Acacia: Book One: The War with the Mein

by David Anthony Durham

Book Overview

"David Anthony Durham has serious chops. I can't wait to read whatever he writes next.--George R. R. Martin Welcome to Acacia . . . Born into generations of prosperity, the four royal children of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385506066
• ISBN13: 9780385506069
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 2.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Terrific start to a new epic fantasy trilogy

This is a welcome addition to the genre of fantasy/sci fi that creates an entire world and transports the reader there. The characters are rich and sophisticated, the plot intricate but following an arc, and the book wraps up its story within itself while still (apparently) laying the foundation for the next books. Characters are complex: you love aspects of the evils ones and hate aspects of the good ones. PLOT SPOILER TO A VERY LIMITED EXTENT: And any character can die, which makes the plot suspenseful. A really fine debut. I look forward to the next installment.

Requiem for an Empire--David Anthony Durham's Acacia

Acacia is a fierce, tour-de-force of epic fantasy, in the grand tradition of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Kingdoms war and empires fall in a monumental chess game, but there are no pawns here--the players are knights, rogues and royals, coal-shovelers who become heroes, and leaders of powerful drug cartels that fuel the engines of war. This is not the white-washed world of traditional fantasy, with its Anglo-Saxon longings for a mythical golden age. The power of Acacia lies not only in its realistic characters, but in the cultural tapestry that Durham has woven. The kingdoms which are variously allied, controlled, and seek the destruction of the Acacian Empire, are racially diverse, and each culture is beautifully rendered with unique customs, religions, rituals and distinctive motivations. The role of women in these cultures is equally diverse. Rarely has epic fantasy given us so many strong, believable, female characters. It's refreshing to see men and women fighting together, not as an anomaly, but as a given. And woe to the reader who falls in love with Durham's characters, as you are guaranteed to do as you immerse yourself in this world, because as in real life, death can come for anyone. There are epic battles, pirate wars, Byzantine intrigues that would send Dan Brown running for cover. Wise readers, like the characters of Acacia, will be forced into a "trust no one" mentality. You won't find noble Elves here, and no jolly Hobbits, but you will find men and women who are moral conundrums, self-conflicted, often heroic, sometimes cruel and cowardly, but all with inner lives as rich and contradictory as human nature. The twilight of the Acacian Empire, also serves as a metaphor for the American Dream, and Durham shows that beneath the hope, heroism, and fantasy lies a nightmare. He knows his history, and shines a stark light on themes of imperialism, globalization, slavery, exploitation of indigenous peoples, germ warfare, "ethnic cleansing," drug abuse and the drug economy. This gives the novel a level of realism rarely seen in fantasy. It is less escapism than political polemic, last seen so expertly realized in Frank Herbert's Dune, where the Spice economy served as a metaphor for the politics of Oil. When we grieve for the Acacians, we grieve for our own sins, and when we root for the heroes, we are rooting for the noblest and best parts of ourselves, the parts that seek justice and believe in the limitless potential for good. Acacia's greatest success is that it does far more than entertain, it challenges us to re-examine our own history, and fight the real demons of our age. R.J. Crowther Jr.

Richly Imagined Characters and World

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!

ACACIA holds a vast and fully developed world

Leodan Akaran is the 22nd Akaran lord to preside over an era of peace. The citizens of his empire, Acacia, are pawns and don't even know it. They are subjugated and sold to obtain a drug that keeps the people from realizing their own fate. On the backs of their own drugged and enslaved souls does the kingdom prosper. Until the arrival of Thasren Mein. Long ago exiled to the ice-swept north, the Mein have prepared, schemed and waited. In a myriad of guises, Thasren makes his way into Acacia and strikes the killing blow, assassinating Leodan while the Mein support with savage assaults all throughout the kingdom. But Leodan has already put another plan into effect, one that will see his children safely away, scattered to the four corners of the world. Each of them will be with a solitary advisor or guardian. Hidden from the Mein, Leodan hopes that his four heirs will find a way to seek each other out and combine their collected knowledge into a successful bid at salvation for all of Acacia. In ACACIA, author David Anthony Durham has created a fantastic world presented in exquisite fashion. This is a world with little in the way of magic, so you need not fear wizards running rampant with awe-inspiring power. Its main focus is more on what we perceive as common problems --- slavery and drug addiction. Granted, the use of pacifying agents to lull the people into foul deeds is nothing new in the world of science fiction/fantasy, but Durham uses it in a fabulous way, and it makes for a strange juxtaposition that a king who would endorse and encourage what could be perceived only as an evil act is at the same time a compassionate and kind man. Where Durham also succeeds is in keeping the line between good and evil a very stark gray. Hanish Mein, the older brother of the assassin and the lord of the Mein, is far and away the most interesting and intriguing character in ACACIA. This is no bad-guy-for-bad-guy's-sake stock villain; he is intelligent and charming, and sometimes it's difficult to see him as a true enemy. Much of what is found is very symbolic of our own tempestuous world, where even those we tend to see as bad, when shown in the proper light, are working for their own perceived good. Durham does not play the reader for a fool. He prefers not to spell everything out for you and leaves some of the mystery in the telling, dropping you into the story rather than you just reading it. An example of this is when he recounts the journeys of the four children of Akran. As they begin, Durham does not tell you "this is Dariel's tale" or "this is Corinn's tale." You learn who you're following as the events unfold. ACACIA holds a vast and fully developed world, one that readers will get to know. Thankfully, two more volumes will be releasing in the future. It is a world worth visiting and a land worth exploring, and Durham is more than capable of weaving the story and telling it to you. Intrigue, suspense, adventure. What more could you ask for? -

Stunning! One of my best reads to date!

David Anthony Durham steps into the fantasy realm for the first time with both feet firmly planted. The picture he paints in the readers eye of Acacia is marvelous. The Akaran Empire, built on money, slavery, and war, is extremely well planned. The Empire is hated by most other nations of people because of what they rule...The World. The Mein are a civilization that was bannished many generations past and want to be known in the world again. With the placement of an assassin into the Akaran world, this plunges the Akaran family into hiding, each going separate ways and leading different lives. This is one novel you don't want to miss.