Book Reviews

I have decided that I will review every book I read from now on just in case someone cares. And it will be nice to have my initial thoughts down on paper if I want to look back on them sometime. Here is the grading scale I have invented for these reviews:

E: If I attach an E to any grade it means that the book was read for entertainment value mostly. This means that all recommendations might change a little from the scale because of one thing or another.

A: Stellar book, definitely a read again, definitely a must buy. A book of this caliber should be owned in both hardback and paperback.

A-: Great read, should read again, should buy. Just short of an A because of minor plot/character/pacing or various other flaws.

B+: Good read, should read again, probably a buy. This is not in the A bracket because of at least one more than minor mistake.

B: Good read, should read again, buying is up to debate. Better than average writing and story but with many mistakes or flaws.

B-: Decent read, maybe read again, probably not buy. Not a waste of time, but lacking soul.

C+: Decent read, probably not read again, not buy. Not a waste of time necessarily but the book was not of interest and/or was not well-written.

C: Poor read, probably not read again, not buy. Waste of time. It may not have been terrible but there were definitely better things to do with my time.

C-: Poor read, not read again, not buy. I would be surprised if I made it all of the way through the book because it was so terribly written.

F: Terrible read, do not read again, do not buy. Complete waste of time. Terrible literature.

Feel free to post a review or grade if you have also read the book I am reviewing.

Furies of Calderon

A few days ago I just finished the first book in Jim Butcher's Alera Codex. Here is my official review.

Grade: B

For all fantasy fans, this book has immediate appeal. The magic relates to control of the elements though it has a "Golden Compass" aspect to it in that the elements are conscious and the "Crafters" sort of become companions with the "Furies."

Unfortunately, the first couple hundred pages do not do enough to bond the reader to the characters. Tavi is liked right away, but he takes too long to develop and Amara remains only mildly interesting until Bernard comes into the picture. Luckily I continued to read because the book ended up actually being pretty good.

The magic system did not dominate the characters, which is a clear sign of good writing.

The character Tavi was written in a way that makes it seem as if he is younger than he really is. About halfway through the book it states that Tavi is fifteen, but I think it would have worked much better had he been around twelve or so. His voice seemed that way and I was honestly shocked when his age was revealed. This was one of the major character flaws in the book.

The overarching theme of the series introduced in the first few chapters does not see much resolution. I typically do not like books that start by basically saying "I am going to be a monster series." I guess it works out alright in the end. I suppose my opinion will change a little once I have read the other books in the series.

Overall, I give it a B because of its character flaws and lack of interesting beginning. Because it turned out to be a great book once it got going, it still passes and should be read again.

If you have read this book feel free to post a review and/or grade as well.