INTO THE DARK: “A wonderful story for families to share”

Into the Dark, Book #3 of the Legend of the Great Horse trilogy, won best Classic title in the Reader Views Literary Awards — the following is the award review:

“A wonderful story for families to share”

2016 Reader Views Award
“Into the Dark” concludes the Legend of the Great Horse trilogy by John Royce. Time traveler Meagan finds herself waking up in Texas in 1861, where she meets Dan Beardon, owner of the Great Horse Red, and her future soul mate. As Meagan travels through some rough times with Dan she finds herself appreciating him more and more, and is devastated when she is pulled into her next adventure, which is in New York, in 1919. Then she is briefly off to war-torn Poland in 1939. Still seeking a way home, Meagan ends up in the dreary future, finding herself desperate to either go home or be back with Dan. It is in the future that she gains the most knowledge about the past. She also discovers that her special Great Horse’s gift was for time travel. Other Great Horses have different gifts, such as healing.

There is no easy way to have a “happy ending” for a character who was placed on a journey such as this. Meagan learns a lot as she travels through time and experiences each of the Great Horses, as led to her by her special horse, Promise. Meagan’s experiences mature her beyond her years, so that even when she is able to return home, she no longer feels like she belongs. She must decide in her heart where she really wants to be, and figure out how to get there. Her journey is truly incredible.

“Into the Dark” allowed me to jump right into the third book of an incredible trilogy. Having grown up with an affinity towards horses, I found myself relating to the main character; I also gained a greater appreciation for these incredible animals, and the roles that they have played in helping mankind evolve.

I noticed that some websites promoting this book categorize it as being for children from 8-12 years with a 3rd to 7th grade reading level. I have to note that I completely disagree with this categorization. While there is no reason a child should not read this book, I felt that the reading level was much higher and as an adult, I did not feel at all like I was reading a children’s book. I would have loved to have read a novel like this when I was in the age range listed, however, I do not believe that an average reader in that category will find it to be easy reading. No matter what, everyone who reads this trilogy will find themselves truly captivated by the story.

I highly recommend “Into the Dark” by John Royce. I think it is a wonderful story for families to share. Paige Lovitt for Reader Views

» Reader Views Literary Awards – Review of INTO THE DARK

 Into the dark cover image

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is a well-researched adventure through history–on horseback. The story is told through the eyes of a modern young horsewoman lost in time.

Into the Dark (Book #3) won best Classic in the Reader Views Literary Awards (2015/2016).

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INTO THE DARK wins best Classic in 2016 Reader Views Awards

INTO THE DARK (Book 3 of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy) has won the 2016 Reader Views Literary Award, for best Classic title!

Into the Dark (Book 3) book cover

Into the Dark by John Royce has won the adult Classic category of the 2016 Reader Views Literary Awards!

The awards are hosted annually by the review site, Reader Views, to acknowledge the best of independently-published American work.

» Reader View Literary Award Winners (2015/2016)

Into the Dark
Book III: The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy

Into the Dark is the third and final book of The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy … the historical adventure speeds into modern times.

2016ReaderViewsAward_150w

“A wonderful story for families to share”

“Into the Dark” allowed me to jump right into the third book of an incredible trilogy. Having grown up with an affinity towards horses, I found myself relating to the main character; I also gained a greater appreciation for these incredible animals, and the roles that they have played in helping mankind evolve. Paige Lovitt for Reader Views

» Read full Review

gend of the Great Horse trilogy books (2015)Special thanks to Reader Views

The presence of Reader Views as an independent book resource has been especially important for the The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

For the first book, Eclipsed by Shadow, almost a hundred pre-publication review requests were sent out–but only TWO came through: a highly-respected industry recommendation from venerable Library Journal … and one from the independent reviewers at Reader Views! Wendy Cleveland of Reader Views gave the first review of Eclipsed by Shadow, Book I of the trilogy.

In 2009 Eclipsed by Shadow placed second in the Reader Views Awards for Young Adult Fantasy. Eclipsed by Shadow won other 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 … yet the first was through Reader Views!

Revisiting “Eclipsed by Shadow” – The Reader Views Literary Awards

ECLIPSED BY SHADOW | 'The Legend of the Great Horse' trilogy book cover (90x135px)
2009 cover
In 2009, Eclipsed by Shadow won the Reader Views Literary Awards. This was the first honor for the trilogy (and also the first writing award for John Royce)!

I am very grateful for Reader Views and its founder, the late Irene Watson. The group not only created an accessible and honorable independent awards, it helped to pioneer new ways of serving authors online that are still being developed.

The Reader Views Literary Award review was given by Danelle Drake:

“The places you visit in Eclipsed by Shadow were really times in our great history. The Legend of the Great Horse series will have you wishing the tales were never-ending…” (see review)

Reader Views Literary Awards: Eclipsed by Shadow is “One of those works you will remember forever”

ECLIPSED BY SHADOW is a book well-worth reading. What a wonderful way to get factual history into a great readable fiction novel. I have passed it along to my twelve-year-old daughter and she loves it. Personally the Glossary of Terms at the end of the book was of great help as I originally knew very little about horses.— Danelle Drake, Reader Views Literary Awards

The following is the feature review of Eclipsed by Shadow by Danelle Drake for the title’s win in the Fantasy category of the 2009 Reader Views Literary Awards.

Reader View Literary Awards | Danelle Drake

“Auburn–haired and with a streak of tomboy, Meagan Roberts was not an unusual girl of twelve – except for the lucky fact that her family kept horses.” … John Royce introduces us to one of those works that you will remember forever.

In the past few years I have read several series that have really captivated me; this story is like these great series in the fact that it has the reader drawn in, but different in the fact that most all of the facts, times, and places in this book are not fiction. The places you visit in Eclipsed by Shadow were really times in our great history. “The Legend of the Great Horse” series will have you wishing the tales were never-ending.

When Meagan Roberts first laid eyes on Promise, she knew the horse was special. A little old lady from down the road tells Meagan that Promise is the “Great Horse.” She says that the powers Promise possesses are suppose to be dark but that no one will know until the owner of the horse rides it. Meagan and her mom don’t know if they should believe the old woman. When thieves try to steal the horse, we find out, and away we go. As Promise gains wings she enables us to gain understanding into the history of the horse.
We learn how the horse was used in many ways throughout history. All of the ways are not pleasant, but not all aspects of life are. As Meagan tries to help others understand her great love and respect of the horse we see inside her true soul.

Eclipsed by Shadow is a book well-worth reading. What a wonderful way to get factual history into a great readable fiction novel. I have passed it along to my twelve-year-old daughter and she loves it. Personally the Glossary of Terms at the end of the book was of great help as I originally knew very little about horses. When I came to the final sentence, “The sounds of the angry scene slipped into the wind of the gallop as the ground faded to a blur…” I knew that I would anxiously await the next installation of “The Legend of the Great Horse” by John Royce.

graphic image of knight chesspiece

Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of the award-winning fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, a journey through history–on horseback! The story follows the time-travel adventure of a modern horsewoman lost in the distant past.

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