No Furies, Ever?

[Radone]

And his dear old dad, Kalare? The great conspiritor? He could have smashed Tavi (and Max) like a bug and thus sidestepped the whole confrontation with Lady Placida. Tavi couldn't have stopped him, he wouldn't even have been able to detect the incoming crafting. But Kalare too had to stop and rave a while so that the cavalry could show up and save him. Because Tavi could not save himself.

Luck and incompetent enemies. I fear that will be the pattern for the entire series.

Gene

I saw this as well.  Tavi simply cannot make it on his own.  Even in the first scene where Brencis almost drowns him, it is Max who saves him.  Tavi is tough, smart, and reslient, but he's eventually going to need more.  I have faith that the series will only get better, though.  Dresden has.

[Darla]

But in a sense, he is saving himself--by having powerful allies.  And having the intelligence to outwit more powerful foes doesn't mean those foes are idiots.  He's just smarter, because he has to rely only on his wits. 

Compare it to Dresden--Harry's got all kinds of magical muscle, but quite a lot of the time, he's not using it--he's outwitting his opponents. 

Kalare--well, he was more irritated with Brencis for letting a furyless freak get the better of him.  Sure, he could have smashed Tavi like a bug, but he didn't see Tavi as a threat to him, just an annoyance. 

[Mister]

But in a sense, he is saving himself--by having powerful allies.  And having the intelligence to outwit more powerful foes doesn't mean those foes are idiots.  He's just smarter, because he has to rely only on his wits. 

Compare it to Dresden--Harry's got all kinds of magical muscle, but quite a lot of the time, he's not using it--he's outwitting his opponents. 

Kalare--well, he was more irritated with Brencis for letting a furyless freak get the better of him.  Sure, he could have smashed Tavi like a bug, but he didn't see Tavi as a threat to him, just an annoyance. 

I don't see flies as a threat to me but that doesn't mean that I dawdle over swatting them.

And Kalare is an idiot, he used that riverfront warehouse as an assembly point for his bloodcrows even after he knew its security had been compromised. Too stupid to live.

Gene

[tikitikiman]

"I don't see flies as a threat to me but that doesn't mean that I dawdle over swatting them."

Thats a good point, but I don't think that his ranting was overdone, I mean it was well within the limits of a normal rant.

[Kronk]

My take on it is that everyone underestimates Tavi because he doesn't have the strength of the furies that everyone else uses as a crutch.  Tavi has to rely on himself, and the loyalty of the friends that he has made through his openness to new things, sheer spirit, and bravery.  I think that Tavi has succeeded in his endeavors because he is persistent, thinks in differnet ways, and has charisma and diplomatic skills. 

By the way, I'm new here, just found the site today.  The two Codices Alera are my favorites by Jim Butcher.

[neminem]

I'd actually be kind of sad if he did end up with uberpowerful furies - it would seem like a copout. There are a lot of books where the main character has some kind of handicap, and has to find difficult ways of solving problems that normal people would deal with much more trivially, thus making him strong in some way that nobody else is. Every time, near the end, you think the guy is screwed, because there is no way he could possibly get out of situation foo with his handicap, and then, DEUS EX MACHINA! The handicap is cured, and he pwns on everyone. I have a feeling Butcher's too good for this cliche.

On the other hand, it would also make me happy if that were to happen, cliche or no, because Tavi just doesn't deserve going through his whole life without furies. But Tavi's just a character in a book; I'll live.

And no, I don't think all the antagonists have to be stupid. They have to have some reason to not be uberintelligent, but really, since when was the average villain uberintelligent, ever? Someone as scheming as these guys is always a braggart, or underestimates people he considers weaker, or gets angry easily, or etc etc. Nobody's perfect, especially completely evil people. Yeah, I'm being sarcastic, but it's still true enough. I don't see this as a huge issue.

[The Deposed King]

I also really like the Codex Series.  Although I still think that the Dresenden Files are my favorite.

[novium]

I don't think it's a cop out necessarily; good storytellers are like good magicians, in that even though you've seen the same trick performed a hundred times before, they can make it new. That's how you get favorite stories and favorite magic tricks. Otherwise, we'd all get bored unless it was 100 percent original.

Reading these books, something in the back of my mind continues to go, "this is obviously the story of the king of seemingly humble origin" (like an archetype, except for stories)...and yet, I am constantly convinced that it ISN'T that, and thus am surprisingly startled when the story starts hinting back at that archetype again.

[Jon]

I think Tavi's predictament is refreshing. It seems a lot of fantasy novels feature a main character who is physically weak and stumbles across some sort of magic-related power. I can see Tavi going through the entire series without Furies and it being a great series despite or even because of it. It'd be cool if he takes on a position of military leadership.

[Belmonte]

I think that unless Aleran life is changed utterly, he -has- to gain furies eventually.  Even if he becomes a military commander somehow, he won't be able to rule without strong furies due to the way the setting works.  Thus, unless Aquitaine or Kalare or such gain the throne, Tavi -must- gain furies.  Or the setting has to be ripped asunder enough--not just a war, but a basic redefinition of setting thinking--that people are willing to accept a non-furycrafting High Lord.

Especially with Gaius' comments at the end of the second book.