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Horseclans #4
A Cat of Silvery Hue
Book by Adams, Robert
166 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
16 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Robert Adams
74 books68 followersFranklin Robert Adams (August 31, 1933 - January 4, 1990) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, formerly a career soldier. He is best known for his "Horseclans" books. He wrote as Robert Adams, an abbreviated form of his full name.
Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series).
Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.
Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series).
Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 27, 2012
This fourth installment continues Robert Adams' dense narrative. The antagonists are portrayed as "Christians turned crazed homosexuals bent on human sacrifice." Bili and Milo continue the quenching of the rebellion (which is still left unresolved...in mid-battle no less).
Disappointingly, the main characters consume the spotlight but do not perform much with their powers other than mindspeak (telepathy). A Cat of Silvery Hue really is about the average Geros, who rises to the occasion to perform heroic deeds that hundreds of nearby veteran warriors fail to address. Geros exhibits more "character" than any of the main characters, and the title is named in honor of his exploits. However, he is a marginal character whose presence is sparse.
I am left with the same feeling I get when I order a greasy hamburger to-go from a fast food joint, leave the drive though, and discover that I was given a chicken sandwich by mistake. I'll curse the restaurant, claim I will never come back, but will anyway after some time.
+ Geros is developed nicely
+ The fight scenes deliver as expected.
+ The Horseclans is very much like fast food.
- The main characters did not develop or perform exciting roles
- All the bad guys are blundering idiots with the exception of Drehkos
- Occasional erotica scenes are out-of-place and laughable
- The Horseclans is very much like fast food.
Disappointingly, the main characters consume the spotlight but do not perform much with their powers other than mindspeak (telepathy). A Cat of Silvery Hue really is about the average Geros, who rises to the occasion to perform heroic deeds that hundreds of nearby veteran warriors fail to address. Geros exhibits more "character" than any of the main characters, and the title is named in honor of his exploits. However, he is a marginal character whose presence is sparse.
I am left with the same feeling I get when I order a greasy hamburger to-go from a fast food joint, leave the drive though, and discover that I was given a chicken sandwich by mistake. I'll curse the restaurant, claim I will never come back, but will anyway after some time.
+ Geros is developed nicely
+ The fight scenes deliver as expected.
+ The Horseclans is very much like fast food.
- The main characters did not develop or perform exciting roles
- All the bad guys are blundering idiots with the exception of Drehkos
- Occasional erotica scenes are out-of-place and laughable
- The Horseclans is very much like fast food.
June 26, 2024
At eighteen volumes, the Horseclans saga was one of the longest-running fantasy series of its era. The only peculiarity here is that Robert Adams appears to have had a strict word limit, as all of his paperbacks come in at 150-160 pages. Yet despite his length restrictions, Adams was absolutely devoted to packing his stories full of as much detail as possible. The end result was a series that, at least over its first several volumes, routinely sacrificed engaging dialogue (or character development of any kind) for intricate worldbuilding. Not exactly a recipe for success with contemporary audiences. Fortunately, Adams' formula began to change with Revenge of the Horseclans, which traded sweeping military campaigns for a more character-centric plot. The only tradeoff was that, due to the page limit, a slower-paced style forced Adams to adopt a serialized approach, with each new volume containing but a small component of a much larger story.
A Cat of Silvery Hue is the first Horseclans volume that's defined by the newly-serialized structure of the series. In fact, the paperback is best understood as the second part of a longer epic that began with Revenge of the Horseclans. The storyline literally picks up immediately after the siege that concluded its predecessor, with zero reminders about previous events, whereas the entire plot is consumed by the young Bili Morguhn's continuing efforts to squash a rebellion in his duchy. The book's overall pacing/vibe is also extremely similar to Revenge, forcing me to conclude that the two volumes were written together. Apart from its lack of set-up, the only major structural difference between Cat and Revenge is this novel's slightly wider cast of secondary POV characters. Cat also grants far more time to series mainstays like Milo Morai and High Lady Aldora, meaning that it feels more like an ensemble effort and less like a Bili Morguhn heroes' journey.
Readers who have made it this far into the Horseclans should be entertained by A Cat of Silvery Hue. This is doubly true if you enjoyed the cast of characters that carried Revenge of the Horseclans, as there aren't any significant additions here. Just be sure that you don't leave too long of a gap between Revenge and Cat: I left about four months, and that was already long enough for me to get confused about some of the secondary characters. Yet even if you read the two novels back-to-back, its hard to deny that Cat is slightly less engaging than its predecessor. The biggest negative here is obviously the lack of overall plot development. The book includes a lot of interesting character moments (mostly involving Geros or Bili's interactions with Milo), and the action scenes are reliably well-written, but you learn shockingly little about Adams' universe by story's end. Cat is also the least "fantastical" Horseclans novel up to this point, with mindspeak being the only distinctive plot elements that repeatedly makes an appearance.
All of this transforms into the second-best Horseclans book that I've finished so far. Far better written than Adams' first two novels, but less engrossing than Revenge of the Horseclans. In any case, the book's semi-abrupt ending does leave me interested in what happens next, and I suspect that I'll wait less than four months before moving on to The Savage Mountains.
A Cat of Silvery Hue is the first Horseclans volume that's defined by the newly-serialized structure of the series. In fact, the paperback is best understood as the second part of a longer epic that began with Revenge of the Horseclans. The storyline literally picks up immediately after the siege that concluded its predecessor, with zero reminders about previous events, whereas the entire plot is consumed by the young Bili Morguhn's continuing efforts to squash a rebellion in his duchy. The book's overall pacing/vibe is also extremely similar to Revenge, forcing me to conclude that the two volumes were written together. Apart from its lack of set-up, the only major structural difference between Cat and Revenge is this novel's slightly wider cast of secondary POV characters. Cat also grants far more time to series mainstays like Milo Morai and High Lady Aldora, meaning that it feels more like an ensemble effort and less like a Bili Morguhn heroes' journey.
Readers who have made it this far into the Horseclans should be entertained by A Cat of Silvery Hue. This is doubly true if you enjoyed the cast of characters that carried Revenge of the Horseclans, as there aren't any significant additions here. Just be sure that you don't leave too long of a gap between Revenge and Cat: I left about four months, and that was already long enough for me to get confused about some of the secondary characters. Yet even if you read the two novels back-to-back, its hard to deny that Cat is slightly less engaging than its predecessor. The biggest negative here is obviously the lack of overall plot development. The book includes a lot of interesting character moments (mostly involving Geros or Bili's interactions with Milo), and the action scenes are reliably well-written, but you learn shockingly little about Adams' universe by story's end. Cat is also the least "fantastical" Horseclans novel up to this point, with mindspeak being the only distinctive plot elements that repeatedly makes an appearance.
All of this transforms into the second-best Horseclans book that I've finished so far. Far better written than Adams' first two novels, but less engrossing than Revenge of the Horseclans. In any case, the book's semi-abrupt ending does leave me interested in what happens next, and I suspect that I'll wait less than four months before moving on to The Savage Mountains.
May 19, 2023
As with the previous instalment in Robert Adams' Horseclans epic, Revenge of the Horseclans, A Cat of Silvery Hue feels a bit like a filler novel in the series - very enjoyable filler, don't get me wrong, but filler nonetheless.
As usual, the battle scenes are thrilling and vivid, the action is consistent, and there are a few great moments of character development. Geros in particular is a character I imagine most readers feel they can relate to, and his moments of sheer bravery despite his overwhelming fear against unimaginable odds are something we can all take inspiration from.
Unfortunately, this book is also lacking in most of what makes Horseclans so interesting; the immortals and the witchmen, the telepathic prairie cats, and the like. Don't get me wrong, this was still an enjoyable read that I had a good time with... but the lack of focus on Milo and his ultimate enemies, along with the more fantastical elements being neglected in exchange for rather dry and lengthy militaristic and strategy descriptions, cement this firmly as a pretty good 3-star book for me.
Even so, a 3-star Horseclans novel is still more than enough to keep me fully invested in the series. Not every individual book needs to be a masterpiece for a series to be great, and I'm looking forward to continuing this epic saga in the near future.
As usual, the battle scenes are thrilling and vivid, the action is consistent, and there are a few great moments of character development. Geros in particular is a character I imagine most readers feel they can relate to, and his moments of sheer bravery despite his overwhelming fear against unimaginable odds are something we can all take inspiration from.
Unfortunately, this book is also lacking in most of what makes Horseclans so interesting; the immortals and the witchmen, the telepathic prairie cats, and the like. Don't get me wrong, this was still an enjoyable read that I had a good time with... but the lack of focus on Milo and his ultimate enemies, along with the more fantastical elements being neglected in exchange for rather dry and lengthy militaristic and strategy descriptions, cement this firmly as a pretty good 3-star book for me.
Even so, a 3-star Horseclans novel is still more than enough to keep me fully invested in the series. Not every individual book needs to be a masterpiece for a series to be great, and I'm looking forward to continuing this epic saga in the near future.
June 8, 2023
I’m only going to leave a few notes—not really inspired to do a full on critique. The novel picks up right after revenge of the Horseclans ends, so basically these two books are one novel.
Djef’s death was directly mentioned and had more weight to it in this novel. Geros’ story is continued here and he winds up with the greatest character progression in the entire series so far with Drekhos a close second. Usually Adams makes his villains mustache twirling goons, but Drekhos in his way becomes something of a man of honor as it is deemed in this post apocalyptic world.
Also this book has the cringiest sex scene ever—basically take your basic high school male fantasy and multiply by a factor of 10
Again we end abruptly (but more satisfactorily) so I guess this “large” Horseclans novel is going to be actually 3 volumes.
Djef’s death was directly mentioned and had more weight to it in this novel. Geros’ story is continued here and he winds up with the greatest character progression in the entire series so far with Drekhos a close second. Usually Adams makes his villains mustache twirling goons, but Drekhos in his way becomes something of a man of honor as it is deemed in this post apocalyptic world.
Also this book has the cringiest sex scene ever—basically take your basic high school male fantasy and multiply by a factor of 10
Again we end abruptly (but more satisfactorily) so I guess this “large” Horseclans novel is going to be actually 3 volumes.
March 19, 2019
In this tale we hear of a new character Geros, a timid valet who when thrust into the midst of war proves an able and courageous warrior and right now Lord Milo and Bili Morguhn NEED men like him as war is tearing the country apart as the Ehleenee rebels are on the rise threatening civilisation.
Exciting as all the other books in this series I love the new plot twist with a fresh character that seems like he will be looming large in later adventures.
Exciting as all the other books in this series I love the new plot twist with a fresh character that seems like he will be looming large in later adventures.
October 5, 2025
A + B begat C. Unexciting C + incubator D begat E. Really unexciting E messed around with F and unexpectedly begat G. G was ostracized but found H who wormed their way into pseudo royalty to found a large moving corral. Anyways found all this begatting thouroughly uninteresting. DNF the back quarter.
April 11, 2019
Having enjoyed the other Robert Adams Horseclans books that I have read, I was looking forward to reading this one. However, not a single prairie cat was involved in this story and instead it was all strategy and war which I found boring to a large extent.
September 10, 2019
Fun read
A good tale of swords and daring deeds. Well written characters and a world built with good consistent features. It is a wonderful escape from the mundane world.
A good tale of swords and daring deeds. Well written characters and a world built with good consistent features. It is a wonderful escape from the mundane world.
September 20, 2019
Robert Adams spins another great yarn!
Robert Adams tales of the Horse Clans are great reading. This is my third reading of these wonderful tales of other times.
Robert Adams tales of the Horse Clans are great reading. This is my third reading of these wonderful tales of other times.
August 16, 2020
A great story
This is a great continuation of a very good series. I highly recommend this series to all who enjoy a good military fantasy read
This is a great continuation of a very good series. I highly recommend this series to all who enjoy a good military fantasy read
December 17, 2022
I first read these many, many years ago, as a teenager. They don't really hold up, alas.
I still like Geros Lahvoheetos, though.
I still like Geros Lahvoheetos, though.
August 8, 2025
Enjoyable.
And, I'm moving on to something else after the first 4 books.
I am missing book 5 & 7. And it looks like book 5 follows directly on from book 4.
And, I'm moving on to something else after the first 4 books.
I am missing book 5 & 7. And it looks like book 5 follows directly on from book 4.
July 28, 2019
Previous to this book, it's all about the high-level commanders making big decisions, looking for the long haul. Geros is not that. He's a regular guy who, when put in a difficult situation, finds that he has what it takes, despite personal doubts, etc. Up until now, all the characters had a quality that was a bit beyond normal. Geros was real. The main characters up till now were all, "It would be cool to be like that." This time, it was, "I AM that." I really enjoyed that angle on the story, as well as seeing the main characters from an outsider's point of view. This one is on par with the first book.
August 1, 2013
(There are 18 books, and I read until Book 10, Bili the Axe)
I read a bunch of these books, and eventually I got bored of it, but man, what a ride. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world. Everything has gone wrong, from nuclear warfare to plagues, so nothing remains from our time. This new world is run by barbarians and swords. In the new world, there are a few changes. Some clans have the ability to mindspeak to a few select animals, such as big cats (which are more like panthers), and a select few have the power of immortality. Such as our main character, the Undying High Lord Milo!
Milo starts up as a small clan leader, and eventually his clan starts growing bigger as the novels progress.
The series is a manly fantasy story with none of the silly dancing elves stuff. Every few pages, someone gets either killed or raped, and the good guys usually are responsible for both. There isn’t a really strong plot or characters to speak off, but if you have to want to pretend you are a man and raping some villagers and chopping off heads, then it can be fun.
I read a bunch of these books, and eventually I got bored of it, but man, what a ride. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world. Everything has gone wrong, from nuclear warfare to plagues, so nothing remains from our time. This new world is run by barbarians and swords. In the new world, there are a few changes. Some clans have the ability to mindspeak to a few select animals, such as big cats (which are more like panthers), and a select few have the power of immortality. Such as our main character, the Undying High Lord Milo!
Milo starts up as a small clan leader, and eventually his clan starts growing bigger as the novels progress.
The series is a manly fantasy story with none of the silly dancing elves stuff. Every few pages, someone gets either killed or raped, and the good guys usually are responsible for both. There isn’t a really strong plot or characters to speak off, but if you have to want to pretend you are a man and raping some villagers and chopping off heads, then it can be fun.
April 18, 2016
More political and bloodletting fun! This one takes over directly from the events in book three of the series. Bili the Axe comes into play here and Lord Milo (yes the barbarian has a title) has to make some hard choices and decisions that ring on throughout many books in the future. A thoroughly fun read, as all the Horseclans books are.
Danny
Danny
February 4, 2014
I read this book years ago for the first time, when it was first published. I enjoyed it then and enjoyed it again when I again read it not long ago...A very fun series, with great stories and excellent characters.
January 22, 2016
The Horseclans series is probably the best blend of fantasy and SiFi I have ever read. Pretty much something for everyone in these books. Great characters, epic storyline, fantastic writings. My highest recommendation
July 28, 2010
See my review of the Horseclans series under Swords of the Horseclans, Horseclans #2.
October 30, 2008
My favorite book of the series; Geros is my favorite character.
Read
January 17, 2016Horseclans
October 29, 2010
Another Bili the Axe tale. One of my favorite characters.
August 31, 2012
Improvement on the 3rd in the series. Does leave me wanting to read the next. Author is making better characters.
November 16, 2014
Great series from my teen years. Need to re-read them.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews