John Royce – Page 34 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

#63- Meagan’s complaint…

Meagan’s pony suddenly raised her head and whinnied into the wind, and hundreds of answers echoed across the empty grassland. The trumpeting of horses filled the open plain as if the land ahead were welcoming them. – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

Somewhere in Outer Mongolia…

The sky is as empty as the landscape, she thought irritably. If these people were riding through the middle of nowhere, they rode through it with purpose. There was no stopping for items as trivial as food or water. Meagan’s saddle possessed a single skin canteen of water, which she had ineptly doused over her face and clothes while attempting a drink.

Meagan had a complaint, or rather a series of them. There seemed to be no rules to this legend, and it was very disorienting to keep changing places and time periods, to say nothing of being snatched away at the last possible moment—was it to be a deathmatch every time? This is the worst possible legend, Meagan told herself, sulking. It was more like a curse. Of course, I could have listened to Mrs. Bridgestone, added an unwelcome thought. She pushed it away…

When the other riders spoke, of course it was a language she could not understand. Also, Meagan was out of practice and the pony’s backbone was growing more distinct with each passing mile. She could not guess how the group of horsemen knew their way. The land was nothing except rolling grass in all directions. A line of dark clouds hugged the hazy horizon ahead, offering the hope of cool rain. Uncharacteristically, she thought dismounting would be the best relief.

Strangely, though, on closer inspection it seemed the bottom of the clouds hung below the horizon. Meagan’s pony suddenly raised her head and whinnied into the wind, and hundreds of answers echoed across the empty grassland. The trumpeting of horses filled the open plain as if the land ahead were welcoming them…

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning first volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 180)

Book II: The Golden Spark is available! Book III announcements coming soon…

Read the 1st Chapter online!

Cover Design for “The Golden Spark”

The trade cover for The Golden Spark (Book II of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy), published by Micron Press was designed by Allen Griffith of Eye 4 Design based in Austin, TX.

The striking cover of The Golden Spark (Book 2 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy ~ Micron Press) was designed by Allen Griffith of Eye 4 Design.

The image features a gold coin on display in a drawing room of Versailles, the famous royal château of the 17th-Century King Louis XIV of France.

The coin is a reimagined period currency minted to honor one of the equine characters of The Golden Spark … shown performing the Capriole, one of the Airs Above the Ground of the Haute École, or High School, of dressage.

Eye 4 Design specializes in quality custom graphic design, and produced a stunningly rich image while remaining faithful to the book’s historically accurate scenes. The design continues the central ‘coin’ theme of Book I: Eclipsed by Shadow while artistically reflecting changes in color, variety and complexity that attended the rebirth of European culture in the Renaissance.

Eye 4 Design is a specialty commercial graphics design firm based in Austin, TX, delivering quality custom work for both business and individual clients. For more information contact Allen Griffith @ 512-454-5471.

#62- The Time Jump

NOTHING HARMLESS FEELS so much like dying as having one’s breath well and truly knocked out. Heaving for air without result, Meagan fought panic as she waited for a breath. When it finally came, she leaned onto her hands and panted in great gulps. – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

NOTHING HARMLESS FEELS so much like dying as having one’s breath well and truly knocked out. Heaving for air without result, Meagan fought panic as she waited for a breath. When it finally came, she leaned onto her hands and panted in great gulps.

Sounds of men came through the darkness, their speech fast and urgent. Meagan steadied her breathing and listened as words rose and fell around her, foreign words spoken in crisp, rapid strokes. The voices approached and hands gripped the fabric of her tunic, inspecting, pulling at the folds and letting them go.

A light colored horse was led forward, a faint apparition glowing in the darkness. Meagan reached out a hand and ran it along familiar contours. It was a pony, a short but fully grown equine. She was lifted and pushed onto the pony’s back, where she instinctively reached for the reins lying low on the animal’s neck. The stadium and chariots had evaporated into the night air. The last Meagan remembered was the rush of white wings, and the world seemed to melt and reassemble into new solid forms. Now Rome was a memory.

A knot of horsemen rode past Meagan. She could see faces in the light of the torches they carried, Asian faces, parched and grim in the flickering redness. Her pony mount swished its tail impatiently, and Meagan automatically reached to pat the animal’s shoulder. Her hand felt an irregular patch in the hair, and she leaned over to see. Branded on the shoulder, barely visible in the torchlight, was a crescent symbol over a circle.

Voices were receding into the night. Meagan allowed the pony to join the sound of hoof beats flowing through the warm darkness. All she cared to know was that she had moved closer to her own time—so far, there was no evidence. One thing was certain: she was not yet back home.

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning first volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 179)

Book II: The Golden Spark is available! Book III announcements coming soon…

Read the 1st Chapter online!

“History teaching curriculum failing pupils”

One reason “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy is a worthwhile read is its exploration of history in chronological order — with time lines before each new era — as it traces the development in horsemanship in civilization.

A new report from the UK has found students are being ill-served by ‘a curriculum which does not give them a “chronological understanding” of the subject.’

History teaching fails to give pupils proper view of the past, says watchdog:

The Ofsted report said many primary and secondary pupils are being let down by a curriculum which does not give them a “chronological understanding” of the subject …

Schoolchildren fail to grasp how events in history are linked because the subject is taught in “episodes”, an official report has warned….

A “fundamental weakness” in primary schools was that some teachers “did not teach to establish a clear mental map of the past for pupils”.

One reason “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy is a worthwhile read is its exploration of history in chronological order — with time lines before each new era — as it traces the development in horsemanship in civilization.

The books of the trilogy convey accurate history in a fun and engaging story … the books give readers solid overview of history as they ride along with an exceptionally well-written and intelligent literary tale. (For ages 14 and up)