All the Horses of Iceland
Ratings12
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings12
Average rating3.8
A hypnotic historical fantasy with gorgeous and unusual literary prose, from the captivating author of The Fourth Island. Everyone knows of the horses of Iceland, wild, and small, and free, but few have heard their story. Sarah Tolmie’s All the Horses of Iceland weaves their mystical origin into a saga for the modern age. Filled with the magic and darkened whispers of a people on the cusp of major cultural change, All the Horses of Iceland tells the tale of a Norse trader, his travels through Central Asia, and the ghostly magic that followed him home to the land of fire, stone, and ice. His search for riches will take him from Helmgard, through Khazaria, to the steppes of Mongolia, where he will barter for horses and return with much, much more. All the Horses of Iceland is a delve into the secret, imagined history of Iceland's unusual horses, brought to life by an expert storyteller. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is beautiful, the mix of historical fiction, lore, and magical realism pops from the page. This is the kind of book that takes its time, and you can't expect to fly through it with action and adventure. The stakes were lost on me (in that there weren't high stakes or anything that really pushed the plot forward), but slowly as it moved, there was beauty in the novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“This mare's story proves that one can be famous without a name, a valuable lesson.”
I don't normally pick up novellas unless they're a part of a series I'm reading, but the cover for this one and the blurb on NetGalley were to interesting to pass up. This short story follows Icelandic trader Eyvind as he accompanies another trader on a three year trading journey to trade with the qan's tribe. There, he performs a great task for the qan and is given wealth (in horses) and prestige.
The story has a weird ebb and flow to it that took me a bit to get into. What really compelled me forward was the mythological feel to the story, like I was reading an actual retelling of a myth. The writing style was fantastic, I thought, and I know some people found Eyvind flat or distant, but I thought he was pragmatic and had a dry sense of humor. The horses, despite being the key part the novella hinges on, don't actually feature in the story until the last half or so, and I was a little disappointed at them not being more of a feature.
I'm still giving this novella 4 stars, if only because I liked the short journey we went on, and for a really unique and intriguing writing style.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
