Acacia: The War with the Mein
Encyclopedia
Acacia: The War with the Mein is a 2007 novel by American author David Anthony Durham
. It marks his first foray into epic fantasy, although the novel shares some characteristics of his other works such as the historical novel
, Pride of Carthage
.
It has been optioned for adaptation as a feature film by Relativity Media, with Michael De Luca to produce and Andrew Grant to write the screenplay.
Acacia: The War with the Mein has been translated into French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and has been published in the United Kingdom.
sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while other enemies unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to their separate destiny. His children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire–this time on the basis of universal freedom.
The novel is notable for the complexity of Durham's imagined world, one in which political, economic, mythological and morally ambiguous forces all influence the fates of the ethnically and culturally diverse population. In some ways the novel uses familiar fantasy frameworks, but over the course of the novel many fantasy tropes are overturned or skewed in surprising ways. It is a fairly self-contained tale, but the author is at work on more volumes set in this world.
David Anthony Durham
David Anthony Durham is an American novelist, author of historical fiction and fantasy.Durham's first novel, Gabriel's Story, centered on African American settlers in the American West. Walk Through Darkness followed a runaway slave during the tense times leading up to the American Civil War...
. It marks his first foray into epic fantasy, although the novel shares some characteristics of his other works such as the historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
, Pride of Carthage
Pride of Carthage
Pride of Carthage is a 2005 a novel about the Second Punic War by American author David Anthony Durham. It was first published by Doubleday, in the United States, 2005...
.
It has been optioned for adaptation as a feature film by Relativity Media, with Michael De Luca to produce and Andrew Grant to write the screenplay.
Acacia: The War with the Mein has been translated into French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and has been published in the United Kingdom.
Plot summary
Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, has inherited generations of apparent peace and prosperity, won ages ago by his ancestors. A widower of high intelligence, he presides over an empire called Acacia, after the idyllic island from which he rules. He dotes on his four children and hides from them the dark realities of traffic in drugs and human lives on which their prosperity depends. He hopes that he might change this, but powerful forces stand in his way. A deadly assassinAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while other enemies unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to their separate destiny. His children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire–this time on the basis of universal freedom.
The novel is notable for the complexity of Durham's imagined world, one in which political, economic, mythological and morally ambiguous forces all influence the fates of the ethnically and culturally diverse population. In some ways the novel uses familiar fantasy frameworks, but over the course of the novel many fantasy tropes are overturned or skewed in surprising ways. It is a fairly self-contained tale, but the author is at work on more volumes set in this world.
Awards and honors
- Winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer of Science Fiction and Fantasy
- One of Kirkus ReviewsKirkus ReviewsKirkus Reviews is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus . Kirkus serves the book and literary trade sector, including libraries, publishers, literary and film agents, film and TV producers and booksellers. Kirkus Reviews is published on the first and 15th of each month...
Ten Best Works of Fiction in 2007 - One of Publishers WeeklyPublishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
s Best Books of 2007 - Nominated for a Romantic Times 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award
- A Fantasy Magazine Recommended Fantasy Read of 2007
External links
- Official website
- Washington Post Review
- Entertainment Weekly Review
- Strange Horizons Review
- Baker's Dozen interview
- John Scalzi Interview at FicletsFicletsFiclets is a non-commercial AOL community website dedicated to publishing and archiving ficlets, which are similar to flash fiction. It was founded on October 31, 2006 by Kevin Lawver, though it did not become fully operational until early to mid-March 2007. On June 6, 2008, Lawver severed his...