Princep's Fury

Princep's Fury by Jim Butcher

Codex Alera

ISBN# 978-0-441-01638-9
Available now
Published by Ace Books/Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 
Format: hardcover, 386 pages
Genres: fiction, fantasy, military strategy

This is book five in the Codex Alera series and you will be hopelessly lost if you read these out of order.  Jim Butcher is probably most well known for his urban fantasy series, The Dresden Files, which takes place in an alternate Chicago right around our present time, but wizards, vampires, and the fae exist in secret.  The two series are as different as you can get from each other and still be in the fantasy genre.  The world of Alera borrows much from the Roman Empire including social classes, names, and military style, but still remains an original concept due to the magical system and the huge cast of characters and races involved.  The characters are really what make every Jim Butcher book a treat.  I don't know how he does it, but there are no one-dimensional "extras" in his books.  Every character he introduces us to turns out to be unique and, somewhere along the way, wholly necessary.  

As this book starts out Tavi is safely away from the political intrigue and assassination attempts of Alera.  Somebody actually thought he'd be safer accompanying Alera's former enemy, the Canim, back to see what's left of their homeland?  While Tavi's out to sea and cut off from any news of home the Vord have once again been spotted in Alera, this time in Kalare.  Even though Bernard, Tavi's uncle, has been trying to warn the high lords and citizenry of the very real threat the Vord represent almost no one believed the information so the powers that be are unprepared and slow to act.  By the time First Lord Gaius Sextus gathers enough troops from the other high lords to make any kind of stand Kalare is lost and neighboring Ceres has only days before it too falls. 

 Meanwhile, in Canea Tavi is having his own problems.  After a bad storm forces the Alerans and the returning Narashan canim to dry dock in hostile territory long enough to make repairs Tavi and Varg (Narashan leader) are taken prisoner by Lararl (Shauran leader).  On their way to Lararl's fortress they get their first look at how quickly the Vord infestation has escalated.  Upon arrival they are quickly put away after being told that their people will become blood sacrifices for the Ritualists to use against the enemy.  Tavi knows he has to get him and his people home to warn Alera, but he's also all about saving people and making peace so of course he's going to try and do both.

This book took me longer to read than most around this length.  There's so much going on, everywhere, that it was kind of hard to keep it all straight unless you went slow.  One minute you'll be at the capital with Gaius, then you're out at sea with Tavi, and wait, what's Isana doing over there?  You're also following along with Amara and Bernard as they try to infiltrate the Vord and the book switches between all these viewpoints every few pages.  It's all necessary to the story, but still pretty confusing at times.  I've never even been interested in military fantasy before, but ever since the first book, Furies of Calderon, came out I have been eagerly awaiting every installment of this series.  What I have learned from reading this and the Dresden Files is that if Jim Butcher wrote it, no matter where or when the setting, you are guaranteed a great story full of interesting and very real characters that will suck you right in.

Zhye