The Sacred Band: Book Three of the Acacia Trilogy [Hardcover]

"Sacred Band" is the third and final installment in David Anthony Durham's "Acacia" Trilogy, as well as the best book of the three. Although not perfect, Durham improves upon the characters fleshed out so well in the second book, fixes some of the issues that were present in the first and second novels, and decisively concludes the story with emotional impact.

The book picks off not very long after the ending of "The Other Lands", with a narrative centered around the Akarian siblings. The Auldek are marching north and west to the Known World, with the intent of destroying its inhabitants for the sake of finding death and rebirth. Corrin Akaran, the Queen of the Acacian Empire and an increasingly powerful sorceress, plans to stop them - and to do so, she wields her magic in a way that I can't reveal because of the spoiler risk. Mena Akaran, her younger sister and great warrior, leads an army northward into the heartland of their ancient enemy (the Mein) to prepare for battle. Across the sea in the "Other Lands", Dariel Akarian is led westward to meet his destiny - and a fate that will re-shape the lives of the slaves left behind by the Auldek. Interspersed with these character arcs are a plethora of minor character stories, ranging from the traitor Rialus, to the scheming Leagueman Sire Dagon.

One of the issues with the previous installments of this series was Durham's tendency to lapse into his "omniscient historian narrator" voice, whereupon he would go into detail about the setting even when it didn't fit with the character point-of-view knowledge, or harmed the pacing. This is largely rectified in "Sacred Band", and use of the "exposition narrator" voice is fortunately limited. This helps in getting more emotionally involved with the characters, and there are many emotional moments in "Sacred Band" (particularly in the "Corrin" storyline).

The strength of the story continues to be in its major characters, and none more so than Corrin Akaran. She is wonderfully fleshed out and developed even further than in "Other Lands", and continues to defy convenient descriptions of "good" or "bad". She is ambitious, cunning, manipulative, and often close-minded . . . but also a devoted mother, ruler, and leader who learns from her mistakes, feels bad for the sins she has committed, and ultimately makes a great sacrifice for the sake of her children and her country. Although Mena and Dariel are strong characters in their own right, Corrin really stands above both of them in her complexity, emotional impact, and depth. Hers was by-and-far away the section most likely to bring me near tears.

That said, the novel does have some weaknesses. The minor characters are much more of a mixed bag when it comes to quality and impact. Sire Dogan was fascinating (mostly because he's fleshed out and humanized beyond our initial "scheming Leagueman" impression), but others characters, such as Melio, left me cold. The proliferation of minor characters also tends to be problematic when it comes to pacing - you find yourself following one storyline intently, only to suddenly be forced into reading through several disconnected view-point chapters in succession. Some authors can pull the story off with a huge cast (such as George RR Martin), but it doesn't quite work out perfectly in Durham's novel.

Another issue that I have with the book is that it really feels like less of a "character"-driven story than "Other Lands". The greater plot in "Other Lands" was almost entirely driven by the bad (and good) decisions of the characters, but "Sacred Band" feels much more "plot"-driven. The story arcs of Mena, Dariel, and Corrin are largely driven by outside plot elements, such as major events that happen to them. Of course, this is obviously a very subjective view, and you may prefer the plot-driven story.

My final concern with the book lies in the ending. While it's somewhat surprising and often quite emotional (particularly concerning a character whose name would be a major spoiler), it also feels very "pat". It's a little too neat in how all the loose ends are tied up for the best outcome (although to be fair, this was foreshadowed occasionally). This is particularly noticeable near the end, when some of the actions and capabilities of the main characters come perilously close to "out of nowhere" abilities.

All those issues aside, I found it to be a very solid book. It was addictive to read, and often quite emotional. I strongly recommend it for readers of the earlier books in the trilogy, and the trilogy itself for readers looking for an excellent fantasy series.

Here you go, fantasy fans... Durham has created an absolutely awesome story that is the best I've read in years! I really can't say much more than what's already been said by both professional critics and fellow readers - other than this: take note, THIS SERIES IS FINISHED! Yes, a beginning, middle and ending, unlike others (i.e. Song of Ice and Fire... hell, my life - or more likely his - may be over before George R.R. Martin finishes up with this and I'll never know the conclusion. Which is why I won't even start it in spite of rave reviews.)

Dig into this one knowing that the quality is top-notch and there *will* be a conclusion! Thanks again, David Anthony Durham - anything else you write will be at the top of my reading list.

The most pleasant surprise about The Other Lands, the previous book in the ACACIA trilogy by David Anthony Durham, was that it broadened the scope of the series tremendously. Ushen Brae, the setting for a large part of the action in that book, proved to be a complex and interesting place, with its non-human Auldek tribes, several strata of human Quota slaves (from a warrior caste to an organized "Free People" resistance movement), the mostly extinct Lothan Aklun race, and a rich and fascinating history. The Sacred Band doesn't expand the series' fantasy world to the same extent as The Other Lands did, although it does reveal some inland areas of Ushen Brae that were previously unseen. Rather than expanding the world, The Sacred Band instead builds on what came before, reveals a few new and interesting details, and brings the various plot lines to a satisfying conclusion that, at the same time, leaves the door open for possible future stories set in this world.

As The Other Lands ended, the Known World seemed poised on the brink of climactic change. Queen Corinn's magic had grown stronger and stronger, culminating in the shocking resurrection of her brother Aliver. The newly freed Santoth were on their way north, claiming that Corinn's magic posed a threat to the world. The League of Vessels still had its claws in various plots, despite the failure of its Ushen Brae gambit. Mena had been given a task that seemed impossible and borderline suicidal: halt or at least slow the advance of the Auldek, who were marching across the frozen north with a huge army to invade the Acacian empire. And Dariel was still in Ushen Brae with the Free People, who thought he might be their savior, the Rhuin Fá.

Does The Sacred Band bring all of these threads to a satisfactory conclusion? Yes, with the caveat that your level of satisfaction with this series closer will depend on how sensitive you are to the issues that plagued the previous books. My chief complaint is still that David Anthony Durham occasionally relies on highly improbable coincidences and surprise revelations to advance his plot. I'm staying intentionally vague to avoid spoilers here, but in The Sacred Band there's one major instance where an (up to that point) unknown ability miraculously and completely turns the tide. It's really a shame that an otherwise well-written and original fantasy series has to resort to this, because it tarnishes its many positive aspects.

Aside from this, The Sacred Band is easily the strongest novel in the trilogy. By now, both the characters and the fantasy world have acquired a surprising amount of depth. On the Acacian side, there's a melancholy atmosphere throughout the early parts of the book, as characters lead their lives with the knowledge that their world is about to change drastically. If they felt that they were more or less in control in the last book, they now become more and more aware of how untenable the situation really is. Meanwhile, the Auldek army is advancing, and their chapters reveal a few more surprising sides to the Auldek culture. And as the various plots advance, we also learn more details about the League of Vessels, who continue to play a complex game, and about the Free People and their history. All through the novel, Durham advances the plot while still occasionally revealing new layers of his fantasy world.

In the end, The Sacred Band is a rewarding book because it shows some of its major characters finding their destinies in ways that have considerably more resonance than anything that came before in the series. I think it's safe to say that, if you've been following these characters' story arcs with interest, you'll be surprised, occasionally shocked, and ultimately satisfied with the way their stories come to an end. This trilogy started out with characters that were little more than templates, but puts them through so many changes and evolutions that, by the end, they've become unrecognizable and infinitely more interesting.

Looking back, I feel that the ACACIA trilogy has steadily been getting better as it progressed. Acacia: The War with the Mein had an uninspired start, but improved significantly after the end of its first section. The Other Lands added a whole new dimension to the fantasy world and continued to grow and evolve the characters in surprising ways. And as I hoped and expected, The Sacred Band continues this trajectory and delivers a worthy finale that more than makes up for some of the bumps along the way. If you enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, this is practically a must-read.