I had never heard of Jim Butcher before I received the suggestion to read this book and the subsequent series. I was looking to start another series of books and one of my Facebook group members suggested this. He also has a series of books called The Dresden Files
that I'm seriously considering reading at some point.
The People of the Valley of Calderon, and the world of Alera in general, have naturally ingrained talents referred to as furycrafting. As a result of this talent, the people have been able to train the furies to assist them in their lives. Alera is governed by the First Lord Gaius, who is getting older and doesn't have an heir to assume his position once he passes. War is brewing as a result of the anticipated void that will be left by his death. Fairly early on, we meet Tavi - a boy that is considered to be disabled because he can't summon or control any furies. Tavi lives in the Valley on Bernardholt, with his aunt and uncle - the owners of this land. Tavi and his uncle discover that the Valey is under attack by a horde like group of people called the Marat and their human, mercenary allies that seek to assume power before Gaius' death. The resulting adventures and battles happen quickly and intensely.
Butcher's 600 plus page introductory novel jumps right in to the action and I greatly appreciated that. While I understand that most authors like to take the time to set the stage, the often 100 pages that it takes can be somewhat dry. There's always something going on, such that it might be helpful for the reader to keep notes. The characters are easy to identify with in spite of their magical talents and the sorts of things that they are trying to accomplish. I appreciated that Butcher took time to have us focus on the characters and their struggles as much as the plot that he was trying to forward. Characters learned things about themselves and/or the world around them.
Highly recommended.
that I'm seriously considering reading at some point.
The People of the Valley of Calderon, and the world of Alera in general, have naturally ingrained talents referred to as furycrafting. As a result of this talent, the people have been able to train the furies to assist them in their lives. Alera is governed by the First Lord Gaius, who is getting older and doesn't have an heir to assume his position once he passes. War is brewing as a result of the anticipated void that will be left by his death. Fairly early on, we meet Tavi - a boy that is considered to be disabled because he can't summon or control any furies. Tavi lives in the Valley on Bernardholt, with his aunt and uncle - the owners of this land. Tavi and his uncle discover that the Valey is under attack by a horde like group of people called the Marat and their human, mercenary allies that seek to assume power before Gaius' death. The resulting adventures and battles happen quickly and intensely.
Butcher's 600 plus page introductory novel jumps right in to the action and I greatly appreciated that. While I understand that most authors like to take the time to set the stage, the often 100 pages that it takes can be somewhat dry. There's always something going on, such that it might be helpful for the reader to keep notes. The characters are easy to identify with in spite of their magical talents and the sorts of things that they are trying to accomplish. I appreciated that Butcher took time to have us focus on the characters and their struggles as much as the plot that he was trying to forward. Characters learned things about themselves and/or the world around them.
Highly recommended.
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