The Herd Lord

by Beth Hudson

Book by Hudson, Beth

78 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Inspired by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, and Madeleine L’Engle, Beth determined to become a writer when she was still in grade school. That path meandered through an attempt at astronomy, a linguistics degree, and a brief flirtation with anthropology, but during it all, she worked on her writing, producing numerous short stories, and even completing two (unpublished) novels while in high school and college. Since deciding to focus on her writing, she has published a number of fantasy short stories (and a lone science fiction piece) in various magazines and anthologies. "The Herd Lord", a novella about a war among centaurs, was published in 2011, and her first full-length novel, "Etched in Fire" was released in 2015. Beth’s ideas are sparked by music – Celtic folk, classical, and classic rock – and she sings, plays guitar and harp, and writes songs as well as dabbling in jewelry-making and other assorted crafts. But it is her sons, Dylan, David, and Alex, who keep her striving for excellence, so that she can make them proud of her.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Herd Lord. I was hooked from the first sentence: “Morning light poured through the enormous windows of the Great Hall, illuminating the pageantry and splendor of centaur court.” The picture that begins here is carried well throughout the book. I found I was drawn immediately into the life of Niesha, wife to Herd Lord Iffrix. We experience the events through her thoughts and actions. The settings are vividly portrayed, as is demonstrated with the above quotation, while not overwhelming the storyline. All characters are fleshed out beautifully as we see them come to life through the musings of Niesha. When we are introduced to Lady Vithica, we not only see what Niesha sees, but we also understand how Niesha feels about her secretary and good friend: “As was often the case, Niesha looked at her friend with a mix of love and envy; Vithica was a rare beauty, with white-blonde hair, and a striking red coat over which she wore a blouse of deep blue silk. Her bones were fine, from her face to the delicate hocks above her cloven hooves.” As events unfold, Niesha can be seen to transform from an uncertain and somewhat timid leader into a more confident and resolute one, in spite of (or possibly because of) all that befalls her and her people. We are left hoping that there will be a sequel to learn what transpires for the centaur people after these events.