Historical Fiction at its best.
A gripping historical story steeped in mythology told as only Dr. Bob Rich can. His meticulous research, knowledge of mythology, with touches of fantasy and his psychology experience shine through. Throw in a touch of magic and you have a skilfully woven, well researched historical story.
The hero is Fered, or Horse as he is mainly called, the son of Heather, a respected warrior leader of the Ehvelen people. All Ehvelen women are named after plants, which gives the story a nice touch.
Ten years of travelling to various lands has given Horse a wealth of knowledge to help his people, the Ehvelen, or midgets as their enemy, the Doshi, sneeringly call them.
For over twenty years there has been continual war between Horse’s people and the Doshi. Horse’s mission is to gain knowledge from other nations like the Scythians, Assyrians, the Hun and various others, to help his people vanquish their much stronger foe.
One of the important finds Horse makes is Wootz, the ancient name for steel, which will give the Ehvelen an edge over the dreaded Doshi.
Horse finds love along the way with Gudrun, a beautiful woman, although not of his own kind. Their marriage is only short-lived, and although broken hearted, Horse must continue his mission. He learns the different customs of the people of the various nations he passes through. I found the variety of costumes and customs fascinating.
Horse made a lot of friends and allies along the way, also many enemies. On numerous occasions I feared he would lose his life or be captured. With a combination of trickery, skill and bravery, our hero always manages to come out on top.
The descriptions of the different terrains, each with their own unique danger that Horse passed through on the course of his decade-long journey of discovery was quite enthralling. The author painted a vivid picture of the freezing, snow covered mountains, the vast expanse of plains and forests, not to mention the searing heat of the desert.
Will Horse finally make it home? If so, will his family welcome him back after so long away? If they do, will he be able to impart the knowledge he has acquired to help his people overcome the Doshi? Or maybe he will be forever a lonely wanderer with no real place to call home.
I cannot give you the answer to these questions as it would spoil this enthralling story. I have to warn you though, it is a long book, but every page of this enthralling historical story is worthy of being turned and read.
Margaret Tanner
Best Selling Amazon Author of historical western romances and of Australian historical fiction
- I am currently preparing The Travels of First Horse for reissue in modern formats, and am happy to email an advance review copy to you.
Bobbing Around 