Acacia: The War with the Mein

The book revolves around four royal children as they try to manage the massive kingdom their ancestors have created. We meet the children in the middle of a lesson, where the youngest princess asks the tutor "why is Acacia always in the center of the map?". Her siblings answer that is it because Acacia is the only country of importance while the tutor tries, unheard, to explain the equal validity of others. Then the king is assassinated and the children secreted away to those other countries.

To be blunt? The entire series makes you feel like the poor tutor. Even after the empire begins to collapse and is taken over by a country that has been cursed and subjugated by their own for generations. Worse, you find out that even the local show more citizens are controlled by drugs and live in slavery. All this and at least one of them doesn't grow out of that same superiority complex.

Overall, the book is like watching a train wreck. Good writing and world building, but you really start to hate the characters. show less

Me, 50% of the way through: This epic fantasy is trying interesting things in making the drug trade the foundation of an empire and having the usurper Mein not much better than the deposed Acacians, except for how the Mein cut deals for other groups’ support that worsen conditions of oppression that we only hear about and don’t see. It’s also really neat to see fantasy where the characters seem mostly African- or Asian-derived, including the POV characters, and the whitest group is the barbarian Numrek. But I just don’t like anybody. Me, 80% of the way through: I really like what he’s doing with the exiled former ruling family! I can’t wait to see what happens! Me, 95% of the way through: Argh! Why did he hand one of the show more most interesting characters the stupid stick, in a way everyone in the text acknowledges is stupid, and contradicts decisions made a few short pages ago, in order to get to the next big plot point? Why did he then have another interesting character “just know” something that causes her arc to swerve wildly? He at least tries to explain the latter, but only in a way that destroys her agency. [personal profile] astolat suggested that he was too interested in the plot developments he decided should happen to deal with the characters he’d set up, and that feels right. If you like palace intrigue and don’t mind one stunning instance of plot-mandated idiocy, then you might enjoy this book/series, but I'm done. show less

When it comes to fantasy, I often wonder if writers these days are paid by the pound. Glancing over the spines of the novels in the sci-fi and fantasy section at the bookstore or library, it certainly seems that way. I often wonder if the word "epic" should be translated "book so big you can hurt someone if you dropped it on them from the top of a flight of stairs."

There are a lot of writers who fall into the category of epic being little more than an excuse to have a huge page count and to give readers a severe case of cramps holding the book. Terry Goodkind is the most obvious culprit to me, though I've heard Robert Jordan can be the same (I've not read any Jordan and have no plans to in the near future). But then you've got an show more author like George R.R. Martin who embraces the term and delivers book that are, for lack of a better term, truly epic, packed with character and world building and a narrative thrust that keeps moving forward and rarely devolves into extended navel gazing.

Somewhere in between those two extremes of Goodkind and Martin is "Acacia," a story that advertises itself as an epic fantasy and certainly has the page count to back-up it up. David Anthony Durham has previously written some historical novels. The attention to detail and creating an authentic sense of time and place is both an asset and a detriment to "Acacia." Durham's attention to detail and world-building is admirable, when its being done right, but there are times when it brings the entire story to a halt and gets a bit tedious. A lot of these are in the first 200 or so pages as Durham has to laboriously put pieces into place so he can give us the payoff in the next two thirds of the book. It makes the novel difficult to wade into.

Durham's world is an intriguing enough one with various political factions vying for power. Several factions have controlled the world of "Acacia" at various times, each one working to build alliance and overthrow the other for as long as time can recall. It's an old struggle and it's not one that is going to end any time soon. One interesting aspect is the idea that each ruler comes into power with lofty dreams of changing the system of rule only to find the system is far too entrenched to make such radical changes without destroying their grasp on power and the world as it is.

In the universe of "Acacia," the ruling family rules with the help of a hired naval fleet and an interesting pact. Each year, the party in power provides a quota of slaves in return for the continued co-existence with another faction of might and a drug that keeps the rest of the populace sedated and in line. This deal with the devil as it were keeps the status quo and allows the in-fighting amongst factions as each one goes into and out of power. There are different names and personalities to things, but each ruler realizes that this is the system and it's going to take more than political capital and intestinal fortitude to change things they have or are willing to sacrifice.

Durham is clearly trying to follow the example of Martin with a sprawling cast of characters, many of whom you'll like and then dislike and then like again as the story goes along. He's also willing to make sure that no one is safe in the story, giving the story a bit more gravity than other fantasy offerings where you know that certain characters won't die or change too much in the course of the novel or series.

But at close to 800 pages, this is only the opening round of the story. The cover proclaims this is to be a trilogy and while I liked the world here, I'm still not sure I'm anxious to jump into the next book. "Acacia" doesn't resolve everything and is the opening act for a larger tapestry. Whether or not I'll continue the journey remains to be seen. show less

When I was asked to review this book, I was less than enthusiastic. I’ve been reading genre fiction for a long time, and there are things I’d decided I was done with. Topping that list was “High Fantasy Quest Novels,” followed almost immediately by “Book 1 of a Brand New Series” (with a special amount of “done” leftover for “Book 1’s in Excess of 500 Pages”). Still, the book was sent to me by someone I trust, so I decided to give it a go.

She always was the smart one.

David Anthony Durham has pulled off something remarkable: a huge, sprawling epic that manages to weave together history, politics, intrigue and thunderous action scenes without ever losing track of the multitudes of finely-drawn characters.

The detail show more that Durham lavishes on his world is impressive, and it grounds you firmly in this land. The author’s previous work as an historical novelist is clear in the care he takes with the backgrounds of the various kingdoms. We learn about myths, religious practices, courting practices, ruling philosophies, and day to day living for a number of different peoples. The truly amazing thing is that this wealth of detail is all germane to the main action of the story, and that, with a few exceptions, the story doesn’t grind to a halt while we’re getting the background info.

That said, this is book one of a series, which means that there’s a great deal of setup for a payoff that, although sensible, seems a bit too abrupt. Or maybe that’s just my impatience; this is only book one, after all. I’m sure I’ll get the payoff I want eventually, but I want it now!

Much closer to George R.R. Martin than J.R.R. Tolkien, Acacia has wonders in store both for those who love epic fantasy and for those who think it’s old hat. Once you visit, you’ll be as giddy as I am that there are more chapters still to come (and as grumpy as I am that they’re not out yet). show less

I have only liked 3 fantasy series so far: RR Martin's Song of Fire and Ice ,Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea saga and Robin Hobb's Farseer saga. I do NOT like things like Jordan's Wheel of Time or even Tolkien. I did not like Raymond Feist's Empire Trilogy, although, at least I finished it. But I thought Acacia was very good and well written; I liked the characters and I liked the gradations of good and evil which reminded me of RR Martin.

With this book the author leaves behind his historical novels and begins a foray into fantasy. And, as fantasy novels go, this one is excellent. There are several detailed characters, a fascinating world with its own varied history full of legends and hidden secrets, and numerous surprises in store for the reader. Acacia is the name of an empire ruled for generations by the Akaran dynasty, currently headed by Leodan Akaran. The rulers live on an island of the same name known for its many acacia trees. But from the very beginning you know that Leodan's days as ruler are numbered. A people known as the Mein, long ago banished to the icy northern climate, have sent an assassin and are amassing for war. Leodan's four young children are show more successfully spirited away in the ensuing conflict. The children, two sons and two daughters, each go on to live wildly different lives since the start of the war. It's all very interesting and engrossing reading. Woven into the story are themes of slavery, oppression, a sinister drug trade, and the Akarans own revisionist history. It's exciting and fascinating to see how events unfold, especially in the last two thirds of the book. This is the first of a planned trilogy and I am eagerly awaiting the next book. One of the best fantasies I've come across in years. According the author's blog, "Acacia has been put into early production to be a feature film by Relativity Media and Michael De Luca Productions. The screenwriter Andrew Grant is at work on the film adaption now." Cool! show less

Had David chopped this sucker down, cutting much of the slow buildup, this would have been a much bigger impact. The world-building is top notch - I loved the idea the Creator's song was stolen by man, and this theft corrupted the word and the world and the Creator in his sadness left it behind.