ever, but it took a DAMN long time and I have even less time for reading now than I used to.
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I think I got through Way of Kings in around 10-14 days so it should be doable. I loved reading it again and WoR should be even better. I commute for a couple of hours a day, and usually dedicate that time to reading. They are easy reads, but they are pretty damn long
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I could probably give it a try. When I really started grinding at Codex Alera it was only taking me about 3 days per book. I think it would probably be worth it to get myself back up to speed with everything going on in the world of the Stormlight Archive.
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https://www.tor.com/2017/08/15/stormlight-archive-refresher/

If you just want to get up to speed, the publisher posted a refresher online.

I haven't read any Jim Butcher yet... One day
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Id heard not good things about the first book si I never checked the series out. Guess I will put it back on my list.

And Yankees, you should definitely read Edgedancer.

Thanks for that refresher, Im going to need that.
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Yesssss, refresher, just what I needed. I'm about to start the Cinder Spires book now.

Yankees, you absolutely gotta try Dresden Files. They are seriously so fantastic.
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Yeah, I'm planning to read Edgedancer next. If I start Oathbringer a little later, that's fine.

Dresden Files is on the backlog. I recently discovered Terry Pratchett's Discworld and have been bouncing around in there lately
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I think I enjoyed this alright, but man, I read the series five years ago and remember almost none of it. Definitely no Dresden Files.

Yankees posted...

That's what I'm doing right now as a matter of fact! Just finished re-reading Way of Kings and I should be able to finish Words of Radiance in time. I might also read Edgedancer since I never got around to it

Do this. There's some major character development for a certain character, and it feels like that part's going to be very important for the next book.
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What is Edgedancer and how long does it take to read?

According to the Stormlight Archive recap, it's gonna give Szeth some well needed development.
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It's a short novel he wrote a few months ago. Stars Lift, along with some other characters. Shows some of the aftermath of WoR too.
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Yeah Edgedancer definitely has some good details in it and is a quick read.
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Edgedancer is 100% worth the read before Oathbringer.

You could actually do the entire Arcanum Unbounded if you wanted! Granted the only short story in there that's Stormlight related is Edgedancer but the rest of it is still pretty good.

Particularly Mistborn: A Secret History. Fucking Kelsier, man.
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Super hype for Oathbringer myself, Dalinar is my favorite character and Sanderson changing the book from Szeth's book to Dalinar's had me freaking out.
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TC, have you read The Aeronaut's Windlass? I haven't yet, but I'm well accustomed to Butcher's usual tradition of starting weak and going strong as his series go on. I feel like The Cinder Spires has potential, but I'll wait until a few books are out.
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Murphiroth posted...

You could actually do the entire Arcanum Unbounded if you wanted! Granted the only short story in there that's Stormlight related is Edgedancer but the rest of it is still pretty good.

Particularly Mistborn: A Secret History. f***ing Kelsier, man.

But only if you've read the Mistborn books (especially the first trilogy). Otherwise there are MASSIVE spoilers.
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Now I remember why I haven't read Edgedancer yet. It was only released in Arcanum Unbounded for the longest time and I've read half of the other things in it. How's the stuff I haven't read from it? Not sure if it is worth buying Edgedancer individually or with the rest.

Read :
The Emperors Soul (Elantris)
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (Threnody)
Sixth of Dusk (First of the Sun)
Mistborn: Secret History (Mistborn)

Haven't read :
The Hope of Elantris (Elantris)
The Eleventh Metal (Mistborn)
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Episodes 28 through 30 (Mistborn)
White Sand (excerpt; Taldain)

Dalinar is also my favorite character thus far. Hype level is pretty high
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Hope of Elantris: It's okay. Not super special.

Eleventh Metal: Kind of a prequel thing with Kelsier being trained. It's interesting, but not near as good as Secret History.

Allomancer Jak: Strange narration. Kinda entertaining.

White Sand: Kinda like a prologue thing to the actual White Sand? I dunno. Wasn't a big fan.
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Eerieka posted...

TC, have you read The Aeronaut's Windlass? I haven't yet, but I'm well accustomed to Butcher's usual tradition of starting weak and going strong as his series go on. I feel like The Cinder Spires has potential, but I'll wait until a few books are out.

I just started Aeronaut's Windlass last night. Not feeling it much so far. The whole Steam ship battles thing didn't do much for me.
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Leaning towards just reading Edgedancer then. Sounds like I've read the best ones excluding that one from the set.
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Allomancer Jak is pretty fun. It's the exaggerated tales of the adventures of a tineye. We don't actually follow him like we do a normal character, we are reading the stories in the broadsheets you've probably noticed in the chapter intro pages in the Wax and Wayne stories. There's often an Allomanicer Jak story on those things. These are Jak's memoirs reminiscing on an adventure he went on.

They are really fun because they are edited with foot notes by Jak's dour Terrisman sidekick, Handerwym, who is constantly noting that something didn't happen or was grossly exaggerated. Jak sees himself as a scholarly gentleman adventurer that can take any body in a fight. He basically sees himself as Wax. But he's not. The contrast is hilarious.

It's also amusing when ludicrous things he described actually did happen. Like Handerwym will make a footnote on something and say "I wasn't actually there for this part, and what Jak describes he did sounds impossible, but I went there afterwards to look around and there's no other logical explanation for what could have happened. I don't know what to tell you."

I really enjoyed Handerwym.

You also learn a bit about how the Koloss are living I'm the new world.

White Sand is interesting because they give you some of the comic, and *also* give you the prose version Brandon wrote. He didn't just write a storyboard and dialogue, he actually wrote it like a normal novel first and they just adapted it because they thought the sand magic would look way better illustrated than in written form. Brandon believes the comic looks wonderful.

I actually disagree. l think the sand magic *could* have looked amazing illustrated, but the artist didn't do a great job. I don't think it looked good and I often had no idea what any given frame was trying to tell me was happening. Meanwhile, Brandon's prose was wonderful. I had such a rich image of the sand world, the abilities being used, and the monster being fought. It was a great read. I don't think going for a comic book adaptation was *wrong* but I don't think this adaptation was good.
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I never did read the last Codex Alera book. I kind of lost interest with the previous 2 books and was making an effort to cut down my to-read pile. The series is decent but not amazing and there are too many great books out there I want to read.

Re: Edgedancer it seems pretty damn important in relation to the main series. One character goes through a change of heart and it could be weird to read about this character again if you haven't read Edgedancer. You also learn a bit about one of the nonhuman races which offers some very interesting implications about what we've seen so far.

My favorite novella though is easily The Secret History. Sooo good for someone interested in the Cosmere, and it has my favorite character.
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I read Furies of Calderon and whatever the first Dresden Files book is. I wasn't especially impressed with either. I know that fans of Butcher are constantly telling me, "NONONO! Dood, you have to keep going. It's get better after like book 173!" I've never seen that sentiment with respect to Codex Alera, though, and some of the stuff that happened in book one was cringeworthy. Like, it's a good thing I'm not a hardcore feminist or I'd be coming down on Butcher's ass hard.
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I agree on White sand. The written version is so much easier to follow than the comic just cause the artist is bad about making the change in sand color obvious/remembering to do it.
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I didn't think White Sand was *bad*, but it's definitely not a complete work. Reading it and then not reading the comic after would be a bit odd.

azuarc posted...

I read Furies of Calderon and whatever the first Dresden Files book is. I wasn't especially impressed with either. I know that fans of Butcher are constantly telling me, "NONONO! Dood, you have to keep going. It's get better after like book 173!" I've never seen that sentiment with respect to Codex Alera, though, and some of the stuff that happened in book one was cringeworthy. Like, it's a good thing I'm not a hardcore feminist or I'd be coming down on Butcher's ass hard.

I think most people say Dresden gets good in book three, and when there are seventeen books, getting good at that point isn't too terrible.
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Does the White Sand story stand alone? I have zero knowledge of the comics
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The excerpt in AU is just a small part of the comic. The graphic novel I believe is volume 1 of 3 of what is supposed to be one book.
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EndOfDiscOne posted...

My favorite novella though is easily The Secret History. Sooo good for someone interested in the Cosmere, and it has my favorite character.

Is this referencing Kelsier? Coz it sounds like it's referencing Kelsier.

azuarc posted...

I read Furies of Calderon and whatever the first Dresden Files book is. I wasn't especially impressed with either. I know that fans of Butcher are constantly telling me, "NONONO! Dood, you have to keep going. It's get better after like book 173!" I've never seen that sentiment with respect to Codex Alera, though, and some of the stuff that happened in book one was cringeworthy. Like, it's a good thing I'm not a hardcore feminist or I'd be coming down on Butcher's ass hard.

Dresden really hits its stride by book 3, and by book 7 it's "I cannot wait to see what happens next."

I think I know what you're referencing here and I would counter by saying... she gets out of the danger mostly with her own ingenuity. The main problem I had with this was that it was such a shift in tone. It was like Jim was like "oh, better throw in something here to make this gritty." That whole portion of the book not only clashed with everything around it, but the rest of the series as a whole.
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ExThaNemesis posted...

EndOfDiscOne posted...

My favorite novella though is easily The Secret History. Sooo good for someone interested in the Cosmere, and it has my favorite character.

Is this referencing Kelsier? Coz it sounds like it's referencing Kelsier.

Murphiroth posted...

Particularly Mistborn: A Secret History. Fucking Kelsier, man.

Just saying, if you're a Kelsier fan you need to read it.
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Kelsier was by far my favorite in the Mistborn series. I'll pencil Secret History in for after Edgedancer.
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Also read the Wax and Wayne trilogy if you haven't. Can't really say why specifically but by the end of the last book I was going "HOLY SHIT WHAT" at some of the twists.
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Murphiroth posted...

Also read the Wax and Wayne trilogy if you haven't. Can't really say why specifically but by the end of the last book I was going "HOLY SHIT WHAT" at some of the twists.

I have, hahah. Loved every minute of Wax and Wayne. Wayne is the best.
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I would love to see Wax and Wayne movies. Wayne's solo infiltration scenes would be fucking hysterical.
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I just finished the Codex Alera myself a couple weeks ago. Decided to read it since he was taking so long on the next Dresden book and I friggin LOVE that series sooo...

I thought it was fantastic but I definitely agree with the I cant believe no one important died. sentiment.

I wish Butcher would finish Peace Talks though. Its starting to feel like a Winds of Winter situation.
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Anybody else feel like Lift could be Wayne's daughter just from the way she looks at the world around her?
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Mac Arrowny posted...

I think most people say Dresden gets good in book three, and when there are seventeen books, getting good at that point isn't too terrible.

Some say 3, some say 4. I mean, yeah, if the series is going that long, you'll get return on the investment. I just didn't see the promise in book 1 that this would be a great series, so I didn't care. I think I started to read book 2 once and was too distracted by other stuff to really crack into it. Maybe I'll try again some day. But if I hadn't already read book 1, multiple books "to get good" is a pretty high cost of admission.

ExThaNemesis posted...

I think I know what you're referencing here and I would counter by saying... she gets out of the danger mostly with her own ingenuity.

Except she doesn't. She has to be bailed out by the dude's son, who basically engineers their whole escape and supplies them with water. Plus, it's not just her. The other water mage's whole character is one of submission and torture, which is why she's so fucked up. While it's true they do escape rather than being genuinely rescued, just the fact that they're in that situation to begin with, captured by a brutish man who only understands raw force and especially likes to use it against the women...okay, it succeeds at making him villainous, but for him to pick those exact two characters to victimize?
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This is a silly criticism.

He had every reason to want to victimize Isana especially. He had already attempted to MURDER HER before all of this, and they had just had that major three way fight at the Rillwater. It wasn't just all random happenstance.

There are better ways to put adversity to women than "OMG A RAPIST" but it did make sense within Kord's character. And it's not as though he didn't pay for it.

Again this is focusing on a really minor non-issue to discredit the book.
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Happenstance, no. But you're disregarding the fact that there was a second captive, who happens to be the most beautifulest woman in the book, and has some kind of S-M complex.

As you noted earlier, it was a major tonal shift. It considerably affected my impression of the read when I hit that part. You've got the "pokemon" aspects of the book, and some colorful fight sequences, and this kid going off with the beast people to try to outwit their little challenge arena or whatever it was, and then...that.

Kord was over the top, even as far as bigots go. I simply didn't like him as a character or the plot arcs surrounding him, right down to his implausible, all-too-convenient reappearance at the end. Even if you want to try to defend it as being justifiable in terms of the set-up, because yes, in older times men did oppress women and it's not absurd to think that such things could happen, that still doesn't mean that it was good writing.
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No it wasn't great writing, but it was a small part of an otherwise fun book, especially once you got to the final battle at the end. There was a lot to like.

And they established very early on that Odiana was basically insane. So is Aldrick, really.
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I dunno, the last battle was kinda predictable, TBH. It reads like every other "defend the stronghold" conclusion I've seen since Helm's Deep. Reinforcements/new surprises from the enemy, they break through the walls, they're kicking butt, everything is doomed!, and then friendly reinforcements arrive that are supposed to be unexpected but we know are coming because the author had to give us enough information for it not to be a deus ex. And then the good guys win.

Only part of the sequence that was particularly memorable was when the sword guy comes out of his psychosis and is just like "sup, you might be the second best swordsman, but I'm the reason you're only the second best."
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See I thought the Araris thing was predictable as fuck and didn't like it at all.

I fucking LOVED when Dorogo showed up and stopped literally everything to challenge Atsurak. But then,
Doroga is one of my favorite characters.
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9 Days. I pre-ordered it already. Hope it goes right to my Kindle at midnight!
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http://www.17thshard.com/news/brandon-news/oathbringer-spoiler-free-review-r350

Get hype for Oathbringer!
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