melsocool's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book and will continue on with the series but Butcher could use some work on writing romantic relationships and using them effectively. I felt rather annoyed with any romantic entanglings as they felt forced and awkward.
klambson's review against another edition
4.0
Solid epic fantasy with a big world, a lot of characters, and an interesting magic system. Ain't nothing wrong with that.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
4.0
A very formulaic and familiar high fantasy adventure. Reminds me of the books of my childhood. We'll see if I get sick of that in the rest of series.
molika04's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read, but it didn't really start to pick up until about halfway through. I'll be reading the rest of the series, for sure!
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
2.0
My husband and I did a video discussion of this book as part of our "He Read, She Read" web series.
Click here to watch.
Click here to watch.
observer_1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nedge's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
marynolanpleckham's review against another edition
4.0
Trying a different series by an author I love. This book was way too long, and the world building was about 70-80% there, but didn't fully make sense. There's a decent number of characters to keep track of making it a little bit cumbersome. However, a fun story and I'll likely pick up the next in the series.
madamgreene's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
ikon_biotin_jungle_lumen's review against another edition
DNF.
TW for SA. I am ANGRY about this book, even weeks after putting it down.
I don't give star rating for books I don't finish, but this would score an easy 0 from me. I was FURIOUS at this book and increasingly horrified at the content until quitting near the 60% mark. (My DNF ratio is about 1 in 100, for reference.) Boring, one-dimensional characters. Lazy tropes. Backward moral tone. 'Noble savage' racism. You might say "I suppose that can be overlooked. Fantasy in the 80s was all pretty awful." Except, "Furies" was published in *2004.*
I'm willing to accept the possibility that Jim Butcher has come a long way since 2004. The only book of JB's I have for comparison, "The Aeronaut's Windlass" (p. 2014) is just fine. But "Furies" set off every creep alarm I have. Before I bailed around the 60% mark, there were more references to and descriptions of sexual assault than in my top 15 Fantasy books *combined.* And the protagonist of this book is a non-magical teen boy so the tired empowerment/revenge justification doesn't hold.
Fantasy is a genre for exploring stories beyond the bounds of the real world, including the laws of thermodynamics and civil society. A lot of Fantasy content is obscene and offensive, and many people respond by writing off the genre entirely. I'm an avid fantasy fan with broad context for this evaluation, and I consider "Furies" an inexcusable example of reckless and even deliberately gratuitous sexual violence. Detailed descriptions of adult women with magically immature bodies? Magic-assisted sexual torture and violence against said women? Not to mention the abrupt scene change from rape to a relationship between an injured 23/yo apprentice magic user masquerading as a slave and... a powerful landowner twice her age. (Surprise, the situation is also a rape fantasy.)
Beyond that, the writing for every female character, with one exception, is full of casual sexism. Women are objectified within seconds of being introduced. Female bodies are described with incredibly creepy language, frequently being compared to children's bodies. What the fuck, Jim? Women's conversations fail the Bechdel test and are filled with petty fights over men's attention, and one discussion of SA too disturbing for me to write.
Some argue that the Fantasy genre is a designated safe space for exploring societal taboos, SA included. After all, they say, the characters aren't real so what happens to them doesn't matter, right? I do not agree with that position. Social responsibility is important, and "Furies" is an example of gross irresponsibility with the freedom afforded to the genre.
TW for SA. I am ANGRY about this book, even weeks after putting it down.
I don't give star rating for books I don't finish, but this would score an easy 0 from me. I was FURIOUS at this book and increasingly horrified at the content until quitting near the 60% mark. (My DNF ratio is about 1 in 100, for reference.) Boring, one-dimensional characters. Lazy tropes. Backward moral tone. 'Noble savage' racism. You might say "I suppose that can be overlooked. Fantasy in the 80s was all pretty awful." Except, "Furies" was published in *2004.*
I'm willing to accept the possibility that Jim Butcher has come a long way since 2004. The only book of JB's I have for comparison, "The Aeronaut's Windlass" (p. 2014) is just fine. But "Furies" set off every creep alarm I have. Before I bailed around the 60% mark, there were more references to and descriptions of sexual assault than in my top 15 Fantasy books *combined.* And the protagonist of this book is a non-magical teen boy so the tired empowerment/revenge justification doesn't hold.
Fantasy is a genre for exploring stories beyond the bounds of the real world, including the laws of thermodynamics and civil society. A lot of Fantasy content is obscene and offensive, and many people respond by writing off the genre entirely. I'm an avid fantasy fan with broad context for this evaluation, and I consider "Furies" an inexcusable example of reckless and even deliberately gratuitous sexual violence. Detailed descriptions of adult women with magically immature bodies? Magic-assisted sexual torture and violence against said women? Not to mention the abrupt scene change from rape to a relationship between an injured 23/yo apprentice magic user masquerading as a slave and... a powerful landowner twice her age. (Surprise, the situation is also a rape fantasy.)
Beyond that, the writing for every female character, with one exception, is full of casual sexism. Women are objectified within seconds of being introduced. Female bodies are described with incredibly creepy language, frequently being compared to children's bodies. What the fuck, Jim? Women's conversations fail the Bechdel test and are filled with petty fights over men's attention, and one discussion of SA too disturbing for me to write.
Some argue that the Fantasy genre is a designated safe space for exploring societal taboos, SA included. After all, they say, the characters aren't real so what happens to them doesn't matter, right? I do not agree with that position. Social responsibility is important, and "Furies" is an example of gross irresponsibility with the freedom afforded to the genre.