[Abyss]

cerveza_fiesta, on 12 June 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

...And I want to bang Lady Aquitaine.

Subsequent events may alter that view.
or not.. it depends on what you're into, actualy...

[Traveller]

cerveza_fiesta, on 12 June 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

By the great furies, I had to get Captain's Fury the second I finished Cursor's. My kindle is a blessing and a curse. Normally I'd have to wait until my next bookstore trip. With the kindle it's in my hands from the "recommended titles" links in less than 30 seconds.

I am definitely noticing some of the irritating bits in the writing style. This sequence especially is getting tired and overused:

• "holy shit, with my extremely sharp wits and cleverness I figured out how to defeat these assholes, but i'm not sure if it will work"
• ---three chapters of unrelated material---
• HOLY SHIT TAVI IS A FURYDAMNED GENIUS.

But the story is keeping me very entertained. I just want to know where it's all going, and I find he's done an absolutely exceptional job of winding up stray characters and hanging plot threads from earlier books into the later books. He does this better than almost anybody I've read. It really gives the impression Butcher had a plan for the series from the start and really gave some thought to creating a quality product that is greater than the sum of its parts. His ability to work these threads through the entire series gives the feeling that every character is important somehow, regardless of their role in a given book, and induces the reader (well me anyway) to really pay attention to what everybody's doing at all times


And I want to bang Lady Aquitaine.

Haha, I did the exact same thing last night. I finished Cursors Fury, then went straight onto amazon and had Captains in less than a minute. Gotta love it. I didn't even have to get up.

The story so far... good, well thought out, and so far it does seem focussed... like you said, it looks like he has a plan, and it is far less all-over-the-place than some of the Dresden books. The writing style though, I do find a bit simplistic.. he did this, they did that, they said this quietly, then they went here. I just read a few Abercrombies back to back, and I think I enjoyed the way he writes as much what he is writing about. Whereas with Butcher, I almost skim read to find out where its going, as there is very little to miss in the style.

[cerveza_fiesta]

Finally I feel like I can take a break from the series. After Academ's I wanted more and so read Cursor's....but it turned out the way things were going that Captain's would be a massive part 2 finale for Cursor's, so I picked that up immediately after.

Now after just having finished Academ, Cursor and Captain in rapid succession I think I can tear myself away long enough to pick up a different book by another author. Maybe Crimson Guard.

Spoiler

I really liked how it ended, and the First Lord is a motherfucker to be sure. dude blows up a massive section of alera just to keep Kalarus from doing it in a few weeks' time. I figured the whole time he was going to just soothe the savage mountain beast and Juris Macto the fuck out of Kalarus in the field. Kinda cooler that Butcher went a bit darker with one of his main characters considering how valiant and goody two-shoes everybody else is.

I was also getting reeeeeeally annoyed with the Bernard Amara storyline, so good to see they've kind of wrapped that up and sent them back to Calderon - at least I hope so. I'm sure their role isn't finished entirely, but their love story is getting seriously boring.

Isana gaining a first Lady's prowess at watercrafting was darn cool. It hinted at some interesting concepts, along with Sextus' comments that there are some matters of furycrafting the lords would rather everyone didn't know. Maybe everybody has the capability to do what a Lord does, and it's only a matter of training and instruction. Sextus is able to train Amara to use her powers more effectively, Isana, after contacting the great Ocean Fury is able to massively extend her capability. Kalarus seems to draw on the power of the volcano to do what he does. It's as though all it takes is contact with the great furies to really tap into the serious pew-pew. Not sure where Butcher is going with all that of course, but it's a cool development.

I am super glad Lady Aquitaine got away in the end. Bitch deserves to die in a horrible way but I was about to be seriously pissed if she got offed with Arnos by a simple arbalest bolt. Considering what she's lived through in the past, it was tough to swallow that Butcher would dispatch her so easily.

The hinted-at story in Canim provinces promises to be interesting, with more development of Tavi's powers and much slight bowing of heads, exposing of necks and thoughts of fending off predators in the Calderon valley. The battles with the Vord in canim lands should be awesome. Even though tavi is becoming a bit of "the one" farmboy cliche, I don't mind it so much in this series for some reason. Maybe it has something to do with the length of time it has taken for him to build to that level. It's not an overnight blossoming of magical prowess and awesomeness. Tavi's knowlege and skill built over the course of 10 years and he still isn't really at "the one" status yet.

Overall I liked those last 3 books, especially the way Captain's completed Cursor's so nicely. Looking forward to Princeps, but I think I need a break before I can read any more tavi-canim interaction scenes.

*bows head slightly, tilts it to one side, exposes neck*

[QuickTidal]

Yeah, definitely take a break. When you come back you can read PRINCEPS and FIRST LORD in quick succession. they really do act as a two-part finale. The Canim lands stuff is some of my fave in the series!

I think Butcher will have some surprises in for you yet.

[Abyss]

C-F... whenever you get back to it, you WON'T be dissappointed.

[cerveza_fiesta]

Ah. Good to hear. I am excited to get to them but Butcher's writing style is taking a bit of a toll. I like it but like so many others have mentioned, there are gripes. I just worry another 2 books' worth will make me like the content less, and that would suck.

Just realized I haven't read Martin's a dance with Dragons yet. I meant to read it awhile back but totally forgot in my Alera spree. Yay!

Also Return of the Crimson Guard. Stoked to read that one considering that I enjoyed NoK and have heart RotCG is better.

[Traveller]

I just carried right on into Princeps Fury - I'm in til the end now.

I like the way Tavi has grown at a reasonably realistic pace, despite the farmboy cliche. The events he's been through have really developed him, and it's great to see the change occur as the story progresses, rather than sticking too heavily with the same familiar character from the start. Same goes for Fidelias really - good to see some shades of grey, although I think I can see where his story is leading... I hope it's not as predictable as it seems. Although, I could really do without Bernard and Amara now. They seem to have been doing the same thing for about two books now; losing one of them might liven things up a bit there. (One thing I could do with a lot less of in fantasy books, is the inevitable long-journey-through-hard-terrain-that-has-to-be-completed-on-foot. Bah, I've had it with long unecessary treks through bogs, jungles, and god forbid, deserts...)

The Canim are an interesting idea, but I do wish there were a few more differences between their society and the Alerans, other than body language and a pack-like social structure. They have paws, right? But they build and sail ships that are no different to human ships, wield weapons that are only marginally different, and have somehow advanced enough to build sizable cities - even though they live in a tribal, warrior-lead society. I'd just like to have seen something a bit more original in terms of technology.. I mean, if dogs evolved into a walking, talking bipeds, I think their material culture would be totally different.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 23 December 2012 - 11:32 PM

[amphibian]

What does a wolf do when you throw a stick for it? Watch the stick for a bit and then go back to staring at you like food.

[Traveller]

Just finished the series.

On the whole, it was...ok. The story was engaging and Butcher obviously had a plan from the start. I just wish he could write with more depth, or detail, or whatever it is that makes what is essentially a well thought out series with some awesome scenes into something quite ...flat. Some of the battle scenes especially were hard to visualise. Lines of legionares fighting a horde of (Starship Troopers) insectoid things could work, but he describes hundreds of thousands, all attacking in a mass - with the legionares being mostly overwhelmed when one on one, but somehow able to hold what must have been a single line against millions of them?... which would surely have an end to it, and not keep raging for hours.

I was bit disapointed at the epilogue - it was only one chewbacca/Walker roar away from a Star Wars hero ceremony. Chees-ey. The only real emotion was stirred when we were told Ehren had died...because as I read the end of the chapter in which he fell in battle, I was sure he would turn up again, which made it a genuine surprise. Except...he was fine all along. It all turned out as predicted, which is a shame because there was a lot of original stuff in there.

Best bits... mostly involved Tavi furycrafting stuff in big, new ways. Also Fidelius, as he had a bit of character depth that just wasn't present for the other characters, who changed little if at all.

What happened to.... Amara meeting up with Fidelius again? I thought that was going somewhere; I suppose she was told he had died a traitor, but that means that she never learned that he redeemed himself. Also, Garados and Thana... Kitai distracted them enough to break the queens hold on them, and then... what? I thought Tavi would end up in control of them, but I don't remember them even being mentioned at the end. Maybe I just missed some stuff.

I'll probably re-read again at some point, but right now I need something with some more substance to it.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 23 December 2012 - 11:30 PM

[Acorn]

Traveller, on 13 July 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

What happened to.... Amara meeting up with Fidelius again? I thought that was going somewhere; I suppose she was told he had died a traitor, but that means that she never learned that he redeemed himself. Also, Garados and Thana... Kitai distracted them enough to break the queens hold on them, and then... what? I thought Tavi would end up in control of them, but I don't remember them even being mentioned at the end. Maybe I just missed some stuff.

I'll probably re-read again at some point, but right now I need something with some more substance to it.

Thana and Garados were bound to Kitai, not left alone or for Tavi... Tavi left after asking Alera to tell/show her how to do it... So those are under Kitai's influence.

As for Amara, Fidelius is pretty unrecognizable, with the Water-crafted face and demeanor. She was likely told he'd died, but I don't recall that being even revealed in the series (I do own every Butcher book, but I haven't touched Codex Alera in a while)

Just figured I'd toss that in!

[Abyss]

Only Tavi and Lady Aquitaine knew Fidelius' secret and by the end only Tavi. Amara didn't need to know and Fidelius didn't want her to.

The one thing that bothered me on his plot was that Tavi had him crucified, then when back and picked him up again and put him in charge of the army, and no one in the army thinks to say 'hey First Lord, weren't you really annoyed with this guy a minute ago?'.



I thought Tavi and Amara pissed off Thana and Garados enough to get them to strike at the Queen and then they bound them to control them. I don't remember the Queen ever binding them although she tried, iirc.

[Malaclypse]

read the first one and it was utter shite, only barely got through it and the ending was so unutterably juvenile and cheesy I could hardly believe it.

Does it get better? Spoilers don't bother me, btw

[Stalker]

Yeah, Mal, it definitely does. The first book was still early in Butcher's career, so it was more along the lines of a "Storm Front" or "Fool Moon," in terms of writing style/ability. The first quarter of "Academ's Fury" is slow but it picks up after that, and stays strong until the end of the book 6. If you aren't able to get into the series by the end of book two (or if it isn't exciting by the midpoint), then I'd stop reading.

[polishgenius]

Malaclypse, on 19 December 2012 - 05:38 PM, said:

Does it get better?

A bit.

[Traveller]

Malaclypse, on 19 December 2012 - 05:38 PM, said:

read the first one and it was utter shite, only barely got through it and the ending was so unutterably juvenile and cheesy I could hardly believe it.

Does it get better? Spoilers don't bother me, btw

I'd say, no, it doesn't.

I kept reading as everyone was telling me it would get better, and then later I felt I should finish the series as I'd started it. By the last one I was trudging through, and at the end I wish I'd read something else instead.

Something good, for example.

So despite what a lot of other people will say, I would think that if you didn't like the first one, you're really not going to suddenly change your mind by book 2, 3, or even 5.

[champ]

Each to their own. I thought the first book was run of the mill, nothing special/amazing but the later books rocked!

[Malaclypse]

polishgenius, on 21 December 2012 - 11:10 PM, said:

Malaclypse, on 19 December 2012 - 05:38 PM, said:

Does it get better?

A bit.

Traveller, on 23 December 2012 - 11:28 PM, said:

Malaclypse, on 19 December 2012 - 05:38 PM, said:

read the first one and it was utter shite, only barely got through it and the ending was so unutterably juvenile and cheesy I could hardly believe it.

Does it get better? Spoilers don't bother me, btw

I'd say, no, it doesn't.

I kept reading as everyone was telling me it would get better, and then later I felt I should finish the series as I'd started it. By the last one I was trudging through, and at the end I wish I'd read something else instead.

Something good, for example.

So despite what a lot of other people will say, I would think that if you didn't like the first one, you're really not going to suddenly change your mind by book 2, 3, or even 5.

Thanks. I can't see it getting any better. For similar concepts, Barclay does a much better job dealing with a more interesting scenario, ie. the birth of magic in a similar world. Cry of the Newborn is a solid book.

[QuickTidal]

If it helps at all, I have a confession.

I tried to read book 1 three times and all three times I wanted to hurl the book at the wall, generic, garbagio...so I simply didn't.

I know, I know...a lot of people assumed I made it through book one...I just found a summary online, and went out to pick up book 2 instead. Which was immediately better. By mid book 2 I was hooked.

Remember this series was made because some guy on the Butcher Forums argued that Jim couldn't write a book about "anything" and make it sell...Jim argued he could and asked the kid to come up with two things the book would be about...and the kid tried to be a smart ass and replied "Pokemon and the Roman Empire"....so this book series, at its heart is a badass series about Pokemon and Romans. And that's just cool.

Also cool, p0wning someone on the internet VIA a bestselling 6 book fantasy series.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 24 December 2012 - 01:51 PM

[Abyss]

The forum told me that the first book sucked and the rest were progressively better and ultimately awesome. The forum did not lie.

Then the forum told me to massacre a room of telemarketers and wear their skin... which teaches us that ymmv when it comes to forum recommendations, but i digress...

[D'rek]

I'm going to be getting these for Christmas (people are bad at surprising me with books ), so I hope everyone except Traveller is right!