Horses are awe-inspiring animals in real life, so it’s no surprise that they’ve inspired plenty of fiction. They’re a mainstay of children’s literature (Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion) and westerns, of course, but they also appear in a great many fantasy novels; J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings trilogy, for instance, notably introduces the “very great” steed Shadowfax: “Does he not shine like silver,” asks the wizard Gandalf, “and run as smoothly as a swift stream?” Horses aren’t uncommon in mysteries, either—thanks, in part, to the popularity of the late Dick Francis’ bestselling racetrack whodunits. Here are a few equestrian editions from the past few years, all recommended by Kirkus Indie:
Sarah V. Barnes’ 2022 historical series starter, She Who Rides Horses, is set in 4000 BCE in what’s now southwestern Europe. It focuses on rebellious 14-year-old Naya, who wants to ride a wild, chestnut-colored horse she encounters near a stream; this is unusual, because in her culture, the animals are mainly used for food. She and the filly even seem to be able to read each other’s thoughts. But Naya’s father, Potis, the chief of her clan, strongly disapproves of the idea: “What would happen if hunters went after the herd and you got caught up in a stampede? Or if a wolf pack went after one of the foals and got you instead?” Later, Naya is accidentally injured by a young nomad; the rest of the novel, our reviewer notes, “centers on Naya’s recovery and reconnection with the filly” in an “often enjoyable story of a brave girl’s journey.”
In the 2022 SF/fantasy novel Princess of Horses by Warren Gill, horses are the primary method of transportation on rural Plethlonney Island on the planet Diox, where security enforcer Jon Sevanthian is assigned by his trading-company employer to “Protect Trade.” However, he can’t bring along any weaponry to do so, and his horse-riding experience is limited to a long-ago ride on a merry-go-round. Nonetheless, he’s soon embedded with the Sheep People, whose wool-centered livelihood is threatened by “Fighting-Man Machines” from a neighboring island; other local cultures include the warlike Mountain People, and, yes, the Horse People. Kirkus’ review calls the book “richly detailed,” adding that the author “deftly offers fantasy readers a detailed look into animal husbandry against a backdrop of political intrigue.”
Robin Somers’ 2024 mystery-series launcher Eleven Stolen Horses follows California crime reporter Eleanor Wooley of the Gold Strike Tribune as she investigates three different stories: the murder of thief and blackmailer Ruben Beaumont; the disappearance of her own best friend, Rette Kenny, who may be lost in the Sierra Nevada mountains; and the theft of 11 horses: “Devastated doesn’t begin to describe” how the horses’ owner feels. As the journalist digs into the three cases, it becomes apparent that they may all be intertwined, and that the animals may be victims of an illicit moneymaking scheme. Kirkus’ reviewer calls Eleanor a worthy hero for this twisty tale, due to her “dedication to justice—not just for her friend, but for anyone who has been wronged (including the majestic horses that have been stolen).”
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
