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Earthsong #1
The Year the Horses Came
Marrah, a brave and gifted priestess, journeys across war-torn Europe to the cave paintings of Western France and to the temples of Sardinia, where she finds barbarism, the brutalization of women, and environmental destruction
377 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
81 people are currently reading
893 people want to read
About the author
Mary Mackey
42 books57 followers"New York Times" bestselling author Mary Mackey's published works include 13 novels, and 7 books of poetry including "Sugar Zone" which won the 2012 PEN Oakland Award for Literary Excellence. They have sold over a million and a half copies and been translated into twelve foreign languages including Japanese, Hebrew, and Finnish.
Mary is related through her father's family to Mark Twain. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan. During the early 1970s she lived in the rain forests of Costa Rica. For the last twenty-five years, she has been traveling to Brazil with her husband Angus Wright. The rainforests of the Amazon and the people of Brazil have been a major influence on two of her collections of poetry, "Sugar Zone" and "Travelers With No Ticket Home", and on two of her novels: "The Widow's War," and "The Village of Bones," which is a prequel to her bestselling Earthsong Serious about Prehistoric Europe.
From 1989 to 1992 she served as Chair of PEN American Center, West. Currently, she is Emeritus Professor of English at California State University, Sacramento.
While her poetry has mainly centered around the traditional lyric themes of love, death, and nature, her novels have ranged from the Midwestern United States to the Goddess-worshiping cultures of Neolithic Europe. A screenwriter as well as a novelist, she has sold feature scripts to Warner Brothers as well as to various independent film companies.
Mary has lectured at many places including Harvard and the Smithsonian. Additionally, she has contributed to such diverse print and on-line publications as The Chiron Review, Redbook, and Salon. She occasionally writes comedy under the pen name "Kate Clemens".
Her popular "People Who Make Books Happen" interview series can be found on her Blog http://marymackey.com/the-writers-jou.... A free resource for writers and readers, it contains interviews with experts on various topics including "How To Get An Agent," and "Helping Independent Bookstores Survive and Thrive." You are invited to ask Mary questions about these interviews and other topics by going to the Goodreads "Ask The Author" section of this profile page or by visiting her website at http://marymackey.com/.
The photograph of Mary Mackey was taken by Irene Young.
Mary is related through her father's family to Mark Twain. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan. During the early 1970s she lived in the rain forests of Costa Rica. For the last twenty-five years, she has been traveling to Brazil with her husband Angus Wright. The rainforests of the Amazon and the people of Brazil have been a major influence on two of her collections of poetry, "Sugar Zone" and "Travelers With No Ticket Home", and on two of her novels: "The Widow's War," and "The Village of Bones," which is a prequel to her bestselling Earthsong Serious about Prehistoric Europe.
From 1989 to 1992 she served as Chair of PEN American Center, West. Currently, she is Emeritus Professor of English at California State University, Sacramento.
While her poetry has mainly centered around the traditional lyric themes of love, death, and nature, her novels have ranged from the Midwestern United States to the Goddess-worshiping cultures of Neolithic Europe. A screenwriter as well as a novelist, she has sold feature scripts to Warner Brothers as well as to various independent film companies.
Mary has lectured at many places including Harvard and the Smithsonian. Additionally, she has contributed to such diverse print and on-line publications as The Chiron Review, Redbook, and Salon. She occasionally writes comedy under the pen name "Kate Clemens".
Her popular "People Who Make Books Happen" interview series can be found on her Blog http://marymackey.com/the-writers-jou.... A free resource for writers and readers, it contains interviews with experts on various topics including "How To Get An Agent," and "Helping Independent Bookstores Survive and Thrive." You are invited to ask Mary questions about these interviews and other topics by going to the Goodreads "Ask The Author" section of this profile page or by visiting her website at http://marymackey.com/.
The photograph of Mary Mackey was taken by Irene Young.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 26, 2011
I have to say, it wasn't boring, but it rather insulted my intelligence. The story's been done! And done, and done...Goddess/Earth worshipers versus Sun God worshipers. The Goddess people are always perfect and loving and pacifistic (yeah, right) while the Sun God guys are evil and cruel and women haters. This gets old. I know the theory that Father-Sky god worshipers probably did take over the matriarchal societies in days past, but the novels needn't be so black and white. Marrah and her people were perfect. Yes, life should be so peaceful -- but we need to show some humanity here. People quarrel and covet. Even pacifistic people aren't perfect. And Stavan's people were so completely bad they were unbelievable -- making it even more unbelievable that Stavan was able to "convert". There needs to be room for human kindness.
I'd like to see someone write this sort of story with some gray areas in it. Put some goodness in the Father God worshiping societies -- as sunlight can be gentle and warm. Put some cruelty in the Goddess worship, because the Earth can be cruel. Nature can be harsh.
I'd like to see someone write this sort of story with some gray areas in it. Put some goodness in the Father God worshiping societies -- as sunlight can be gentle and warm. Put some cruelty in the Goddess worship, because the Earth can be cruel. Nature can be harsh.
July 6, 2016
The Year the Horses Came follows the life of Marrah on her coming of age day on the coast of Brittany several thousands of years ago in the late Neolithic. Marrah’s fateful encounter with the shipwrecked foreigner Stavan signals the beginning of the end of her Goddess-worshipping culture, an inevitable future seen by her mother many years earlier. Marrah is charged to bring word that the earth-worshipping Goddess cultures are threatened by the Horse People of Stavan’s culture.
The first part of the book uses the relationship between Marrah and Stavan to draw broad contrasts between matriarchal and patriarchal societies, especially in the framing of relationships between men and women. In Stavan’s world, back in the Sea of Grass, women are seen only as possessions of men and have no rights of their own. As Marrah and others heal and care for Stavan, the young man further questions his cultural heritage, a process seemingly begun with him long before embarking upon the long journey that took him to the shores of Brittany.
As expected, Stavan and Marrah become attracted to each other. This is slightly difficult for Stavan, as he sees her as his “chief” for having saved his life. Among the Horse People, this debt means he must serve her until it is repaid and they are equal. He struggles with the uncomfortable situation of being in debt to a woman to whom he also desires, one with outrageous ideas of self-worth and autonomy.
Ah, but he works it out and becomes a devoted, albeit jealous, lover, as they travel east (along with Marrah’s younger brother) to warn Marrah’s mother’s home village of the impending threat.
There are a few encounters with other Goddess cultures along the way: a quick visit into the caves of Lascaux to be awed by the works of their Paleolithic ancestors, another to the island of Sicily for a fertility celebration, even another to the Iron Gates in Romania where Marrah and her brother fall ill with a disease that finally evens the debt between Marrah and Stavan.
At this point, the story seems to finally find its own, whereas prior it is all too reminiscent of the great journey undertaken by Ayla and Jondalar in the Plains of Passage.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I’m a huge Children of the Earth fan, despite that series’ many shortcomings. And what’s not to love? The Day the Horses Came has a prehistoric heroine, an epic journey, variations on Goddess worship, and horses (though far fewer than the title alludes). But I struggled to connect with the characters in any meaningful way, as the writing tended to hop from POV to POV, without giving me a chance for more than a superficial glimpse of the main characters.
Marrah’s path through the story was too smooth for her character to reveal itself, and she sometimes came off as a spoiled, or at least privileged, child. Not until the end of the story was her character tested, but her antagonists were too stereotyped to give her any depth. Stavan, too, seemed shallow, though perhaps we are to believe that’s a symptom of his patriarchal culture. It’s a telling point that I had to go back to the book while writing this review to recall the name of Marrah’s younger brother. (It’s Arang.)
One of the themes of this book is matriarchal-good, patriarchal-bad. While I don’t entirely disagree with that in concept, for a story of this nature, here it was clumsily drawn in block letters with a blunt crayon.
I read this book not knowing it was the first of a trilogy. The main conflict is resolved, but I was left hanging by a couple of unfinished threads, storylines that are no doubt addressed in the second and third volumes. Even though I would like to know what happened to Marrah’s mother (whose story was left dangling in an ominous way), there is little else compelling me to continue with this series.
I’ll give this book a C+, and the plus is more for my interest in the setting than anything else.
The first part of the book uses the relationship between Marrah and Stavan to draw broad contrasts between matriarchal and patriarchal societies, especially in the framing of relationships between men and women. In Stavan’s world, back in the Sea of Grass, women are seen only as possessions of men and have no rights of their own. As Marrah and others heal and care for Stavan, the young man further questions his cultural heritage, a process seemingly begun with him long before embarking upon the long journey that took him to the shores of Brittany.
As expected, Stavan and Marrah become attracted to each other. This is slightly difficult for Stavan, as he sees her as his “chief” for having saved his life. Among the Horse People, this debt means he must serve her until it is repaid and they are equal. He struggles with the uncomfortable situation of being in debt to a woman to whom he also desires, one with outrageous ideas of self-worth and autonomy.
Ah, but he works it out and becomes a devoted, albeit jealous, lover, as they travel east (along with Marrah’s younger brother) to warn Marrah’s mother’s home village of the impending threat.
There are a few encounters with other Goddess cultures along the way: a quick visit into the caves of Lascaux to be awed by the works of their Paleolithic ancestors, another to the island of Sicily for a fertility celebration, even another to the Iron Gates in Romania where Marrah and her brother fall ill with a disease that finally evens the debt between Marrah and Stavan.
At this point, the story seems to finally find its own, whereas prior it is all too reminiscent of the great journey undertaken by Ayla and Jondalar in the Plains of Passage.
I wanted to like this book. I really did. I’m a huge Children of the Earth fan, despite that series’ many shortcomings. And what’s not to love? The Day the Horses Came has a prehistoric heroine, an epic journey, variations on Goddess worship, and horses (though far fewer than the title alludes). But I struggled to connect with the characters in any meaningful way, as the writing tended to hop from POV to POV, without giving me a chance for more than a superficial glimpse of the main characters.
Marrah’s path through the story was too smooth for her character to reveal itself, and she sometimes came off as a spoiled, or at least privileged, child. Not until the end of the story was her character tested, but her antagonists were too stereotyped to give her any depth. Stavan, too, seemed shallow, though perhaps we are to believe that’s a symptom of his patriarchal culture. It’s a telling point that I had to go back to the book while writing this review to recall the name of Marrah’s younger brother. (It’s Arang.)
One of the themes of this book is matriarchal-good, patriarchal-bad. While I don’t entirely disagree with that in concept, for a story of this nature, here it was clumsily drawn in block letters with a blunt crayon.
I read this book not knowing it was the first of a trilogy. The main conflict is resolved, but I was left hanging by a couple of unfinished threads, storylines that are no doubt addressed in the second and third volumes. Even though I would like to know what happened to Marrah’s mother (whose story was left dangling in an ominous way), there is little else compelling me to continue with this series.
I’ll give this book a C+, and the plus is more for my interest in the setting than anything else.
May 4, 2017
Storytelling Magic: Mary Mackey's The Year the Horses Came
Darlene Reilley
One of the most admirable things writers do is to embed in the cultures they create. Mary Mackey is a storytelling master who develops worlds so deeply she creates cultural cues, such as songs, which are vital to cultures. In Mackey’s novel The Year the Horses Came, she explores the relationship between Marrah, a priestess of the Shore People, and Stavan, a marooned warrior. Mackey’s use of song is an effective and brief way to say a lot about a people’s history with few words.
One way Mackey illustrates the depth of culture through song is through teaching stories. In the prologue, Mackey writes: "There was a time out of memory when the Goddess Earth lay sleeping under a shining blanket of ice. In those times human beings fled south to find shelter from the wind and many lands were hidden. One day the Goddess began to wake. Her glaciers melted, and bright streams of clear water ran everywhere." (xi)
This passage is the start of the story of the Shore People, and how, during the little ice age, the glaciers in Europe receded. It shows the definitive change of land and therefore was an important memory in the people’s history which signifies a change from the ice and toward the growth associated with that period.
One of the most important moments in a Shore People woman’s life is when a girl becomes a woman; this day is marked with ceremony and a canoe journey to a sacred island (1-32). When she returns from the journey, Marrah’s tribe welcomes her with song:
"Marrah has left her childhood behind her.
She has given it to Amonah.
She has thrown her shells back to the womb of water
where all shells are made /
Welcome back, Marrah.
Welcome back, dearest sister." (33)
This illustrates the shift from girlhood to womanhood and marks the change in status of the woman.
One of the most original uses of song takes place when Marrah goes on a journey; she needs to return to her Mother’s people to warn them of her visions of invaders. Marrah’s mother reverses her map-song (101).
The Shore People do not have a written language. Everything, including maps, must be translated through song. This is the most unique use of song I’ve come across in my study, and bears examination. Mackey lays out the plan for the character’s journey through song, and through repetition, her character can follow the map.
At one part in the novel, Marrah travels to get permission from the “Mother-of-All-Families” (114) to go on the journey. Earlier in the story, Mackey illustrates how the matrilineage works. Mother Asha, as the matriarch, is the story-keeper for her family and her people’s families. She is the one who knows all the stories of the past. Mackey writes: “The entire history of the Shore People was memorized; to forget the words to even one song was to forget some essential piece of the past” (58). I have spoken with Native Americans who tell me their family stories are sacred and only one family is allowed a sacred song and dance; no other family may dance their dance or sing their song (Reilley 2013).
The Year the Horses Came is the first book in The Earthsong Trilogy. Mary Mackey is a bestselling author who has, as Marija Gimbutas states, “A researcher’s precision combined with storytelling magic” (Mackey rear cover blurb). This book calls to a larger segment of Indigenous literature which celebrates oral histories and the deep roots of the culture of humanity.
Works Cited
Mackey, Mary. The Year the Horses Came. Lincoln, NE, iUniverse, Inc.,1993. Print.
Reilley, Darlene. Interview with a Makah Elder. Personal Interview. 19 January 2013.
Darlene Reilley
One of the most admirable things writers do is to embed in the cultures they create. Mary Mackey is a storytelling master who develops worlds so deeply she creates cultural cues, such as songs, which are vital to cultures. In Mackey’s novel The Year the Horses Came, she explores the relationship between Marrah, a priestess of the Shore People, and Stavan, a marooned warrior. Mackey’s use of song is an effective and brief way to say a lot about a people’s history with few words.
One way Mackey illustrates the depth of culture through song is through teaching stories. In the prologue, Mackey writes: "There was a time out of memory when the Goddess Earth lay sleeping under a shining blanket of ice. In those times human beings fled south to find shelter from the wind and many lands were hidden. One day the Goddess began to wake. Her glaciers melted, and bright streams of clear water ran everywhere." (xi)
This passage is the start of the story of the Shore People, and how, during the little ice age, the glaciers in Europe receded. It shows the definitive change of land and therefore was an important memory in the people’s history which signifies a change from the ice and toward the growth associated with that period.
One of the most important moments in a Shore People woman’s life is when a girl becomes a woman; this day is marked with ceremony and a canoe journey to a sacred island (1-32). When she returns from the journey, Marrah’s tribe welcomes her with song:
"Marrah has left her childhood behind her.
She has given it to Amonah.
She has thrown her shells back to the womb of water
where all shells are made /
Welcome back, Marrah.
Welcome back, dearest sister." (33)
This illustrates the shift from girlhood to womanhood and marks the change in status of the woman.
One of the most original uses of song takes place when Marrah goes on a journey; she needs to return to her Mother’s people to warn them of her visions of invaders. Marrah’s mother reverses her map-song (101).
The Shore People do not have a written language. Everything, including maps, must be translated through song. This is the most unique use of song I’ve come across in my study, and bears examination. Mackey lays out the plan for the character’s journey through song, and through repetition, her character can follow the map.
At one part in the novel, Marrah travels to get permission from the “Mother-of-All-Families” (114) to go on the journey. Earlier in the story, Mackey illustrates how the matrilineage works. Mother Asha, as the matriarch, is the story-keeper for her family and her people’s families. She is the one who knows all the stories of the past. Mackey writes: “The entire history of the Shore People was memorized; to forget the words to even one song was to forget some essential piece of the past” (58). I have spoken with Native Americans who tell me their family stories are sacred and only one family is allowed a sacred song and dance; no other family may dance their dance or sing their song (Reilley 2013).
The Year the Horses Came is the first book in The Earthsong Trilogy. Mary Mackey is a bestselling author who has, as Marija Gimbutas states, “A researcher’s precision combined with storytelling magic” (Mackey rear cover blurb). This book calls to a larger segment of Indigenous literature which celebrates oral histories and the deep roots of the culture of humanity.
Works Cited
Mackey, Mary. The Year the Horses Came. Lincoln, NE, iUniverse, Inc.,1993. Print.
Reilley, Darlene. Interview with a Makah Elder. Personal Interview. 19 January 2013.
January 10, 2022
Lang geleden gelezen. Ik vond het toen wel goed, maar ik betwijfel of ik dat nu nog zou vinden.
February 3, 2011
I must have been 12 or 13 when I came home from brushing the manes of my favorite pony, and this is what I read. Needless to say, I was completetely blown away by Mary MacKey.
I tried to reread this a few years later, to see if I would get that nostalgic vibe back. Mistake! I now noticed the authors complete and utter lack of nuances and subtlety. As another reviewer mentioned, the matriarchal - women dancing around naked, eating honey and be happy - societies are presented as amazingly blissful. While the patriarchal ones - man dies, his wive(s) and horses are slaughtered as well so the entire reunited family can rot in the same grave - are hell for any living being.
Well, isn't this a somewhat loose interpretation of historial facts and research? Propaganda, for a world that shoudl be ruled by women. One star because I am one. A second because I used to like these books as a kiddie.
I tried to reread this a few years later, to see if I would get that nostalgic vibe back. Mistake! I now noticed the authors complete and utter lack of nuances and subtlety. As another reviewer mentioned, the matriarchal - women dancing around naked, eating honey and be happy - societies are presented as amazingly blissful. While the patriarchal ones - man dies, his wive(s) and horses are slaughtered as well so the entire reunited family can rot in the same grave - are hell for any living being.
Well, isn't this a somewhat loose interpretation of historial facts and research? Propaganda, for a world that shoudl be ruled by women. One star because I am one. A second because I used to like these books as a kiddie.
March 2, 2017
My absolute favorite book. Beautifully intertwines love and fear into a novel you won't be able to put down.
April 12, 2016
This book was quite an interesting read. It's set 4,000+ years ago, so obviously most of it is made up (and probably romanticized/overly-brutalized).
Getting to see the author's version of ancient life was fun at first, specifically getting to see Marah's life and her people's daily life and customs. Things started to get so much worse (in an interesting way) once she started on her way to bring her warning to others of her people, though it was still fun getting to see the different customs.
Stavan's people are the epitome of savages. Their customs of beating their women and the common practice of raping just about any woman they want really horrified me and made it really difficult to finish the book. The author didn't go into too much detail, other than the screams and pain, but it hurt to read.
Marrah (and Arang) were such great characters to see the world through. She was strong, though she lost herself to fear and anger at times and I truly feared for her when she first got captured by the Hansi people.
The ending really had me on the edge of my seat, beginning mostly when Arang was announced as heir to the Hansi chief. I began to grow nervous for his character when we saw how he grew more accustomed to the Hansi practice of horse riding and spear throwing and bow shooting, and I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when Marah and the other escapees rode up to Zuhan's tent to find him (Arang) packed and ready to leave. I felt terrible when Akoah died because she died lost to terror and I felt just as bad when the nameless Tcvali girl died.
I definitely need to see about getting the sequel because I want to see how/if the escapees make it through the winter and spread their warnings/return home.
Getting to see the author's version of ancient life was fun at first, specifically getting to see Marah's life and her people's daily life and customs. Things started to get so much worse (in an interesting way) once she started on her way to bring her warning to others of her people, though it was still fun getting to see the different customs.
Stavan's people are the epitome of savages. Their customs of beating their women and the common practice of raping just about any woman they want really horrified me and made it really difficult to finish the book. The author didn't go into too much detail, other than the screams and pain, but it hurt to read.
Marrah (and Arang) were such great characters to see the world through. She was strong, though she lost herself to fear and anger at times and I truly feared for her when she first got captured by the Hansi people.
The ending really had me on the edge of my seat, beginning mostly when Arang was announced as heir to the Hansi chief. I began to grow nervous for his character when we saw how he grew more accustomed to the Hansi practice of horse riding and spear throwing and bow shooting, and I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when Marah and the other escapees rode up to Zuhan's tent to find him (Arang) packed and ready to leave. I felt terrible when Akoah died because she died lost to terror and I felt just as bad when the nameless Tcvali girl died.
I definitely need to see about getting the sequel because I want to see how/if the escapees make it through the winter and spread their warnings/return home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 23, 2013
These Brooks where beautyful written and no doubt Mary did her research before writing these books .....an insult of my intellect one reader wrote ...too black and white ? Did you recall what the story told happened to those of the motherlands that did not live in peace? anyway research show again and again that live back then was IDD very black and white ...this trilogy is well worth reading I could not put the books down at all only thing I did not like was when I ended the last book I wish she would have continued with a bigger series of these books as I was not ready to leave the world the book puts you in....
Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them.
Therefore followers of the Tao never use them.
The wise man prefers the left.
The man of war prefers the right.
Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man's tools.
He uses them only when he has no other choice.
Peace and silence are dear to his heart,
And victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.
On happy occaisons precedence is given to the left,
On sad occaisons to the right.
In the army the general stands on the left,
The commonder in chief on the right.
This means war is conducted like a funeral.
When many are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why victory must be observed like funeral
Translated from ancient script...
Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them.
Therefore followers of the Tao never use them.
The wise man prefers the left.
The man of war prefers the right.
Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man's tools.
He uses them only when he has no other choice.
Peace and silence are dear to his heart,
And victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.
On happy occaisons precedence is given to the left,
On sad occaisons to the right.
In the army the general stands on the left,
The commonder in chief on the right.
This means war is conducted like a funeral.
When many are being killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why victory must be observed like funeral
Translated from ancient script...
October 3, 2016
I need a book for a challenge and this popped up on GR. I'm not sure what I think about a young lady being shared among men to see who they will love or the beliefs of these women. She sure I would have read it but it was ok.
April 24, 2019
Dopo aver aiutato una ragazza a ritrovare un libro di cui ricordava vagamente la trama, ambientato nell'epoca preistorica, mi è venuta di nuovo voglia di leggere qualcosa ambientato in quell'epoca. Chi segue il mio blog saprà che ho amato molto la serie di libri di Ayla di Jean Marie Auel, e ho letto anche altri romanzi preistorici...andavano piuttosto di moda negli anni ottanta e infatti anche questo libro di Mary Mackey è dei primi anni novanta...ma era da tempo che non ne leggevo e ora ricordo perchè. Sono molto prolissi, risentono molto dell'epoca in cui sono stati scritti purtroppo, ma se l'autrice seppur prolissa ci fa appassionare con personaggi e trama coinvolgenti questo passa in secondo piano. Questo libro ci riesce in parte. La trama è interessante niente da dire, classica ma funziona sempre e sulla carta in base alle loro caratteristiche lo sarebbero anche i personaggi, ma poi suonano piatti, molto piatti. Parte della trama ricalca alcuni capitoli del Dardo e la rosa, quando la protagonista viene rapita e fatta prigioniera da una tribù nordica molto feroce e aliena per lei, e lo stesso succede a Marrah...ma mentre Jacqueline Carey dipinge scene vivide e avvincenti, la Mackey con i suoi personaggi piuttosto impersonali mi rende piatta anche la scena più violenta o forte...e questo mi ha reso meno piacevole la lettura e mi è spiaciuto perchè la trama ripeto era bella...inutile dire che non legerò i libri seguenti della serie.
October 5, 2019
Hulebjørnens klan med omvendt kønsligt fortegn og i en YA-udgave☺
November 21, 2021
I am so glad I came across 'The Year the Horses Came,' and look forward to reading the next in the series. Having read more scholarly theories about the transition of the Neolithic through copper and bronze ages, into the times of patriarchal/domination societies, and having been captivated by the work of Marija Gimbutas about thirty years ago, it has long interested me how this part of human history could be expressed in story-telling form. I have myself attempted to create a short story around such a theme. In this first novel of the Earthsong series, Mackey has created a fully fleshed out world of the Old European Goddess cultures based on research and the powers of a Goddess imaginary, contrasting them with the violent and hoarding cultures of the invading societies which have had such a detrimental impact on humanity. Compassion saturates her work, despite her honest portrayal of how the young captive women might, and in most instances did, turn against each other for survival. Her portrayal of a young man unlearning the ways of his own culture to embrace a more caring and life-honouring set of core values was also refreshing, and touched on themes important in my own work. Heartbreaking and yet inspiring, this story helps us to remember that we have the power to cultivate our choices to stay rooted in the giving of care and compassion with others, even in conditions of terrible pain, or to mirror the dominator logic and perpetuate our own traumas, both personally and as a species.
October 9, 2009
This book took me forever to get through. It became my 'pick it up now and then' book to read. It didn't grab me and hang on, but I wanted to see what was going to happen. I liked Marrah and her younger brother, Arang. I found parts of it interesting, but it still took a couple months for me to finish. The ending is horrible. I was surprised by the amount of swearing in the end. I didn't like that at all, what a huge turn off. The violence towards the end was horrible too, things I did not want to read at all. Then after all that killing, swearing and raping...it ends...she'll travel back home..that's it. I was disappointed in it.
April 22, 2024
This book was a 2.5/5 for me for most of the book, and declined towards the end. Spoilers follow.
"The Year the Horses Came" is a novel inspired by a theory about human prehistory. According to this theory, in the distant past, all or most human societies were matriarchal, and these societies were violently overthrown by patriarchal societies in the more recent past (~5000 years ago). This theory has been on the decline, but it is still interesting to look back on older stories and see what kind of exotic cultures authors could imagine. As I began this book, I read it as a kind of fantasy story, and enjoyed it at first.
The story follows Marrah, a villager in a matriarchal society in Western Europe. A foreigner named Stavan washes up on her shores. His strange appearance and customs seem exotic and shocking to the local villagers. He talks about strange animals that could be ridden (horses), nomadic life, warrior customs, monogamy, the subjugation of women, and various other topics that are incomprehensible and shocking to the local villagers. After a village elder starts to see a connection between the things he says and a prophecy about an invasion from hostile invaders, Marrah and a now-sympathetic Stavan (and Marrah's younger brother) are sent on a quest to carry this information eastward to the other peaceful villages that are under the threat of invasion. Much of the book is dedicated to the journey of these three characters traveling prehistoric Europe and experiencing the local customs.
Mary Mackey does not depict matriarchies and patriarchies in a remotely mature or realistic way. Matriarchies are completely peaceful and sympathetic, and patriarchies are completely violent and loathsome. For anyone who has read anything about the subject, it's clear who the two sides of the conflict are meant to represent: Pre-Indo-European Europeans in the case of Marrah's society, and Indo-European invaders for Stavan's tribes. Marrah practices a kind of polytheism which has been carefully stripped of anything modern people would find shocking or unethical. Stavan's people practice a kind of polytheism that has been stripped of anything most people would recognize as humane or sensitive. They enjoy relentlessly killing and maiming, including animal cruelty and violence against women. Does it not occur to Mackey that a society that lives their entire lifestyle in a symbiotic relationship with a particular animal (horses) might actually care for animals? Other contrasts also make no sense. For example, the narrator emphasizes multiple times that Marrah's culture values the elderly. Is Mackey not aware of the countless patriarchal societies that practice ancestor worship, or have images of elderly wise men as cultural touchstones? The narrator also emphasizes several times that Marrah's culture sees nature as a living thing, while Stavan's culture does not ("...and the Earth was a dead thing to them..."). But what does this actually mean, if it is anything other than emotionally charged rhetoric? Stavan's people also worship a pantheon of deities focused around forces of nature. They also live in nature and have a close relationship with animals--closer, in fact, than Marrah's, given that they spend much of their lives on horseback. So in what sense is it true that Marrah's people see nature as living and Stavan's people see nature as dead? One has to conclude that this is just emotionally charged rhetoric and nothing else. While these are all unrealistic portrayals of cultural differences, there is one detail in particular that is genuinely libelous: Towards the end of the book, Stavan's tribe forces Marrah's brother to undergo a circumcision, after accepting him as one of their own. All of the historical evidence available on circumcision indicates that this is not an Indo-European practice. In fact, patriarchal, polytheistic Europeans (the descendants of the "patriarchal revolution" people like Mackey believe in) found circumcision disgusting and criminalized the practice. I could list other features that are out of place or unrealistic, but it is easier to summarize Mackey's depictions of patriarchal societies as being based on shock value rather than anything substantial and historical.
Despite the unrealistic premise, a story could still be compelling on its own literary merits. This book fails at that as well. The shallow, idealized society Marrah comes from robs her and the other characters of any depth: All of the young villagers are friendly and wildly enthusiastic about everything they do, and all of the old villagers are patient and wise. Stavan seems like a complex and interesting character at first, but devolves into a plot device to communicate how miserable and worthless his own culture is. The dialogue towards the end of the book, which includes Stavan "admitting" his own people are miserable, brutal, and even bad sexual partners, is cringe-inducing and juvenile.
To be fair, there are a few things I did enjoy about the book, which is why I was originally going to give the book a middling rating. Mackey did depict elaborate customs, rituals and lifestyle features for Marrah's village as well as the other villages she visited. The prose is good, and the dialogue is believable earlier in the story. As a result, immersion is good in the first two-thirds of the story, and I enjoyed learning more about Marrah's lifestyle and the village. I was disappointed by what the story ended up becoming.
"The Year the Horses Came" is a novel inspired by a theory about human prehistory. According to this theory, in the distant past, all or most human societies were matriarchal, and these societies were violently overthrown by patriarchal societies in the more recent past (~5000 years ago). This theory has been on the decline, but it is still interesting to look back on older stories and see what kind of exotic cultures authors could imagine. As I began this book, I read it as a kind of fantasy story, and enjoyed it at first.
The story follows Marrah, a villager in a matriarchal society in Western Europe. A foreigner named Stavan washes up on her shores. His strange appearance and customs seem exotic and shocking to the local villagers. He talks about strange animals that could be ridden (horses), nomadic life, warrior customs, monogamy, the subjugation of women, and various other topics that are incomprehensible and shocking to the local villagers. After a village elder starts to see a connection between the things he says and a prophecy about an invasion from hostile invaders, Marrah and a now-sympathetic Stavan (and Marrah's younger brother) are sent on a quest to carry this information eastward to the other peaceful villages that are under the threat of invasion. Much of the book is dedicated to the journey of these three characters traveling prehistoric Europe and experiencing the local customs.
Mary Mackey does not depict matriarchies and patriarchies in a remotely mature or realistic way. Matriarchies are completely peaceful and sympathetic, and patriarchies are completely violent and loathsome. For anyone who has read anything about the subject, it's clear who the two sides of the conflict are meant to represent: Pre-Indo-European Europeans in the case of Marrah's society, and Indo-European invaders for Stavan's tribes. Marrah practices a kind of polytheism which has been carefully stripped of anything modern people would find shocking or unethical. Stavan's people practice a kind of polytheism that has been stripped of anything most people would recognize as humane or sensitive. They enjoy relentlessly killing and maiming, including animal cruelty and violence against women. Does it not occur to Mackey that a society that lives their entire lifestyle in a symbiotic relationship with a particular animal (horses) might actually care for animals? Other contrasts also make no sense. For example, the narrator emphasizes multiple times that Marrah's culture values the elderly. Is Mackey not aware of the countless patriarchal societies that practice ancestor worship, or have images of elderly wise men as cultural touchstones? The narrator also emphasizes several times that Marrah's culture sees nature as a living thing, while Stavan's culture does not ("...and the Earth was a dead thing to them..."). But what does this actually mean, if it is anything other than emotionally charged rhetoric? Stavan's people also worship a pantheon of deities focused around forces of nature. They also live in nature and have a close relationship with animals--closer, in fact, than Marrah's, given that they spend much of their lives on horseback. So in what sense is it true that Marrah's people see nature as living and Stavan's people see nature as dead? One has to conclude that this is just emotionally charged rhetoric and nothing else. While these are all unrealistic portrayals of cultural differences, there is one detail in particular that is genuinely libelous: Towards the end of the book, Stavan's tribe forces Marrah's brother to undergo a circumcision, after accepting him as one of their own. All of the historical evidence available on circumcision indicates that this is not an Indo-European practice. In fact, patriarchal, polytheistic Europeans (the descendants of the "patriarchal revolution" people like Mackey believe in) found circumcision disgusting and criminalized the practice. I could list other features that are out of place or unrealistic, but it is easier to summarize Mackey's depictions of patriarchal societies as being based on shock value rather than anything substantial and historical.
Despite the unrealistic premise, a story could still be compelling on its own literary merits. This book fails at that as well. The shallow, idealized society Marrah comes from robs her and the other characters of any depth: All of the young villagers are friendly and wildly enthusiastic about everything they do, and all of the old villagers are patient and wise. Stavan seems like a complex and interesting character at first, but devolves into a plot device to communicate how miserable and worthless his own culture is. The dialogue towards the end of the book, which includes Stavan "admitting" his own people are miserable, brutal, and even bad sexual partners, is cringe-inducing and juvenile.
To be fair, there are a few things I did enjoy about the book, which is why I was originally going to give the book a middling rating. Mackey did depict elaborate customs, rituals and lifestyle features for Marrah's village as well as the other villages she visited. The prose is good, and the dialogue is believable earlier in the story. As a result, immersion is good in the first two-thirds of the story, and I enjoyed learning more about Marrah's lifestyle and the village. I was disappointed by what the story ended up becoming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2010
I liked this book a lot and am excited to complete the series. Definitley not as epic as the Jean Auel books, but close. I thought the middle of the book was a little slow moving but getting to the end, despite the violence was exciting and I couldn't wait to see what happened next!
June 18, 2017
A slow start but I found myself hooked
February 10, 2019
A fascinating description of the best and worst of humanity and the kind of societies we were (and are) able to create, and what happens when those societies collide.
While I love the way Mackey manages to make me feel like I truly know and understand the cultures of the prehistoric peoples, I did not really connect with the characters on an emotional level. Her style of writing is descriptive and to the point, putting more focus on how the societies work rather than the individuals in it. Mind that I did read a Swedish translation.
Despite "only" getting 3 stars I do think it is well worth the read. Reading about the prehistoric matriarchal culture tells us some of what is missing in our world today, while reading about the prehistoric patriarchal culture tells us some of what is wrong with society today.
While I love the way Mackey manages to make me feel like I truly know and understand the cultures of the prehistoric peoples, I did not really connect with the characters on an emotional level. Her style of writing is descriptive and to the point, putting more focus on how the societies work rather than the individuals in it. Mind that I did read a Swedish translation.
Despite "only" getting 3 stars I do think it is well worth the read. Reading about the prehistoric matriarchal culture tells us some of what is missing in our world today, while reading about the prehistoric patriarchal culture tells us some of what is wrong with society today.
August 15, 2020
Good storytelling
It took me some time to get into the book, but I loved the dramatic ending. The book is comparable to Jean Auel, but it is set much closer to our time, some four thousand years BCE. Mary Mackey describes different cultures and two very different outlooks on life - the Great Mother Goddess worship and the cruel world of Hansi who worship the sun God Han. Personally I would like more information in the historical note about the author's inspiration as i couldn't place the setting geographically and am sceptical of the existence of big cities as described at that time. The nomads of the steppes with blond hair and blue eyes also seem out of place, but after all it is a fiction. The storytelling is excellent though and I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
It took me some time to get into the book, but I loved the dramatic ending. The book is comparable to Jean Auel, but it is set much closer to our time, some four thousand years BCE. Mary Mackey describes different cultures and two very different outlooks on life - the Great Mother Goddess worship and the cruel world of Hansi who worship the sun God Han. Personally I would like more information in the historical note about the author's inspiration as i couldn't place the setting geographically and am sceptical of the existence of big cities as described at that time. The nomads of the steppes with blond hair and blue eyes also seem out of place, but after all it is a fiction. The storytelling is excellent though and I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
February 15, 2021
Not sure whether 2 or 3 stars
Beginning seems a bit slow, last chapter seem too quick or too eager to finish.
Not enough nuances. As some other readers underlined, it is "another" book depicting a nice harmonious perfect matriarchal society threatened by an ugly evil barbaric patriarchal society without subtlety in either case.
Nice easy reading though, well written, and once into the book, eager to know what's coming after. Good vocabulary, did not see grammatical mistakes or disconnected chapters.(although english is not my primary language)
Some interesting descriptions about prehistoric societies, although timing and accuracy are hard to measure; on the other hand, this is literature, not a university textbook on prehistoric lifestyle.
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(5 days later) I must acknowledge however I just easily read the second very quickly, eager to read more every day, enloying every moment of it.
Beginning seems a bit slow, last chapter seem too quick or too eager to finish.
Not enough nuances. As some other readers underlined, it is "another" book depicting a nice harmonious perfect matriarchal society threatened by an ugly evil barbaric patriarchal society without subtlety in either case.
Nice easy reading though, well written, and once into the book, eager to know what's coming after. Good vocabulary, did not see grammatical mistakes or disconnected chapters.(although english is not my primary language)
Some interesting descriptions about prehistoric societies, although timing and accuracy are hard to measure; on the other hand, this is literature, not a university textbook on prehistoric lifestyle.
-------
(5 days later) I must acknowledge however I just easily read the second very quickly, eager to read more every day, enloying every moment of it.
November 12, 2022
Fave book trilogy of ALL time!!!
I’ve read these books multiple times. I love the story, the workd building, the connections to the characters, etc. I couldn’t say enough good things about these books.
I’ve read these books multiple times. I love the story, the workd building, the connections to the characters, etc. I couldn’t say enough good things about these books.
June 29, 2017
Not horrible, but neither is it that good.
March 21, 2019
Loved it! One big adventure from begin to the end, with a positive vibe. I would love to see the movie! 😃
April 22, 2020
Captivating
I had a hard time putting this book down to sleep. Incredible writing, well-developed characters and storyline. A must-read for pre-historic fiction fanatics!
I had a hard time putting this book down to sleep. Incredible writing, well-developed characters and storyline. A must-read for pre-historic fiction fanatics!
March 6, 2022
Could not finish. Author couldn't make me feel it was real.
June 27, 2022
Not the best book but rereading this after twenty years is really comforting
October 6, 2020
Dit boek is het eerste deel uit een serie over prehistorisch Europa, hoewel er nog een prequel voor zit. Het jaar dat de paarden kwamen gaat over de dertienjarige Marrah, een jonge vrouw die leeft in een vredelievende stam aan de kust van het huidige Frankrijk. Ze aanbidden moeder Aarde als godin en vrouwen en ouderen hebben een hoge positie en genieten veel respect. Geweld kennen ze eigenlijk niet. Ook paarden zijn onbekend, die zijn sinds de laatste ijstijd uitgestorven.
Op de dag van haar volwassenheidsceremonie ontmoet ze Stavan, een jongeman afkomstig uit een nomadenvolk van bereden krijgers. Hij en zijn volk, die leven in wat ongeveer het huidige Oost-Europa en Rusland is, aanbidden een zonnegod/ oorlogsgod en zijn voortdurend in oorlog met andere stammen. Stavan vertelt Marrah dat zijn volk op zoek is naar meer land om te veroveren. Samen met Marrah’s jongere broer trekken ze richting het oosten om Marrah’s volk te waarschuwen voor dat van Stavan.
Zoals ook op de achterflap staat, raakt Stavan steeds meer in de ban van Marrah zelf. Dit zorgt voor een loyaliteitsconflict en ook Marrah, die eerst een afkeer van Stavans volk had, begint bepaalde dingen te begrijpen.
Het grootste deel van het boek is een epische reis door prehistorisch Europa, waarbij vele volken ontmoet worden. Hoewel zo’n reis bijna cliché is, was het steeds spannend genoeg om door te lezen. Het contrast tussen Marrah’s volk en Stavans volk is erg groot en naar mijn mening wel erg zwart-wit. Bij het ene volk zijn alleen maar vredelievende mensen, terwijl bij het andere volk geweld en wantrouwen doodnormaal zijn. Ik vind dit persoonlijk wat ongeloofwaardig, een mix van verschillende grijstinten ertussen was realistischer geweest.
Dit was het eerste boek dat ik las dat zich in deze tijdsperiode afspeelt. Het is de tijd van de eerste landbouw, van kleine nederzettingen en van beginnende steden. Van de religieuze gebruiken uit die tijd zijn tot op de dag van vandaag nog sporen te vinden. Ik vond het leuk om via dit boek meer te leren over deze tijd.
Zoals gezegd is dit het eerste deel uit een serie. Hoewel je aan alles voelt dat er nog een volgend deel komt, is dit boek ook heel goed los te lezen.
Op de cover zie je een woeste krijger in de golven die zijn steigerende paard bedwingt. In een inzet zie je een verliefd koppel. Dit geeft de sfeer en setting van het boek goed weer.
Op de dag van haar volwassenheidsceremonie ontmoet ze Stavan, een jongeman afkomstig uit een nomadenvolk van bereden krijgers. Hij en zijn volk, die leven in wat ongeveer het huidige Oost-Europa en Rusland is, aanbidden een zonnegod/ oorlogsgod en zijn voortdurend in oorlog met andere stammen. Stavan vertelt Marrah dat zijn volk op zoek is naar meer land om te veroveren. Samen met Marrah’s jongere broer trekken ze richting het oosten om Marrah’s volk te waarschuwen voor dat van Stavan.
Zoals ook op de achterflap staat, raakt Stavan steeds meer in de ban van Marrah zelf. Dit zorgt voor een loyaliteitsconflict en ook Marrah, die eerst een afkeer van Stavans volk had, begint bepaalde dingen te begrijpen.
Het grootste deel van het boek is een epische reis door prehistorisch Europa, waarbij vele volken ontmoet worden. Hoewel zo’n reis bijna cliché is, was het steeds spannend genoeg om door te lezen. Het contrast tussen Marrah’s volk en Stavans volk is erg groot en naar mijn mening wel erg zwart-wit. Bij het ene volk zijn alleen maar vredelievende mensen, terwijl bij het andere volk geweld en wantrouwen doodnormaal zijn. Ik vind dit persoonlijk wat ongeloofwaardig, een mix van verschillende grijstinten ertussen was realistischer geweest.
Dit was het eerste boek dat ik las dat zich in deze tijdsperiode afspeelt. Het is de tijd van de eerste landbouw, van kleine nederzettingen en van beginnende steden. Van de religieuze gebruiken uit die tijd zijn tot op de dag van vandaag nog sporen te vinden. Ik vond het leuk om via dit boek meer te leren over deze tijd.
Zoals gezegd is dit het eerste deel uit een serie. Hoewel je aan alles voelt dat er nog een volgend deel komt, is dit boek ook heel goed los te lezen.
Op de cover zie je een woeste krijger in de golven die zijn steigerende paard bedwingt. In een inzet zie je een verliefd koppel. Dit geeft de sfeer en setting van het boek goed weer.
August 5, 2008
I liked the beginning of this book - it is a genre that I usually like. The characters are interesting and believable, the settings are interesting, the author's writing style is not bad; but by about the time I got to the middle of the book it just didn't seem to be going anywhere - or at least not anywhere I wanted to go with it.
I actually bought the hardcover version of this book in a bargin clearance bin several years before I never got around to finishing it. Finally gave it away to Goodwill - this is just about the only book I have never managed to finish once I started reading it by choice.
Good luck to anybody that reads it - and I hope you liked it better than I did. If you did like it, feel free to share the end of it with me and maybe,... maybe I'll try and track down a copy of it again sometime.
I actually bought the hardcover version of this book in a bargin clearance bin several years before I never got around to finishing it. Finally gave it away to Goodwill - this is just about the only book I have never managed to finish once I started reading it by choice.
Good luck to anybody that reads it - and I hope you liked it better than I did. If you did like it, feel free to share the end of it with me and maybe,... maybe I'll try and track down a copy of it again sometime.
November 16, 2012
The Year the Horses Came is the first book in an fictional early early man trilogy that takes place 5 centuries before the birth of Christ.
The story is about a heroine Marrah who is from a long like of priestesses of the nature loving Mother Earth People. The book starts on her coming of age day (age 13) and takes her through a quest to travel to a distant city Shara to warn them about a a vision of doom from the beast men. The beast men turn out to be the warriors sun worshiping culture Hanse who are a nomadic people from the Sea of Grass(Steppes). Marrah is captured and is forced into marriage with the cruel chieftain Vlahan.
It is a well written adventure tale that has some good twists and turns. I enjoyed it and now I am into the second book, Horses at the Gate.
If you like prehistoric adventures, heroine scores, then pick it up. P
The story is about a heroine Marrah who is from a long like of priestesses of the nature loving Mother Earth People. The book starts on her coming of age day (age 13) and takes her through a quest to travel to a distant city Shara to warn them about a a vision of doom from the beast men. The beast men turn out to be the warriors sun worshiping culture Hanse who are a nomadic people from the Sea of Grass(Steppes). Marrah is captured and is forced into marriage with the cruel chieftain Vlahan.
It is a well written adventure tale that has some good twists and turns. I enjoyed it and now I am into the second book, Horses at the Gate.
If you like prehistoric adventures, heroine scores, then pick it up. P
January 9, 2011
This is a genre I usually enjoy, and heck...I'll read anything with the word "horse" in the title. It was a good book in many ways. I don't regret reading it. But it definately could have been better written. Yeah, we get it that matriarchal societies are good, and patriarchal ones bad, but it's a little overdone. This was at heart a love story between the 2 main characters, but with a Clan of the Cave Bear twist. If you are of the "the world would be perfect if women ruled the earth and we all worshipped the goddess" type then you will love this book. If not, it's not a bad read but there are better books out there.
July 14, 2015
Written with a passion for
Ceremony practiced by the old ones. Written in such clarity and definition the reader becomes part of the ceremonies of the earth people. Entrenched in the beauty and simplicity of the ways of the Goddess we become part of Marras people and the times of change when a tribe, barbaric to them will challenge her, her family and her beliefs as a priestess.
The author gives us a clear description of the vast differences of two lifestyles, one sacred and peaceful the other ruthless and violent.
Ceremony practiced by the old ones. Written in such clarity and definition the reader becomes part of the ceremonies of the earth people. Entrenched in the beauty and simplicity of the ways of the Goddess we become part of Marras people and the times of change when a tribe, barbaric to them will challenge her, her family and her beliefs as a priestess.
The author gives us a clear description of the vast differences of two lifestyles, one sacred and peaceful the other ruthless and violent.
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