FURIES OF CALDERON, BY JIM BUTCHER, continued

I finished the entire series in page-leaping gulps. Tavi's voyage from apprentice shepherd to something entirely different is breath-taking. I especially like the fourth book, CAPTAIN'S FURY, where he fights epic battles with the Canim, a warrior wolf-like species. Being Tavi, he uses his clever brain and imagination at least as much as military power. In CF story lines coalesce and mysteries are revealed in a very satisfying manner. And there's a lot of Kitai, a Marat girl close to Tavi who is always amused by his culture. Her derisive "Alerans" is very close to Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan's "Barrayarans" whenever Cordelias's annoyed by Barrayar's military mind-set. The last book, FIRST LORD's FURY, had so many battles fought that I began skimming, but it's still hugely satisfying. I was skeptical of this series at the outset, but now I'm a fervent fan. This more than makes up for BUTCHER's knee-capping CHANGES, the most recent DRESDEN FILES offering.