Acacia is about the assasination of King Akaran by the Mein as part of their attempt to overthrow the Empire and to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs. However, King Akaran has long put into place contingencies for his children for such an event. Contingencies that would lead them down the path to maybe relcaim the throne. My one complaint is that somewhere in the last third of the book, it turned into Dune. The story is about redemption and family. There is magic and there are monsters, though far a few between. Magic and monsters are lost in legend, and for the characters in this story, this introduction to this series is more for them than it is for the reader.
Acacia: Book One: The War With the Mein by David Anthony Durham is my third venture into fantasy written by a minority. It took me a while to read this book. Normally, I can finish just about any good sized novel in a week, or maybe two. But this book took me the better part of a month to read. Why? The depth and complexity of the writing is something that I honestly haven’t come across since Lord of the Rings. Don’t think I am saying this is like Lord of the Rings. The only thing they have in common is that they could be considered fantasy. However, Acacia is like the anti-fantasy.
I have read a lot of fantasy, and have at times complained about how they are all the same, or are similar to Lord of the Rings that they aren’t enjoyable. I would say that Durham has gone out of his way to make this book as unlike conventional fantasy as he could. It actually read like a fictionalized version of the fall of some historical empire. Durham seems to be more fascinated with the corruption that underlies a slightly unstable political structure. There are no dwarves, elves, or orcs. The world that Durham builds is filled with differing cultures of people. Its more like a fall of the Roman Empire than anything else. He takes great pains in describing the History of Acacia and the people who live their. He makes you feel like its more important to understand the political environment than the story itself.
I recommed it for those who are avid readers of fantasy.
Posted under Reviews
This post was written by Bedlam on December 12, 2008
