Eclipsed by Shadow

John Royce
Micron Press (2008)
ISBN 9780972412131
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (12/08)

“Auburn–haired and with a streak of tomboy, Megan 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 Megan Roberts first laid eyes on Promise, she knew the horse was special.  A little old lady from down the road tells Megan 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.  Megan 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 Megan 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.

 

 

Reviewed by Wendy Cleveland for Reader Views (5/08)

“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 felt that a horse should name itself, so her foal became “Promise.”  Everyone around town seemed to be interested in this special palomino, especially her neighbor Eleanor Bridgestone.  Ms. Bridgestone tells Meagan the tales of “The Great Horse” throughout history and seems to think that her horse is the next in line, but of the dark variety. “The Great Traveler, with mysterious powers to bring darkness to the world.  Of course, we wouldn’t be sure unless the Great Horse was actually ridden.”  Meagan doesn’t understand this because her horse is light in color, but is about to become “Eclipsed by Shadow” as her light winter coat sheds to reveal solid black.  Some crooked horse trainers get wind of this discovery and try to steal Promise.  This invokes Meagan to protect her.  She gets on her horse’s back and tries to jump a fence to get away.  When she does, Promise sprouts wings and turns into “The Great Horse.”   She flies Meagan back in time for her to the see the way horses were used for work, war, sport, spectacle and even food.

Meagan’s adventure in this first book in 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 try and help people understand the beauty and sole purpose 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.


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