This is also the first book I’ve formally viewed since my GCSE’s. The last book was “Of Mice and Men” which is a very well written book about a thoroughly depressing subject and little of not happens. It’s a little reminiscent of the letters Jon Arbuckle gets from his parents back on the farm. “Dear Jon, today the chicken died”.
Anyway I digress. However much I might like Garfield, this is supposed to be a review of Jim Butchers Codex Alera series. Advance Warning: As this is a review of the last book, it includes spoilers of the rest of the set. At the outset, I will say if you haven’t read them, go and do so. The series is very clever, very different and very worth reading. On that note:
The first thing that makes the Codex Alera series is the fact its world form is very original in its function. Almost everything in the titular Aleran Empire is based on the Furycraft system, from street-lighting to combat. Furies are elemental spirits, divided into Earth (Used for farming, strength and control of, ahem, base emotions), Air (e.g. Flight, magnification, communication) , Fire (Emotion control, burning (duh!), Water (Empathy, healing), Wood (Archery, construction) and Metal (Toughening weapons, sword-fighting skills). Every human in Alera has some degree of control of these furies, and the level of power a person has decides their place in society, with the Steadholt farmers at the bottom through the citizenry to the High Lords and the First Lord who rules Alera from the Capital. Slaves are also a common feature of the society, with a large political divide between those who accept slavery and those against it.
The realm itself is centred on the capital Alera Imperia. To the south and east are warm, fertile lands with rich cities. To the north is a colder, harsher land of constant war with the Icemen beyond the Shieldwall (Think Hadrian’s Wall, a comparison which is somewhat apt). To the west is the sea, beyond which is the Continent of Canea. To the East is Maratea, connected to the Aleran mainland by the peaceful and fertile Calderon valley. Connecting these is the Furycrafted road network, allowing runners and animals to use then network with less effort then there would be normally. All roads lead to Alera Imperia! Between the roads and forming the heart of the realm are the Steadholts. Groups of farmers supplying to the city’s and the legions alike.
Defending the realm is the responsibility of the Legions. The Legion are based along the lines of the Roman Legions in terms of organisation, tactics, chain of command and armour style. The crucial difference is the Knight element, made from units of specialised Furycrafter’s for various roles. Knight’s Aeris (Air support, adding an interesting dimension to combat in the tales not often seen in Fantasy books), Knight’s Ignus (Human artillery) Knight’s Terra (Heavy Support and engineering), Knight’s Ferrous (Elite Swordsmen) Knight’s Flora (Elite Bowmen) and Knight’s Aqua (Medicae, communications).The legions have defended the nation for century’s and are legendary in their strength. The only exception is one defeat by the Marat at Calderon Valley, which robbed the realm of its heir. This has lead to a situation where the High Lords are jockeying to replace the First Lord. Striving to prevent this are the cursorii, officially couriers but in actuality highly trained spys and agents.
The other races on the world are diverse and, again, show a level of originality in fantasy species only usually scene in Sci-Fi. It is this scope and diversity that makes the series truly impressive. There is nothing even remotely resembling an ork and elf or a fairy here.
The first species outside the Alerans to be introduced are the Marat Tribes, who’s society is based upon partnership with various species of Animal where the bond allows ability’s to be transferred between the partners. So a Marat with a wolf partner gains his partners endurance, scenting ability and pointy teeth, for example. The Alerans view them as barbarians as they wear few cloths, are nomadic and don’t appear to have political intrigue (yup, definitely uncivilized!).
The second species is the Vord. Introduce initially only as bug like guardians in the first book, they are eventually revealed as a massive problem. They are an insectile race who are organised and led by Queens, with some basic warrior types and the Wax Spider forming the mainstay of their forces. The purpose of the Wax Spiders is to maintain the Croach, a substance that gradually grows and supplies the Vord with bases, food and intelligence of whatever breaks its surface. Think along the lines of the “Creep” the Zerg produce in Starcraft and you’re on the right lines. Beyond the base types, the Vord also adapt warriors to the local climate and scenario, so in their campaign in the Swamps of southwest Alera they evolve similar to the local swamp crocodiles. The Vord are more easily compared to Sci-Fi species such as GW’s tyranids or the Bugs in Starship Trooper. This is one of the things that impressed me with the series, the combination of concepts that aren’t seen together in fantasy to make a book that’s truly breathtaking.
Another distinctly sci-fi feature is the Vord Taker insects. These little nasty’s crawl into their victims mouth and take over their mind. This allows them to use the host as a part of the Vord hive. They also take the host to the limits of their strength and makes them “feel no pain”. When combined with a Canim (see next) this makes them very nasty. When combined with a human fury-crafter it gets very, very nasty.
The third key players are the Canim, natives to aforementioned Canea. In form, they are 8ft+ anthropomorphic wolves capable of living through multiple centuries and who have a physical strength that makes them a threat to any Aleran without strong Furycraft. They, like all of the races, have a well developed social structure. The Makers are farmers and builders, the Warrior class are just that but combined with centuries of experience and the Ritualcasters are priest, who can also use blood to bless the makers or curse their enemies with lightning or clouds of acid.
The final race, not detailed until the 5th book are the Icemen, constantly harassing the shieldwall since time immemorial. They are a powerful race who attack using the snow and ice that comes with them wherever they go (a bit like the Rain God in Hitchhikers guide, but cooler!)
I’ll stop here. As you can see, it’s a wonderfully intricate, detailed world which manages to achieve as much scale and scope in one planet as many science fictions fail to achieve with millions. If I haven’t persuaded you to read the series yet, or you just would like to hear some more of my demented ramblings (Wibble!) I will be back with a review of the story so far! Adios!
(Walks away from computer in search of life giving tea)
All the best to all the loyal fans of the blog. If you have any queries about me, my writing style or anything else that crosses your mind, feel free to ask. I can’t promise to answer rapidly though, my free time is rare! The next section, bringing the plot up the the events of the last book, should appear the same time tommorow.
Regards, Kerl
Credit for Images: http://www.jim-butcher.com/ The homepage of the author! Better versions of the images and various other gubbins are also their, so go take a look!
1 comments:
gosh, do you by any chance like this series? ;p Thanks dude.
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