Customer Reviews

The Coming of the Horseclans

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Horseclans novels are like olives -- you either acquire a taste for them or you don't. They're not great literature, which is why I gave this book a score of only 3, but if you get caught up in the saga, it won't matter. You'll want more, and there are a lot of them!

The story is set in precataclysmic North America, approximately 600 years after nuclear war, man-induced plagues, and worldwide seismic disturbances have thrown humanity into a brutal pre-industrial age. Much of California and the East Coast have sunk into the sea. What remains of the eastern states, from Canada to Georgia, has been settled by waves of dark-skinned and dark-haired adventurers from Europe (Spaniards, Greeks, Armenians, etc.) called the Ehleenee. While these early settlers were rugged fighters in the mold of Athenians and Spartans, the current crop are little more than decadent dictators ruling over downtrodden peasant farmers.

This first book in the series details the odyssey of the War Chief of the horseclans, Milo of Morai, a mutant immortal from the 20th century, as he leads the nomadic people of the horseclans from the high plains of North America to the Atlantic Ocean. After 200 years of searching for other immortals, Milo has returned to the clans to fulfill an ancient prophecy and lead them to their destined homeland by the sea. Since, unbeknownst to the horseclans, earthquakes long ago sent their original home, Ehlai (Los Angeles), to the bottom of the ocean, Milo convinces them to travel east rather than west. In their way stands the armed might of the Ehleenee and the treacherous Witchmen -- pre-Holocaust scientists who have survived the centuries by repeatedly stealing new bodies to house their minds and who have their own designs for ruling existing civilization.

These books are primarily military science fiction and not for the faint of heart. There are lots of vivid descriptions of battles, torture and ghastly wounds. The prose is spare and very action-oriented. While not a fan of military fiction in general, I was sucked in by the animal component of the series. The clanspeople have the ability to communicate telepathically with their specially bred war horses and with a mutant wild cat, the "prairie cat," which sounds like a blend of puma, sabertooth, and cheetah. I'm also obssessed with translating the terminology of the time -- it becomes a kind of game -- figuring out what words like Ehlai (LA), Pitzburk (Pittsburg), Karaleenos (Carolinas), Neekohl (Nicole), Kuk (Cook), Hwallis (Wallace) all mean. If you like Larry Niven's Man-Kzinn Wars series, you might enjoy the horseclans saga.

While working through the sf shelves recently at my local used paperback bookstore, I came across a stack of barbarian-adventure novels by the late Robert Adams from the 1970s and `80s. They've been out of print for some time (I see they're back now) and, frankly, I'd forgotten all about them. The "Horseclans" series (of which this is the first installment) is probably his best known work, set six hundred years after a nuclear/biological/geological holocaust, a world in which the survivors of America have become horse nomads and the east coast has been resettled by incomers from Greece and Eastern Europe. Milo Moray is one of the few survivors from the Olde Days (yes, he appears to be effectively immortal) and he has returned from a long, wandering journey to retake leadership of the clans and to lead them to a new future on the coast. The action is headlong and the prose, while sometimes a bit purple, is actually quite enjoyable. Adams is up-front about simply providing entertainment, but he manages to blend in some quasi-libertarian commentary as well. He's also knowledgeable about military matters, so the verisimilitude is strong. There's a dozen and a half books in the series, and they don't demand to be read exactly in order, but this first one sets up the milieu, so this is where you should start. Grab any copies of Adams's books you can locate and settle in for some pure escapism.

Here's a book it seems no one has heard about, and that's too bad. I read my first HORSECLANS book in high school, and it left an impression. For those who enjoyed 300 (or the better, lesser-known BLOOD OF HEROES), it seems that this book might have come out in the wrong decade.

THE COMING OF THE HORSECLANS introduced a fantasy series that reveled in brutality; that painted a picture of a world we'd all be glad not to live in. It shares a kinship with John Norman's GOR series; but HORSECLANS is written better, and it's not hung up on that whole slave-girl-exploitation dreck. In other words, underneath the blood and the guts and the sex, there's a bona-fide story. Woo-hoo!

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire novel "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

The Horseclans novels are like olives -- you either acquire a taste for them or you don't. They're not great literature, which is why I gave this book a score of only 3, but if you get caught up in the saga, it won't matter. You'll want more, and there are a lot of them! The Coming of the Horseclans is a good place to start.

The story is set in precataclysmic North America, approximately 600 years after nuclear war, man-induced plagues, and worldwide seismic disturbances have thrown humanity into a brutal pre-industrial age. Much of California and the East Coast have sunk into the sea. What remains of the eastern states, from Canada to Georgia, has been settled by waves of dark-skinned and dark-haired adventurers from Europe (Spaniards, Greeks, Armenians, etc.) called the Ehleenee. While the early settlers were rugged fighters in the mold of Athenians and Spartans, the current crop are little more than decadent dictators ruling over downtrodden peasant farmers.

This first book in the series details the odyssey of the War Chief of the horseclans, Milo of Morai, a mutant immortal from the 20th century, as he leads the nomadic people of the horseclans from the high plains of North America to the East Coast. After 200 years of searching for other immortals, Milo has returned to the clans to fulfill an ancient prophecy and lead them to their destined homeland by the sea. Since, unbeknownst to them, earthquakes have long since sent their original home, Ehlai (Los Angeles), to the bottom of the ocean, he has convinced them to travel east. In their way stands the armed might of the Ehleenee and the treacherous Witchmen -- pre-Holocaust scientists who have survived the centuries by repeatedly stealing new bodies to house their minds and who have their own designs for ruling existing civilization.

These books are primarily military science fiction and not for the faint of heart. There are lots of vivid descriptions of battles, torture and ghastly wounds. The prose is spare and very action-oriented. While not a fan of military fiction in general, I was sucked in by the animal component of the series. The clanspeople have the ability to communicate telepathically with their specially bred war horses and with a mutant wild cat, the "prairie cat," which sounds like a blend of puma, sabertooth, and cheetah. I'm also obssessed with translating the terminology of the time -- it becomes a kind of game -- figuring out what words like Ehlai (LA), Pitzburk (Pittsburg), Karaleenos (Carolinas), Neekohl (Nicole), Kuk (Cook), Hwallis (Wallace) all mean. If you like Larry Niven's Man-Kzinn Wars series, you might enjoy the horseclans saga.

A great novel for the Conan the barbarian style of fantacy writing. A post futuristic apocalypse world setting as a twist. Loved it and hope the publisher continues making new copy's of the original series.

I'd say that the Horseclans novels are some of the best action fantasy ever written. I'd put the Comming of the Horseclans as the best of the series. I found the characters to be well developed, the pace to be fast, the plot both exciting and engaging, and finaly the action to be non-stop and realistic. If you can find it get it.

I read the Horse Clan series way back in 1982 or 83, when I was in High School. Personally I am surprised to find that it is still around. Even back then it was not a particularly popular book series, however I liked Howard's Conan series, and quickly fell for Adams Horse Clans. This book series is not for everyone, but if you like Howards Conan books, you might want to give Horse Clans a look. Often marketed as a sword and sorcery book, it fails to meet that mark by a mile, but it is a good (not great) sci-fi fantasy novel(s)... well good in my opinion and maybe not so good in the opinion of others.

I think it's important to note what this book is and isn't before getting into the review. First, it was written as the first of a long series of action-fantasy books in the mid-70s. I have a first print edition which includes a full color insert advertisement for Kent brand cigarettes. Hard to imagine that here in 2011. Second, even the author felt compelled to write preface stating that the book is escapist pulp fiction. So with that in mind, the story unfolds.

The Horseclans saga takes place 600 years after a cataclysm that has twisted the North American continent into new shapes. Milo of Morai is a nearly immortal mutant human who has lived since the cataclysm began. He seeks to find more of his kind and lead the Horseclans of the central plains to a new home on the eastern seaboard which he believes is his destiny. The Horseclans tribesmen can speak with horses and great plains cats (think saber-toothed mountain lions) who often assist them in battle. Unfortunately for Milo and the Horseclans, the road to the eastern seaboard cuts through territory held by outsiders who have immigrated from Europe and they wont give up their territory easily. Perhaps worse, Milo encounters a creature created from pre-cataclysm technology able to jump from one body to another and take control over it. Though Milo is able to overcome the creature, it leaves a cryptic warning that its people are "not yet ready" to return.

While I've never reviewed a book this old before (I was one when it was written) and my not understand the writing styles of the time, The Coming of the Horseclans felt fairly disjointed and lacked explanatory prose throughout. The novel starts with a battle scene between forces the reader is unfamiliar with and progresses from one battle to the next without much explanation. Between the (often very one sided) battles, we learn a little about Milo's past and the history of the Horseclans, but otherwise the book is pure military fantasy fiction. Not bad really, it's just important to know that you're not getting a Tolkien or Spielberg epic here, you're getting hack and slash fantasy from the shallowest end of the pool.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/07)

"The Coming of the Horseclans" is the first book in the Horseclans series of eighteen books. This tale takes place in the post-cataclysmic age of the 27th century. Six hundred years prior to this time, the earth was devastated by natural and man made events. The Immortal Undying High Lord Milo Morai has lived through all of these years. He has spent the last two hundred years seeking a fabled island where men and women like him do not age or die. Some call his gift "The Curse of the Undying," however he does not see it as such. He returns home to the Horseclans to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Assisted by his ability to mindspeak with horses and the great prairie cats he forms alliances with them. This greatly helps him in battle, plus it adds an incredible touch to the story. Milo helps the Horseclan people on their journeys and in battle.

During these adventures, Milo finds two females that are immortal like him. One is a child who appears to have greater abilities than either of the two of them. The other, Mara, is a great female warrior. She proves her mettle in battle and is able to be freed as a slave. She continues on his journeys and battles alongside him.

Two of the biggest threats to the Horseclans are the depraved Ehleenees and the secretive Witchmen. The majority of the battles in this story are with the Ehleenees. The Witchmen are scientists from six hundred years ago who are able to use their consciousnesses to control the bodies of others. They want to find out about Milo's immortality. He is just beginning to learn about their existence, but I suspect further books in the series will involve them more.

"The Coming of the Horseclans" is a great fantasy book. The author Robert Adams paints a colorful picture of these post-cataclysmic times. I really enjoyed the people's abilities to mindspeak with the animals. This is a great book for a sci-fi readers group to discuss. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Book received free of charge.

I have read much of Robert Adams series "Horseclans", and I enjoy it very much. It combines sci-fiction with sci-adventure. This makes it facinating to read. It includes my favorite fantasy things; wartime, clans, telephaty, a primitive enviroment, large friendly cats with long teeth and sharp claws, and telapathic horses. It is well worth searching for this out of print series. If you are looking for another IN print series that is good to read, and holds the same interest as the Horseclans series, Look for Piers Anthony. He has two series, Xanth and The Adept Series. Both hold just as much interest for me as the horseclans series did. This is a review from an avid HorseClans fan, feel free to contact me.