Princeps' Fury

Butcher's military fantasy series begins its fifth volume as Tavi sails to the land of the Canea on a diplomatic mission. Back home in Alera, the citizens discover that the terrifying Vord have learned to use the elemental spirits called Furies; also, the empires of Cama collide, and ancient enemies must learn cooperation if the people of Alera are to survive. Kate Reading's narration masterfully changes from the deep bass of the Canim to the cool tones of a feminine Fury. When voicing the Vord queens, the narration is appropriately insect-like and rightly instills fear in the listener. Reading never stumbles over pronouncing the unfamiliar terms that populate this fantastic world, and the listener is easily drawn in to the disaster affecting the Princeps and his unlikely allies. R.A. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 27, 2008
The rousing fifth installment of Butcher’s military fantasy cycle (after 2007’s Captain’s Fury
) finds the land of Alera recovering from Lord Kalarus’s rebellion, an invasion by the wolven Canim and a bloody slave revolt. Now a new threat emerges: the all-devouring insectoid Vord, who have learned to control the elemental furies that once protected Alera. Young Tavi of Calderon, recently recognized as the heir to Alera’s throne, fights seasickness and interspecies hostilities escorting the Canim invaders back to their homeland, only to negotiate a fragile alliance with them against the Vord. No less powerful than his intense battle scenes, Butcher’s vivid characterizations, based on ancient Roman Republican ideals, range from duty-honor-country austerity in battle to brilliant peacemaking, noble self-sacrifice and Tavi’s coming-of-age as a wise Marcus Aurelian ruler.