Customer Reviews

Horses of Heaven

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

 

 

In "Horses of Heaven," acclaimed writer Gillian Bradshaw goes far into the past to tell the story of Heliokleia, a beautiful, Bactrian (pre-Greek), Buddhist queen, and her marriage to the elderly Ferghanan king, Mauakes. Mauakes has a grown son from a previous marriage, Itaz, who detests and fears the Bactrians. This is a fairly typical Tristan-and-Isolde theme: what saves it from the commonplace by Ms. Bradshaw's beautiful writing, her clear, subtle world-building, and her creation of layered, multi-leveled characters. Elements of the supernatural are introduced in a low-key and fairly believable way (insofar as having conversations with ghosts are "believable.") A very good, well-written, engaging story, with intriguing glimpses into the pre-Christian world.

It is still my favorite book after 15 years. Babygirl keeps churning out the books on the regular but in my opinion this is still the best, and if she never wrote one that was better it wouldn't matter because this one is a masterpiece. Two things that I love about the writing are the development of the characters -- seamless beautiful transitions from distrust and dislike to love as well as well-crafted shifts on the timeline (flashbacks) that give the reader insight into the situation and the characters. My favorite parts however are when the characters discuss philosophy. Within the content of the conversations b/t characters there are incredibly thought-provoking statements that I haven't seen in any of her other books and is what really sets this one apart. Also, the historical aspect of the plot is fairly simple and easy to follow but still exciting in the telling. Plots in later books get a little complicated and rushed. I've always wanted to see this made into a movie.

This is the novel that made me a fan of Bradshaw's historical fiction. Set in the ancient world (present day Afghanistan), it has a rich tapestry of setting, well-developed characters and an exciting story. The author has obviously done her research as the book is filled with intricate details on clothing and locations, and the story comes alive because of it.

King Mauakes of Ferghana makes a political alliance by marrying Heliokleia, from the Greek kingdom of Bactra. The story is told by her new handmaiden, Tomryis. Heliokleia is almost completely isolated in this foreign land, until she begisn to fall in love with Mauakes' son, Itaz. Though both are loyal to the King and would not betray him, Mauakes is paranoid and begins a reign of terror against them. Though this is historical fiction, it does have a slight supernatural element often found in very ancient history (like the gods in the Illiad and Odyssey).

I have read a LOT of historical fiction over the years, and this is still one of my top five. A real shame it is out of print.

Gillian Bradshaw's Horses of Heaven is a historical fantasy set in a place and time far from fantasy's beaten path: central Asia in 140 B.C. It takes place in the kingdom of Ferghana, which was once on the eastern fringe of Alexander's empire. Now, Alexander is long dead and Ferghana is an uneasy mix of Greeks and native Sakas. The widowed King Mauakes makes a political marriage with a Greco-Bactrian princess, Heliokleia, but he is abusive toward her and their marriage is a disaster from the start. When Heliokleia instead falls in love with Mauakes' handsome son Itaz, and he with her, the situation becomes as incendiary as Greek fire.

It's a time and place where many ideas and philosophies competed for dominance, and there are many debates within these pages: the merits of Buddhism vs. Zoroastrianism vs. the Greek pantheon vs. Saka sun worship, for example, and differing views of governance, warfare, and women's rights.

The "talkiness" of Horses of Heaven is both a strength and a weakness. The religious and philosophical debates are fascinating and do a great job of defining the characters and their relationships to one another. On the other hand, the book is occasionally a bit dry and bogged down in bureaucratic process, particularly in the first half. Later, as the love story blooms more fully, it alleviates this issue. It's a pretty archetypal triangle, but Bradshaw elevates it by fleshing out all three of the principals rather than making them stock figures.

Bradshaw's decision regarding point of view is one of the most unusual I've seen. Horses of Heaven is ostensibly in first person, told by Tomyris, a young Saka who is chosen as a lady-in-waiting to Heliokleia. Yet Tomyris only talks about herself in brief and scattered moments, and narrates scenes from the three leads' lives as though she were a third-person narrator: showing us their innermost thoughts and the precise details of events she only heard about secondhand. At times I wondered, why use Tomyris at all? Why not just use third person? Toward the end of the book, I think I figured it out. Tomyris is a microcosm of the people of Ferghana; we see how their opinions of their king and queen and prince changed over time by way of Tomyris' own changing feelings.

Tomyris' narration also raises the question of intended audience. Horses of Heaven is listed in some places as "young adult." The story of Mauakes, Heliokleia, and Itaz deals with mature themes such as spousal abuse and adultery, and delves more deeply into philosophy than is usual in a YA novel. Tomyris' story, on the other hand, is a classic YA journey in which a young person examines what her culture has taught her, decides what to accept and what to reject, and becomes an adult with her own considered opinions. As a result, I don't know whether to classify this as a YA book or not.

The fantasy elements are subtle. Many of the magical occurrences are of the sort that could also be explained by mundane means, especially at first, but later it becomes clear that this is indeed a fantasy novel.

You'll probably like Horses of Heaven if you enjoy historical fantasy such as that of Jo Graham. If you find it a little dry at first, keep going. In the end I found it thought-provoking and emotionally moving, and learned some interesting history along the way as Gillian Bradshaw brings to life a setting that almost nobody is writing about.