She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe (Book One)
by Sarah V. Barnes
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Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 267 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Lilith House Press
Release date: March 2022
Content Rating: PG. It contains two kissing scenes and the death of an animal.
Book Description:
Set more than 6,000 years ago, She Who Rides Horses: A Saga of the Ancient Steppe (Book One) begins the story of Naya, the first person to ride a horse.
Daughter of a clan chief, bolder than other girls but shunned by the boys because of her unusual appearance, Naya wanders alone through the vast grasslands where her people herd cattle and hunt wild horses for their meat. But Naya dreams of creating a different kind of relationship with the magnificent creatures.
One day, she discovers a filly with a chestnut coat as uncommon as her own head of red hair. With time running out before she is called to assume the responsibilities of adulthood, Naya embarks on a quest to gallop with the red filly across the boundless steppe.
Unwittingly, she sets in motion forces and events that will change forever the future of humans and horses alike.
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MY REVIEW
Long, long ago there lived a girl. Naya, the daughter of a chief in her clan. Despite her role, she has dreams which she struggles to make her clan understand. Horses can be more than just food. Her dream is to tame a wild horse and ride it. What an advantage it would be.
I was pulled into this historical adventure from the synopsis. I was one of those young girls who dreamed of owning my own horse. How could I not enjoy a story about a young girl who is the first to ride a horse. What I quickly discovered as I got further into the book was the fascinating journey of Naya and her clan. How they lived a nomadic life much as Native Americans used to. The social dynamics and Naya’s place in the clan. And her spiritual journey. The author showed me her world and I was transported to another time, met members of other clans and was enthralled by Naya’s enchantment with the wild horses.
I have to read the next book. This one ends on a cliffhanger. That can sometimes annoy me. I like some kind of conclusion. But this time, I was just anxious to continue with a young girl’s journey. To be transported back to her world, which is so fascinating, and see what her future brings.
5 STARS
Getting to Know Your Characters
When asked how I came up with the characters in my novel, She Who Rides Horses, I’m never quite sure how to answer. Rather than being made up, I feel as though they showed up. As the story started to unfold, I gradually got to know them. Take the main character – Naya – for example. When I began writing, I didn’t know her name – she was simply ‘the girl’. As the story moved along, I tried out various names derived from the language her people might have spoken, finally settling on one that seemed to fit. But then I happened to read a book of ancient myths from the land where Naya’s mother was from and realized Naya and her mother Sata could both be named for the same mythological character – Satanaya. It all seemed to fit – but I had to get to know both Naya and her mother first. As for Naya’s appearance – without any conscious intention on my part, she showed up in the first couple of paragraphs with red hair and blue eyes. Later, when I researched the origins of the genes for red hair and blue eyes, sure enough, I was able to verify that, although rare, those traits did exist among the people living in the steppes of what is now southern Russia around 4,000 BCE, where and when the story is set. Similarly, some characteristics of her personality were present from the beginning, like her tom-boyishness and her bravery and determination, but other aspects only emerged as I got to know her better, like her insecurities around not being the son she is certain her father would have preferred.
Besides Naya, I’ve enjoyed getting to know her grandmother, Awija, as well as her mother, Sata. Having three generations of women in the same family allows me to explore relationships and perspectives at three different life stages. Awija is Sata’s mother-in-law, so that adds an interesting dynamic. As a mother of daughters, I relate to Sata, although she also faces challenges that are not part of my personal experience. Writing about her longings and regrets has allowed me to come to understand her better. Awija plays a more limited role in the first book but she is one of my favorite characters. She’s full of wisdom. I’m enjoying getting to spend more time with her and learn from her as I work on book two.
And then, of course, there are the horses. They are very much characters in their own right, with individual personalities which I’ve also had to get to know. For Naya and the red filly, whose interactions drive the story, I’ve tried to portray their emerging relationship as authentically as possible, which can be a challenge when all the communication between them is non-verbal.
Each day when I sit down to write, it’s as though I’m entering into an ongoing conversation with friends, wondering what they will do and say next. It’s what keeps me coming back to my desk.
It was long after noon the next day before Naya was at last able to slip away. This time she was better prepared. In a deer skin bag slung over one shoulder she carried flint tools and kindling for making fire, a flint knife and enough food to last a day, as well as a full water skin. Over the other shoulder was coiled a long length of braided rawhide, strong enough, she hoped, to restrain the filly…
She found the little band at dusk, when the sun’s afterglow cast blackening shadows across the landscape. She had just gained the top of a small rise and could see for some distance, despite the gathering darkness. There they were – blurred shapes silhouetted against the next range of hills. Succeeding ridges gained in height, verdant meadows giving way to forested slopes, behind which the sun had disappeared. The horses had led her to the edge of the grasslands…
Naya shivered in the rapidly cooling air. The horses appeared to have stopped for the evening. The mares’ heads hung low, muzzles almost touching the ground in deep relaxation and she could make out several darker shapes that must be the foals, lying in the grass at their feet. Only the stallion stood alert, scenting the air for danger before dropping his head to grab a few mouthfuls of grass. Moments later, his head lifted again, keen eyes scanning the landscape.
Naya settled herself in the deep grass and rested her folded arms atop her knees. From her vantage on the rise downwind from the small band, she could sit and keep watch without arousing suspicion… Eventually, cheek resting on her forearms, she closed her eyes, and slept…
At some point later in the night, she thought she awoke. Lifting her head from her folded arms, she checked the herd. They were as they’d been before, dozing in the lee of the hillside across from the rise where she sat. Even the stallion had relaxed his vigilance and stood with his head lowered. The full moon now rode high in the sky, bright enough to cast faint shadows. As Naya’s eyes adjusted to the night, the moon’s light illuminated a faint track leading down the rise at an angle from where the horses rested. She hadn’t noticed it before.
Rising, Naya moved as silently as she could, following the path in the moonlight. Soon, she found herself ascending another small rise, then descending, then rising again, until at last she stood at the edge of a ravine. Below, she could see a stream, shining in the moonlight, gurgling quietly as it flowed over its stony bed… Slipping and sliding, Naya made her way down the steep slope, scratching her skin against sharp rocks and thorny underbrush. At last she reached the bottom and looked around her. Along the ravine’s floor, smooth white stones marked the water course… Drawn onward, Naya followed the path upstream into a grove of trees.
There, a wondrous sight met her eyes. Oaks and birches encircled a small pool of water, fed by an underground spring. Reflected in the pool’s clear, still surface was the round orb of the moon, casting its light from high above the rocky cliffs which formed the pool’s backdrop. Beside the pool stood the red filly, burnished coat softly aglow. Naya froze, rooted as if she were one of the trees, and stared. The filly, startled by the girl’s approach, stared back. Neither moved. Eventually, Naya remembered to breathe. In the next moment, she realized that she had left her rope, along with everything else she’d brought with her, back on the rise. Still, she and the filly stood motionless, looking at one another.
In that moment, Naya’s senses underwent an almost imperceptible shift; the moonlight became just a little brighter, the stream’s murmur became just a little louder, the slight breeze rustling the leaves in the trees became just a little fresher against her skin. In the next moment, she seemed to feel the filly’s thoughts.
I will grant your heart’s desire, but only if you are able to grant mine. The musical voice resonated within the core of Naya’s being, even though no sound other than the splash of flowing water and whisper of the wind in the trees disturbed the silence of the grove. What is your heart’s desire?
Awestruck, Naya could only gaze back at the young horse, who now regarded her with luminous dark eyes in which fear had given way to curiosity. Finally, she found her own voice. “I wish to be with you,” she said simply. “I wish to touch your coat.” Then, from deep inside, another longing welled up, a yearning so audacious she almost couldn’t bring herself to speak. Hesitatingly, she uttered the words. “I wish,” she said, “to ride upon your back.”
Ah, the red filly seemed to reply, if this is indeed your deepest desire, then you must see with the eyes of your heart and create ties without the use of a rope. And when you have succeeded in granting my heart’s desire, then shall yours be granted also.
Before Naya could begin to ponder the meaning of the words, the filly brushed past her in a chestnut blur and was gone, disappearing through the trees toward the mouth of the ravine. Gazing after her, Naya shook her head, as if to clear her senses. Water still flowed in the creek and a breeze still rustled among the leaves. The moon still cast its dim glow – but the moment of utter clarity had vanished, just as suddenly as the young horse. Shaking herself again, as if awakening from a dream, Naya retraced her steps to the mouth of the ravine. There was no sign of the red filly…
Meet the Author:
Sarah V. Barnes, Ph.D. is both an historian and a horsewoman. When Sarah is not writing stories, she practices and teaches riding as a meditative art. She also offers equine-facilitated coaching and wellness workshops.
Sarah holds a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University and spent many years as a college professor before turning full-time to riding and writing. She has two grown daughters and lives with her husband, her dogs and her horses near Boulder, CO.
connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ goodreads
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