Shane

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Academ's Fury (Codex Alera, #2)

by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author)

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Shane said: " Almost halfway through the book, and overall, it's a great continuation of the first of the series. Just as Tolkien took a minor plot point from The Hobbit (a ring of invisibility) and crafted it into the focal point of the rest of his tale, Butcher Almost halfway through the book, and overall, it's a great continuation of the first of the series. Just as Tolkien took a minor plot point from The Hobbit (a ring of invisibility) and crafted it into the focal point of the rest of his tale, Butcher expands an event from the first book that, while intense, seemed harmless enough in the long term. He reveals it to have world-threatening consequences in this tale.

At the same time, he expands the world he created in the first book, going into more detail about some of the other races (all original creations of his) and how the magic of this world works. Because the main character is now at an academy, he's able to explore these things through the eyes of students, allowing the reader to learn about the world in a similar manner to a resident of the world.

Most of the same enjoyable cast returns, along with a few new faces that are equally delightful to read about. One of Butcher's greatest writing strengths is still his colorful characters and enjoyable dialogue. Even if the plot were lacking (which it isn't) it would be fun just to watch these characters interact.

One thing worth noting (that could've been said about the first novel, but becomes even more obvious in this one) is that although Butcher is certainly inspired by typical medieval laws and societies, he makes some interesting departures. Slavery, for instance, is very common, and aided with magic, but seems to be completely unrelated to race. Women's rights, while not quite up to the level of modern day, are far more advanced in this world, and just starting to make headway.

Finally, I'm enjoying the way the book does politics. Although there is a great deal of important politics going on, most of it is viewed though the eyes of a character who wants little to do with it, but has been "pushed" into the spotlight. It's rather refreshing to keep a character in the foreground thinking, "This is so ridiculous and petty" while the reader is thinking the same thing. I haven't really enjoyed the trend in the last 20 years of following in Martin's footsteps and writing fantasy novels primarily about politics, so this is exactly what I like to see.

All in all, it's been a great read, and I'm looking forward to finishing it. ...more "

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(page 260 of 702)
— Oct 08, 2011 10:35AM

Oct 08, 2011 10:19AM · see review