Fantasy

Background

Furies of Calderon is the first novel in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher, published on October 5, 2004. The story takes place in the Aleran Empire, where people can bond with elemental furies to gain elemental powers. Tavi is a young man who lacks any furycrafting abilities, but he is determined to prove himself to his family and his people. When the Marat horde, a savage and warlike people, invades the Calderon Valley, Tavi must use all of his courage and resourcefulness to save his home and his people.

My Thoughts

This book took me a long time to get into and I’m still not quite hooked. I loved Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files” series so I’m going to hang with it till the end. However, this book was pretty long winded and didn’t really have the same whimsy that I came to expect from the author.

Recommendation

I’m on the fence with this one.

Background

The Carpet People is a comic fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett. It was first published in 1971, and was later re-written by the author when his work became more widespread and well-known. The story follows the adventures of a group of small people who live on a carpet. The carpet is their world, and they have no knowledge of anything else.

My Thoughts

This was my first Terry Pratchett book and right from the beginning, I was hooked. I love his sense of humor and it is reflected in pretty much everything in the story. There are certainly some elements that are a little less refined and I’m curious to have read the original that he released when he was 17 to compare and contrast.

Recommendation

It was worth the time.

Background

Published in September of 2015, “The Aeronaut’s Windlass” by Jim Butcher is a steampunk adventure that follows the exploits of a group of characters as they navigate a world filled with airships, magic, and political intrigue.

My Thoughts

I loved the “Dresden Files” series and so I thought I’d try another from the same author. This book started off pretty slow to me but picked up as it went along. I really enjoyed the new take on technologies, wildlife, and the world as a whole. Toward the end, I couldn’t get enough. I was sad to see the series hadn’t moved along for almost a decade.

Recommendation

I really enjoyed it.

Background

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first novel in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. The story begins in the peaceful Shire, where hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a powerful and dangerous ring from his uncle Bilbo. Realizing the true nature of the ring, Frodo embarks on a perilous journey to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom, aided by a fellowship of eight others, including the wizard Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, and the humans Aragorn, Boromir, Merry, Pippin, and Sam. As they journey through treacherous terrain, they encounter dark forces in the form of the Ringwraiths, who are seeking the ring for their master, the evil Sauron. The Fellowship must overcome numerous obstacles and challenges in their quest to save Middle-earth from Sauron’s tyranny. (By ChatGPT)

My Thoughts

I ran a race Saturday and wanted to have something familiar to listen to while I ran. As this was a race, there usually isn’t a lot of brainpower to learn another story and this seemed to be a good choice. Also, my oldest son just finished it again in the last month so it’s good to keep up to date. The last time I read it, I was in the dentist’s chair so this was a little more comfortable.

Recommendation

It’s a classic… A little wordy at times and I can do without all the songs but a familiar story. I keep coming back!

Background

Published in July of 2014, Barbarian Lord is a graphic novel of fighter who goes on adventures for honor and revenge.

My Thoughts

My son had read it and said my daughter had said it was basically He-Man in graphic novel form. So I was bound to read it. It didn’t take long at all to finish and I can’t say I’m a better person to have done so.

Visually, my daughter is correct. It is basically He-Man complete with a Skeletor-ish villain. However, there were some very graphic scenes in it which certainly wouldn’t have slipped by the censors of the early 80’s.

The plot was pretty sparce but you can’t really expect too much. It is basically a action movie in book form. (Spoiler alert, Barbarian Lord wins in the end…)

Recommendation

If this gets your kids to read then it’s all good. If not, you don’t need to spend any time with it.

Background

Published in June of 1992, Outlander is the first book in a series of fictional books about Outlanders. People who time travel from one place to another. The first was a nurse from WWII to 16th century Scotland.

My Thoughts

It certainly had an interesting back story and the author knows how to keep the reader engaged but I didn’t really like it. The main character was a little too much “Mary Sue” for me and I didn’t really like how she handled herself. I was looking for a good series but this just wasn’t it.

Recommendation

Skip it. For this 12 book series, I am one and done.