Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer | Billy Burgess

I was very impressed by this book, reading it in only two nights. The author, John Royce, has beautifully written a wonderful epic that combines fantasy with history, a mix between Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings and The Time Machine. He uses his great knowledge of the history of horses to give us the first adventure of the Legend of the Great Horse. The dialogue and descriptions are cleverly written to entertain and educate both young adults and adults.

The main character is a teenager named Meagan, and she is a horse lover. Being an animal lover myself, I was instantly connected to her. You are hooked within the first few pages, as Meagan loses a loved one and gains a new friend, a palomino foal that she names Promise. But Promise isn’t like other horses, she is the Great Horse – a fallen angel from the time of Adam & Eve. Due to financial reasons, the Foal is sent to live on a pasture until she is old enough to be ridden.

During this time, Meagan meets the mysterious Mrs. Bridgestone. Mrs. Bridgestone tells Meagan about the legend of the great horse and that she believes Promise is the great horse. Mrs. Bridgestone wants the horse for her own. Three years passes by and Meagan rides Promise for the first time. Magical, long white wings stretch out of Promise, flying Meagan back in time where she meets cavemen, Romans, monks, knights and other life-threatening dangers.

Eclipsed By Shadow is a fast, action-packed adventure from start to the heart pounding cliffhanger. The author did a marvelous job blending history and fantasy together in this first book of the trilogy. Fans of horse books and fantasy adventures will enjoy reading this. Once you finish reading the final page, you’ll be longing for the next installment.

Eclipsed by Shadow is the 1st volume of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, a time-travel adventure through history — on horseback. The book won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

“Exciting, readable, and far from dull…” | LibraryThing Reviewer

I checked this book out because I am expecting the second volume of this three volume series (The Legend of the Great Horse) as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. As a child, I was forced to read Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion series. I found those books readable, but generally a bit dull. So I come into reading this series predisposed to dislike it, but have been genuinely pleased to find the first volume of this work to be exciting, readable, and far from dull.

From the book’s description I expected a young girl’s lighthearted romp through history on the back of a winged horse. Accept that description at your peril. First, there is a lot of graphic violence (including references and threats to rape) so if you ARE looking for something lighter for your young ones (ages 11-16?) to read, this is not your book. The violence is not a criticism but a description for the potential reader to consider. Understand that if you’re going to write about the use of horses throughout history that much of it is in the service of warfare.

This work is a crisply written taut tale that moves along nicely. I finished its 273 pages in one sitting. The main thrust of the book falls in two areas: horses and horsemanship; world history. I personally found the author’s expertise in horses and horsemanship to be the most compelling and interesting part of the book.

Not formally being an historian, I’m loathe to criticize the historic aspects of this book, including accuracy and interpretation. I did find the settings interesting and compelling, but suspect that this is the area that will be most contentious amongst those who do have a deeper understanding of the specific time periods and the cultures in which the protagonist finds herself.

I found myself continually impressed with the quality of the writing. Rhetorically, this is a well written, well edited book. Whatever quibbles one might have with the slippery facts of history (or horsemanship), this is a finely tuned tale that leaves me anticipating the sequel with a positive predisposition.

Eclipsed by Shadow is the 1st volume of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, a time-travel adventure through history — on horseback. The title has won multiple national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

Review the Book | Vikki Gremel

Eclipsed by Shadow is such an interesting book! I learned so much about horses in history – it really was intriguing. I think that this book would be fantastic for any horse lover – boy or girl. There are so many different characters interwoven into the fabric of the story that it would appeal to a variety of young adults.

I enjoyed the “journey” very much. The opening chapters of the book provided a good background for the story, and I’m very anxious to read Book II. The end of the book leaves you hanging by a thread … wondering where the next adventure will take place.

Meagan, the heroine of the story, is a clever, levelheaded girl. She loves horses, and more importantly, KNOWS horses. Any future horsewoman can glean much from this book.

The importance of kindness both to people and to animals is prevalent throughout the story, and is not “preachy”, just appreciated.

I enjoyed this book! Well done, John Royce!

Eclipsed by Shadow is the 1st book of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, a time-travel adventure through history — on horseback. The title won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

Emily Hinton for the US Review of Books

“Meagan heard shouting behind her as Promise reached for the safety of speed… Wind rose in Meagan’s ears, and time stretched into a series of still photographs as the young thoroughbred gathered and stretched. The ground blurred and together they lifted into the air.”

Eclipsed by Shadow, the first installment of Royce’s Legend of the Great Horse trilogy transforms a majestic beast into a thrilling and intelligent fantasy. The story focuses on Meagan, a twelve-year-old girl, and her foal, Promise. As the two grow older, it becomes clear to Meagan that Promise is a horse of legendary potential, and when ridden, Promise takes Meagan on a journey through time. Meagan must use her knowledge of horsemanship to survive as she joins in periods of remote human history and sees the roles horses have played. The Great Horse is actually a Pegasus who drops her into ancient history to fend for herself. Perils await a young girl with no money, no family, and only her wits and knowledge of horses to help her survive as she battles to return to her own time.

Royce is targeting teens, but the story is accessible to a wider range of readers. The action and thrills of the story are subtly interspersed with colorfully drawn history lessons perfect for engaging readers, and the writing delivers such elegant turns of phrase as to keep teens and adults intrigued. Royce is even makes a quiet ploy for the mainstream teaching of Latin, but in a way that makes the language vibrant. As the summer gets underway, Royce has provided a great blend of academic and adventurous reading that is beach-ready.

Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of the new fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse. The second volume, The Golden Spark, is due to be published in the summer of 2010.

Contact the Publisher:

Micron Press
www.TheGreatHorse.com
inquiries@MicronPress.com

US Review of Books | Emily Hinton

“Meagan heard shouting behind her as Promise reached for the safety of speed… Wind rose in Meagan’s ears, and time stretched into a series of still photographs as the young thoroughbred gathered and stretched. The ground blurred and together they lifted into the air.”

Eclipsed by Shadow, the first installment of Royce’s Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, transforms a majestic beast into a thrilling and intelligent fantasy. The story focuses on Meagan, a twelve-year-old girl, and her foal, Promise. As the two grow older, it becomes clear to Meagan that Promise is a horse of legendary potential, and when ridden, Promise takes Meagan on a journey through time. Meagan must use her knowledge of horsemanship to survive as she joins in periods of remote human history and sees the roles horses have played. The Great Horse is actually a Pegasus who drops her into ancient history to fend for herself. Perils await a young girl with no money, no family, and only her wits and knowledge of horses to help her survive as she battles to return to her own time.

Royce is targeting teens, but the story is accessible to a wider range of readers. The action and thrills of the story are subtly interspersed with colorfully drawn history lessons perfect for engaging readers, and the writing delivers such elegant turns of phrase as to keep teens and adults intrigued. Royce is even makes a quiet ploy for the mainstream teaching of Latin, but in a way that makes the language vibrant. As the summer gets underway, Royce has provided a great blend of academic and adventurous reading that is beach-ready.

Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of the new fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse. The second volume, The Golden Spark, is due to be published in the summer of 2010.