2008 – Page 3 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

Researching “The Legend of the Great Horse”

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy takes place across many historical eras, from pre-history to modern times, and research was fundamental to telling the most accurate story I could. I followed a method I found enjoyable and fascinating, and it’s one I believe brought authenticity to the work.

Basically, I gathered writings from each era visited in the book, and spent significant time immersing myself in that culture. The thoughts and emotions of a literate society are reflected in its writing, and I found that by experiencing (reading) a variety of preserved texts a picture of the society could surface. I found a lot of surprises.

For example, one of the historical periods visited in Eclipsed by Shadow is ancient Rome. There’s no shortage of writing from our Roman ancestors, but there is a profusion of literary works of quality during the late Republic and early days of Empire. The first “novel,” Satyricon, was written then, and also the historical works of the great chronicler Tacitus. Reading facts about Rome along with works of Romans themselves reveals their world in a new and authentic way—through the eyes of our ancestors.

I learned how Rome grew as a new idea in the hearts of man: one of shared citizenship and the power of harmony. This early melting pot of foreign peoples was gradually corrupted by ongoing appeal to military virtues and primacy of commerce. Well, that’s a bit foreboding.

Tacitus was a former Consul who lived through nine emperors; he wrote bravely as his world was descending into debased madness that eventually ended in annihilation. Western civilization—the one I live in—literally died once before. If I’d been taught this history, I didn’t fully appreciate it in those terms.

I hope that my research provides the reader with something valuable and different in their knowledge of the world. The experience changed me. History is not always what it seems, and it is certainly not a closed book.

“The Legend” explained

In the Beginning, Man so angered the Lord he was cast from the Garden. In the midst of the Lord’s wrath an Angel came onto Him. The Angel asked permission to lead Mankind back again to Paradise, and wished to be given a shape to best serve Man in his exile.

This love stayed the Lord’s wrath. The Four Winds swirled into a shape of beauty that moved to thunder … the Angel took form and became the first Horse.

(excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow)

So begins “the legend” from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy. Legends and myth shape the world of our imagination, and none is more universal than the belief that the horse is associated with the supernatural.

This idea is seen in Western Civilization’s own Greek myths of the winged horse Pegasus.

It is also found in Islam, where Mohammed’s horse Buraq made a great leap into Heaven which left a hoofprint still to be seen in Jerusalem … according to legend, that is.

“What’s a Dressage?”

It’s hard not to notice the disdain with which some sports watchers treat Dressage. They give silly quotes to media people that produce articles like: “Olympic dressage events leave Hong Kong’s horse racing fans yawning.”

Well of course they are yawning. You don’t get your Olympic thrills through eventing dressage, which is only more interesting than attractively-drying cement if it’s being done wrong. Olympic thrills are found on the next day, the Cross-County. Someone should have told the spectators, or at least the media. There is so much confusion in the world.

It is actually understandable that equestrian sports are such an oddity to the public, in spite of humanity’s millennia-old partnership with the animal. An uninitiated person would naturally assume modern equestrian sports have all existed since ancient times–in fact some of the most popular and exciting are hardly a century old.

It is an amazing bit of historical timing that an ancient skill like horsemanship was perfected to point it could conceive of athletic sports like 3-Day and Jumping … at the same time as the invention of automobiles. And today we have more horses than ever before.

Dressage, however, is truly as ancient as people assume all horseback riding is. It is a proven method of schooling horses that is at least 2500 years old. The origins were the battlefield, where discipline and athleticism were vital to cavalry success. Dressage is a gymnastics program for developing the horse’s physical abilities, and equally importantly, develops positive state of communication between the horse and rider. The system is utterly humane, to the degree of emphasizing only natural movements and requiring the horse be calm and relaxed at all times. Dressage is, in words of modern culture, the Jedi force that animates horsemanship. It is art, and there is magic in it.

Like all the arts, Dressage was lost with the decay of Western civilization during the Dark Ages. European Horsemanship disintegrated into barbarity as humanity lapsed into bestial conditions. The re-discovery of the ancient Classical art of Dressage was part of the earliest flowering of the Renaissance which sparked our current age.

There are multiple levels of dressage and as the levels go higher, the horse begins to develop more expressively until his gait becomes dancing. Some say dressage is like ballet, and as an educated art it is, though since dressage pre-dates ballet by over a millennium perhaps it is more accurate to say ballet is like dressage. (Dressage is also older than Classical music, that upstart.) The highest standard is the Grand Prix, exemplified in the competitive display of the Olympic Games. High level Dressage is a cultural event, as it was in the original Olympics themselves.

So that judge’s stand only looks like a bookie’s window, racing fans. I think the media gives too little credit to Hong Kong’s citizens. When Dressage is put to music at the final Freestyle, even racing fans may see the sparks which ignited during the Renaissance.

Why You Might Like the Book: “Eclipsed by Shadow”

Eclipsed by Shadow begins a horseback ride from pre-historic times back to modern day. This first volume of the trilogy The Legend of the Great Horse starts a journey through civilization.

If you enjoy horses this will be a fun book because horses are the hero. The main character is a young, enthusiastic rider. The story follows Meagan as she visits different historical cultures and experiences how horses were a part of the day.

If you like learning while you read something fun, this is a book you should enjoy. Whether or not you have interest in horses, consider taking a journey across cultures from prehistoric man to present day. You will become immersed in the development of humankind from a bestial brute to modern man.

If you like historical fiction, this book was written for you! Each of the fourteen time periods traveled are well-researched and detailed. The characters are lively and accurate to period, creating a worthwhile and page-turning journey through history. Please check out the book’s website for more information and reviews.

If you enjoy literary works, you may especially wish to explore this title. The First Chapter gives a sample of the story. Reading time is precious and books must be selected carefully, so please do check out the book’s website for awards, reviews and other information to help you decide!

The Free Lance-Star: “Lots of Horsepower Here!”

Author John Royce promises that ECLIPSED BY SHADOW is the first in a trilogy of books about the Great Horse. Though there is some graphic violence, there’s also a good read within its pages. Young adults will learn about how horses have been used throughout the ages and a good bit of world history. They’ll also find themselves engrossed in Meagan’s adventures. —Laura L. Hutchinson, Free Lance-Star

The following is an editorial review of Eclipsed by Shadow by Laura Hutchinson of the Free Lance-Star:

Free Lance-Star | Laura L. Hutchinson

“Great Horse” takes Rider on Trip Through History

Meagan Roberts names the foal born on the summer solstice, June 21, 2001, “Promise.” The horse is unique in many ways. But when an old woman tells Meagan and her mother that Promise may be the latest in a long line of Great Horses, they doubt the old woman’s sanity.

But Meagan soon finds the woman’s tales to be true, as she is transported back through history. She finds herself in the days of cave men, who slaughtered horses for food. Then she winds up in Rome, where horses are brutally used in chariot races. She finally finds herself riding with Genghis Khan and his raiders, then with the knights of the Crusades.

Author John Royce promises that Eclipsed by Shadow is the first in a trilogy of books about the Great Horse. Though there is some graphic violence, there’s also a good read within its pages. Young adults will learn about how horses have been used throughout the ages and a good bit of world history. They’ll also find themselves engrossed in Meagan’s adventures.

>> See original entry in The Free Lance-Star [PDF]

Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of the new fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, arriving this Summer with a fresh and original look at the colorful role of horses in civilization. The story follows the time-travel adventure of a modern horsewoman lost in history.

Further information about this unique and imaginative ‘creative non-fiction’ novel can be found at www.TheGreatHorse.com.

Horses & the Olympics

In writing Eclipsed by Shadow, I researched the history of the original Olympic Games and their relation to horses. The original Olympics were a religious ceremony, and were as much a poetry contest as a sporting event. The equestrian events were considered an athletic poem. They were a major focus of the original Games.

We have chosen to honor the “Olympics,” but there were actually four major Grecian Games, the Olympian, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian. These were held in yearly cycles, so that the largest Games near Olympia were held every four years. The equestrian events were the most popular and religiously significant. The contests included flat Racing, Dressage and Chariot Racing (today the sports are Dressage, Eventing and Jumping). Note that Dressage is the definition of “classical.”

The fact that the ancient Games were religious in nature has given a special moral character to the modern Olympic movement. There were two sports in the original Games: Athletics and Equestrian. Each type of competition held a specific meaning. Athletics represented the striving for human excellence, and Equestrian events represented man’s survival and conquest against the elements.

Inclusion of horses ennoble the Games, and the honorary aspect of equestrian sport is the origin of the famous “Olympic spirit.” The integrity of the Olympic ideal is upheld in the equestrian sport above all, for it is the horse which competes for no prize except the joy of taking part, and horsemanship which puts the mount’s welfare higher even than the Olympic rewards of money and fame.

I have a word with Mission Control

Welcome to the new blog, with a new CMS platform and new dedicated site. (!)

The upgrade was made after it was revealed that readers would have no way to post comments, so a new council was convened at Micron Press headquarters and the result is this new WordPress platform. It is state of the art and many other things besides, but mainly it will allow more connectedness with the outside world and allow readers to comment if they wish.

I would like to extend thanks to Shaun Tarves for his technical assistance. If you need some WordPress work done–and who doesn’t?–Shaun is fast, qualified, reliable and reasonable and you really should be using him.

Are Horses Important in the Modern World?

Here is a question whose answer may not be obvious: “Since we now have internal combustion engines, why bother with horses anymore?”

Horses have been mankind’s transportation, and yes, today cars have replaced horses on the interstates and parking lots. However there are more horses today than ever before, so it seems this affection is universal in the world. Does this affection matter, or is it nostalgic sentimentality only?

Horses play roles besides the one of passenger propulsion. Antiquity revered the horse as a symbol of power and prestige, an inspiration to artists and warriors, a respected teacher of youth and the partner of kings. The ancient world provided modern society’s foundation, so this is a significant world view. The upcoming Olympic Games in Asia this summer will provide an opportunity to view the modern revival of an ancient equestrian sports ceremony, which the media will cover badly or simply ignore as part of mankind’s ongoing loss of ancient knowledge. But beyond the ancient roles, what importance does the horse have in the 21st Century and beyond?

One can point to spiritual roles, as in the recreational or therapeutic aspects of horsemanship, or to the material roles where horse-keeping provides economic benefits both enormous and widely dispersed. More deeply, horses have helped build the fabric of our society. The rhythms of our lives and institutions move to the cadence of hoofbeats.

The commercial cycle remains horse-centric. Industries such as those of automobiles and television first consciously mimicked habits from our common history. Examples are how new “models” are introduced (born) each year, or how product obsolescence was planned to match a horse’s prime working life, some three or four years, followed by a longer serviceable period as a “used” commodity.

Belief that horses have been made obsolete by technology also forgets the central role of horses as teachers and human inspiration. Riding teaches leadership, and the results of its wide absence is well within view. Yet much of modern humanity has seemingly decided that now is the time to discard ancient wisdom and dismount the partnership that brought civilization to its current technological state. This is not, in my view, a good decision. The sanity of the “forgetful” human race may in some way depend upon simple horse-sense.

Equines are too ancient to have become domesticated by man’s last-minute meddling, and perhaps it is beneficial to humankind to have an unchanging partner entwined with our swaying societal structures. We may not need the horse for mass transportation (though it may yet) but we should not dismiss the value of modern horsemanship to our culture–not only for what is known and remembered, but for what is not.