Codex Alera is one of THE best epic fantasy series I've ever read. Thank you, Jim, for bringing it into the world. The Battle of the Elinarch still gives me breathless chills.
Long time Jim Butcher fan, but I only tuned in to this podcast recently. As I'm currently on book 3 of Red Rising, the last 5 minutes of this episode gave me a chuckle. Still can't wait to read (listen to) Jim's series, too!
I loved Codex Alera quite a lot. It was probably the only series where I actually wanted more of the romance. My only gripe is that I would prefer if the series kept focused on the high level intrigue, the women's suffrage subplot and Tavi having to navigate the political turmoil, rather than the Vord come smashing everything down. Butcher made them too damn interesting for me to let it go in favor of a greater threat.
OMG PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER CODEX ALERA NOVEL!!!! Looked like a Marat arc would be great, focusing on Tavi and Kitai's kid maybe. I thought this series was better than Lord of the Tings. I liked how there wasn't excess crap that you didn't need to know about. I've got attention problems, so adding details you don't need is boring and makes me put it down and never pick it up again! Can't for the life of me read Stephen King because of that. It is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read! Maybe do a marketing thing for it like Sanderson did for the secret projects thing.
They don't know Hornblower? Don't know Babylon 5? Not up to speed on Codex Alera? Damn, I feel old. Alera is my favorite of his three series. I devoured them when they first came out. Would love to see him not only continue them, but also explore some of the backstories. We know where the Alerans came from (but not how) but we knew nothing about the from where and how of the other races. And nothing about the why. Was it an accident or did someone like Q put them all there? Jim says a wormhole magnet but I always envisioned it as someone's experiment. I think that Jim could successfully go back in time and revisit Alera in the past and come up with great stories. Doesn't yet need to address post-Tavi.
I've read James Butcher's first book and really enjoyed it. The second one is on my TBR list right now. As soon as i finish the last two Black Company books, it's next
Dammit, now I want more Alera stories... Scratch that, more Alera and Dresden... Cinder Spires still need to grow on me a bit... And the sci-fi, please...
I'm sad I missed this :( I always wanted to ask Jim if there was any chance that Codex Alera and the Dresden Files are in the same universe, just different times/realities. Furycrafting seems like it could eventually devolve to what Dresden knows as magic, without any actual manifestable or controllable furies. Not that I would want a crossover, but it would be cool to think Tavi and Harry are somehow related waaaaaaay distantly.
It's heavily implied that all the groups are from other worlds and got pulled into Carna, so not likely. For example, a book written by Julius Caesar, given to Varg by Tavi, a mention of a single legion arriving in alera, the Marat tales of traveling worlds, etc.
I found this cast very randomly and have been a fan of Codex of Alera for years. This was a very cool update on the series and find the starcraft reference awesome and hilarious! Always did think of the vord croach as zerg creep lol
I'm not gonna lie, Fidelias is one of my favorite redemption characters of any story. He's up there with Prince Zuko with such well done realistic characters that turn into good guys. Edit: also the fact that they thought about having Jim Butcher write for Arcane that blows my mind.
I don't think it's necessarily that Garados and Thana were bordering on insane. They are these huge, elemental beings. They're literal forces of nature, as close to a god as you can get in the Fury-verse. They don't particularly care one way or another about humans, we're ants to them. Garados gets upset when we ants try to crawl up him, but that's about it for most of the series. Garados isn't insane in a way we understand it - he's insane in a way that he doesn't think, feel, or understand as we do, and as such doesn't behave as what we would see as rational. He just wants to be left alone. And then the Vord queen goes and tries to tame him, it just pisses him off. Imagine an ant queen trying to control you!
I met Jim when it was appropriate to be sitting on my parents’ bed while having a phone; I had fun in life working as little as possible, which took me to the highest rated UNESCO labor in civilization history; last time I asked for equivalent degrees from service, I almost got a badge instead for conspiracy theories working for the government. I’m about to start Furies of… again & have had extreme pleasure diving into Jimmy’s world away from cases that were usually only sounded fantasies to anyone else, until I have them heart dropping conversation about the hunches being real, cases like 14 Iron Tower for UK 00 service, or 60 Apocalypses for White House, nice light hearted stuff. Look at Jim’s business profile; 100% criminally insane pedophile hire only from foreign incesticide rings for any safe jobs, & 100% executive UNESCO for any soldiering without even medical - that’s how apocalyptic conflict occurred. Incesticide occurred for hundreds or thousands of stupid infacide reasons, but creativity only occurred because 800 registered legal degreed professionals supported Jim’s American dreams.
I have been a podcast listener for a bit, but I guess the RSS feed changed because I haven't had an episode drop in my podcast feed in 29 weeks. Can I get an updated RSS feed so I can catch up on tour thought for the Codex Alera series?
I feel like it was such a loss when Isana didn't attempt to provide rational comfort to the Queen when the Queen knelt at her pool and felt sad. Also feel like it was such a loss when Tavi executed the queen instead of spent more time with it, getting to know it. Play some ludus, you know. Tavi and Isana brought in the Canim, the Marat, the Icemen... C'mon you know it would've been so interesting to bring in the "defective" queen and then take on the ACTUAL all-rational, "pure" queen across the pond.
Is Jim selling books in paper format again? I want to buy the books again. My eyes can't stand the screens for that long of period of time, nor in bed before sleep.
Codex Alera is one of THE best epic fantasy series I've ever read. Thank you, Jim, for bringing it into the world. The Battle of the Elinarch still gives me breathless chills.
I have read the series through twice.
Thanks for this, great talk with Jim about a series that doesn't get as much love as it should. Now for another read of it...
Codex Alera is one of my favorite series. This series of podcasts has made me happy.
Long time Jim Butcher fan, but I only tuned in to this podcast recently. As I'm currently on book 3 of Red Rising, the last 5 minutes of this episode gave me a chuckle. Still can't wait to read (listen to) Jim's series, too!
Also one of my favorite series. Grateful for this interview. Thank you!
Our pleasure!
I loved Codex Alera quite a lot. It was probably the only series where I actually wanted more of the romance.
My only gripe is that I would prefer if the series kept focused on the high level intrigue, the women's suffrage subplot and Tavi having to navigate the political turmoil, rather than the Vord come smashing everything down. Butcher made them too damn interesting for me to let it go in favor of a greater threat.
OMG PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER CODEX ALERA NOVEL!!!! Looked like a Marat arc would be great, focusing on Tavi and Kitai's kid maybe. I thought this series was better than Lord of the Tings. I liked how there wasn't excess crap that you didn't need to know about. I've got attention problems, so adding details you don't need is boring and makes me put it down and never pick it up again! Can't for the life of me read Stephen King because of that. It is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read! Maybe do a marketing thing for it like Sanderson did for the secret projects thing.
Nice seeing Codex Alera getting some love. :)
They don't know Hornblower? Don't know Babylon 5? Not up to speed on Codex Alera? Damn, I feel old. Alera is my favorite of his three series. I devoured them when they first came out. Would love to see him not only continue them, but also explore some of the backstories. We know where the Alerans came from (but not how) but we knew nothing about the from where and how of the other races. And nothing about the why. Was it an accident or did someone like Q put them all there? Jim says a wormhole magnet but I always envisioned it as someone's experiment. I think that Jim could successfully go back in time and revisit Alera in the past and come up with great stories. Doesn't yet need to address post-Tavi.
We can all agree that humans can be very odd.
This makes me want to reread the series again
I've read James Butcher's first book and really enjoyed it. The second one is on my TBR list right now. As soon as i finish the last two Black Company books, it's next
Dammit, now I want more Alera stories...
Scratch that, more Alera and Dresden... Cinder Spires still need to grow on me a bit...
And the sci-fi, please...
I'm sad I missed this :( I always wanted to ask Jim if there was any chance that Codex Alera and the Dresden Files are in the same universe, just different times/realities. Furycrafting seems like it could eventually devolve to what Dresden knows as magic, without any actual manifestable or controllable furies. Not that I would want a crossover, but it would be cool to think Tavi and Harry are somehow related waaaaaaay distantly.
It's heavily implied that all the groups are from other worlds and got pulled into Carna, so not likely. For example, a book written by Julius Caesar, given to Varg by Tavi, a mention of a single legion arriving in alera, the Marat tales of traveling worlds, etc.
I found this cast very randomly and have been a fan of Codex of Alera for years. This was a very cool update on the series and find the starcraft reference awesome and hilarious! Always did think of the vord croach as zerg creep lol
JIM FTW
I'm not gonna lie, Fidelias is one of my favorite redemption characters of any story. He's up there with Prince Zuko with such well done realistic characters that turn into good guys.
Edit: also the fact that they thought about having Jim Butcher write for Arcane that blows my mind.
I don't think it's necessarily that Garados and Thana were bordering on insane. They are these huge, elemental beings. They're literal forces of nature, as close to a god as you can get in the Fury-verse. They don't particularly care one way or another about humans, we're ants to them. Garados gets upset when we ants try to crawl up him, but that's about it for most of the series. Garados isn't insane in a way we understand it - he's insane in a way that he doesn't think, feel, or understand as we do, and as such doesn't behave as what we would see as rational. He just wants to be left alone.
And then the Vord queen goes and tries to tame him, it just pisses him off. Imagine an ant queen trying to control you!
"Does Spires take place on the same world as Alera?" (Checks picture in _Olympian Affair.)_
Heh. He heh hee. Haaaa... Hooooo boy.
oh my goodness, haven't seen Babylon 5!
I met Jim when it was appropriate to be sitting on my parents’ bed while having a phone; I had fun in life working as little as possible, which took me to the highest rated UNESCO labor in civilization history; last time I asked for equivalent degrees from service, I almost got a badge instead for conspiracy theories working for the government.
I’m about to start Furies of… again & have had extreme pleasure diving into Jimmy’s world away from cases that were usually only sounded fantasies to anyone else, until I have them heart dropping conversation about the hunches being real, cases like 14 Iron Tower for UK 00 service, or 60 Apocalypses for White House, nice light hearted stuff.
Look at Jim’s business profile; 100% criminally insane pedophile hire only from foreign incesticide rings for any safe jobs, & 100% executive UNESCO for any soldiering without even medical - that’s how apocalyptic conflict occurred. Incesticide occurred for hundreds or thousands of stupid infacide reasons, but creativity only occurred because 800 registered legal degreed professionals supported Jim’s American dreams.
I have been a podcast listener for a bit, but I guess the RSS feed changed because I haven't had an episode drop in my podcast feed in 29 weeks. Can I get an updated RSS feed so I can catch up on tour thought for the Codex Alera series?
I feel like it was such a loss when Isana didn't attempt to provide rational comfort to the Queen when the Queen knelt at her pool and felt sad. Also feel like it was such a loss when Tavi executed the queen instead of spent more time with it, getting to know it. Play some ludus, you know. Tavi and Isana brought in the Canim, the Marat, the Icemen... C'mon you know it would've been so interesting to bring in the "defective" queen and then take on the ACTUAL all-rational, "pure" queen across the pond.
did something happen to jims site? only the homepage loads.
Is Jim selling books in paper format again? I want to buy the books again. My eyes can't stand the screens for that long of period of time, nor in bed before sleep.
Have you investigated used book shops or ebay? Might find them there.