Codex Alera is a fantasy book series by Jim Butcher. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Jim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. The series chronicles the life of a young man named Tavi in the empire of Alera, on the world of Carna. Every Aleran of every nation and caste, except for Tavi, has some degree of command over elemental forces or spirits called furies. The story takes place after the rise of a fictional empire similar to Rome where the First Lord must stave off in-fighting amongst the nobility of a now decadent empire, and wield the throne through sheer force of strength and will. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Tavi, trapped by fate in the midst of conflicts at home and abroad, must use all of his intelligence to save Alera.
Alera inhabits most of a large continent that is inhabited by the Icemen to the north. They are connected to another large continent held by the Marat via a land bridge, which is the location of the Calderon Valley. The Canim reside across the ocean to the west, staging regular, bloody raids on coastal settlements.
Contents |
Books in the series
| No. | Title | Release date | Hardcover | Paperback | Audiobook | Audio Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furies of Calderon | October 5, 2004 | ISBN 0-4410-1199-3 | ISBN 0-4410-1268-X | ISBN 014314376X | November 20, 2008 |
| 2 | Academ's Fury | July 5, 2005 | ISBN 0-4410-1283-3 | ISBN 0-4410-1340-6 | ISBN 0143143778 | November 20, 2008 |
| 3 | Cursor's Fury | December 5, 2006 | ISBN 0-4410-1434-8 | ISBN 0-4410-1547-6 | ISBN 0143143786 | November 20, 2008 |
| 4 | Captain's Fury | December 4, 2007 | ISBN 0-4410-1527-1 | — | ISBN 0143143387 | March 27, 2008 |
| 5 | Princeps' Fury | December 2, 2008 | ISBN 0-4410-1638-3 | — | ISBN 0143143751 | November 25, 2008 |
Furies
Furies are elemental spirits (earth, water, fire, wind, metal, and wood) that inhabit all aspects of Alera. Furies of Calderon is a 2004 High fantasy Novel by Jim Butcher. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople The year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. The year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common "December 4th" redirects here For the song by Jay-Z, see December 4th (song. The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Events None at present Books Literature The Painter of Battles Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Some are small and cannot be seen, and others are powerful enough to manifest when called upon by their wielders. Proto-Aleran ruins show no sign of furycrafting ability amongst humans in the past. The Aleran people manifest personal furies in their early childhood or adolescent years, and control them with their minds. They are used to aid them in whatever task undertaken from housework to combat.
Most Alerans display moderate ability in all areas of furycrafting, but are highly skilled in only one or two types. High Lords and their offspring generally show considerable talent in all areas of furycrafting well beyond the capabilities of a typical person, indicating that genetics plays some role in furycrafting. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is Residents of large cities typically treat furies as generic entities while those in rural areas forge close personal bonds with specific furies. All Alerans of considerable talent and strength in furycrafting are obligated by law to marry someone with similar strength to produce children with strong furycrafting ability.
Types
| Type | Description | Knight Title |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Used in healing, communicating over large distances, reading emotions, shape shifting, keeping a youthful appearance, and manipulating water; disrupted by fire. | Knight Aquas |
| Earth | Used to gain strength, tracking and hunting, manipulate the earth, calm animals, and inspire lust; disrupted when contact with the ground is lost. | Knight Terra |
| Wood | Used in manipulating plants, tracking and for camouflage; used by archers to bend massive bows to allow arrows to fly further and faster, and to increase accuracy of arrows. Also used to instantly create wooden tools. Requires nearby wood or plant matter, living or dead, in order to use. | Knight Flora |
| Fire | Used to control firelight to subliminally manipulate passionate feelings such as joy, anger, and fear; used to create and manipulate flames for either constructive or massively destructive purposes; can be used to create cold by extracting heat from an object; disrupted by water. | Knight Ignus |
| Air | Used to fly, control the wind, and to increase speed and agility; Also able to bend air into a lens to see farther or into an echo chamber to allow voice communication without the need for water, however the effective range is much shorter; strong crafters may be able to bend the air to make objects or people seem invisible or to create lenses of air to focus light into a damaging beam; disrupted by earth particularly in the form of salt. | Knight Aeris |
| Metal | Used in sword play heavily as crafters can change the hardness of metal, allowing them to strike with diamond-hard blades. Combat can be totally in the dark as metalcrafters do not need light to sense nearby metal. Shields can also be made more flexible to absorb a greater amount of impact force than normal. Also used in forging weapons and other precise metal objects, and metalcrafters also have dramatically increased pain tolerance and physical endurance. Although they gain speed, accuracy and deadly ability in combat, metalcrafters do not become physically stronger, and still require metal weapons/armor to make the most of their abilities. | Knight Ferrous |
Races of Carna
Alerans
Alerans, synonymous with "humans," are the most developed civilization on Carna, and they exert their influence over all other sentient races through their use of furies. Their far-flung empire spans most of an entire continent, but they are pressed on all sides by hostile enemies. Their government is setup similarly to the Roman Empire with a single patriarchal monarch, the First Lord, who controls the high lords and their territories. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Aleran culture is male dominated and allows for people to be bough and sold as slaves. Women's rights are lacking in many respects but a highly influential Dianic League is winning support for more rights. The outlying areas of the cities are inhabited by farms, called Steadholts. Each Steadholt is lead by a steadholder who rules that area of Alera, under the authority of the local High Lord.
The Aleran military is organized into legions similar to those used by the Romans. Each High Lord is allowed two full legions (containing foot soldiers and Knights) and a continent of bodyguards. Each legion has sworn loyalties to their High Lord, which causes issues when a High Lord falls out of favour of the first Lord, and vise versa.
Canim
The Canim are large, wolflike creatures and fierce warriors. Little is known about them, except that they have a caste-like social hierarchy and are susceptible to political in-fighting. Most Aleran contact with the Canim is through Canim raids along the west coast of Alera. They are capable of some form of sorcery, as revealed in Academ's Fury when the Canim use their influence over the elements to batter the coast of Alera with violent storms and in Cursor's Fury when they shot bolts of concentrated red lightning to hit the officers of the First Aleran legion. Their current ambassador to Alera is Varg, who has been imprisoned after the events of Academ's Fury. In Cursor's Fury, a large contingent of Canim invade Alera with the intent of creating a permanent colony on the continent. In Captain's Fury, it is shown that the reason why the Canim are invading Alera with such massive forces is because of the Vord take-over of the Canim homeland.
There have been 4 classes in the Canim caste system shown so far.
- The warrior caste is the elite warriors, the professional soldiers. The Canim version of Legions. They are taller than the other caste's, stronger, and much more disciplined, and are issued military standard armor and weapons. Their numbers haven't been significantly lowered due to the fact that the Canim battlemaster (commander), refuse to risk his elite troops.
- The Maker caste is the farmers, the crafters of the Canim population. They are known as Raiders to the Alerans. They form raiding parties to attack Aleran travelers. They are not very disciplined, and pose a threat through numbers and sheer Canim strength.
- The Ritualist caste is the Canim's spellcasters. They gain their power from the blood of intelligent creatures. They have the power to summon red cloud like creatures with acidic tentacles to guard the sky from flying Alerans. They can also summon fire from the sky, and cause devastating damage to Aleran forces. They use their own race's blood for power as much as Aleran's and are only tolerated for their ability to grant luck, bless family lines, and grant a plentiful harvest.
- The Hunters are the Canim version of Cursors. They are the spies, scouts, and assassins of the Canim. They use short black length of chain, small javelins, and iron bars for throwing. These light weapons allow the hunters to sneak up on people. They have not appeared in the books, and have only been mentioned in passing.
Icemen
Very little is known about the Icemen except that they are a savage enemy of Alera, held at bay along the northern fringes of the empire by the Shieldwall. The expense of maintaining the northern defenses, as well as the slave trade, has caused a political rift between the cities of northern Alera and the cities of southern Alera. The Marat use the hair of female Icemen to make incredibly strong, lightweight ropes that will not freeze and break, even in the coldest of climates. In the Marat language, they are called the Gadrim-ha
Marat
The Marat are a silver-haired, pale-skinned people who reside on a continent connected to Alera via a landbridge (where the Calderon Valley is located). They are an aggressive race who routinely fight one another in small scale conflicts. The Marat bind themselves to another creature (such as a Wolf, Herdbane, Gargant, or Horse and call this creature their Totem), gaining the creatures strengths and abilities. They are also known for "partaking" in their fallen enemies, where they eat their adversaries (sometimes alive) in combat to gain their strength. When their hordes attacked Alera before Tavi was born, they killed the Princeps Septimus' Legion at the First Battle of Calderon. However, after a series of complicated events, their most powerful clans, the Gargant and the Horse clans, became allies of the Aleran nation and often help them against the other hostile forces in Carna. Currently, the Marat are supplying the First Aleran legion with scout auxiliaries and are trading with the Alerans at the city of Garrison.
Vord
Little is known about the Vord. They are described repeatedly as an "alien" race, but no one knows where they come from. According to Marat tradition, they are shapeshifters. When they come, they possess members of a sentient race, consuming their souls and transforming them into the Taken. The normal vord warriors have the apperarance of large spiders and see in infared vision. They feed on a grey, waxy substance called croach, and resided in dormancy in the Wax Forest before they were awoken by Tavi and Kitai. Their organization is roughly hierarchical, with a queen and two lesser queens in each nest, protected by Vord warriors. The Keepers, venomous, spider-like creatures the size of dogs, maintain the croach, without the croach the vord can not survive it acts as both air and food. keepers take living creatures into the croach and they slowly are dissloved into it. When the Vord begin to spread, each nest splits into three, with one of the three queens taking over the new nest. After the events in the book Cursor's Fury, the prologue states that the Vord had taken over the savage Canim's homeland.
Relation To Rome
As aforementioned, Codex Alera takes place during the reign of a Rome-like Empire. However, many references are mentioned in the book, possibly indicating that the series takes place at some point after the actual Roman Empire.
The most obvious references to Rome and its era is the use of terms like Legionare, Legion, patriserus, and other such terms. More over, the names of many characters are Latin styled. Maximus, Gaius, ex Gladius, etc.
A solid clue is the ruins of Appia. In Academ's Fury, the Ruins of Appia are mentioned, as well as the Romanic Era. Appia most likely refers to the Appian Way, also known as Via Appia, which is one of the most important roads in Ancient Rome. The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: Via Appia) was the most important ancient Roman road. In the beginning of Cursor's Fury, Tavi and Maestro Magnus are in Appia. They are doing expirements with "Romanic" technology, such as a catapult. When questioned about the term Romanic by Max, Tavi responds by saying "The people were called Romans. . . you call something Romanic when it was built by Romans. "
Finally, the last clue is the existence of the Tiber River. The Tiber ( Latin Tiberis, Italian Tevere) is the third-longest River in Italy, rising in the Apennine mountains The Tiber river is a major river in Italy, and was an important part of the geography of the ancient Roman Empire. The majority of Cursor's Fury takes place at a bridge on the Tiber.
Author Jim Butcher, when participating in a recent online debate about this subject, said "Alera is set more or less in the present. It just isn't happening on Earth.
"There's plenty of Lost Roman Legion stories out there. Mostly, the stories are about where they went, and what they did when they got there. This one just happens to be about the world they got lost on, and the society that developed there over the next couple of thousand years. "[1]
Characters
Major characters
| Name | Race | Named Furies |
|---|---|---|
| Tavi (Gaius Octavian) | Human | metal, water, earth, fire, air; all internalized |
| The main protagonist of the series and, up until the end of Cursor's Fury the only known adult Aleran without any furycrafting ability. He is currently a cursor, an imperial spy, under the guise of Captain Scipio of the First Aleran Legion. He was raised by his 'aunt' Isana (in actuality his mother) and his uncle Bernard in Bernardholt in the Calderon Valley. Often harassed due to his inability to control furies, Tavi learned to use his intelligence to figure out ways around this "disability. " In Furies of Calderon, he was kidnapped by the Marat and forced to participate in a 'trial of wits'. Upon successfully completing the trial before "The One" in the Wax Forest, and thus declaring Atsurak mistaken, he splits the Marat horde in two when the Gargant and Horse clans withdraw from conflict against Alera. During the trial he also becomes 'bonded' to the Marat girl, Kitai. Doroga and Hashat agree to attack Atsurak's horde to save Tavi's family at Garrison, and Tavi is heralded as a hero for his actions. After gaining the patronage of the First Lord, he wins a scholarship to the Academy to begin Cursor Training. When Gaius falls into a coma due to extended furycrafting, Tavi must use his wits to prevent civil war and protect the First Lord from an attack by the Vord and the Canim Taken. After the events of Academ's Fury, Tavi became a logistics officer in a new legion, until an attack by Canim Ritualists killed every other officer and made Tavi the new Captain. Shortly after becoming the new captain – and defeating the Canim in battle – Tavi developed the ability to internally use furies. This means he can draw upon the strength of furies (and finally turn out a furylamp), however, he cannot yet manifest an external fury. After two years in command of the First Aleran Legion, he was removed from command for defying the orders of the traitorous Senator Arnos, but escaped custody and managed to negotiate a Canim surrender, given directly to him, and as Gaius Sextus puts it "surrendering even though outnumbering five to one of your own troops, with arms, in a heavily-fortified city". As revealed in Cursor's Fury through conversations between Isana and Fade, he is also the son of Septimus and grandson of Gaius, making him the legitimate heir to the First Lord. Also during these conversations, Isana reveals that she has used her own watercrafting abilities to suppress Tavi's abilities. She does this for fear that if his power is revealed, he would be noticed and challenged as Septimus' heir. Gaius is also aware of Tavi's identity, but the First Lord continues to maintain the secret for fear that Tavi's lack of skill with crafting will make him an easy target for assassination. However, at the end of Captain's Fury, having learned his parentage, Tavi openly reveals his identity and declares himself the Princeps of Alera. Following a meeting with his grandfather Gauis Sextus, he plans to travel with the Canim to their homeland to help them cross the seas. While gone Tavi will have time to continue his training with Fade, continue to develop his furies, and most importantly, stay out of reach of those who would kill him. | ||
| Amara | Human | Cirrus (wind fury) |
| Amara is a Cursor, Countess, strong windcrafter, and Bernard's secret wife. She is also a close friend to Tavi. She may be unable to bear children after being struck by the blight, which causes her a great deal of stress in her relationship to Bernard (who, as a noble and powerful crafter, has an obligation to bear children). When she was an academ, Fidelias served as her patriserus, but revealed himself as a traitor during her final exam exercise. She fled to Calderon, where she met Tavi during a vicious furystorm. Afterward, she sent Tavi ahead to attempt to warn Riva and Garrison, but when he is kidnapped by the Marat, she and Bernard must warn Garrison and lead the defenses there. In Academ's Fury, she and Bernard once again lead the troops of Garrison, this time on an attack against the Vord. During the events of Cursor's Fury, she leads a covert operation with Lady Aquitaine, Bernard, Aldrick, and Odiana to free Lady Placida, Rook's daughter, and the daughter of an Aleran Lord from the stronghold of Lord Kalare. During those events, Amara believes she is pregnant, until her menses returns near the end of the book. In Captain's Fury, Amara embarks on a dangerous mission with Bernard and Gaius Sextus to defeat Kalarus. At the conclusion of this mission Amara feels "betrayed" by the First Lord and resigns her post as a cursor. | ||
| Bernard | Human | Brutus (earth fury) and Cyprus (wood fury) |
| Bernard is Tavi's uncle and foster father. He, like his sister, is a strong furycrafter, and he has an earth fury and a wood fury. He was pivotal in the Second Battle of Calderon and took over command of the fort at Garrison afterward, leaving Bernardholt to the control of his sister. As a Count, he is a minor noble of Alera and a Citizen. While leading a desperate attack against the Vord nest near Garados in Calderon Valley in Academ's Fury, he married Amara. The two have kept their relationship quiet while they try to have children. In Cursor's Fury, Bernard works with Amara and Lady Aquitaine to free Lady Placida, Rook's daughter, and the daughter of High Lord Atticus from the stronghold of Lord Kalare. He also lead the High Lord and Amara through the woodlands and swamps of Kalare to squash the rebellion. | ||
| Fade; aka Araris Valerian | Human | Powerful Metal |
| Fade was a slave (and presumably a simpleton) at Bernadholt whose face has been branded with the Legion's mark of cowardice. He is often charged with the protection of Tavi, and was sent with him to Alera Imperia when Tavi began training to become a Cursor, where he serves as a common slave. He is secretly a skilled swordsman, possibly the best alive, revealed to be Araris Valerian, the former guard and close companion of the deceased Princeps, both the subject of debate as to whether Araris allowed the Princeps to be better than him, or whether the Princeps was truly more skilled. To protect the princeps' son and wife, he branded himself as a disguise and went into hiding as the slave Fade. He has a deep resentment of the First Lord, though, at the request of Tavi, fought to protect his life during the Vord attack on the Citadel in Academ's Fury. He nearly dies to save Isana in Cursor's Fury. After Isana risks her life in a prolonged watercrafting, his hidden love for Isana is revealed. Fade plans to travel with Tavi to the homeland of the Canim. | ||
| Gaius Sextus | Human | All |
| Gaius is the First Lord (Emperor) of Alera. He is an incredibly strong furycrafter and cunning leader, but age and sickness are wearing away at his abilities. He is Tavi's patron, and after Tavi joins the Academy the two forge a close relationship. When he falls into a furycrafting-enduced coma, Tavi must work to protect the realm from civil war and a Vord attack. Though often portrayed as fair and just, several characters, including Fade and Isana, has a strong negative feeling towards Gaius due to events surrounding the First Battle of Calderon. In Cursor's Fury, he must outwit both Kalare and the Canim during an act of overt civil warfare. As shown in Captain's Fury, he decides to go to war against Kalare. Gaius later learns that Tavi is his grandson and legitimate heir to his throne. However, Gaius does not openly acknowledge Tavi as his heir for fear that those seeking to upsurp his throne would attempt to assassinate the boy before his powers fully manifest. | ||
| Isana | Human | Rill (water fury) |
| Isana raised Tavi as his aunt, and is also a powerful watercrafter. She also took over Bernardholt, which became Isanaholt under her control, when her brother was made a Count. As a steadholder, she is a Citizen of Alera while on her land, and harbors an obvious dislike of the First Lord, though he made her a symbol of his power. During Academ's Fury, she attends Wintersend to warn Gaius about the Vord threat in the capital and in the Calderon Valley. Unable to gain an audience with the First Lord, who is secretly stuck in a coma, she turns to Lady Aquitaine to save her family, pledging her allegiance to Aquitaine as long as they protect her family. In "Cursor's Fury", she manages a dangerous watercrafting to save Fade from death, which reveals to the reader that Tavi is actually her son with the Princeps, and thus heir to the throne. During the events of Captain's Fury she is revealed to be much stronger now than she was in previous books, healing with the skill of one of the High Lady's. No explanation has been given for her increase in power although it may have something to do with the Princeps willing her more power or with her letting go of the past or of her own fear. | ||
| Kitai | Marat | metal,fire,water,earth,air;all internalized |
| Kitai is the daughter of Doroga, the head of the Marat, and Tavi's love interest. Tavi saved Kitai's life during their trial before "The One" in the Wax Forest, and the two have been bound ever since. She is sent to the capital of Alera, Alera Imperia, to Watch Tavi and the humans, and also to track the Vord who followed Tavi's scent to the capital. Stealing for food and clothing, she is known as the "Black Cat," a thief infamous for circumvention of furycrafting. Tavi tracks down the "Black Cat" to free Max from the Grey Tower. After their reunion, Kitai and Tavi work together to warn the Citadel of the Vord and protect Gaius from the Taken Canim. She is currently the ambassador of the Marat to Alera, a position created by Tavi to gain her entrance into the Citadel. During Cursor's Fury, the nature of her bond to Tavi is explored, giving Tavi greater resilience, reflexes, and strength (similar to a Marat). The final pages of Cursor's Fury also indicate that she has developed the ability to furycraft via her bond with Tavi. | ||
| Antillar Maximus | Human | ALL Specific references to Androcles-Water fury though he is a strong metal and wind crafter |
| Antillar, usually referred to as "Max," is the bastard son of Lord Antillus Raucus and one of the strongest young furycrafters in Alera. Like Tavi, he trained to be a Cursor, and uses his watercrafting to impersonate the First Lord after he falls ill in Academ's Fury. When Brencis attacks Tavi, Max is nearly killed and imprisoned in the Grey Tower. After he is rescued by Tavi and Kitai, he returns to the Citadel, where he impersonates Gaius during the Vord attack. Later, in Cursor's Fury, he assists Tavi in his disguise as a legionnaire officer. | ||
Minor characters
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