Captain's Fury

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was great to see Tavi slowly progress in his fury-crafting and finally announce to the world who he is. I do have a few issues with the book, mainly with the Gray Tower and with the final duel, but those are minor. On the flipside, I'm starting to like Marcus more and more. Can't wait to see what happens when Tavi finally finds out.

Another great addition to the series. A lot more political maneuvering and battles. The ante just keeps getting upped. :)

Fantastic!

Another great episode in a very strong series. Tavi continues to develop both his Fury crafting as well as his skills as a leader in the 4th book of the Codex Alera series. With so many books on my 'to read' list, it is a guilty pleasure to be able to sneak one of these in. I just love them!

Another great read. Tavi is a leader I would be willing to follow. Although this book was an eye opener to Gaius' true character.

More Alera goodness. This one may be my fave of the series.

Another fun, quick read, although a bit predictable. The main character, Tavi, matures further & is slowly coming into his own, which is neat. The interactions with the Camin are interesting - different cultures meeting & clashing. It's nice to see that the 'good' guys aren't always perfect & often, no matter what they do, their options are limited so that they can seem pretty bad. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.

More action per page than any book ever written.

4th book in the Codex Alera and Tavi is still going strong, doing the right thing. Now he is getting saddled with a Senator who thinks he knows how to run a military campaign to wipe out the Carnim. He's ambitious and has the backing of a powerful house, and his arrogance knows no bounds. He is likely to get everyone killed.Tavi, learns the truth of his birth finally and once he gets himself arrested and banished from his army, he goes about his own way of trying to stop the war with the Carnim, a preferably much more peaceful one. During all of this, the High Lord Gaius is traveling across enemy lands without using his furies, since Kalare has put out watchers to intercept Gaius, should he use any of them in the Kalare lands. Kalare himself has awakened an old dangerous fury with the intent of unleashing it upon the world at his death. Gaius intends to mitigate that as much as possible.Another good book, need to find book 5 in CD for a reasonable price now!

The ongoing adventures of Tavi, Isana and Amara. Tavi continues to prove his skills as a commander, even when forced to work under a commander with no command skills and one that is a political opponent. The action is still good in these books and so are the characters. There is more exploration of what can be done in this magical system in this one, compared to the previous.

five stars if it didn't skip a bunch.

Jim Butcher is an excellent story teller and manages mystery cleverly. We know Tavy is an important player in this series. Butcher tells rich a rich tale of Alera and its citizens.

I remember with Butcher’s Dresden series, I thought the books got better as he wrote more. The same seems to be true with this series as well. I thought the first two books were okay but I really liked the third and this fourth. Perhaps it’s the character development. The action is well written as well as the dialogue (And let me say Kate Reading is an amazing narrator). Things always work out in this series, so there’s no real worries about tight situations, but the suspense is still thrilling. This is definitely a crucial volume to the series. Things will never be the same again. There is great promise for more character growth. I am definitely looking forward to the next book. Recommended if you enjoy Epic Fantasy.

I *think* this is the best one so far. That might just be because I was so excited when it came out. :D But it's definitely very good stuff.

I was almost disappointed when I thought one of the main female character's personal dilemmas had been resolved deus ex machina style but I should have known Butcher would treat his characters better than that. Now I look forward to whatever resolutions he'll give all these folks I've grown to love so much. But... hopefully not until he's written another 20 books about them.

So Tavi has been fighting against the Canim for 2 years at this point, and doing quite well against them as well. Unfortunately the war against the Canim isn't the only war in Alera, and Tavi's grandfather, the First Lord, doesn't have the power he once wielded amongst his followers. An upstart politician is sent to watch over Tavi and all that he does. If you've read other books in the series, you can guess how well Tavi takes to this development, but his grandfather asked him to try to stay out of trouble with the Senator, so Tavi tries.Of course, knowing Tavi as we do, we realize that this is not in the cards. Tavi's command gets taken from him, and he has yet another adventure while he tries to make things as right as he can make them.As rousing a read as all the rest in the series, and well worth it.

The military strategy and political intrigue are excellently drawn -- complex enough but never tiresome. The central character, Tavi/Octavian has come into his own and is getting dangerously close to being static,but his development and relationships, particularly with his lover Kitai and his mother Isana, continue to grow and mature.

A slightly disappointing fourth instalment of Butcher’s enjoyable Codex Alera series; only slightly, as the political and battle focus was as tightly wound and satisfying as in the previous book, Cursor’s Fury which I consider the best in the series so far. Captain’s Fury, however, spends too much time (and time-wasting peril inflicted for the sake of giving the protagonists something to do) with Count Bernard and the Cursor, Amara, escorting the First Lord of the realm through woods, swamp and enemy scouts to the site of a volcano. While an interesting side-line in theory, every time that I, as the reader, was forced to leave Tavi’s storyline and join them on their frustrating slog, well… the frustration rubbed off as boredom.Nothing about Tavi’s storyline is boring, however… the Canim army are butchering legion troops and recruiting freed slaves to their cause, further boosting their force and potential for regional disaster, setting Aleran against Aleran… and Tavi, kept from acting sensibly by a treacherous Senator in their midst, arranges a back-door truce, despite the danger of being branded a traitor himself, since his offer involves releasing Canim Ambassador Varg, from the Grey Tower, and bringing him across enemy lines to the Canim commander. Lots of fun. There’s some belated angst, when Tavi learns what the reader has been pointed at for the last three books… that Isana is his mother, and that he’s the son of the late Gaius Septimus, and – rather more to the point of his hurt – Isana deliberately suppressed his fury-craft so that he wouldn’t be recognised and targeted, but the angst is offset by learning more about Tavi’s backstory, and as he gets a grip of himself quickly, this didn’t detract from my enjoying the book in any measurable way.The character-crafting is as strong as ever. While my rating of this book isn't that high, it wouldn't detract from a five-star rating of the series over-all, so far, (taken as a young-adult read).

This series is simply FANTASTIC. Tavi of Calerdon is still working under the First Lord's orders to run the First Aleran as Rufus Scipio, and has been holding off Canim invaders for two years. When a superior, new to military campaigns and who dangerously underestimates the Canim, arrives and takes over, Tavi finds himself declared traitor and on the run.Exciting, with clever, twisty plots, humor and a thoroughly engaging and appealing hero (and heroines, to be sure), this series is completely awesome. And has the single most badass female character ever in Kitai. When I grow up, I want to be HER.Highly Recommended!

 This is a GREAT series with a new 'power' twist.

Paen to soldiers everywhereContiuing to be annoying in a fast paced kind of fun way. This is very obviously the spill over from the previous book Cursor's Fury. A continuation of the same plot without much new. Heavier editing and better writing would have enabled both these tales to be concentrated inot one volume. As one can obviously guess from the title this is the story of Tavi finally coming of age and growing into his role as Preceps (heir) to the empire. He remains just a capatin for at least the first chapter, unti lthe grand revelation which hasn't in any way been obvious from book 1 and hevily foreshadowed in the previous two.SO where did we leave off - a vast force of invading Canim with Tavi in charge of the defenses. Hence politics must get involved and in a story as old an armies Tavi gets saddled with a corrupt and incompetant Senator as his leader, and has to run around and fight a lot in various ingenious ways in order to save his troops lives. Meanwhile Gaius decides to act himself and quite inexplicably manages to remove himself from the capitol without any disturbance. Anara and Bernard accompany him, the only two people who's story is interestingly unobvious.JB cheats the reader a lot in this book. Things that were constant in the previous three are subject to change Tavi in particular is suddenly granted furies, and Isana gains remarkable powers. This is hugely annoying, and unexplained. The timing seems (again) all a bit contrived with forces having to march /sail weeks etc and all happening to be in the right place at the right time even though their commanders don't know of events happening elsewhere. And as I predicted right at the start, JB just ignores some instances where watercraft would heal people. There is no reason at all why all Cursor's would not need minimum medical skills as an entry requirement, except that would make the plot too easy.Like all the previous volume thefocus is very jumpy and disengaging for the reader. I'd much prefered the book to have been written in sections focusing on one main character at a time with only a final confluence, rather than the disjointed style JB employs. All that said though, providing you don't think about anything too hard - and the writing is at least sufficiently gripping to allow that - then it is a well told, fast furious and fun filled ride. What annoys me most about the series is that it could have been so much better.

The 4th installment of the Codex Alera did not disappoint! Some books in the middle of a series serves as a filler to bridge the first few and the last few in the series. Not the case with this one!This book could easily be a stand alone read without a newbie to the series getting lost. An additional positive is that Butcher does not take more than a paragraph or two to give the "background" of the previous books. It is so aptly done that the seasoned Codex Alera reader's eyes don't roll in the back of their head out of sheer boredom with the recap (can you tell I hate recaps?). More than just a "small town boy makes good" type of story. Travi's growth during this installment is not just physical but also in character. This is evident as Travi sacrifices himself in multiple ways for the benefit of the realm. Too bad the realm would rather he die.

This is the fourth book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. There are six total books in the series with the 6th book "First Lord's Fury" being released in Dec. 2009. This was a great book and really pulled the series to a good point.Tavi is still acting as Captain of the First Aleran and has spent the last two years holding the line of war against the Canim. Tavi is recommending seeking alliance with the Canim because he believes the Canim were fleeing a larger enemy, the Vord. Unfortunately the Senate decides to take an interest in the conflict and sends out incompetant and coniving, Senator Arnos to command over Tavi. From there things get worse and worse and many lives are lost. Tavi, Isana, and the First Lord himself are forced to take actions that they never could have foreseen in an effort to save Alera from destruction.This was an excellent next book in this series. The storyline switches between multiple viewpoints, but does so in such a way that it is never confusing. The number of characters is vast, but kept manageable. A glossary labeling who was related to whom would have been a nice addition; still with wikipedia you can review that online if you are confused. Much of the story deals with great battles, but there is some adventuring that balances that out. Readers who are fans of one or the other types of fantasy, should find a little of both in here.Tavi, Kitai, and many of the other characters really step it up in this book, taking risky actions that make them forces to be reckoned with. The book is hard to put down and has you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Butcher has an excellent writing style that easily conveys the surroundings of the scenes without pushing aside the great action scenes, it is very easy to read. The characters are very engaging and you are desperately pulling for them through the whole book. There is also some light touches of humor throughout that lighten the story so that it doesn't take itself too seriously.Things get worse in this book than an any other book in this series, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is a wonderful book and I am going to start reading book 5 immediately. You definitely need to read the previous books in the series to understand what is going on in this book.If I have any complaints it is that Tavi comes up with one successful hair-brained scheme after another. It seems a little far-fetched...you would think with all the risk-taking Tavi does one of his schemes would be a complete failure. He does have some partial failures, but everything works out in the end.Overall a great book and a great series. I found the first couple books in the series to be a bit slow and the characters not as engaging as I had hoped, but this book made the whole series worthwhile.

I have really been enjoying this series. Superlative action, good depth of character. We follow Tavi as he continues as Captain of the Aleran legion, and then as the Senate appoints another to lead, and Tavi becomes a fugitive. The civil war continues, occupying the rest of the major characters. Tavi finds out his birth and parentage, Bernard and Amara accompany the First Lord on a fearsome quest, even Fidelias has a story arc of his own. The intrigues and politics get deeper and more tangled. The book left me hungering for the next in the series.

I'd been looking forward to reading Captain's Fury since finishing Cursor's Fury and swearing profusely at the cliffhanger ending Jim Butcher left us with! So in anticipation I reread the first three so I could launch straight into Captain's Fury once I was allowed to get my mitts on it come Christmas Day. As it happened, I didn't get to start it until a couple of days after Christmas and from start to end I could not put it down.

Jim has done an outstanding job of tying up all the loose ends in a manner that didn't feel rushed or haphazard and I found myself torn between desperation to see what happened to Tavi and his friends and not wanting to end the book andsay goodbye to the characters. But all books come to an end, and I finished Captain's Fury with a smile. Without giving away any spoilers, I believe there WILL be another book and I, for one, can't wait to read it.

If you haven't tried Jim Butcher yet, don't just aim for his Dresden series - which are absolutely brilliant - give his overlooked fantasy series a try. You won't be disappointed!!

The fourth book in the Codex Alera series maintains the strengths of the third volume while adding in more political intrigue into the mix. There is less room in the overall narrative dedicated to Tavi, the action he undertakes is largely of smaller scale than the previous volume, as he is removed from command of his legion. Amara gets more room as she travels on foot with Gaius in an attempt to put an end to the Kalare rebellion in spectacular fashion. Fidelias ne Marcus returns with several POV chapters, and he is allowed an opportunity to make the right decision at a critical time.Still, nobody of importance dies despite the obvious dangers. I think I've said enough about that in earlier reviews.

After two years of leading the First Aleran's defense against the Canim, Tavi has a new challenge when Senator Arnos and his Senatorial Legion come alongside to "help" them. Arnos has his own agenda - and he's Tavi's superior. Meanwhile, Isana and Araris decide it's time for Tavi to learn of his heritage.This is my favorite of the Codex Alera series so far. The characters, engaging all along, really start developing and changing, and the pace stays compelling throughout. I loved every minute of it and started the next book right after finishing this one.

This story is set two years after the end of Cursor's Fury. Tavi has remained as a captain, mostly holding his position against attacks. The senate have more or less geared up, and send two overpowered legions down, along with a senator who wants to discredit Tavi and thus Gaius.Tavi initially tries routine solutions to his problems, but is forced to become increasingly creative, especially once he is arrested for treason!Whilst this story has quite a bit about Tavi, including him being told about his true parentage and announcing it publicly before challenging the senator so keen to discredit him to a duel for war crimes, another rescue from the Grey Tower and the like, but there is also a parallel story (annoying but tied nicely to Tavi's story at the dramatically appropriate moment) about Gaius, Amara and Bernard and the ending of the rebellion in Kalare in a truly spectacular fashion.There is a probably more far-reaching but much less in terms of column inches intrigue story too, about Marcus and his role in the conspiracy against Gaius.The politics and intrigue are as deftly handled as the combat scenes (although the type-setting leaves a lot to be desired in some places in my version), but why is it that old senators are always corrupt and incompetent to lead a battle whilst young heroes flout doctrine and often good sense left, right and centre and turn out to be heroes? There were just too many stereotypes in here for it to be better than 4-stars despite the fact that I was caught up in it and enjoyed the reading.

This series is just getting better as we learn more about the central characters. Alera series is quickly becoming one of my favorite series.

The Codex Alera is fast becoming one of my favorite series and one I have wait impatiently for the next book to come out. I have even been drawn into buying a hardcover! The characters are really well writing and distinct from each other, they are not acting in character sets. And while the action is fantastic and the magic great to imagine this book and series also has a lot to say on the nature of humanity and doing the right thing even if it is the more difficult thing. This is just a really good book.

I was really excited to pick this one up, and Butcher doesn't disappoint. Lots of dangling plot threads are picked up in this novel, and I was always cheering for Tavi. It's fast paced (I finished it in a day, while working and watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3) and emotional, and a reward of sorts for those who really liked the series before.Definitely a read for Butcher fans. Better than 1&2, maybe even 3. I've reread most of it already since I got it on the 4th (three days ago).