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Published Oct 2011
576 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
With the first two books in the Acacia Trilogy, Acacia and The Other Lands, David Anthony Durham has created a vast and engrossing canvas of a world in turmoil, where the surviving children of a royal dynasty are on a quest to realize their fates - and perhaps right ancient wrongs once and for all. As The Sacred Band begins, one of them, Queen Corinn, bestrides the world as a result of her mastery of spells found in the ancient Book of Elenet. Her younger brother, Dariel, has been sent on a perilous mission to the Other Lands, while her sister, Mena, travels to the far north to confront an invasion of the feared race of the Auldek. Their separate trajectories will converge in a series of world-shaping, earth-shattering battles, all rendered with vividly imagined detail and in heroic scale.
David Anthony Durham concludes his tale of kingdoms in collision in an exciting fashion. His fictional world is at once realistic and fantastic, informed with an eloquent and distinctively Shakespearean sensibility.
"Starred Review. A smooth plot, Corinn's well-developed character, and Durham's stellar prose and rich imagination will have many traditional fantasy fans hoping for future books set in this turbulent world." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Durham's pages are full of thrilling action that would do Tolkien proud." - Kirkus
"Strong writing, intriguing characters, and a richly detailed background... make this fantasy epic a winner for those who enjoy large-scale fantasy along the lines of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series." - Library Journal
"Provides the best of both worlds: epic world-changing conflict and touching character-centered story. What else could you possibly want?" - Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Wise Man's Fear
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gudrun Johnston
David Anthony Durham (born 1969) is an American novelist, author of historical fiction and fantasy. The child of parents of Caribbean ancestry, he grew up in Maryland. He has also lived in the United Kingdom and France, where he wrote his first novel.
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. Pride of Carthage focused on Hannibal Barca of Ancient Carthage and his war with the Roman Republic.
He has won two awards from the American Library Association, and his novels have been translated into eight foreign languages. Gabriel's Story, Walk Through Darkness and Acacia: The War with the Mein are all in development as feature films....
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to David Anthony Durham's Website
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