The Year the Horses Came - Softcover

Mackey, Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0595311164 ISBN 13: 9780595311163

Publisher: iUniverse, 2004

Synopsis

Volume One of The Earthsong Trilogy evokes the moment in pre-history when marauding nomads brought horses, male gods, and war to a goddess-worshipping Europe that had known peace for thousands of years. Against this perilous backdrop, a passionate, dangerous love develops between Marrah, a gifted priestess, and Stavan, one of the invading warriors."A researcher's precision combined with storytelling magic."-Marija Gimbutas, author of The Civilization of the Goddess"Vivid, dramatic, compelling."-Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Mackey has published eleven novels and four books of poetry. Her works, which include A Grand Passion, The Year The Horses Came, The Horses At The Gate and The Fires of Spring, have sold over a million copies and been translated into eleven foreign languages. She writes comic novels under the name ?Kate Clemens.? To learn more, visit: www.marymackey.com.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The author of 20th-century heartstring dramas (Season of Shadows, 1991, etc.) travels back to prehistory (as in The Last Warrior Queen, 1983) to center her exemplary heroine in the Brittany of 4372 B.C.--and in the heart of Earth Mother goddess worship. To the east of the peaceful, creative peoples, however, are the patriarchal tribes of the steppes, where women--and life itself--are little valued. Doom is on the way, and lovers from two cultures find themselves in the thick of horror. It is on her coming-of-age day that Marrah finds and rescues the odd-looking stranger who's lying on the beach, almost drowned, after his boat has sunk. Eventually, the language barrier overcome, Marrah learns that this young, blond man, Stavan, is the youngest son of the Great Chief of the Hansi, horsemen and warriors who roam the Sea of Grass, killing and conquering. Marrah is amazed by the Hansi's lack of egalitarian, life-giving values: ``...slaves, wars, concubines...your people sound horrible.'' Yes, indeed, and Stavan warns that they are on the way west. Now, Stavan, in love with Marrah and respecting her people, offers to try to deflect the Great Chief; Marrah and younger brother Arang will also journey--to warn other of the matristic peoples. The journey takes them through welcoming villages, forests, and religious places, but then disaster strikes, and Marrah and Arang are captured. There's an orgy of violence and cruelty, leading to a (literally) graveside escape. Mackey's message concerning patriarchal bloody swords vs. matriarchal plowshares sounds like a rallying trumpet. Certainly the Earth Mother worship--consisting of ``eating well, singing beautifully, enjoying themselves and making love,'' imagined from rose-colored mists of the past--is appealing. Overall: a competent adventure, with characters chatting easily in a modern idiom, for the Bradley/Auel readership. (First printing of 100,000) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0595311164
• ISBN 13: 9780595311163
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 394