Acacia by David Anthony Durham

Acacia: The War with the Mein, the first book in the Acacia Trilogy by David Anthony Durham, opens with an assassin setting off on a quest to the capital in order to free his people from a harsh conqueror. He travels from the harsh winter of his homeland to the brighter climate of the central part of the Akkadian Empire. This introduction provides a sweeping glance of the sprawling world Durham has created, while introducing the Mein, the race that will form such a key part of the novel.

Acacia is a successful first book in a trilogy. In addition to introducing the Akkadian empire as well as the many other people who inhabit the world, the reader also learns of, the magic system. It is one that remains quite low-key but which still leads to an awe-inspiring scene later in the book. An array of characters are also introduced; all of them interesting, most of them flawed, and a few of them heroic. In this, Durham can certainly be compared to the current king of character driven fantasy, George R.R Martin. From reading Acacia, I would say that he could give Martin a run for his money.

Leodan’s children, the main characters of the book, lives form the spine of the story. Each one of them is different, but each one ended up being a character I came to love. Their father, Leodan, one of my favourite characters, is king of this vast empire, a man who loves his children, but who is involved in a dark and loathsome deal with the devil. Hannish Mein, a character I think everyone can love to hate, is the ruler of the Mein and capable of both great love and great cruelty. His quest to fulfill the desires of his undead ancestors forms a major part of Acacia. It’s not just the characters that are well-written, but the world itself is richly developed. Durham’s earlier historical novels obviously prepared him for the world building he has done in this story, and the history of the Akkadian Empire resonates throughout.

The story itself is told in three parts – the lead-up to Leodan’s assassination and the scattering of his children; the lives of his four children in the years following that assassination; and the gathering of those children with all of the consequences that holds for the empire their father lost. Throughout, Durham plays with the reader’s expectations, leading you down what seems a very familiar road, only to throw a bag over your head, spin you round five times, and then pull the rug out of from under your feet. The surprises might leave you reeling, but they make for an intriguing, exciting novel.

Ultimately, Acacia tells an intriguing story, as well as setting up a fantastic world for further exploration in subsequent books. Durham certainly sets a high bar for the follow-up, The Other Lands. I can’t wait to dive back in.

Release Date: June 27th 2007  Pages: 763  Format: Paperback 
Source: Purchased  Publisher: Random House Buy It: Book Depository

This is a review by Joel. You can find him here on Goodreads or on Twitter @RavenusReader 

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

When I say I don't read a lot of fantasy, that's an understatement. Especially, high fantasy– I can't remember the last one I read. But something about Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, drew me to it, or maybe I was just feeling open-minded. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I did because this is an exciting and amazing novel that has made me wonder if I need to give the genre more of a chance.

Seraphina, named after its main character, is Hartman's young adult fantasy debut but there is nothing novice about it. Everything, from the world-building to the writing to the plot to Seraphina herself, is strong and well-executed.

It's been four decades of peace between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd when Seraphina goes to court as musicial assistant. She's just in time for the murder of a member of the royal family; which appears to have been done by dragons. Dragons themselves can fold into human shape, but are usually forced to wear bells to distinguish themselves. And nothing can hide their silver blood.

As the celebration marking the fortieth year of the treaty approaches, Seraphina has her own reasons for wanting the peace between dragons and humans to be maintained. For one, she grew up with a dragon tutor who works as a scholar. Seraphina joins Prince Lucian in the search to finds out what's really going on– but as they come closer to the truth she has to work harder than ever to keep him, and the rest of the world, from knowing her own secret. One that could cost her her life.  

Filled with delicious tension and riveting twists, there's really nothing to critique about Seraphina. I love that it tells such a complete and rich story on its own that I wasn't even sure it was a part of a series until the end. Like I said, it's not a genre I'm familiar with but from what I know these are some original and exciting dragons. The political tension between the dragons and the humans is riveting, and it can easily reflect some of what goes on in the real world between different racial, religious, or other cultural groups. The only difference is, the dragons do really have all the power in Seraphina, they are the strong ones, but the rest of the world seems to have dangerously forgotten it.

Prince Lucian was also a wonderfully well-developed and intriguing character. He's a bastard who never knew his parents, and that gives him a unique connection with Seraphina whose mother died in childbirth. I loved his honesty and his sensitive side, and felt like him and Seraphina were perfectly matched. The only problem was, he was already promised to another– Seraphina's friend and student, Princess Glisselda. Glisselda was also great, she had so much spunk and it was a perfect contrast to how serious Seraphina could be at times. On the surface they seem to have nothing in common, which makes the development and believability of their friendship all the more interesting.  

Even though Seraphina is outside of what I usually read, I'm so incredibly glad I picked up this high fantasy debut by the talented Canadian author Rachel Hartman who combines sharp writing, a clever plot, and a rich cast of characters for an exciting and intense story. I definitely can't wait to pick up book two!  

Release Date: July 10th 2012  Pages: 464  Format: Hardcover 
Source: Publisher Publisher: Random House Canada  Buy It: Book Depository