The Codex Alera Book Review

It’s been ages since I did a book review, you probably think I haven’t been reading eh?  Not so, in fact I do have my GoodReads account pinned to the side panel if you are interested in what I’m reading at any given time (when I remember to update it hehe).

2015 had me reaching back to my love of Science Fiction and Fantasy Fictions.  We were visiting the U.S. and couldn’t resist the Barnes and Noble – one thing I do miss being in Japan.  I love a good browse in a bookstore.  This time I found Furies of Calderon, the first in a six part series called The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher.  Figured I would grab the first book and if it was good I’d keep going through the series and man am I glad I made that spontaneous grab. (I mentioned the series in a post a while back Plans In The Making)

Obviously, the first book grabbed me enough to want to continue with the next and just yesterday I finished book six.  For me, a good story is one that I can lose myself in and actually visualize.  It’s just how my brain works which is a bit odd because for crafting and such I can’t visualize finished products which is the main reason I don’t paint, sew, knit, make pottery or anything else very creative.  I just can’t look at tools of a trade and see how it will become a finished thing.  Though if I have instructions I can usually produce whatever is shown, I just can’t freehand things.  With good books, the creative and often stagnant part of my brain wakes up from it’s coma and ignites and this particular series had my brain fired up.

The descriptions of characters, surroundings, emotions, reactions and thought processes were a perfect recipe for me to fall in completely.  I loved the alien aspects mixed with very human and somewhat familiar and the author obviously has a lot of familiarity with battle strategies, armor and weaponry…or maybe he and I just have similar ideas of what that might entail.  Also, when an author creates a world and actually supplies a map of it in the front of the book, I am in love.

This series was a bit of genius to me and I think Mr. Butcher’s imagination is a beautiful thing.

2016 has me on two book challenges/clubs, which I mentioned here, one which dictates which book to read and the other which I think will challenge me to read different types of books so it is possible the sci fi/fantasy books will be on hold for a bit but when I do return to the genre you can be sure I will pick up another Jim Butcher book, perhaps The Dresden Files series although there are so many books in it, I am hesitant.