This review of Horses of Fire was previously published in the August 2023 issue of Historical Novels Review. If you are a fan of books set in the Trojan War, as I am, you will find this book intriguing, but the authors made a number of creative decisions that not all readers will be won over by.
Focus on Women
Horses of Fire is the first collaborative adult novel of two young adult authors, Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson, writing as A.D. Rhine. Set within the Trojan War during the days following the plague while Achilles remains withdrawn from the fighting, the novel focuses on Andromache, Helen, Cassandra, and an imagined servant Rhea.
Reinterpreting Mythic Tradition
In recent years, there’s been a blossoming of novels creatively and effectively reinterpreting the Trojan mythic tradition and strengthening women’s voices. This Troy novel continues the emphasis on women but also takes significant creative license both in events and character development. The authors’ notes mention “intentional departures from Homer’s storyline” and observe (accurately) that Homer was only one version of the “ancient drama we now call the Trojan War.”
Andromache in Horses of Fire
Readers may find their imaginative leaps liberating and enjoyable or disorienting, depending on their tastes. For example, Andromache is portrayed as an Amazon-trained warrior who fights and plans strategy. She chafes against the limitations imposed on her by Troy’s men, in contrast to her childhood.
Troy versus Allies-Disrespecting Immigrants
The novel also presents an intriguing political take on the relationship of Troy’s elites with their historical allies from around Anatolia. The allies are disrespected and segregated. This ethnic-based tension will feel familiar and meaningful to modern readers, but far less so to ancient Trojans. Much of the novel’s conflict focuses on Andromache’s efforts to bring respect to the allies. Newly imagined battles and crises occur to support this theme.
The End
The novel’s abrupt ending finds an understandable explanation in the authors’ acknowledgements. They cut their original manuscript in half on their agent’s advice. However, the reader would benefit from a more complete sense of resolution.
Further Reading
You might enjoy my review of another collaborative novel set in the Trojan War, A Song of War: A Novel of Troy.
If you’re looking for a copy of Horses of Fire…
Horses of Fire on Amazon (affiliate link)
Horses of Fire on Bookshop.org