His Dresden Files series are action-packed popcorn to read.

Butcher is a household name in urban fantasy. Introducing Our Hero – A Boy with a DestinyĪs part of a book club read-along on Goodreads, I picked up Jim Butcher’s Furies of Calderon, the first book of his Codex Alera series. As an extrovert, writer, and student of literature, it is pretty much impossible for me to avoid doing so. I believe this is especially true when we read authors whose work we enjoy (or at least respect) but who, for whatever reason, make decisions that make us uncomfortable or disappoint us. In this way some wholly outdated and unnecessary trappings of the genre have become self-perpetuating.Īs a fantasy reader, I think it is important to recognize the patterns and flaws in the works of our genre – as well as its strengths. Many of these have become so typical of the genre that authors seldom hesitate to include them, and long-time fantasy readers rarely question their necessity, much less their normality. However, I can be very critical of individual authorial decisions, and I can’t help but notice when the genre falls prey to problematic tropes – as, sadly, it too often does. I read fantasy because I genuinely enjoy it.

You can find out more about the Codex Alera from the Books menu seen at the top of the page.As folks who follow this blog have probably figured out by now, I’m a huge fan of fantasy – particularly various flavors of high fantasy (fantasy set in another world). The Codex Alera is Jim’s six-book fantasy epic set in another world, mixing the politics of Rome with a world alive with elemental animism. You can find out more about the Cinder Spires from the Books menu seen at the top of the page. The first book, The Aeronaut’s Windlass, has been released, and more will come after.

Jim’s next project will be Steampunk series called The Cinder Spires. You can find out more about the Dresden Files from the Books menu seen at the top of the page. Take Sam Spade, your Average Joe Underdog Action Star, and toss in some spellcraft, and you get Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. The Dresden Files are set in a “alternate” Chicago where magic is real, but only a few actually believe in it it’s a first-person tale told by an irascible wizard named Harry Dresden, who regularly gives the magical establishment indigestion - and the police, the same. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

Jim butcher furies