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daveruff 's review for:
Furies of Calderon
by Jim Butcher
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Re-reading Furies of Calderon after about a 10 year gap and it doesn't quite stand the test of time. I used to be a much bigger Jim Butcher fan for his Dresden and Alera series, but while they remain fun, they don't have the depth of many other sci-fi/fantasy books I've gravitated towards in the interim.
The Furies of Calderon in particular are a bit rough even within the Alera series (I am in the middle of a complete re-read, as I need some fluff/pulp fantasy at the moment). The characters are just starting to be introduced as is the world-building. In particular, the villains of Furies are almost mustache twirling caricatures in EEEVIIIL, a horrific rapist/slaver (a redundancy) and a murderous, cannibalistic "barbarian". Of course said horrors, while inflicted for some exploitative glee, though not to the extent of a Piers Anthony, still never quite touch our most cared about characters.
Also, a shared common fault with Butcher and similar authors is the focus on the individuality of those evils instead of looking at the systematic nature. To wit, we are literally rooting for the imperium, literal Roman conquerors (the fictional lost Roman legion), with legalized slavery (but hey, some women are against it!), against what seem like displaced native tribes, some of whom are again caricaturized to silly levels of evil so we don't feel bad about the mass slaughters in the, albeit exciting, battles. Oh, some of the tribes (noble savages!) are good, so we can continue to root for the colonizers, I guess.
On the positive side, as mentioned, the action is quite good, and Butcher is good at ramping up the tension. The magic system (basically elemental "bending" from Avatar the Last Airbender) is fun, and if you don't mind the surface level, black & white morality, his "good guy" characters are easy to like and root for. I've already started in on Academ's Fury (the titles of all of the books are major spoilers for the series, btw), and it's much of the same, but building up to a wider world, more political intrigue, and a wider threat that will end up spanning the whole series, so it gets better. Worth a read for some breezy fun, if you don't think about it too much.
The Furies of Calderon in particular are a bit rough even within the Alera series (I am in the middle of a complete re-read, as I need some fluff/pulp fantasy at the moment). The characters are just starting to be introduced as is the world-building. In particular, the villains of Furies are almost mustache twirling caricatures in EEEVIIIL, a horrific rapist/slaver (a redundancy) and a murderous, cannibalistic "barbarian". Of course said horrors, while inflicted for some exploitative glee, though not to the extent of a Piers Anthony, still never quite touch our most cared about characters.
Also, a shared common fault with Butcher and similar authors is the focus on the individuality of those evils instead of looking at the systematic nature. To wit, we are literally rooting for the imperium, literal Roman conquerors (the fictional lost Roman legion), with legalized slavery (but hey, some women are against it!), against what seem like displaced native tribes, some of whom are again caricaturized to silly levels of evil so we don't feel bad about the mass slaughters in the, albeit exciting, battles. Oh, some of the tribes (noble savages!) are good, so we can continue to root for the colonizers, I guess.
On the positive side, as mentioned, the action is quite good, and Butcher is good at ramping up the tension. The magic system (basically elemental "bending" from Avatar the Last Airbender) is fun, and if you don't mind the surface level, black & white morality, his "good guy" characters are easy to like and root for. I've already started in on Academ's Fury (the titles of all of the books are major spoilers for the series, btw), and it's much of the same, but building up to a wider world, more political intrigue, and a wider threat that will end up spanning the whole series, so it gets better. Worth a read for some breezy fun, if you don't think about it too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Rape, Slavery