FURIES OF CALDERON - REVIEW 

This is now a hat review channel. Get the hat here: amzn.to/3c4MKmK

I just love how two of Butcher's series were begun because he was trying to prove someone wrong.

I love this series! The first book is ok, but the story gets better with each book.

Interesting fact about this series: "...The inspiration for the series came from a bet Butcher was challenged to by a member of the Del Rey Online Writer's Workshop. The challenger bet that Butcher could not write a good story based on a lame idea, and he countered that he could do it using two lame ideas of the challenger's choosing. The "lame" ideas given were "Lost Roman Legion", and "Pokémon"...." (from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera)

Furies of Calderon always felt like a prologue to me. Academ’s Fury is where I always feel like the actual story begins. And Fidelias and Varg are my faves by a mile :-)

It does get a lot better. Book 2 is quite a bit better and book 3 is completely fucking amazing.

Codex Alera is one of my favorite fantasy series! Furies of Calderon is a medium opening but (like the Dresden Files) it just keeps getting better and better. And the scope just keeps getting bigger. And the politics get more...politic-ier. 😊s

Tavi or Kitai will definitely crack your top 20 favorite characters by the end of Cursors Fury. But yeah, the 'here it is you'll understand it as you go' aspect took a little bit of getting used to

Fidelias' character arc over the entire series is my favorite. I love how he gradually transforms. It's freaking awesome! You definitely have to finish the series. I super enjoy your reviews. They're very fair and real. Good is good and bad is bad. Always well done

I'm still surprised how underrated this series is, given that it seems a lot of people who enjoy Dresden Files haven't read Codex Alera. It may not be as great of a sweeping epic as some other fantasy series, but I would consider it a very good introduction to epic fantasy for any new readers to the genre or younger readers looking to progress into adult fantasy epics. I enjoyed it a lot. Isana is my favorite although the whole cast is good to be honest and I feel like Butcher did a good job of raising the stakes in terms of scale of conflict in each book.

The exploration of the magic system is part of the story's development, very few characters actually know how things work or why they work. The reader discovers the system drip by drip along with the main characters as the story advances. In the end the reader gets the full answer but only in the very last chapter of the very last book, it is masterfully done.

just wanted to say thanks for everything

Oh, Daniel. Keep reading. WoT was my favourite fantasy series. Until I read the Codex Alera. This 6 book series will always hold the number one spot in my heart (though not my head) forever. The progression of the series and the characters is incredible and Butcher is an artist. Keep reading...PLEASE keep reading and let us know what you think!!!

Daniel "In randland born and raised. In the fantasy worlds was where I spent most of my days." Greene. I support the Cappy Daniel.

* they have elemental abilities * Scheming begins when there's no air (WAIT WHAAAATT) ...to the throne My dumbass: ohhh heir to the throne! That makes more sense

I actually read the Furies series before I read Dresden. I definitely like Dresden Files better, but I read the Furies series probably 6 or 7 years ago and I still remember a lot about them...that doesn't always happen.

Finally! Long await Fury of Calderon! I have been waiting for it. Glad to know that you are a big fan of Jim Butcher

My sister has been asking me for book recommendations during quarantine. I started her with Grave Peril and also mentioned Furies of Calderon. She's just now getting to Dead Beat, but she streaked through the series. I agree with most of what you said especially your criticisms (my library did not have this book, I started on Academ, which has a lot better look on how their society functions.) I find it interesting that Amara is your favorite character, because my sister describes her as "a less angsty Dresden." And I didn't realize it, but its true, she's tall, capable of being clever but prefers direct solutions and is always acutely aware of the opposite sex. (As the series progresses, its almost impossible for Amara to see Bernard without getting caught up in his strong arms and hands.) My sister's favorite character is Fidelias (mine's Tavi, I'm a sucker for audacious cleverness), but we both agree the perspective character that improves the most is Isana. No spoilers, but she wins so many of her battles (physical, emotional, political) through weaponized empathy. The idea of emotional strength and sensitivity being valuable and powerful is relatively rare in modern genre fiction.

Thrilled that you are taking up Codex Alera! Given that I feel it was fairly obvious that Tavi is the main character, one unique aspect of this story that I believe went overlooked is that although being the tropey young farm boy thrust into action, Tavi is not reluctant. He is eager to succeed and grow. He does not whine about his path. Rather, he thrives on it. Granted. There is no prophecy, no looming winner take all ultimate good v ultimate evil conflict to burden a young pre-hero. This is comfort food epic fantasy, as opposed to the formal 5 course feasts that are several other series. Another fresh aspect, is the way this story begins with paradigm changing conflict between 2 mentors, and their charges. Those being Fidelias and Amara, and Bernhard and Tavi. I very much enjoyed that at the end, Tavi not only succeeded spectacularly, he actually attained a goal of his own, by getting to go to the Academy. I appreciate the way that this book ends with a fairly firm stop, while remaining the first step in a grander story. I look forward to your next Codex review. Love the hat! PS Iron Druid is fast food, but I enjoyed it, and am interested to see your reaction. I suspect you will like it better than Codex Alera.

So I work at a hospital and I'm known for having nerdy fantasy books all the time at my station. I saw someone left this book at the nursing station one day and it stayed there for like a month before someone just put it in my locker. I've just left it there but I guess now I just have to accept the gods want me to read this book lmao. At least it sounds pretty good

This was such a great second entry for Butcher, and as we all know he wrote it on a bet, which makes it even more impressive. The later books, like Dresden, gets better as you go. It's nice because Tavi doesn't get OP super fast, or at all really until he really earns it. I know you really prefer when the protagonist earns their power, and this fits that bill for sure.

Hey Daniel. Fair review, not a perfect book certainly, but a great start to the series I think. You’re criticism of pacing is fair, though as to world building, I’m sure you remember from early Dresden, Jim likes to take his time. We only really got a comparative snapshot of the Marat from an outsider perspective so I think it makes sense that we don’t know a lot about them yet. And as for Aleran culture at large we spent most of our time in this rural valley so we really don’t get to see much of that either. But yeah, as to world building and magic system, I remember having some questions by end on first read through too. No worries, all in time. Just finished another reread of this series after I found out that you were starting it (shout out to Kate Reading for voicing the audiobooks) and I think you’ll like how well the series holds up overall. Not a perfect series, but still damn good.

This overall series is one of my all time favorites, but I can admit that the first book, with it being the introduction and all, is probably the weakest. The good news is that the way the story handles changes up a few times throughout the series. A few things you might enjoy knowing: * Butcher wrote this series partially as part of a bet that he couldn't make an interesting story based on an overdone trope. In true Butcher fashion, he said "You know what, give me TWO overused tropes and I can make an interesting story out of them." So he was given the lost roman legion... and pokemon. :D He's told that story a bunch of times in interviews so it should be easy to find. * Kate Reading does the audiobooks for this series, and I'm pretty sure you remember her from the Wheel of Time which I understand you may have read at one point. * It helps to have just a super basic understanding of the way the Romans fought tactically. Mostly that they were crazy adaptive and very regimented, and one of my absolute favorite parts of the series is the way that Butcher interwove the magic with a very Roman method of battle. It isn't just throwing fireballs around, it's utilizing magic in a disciplined, regimented style of combat that very much existed in our world, and the way Butcher managed to draw that out throughout the series and really continually creatively surprise the reader really deserves a ton of praise... when you get there.

Daniel: "If a book is slow for the first 2/3 the last 1/3 can't make up for it" Also Daniel: "Sanderson is the greatest fantasy author of our time"

It's worth finishing this series because of Fidelias's character arc. I finished this series forever ago but I still remember that wonderful character.

The beauty of this magic system - as you'll read later - is that the people themselves don't, generally, understand how the magic works. It's just part of life, and most people take it for granted. More is explained later.

At a Q&A, my sister asked Jim which antagonists in Codex Alera he'd least like to be pitted against, and he said Fidelias, mostly because he can hold on to a grudge for literally decades.

Fidileous (or Fido, as I call him) is one of those egocentric chumps who assumes that they know more than everyone around them and therefore only they can be trusted to know what needs to be done. Never occurs to him that other 'good' people might have plans they didn't share with him. I love him.

Hey Daniel I'm a regular to your channel, I pick up The Dresden Files becz you have mentioned it so many times and OMG it just took me 2 days to swipe through STORM FRONT. I just love Dresden's raw charector. Can't wait to pick up the 2nd book

I remember going to a booksigning and Q&A. Someone brought up what inspired The Codex Alera series. Jim explained that it was a bet that good writing can always make even thin subjects work. He challenged them to give him two subjects and he'd write a story about it. They gave him The Lost Roman Legion and Pokemon. I still think about how he made these books off of that

I hear these criticisms, you’re spot on. That all changes though in the next few books and the magic system is explained and gone in ever more detail through out.

First off, thank you for finally getting to this series. I have enjoyed watching you reviews the Dresden Files and would say that Butcher is my favorite fantasy author at this point. Dresden Files and Codex Alera are probably in my top 3 series (though I haven't yet read WoT so that MIGHT change once I read those books ;) ). I find your criticisms about world building and the magic system in the first book to be very valid. I wanted to try to give you a little perspective on Butcher's writing in this series to give you a little hope. I have found that my university classes follow one of two general progressions: 1) the professor starts from a high level overview of the topic to give a general scope/framework to the subject matter then delves into the minutiae and explains how the general high level concepts can be applied to specific circumstances. 2) The opposite path can also be taken where concepts are explained at a very low level and then, once students understand what is happening in the specific circumstance, the concept is generalized to a high level that can apply to other similar situations. In my experience, both paths are valid and each speak to different types of students. It sounds like you are very much in favor of the first path for your fantasy stories. Give us a view of the current state of the world so that we know where our characters are and how they relate with the world. Give us the framework of the magic system so that we can know how it works and anticipate how the characters can utilize the system to solve problems. In Codex Alera, Butcher takes the second path I described. Butcher uses the characters to introduce the world instead of placing the characters into a defined world. While the book is third person, Butcher still confines the information that is given to the reader to the scope of the characters' current state in the story. As they grow in status/power/influence/knowledge/experience/capability/etc., so too does the audience's understanding of the world. Right now, all characters either exist on a relatively isolated steadholt in the outermost reaches of the realm and therefore don't have much context to give to the state of the entire realm (either because they don't have access to that context or because that context doesn't matter to their everyday lives and is thus meaningless to them), or they are inexperienced enough that their contextual understanding is still fairly narrow/idealized. I think that is one reason I like this series so much: while many characters in the story take their everyday lives for granted (therefore not resulting in many answers given to the readers about the world at large), there are key players (who you have not yet met) who not only exist as great characters but also exist to explore a certain aspect of the world to a much deeper level. I think that so long as you approach this series from the first path perspective, you will be disappointed until about the third or fourth book (even then, the world is still growing even to the end of the series). If you are willing to accept that the answers are coming in time, then you will be able to enjoy the exploration and evolution of the world much more fully. The world-building capability that you have become so much a fan of in DF is also present in CA, just remember that Butcher is not the type of author to dump you into the deep end and hope you can keep up. He seems to like to acclimate readers to his worlds through his characters. Personally, I think that once you get through the entire series, it will fall around the same place in your all-time ranking list as DF does. You should definitely stick with it and continue exploring this world. It will be well worth the journey.

Really loved when Daniel took to Dresden Files, because I discovered this channel and I had them under my belt and the codex alera and iron druids as my recent top read of the last year or two. Now seeing him enjoy those and seeing is review book by book bring back memories of when I finished those books. Thank you for those. You really don't have an idea where Codex Alera is going. As for now enough world building part I find it harsh a bit, in my mind it puts us more at the level of the holders, for they don't really know what stands outside their borders. Anyway keep enjoying them can't wait for your next review. I'm currently read through the third book of first law.

Since it feels like none of the internet knows about these books, thank you for bringing them to light. It's been a few years since I read this series, so I do need to reread them. If it hasn't been recommended to you yet, go read The Aeronaut's Windlass. It's a wonderful Butcher book and one of the best books I've ever read.

I know I can't be the only one who read "Furries".

So hype that you are reading this!!! That being said, I wish that I had read it before Dresden Files, as that would have allowed me to get into it faster. It does get better.

U r right, this book series is totally character driven. U will be surprised how your feeling about multiple characters change over the course of the books. I certainly developed a love hate relationship with Fidelias. Some characters seem to redeem themselves by book 3, then turn right back around to become hated. Note the Aquitaine couple. Sometimes u just want to give a tight 'wake up' slap to some of the most important main characters... U know who u are! Yes YOU, Araris! A few just go through such bad luck that U just want to cry for them.. Alas U can always rely on Kitai to crack you up. Her simple, almost child like logic, and quick wit is a joy throughout the series.. Enjoy..

I have enjoyed this series so much that I actually created a D&D campaign fully inspired by it.

I really enjoyed this series. Good story

great review. i actually really like how Jim builds the world in this book. I hate it when authors crap as much as they can in a book. he builds the part of the word that are relevant to the plot and the story and then teases the bit that we haven't really seen yet. also can't wait for iron druid review. I really liked that series. I hope you enjoy it too.

I read this book a long time ago when I was new to fantasy and it was so easy for me to get into to. This book helped cement my love for fantasy books. I love character driven books so that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. I cared so deeply for the characters. I do think the second book is even better then the first one.

I'm a big Jim Butcher fan and found your channel through your interview with him. When I found out about your love of the Wheel of Time series I was hooked! I'm so glad you are reviewing Codex Alera now as it is one of my favorite series. I really enjoy your channel!

Dear Daniel Thanks for all the work you do and keep it up! I enjoy the Codex Alera series so much! The first book or two can be a tad clunky but both are still quite good as far as characters and story I think. In the third book, much like Dresden Files, the stakes increase and the gears shift and suddenly you find yourself shocked and impressed with Jim all over again. Honestly book three is probably my personal favorite for many reasons. I would have to say lot of it is to do with the interactions between Tavi and Varg and Nasaug. Extra especially the ludos games and the final battles. That's not to say the final books in series aren't amazing! Some of the scenes described are marvelously cinematic and I would be thrilled to see these books as a mini series. There is one scene that reminds me of a certain Fey Fiery Ferrous Wheel of Death from Cold Days that i adore. The world grows and the cultures flesh out a lot [= please talk to me more about Jim Butcher's books!

0:00 I thought Daniel would be doing a rap the way he looks XD

Hey Daniel, I'm glad to took the time to read the book, and I'm glad I sent it to you! I think you had a lot of valid criticisms (Now that I'm more widely read I can see some flaws I missed initially) but as a die hard fan of the series I think you should at least give book 2 a try when you've got some time as it does improve a lot on the foundation laid out here :)

This series is on my top 10. I LOVE IT. Jim is among my fav authors. He's just simply a story making genious in my eyes.

Dont give up on this series Daniel. Every book gets better and better. When i started, the 1st book was a slog for me but my brother swore by the series so i kept reading the series. The 2nd book was better but the third book is where it took off for me. After the third book i inhaled the last 3. Even now, after reading the series in book form i bought the Audio books to listen too every so often. You will not regret it.

Yay you started! I actually finished this series before finishing what's been written for Dresden. That third book is wowzers

Loving that you're tackling this book series. I'm excited to see your review of the next few books in the future

I have loved the Dresden Files but when I read The Codex Alera, it became my favorite book series of all time. So many amazing, well built characters.

Oh Daniel, you are embarking on quite a ride with this series. I envy you being able to enjoy it for the first time. Please keep the book reviews coming as you go through the series.

Really waiting for you to continue this series Mr Daniel

I really hope you keep going with this series. Book 2 is okay, but after that they are fantastic. The characters WILL become at least 9/10. The magic system will get explained more. It wont become a hard magic system, but a well flushed out and extremely bad ass soft-ish magic system. Thanks for the great content, as always!

I really hope this means that you're going to read the rest of the series. The slow start is something that I get, I think the series really gets consistent in its pace by the third book.

Fidelius might be my favorite character of the series.

I really love this series a lot. Furies was my least favorite but as I finished the series it became a lot better. Absolutely epic series in scope. Can't wait for you to read the rest.

I’ve never thought about it before, thanks for pointing it out! I like when the magic system is shown, not in my face explained and then I get to pick out the hints the author gives until it starts getting (repeatedly sigh) explained

I really like how you gave a rating on each individual aspect of the book and then a overall rating. I also find it a nice balance to do a spoiler section at the end while keeping the beginning spoiler free. As always I love your reviews and keep up the good work!

I'm glad that you liked it... and don't forget your review of White Night, and how well Butcher lays seeds for later reaping. I want to say more, but I don't want to be THAT fan lol

I feel that Codex Alera’s good enough in everything, but doesn’t excel in anything (aside from magic). But tbh I think this’s and EXCELLENT introduction to epic fantasy.

Hey man - perfectly valid critique of book 1. This series reminded me a lot of my first read thru of Malazan. you don't stop filling in the blanks until about book two or later. rereads are often a lot better than the initial. Love the channel

I have been campaigning for this review since the channel started and I couldn't be more hyped. Thank you sir, fantastic review. Very much looking forward to the rest, it has been so fun watching your channel grow over the years. Keep up the good work and congrats on all of your success.

I am amazed at how you can jump between series reading. I can't do that. You reviewed the first in one of my favorite series, Riyria Revelations a while back and I have been anxiously awaiting your continued review of the subsequent books which are fantastic, and now you are reviewing the first in another fantastic favorite series of mine. I am overly anxious to see people's reactions as they wrap these series up. But now worried you won't get to them....

"This is not about Tavi being the Chosen One" Uh oh.

i honestly think i enjoy this series more that dresden files, as much as i love dresden. i have to admit though, that furies is the weakest of the whole series, and the rest just grows and grows on explaining the magic system, you get the rest of the explanation through the rest of the series, you basically follow tavi's path as he comes to understand more about it, and right now he' nearly clueless at book 1 i do think that fidelius is one of the greatest 'villians' in all of jim-butchers works.

Daniel: I like the magic system, but he doesn't really take it to the limit Hoi-Polloi, who has read the other books: [Collapses with nervous laughter]

Speaking as someone who loves this series so much I cannot wait to see what you think of the rest of it!

Fantastic review, one of your best in a long while! I've been hoping to try this book for a while now. I think your hair is looking great, so odd question, what did you tell your barber to get it? I always struggle with conveying desired haircuts to barbers...

Fade is my favorite character. Complete awesomeness.

I so hope you keep reading the series. It only gets better. I had a literal book hangover when I finished the final book earlier this year. Definite 5 star.

You are definitely correct there sir. The pacing for this first book is super slow. The second book is definitely better. There is a Harry Potter vibe with the introduction of an academic setting with students who have magical/mystical abilities and Tavi makes some friends that are of his own age that have to help the grown-ups without actually approaching said authority figures. People who feel rosy over Harry Potter nostalgia will more than likely find themselves rubbed just right with book 2. I can't wait to see your review of the third book. It is by far the best book in the entire series. And while this series wouldn't show up in a top 10 of my favorite series of all time, it definitely holds a soft spot in my heart. It was my first true foray into contemporary epic fantasy. I was 15 years old. I picked up these books, blew through them, and felt a mixture of exultation, gratification, and hope. The fantasy genre was, is, more vast and coupled to my tastes then I had realized. I started taking a lot more chances on books which resulted in me reading a lot more. Oh yeah and as I briefly mentioned before... The third book is just amaze balls!

A great series of books. I give these books an Audible listen at least once a year. A slow start, but once it gets going it is (as already pointed out by many) ... awesome.

My heart is only broken because I didn't see more of this series.

Finished the book recently and checked this. Liked how you just listed all of my issues with the book.

I'd predict you'll love this series as it gets better with each book, and as someone who enjoys strong character dynamics you're going to fall even more in love with this cast. Butcher really created some brilliant characters and relationships here (and you'll enjoy the villains), I come back to this world a lot just to live with them. Book one is probably my least favourite as the magic system is super-underdeveloped and the series finds its voice more in later books, but its still a nice great read. And Tavi ('Tay-Vee' btw) may be one of the greatest underdogs of all time (Underdog GOAT?) IMO. Also, you will see a lot more fantasy tropes (or what appear to be) but Butcher doesn't take the obvious route with all of them, and he does enough solid plot development and character work to make you appreciate the moments where he does...I always felt they were earned.

I was like hm it’s copying avatar, but I love avatar, looks it up further, realizes that it was made before avatar.... MIND BLOWN

Glad you liked this book. As with the Dresden Files the best is yet to come. Books 3,4,5 are definitely the best and the ending is quite satisfying while not being perfect. Also for anyone else besides me who was bothered by it. There are 6 kinds of Furies, Metal, Wood, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth. Metal and Wood being Jim's additions to the classical 4 elements.

So glad you're reading these. It's a series I've come back to often since I first read it years ago. Really interested to see what you think of the rest!

as a heads up - from what i remember this series came about because Jim said he could combine any two things together to make a story. so someone gave him the lost roman legion, and Pokemon

I have almost totally forgotten about Cord. My prediction... you will need to watch this again to remember how you felt. Academ’s Fury really kicks this series off.

Keep reading Daniel, the exploration of the magic system is part of the fun!

I've put the Dresden files on my TBR pile because of you Daniel! Also you suit a backwards cap. Looking good! 🤤❤️

I am currently reading the 2nd book. I feel like as avid readers sometimes we forget to enjoy something for what it is. The first book is so easy to read you just blow through it. Its a very fast read in my opinion, due to the way its written. Sometimes is nice to read something like that to take a break from some more in depth complicated series. Also I think these books are just fun. And that is what matters to me, I read books for fun, and this series is just so much fun so far.

I didnt mind the slow start. I read Wheel of Time and Jordan's books are usually slow at the start and a gallop at the end so maybe im just used to it. Also The world building gets better and when you find out exactly what is going on between the Humans the Canem and the Marat and why everyone there hates humans it will all come together. Read the rest of the series Daniel!

Stick with this series Daniel...it gets awesome. Not nearly Dresden but the scale of battles gets CRAZY!

Thanks for encouraging me to pick it up again, haven't read the codex alera for years - perfect thing while I'm waiting for Peace Talks :)

Ok, as someone who was not feeling this series for years, (to the point where I resented it) before you stop reading, give it to the middle of Cursor's Fury. It's becoming a trademark of Butcher - he's not going to explain, and the nuances that will come from the first three books as both the reader and the characters learn, will be well appreciated on subsequent reads. He doesn't just write for that first flush. It's crafted finely enough for multi read appreciation. You just got to get to the hook where you're all in and you get it. Oh, have Captain's Fury on hand when you get Cursor's Fury. Ask me how I know....

If you like the character development (especially the Amara/Fedalious potential), OH BOY, are you in for some fun. The character development across all the characters through the series is awesome. My favorite books in the series are probably 3-5 where it turns more military in nature, but overall an amazing series and still in my top 10 fantasy. PS-Excited for this and the Iron Druid Chronicles review! Since I found your channel through the Dresden File material a couple of months ago, these two series have been what I have hoped you would cover the most.

Dresden Files TV SHOW made me get into his books. Love them.

In terms of unconnected dots the series. Is all about growth. Every book reveals more and more until the end. One of my favorite stories in terms of growth and evolution

I am super excited to see how your opinions change as you continue this series! One of my top faves for a reread.

The next book is amazing no cap

Series becomes amazing come book 2. Tavi and his relationships are some of the best I’ve read.

I am very excited to see what you think of the rest of the series. It is honestly one of my favorite fantasy books, i will grant there is plenty of spots like you mentioned that felt liking early on. However there is just something that draws me into it. It isn't high on my top 10 list but it isn't low either. Also i agree about the king/emperor in fact one thing i've wanted to see in a fantasy story is the rebellion being the evil side. it is so often the other way around.

Daniel I think you need to finish this series. You know your self that Jim Butcher likes to build slowly with interesting characters and a good plot while weaving in things that pay off much later. I understand your criticisms, and your right, but it builds like Dresden and the world building expands. The Characters are wonderful especially Kitai. She’s got to be one of the funniest, toughest female characters in fantasy. Please read the whole series. There are tropes that are predictable, but they are done so great that in the storyline it doesn’t matter, and there are amazing twists that are really clever. I love Dresden. I wasn’t sure I’d like Butcher doing high fantasy. I turns out I loved it.

Oh Lord and I excited for Daniel to read this series....I actually read these before Dresden and love this series soooo much

I absolutely love the series. I have probably read the series 8 times 🖤

It took me a till book 3 to get into the series but by the end I really liked that it was slower at the beginning. The first two really set things up and bring you to the top of the hill and the third pushes you down the hill and you can't stop till the end

This is Jim Butcher. He takes his time and the reader benefits. The series is deceptive, as you move through the stories, it’s easy to miss how good it actually is. There are scenes in this series that will color anything else you ever read. With Jim’s work I often feel that we are experiencing clarifying moments along with the characters. And also with Jim, I have to say “keep going”. The series gains momentum as it moves forward and never loses a combination of wonderful quiet moments and truly Epic payoffs.

The worldbuilding in this series improves and unfolds over the course of the books. I am not sure if it was purposeful, showing us only what we need to see at the time, or if it is something he got better at, because he didn't have to do as much with an urban fantasy set in Chicago with Dresden Files. Either way, the end result works for both. He is one of my favorite authors.