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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Richly Imagined Characters and World, July 10, 2007
Will Durant said: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within". It was true of Rome and is equally true of David Anthony Durham's mythical land of Accia.
'Acacia' is Durham's first professional trip into the world of fantasy...and what a trip it is. The story follows the lives of four royal children raised by a father that has insulated them from all the darkness in the world. The Empire is built upon slavery and trade in a highly addictive opiate called Mist. The children see none of this and are spoonfed idealistic stories about the nobility of their family line and the Divine right by which their family rules. Their idealistic, loving but deeply flawed father is eventually assassinated in a successful attempt at overthrowing the dynasty that has been in place for generations.
Each of the Akaron Children is secreted to different corners of the Empire where they develop new skills and more importantly, new perceptions of the world that once had been theirs to rule. The lessons here are numerous. Good and evil are a shell game; concepts that become more and more "muddy" as each of the children sees the beauty as well as the darkness in cultures not their own. These newly developed abilities, perceptions and allies may collectively return them to power, but more importantly, balance a world filled with inequaties (much like our own). Moral pitfalls fill this novel and it becomes clear how difficult it is to juggle idealism and the power to transform those ideals into reality.
This is the 'Heroes Journey' in true Joseph Campbell fashion. Filled with political meanings and starkly human motivations, 'Acacia' could very well join Frank Herbert's 'Dune' as one of the most influential novels in Fantasy/Science Fiction. The book is fleshed out by Durham's mastery of the language and one cannot help but compare this book favorably to George R.R. Martin's Fire and Ice series. Like Martin, Durham is not afraid to create a fantasy world with real grit and meaning. There are many lessons for our time in this book and it's easy to tell that Durham's previous novels were historical in nature and it's difficult not to draw parallels between the current state of affairs in the world and this story.
This is a dynamite novel (in any genre) and if Durham is able to hold true to his vision in the future 'Acacia' books this is well on it's way to becoming classic literature. I can hardly wait for book two!
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47 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great start, woeful middle, who knows about the end, June 28, 2007
I agree a lot with M. Borchelt's review. However I have to say the first third of this book was the best first third of a book I've read in a long long time. Great action, wonderful character development, excellent details that help the reader visualize scenes and conversations in ways that other authors haven't touched.
With such a deep knowledge of human character then, how could the book degenerate into such pap? Every one of the four main characters who were written so insightfully as children become cardboard cutouts of various comic book/fantasy/romance characters by the end of the second third of the book. By that point, any cliffhangers become meaningless because I was truly hoping he would kill them off and start over.
By the last third, even the (mostly) well-written villains become automotons.
The plot has similar problems. It advances well and quickly in the first third of the book, begins faltering in the second third, and then becomes just a repetition of the same formula by the third piece. At this point each chapter becomes almost the same in format. It starts with few pages discussing where the plot is, maybe drawing some history into it, or else just focusing on a vapid character's obsessive and/or meandering thoughts, then it proceeds to the expected piece of action or dialog that shoves the plot onto the next step.
The action in the first third of the book is exquisite. It's realistically written, hard-edged to the point that when one fairly ludicrous fight comes along (man vs giant) I was swept right along with it and believed it.
By the middle third the action is humdrum; people severing limbs with sabers, for instance, or one person taking on four and not receiving a scratch. A main character trains in sword-work and becomes a master in weeks (if not days ... it's hard to tell how he advances time). Things like that completely sever my suspension of disbelief.
This book had so much potential.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sophisticated, Complex, Gritty, Epic Fantasy, August 11, 2007
For those who like their epic fantasy more along the gritty lines of George R. R. Martin's Fire and Ice series, this is highly recommended. Set in a diverse, highly realized world and chock full of political, economic, cultural and social conflicts, written with great sophistication and complexity, it enriches the basic story of a flawed by wise king who is assassinated, leaving his four children to deal with treachery and plots and a ruthless enemy, the Mein, who seem to almost walk over the Acacians, who have ruled for centuries.
Nine years later and the four children have survived, despite all odds. One is captive of the Mein, ruled by Hanish, now the Emperor of Acacia. The others have grown up, scattered to the far parts of the diverse Empire, which rules the Known World. A daunting task is before them. Can they fight back against the Meins, who have seemingly taken over the running of the Empire with few problems and have had nine years to entrench their position? Should they? The Mein have powerful allies. They have had a long grievance against the rulers of Acacia, who have wronged them and others and have held power through slavery and trade in narcotics. However, the Mein haven't changed anything, they have simply replaced one set of rulers for another. In the spirit of their dead father, the remaining siblings don't want to simply regain their power, but to remake Acacia for the better.
Nothing, though, is black and white. To regain power, they may have to ally themselves with sorcerers who have been exiled by Acacian forebears at the beginnings of their history--sorcerers whose intent may be good but whose power is warped and evil. Meanwhile, the Mein, while not changing things for the better, are certainly no worse than the old regime. Yet one of their goals is to spill the blood of the Acacian heirs in order to bring back their ancestors who are hungry spirits desiring nothing but bloody vengeance.
Amidst battles and bloodshed, dark sorcery, dangerous rites of passage, sea raids and battles, tribal battles for leadership, strange gods and goddesses, plots and treachery, the four heirs and a myriad of secondary characters live and fight and love... Empires rise and fall... and in the Unknown Lands, plots and kingdoms stir, affecting Acacia. The first book is long and meaty and covers more than enough to be satisfying on its own. Knowing that this is the first book of a series is almost overwhelming, but still very welcome
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