"Eclipsed by Shadow" begins a journey through the ages when horses were everyday companions in work, war, sport and spectacle. The story is told through the eyes of a young woman, a horse-crazy teenager traveling through time with the knowledge of 21st Century horsemanship as her only defense.
_____________
Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of a new trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, which brings readers a fresh and original look at the colorful role of horses in civilization.
History comes to life in the pages of this startling and page-turning story of man’s fascinating partnership with the horse. Teenage and adult readers will thrill to this remarkable look at the horse’s role in history.
Readers become part of the adventure as they travel back to the days when primitive man stalked horses as prey, and witness the fascinating development of horsemanship in ancient and medieval cultures. A highly worthwhile reading experience.
“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.
_____________
E. A. Lovitt (Top 50 Amazon Reviewer)
“This sweeping historical fantasy should have an impact on its reader that penetrates far beyond the boundaries of the usual YA (Young Adult) novel. It teaches lessons about history & horsemanship, and what it really means to be 'civilized.' ”
Excerpt
"THE SOUND OF STEEL striking steel caused heads to turn. Soldiers approached the platform clanging swords against shields. All eyes went to a single man walking imperiously in the center of the entourage. His robes were brilliant white over a leek-green tunic, and around his slim weathered neck shone a collar of gold.
The man strode across the platform and seated himself beside the stern, peacock-fan-waving woman. Attendants flocked around the man as he calmly scanned the area. He raised his voice, speaking words Meagan later recalled: "How are the omens, my Master of Horse?"
A puny man near the front of the platform jumped as if prodded. He stood quickly, his oversized garments in disarray. "Very good, Caesar, very good. The horses are ready and the omens are with us, favored son of gods. Victory should be ours."
The platform's audience clapped dutifully. The man called Caesar shifted in his seat. "So you always say, Master of Horse. So it never is."
Trumpet blasts sounded across the stadium. On the sand track below, men in red tunics marched forward pounding drums and cymbals. Chariots entered, appointed in red and drawn by surging teams of four horses. The drivers turned and saluted the platform as they passed.
Another wave of riders filed into the stadium, these wearing the color of blue. Chariots of the Blue faction pulled beneath the platform to low thunder. Anxious as she was, Meagan was stirred by the pageantry flowing across the track.
Cheering rose for a new entering color. Caesar stood as riders in green tunics rode forth between columns of marching men. The first chariot to appear was pulled by four black horses, their manes woven in matching emerald ribbon.
A gasp went up from the spectators as one of the horses rose in his traces. The animal was satin black with the thick crest of a stallion. The horse struck his partner and the team swerved out of line as kicks hammered the chariot. Dull thuds echoed across the field. Men flooded the track and stretched ropes before the fighting horses.
From the raised center of the platform, stone-faced Caesar watched.
The chariot's driver thrashed his whip to no effect and finally threw it away. He sliced his reins angrily and abandoned his cab. Without looking back at his horses, the driver jogged to the wall, his clean-shaven jaw clenched under his leather helmet. He ran beneath the platform and was lost from view.
As those on the track worked to subdue the fighting horses, the man called the Master of Horse groaned piteously and covered his face. Caesar gave the shriveled man a long, chilly stare, then abruptly stood and made his way across the deck, followed by his guards.
"Emperor Trajan..." the olive-skinned man beside Meagan called respectfully. "We have the slaves you pardoned. Will you assign them?"
Meagan felt a hand at her back as she was pushed forward. She had read the name "Trajan" before, but remembered nothing of his reign. Whatever else he might be, the Emperor was a pale, plain man with a weak chin and large ears.
"Send them all to my gardeners," the Emperor said dismissively. He stopped before Meagan. "Oh, this one, the rider girl. Give her to my Master of Horse. Tell him I wish to have someone successful with horses in my stable." He gave one more look to the horse riot on the field below: chains and whips now tangled the confusion. With a final cold glance at the groaning Master of Horse, the Emperor departed.
The abandoned chariot's driver soon reappeared, mounting the steps in agitation. Dirt covered his arms, broken by streaks of sweat. As he pulled off his helmet to reveal black hair plastered against his scalp, he glanced at Meagan with eyes as gray as the unpainted stone around them. She flushed with the sensation of being caught.
The Master of Horse lifted a shaking arm to the driver. Giving the field a final squinting glance, he and the driver departed."
Professional Reviews
Library Journal | Jackie Cassada
Following the birth of a palomino foal, 12-year-old Meagan names the young horse Promise, and an uncommon bond forms between the two. Told by an elderly woman that Promise is one of the legendary Great Horses, Meagan flees with Promise through time after she discovers that others want Promise for themselves. Veteran horseman Royce combines history and myth with action and adventure to create a fast-paced, well-informed tale of a flying horse and the young girl who loves her. This series opener should appeal to fans of equestrian novels as well as historic fantasy and belongs in most libraries' adult and YA collections.
Reader Views | Wendy Cleveland
"Eclipsed by Shadow" centers around a teenager named Meagan Roberts who is a young equestrian. The story starts out in the present-day of the summer solstice, June 21, 2001, when a very unique horse is born.
Meagan's adventure in this first book of a three book series goes from 20,000 B.C. (where the cavemen used horses for food) to 100 A.D. Rome (where horses were used for sport in Chariot fights), and 1240 Crusades (where horses were blindfolded and used in Jousting matches). In each time travel, Meagan uses her 21st century equine insight to survive and help people understand the true nature of horses.
"Eclipsed by Shadow" was a magical horse story that is suitable for both teenagers and adults alike. The equine and world history aspects were fascinating and well-researched by the author. Some facts that I did not know were that horses existed back in 20,000 B.C. or when stirrups, saddles, and horseshoes were discovered. The ending left me breathless wanting to find out what time period Promise was taking Meagan to next.
Heartland Reviews | Bob Spear
This fascinating YA first book of a trilogy on the history of man's relationships with the horse is particularly well done.
Meagan, a young teenager, witnesses the arrival of a new colt she names Promise. She enjoys socializing the filly and caring for her until it's time for her to grow up with other horses. Several years later, the now young adult horse returns to Meagan's horse farm to begin saddle training. Unfortunately, a crooked horse trainer is out to steal Promise. Meagan stumbles on the plot and manages to leap onto Promises back and jumps a fence in order to escape. Suddenly Promise sprouts wings and carries Meagan back in time to caveman times. Meagan falls off, only to find herself in the middle of a caveman horse hunt for fresh food. After a short time there, she jumps on another horse and finds herself as a slave in Rome, and then she moves forward to ride with the Mongols. After more adventures, she moves forward to the times of the Crusades, where the book ends with the reader anxious to know what is next.
This series teaches not only the history of Man's relationship with the horse, but the history and day to day cultures of different civilizations of the past. We rated this first book five hearts.
For a person who feels great anxiety around horses because of all that power and strength, I have found John Royce's book, Eclipsed By Shadow, to be riveting and unpredictable. It's truly amazing to enjoy a well written novel and come away with new knowledge. This book is about a young girl who's love of horses is her only defense against the treatment of horses through the ages. Meagan travels through time to meet the "Greats" of the past and tries to survive all that she encounters. This is the first book in the trilogy and I can't wait to read the second.
Third Book in Five Book Series - Southern Swallow - a tale of 12th Century China. Li K'ai-men becomes entangled in an intrigue that becomes his undoing.
Ireland 1967. The Summer of love. Or was it?
A holiday weekend. Amazing weather. American student Dakota Lacey is hiking around Kerry.
But there’s a sinister, dark side to the atmosphere. Lone female hikers are being brutally attacked.
Ireland 1944.. A young man’s body is pulled from the River Lee. He’s wearing a distinctive silver ring that belonged to Paudy Daly, the eldest son of the notorious Mixer Daly. Why?
