Captain's Fury (Codex Alera Series #4)

by Jim Butcher

Overview

In his acclaimed Codex Alera novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher has created a fascinating world of elemental magic. Now, as enemies become allies, and friends become bitter foes, a danger beyond reckoning looms for all...

After two years of bitter conflict with the hordes of invading Canim warriors, Tavi of Calderon, now Captain of the First Aleran Legion, realizes that a peril far greater than the Canim exists—the mysterious threat that drove the savage Canim to flee their homeland.

Tavi proposes attempting an alliance with the Canim against their common foe, but his warnings go unheeded. For the Senate’s newly-appointed military commander has long desired to wipe out the Canim “scourge,” and their slave allies.

Now, Tavi must find a way to overcome centuries-old animosities if an alliance is to be forged, and he must lead his legion in defiance of the law, against friend and foe—or none will have a chance of survival...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441016556
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/25/2008
Series:	Codex Alera Series , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	656
Sales rank:	38,678
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

A martial arts enthusiast whose résumé includes a long list of skills rendered obsolete at least two hundred years ago, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher turned to writing as a career because anything else probably would have driven him insane. He lives mostly inside his own head so that he can write down the conversation of his imaginary friends, but his head can generally be found in Independence, Missouri. Jim is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera novels, and the Cinder Spires series, which began with The Aeronaut’s Windlass.

Editorial Reviews

Sharp tactical plotting, hazardous cross-country travel and a dash of sardonic humor mark Butcher's fourth Codex Alera novel...Butcher deftly deploys intrigue, conflicted loyalties and hairbreadth action to excellent effect. Few writers balance military realism and cinematic swashbuckling with so much skill or wit.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“The fourth Codex Alera novel further develops the world and characters of its predecessors and confirms Butcher's mastery of action-filled fiction.”—Booklist
 
“I couldn't put this one down...Great work.”—SF Revu
 
“Readers are transported to a distant world that feels like a cross between Ancient Rome and Ancient Britain in this complex tale of war and personal growth...Mr. Butcher demonstrates his versatile talent that never fails to engage his audience.”—Huntress Reviews

From the Publisher

Sharp tactical plotting, hazardous cross-country travel and a dash of sardonic humor mark Butcher's fourth Codex Alera novel (after 2006's Cursor's Fury). Two years into a difficult campaign against the wolflike Canim invaders, Calderon legion captain Tavi is saddled with an unqualified but politically powerful superior whose plans threaten disaster and force Tavi into potential treason. Meanwhile, aging ruler Gaius Sextus plans a final strike against the rebellious lord of Kalare, but to get close enough to act, he must set aside his power to control the elements and make a painful overland slog that neatly challenges genre conventions. Butcher deftly deploys intrigue, conflicted loyalties and hairbreadth action to excellent effect. Few writers balance military realism and cinematic swashbuckling with so much skill or wit. Series fans will welcome the revelation of Tavi's long-secret heritage and the strong climaxes resolving most of the immediate conflicts, while newcomers will have no trouble navigating the well-developed landscape. (Dec.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Turn out the lights, light a few candles, summon up a nice thunderstorm; you're in for an enthralling performance as James Marsters once again guides us through the dangerous streets of Chicago. This time there's even more difficulty than a wizard named Dresden can handle-how did he know that the Small Favor he agreed to do for Mab, Queen of the Winter Sidhe, could lead to so much trouble? Although Butcher had originally planned to write more of the "Swords and Horses" stories he grew up loving, somewhere along the way he met Harry Dresden, and these magical tales have netted a galaxy of fans. Just published in hardcover and already a best seller, Small Favor shot to the number two slot on the New York Times best sellers list, and number one on the Publishers Weekly list; it also made it to number one at Borders and Barnes & Noble.

Captain's Fury is the fourth book in the "Codex Alera" series, which chronicles the life of a young man named Tavi, now captain of the First Aleran Legion. His job is to forge an alliance between invading Canim warriors and the people of Alera. With "Codex Alera," Butcher made a successful crossover from mass market to hardcover; this made it to number 17 on the New York Times extended best sellers list. Although literally worlds apart, these two series show the talent a gifted author has in creating believable and entertaining characters. For the Dresden fans, it was lucky that Butcher met Harry first, as there's always a need for someone to take care of those things that go bump in the night. Kate Reading does not succeed in trying to do the deep voice thing on the Captain's Fury audio, for this isa sword and sorcery tale, where most of the characters are men. Nevertheless, both series are highly recommended for all public libraries-but if there's only room for one, you just can't beat the great performance that Marsters lends to the Dresden Files.
—Theresa Connors

Library Journal

Kate Reading seems like an odd choice to narrate a story about grim barbarians who are fighting a war in a magical age. Yet it quickly becomes clear that she’s the perfect choice to read CAPTAIN'S FURY, the fourth book of the Codex Alera series. Somehow she sounds as natural as the voice of an elfin magician as she does delivering the voice of a barbarian warlord. The long and complicated story involves a world in which people have bound themselves to forces of nature, such as the wind, which aid them in eternal battle. In this book, a young leader realizes that the only way for his world to survive is to persuade everyone to do something they’ve never done—put down their swords. M.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 08 - AudioFile