Hey Robert,

So you mentioned that Jim Butcher who writes the Dresden Files also wrote a book about the Roman Legion and Pokemon. After that conversation, I went to my library website and politely asked for them to send me the audio book.

Title: Furies of Calderon
Series: Codex Alera; Book 1
Author: Jim Butcher
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Teen
ROTS Setting: Iron age, elemental magic, UU
Synopsis: For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies – elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal. But now, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, grows old and lacks an heir. Ambitious High Lords plot and maneuver to place their Houses in positions of power, and a war of succession looms on the horizon.” “Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans’ most savage enemy – the Marat – return to the Valley, he will discover that his destiny is much greater than he could ever imagine.” Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave named Amara. But she is actually a spy for Gaius Sextus, sent to the Valley to gather intelligence on traitors to the Crown, who may be in league with the barbaric Marat horde. And when the Valley erupts in chaos – when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies – Amara will find Tavi’s courage and resourcefulness to be a power greater than any fury – one that could turn the tides of war. -Synopsis from Goodreads
Recommendation: This is such a cool idea I love it. It is a late teen book. There is way too much gore for it to be for the same age of kids that Pokemon is marketed to. WARNING: There are some strong themes of sexual assault and rape in this book.

Wow. I am so impressed that this came out of Pokemon and the Roman legion. Yeah, Pokemon are now Furies and you don’t go catching them all or trading them. Really they are the source of your magic. So, for example, Isana is a watercrafter her fury is one of water. She can control water, do healings and all that kind of thing. While Bernard has an earth fury who lets him move big rocks and makes him physically stronger. Lastly, Amara is a windcrafter her wind/air fury lets Amara be really fast and see at a distance. But Amara will never be a watercrafter or a firecrafter or anything like that. Her magic is tied to her fury.

Ok, I’m gonna confess something here. I am not a huge fan of the Roman legion or that Roman age as a whole. Yeah, I know Butcher made a big wide world full of details and back story. But I just didn’t care. Also, all the Roman names made things hard to keep track of.

The story though…..that was crazy. You never knew if your favorite pov character was about to die or worse get raped on the pages. Death destruction and the fall of the empire were always just a choice away. It left me on the edge of my seat and I was driving!

I hope you chose to read this one in the near future.

     Jared

Links

• Jim Butcher Official Website