Horses of Heaven - Hardcover

Bradshaw, Gillian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385414668 ISBN 13: 9780385414661

Publisher: Nan A. Talese, 1991

Synopsis

Heliokleia, a young princess of Bactria, is allied in a mismatched marriage to the ruler of Ferghana, but she realizes too late that the king's son, Itaz, is her true soulmate

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

British novelist Bradshaw ( Imperial Purple ) has created a richly detailed, absorbing historical novel of the ancient world, with strong, well-developed characters and all the right plot elements: love, war, courtly life and the magic of the gods. In 140 B.C., narrator Tomryis, age 18, is chosen by Saka King Mauakes of Ferghana (now Afghanistan), to attend his new wife, Heliokleia, a Greek from the kingdom of Bactra. The marriage is a political alliance, and Mauakes makes it clear that beautiful, intelligent Heliokleia is to have only limited powers. The aloof queen decides to seek her soul's release by being the perfect ruler. Mauakes's grown son Itaz, devoted to his father, is sensitive to both the king's isolation behind the mask of power and Heliokleia's emotional suffering. Eventually Mauakes falls in love with his wife, but he can't demand her affection, which has settled on Itaz. Aided by their sun god patron, Heliokleia and Itaz must confront the paranoid, embittered Mauakes and endure a horrible confrontation with a supernatural creature. Well-researched, interesting details on the cultural and religious customs of the period provide background for the noble characters, who fulfill the promise, good or evil, of their true natures.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

YA-- A fine story, set in Central Asia 200 years after the time of Alexander the Great. Warring barbarians want their rulers to conquer and rule as Alexander had once done. Faction against faction sets the region on fire with war. One ruler, stronger and smarter than the others, tries to secure his borders by treaties and royal marriages. His Greek border is peacefully aligned to his kingdom by his marriage to the sister of the Greek ruler. All is fine until she arrives; not only is the princess mounted on elephants that terrify even the soldiers and their horses, but she is beautiful, too. The tale begins as the aging ruler, amidst great pagentry, marries the young princess. His lack of personal hygene offends her, but loyalty to her people and a great sense of duty keep her from fleeing or killing herself. The story takes on new dimension when the son of the king falls in love with his stepmother, and she with him. Colorful ceremonies and romance set against antiquity's landscapes make this involving historical fiction. --Linda A. Vretos, West Springfield High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Nan A. Talese
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0385414668
• ISBN 13: 9780385414661
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448