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Border and Furies of Calderon
About a week ago we watched Border, a Swedish film, which probably fits best in the fantasy genre. The film follows Tina, an unattractive woman (apparently about four hours a day in make-up) who works as a customs officer. She is excellent at her job and can spot (smell) the guilty coming into port. However, she is somewhat lonely, clearly enjoying the beautiful Swedish scenery (which is stunning) rather than any other part of her life. Then she meets someone like her. To say anything more would be a spoiler. It's an interesting premise and plays out well. It's about the right length for what it's trying to cover. Whilst some parts skirt on horror, there is little in the way of jump scares (one in the middle only). Recommended if you want to see something different (it has subtitles).
Having found Jim Butcher's Dresden series gripping, I tried his fantasy series (Codex Alera), of which Furies of Calderon is the start. And... it's fine. The book is readable, I liked the characters and I thought it was an interesting premise (essentially the fantasy comes from elements that humans use: "crafting", which is explained from the start). It's about the magic, but also about the politics and the struggle for power (which, admittedly, describes most fantasy series at this point). I probably will read the others. However, I didn't find it addictive in the way that Dresden is. Perhaps because it bounces around rather more viewpoints.
Having found Jim Butcher's Dresden series gripping, I tried his fantasy series (Codex Alera), of which Furies of Calderon is the start. And... it's fine. The book is readable, I liked the characters and I thought it was an interesting premise (essentially the fantasy comes from elements that humans use: "crafting", which is explained from the start). It's about the magic, but also about the politics and the struggle for power (which, admittedly, describes most fantasy series at this point). I probably will read the others. However, I didn't find it addictive in the way that Dresden is. Perhaps because it bounces around rather more viewpoints.