SOLVED. Juvenile Science Fiction. Boy is in a group watching a tower from which the masters will come on flying horses. He's with his brother and best friend. Read around early 1980s? [s]

[Robert]

Boy is in a group watching a tower. The masters will come from it on flying horses (possibly some sort of hovercraft but understood as horses because that's the frame of reference?) His brother and his best friend are both there with him. There's an interaction with his brother where they're icily polite, while he's rude to his friend and there's commentary about how being rude is a sign of friendship. Stuff happens. Brother ends up saving him while the friend either actively betrays him or just fails to rescue him. Possibly he ends up becoming one of the masters?

Read: early 1980s?

[Rainbowheart]

Who are the masters, like teachers or overlords?

Is the boy a teenager or a younger child?

Does the story take place on Earth?

[Robert]

Overlords but using the rhetoric of teachers.

I think he's a teenager but it predates "young adult" as a category, so no explicit sexual awakening.

Not clear whether it's "future Earth", colonised planet or other world. As far as I recall, there's no "look at this ancient artefact that they used to call a lightbulb" type stuff.

[SBC]

This makes me think of Shon the Taken by Tanith Lee. Any chance that could be it?

[Rainbowheart]

Shon the Taken for SBC's suggestion.

[Robert]

Pretty sure that's it! Thanks SBC.

[SBC]

Great! I'm glad I could help.