Captain's Fury: Codex Alera, Book 4

Pulls rabbits out of hats, finds nothing up his sleeve, and presto wins the day. Good read, starting book 5. Was great way to spend time on the beach in Bali.

I've read the whole series and I'll just post this review on all of them. This is a great series. I love the characters. Especially the main character, Tavi. This series could have been written very poorly, like a grade B scifi movie. The basic premise of the whole series is that the world they are in is a dumping ground for other worlds various Bermuda triangles. The leading people are descended from the lost roman legion, so there society is highly based on this. There are native beings in this world they call Furies. They amount to the spirit that all objects and places have and take after elementals. Everyone bonds with one and sometimes more furies as they grow up. These can range from weak to powerful and often help determine your place in society based on how strong your furies are.Tavi, the main character is the only person of the Roman descendants that doesn't have a fury and he's considered a freak. Throughout the whole series, he has to keep coming up with ways to stay alive and improve his situation without the use of a fury. You continuously come to turning points where you just know that he's fixing to get his own fury...then he doesn't. It's a riveting story that keeps you on the edge the whole time, wondering how Tavi is going to smart his way out of this one. You should read the whole thing and then move on to his 'Dresdan Files' series.

So, immediately after reading the third book, I had to buy this one and ended up reading it the same night, staying up way too late to do so. Maybe not the best choice, but whatever, it was compelling enough to keep me going.I think the slow release of intrigue and secrets is what I'm enjoying so much on the series. There's enough revealed in each book to keep you invested and wanting more. It's also got a neat magic system, and nice world-building, and while sometimes the descriptions and characters can get groan-worthy, they're still overall well-developed.Since this is a middle book, like my previous review, I don't want to elaborate too much. If you've read this many, you're likely to continue on with the books. Another solid book in the series.Review by M. Reynard 2023

This has really been an up and down series for me. I read the first book and liked it. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue the series because at the time I was reading Martin,Fallon,Lynch,Coe,Keyes,and Abercrombie. I think I under estimated how good the series was because the other books I was reading at the same time were some of the best fantasy has to offer.I purchased the second book, Academ's Fury, not only because I enjoyed Furies but because the cover art was exceptional. If fact all of the cover art in this series is top notch. I wonder how many books David Coe would sell if his Winds of the Forelands series had the same cover artist as the Codex Alera books? That series is so good inside the covers but I think the outside is keeping many people from finding what a top notch work he has produced.Just like Furies of Calderon I really liked Academ's Fury and I ordered Cursor's Fury before I even finished Academ's. I was not disappointed in Cursor's but I did feel like it was the worst book of the series. I still rated it four stars out of five but I kind of lost my passion for the series. I think I was frustrated that the action seemed to be slowing down. My thought was that I was probably done with the series.I was ordereing some books from Amazon and I had three that I was interested in so I figured I would give Captain's Fury a shot because of the 4-3 special that they offer on Amazon. It is funny because I was looking at the picture of Butcher in the back of Cursor's Fury and I remember thinking this guy has spent more time in front of a bong than a typewriter. Well I figured I had nothing to lose since the fourth book was free. Imagine my surprise when I start reading Captain's Fury and Butcher starts tying up all the loose threads that he had been weaving through the first three books. This is far and away the best book in the series. The short version is that I now include Butcher in the list of the authors I mentioned above and Princep's Fury is already on order. If you have read the first three books and you were losing steam like I was do yourself a favor and dive back in. I'm sure glad that I did.

I bought the first book in this series on the strength of it having been written by Jim Butcher, and hate to have to admit that it took me two attempts to get through it. By the time I got to book two I was more enthusiastic; the pace of the story had picked up and the characters appeared to make more sense. Book four was for me the most enjoyable book yet. Tavi's character has grown dramatically through the series of books, and he has gone from (in my opinion) a rather weak, lost character, to someone who shows great leadership qualities, humour and a knack for playing people at their own conniving games. The character is supported by an excellent cast, every single one of whom appear to have a proper place in the story, rather than being included for the sake of filling pages. The plot is really fun, with most of the strands being pulled together for the grande finale; the volcano was a nice touch. My one and only gripe, and I'm sure I'm in the minority here, is the way Tavi's heritage is revealed. Would have preferred for someone just to come out and say it, rather than having to live through the 'I should, but I just can't' scenario. Great book, can't wait for the next one, hope it's not disloyal to say these outshine the Dresden books.

Can't out it down until the end and haven the next book ready Butchers bestGreat author Dresden files only Bob counts

very good book and the quality for being a second hand book was great. Shipped on time and I'm very happy with it.

Eine interessante Vermischung zwischen altem Rom und Fantasy mit einem mal etwas anderen Magiesystem. Am Ende der Reihe werden die Feinde zwar ein wenig zu übermächtig, so dass eine Rettung eigentlich arg unwahrscheinlich ist, aber Tavi wird es schon retten. (meine anderen Rezensionen der weiteren Bücher sind übrigens identisch, da Amazon es leider nicht zulässt, einfach nur eine gute Bewertung abzugeben).

The book was sightly damaged.... Had black spots in the sides.

This book is as good as the first 3. the story holds up, the caracter keeps evolving. Must say I am a fan!

If you haven't read the first three books in the series cast aside the rock and join humanity!This is by far on of the best books that Butcher (hell, anybody)has ever come up with and I would be including the amazing Dresden Files 'White Night' in that list.'Captain's Fury' has the same mix of epic fantasy and political intrigue that has made the series so successful while still managing to step up the drama and take the plot and the characters to the next level.I have to admit that i was surprised that Butcher went the way he did in this novel (i really am trying not to give too much away), but it really strengthens the story and you realise as you continue to read on, that this is what Tavi needs. Also, minor characters are given more of the spotlight than i thought would be strictly necessary but it's never for long enough for us to forget what's going on with our other heroes.Old enemies like the Vord are not as threatening as they have been in past books, they're more of a dark foreshadowing of things to come. Far from detracting, this allows the already full plot to come to fruition without being rushed. The clash with the Canim is still as brutal as ever, backstabbing politicians are still sneaking around waiting to strike, the First Lord and his cursors are still trying to outrun old age against huge odds and among it all, Tavi's still finding time to stop and see the Leviathans (best scene EVER, hands down).I've rarely read a book where i've found nothing wrong with it but Jim Butcher is my favourite author for a reason. Even if you're only going to read one Codex of Alera book, 'Captain's Fury' should be the one.