Cursor's Fury is the 3rd book in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series(more commonly known as "Butcher's other fantasy series") The CA series is a rarity for me in that, while I like coming of age fantasy series I generally only tolerate(Eragon) or like well enough but prefer other cast members(Harry) to the main character. However, off the top of my head, the only other character besides CA's Tavi I flat out love is Twelve Kingdoms' Yoko(now, in both cases, neither is QUITE my favorite, but I'm extremely attached to both) The CA series is set in a world where everyone bonds with furies(essentially, elementals) and as a result, works magic to the point where the entire society(loosely based on ancient roman society) depends on it. Except for Tavi, who has no furies at all. The thing about Tavi is that he's not "special" he's "abnormal"...Tavi having to live without furies is the equivalent of our being deaf, mute or blind. He is lacking in something that others consider to be crucial to daily life(pleae note that I'm not saying being deaf muteor blind makes one abnormal, just that that's what Tavi is in his world). Tavi isn't the kid with special abilities and a destiny to save the world, he's a civilian in a world of superheroes. To compensate, Tavi has to learn to think one step ahead of everyone...the only thing he has to compensate for his lack of furies is his brains. He's not supersmart or inherently clever, but he learns to be clever, and to survive. One other thing about Tavi is that, unlike other "coming of age heroes" who get coddled or praised when being naive or immature(*waves to Eragon*) when he acts immature or naive, he gets called on it. Why? Because if he's not and he goes around acting like that, he's going to get himself or someone else killed. (The fact that he has an awesome OTP to keep him in line helps) He doesn't get his hand held and magic companions or weapons or powers given to him, he has to rise to the occassion and get things done with nothing but himself and whatever loyalty he manages to inspire.
The first two books have Tavi pretty much accidentally saving the realm and becoming page to the first lord and a soldier in training. Cursor's Fury, I understand, came about because Butcher took up a bet someone made with him that a fantasy novel about the Roman Legions couldn't be good(he won by a long shot) so his locks got shorn and the First Lord shipped him off to what was SUPPOSED to be well aware from the battlefronts in disguise as a low ranking officer for safety(not that it works out that way)
Also read Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, her first young adult book and(as far as I know) her first standalone book. I'm actually not quite sure why it's marketyed as YA. The characters are in the same age group as the characters in her regular fantasy books, and like her other books, the story is drenched in the society and cultural of the period, as well as the local folklore and mythology. Granted, the plot isn't as complex as the plots are in her other books, but those are A) longer and B) parts of series. The plot is, though, much more complex than what I generally associate with YA fiction(though I guess Harry Potter is changing that) and there are elements to it that I'm not sure most teens would uderstand. I rather think she wrote it then it got marketted as YA. The book itself is loosely based on two fairy tales: The Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince.(with nods to others)
Cursor's Fury is the 3rd book in Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series(more commonly known as "Butcher's other fantasy series") The CA series is a rarity for me in that, while I like coming of age fantasy series I generally only tolerate(Eragon) or like well enough but prefer other cast members(Harry) to the main character. However, off the top of my head, the only other character besides CA's Tavi I flat out love is Twelve Kingdoms' Yoko(now, in both cases, neither is QUITE my favorite, but I'm extremely attached to both) The CA series is set in a world where everyone bonds with furies(essentially, elementals) and as a result, works magic to the point where the entire society(loosely based on ancient roman society) depends on it. Except for Tavi, who has no furies at all. The thing about Tavi is that he's not "special" he's "abnormal"...Tavi having to live without furies is the equivalent of our being deaf, mute or blind. He is lacking in something that others consider to be crucial to daily life(pleae note that I'm not saying being deaf muteor blind makes one abnormal, just that that's what Tavi is in his world). Tavi isn't the kid with special abilities and a destiny to save the world, he's a civilian in a world of superheroes. To compensate, Tavi has to learn to think one step ahead of everyone...the only thing he has to compensate for his lack of furies is his brains. He's not supersmart or inherently clever, but he learns to be clever, and to survive. One other thing about Tavi is that, unlike other "coming of age heroes" who get coddled or praised when being naive or immature(*waves to Eragon*) when he acts immature or naive, he gets called on it. Why? Because if he's not and he goes around acting like that, he's going to get himself or someone else killed. (The fact that he has an awesome OTP to keep him in line helps) He doesn't get his hand held and magic companions or weapons or powers given to him, he has to rise to the occassion and get things done with nothing but himself and whatever loyalty he manages to inspire.
The first two books have Tavi pretty much accidentally saving the realm and becoming page to the first lord and a soldier in training. Cursor's Fury, I understand, came about because Butcher took up a bet someone made with him that a fantasy novel about the Roman Legions couldn't be good(he won by a long shot) so his locks got shorn and the First Lord shipped him off to what was SUPPOSED to be well aware from the battlefronts in disguise as a low ranking officer for safety(not that it works out that way)
Also read Juliet Marillier's Wildwood Dancing, her first young adult book and(as far as I know) her first standalone book. I'm actually not quite sure why it's marketyed as YA. The characters are in the same age group as the characters in her regular fantasy books, and like her other books, the story is drenched in the society and cultural of the period, as well as the local folklore and mythology. Granted, the plot isn't as complex as the plots are in her other books, but those are A) longer and B) parts of series. The plot is, though, much more complex than what I generally associate with YA fiction(though I guess Harry Potter is changing that) and there are elements to it that I'm not sure most teens would uderstand. I rather think she wrote it then it got marketted as YA. The book itself is loosely based on two fairy tales: The Dancing Princesses and The Frog Prince.(with nods to others)
Zombie Powder Vol 3 by Tite Kubo-It makes me sad that there's only one volume left...at least it should wrap up the current storyline. Friendship in this book is defined rather like it is in Samurai Deeper Kyo, ie-"I don't have friends, I have people around me who might be just as good as I am and we claim that one day we're going to fight to the death but really, we'll find an excuse not to. Oh, and if you're some poor soul we dragged along for the ride, then it's your own fault if you can't keep up and we won't save you if you get in trouble(but really, if you can't get out of it we will...we'll just have a good excuse for why it's not really the reason)" Seriously screwed up manga characters are just about the best thing ever.
Negima Vol 13 by Ken Akamatsu-Part of me says "finally, the school tournament is over!" and the other part says "aww, the school tournament is over..." I really enjoyed it and would love more, but I'm also ready to get back to the main storyline(rather like the chunin exams in Naruto, except those lasted an eternity...a fun eternity, but an eternity) It was nice to finally meet Nagi properly, and I hope Kun:El plans to hang around for a while.
Platinum Garden Vol 3 by Maki Fujita: Again, slightly sadistic spawn of Fruits Basket and It Started With A Kiss. With evil relatives. And insane would-be-fiancees. And near-shipper friends.
Rose Hip Zero Vol 2 by Tohru Fujisawa-Ok, Kasumi is absurdly cute. I mean, I should not be watching the girl strap on guns and a lot of ammo should not make me go "awww...cute." I generally avoid shoot-em-up mangas, but I quite like this one. It needed more of Kido, though.
Threads of Time Vol 9 by Mi Young Noh-Increasingly better and better. Though, I really need to stop liking Sali Tayi so much...I know I tend to like the messed up guys, but I think he's beyond that. Since this book comes out once in a blue moon, and thus, I talk about it about that often, Threads of Time is about a modern boy who is(apparently) the reincarnation of a 13th century Korean general's son...the twin sister of the general's son pulls him into the past to take revenge on the mongols who destroyed their family(the twins have been catatonic since they were children, so the reincarnation-or time displaced soul-we don't really know which yet-version was the only option) There, he falls in love with a mongol princess(who's unwillingly engaged to Sali Tayi, the general who murdered their parents, among other things) gets EXTREMELY unwillingly drafted into the mongol army, escapes, and is currently busy building an army of peasants(or at least trying to keep them alive for a bit) The first couple volumes are a bit confusing because of the time jumps(until you reread it) but it's an excellent read.
Faeries Landing Vol 15 by You Hyun-And so ends(sadly) the(quite good, if long) trip to the past. For Ceres fans think of Ceres's backstory...if Ceres's daughter grew up thinking her parents had a fairy tale life then learning the truth through her mother's eyes. And Oran...rrrr...rrrr...you were already on my bad list for what you've been doing to Fanta all this time, but...it's not bad enough you named your son Pain so that neither of you would forget he was the product of rape, but you erase your daughter's memories and then tell your son to never forget all the horrible things he's seen, not because you think it'll protect him, but because you want someone else to share your suffering(YOUR SIX YEAR OLD SON!!!!!!) and you tell him to remember even if he has to brand it all over his face...grrr...No wonder poor Pain is so messed up *cuddles him even though she's not the type he prefers to be hugged by*
Zombie Powder Vol 3 by Tite Kubo-It makes me sad that there's only one volume left...at least it should wrap up the current storyline. Friendship in this book is defined rather like it is in Samurai Deeper Kyo, ie-"I don't have friends, I have people around me who might be just as good as I am and we claim that one day we're going to fight to the death but really, we'll find an excuse not to. Oh, and if you're some poor soul we dragged along for the ride, then it's your own fault if you can't keep up and we won't save you if you get in trouble(but really, if you can't get out of it we will...we'll just have a good excuse for why it's not really the reason)" Seriously screwed up manga characters are just about the best thing ever.
Negima Vol 13 by Ken Akamatsu-Part of me says "finally, the school tournament is over!" and the other part says "aww, the school tournament is over..." I really enjoyed it and would love more, but I'm also ready to get back to the main storyline(rather like the chunin exams in Naruto, except those lasted an eternity...a fun eternity, but an eternity) It was nice to finally meet Nagi properly, and I hope Kun:El plans to hang around for a while.
Platinum Garden Vol 3 by Maki Fujita: Again, slightly sadistic spawn of Fruits Basket and It Started With A Kiss. With evil relatives. And insane would-be-fiancees. And near-shipper friends.
Rose Hip Zero Vol 2 by Tohru Fujisawa-Ok, Kasumi is absurdly cute. I mean, I should not be watching the girl strap on guns and a lot of ammo should not make me go "awww...cute." I generally avoid shoot-em-up mangas, but I quite like this one. It needed more of Kido, though.
Threads of Time Vol 9 by Mi Young Noh-Increasingly better and better. Though, I really need to stop liking Sali Tayi so much...I know I tend to like the messed up guys, but I think he's beyond that. Since this book comes out once in a blue moon, and thus, I talk about it about that often, Threads of Time is about a modern boy who is(apparently) the reincarnation of a 13th century Korean general's son...the twin sister of the general's son pulls him into the past to take revenge on the mongols who destroyed their family(the twins have been catatonic since they were children, so the reincarnation-or time displaced soul-we don't really know which yet-version was the only option) There, he falls in love with a mongol princess(who's unwillingly engaged to Sali Tayi, the general who murdered their parents, among other things) gets EXTREMELY unwillingly drafted into the mongol army, escapes, and is currently busy building an army of peasants(or at least trying to keep them alive for a bit) The first couple volumes are a bit confusing because of the time jumps(until you reread it) but it's an excellent read.
Faeries Landing Vol 15 by You Hyun-And so ends(sadly) the(quite good, if long) trip to the past. For Ceres fans think of Ceres's backstory...if Ceres's daughter grew up thinking her parents had a fairy tale life then learning the truth through her mother's eyes. And Oran...rrrr...rrrr...you were already on my bad list for what you've been doing to Fanta all this time, but...it's not bad enough you named your son Pain so that neither of you would forget he was the product of rape, but you erase your daughter's memories and then tell your son to never forget all the horrible things he's seen, not because you think it'll protect him, but because you want someone else to share your suffering(YOUR SIX YEAR OLD SON!!!!!!) and you tell him to remember even if he has to brand it all over his face...grrr...No wonder poor Pain is so messed up *cuddles him even though she's not the type he prefers to be hugged by*
42) Raven’s Strike by Patricia Briggs
43) Bleach Vol 17 by Tite Kubo
44) The Assassin’s Touch by Laura John Rowland
45) Moonshine by Rob Thurman
46) Vagabond Vol 24 by Takehiko Inoue
47) Death Note Vol 10 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
48) Black Cat Vol 7 by Kentaro Yabuki
49) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
50) Skip-Beat Vol 5 by Yoshiki Nakamura
51) ES: Eternal Sabbath Vol 4 by Fuyumi Soryo
52) The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood by Susan Wittig Albert
53) Mushishi Vol 1 by Yuki Urushibara
54) The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono
55) Zombie Powder Vol 3 by Tite Kubo
56) Negima Vol 13 by Ken Akamatsu
57) Platinum Garden Vol 3 by Maki Fujita
58) Rose Hip Zero Vol 2 by Tohru Fujisawa
59) Threads of Time Vol 9 by Mi Young Noh
60) Cursors Fury by Jim Butcher
61) Faeries Landing Vol 15 by You Hyun
62) Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Links:
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/215625.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/217412.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/218473.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/218827.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/220155.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/220340.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/222049.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/224604.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/224868.html
42) Raven’s Strike by Patricia Briggs
43) Bleach Vol 17 by Tite Kubo
44) The Assassin’s Touch by Laura John Rowland
45) Moonshine by Rob Thurman
46) Vagabond Vol 24 by Takehiko Inoue
47) Death Note Vol 10 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
48) Black Cat Vol 7 by Kentaro Yabuki
49) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
50) Skip-Beat Vol 5 by Yoshiki Nakamura
51) ES: Eternal Sabbath Vol 4 by Fuyumi Soryo
52) The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood by Susan Wittig Albert
53) Mushishi Vol 1 by Yuki Urushibara
54) The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono
55) Zombie Powder Vol 3 by Tite Kubo
56) Negima Vol 13 by Ken Akamatsu
57) Platinum Garden Vol 3 by Maki Fujita
58) Rose Hip Zero Vol 2 by Tohru Fujisawa
59) Threads of Time Vol 9 by Mi Young Noh
60) Cursors Fury by Jim Butcher
61) Faeries Landing Vol 15 by You Hyun
62) Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Links:
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/215625.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/217412.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/218473.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/218827.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/220155.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/220340.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/222049.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/224604.html
http://meganbmoore.livejournal.com/224868.html
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