THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy | Blog – Page 21 – Eclipsed by Shadow • The Golden Spark • Into the Dark

#74- The Mongol Attack

‘A ROAR WENT up as a new division of knights took the field, row upon row gaining speed with each stride … “No!” Meagan cried. “Call them back! Do not follow, that is what they want you to do!”’ —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 201)

A ROAR WENT up as a new division of knights took the field, row upon row gaining speed with each stride. Shouts of victory rose from the battlefield as the knights chased their beaten enemy.

“No!” Meagan cried. “Call them back! Do not follow, that is what they want you to do!” She tugged on the sleeve of the Englishman. He turned to her with eyes drunk with conquest, unseeing, and then looked back to the battle.

The man would not listen, Meagan plainly saw, and there was nothing he could do anyway. Victims were only allowed to surrender because the Mongolians did not want to reveal their battle tactics, but once the nomads attacked, they killed to the last defender. There were no witnesses to an attack by the horde, ever. Meagan thought furiously of how to escape.

Determined to chase their beaten enemy into oblivion, the knights below were being drawn into the nomad’s trap. As they galloped, the battalion of knights loosened and drifted apart, and their lines became thinner.

Swarms of horsemen emerged from the horizon like black claws as the trap began to close. The main force of nomads encircled and engulfed the knights, discharging volley after volley of arrows, turning away so fresh riders behind could launch still more. Wherever the knights drove, the nomads dashed away and wheeled back with reinforcements. Knights and their heavy horses began to fall. The horde continued to flow onto the battlefield like floodwater rising.

Meagan turned from the rail. Stunned by the disaster below, no one noticed her walk quickly to the other side of the platform. The stairs were in pandemonium. Men pushed in both directions and fights were beginning to break out. She looked over the railing. Except for prisoners held in the stocks, the courtyard was almost empty. Her heart caught when she saw Targa. The pony was dancing short, nervous steps around a man who held her lead.

The platform was perhaps ten feet above the ground. Meagan looked back at the men watching the battle. Slowly, the truth was dawning on them. It would not be long…

« “The devils ride a tainted bayard!” || “The Knight Henryk” »

The above excerpt is from “See all Excerpts,” the medieval-era section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in 1240AD. (p. 203 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of the trilogy) 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.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

#72- “To Skathe a Tatar”

“Meagan swallowed, looking at the unsavory collection of people around her bearing limps, pockmarks, warts, and filmed-over eyes. Here she was a goddess of beauty.” —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 201)

The following is an excerpt from “Eclipsed by Shadow”, an award-winning adventure through history — on horseback. Meagan is captive in a medieval village (1240 AD in modern-day Russia) she had tried to warn of impending attack by the Mongolian Horde, who were called ‘Tatars’ by Europeans.

*The odd language is Old English: ‘Bayard’ is medieval slang for horse … Bayard was a bay horse in medieval French poetry, that could magically adjust its size to carry multiple riders.)

Open fields surrounded the town. The horizon blurred into trees and hills, and behind it a dark column of dust rose like black smoke. A troop of knights stood in a loose formation around a band of perhaps twenty Mongolian ponies. Only one nomad sat upright—every other rider lay sideways and motionless across his mount. The Englishman snorted. “Tatar messengers, asking for surrender.” He gave a signal and a call went out. The knights parted ranks to let the single nomad pass. The man galloped away towards the horizon.

“You killed them?” she asked incredulously.

“Oh, ho, yes. For the nones, they die as other men.”

“You can still escape,” Meagan said urgently. “We have to leave now. There might be time to get away.”

“Mayhaps. Or mayhaps I have your rusty bayard carry your body back, what the rats leave.” The Englishman swaggered back to the table. Servants began to rush about, bringing out pitchers and bowls. “I have waited my bread long enough. To gluppen.”

Meagan thought anxiously about rats and her ‘rusty bayard.’ A goblet filled with wine was set before her. She picked it up and drained it.

The man was delighted. “A witful act for a wench, such a draught! There be English in you still! Which be you, North or South?”

“Oh—I was—”

“I hail from South, therebefore. Long live King Henry the Third, if he lives. Could be Henry the Fourth now or Fifth, being I not seen the shores of England for fifteen years, nigh.”

“Long live King Henry,” Meagan said politely. Shaken and afraid, she still watched the approach of a well-cooked duck with interest. The roast was falling off its bones, held in place by carrots and other boiled vegetables surrounding it. She made an effort not to grab.

The Englishman winked. “Aghast are thee, alien, to think we men might pluck a likerous rose as you be?” His eyes wandered over Meagan but kept snapping up like a leashed hound jerked to attention. “Fear not lewid men. The Lord’s word is counsel here.”

Meagan swallowed, looking at the unsavory collection of people around her bearing limps, pockmarks, warts, and filmed-over eyes. Here she was a goddess of beauty.

“Enough the nonsense of surrender! It was not meant, so we talk of other things.” The man took a handful of meat and chewed it, open-mouthed. “How best to skathe a Tatar be a matter. Tell us this.”

Skathe a Tatar? Meagan looked at the man. He wanted to know how to kill a nomad, but how could she make him understand? The coming army was too numerous, too fast and too seasoned. She could say that nomads struck from all sides, setting fires, wheeling away shooting arrows on the attack and the retreat. She could tell this man his city was doomed, but his eyes said the truth would not be welcome.

Copyright © 2008 John Royce

« Ingratitude || “The devils ride a tainted bayard!” »

The above excerpt is from “See all Excerpts,” the medieval-era section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in 1240AD. (p. 201 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

Review of ‘The Golden Spark’: “My kids and I LOVED this book!”

THE GOLDEN SPARK, book 2 in The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, opens with the last chapter of book 1 in the series, ECLIPSED BY SHADOW. It follows the adventures of a young horse-loving teenager, Meagan who is lost in history trying to find her way home to the 21st century.—Library Thing Early Reviewer

LibraryThing Early Reviewers - logo The following is a LibraryThing Early Review for The Golden Spark, Book #2 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy:

Library Thing Early Reviewer | Mrs Renee

I was excited when I found out that I had won a copy of The Golden Spark to review. Many thanks to Library Thing and the Early Reviewers group for the opportunity to review this book!

The Golden Spark, book 2 in The Legend of the Great Horse series opens with the last chapter of book 1 in the series, Eclipsed by Shadow. It follows the adventures of a young horse-loving teenager, Meagan who is lost in history trying to find her way home to the 21st century.

Meagan’s first magical journey finds her waking up in a horse stall with a magnificent horse as a fierce storm is tossing the great ship to and fro. She soon finds out she is in Mexico around 1519 and she has only her love of horses and her 21st-century horse knowledge to help her as she struggles to get home.

History comes to life as her journey takes her from Mexico 1519 to Medieval Europe, Rome, the Black Sea and to 20,000 B.C. North America. With each stop Meagan searches for the Great Horse whom she believes is responsible for her time travels and is the only one who can help her find her way home.

My kids and I LOVED this book! It brings history to life and we sat on the edge of our seats while we read this book.

I do, however recommend reading these books in order as it was a bit difficult to follow along with the second book without having read the first one. I’m looking forward to reading book 1, Eclipsed by Shadow!

See the review on LibraryThing…

The Golden Spark is the 2nd book of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, an award winning time-travel adventure through history—on horseback! The story follows the journey of a modern horsewoman lost in the distant past.

The trilogy books have won multiple national awards including the 2009 Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the 2010 Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

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

#71- Ingratitude

THE STENCH WAS worse than the nomad camps, worse even than the squalid valleys of Rome. Meagan was pushed along a rutted, muddy street through man- and animal-made puddles, and into a courtyard surrounded by buildings of oversized hewn beams.” – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

The following is an excerpt from “Eclipsed by Shadow”, an award-winning adventure through history — on horseback.
Meagan has escaped the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan to save a city in the path of destruction … only to be captured:

THE STENCH WAS worse than the nomad camps, worse even than the squalid valleys of Rome. Meagan was pushed along a rutted, muddy street through man- and animal-made puddles, and into a courtyard surrounded by buildings of oversized hewn beams. She was dragged to a set of stocks mounted along one end of the courtyard. Heavy iron clasped over her head.

“I am trying to save you!” she protested, her face mashed into the beam. Metal burrs sliced small wounds into her neck. “Please listen or we are all going to die! Listen to me!”

“Oh ho, ‘tis ferly! Have someone say die?”

Meagan stopped pleading. She was almost sure she had heard English.

A man stepped up and squatted, peering into her face. A blast of noxious breath billowed over her. “So said verily, this Tatar be a she.” The words were thick, beyond the thickest brogue or British cockney she had ever heard. O’s were ah’s and ah’s were o’s—but it was English. “You be of England?” the man exhaled. “Answer.”

“Yes, sir, I—” Meagan’s feet were abruptly swept out from under her. The iron dug into her neck as she scrambled to stand. Shouts and arguing boiled around her.

“Belay!” bellowed the English-speaking man. He crouched near Meagan. “Unwittily said.”

“This is very ungrateful,” she mumbled to the beam. The metal felt imbedded in the back of her skull.

“They not like aliens, these.” The man leaned his breath closer. “It be not them what decides.” He smiled, showing colors of yellow, black and brown. “I was alien beforetimes, and English as you be. Now I be they maister. I be Marshal.” The man nodded to the others. “The Tatar wench be mine. We gluppen and speak.”

Men came forward and released the iron clasps. For the first time Meagan was able to face her captors. Like the nomads they were unwashed, but where the skin of a nomad was clear and smooth, the faces of these men were bearded and blemished. Their clothing was varied and colorful, but it fit less well than the nomads’ clothing and was less well kept. Like their city, these men looked better from a distance.

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning first volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 199)

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

Read the 1st Chapter online!

The Golden Spark “…appropriate for almost all ages”

I like John Royce’s writing because he manages to write historical fiction that includes not only good historical details, but also details about the history of domestic horses and the evolution of horse riding. Not only does he include a lot of facts about horses, he manages to make those facts interesting for people who are not really that interested in horses.—SusieBookworm, LibraryThing Early Reviewer

The following is a pre-publication review of The Golden Spark by LibraryThing Early Reviewer SusieBookworm.

Library Thing Early Reviewer | SusieBookworm

Just as good as the first Legend of the Great Horse book.

I like John Royce’s writing because he manages to write historical fiction that includes not only good historical details, but also details about the history of domestic horses and the evolution of horse riding. Not only does he include a lot of facts about horses, he manages to make those facts interesting for people who are not really that interested in horses.

Royce also keeps his books appropriate for almost all ages of readership: teenagers are able to get into and enjoy the books, yet they are still appropriate for much younger readers.

After traveling to prehistoric times, the Mongol invasions, medieval Europe, 1500s Mexico, 17th century France, and early 19th century England, it will be interesting to see where the Great Horse takes Meagan next.

See review on LibraryThing…

The Golden Spark is the 2nd book of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, an intriguing and fun time-travel adventure through history — on horseback. (Published Spring 2011)

Book I: Eclipsed by Shadow won national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the 2010 Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

A River of Horsemen

River of Horsemen “A knot of men on foot clubbed their way forward and a horse wheeled away, falling against Targa and bringing her down. Meagan slid hard against the wooden wall, scraped between the wood and her struggling mare. Her arm fell free into open space, and she pulled herself off the pony and through the opening of a doorway.” – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

Sometime, somewhere on the plains of Central Asia …

The river of horsemen poured through the settlement. Meagan tried to pull Targa to the side to avoid a pileup ahead. She urged the mare toward a side path but the flow carried them beyond. Horses were coming in behind, overwhelming her. Bucking in the thickening brawl, Targa was pressed against a building. A knot of men on foot clubbed their way forward and a horse wheeled away, falling against Targa and bringing her down. Meagan slid hard against the wooden wall, scraped between the wood and her struggling mare. Her arm fell free into open space, and she pulled herself off the pony and through the opening of a doorway.

Inside, she watched the wall shudder with the weight of horses trapped against it. Meagan jumped away as one board splintered, then another. Backing behind a table, she heard a whimper and turned to see two children crouched under a crudely made chair. They were boys, hardly more than toddlers. Meagan made a move to comfort them but they flinched away, huddling tighter. She stopped, realizing that she was the enemy.

The wall was coming apart. A section bowed in. Beyond it Meagan saw her mare lying on her side, the top of her hindquarters trapped underneath another horse. Targa was kicking in her efforts to rise, but the mare could not move her head and lay helplessly whinnying.

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning first volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 191)

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

Read the 1st Chapter online!

Eclipsed by Shadow: “… a mix between Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings and the Time Machine.”

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. For fans of horse books and fantasy adventures. Once you finish reading the final page, you’ll be longing for the next installment.—Billy Burgess

The following is a review of Eclipsed by Shadow by Billy Burgess of the book blog, Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer:

Fast, action-packed adventure | 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 first book of the award-winning fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, a time-travel adventure through history—on horseback! The story follows the journey of a modern horsewoman lost in the distant past.

The title won the 2009 Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the 2010 Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

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

The Golden Spark “recommended … but not for very young or sensitive readers”

“Going into the book with very limited horse knowledge, I feel that I learned quite a bit about horses, and have gained a greater appreciation for their place in history. I enjoyed reading about how the horses were cared for on the Spaniard ships, the techniques used to train them in 17th century Europe, and what a fox hunt would actually be like.” – LibraryThing Early Reviewer

The Golden Spark, Book #2 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, participated in the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program — the following is a pre-publication review:

LibraryThing Early Reviewer “wnk1029″

I recently read The Golden Spark as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. Since this was the second of the series, I checked out the first book from my local library, with the vague knowledge that it was about horses and time-travel. I enjoy reading about time travel; horses, not particularly. I was, however, willing to give it a chance.

Though the second book could possibly stand alone, I was glad I had read the first one and would recommend it to anyone picking up The Golden Spark. It tells the backstory of the heroine, Meagan, who is involuntarily being transported through time by her horse who just happens to be a Great Horse–a reincarnation of the very first horse ever created, who is actually an angel whose job it is to bring humanity back to the Garden of Eden. This part of the story is a bit complicated, but since the book is more about history than the mythological/spiritual aspect, it ends up not really playing a huge role in this book except as the means of transportation from era to era.

In this book, Meagan visits Mexico circa 1519 as a groom to Cortes’s horse. This section is violent and frightening, definitely intended for a more mature audience, but an interesting, historical read nonetheless. Meagan’s next stop is 1666 England & France, where she becomes a handmaiden and stable hand in King Louis XIV’s court at Versailles, followed by 1816 England, where she is taken into the quiet home of a country farmer and his family.

The horses are the driving force of each of these eras, and Meagan’s experiences revolve around their care, training, and the ways in which people used the horses in each of these time periods. Going into the book with very limited horse knowledge, I feel that I learned quite a bit about horses, and have gained a greater appreciation for their place in history. I enjoyed reading about how the horses were cared for on the Spaniard ships, the techniques used to train them in 17th century Europe, and what a fox hunt would actually be like.

The downsides? The books tend to read more like a series of novellas rather than one continuous book. Each jump through time seems to break into what could essentially be a stand-alone story. Though the heroine occasionally will mentally refer back to previous people she’s met in her travels, it isn’t really clear what she’s learning from these experiences. In each era, she has the advantage of more modern knowledge of horses and their care, which helps her make a place for herself in each society, but doesn’t really add anything to her character’s development or growth — she remains the same Meagan who gets by because she knows more about horses than anyone else around her.

I would definitely recommend this series to those interested in exploring history from a different perspective, as well as those who already have a love of horses. Due to the violence in the first book, as well as in the first section of this second one, I would hesitate to recommend the book to younger or more sensitive readers, though the language is very readable and should be able to be handled by those with middle-school vocabulary and comprehension skills.

I’m looking forward to reading the third book when it comes out; I can’t wait to see how Meagan’s travels come to a close and get some answers to some of the questions that are still unanswered!

» See original review on LibraryThing