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A review by troystory
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have to say, I loved this book way more than I expected to. I got it at a used bookstore, when I was hoping to get more into fantasy, because I'd heard of the author and it sounded interesting enough. And then when I found out it was inspired by Ancient Rome, I knew I just had to read it. Fantasy and the ancient world? Two of my favourite things!
I just devoured this book. It's bigger than I gauged it to be (over 600 pages!) but it doesn't feel big, or heavy, or taxing to read, or like it drags on too much. It's paced very well, the chapters are easily digestible, and there's a good balance of action, description and dialogue so that no scene ever feels like it drags on.
Okay, let's get onto the things I loved:
- The writing, firstly. Absolutely brilliant, and the descriptions were so, so vivid and visceral. I loved the scene in the Wax Forest particularly, because of the way Butcher describes everything and really makes you feel like you're there.
- The worldbuilding. I loved this world! I adored its Roman influences, and I loved that it just thrust you into Alera without pages of exposition. I really don't like it when books explain everything to you in obvious ways, like they expect that you won't be able to understand things as you go along, because it takes me right out of the story and, well -- it's a very good way to remind someone they're reading a book, and lose any sense of immersion. This book was the complete opposite. Right from the beginning, you're put in this world without any explanation, and you begin to grasp concepts through the adventures the characters go on. I thought it was great. Also, I don't normally like worlds where almost everyone has some sort of magical power, but here I felt like it added to the story and it never felt cheap, or like furycrafting was used as a deus ex machina of sorts.
- The characters! There are so many of them that I adore, and even the antagonists were fascinating to read about. Aldrick and Odiana, Fidelias, Amara and Bernard, Tavi, Isana, the Marat. Doroga! He's so, so good, I really love him. It's such a great ensemble cast, and they were all developed and complex and their stories came together in really interesting ways. Also, no spoilers, but I really loved that Tavi just... didn't have any furies, but it wasn't a massive part of his story and it never became like "oh he doesn't have any because he's special or he has some Cool Unique fury that no one else has" unlike so many Chosen One type fantasy stories. And the female characters! I loved the way they were written, actually, which I was delightfully surprised about. They weren't overtly sexualised for the main part, and they felt realistic and had agency. And Fade!! No spoilers, but what a twist!
- I liked that it wasn't very heavy on romance! Though I do love Aldrick and Odiana, and I'd love to see more of them and how they got together and all that.
- The action scenes! They were so, so good, and so riveting, and they just kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Especially the big final battle at Garrison -- I think I was holding my breath the entire time. Good action sequences in books are hard to achieve, I think, but Butcher does an excellent job. I really felt like I was there, witnessing it all in person.
There's probably a lot more that I adored that I'm forgetting to add, but really, I just love this book so much. It's brilliant, and it's so immersive, and the characters are the kind you root for and fall in love with. I hope I'll be able to read the rest of the series soon, because I'm completely hooked!
I just devoured this book. It's bigger than I gauged it to be (over 600 pages!) but it doesn't feel big, or heavy, or taxing to read, or like it drags on too much. It's paced very well, the chapters are easily digestible, and there's a good balance of action, description and dialogue so that no scene ever feels like it drags on.
Okay, let's get onto the things I loved:
- The writing, firstly. Absolutely brilliant, and the descriptions were so, so vivid and visceral. I loved the scene in the Wax Forest particularly, because of the way Butcher describes everything and really makes you feel like you're there.
- The worldbuilding. I loved this world! I adored its Roman influences, and I loved that it just thrust you into Alera without pages of exposition. I really don't like it when books explain everything to you in obvious ways, like they expect that you won't be able to understand things as you go along, because it takes me right out of the story and, well -- it's a very good way to remind someone they're reading a book, and lose any sense of immersion. This book was the complete opposite. Right from the beginning, you're put in this world without any explanation, and you begin to grasp concepts through the adventures the characters go on. I thought it was great. Also, I don't normally like worlds where almost everyone has some sort of magical power, but here I felt like it added to the story and it never felt cheap, or like furycrafting was used as a deus ex machina of sorts.
- The characters! There are so many of them that I adore, and even the antagonists were fascinating to read about. Aldrick and Odiana, Fidelias, Amara and Bernard, Tavi, Isana, the Marat. Doroga! He's so, so good, I really love him. It's such a great ensemble cast, and they were all developed and complex and their stories came together in really interesting ways. Also, no spoilers, but I really loved that Tavi just... didn't have any furies, but it wasn't a massive part of his story and it never became like "oh he doesn't have any because he's special or he has some Cool Unique fury that no one else has" unlike so many Chosen One type fantasy stories. And the female characters! I loved the way they were written, actually, which I was delightfully surprised about. They weren't overtly sexualised for the main part, and they felt realistic and had agency. And Fade!! No spoilers, but what a twist!
- I liked that it wasn't very heavy on romance! Though I do love Aldrick and Odiana, and I'd love to see more of them and how they got together and all that.
- The action scenes! They were so, so good, and so riveting, and they just kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Especially the big final battle at Garrison -- I think I was holding my breath the entire time. Good action sequences in books are hard to achieve, I think, but Butcher does an excellent job. I really felt like I was there, witnessing it all in person.
There's probably a lot more that I adored that I'm forgetting to add, but really, I just love this book so much. It's brilliant, and it's so immersive, and the characters are the kind you root for and fall in love with. I hope I'll be able to read the rest of the series soon, because I'm completely hooked!