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katieinca's review against another edition
2.0
Joyless.
That's what it boils down to. There's nothing wrong with the writing. Or the world building. Or the character development, for the most part. I really wanted to like this, and it is well done, except for the fact that in 700+ pages I don't once remember smiling, let alone laughing. None of the characters ever makes a real joke - one of them is supposed to be known for his sarcastic wit, and others jeer at misfortune, but that's all we get.
I understand it's a war, the empire falls, yadda yadda. I wasn't expecting Terry Pratchett. But people laugh at funerals. People make jokes in trenches and in their deathbeds. You have to have a little comedy in your tragedy - ask Shakespeare (or George R.R. Martin, or Robin Hobb, or...). Everyone in this book is determined and earnest all the time, and I just don't care what happens to them (I *almost* care about Mena. Almost.)
That's what it boils down to. There's nothing wrong with the writing. Or the world building. Or the character development, for the most part. I really wanted to like this, and it is well done, except for the fact that in 700+ pages I don't once remember smiling, let alone laughing. None of the characters ever makes a real joke - one of them is supposed to be known for his sarcastic wit, and others jeer at misfortune, but that's all we get.
I understand it's a war, the empire falls, yadda yadda. I wasn't expecting Terry Pratchett. But people laugh at funerals. People make jokes in trenches and in their deathbeds. You have to have a little comedy in your tragedy - ask Shakespeare (or George R.R. Martin, or Robin Hobb, or...). Everyone in this book is determined and earnest all the time, and I just don't care what happens to them (I *almost* care about Mena. Almost.)
mrbear's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't exactly bad, it was just unimaginative. All the conflicts were strangely foreign, and all the resolutions felt slightly "Deus Ex Machina". The battles hinged on single days of fighting, after which a side that was "confident it would win" the day before became now "on its last legs". The writing style was generally poor, and the plot with the Lothan Aklun was terrible, largely because they were never even introduced in the book through anything other than rumor.
I may read the next one, because it promises to be more interesting, but this definitely did not excite me.
I may read the next one, because it promises to be more interesting, but this definitely did not excite me.
tani's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this ever since it came out, and now I'm kind of sorry that I put it off for so long. This is epic fantasy that is very much in the style of George R. R. Martin, with a large ensemble cast and a realism that is often depressing, but never boring. I really liked this a lot, and will have to get to the second book a lot sooner than I did the first.
rust_and_sunset's review against another edition
1.0
Infuriatingly paper-thin characterisation, uninspiring world, tediously predictable plot twists, and about three hundred pages longer than it has any right to be.
Tremendous disappointment.
Tremendous disappointment.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book looking for something like The KingKiller Chronicles. It was not AS good, but I made it all the way through, which is saying something, at over 500 pages. I wonder if it should have been itself made into three books as opposed to being the first of a trilogy. I would truly have loved it if I could have spent more time becoming invested in each of the multitude of characters Durham introduced. I liked the changing point of view, but it disrupted the flow I usually feel when I read fantasy and am able to submerge into a new world. While reading the book, I sometimes found myself thinking more about how the writer was writing, than about what was happening in the actual story.
tmwebb3's review against another edition
4.0
Harder to read than it should be. Debating whether to continue series.
oursinculte's review against another edition
4.0
C’est marrant, j’me trimballe les deux premiers tomes d’Acacia depuis pas mal d’années, un cadeau d’un proche sur le conseil d’un vendeur peu scrupuleux qui lui aurait sorti « s’il aime le trône de fer, il faut qu’il lise ça ». Homme de peu de foi, j’ai classé ça dans « mouais, baratin, j’le lirai quand j’aurai le temps, donc jamais ». Résultat, 4 ans plus tard, j’me retrouve à ouvrir le premier tome dans un moment d’égarement, j’ai pas fait exprès, j’vous jure…
Et donc, comme moi vous sentez bien venir la bouse vendue à base de name-dropping éhonté ? Et bien non, je peux donc affirmer qu’il existe un libraire qui sait de quoi il parle dans les sombres allées des magasins France Loisirs. Car effectivement, Acacia de David Anthony Durham se rapproche d’un Game of Thrones qui ne se serait pas noyé dans ses propres coups de théâtre à répétition et intrigues qui partent dans tous les sens. La guerre du Mein, le premier tome de la saga, conte l’histoire des quatre enfants du roi Leodan Akaran, père aimant et roi sage (de prime abord), qui vont se retrouver éparpillés aux 4 coins de l’empire après l’invasion des Meins, peuple « barbare » des contrées du nord.
On va suivre la chute de l’empire et l’exil des héritiers à travers un long livre dont la recette semble déjà connue, on a beaucoup de point communs avec la saga de Mister Martin au premier abord, tout est là, complots, trahisons, action, intrigues de cour, batailles, méchants qui viennent du froid avec des bestioles zarbi, chamanisme chelou… Mais là où le vieux George nous dépeint une histoire où tout le monde est plus ou moins un enfoiré (ce qui a son charme), Durham tape dans l’autre sens. Dans Acacia, aucun personnage ou presque n’est tout à fait pourri, il arrive à nous dévoiler et nous faire comprendre les motivations de chaque peuple, chaque personnage et tisse ainsi une intrigue solide où les rancœurs remontent à l’histoire lointaine mais où chacun à des motivations légitimes et bien exposées. Même Hanish Mein, leader de l’envahisseur sans pitié, se révèle plus complexe et nuancé.
A la sortie de ce premier tome très solide, on finit à la fois attaché aux personnages, proche d’eux, mais on a également une vision limpide des jeux de pouvoirs et des enjeux de chaque peuple et de chaque protagoniste et c’est là le gros point fort du roman : l’équilibre. Tout n’est pas follement original, certaines thématiques sont bien réchauffées, mais la cohérence de l’ensemble m’a surpris. Certains éléments et thèmes sont quand même traités avec originalité et justesse, comme l’esclavage, le commerce de drogue, la soumission des peuples et l’exercice du pouvoir.
En bref, si vous en avez marre d’attendre la suite du trône de fer, achetez donc Acacia, c’est aussi bien, et ça se traine pas depuis 15 ans.
Lire la critique sur mon site
Et donc, comme moi vous sentez bien venir la bouse vendue à base de name-dropping éhonté ? Et bien non, je peux donc affirmer qu’il existe un libraire qui sait de quoi il parle dans les sombres allées des magasins France Loisirs. Car effectivement, Acacia de David Anthony Durham se rapproche d’un Game of Thrones qui ne se serait pas noyé dans ses propres coups de théâtre à répétition et intrigues qui partent dans tous les sens. La guerre du Mein, le premier tome de la saga, conte l’histoire des quatre enfants du roi Leodan Akaran, père aimant et roi sage (de prime abord), qui vont se retrouver éparpillés aux 4 coins de l’empire après l’invasion des Meins, peuple « barbare » des contrées du nord.
On va suivre la chute de l’empire et l’exil des héritiers à travers un long livre dont la recette semble déjà connue, on a beaucoup de point communs avec la saga de Mister Martin au premier abord, tout est là, complots, trahisons, action, intrigues de cour, batailles, méchants qui viennent du froid avec des bestioles zarbi, chamanisme chelou… Mais là où le vieux George nous dépeint une histoire où tout le monde est plus ou moins un enfoiré (ce qui a son charme), Durham tape dans l’autre sens. Dans Acacia, aucun personnage ou presque n’est tout à fait pourri, il arrive à nous dévoiler et nous faire comprendre les motivations de chaque peuple, chaque personnage et tisse ainsi une intrigue solide où les rancœurs remontent à l’histoire lointaine mais où chacun à des motivations légitimes et bien exposées. Même Hanish Mein, leader de l’envahisseur sans pitié, se révèle plus complexe et nuancé.
A la sortie de ce premier tome très solide, on finit à la fois attaché aux personnages, proche d’eux, mais on a également une vision limpide des jeux de pouvoirs et des enjeux de chaque peuple et de chaque protagoniste et c’est là le gros point fort du roman : l’équilibre. Tout n’est pas follement original, certaines thématiques sont bien réchauffées, mais la cohérence de l’ensemble m’a surpris. Certains éléments et thèmes sont quand même traités avec originalité et justesse, comme l’esclavage, le commerce de drogue, la soumission des peuples et l’exercice du pouvoir.
En bref, si vous en avez marre d’attendre la suite du trône de fer, achetez donc Acacia, c’est aussi bien, et ça se traine pas depuis 15 ans.
Lire la critique sur mon site
dolnick's review against another edition
5.0
In short, this book is very comparable to Game of Thrones. It has a huge list of characters to get to know and is told from a multitude of perspectives. It is keen on demonstrating that everyone has their own motivations for the things they do and that the line between good and evil is not as defined as we like to think. In terms of the latter, the book likes to remind us that, as far as the villains usually see it, they are the ones who are good and the ones who have been wrong. This is the book's strongest element; that we are given their perspective as well as the "heroes", which allows us to (actually) relate to the bad guys. No character is some cut-out stereotype. The "bad guys" are not classic villains trying to rule the world. They are a race and a people who have been wronged by the good guys, who are - in turn - revealed to be not such great people themselves. This is very similar to how Game of Thrones handles things, BUT I actually found the characters within this book more interesting than in its GoT counterpart. The sudden jump to nearly a decade into the future during the middle of the book was actually a great tool implemented by Durham and really helped with the evolution of the main characters, who all drastically changed with the passing of time. The Akaran children become really interesting, unique figures because of this jump; they all have their own perspectives and ideals, often creating differing opinions and experiences of the same event. The "villain" Meins, as said, are also great in this same way. I love when the bad guys are compelling and relatable in their own right. I look forward to seeing the world Durham has created expanding further within the second book of the trilogy and the continued evolution of the remaining characters.
calamity_mary's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
Seems unfair that I give this the same rating that I gave to War and Peace, however one must remenber that this rating refers to enjoyability and not quality per se. At least this is how I see it.
That said, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I haven't read a epic fantasy book in a while and this felt like a breath of fresh air. I liked the storyline and the way this world - moraly speaking -was not black and white but almost completly gray. For the most part, you won't find a classic hero or villain type, just people being people. It's the kind of story that illustrates almost perfectly why there's such sayings as "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".
On the other hand there was some weak points. Some character's felt flat, some things just went along a bit too perfectly and some decisions where just blatently stupid, sudden and obviously put in there as plot devices. I also didn't like how even though the world of Acacia is not our own some objects and language were lifted from things we would most probably only hear or see in "our" Earth. I know I sould give examples but I always neglectto take proper note of these things.
Overall though, it's a triology I want to finish and it has me intrigued enough to want to find out about the next developments in Acacia.
Seems unfair that I give this the same rating that I gave to War and Peace, however one must remenber that this rating refers to enjoyability and not quality per se. At least this is how I see it.
That said, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I haven't read a epic fantasy book in a while and this felt like a breath of fresh air. I liked the storyline and the way this world - moraly speaking -was not black and white but almost completly gray. For the most part, you won't find a classic hero or villain type, just people being people. It's the kind of story that illustrates almost perfectly why there's such sayings as "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".
On the other hand there was some weak points. Some character's felt flat, some things just went along a bit too perfectly and some decisions where just blatently stupid, sudden and obviously put in there as plot devices. I also didn't like how even though the world of Acacia is not our own some objects and language were lifted from things we would most probably only hear or see in "our" Earth. I know I sould give examples but I always neglectto take proper note of these things.
Overall though, it's a triology I want to finish and it has me intrigued enough to want to find out about the next developments in Acacia.