First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera, Book 6) Paperback – November 30, 2010

I like the style, as well as the content, of Jim Butcher's books. The characters are fascinating (and the minor ones often especially so), the plots intriguing and the pace is fast.If you haven't read the previous five Alera books, you could start with First Lord's Fury, but then you would deny yourself the delicious pleasures of letting this story unfold. Each book in the series is enjoyable on its own, but they tell an absolutely epic tale together and in sequence.Alera itself is a continent / world (seem to be used interchangeably in the books) which is an object of desire to several competing groups of humanoids -- the Alerians, who have a culture derived from Earth's Romans, but the exact connection is left decidely vague. They use latinisms for their names, but the chief unique characteristic, is that some of them (citizens) practice "fury craft", which is the art of gathering and focusing and controlling various (natural or supernatural) elemental factors called furies (hence the names of the books). Like the ancient Romans, the Alerans are high disciplined, highly greedy, generally quite conservative and ruthless, and very hard to get along with in general. They are ruled by an emperor called the First Lord, who is shakily above the usual unsettled pyramid of great lords, nobles, petty nobles, serfs, etc. Their presence seems to be about two thousand years old in this world, and they have conquered most of their continent. However, there are other humanoid groups -- the Marats, the Icemen, and a race of lupine warriors called the Canim who have had lengthy (and usually hostile) relations with the Alerians. The Great Lords are continually scheming to supplant the family that has ruled as First Lords for at least seven generations, and make and break alliances in ways that would make the ancient Romans blush.Into this caldron of conflict come the Vord, who are a collective or hive (insectoid) type of creature, ruled by a queen, and who very aggressively are determined to destroy every other form of life which on the planet. All of the groups are brilliantly individualized, characterized and detailed by Jim Butcher, and each is worthy of significant development and enjoyable in their own right. The threat of the Vord is so overwhelming that each of the other groups suddenly realizes they must unite against the common enemy or be exterminated. The power of the Vord is so relentless, formidable, and collectively intelligent that they are truly frightening.The hero of the series is now known to be the eigth First Lord, and designated "Octavian", and nicknamed Tavi. He was raised as a humble shepherd and ruthlessly protected by his mother from all knowledge of his real identity for his own protection. As the son of a deceased heir to the throne and grandson of the First Lord, he would be the object of many plots and machinations. At last, he knows who he is and his talents have been trained and honed to the fullest.What sets this excellent series apart is the inventiveness of Jim Butcher and his ability to bring interesting and diverse cultures to life. The books are violent, but the main characters exhibit worthy virtues with colorful and epic flaws in general. As characters develop, we see increasing complexity in all of the main characters.So, we have an excellent fantasy series, which is supremely enjoyable. If you like complex plots, you will like this book and this series. If you like action, danger, and intrigue, you will like them also. It's a wonderful world to immerse into.

Set in a fantasy world of Jim Butcher's making, the Codex Alera encompasses a tumultuous period in the nation's history. The people of Alera have unique bonds with the elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood and metal and are able to manipulate the elementals in objects and in their environment to perform acts of immense power. The feats are limited only by the individual's strength and imagination.Aleran society is characterized by a strict caste system with slaves, freemen, citizenry, high lords, and the ruling First Lord. For the most part, the strength of each person's furies is related to their position in the system. The First Lord has unimaginable power while the slaves appear to have just enough to perform tasks that aid daily living. Since Alerans rely upon their furies to supplement their physical strength and to perform even ordinary tasks, the Alerans don't rely upon the technological innovations and do not have the same advances that exist in our world. According to the early accounts of Aleran history, their ancestors first arrived in Alera without these powers. In those early days, the Alerans performed all the tasks themselves and developed innovations that have since fallen by the wayside.The main hero of the series is Tavi of Calderon. When we first meet him in Furies of Calderon, Tavi is a young shepherd, orphaned and living with his relatives in Calderon Valley, a remote area of Alera. He is an unprepossessing teenager - small for his age and the only person in Alera without the ability to furycraft. Furyless, Tavi would be considered a freak by those who did not know him. But those who get to know Tavi realize that his creativity, intelligence and personality make up for his lack of furies. Tavi stands out as the one person without furies in Alera, and yet this weakness has helped forge his character. It's his character and integrity that enables him to win the respect of the traditional enemies of the Aleran people, and to forge alliances that surpass the feats of many of the highest nobility.By the sixth book in the series, First Lord's Fury, we have come to learn many of the secrets behind Tavi's identity. If you haven't read any of the Codex Alera series, I don't want to spoil your enjoyment or surprise and will try not go into the adventures in the earlier novels. When First Lord's Fury opens, Tavi goes by the name Octavian and commands the respect and loyalty of the army's First Aleran. Octavian follows the First Lord in the line of succession but his claim still has to be recognized by the Senate. Octavian forged strong alliances with the Marat Nation and the Canim, and their combined warriors must fight Alera's worst enemy yet: the vord.An unusual species, the vord are insectlike creatures with exoskeletons. They are ruled by a Vord Queen that lays eggs and has absolute control over the millions of worker and warrior vord. The Queen can manipulate the form that each vord takes, and with the conquest of large portions of Alera, the vord now have the ability to furycraft. The invading vord have overrun Alera and it seems like a matter of time until the vord have complete control. The High Lords, citizenry and the military are fighting a losing battle against this rapidly growing enemy. By the time that Octavian, the First Aleran, their Canim and Marat allies return from a sea voyage, there are a few northern cities standing. Octavian must cross the country to join the fight against an enemy that outnumbers them almost 100 to 1. Octavian's only chance at winning will be if he slays the Vord Queen to break the mind hold that she has over her troops. To save his world, Octavian must face this challenge, even if it costs him his life and everyone he loves.Jim Butcher is a master of world-building and the Codex Alera is one of the most engrossing and satisfying fantasy series that I've encountered. Butcher combines an admirable and inspiring hero with humor, romance, action, and adventure. And he does it brilliantly. Octavian's loyalty, sense of duty, and integrity keep the series fresh and I was completely invested in Octavian's victory. The dialogue is engaging - and the respect and affection among the main characters come across so well. I savored each chapter and thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Octavian and his love Kitai, and the friendship and respect that Octavian shares with his schoolmates, with the officers and men of the First Aleran, and with Varg, Nausug and other former enemies.This is one of my favorite books of the year. I wholeheartedly recommend the entire Codex Alera series to anyone who enjoys fantasy and adventure stories.Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (November 24, 2009), 480 pages.Review copy provided by the publisher.

This isn't a review for just this book; I enjoyed the series a lot. I only found it because of how great the Dresden series is and when I ran out of Dresden, I thought one of Butcher's earlier series might be good to try. It is well worth giving it a try even if it isn't your typical genre (starting from the first book obviously).

This is a good end to the series. It follows in the vein of the previous books.

Rien à redire

Brilliant series of books complete entertainment from start to finish ,would recommend to one and all.could not stop read the complete series.

There's really not al lot to say. If you liked the rest of the series, you will love it's grand finale a least as much. I love the way Jim Butcher crafts his world, his characters and his narrative. I am a big fan and will continue to be until he stops writing, I imagine. I can warmly recommend this series full of magic and this lovely protagonist, that you can watch grow up and become a brilliant person full of justice, wit and a tactical genius and of course not to forget a great capability of unconditional love.

If you enjoyed the first five books, you will love this one.Lots of action, a seemingly unstoppable enemy and great characters make for a very entertaining conclusion to the series.The Codex Alera should really become an animated series someday!