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So of course I come to the “first” of the Epona books last. Admittedly, it was the third one written (out of four), so I’m not completely out of order, just mostly.

Not that it really matters, since while they all have similar themes, they are at best only passingly related to each other. This time we’re dealing with Proto-Indo-Europeans (or Proto-Proto-Indo-Europeans), somewhere on the steppes of Asia around, say, 4000 BCE.

Like the other books we’re treated to nomadic life, patriarchal politics and the kind of naturalistic shamanism that melds internal senses with being part of a bigger world. This is again entirely appropriate for the time period of society, and slides it towards the fantasy side of the aisle while also being historically appropriate.

This follows the general feel for such as the other books have had, along with their other themes, such as a love of horses, and a coming of age story. While there are again two distinctly different cultures at play here, this book is less about a direct clash between them, which helps Lady of Horses stand on its own better. It doesn’t feel quite as mythic in tone as the other books in the series, but I think I enjoyed the primary characters more here.