First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera Series #6)

Great Ending to a 6 book Long Series. Action, Humor, and New Ways to use Magic.

*WARNING TO READERS. THIS IS NOT A STAND ALONE NOVEL. IT IS THE 6TH AND FINAL BOOK OF THE SERIES!!! DO NOT BE LIKE THE REVIEWER FROM PUBLISHER"S WEEKLY AND READ THE BOOK EXPECTING TO HAVE THE BACKGROUND TO ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK. IT IS WRITTEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE SERIES*

Now with that said, I have read every book in the series and let me say that First Lord's Fury ends the Codex Alera Sage in a way that will make everyone happy. On top of that the end of the series leaves the possibility for more Codex Alera books in the future if Jim Butcher Decides he wants to write more to the series, but it does end the series in a way where more books are not needed.

Now for those that have not read any of the books let me give a brief run down of the series. Imagine the Lost Roman Legion got lost on another planet or dimension. They landed in a world that was hostile and over the years the people on this planet has depended on the Might of the Legions to get them through. Now add into the fact that these people over the years have evolved in a way to where they can use magic in the form of elemental "furies" that they can talk to, claim and then utilize their powers.

Now Fast Forward around 2000 years. All the political intrigue of Roman society is still there. People with power backstabbing and manuevering themselves into obtaining even more power. Now all this backstabbing is going on with a Bug Like Super intelligent race is on the verge of taking over your land. You had to burn your own crops to slow there advance. The Former "ruler of the realm" killed himself to save his people and his Birth Heir is Overseas escorting a Race of Werewolf type people to there home.

Thats where this story picks up. Alera is on the verge of being overwhelmed by the Vord, an alien bug race who can think all the same and follow commands given by one person, The Queen like ants do. The Queen herself has developed the Use of the Same Magic the Alerans have developed and have become better at it then them. The Crown Princeps, Gauis Octavian is on the way home from Canea, barely escaping with his life (and the life of his own legion and 100 k of the Canim (Werewolf people I talked about) running from The Vord that has infested Canea.

The 6th book talks about the triumphs and failures of the Alerans as they try to rid Alera of the Vord. In a sense it is kind of like a lot of Fantasy Good vs Evil type books. But the so called good people are not unnesessarily without their own "evils". The political intrigue is still huge as even though there world is about to end, Alerans are still trying to manipulate the system so they can position themselves.

The book is heavy on action, big on dialogue about doing what is right even though it is not so clear on it being so. There is humor, romance, touching moments, and parts of just all around Kick Ass ness, that the book is the crowning achievement of the series.

I highly suggest picking this book up if you have read the other books of the series and if you have not please pick up the first book, Furies of Calderon, and figure out what a lot of people are loving.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

The Best Alera Book yet!

This book was an amazing final installment to the Codex Alera. I can't help but hope he writes another one and makes the previous statement completely untrue. Butcher does a great job with this series, keeping true to the traditional swords and sorcery genre without writing a stale novel that won't keep you up at night.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

First Lord's Fury

Jim Butcher hit it out of the park, again! This series is a must-read for any fan of the genre.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Good Ending But Not A Grand Finale

This conclusion to the Codex Alera series is satisfying and action-packed, but the story lacks the depth, scope and dimension of its predessor, Princeps' Fury. There's plenty of fighting/battles, but there's no grand, cinematic scenes of unstoppable hordes of Vord attacking implacable defenders, (as there was in Princeps' Fury). Plus, the primary characters are somewhat flattened to conform to their finishing roles. This is particularly evident in the protagonist, Octavian (Tavi), who no longer puzzles out his dilemmas as a part of the narrative, but presents every solution as a fait accompli. He's presented as an infallible strategist, but infallibility is boring and counter-productive to realizing a three-dimensional human being. Then, there's Tavi's love interest Kitai, who looses her independent Marat perspective and becomes a supportive, lackluster character. Despite their character development in past novels, Tavi's uncle, Bernard, and his new wife Amara solely serve the plot and show no character growth. Even the Camin leader, Varg, is disregarded and becomes largely irrelevant. The only characters who become more defined are the villains, specifically the Vord Queen and the traitor Invidia. The Queen's duality is particularly interesting, as she is paradoxically drawn to the Alerans while systematically wiping out the last remnants of their resistance. There's nothing to complain about in terms of the pace, it's fast and faster. However, the plot is largely predictable given the starting point of Octavian's forces and the defensive positioning of the Alerans. Plus, the intriguing problems of understanding, dealing with and integrating the Aleran allies, (the wolf people Camin and the animal worshipping Marat), aren't explored. On the other hand, the narrative is enlivened by intrigue, back-stabbing and counter-moves. However, given the monumental consequences of the struggle, these actions often seem irrelevant, unimportant and/or trivial. I loved this series and enjoyed this book, but I do wish that the series concluded with a more epic story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best of the bunch....maybe not.

While Jim Butcher's books are incredibly well written and exciting in many ways, the final book of the Alera Codex seemed to be somewhat formulaic at the end of an otherwise great series.

The use of roman battle tactics mixed with elemental command was a great plotline from the beginning; but by the end of the series, one was fairly certain how and where the final battle would take place and whom would be involved. This does not mean that the ending was not spectacularly written and described, just that one could have hoped for something new from such a great writer.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A long Fury Crafted road comes to an end

This book is the final volume of the 'Codex Alera' series. It is an exciting and well written story. There are battles non stop in this volume that keep you reading to all hours of the night.

However the ending (with a few small surprises aside) was largely predictable and the epilogue was lacking in my opinion. Furthermore the tender dramatic moments that made the earlier books great were slightly lacking in this installment. But only slightly, and I nit pick on this particular point because the preceding books namely 'Captains Fury' raise the bar so high for these elements of the story.

All that being said the book was very good and kept me reading despite my complaints about predictability. I have recommended this story to any followers of fantasy that I can find and will continue to do so.

I also hope someday that Mister Butcher decides to return in the future to this rich world he has created. It would be interesting to see how the author envisions his creation after the world altering events that occur in this book are allowed to take root and grow.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Last One

I really enjoy Jim Butcher's book and will miss this last in the series. He is able to create a new believable world and the charecters are not just fun to read, but strike a cord in you. You find yourself rooting for them to succeed and mourn when they encounter difficulties. If it had to end, I believe he ended it well. Of course, if he feels an overwhelming need to slip another one in , I will be glad to buy it and add it to my permanent Jim Butcher collection.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Satisfying conclusion to a great story

First Lord's Fury is a robust, satisfying read, and a worthy conclusion to Princep's Fury. If the Codex Alera ends here, I'm well satisfied. If Butcher writes future stories in the Alera universe, he'll have togo some to top the stories to date. Bought 3 through 6 in hardcopy, and am looking for the first two in hardcopy.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A good end to a great series

I don't think Jim Butcher could have ended this series any differently. It was a great book that I thoruoughly enjoyed.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

First Lord`s Fury #6

Great Series and another great book. I hope there are a few more books in this story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Fun End to a Fun Series

I came into this book expecting a pace, awesome action scenes, and a conclusion to a fun and memorable series. Having read all of the Dresden books, I picked up this series to satisfy my Jim Butcher Cravings. So far I have not been disappointed. Butcher, a master of pacing, character, world-building, and storytelling once again has satisfied my appetite. However, this being a conclusion to the series many parts seemed a bit crammed and rushed to me. Still, I loved the ending and how everything is not quite resolved. Like real life what really ever is? If you have stuck with the series you will not want to miss this epic conclusion.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Slightly disappointing

I have looked eagerly for Butcher's books and First Lord's Fury was no exception. In weaving Roman elements and background with science fiction, Butcher has done a masterful job. But I found myself somewhat disappointed in this last book. It's not that I expect the hero to solve all problems, "happily ever after" is a fairy tale. Butcher's stories are more realistic than that. But he missed the opportunity to consider how Alerans would deal with three other sapient speciesthat should have different natures, different goals and different strengths and weaknesses. Butcher resolves the issue a little too simplistically and ends by making the different species more similar to each other. In this, I think First Lord's Fury ends up sounding just a bit off in comparison to others in the series and in comparison to his Dresden series.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Up all night reading this one.

Jim Butcher wrote this series in the tradition of Lord of the Rings but if you asked me Codex Alera has way surpassed it. Where LoR lags Alera has a great pace. The book was an awesome conclusion to the series (if it is indeed the conclusion). The ending tied everything up nicely and was action packed and thrilling as can be. Tavi and crew are great characters. Even the villains are engaging any sympathetic.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A satisfying ending...

I am definitely a fan of Jim Butcher. Whether it's Harry Dresden or Tavi, I can't wait when one of his books comes out. He has taken a subject that just asks to be compared to Lord of the Rings and gone in a completely different, original direction. His plots are intricate and revolve around the ethics of power and the ways people gain it, lose it, or implement it. His characters are real and believable, flaws and all. What I liked best about the entire series, and this book in particular, is the way in which his characters interact. Some "bad guys" act good and some "good guys" act bad. It is about an entire society, every competing and furious faction, working in the face of a greater threat. Some are able to rise above their limitations and cultural blinders while others...not so much. And that seems to be a Jim Butcher theme. He has a very different style and focus than sci-fi author Jack MacDevitt (sp?) but both authors seem to write about ordinary people who need to struggle in order to become heroes. A very good book from one of my favorite authors.

P.S. - I know professional critics (Like those who write for, ahem, Publisher's Weekly) need to be more neutral than my review but, come on. I mean, who picks up book 6 in a series and expects to have the entire thing laid out for them? Isn't that what the first FIVE FREAKING BOOKS did? Personally, when I read a series and an author does that I feel cheated. I want him or her to write new stuff, not tell me what I already know. Sheesh...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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