Yup! The main character can be annoying at times, but he regularly gets literally or figuratively kicked in the face and/or butt for it by the rest of the cast.
Don't pay cover price. The first book isn't bad, although there are far too many characters who do not die of injuries that would kill any mortal. I got the second book as well because I'm curious to see if the action picks up.
I read the first couple pages of.... the first one. Or something. It read like Anita Blake, with a smug male character. Since there's far too many male protagonists who are smug and annoying, I never bothered with the rest.
I just started it, actually! I've read the Dresden books (all that have been published, that is) and although the Dresden books started off very uneven (brilliant character ideas, brilliant character moments, dry humor, uneven plots and some very predictable characterization AND CONSTANTLY STIFFENING NIPPLES), they've gotten better and better to the point that I was laughing HYSTERICALLY about 40% of the time whilst reading the latest one. (Mmmm. Harry is a hottie. And he loves his cat and dog.)
So I bought the Codex Alera series after someone told me that somewhere therein is the story of a Roman Legionnaire and his Pokemon creature. I'm only a few pages in, so nothing to report yet, which makes this whole comment useless.
HOWEVER. YOU WANT SOME BANG FOR YOUR BUCK FANTASY READING?
The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson has come highly recommended, and I've just started to read it. Thus far, the writing is very strong. I also got the Engineer trilogy by KJ Parker, and I'm told that it's gut-wrenchingly awesome and pulls no punches.
...Wow, I'm useless. When in doubt, point people at Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun if they want a knockout read that's a blend of fantasy, science, and far, far future storytelling. They'll name their children after you in gratitude.
Try it again, hon. The Dresden series is FILLED with strong and totally not annoying female characters. There's Murph, and Susan, and Luccio, and Maeve, and Madb, and Charity, and a whole bevy of totally fun female characters, all of whom are vividly differentiated.
He's actually kind of commentary on that, as Butcher has him regularly get bitten in the butt by it, or have characters *usually women) literally and/or figuratively kick him wherever they feel like for it.
The legend goes that Jim Butcher was inspired to write the Dresden Files after being chastised for complaining about the declining quality of the Anita Blake books.
I'll agree there are some similarities to the first few Blake books, before they became the longest PWPs ever. But seriously, they're so much better, and there's even a few subtle digs at the Anita series, especially at Jean-Claude. I think you would love Karrin Murphy.
Fair enough. I barely made it through the second book, honestly. I only persevered because I'd bought the first six all at once, and was pleasantly surprised at how good they got and how unirritating Harry got once I discovered that he's a gaming and comics geek (Harry makes JLA references!). Also, I love Harry's relationship with Mister (his cat).
Considering that he supposedly wrote Codex Alera because he was told that he couldn't make a fantasy based on Rome and the Roman legions interesting, I wonder what he'll do when he finishes Dresden and CA both, and no one challenges him that he can't write something and sell it.
Maybe they'll appoint a flunky at Roc who's only job is to come up with improbable premises, and then tell Jim Butcher he can't possibly make them interesting.
The second one was where I clued in just how much Butcher loves kicking the ever-loving CRAP out of Harry. Repeatedly and relentlessly. Which is kind of annoying in general, but perversely satisfying because I kinda want to kick the crap out of him myself. Just not that hard. It does tend to make him less smug.
I intend to read more eventually, but needed a break after that one. Especially after being told that, no, the kicking just keeps coming.
He said at Polaris last year that the first Dresden book started out as an attempt to prove that writing a book according to his professor's rules would make it boring and unsaleable. Then it promptly sold.
Whichever of the stories is true and to what degree, he does seem to be largely driven by a very broad contrary streak. I suspect he'll have no difficulty finding something to be contrary to next. Once he's finished with the... I think he said it was twenty planned Dresden books?
I think he's definitely driven by a contrary streak. If you look at both Dresden and Tavi, he seems to deliberately give them certain "normal" traits for fantasy heroes for the express purpose of shooting them down for it. Rather like how everyone tells Tavi to shut up and grow up if he even thinks about and normal young fantasy hero angst, even though, unlike most of them, he actually has some justification for it.
So I know this is late, but um, I had to think about it. See the first couple of Codex Alera books BORED THE CRAP out of me. Seriously. But I stuck with them cause I really do love the Dresdin Files. And then I read book four. And hearted it. I finally felt the action in the novels, and not overwhelmed with people and stuff.
I think though, this might be me. I tend to be a one or two, maybe three narrator person. You get many more points of view then that and I get confused (sometimes there are exceptions) and these books have about 5-6 'main' view points.
So even though I really enjoyed the last one, I kind think it would be nice to have a cheat sheet for it.
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So I bought the Codex Alera series after someone told me that somewhere therein is the story of a Roman Legionnaire and his Pokemon creature. I'm only a few pages in, so nothing to report yet, which makes this whole comment useless.
HOWEVER. YOU WANT SOME BANG FOR YOUR BUCK FANTASY READING?
The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson has come highly recommended, and I've just started to read it. Thus far, the writing is very strong. I also got the Engineer trilogy by KJ Parker, and I'm told that it's gut-wrenchingly awesome and pulls no punches.
...Wow, I'm useless. When in doubt, point people at Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun if they want a knockout read that's a blend of fantasy, science, and far, far future storytelling. They'll name their children after you in gratitude.
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I'll agree there are some similarities to the first few Blake books, before they became the longest PWPs ever. But seriously, they're so much better, and there's even a few subtle digs at the Anita series, especially at Jean-Claude. I think you would love Karrin Murphy.
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I intend to read more eventually, but needed a break after that one. Especially after being told that, no, the kicking just keeps coming.
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Whichever of the stories is true and to what degree, he does seem to be largely driven by a very broad contrary streak. I suspect he'll have no difficulty finding something to be contrary to next. Once he's finished with the... I think he said it was twenty planned Dresden books?
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I think though, this might be me. I tend to be a one or two, maybe three narrator person. You get many more points of view then that and I get confused (sometimes there are exceptions) and these books have about 5-6 'main' view points.
So even though I really enjoyed the last one, I kind think it would be nice to have a cheat sheet for it.