Last year I mentioned a gem of a fantasy novel, Acacia: The War With the Mein. At the time, the author, David Anthony Durham, planned for it to be a trilogy. Now, the second book, “The Other Lands: Book 2 of the Acacia Trilogy,” is out, just as promised. I know that not everyone is a fan of royalty and dragons, treachery and magic, but for those who are, Durham does it right.

Picking up nine years after the first book left off, Queen Corinn Akaran, the daughter of the previously assassinated king, rules Acacia with more force and politics than her siblings and the citizens prefer. Her political wrangling leaves the reader wondering if even the most well-intentioned ruler will eventually be forced to make some tough decisions. Hardened by her years in rule and facing an increasingly unhappy citizenry, Corinn begins to use magic to cling to her power. She’s even more motivated now that she has a 9 year-old son to whom to pass her crown.

As the middle of a trilogy, a lot of this book is dedicated to providing information and history about the people of Acacia. For those who read the first book, you’ll be glad to learn a lot more about the Quota, the Gray Slopes and the League. But this isn’t just a filler book that sets up the final installment. It’s got its own signature events. Like the first book, the Akaran siblings all have their own adventures: Mena battles a dragon, Dariel gets captured and Aliver’s memory lives on in Talay with a twist.

For me, the mark of good fantasy is for the characters to be multidimensional and the plot to be unpredictable. I also have to buy into the magic. Check, check and check.

There’s no question that Durham can write. I have it from a reliable source that his other novels “A Walk Through Darkness” and “Gabriel’s Story” are both great novels, as well as his historical work of fiction that I’ve mentioned before, “Pride of Carthage.”

— CAITLIN