Gillian Bradshaw

Stand-alone historical fantasies:

Horses of Heaven — (1990) Young Adult. Library Journal: [Bradshaw] takes us to the kingdoms of Ferghana and Bactria (present-day Afghanistan) about 140 B.C. The widowed King Mauakes seeks a wife to assuage his loneliness and to create political alliances. Beautiful young Heliokleia of rival Bactria is selected to be the old man's queen. Unfortunately, the young woman, who has studied meditation with Buddhist monks and who prefers prayerful solitude to royal fanfare, seeks escape and serenity through meditation. Mauakes, in his insecurity, refuses to let her function as the queen she was trained to be, and she emotionally slips away from him. This so infuriates the king that he abuses her. Of course, there is an admirable younger son to soothe her, plus ambitious and corrupt council members. Ultimately, the gods reward the just in this satisfying contemporary story about an ancient land.

Horses of Heaven

Gillian Bradshaw’s Horses of Heaven is a historical fantasy set in a place and time far from fantasy’s beaten path: central Asia in 140 B.C. It takes place in the kingdom of Ferghana, which was once on the eastern fringe of Alexander’s empire. Now, Alexander is long dead and Ferghana is an uneasy mix of Greeks and native Sakas. The widowed King Mauakes makes a political marriage with a Greco-Bactrian princess, Heliokleia, but he is abusive toward her and their marriage is a disaster from the start. When Heliokleia instead falls in love with Mauakes’ handsome son Itaz, and he with her, the situation becomes as incendiary as Greek fire.

It’s a time and place where many ideas and philosophies competed for dominance, and there are many debates within these pages: the merits of Buddhism vs. Zoroastrianism vs. the Greek pantheon vs. Saka sun worship, for example, and differing views of governance, warfare, and women’s rights.

The “talkiness” of Horses of Heaven is both a strength and a weakness. The religious and philosophical debates are fascinating and do a great job of defining the characters and their relationships to one another. On the other hand, the book is occasionally a bit dry and bogged down in bureaucratic process, particularly in the first half. Later, as the love story blooms more fully, it alleviates this issue. It’s a pretty archetypal triangle, but Bradshaw elevates it by fleshing out all three of the principals rather than making them stock figures.

Bradshaw’s decision regarding point of view is one of the most unusual I’ve seen. Horses of Heaven is ostensibly in first person, told by Tomyris, a young Saka who is chosen as a lady-in-waiting to Heliokleia. Yet Tomyris only talks about herself in brief and scattered moments, and narrates scenes from the three leads’ lives as though she were a third-person narrator: showing us their innermost thoughts and the precise details of events she only heard about secondhand. At times I wondered, why use Tomyris at all? Why not just use third person? Toward the end of the book, I think I figured it out. Tomyris is a microcosm of the people of Ferghana; we see how their opinions of their king and queen and prince changed over time by way of Tomyris’ own changing feelings.

Tomyris’ narration also raises the question of intended audience. Horses of Heaven is listed in some places as “young adult.” The story of Mauakes, Heliokleia, and Itaz deals with mature themes such as spousal abuse and adultery, and delves more deeply into philosophy than is usual in a YA novel. Tomyris’ story, on the other hand, is a classic YA journey in which a young person examines what her culture has taught her, decides what to accept and what to reject, and becomes an adult with her own considered opinions. As a result, I don’t know whether to classify this as a YA book or not.

The fantasy elements are subtle. Many of the magical occurrences are of the sort that could also be explained by mundane means, especially at first, but later it becomes clear that this is indeed a fantasy novel.

You’ll probably like Horses of Heaven if you enjoy historical fantasy such as that of Jo Graham. If you find it a little dry at first, keep going. In the end I found it thought-provoking and emotionally moving, and learned some interesting history along the way as Gillian Bradshaw brings to life a setting that almost nobody is writing about. —Kelly Lasiter

Beyond the North Wind — (1993) Ages 9-12. Publisher: The Greek god Apollo sends a talented young magician on a quest to stop an evil queen from exterminating a small tribe of griffins.

The Wolf Hunt — (2001) Publisher: Love, betrayal, and lycanthropy in the time of the CrusadesThe Wolf Huntis a breathtaking and romantic adventure. When Marie Penthivre of Chalendrey is abducted and taken to Brittanys court, she vows to never dishonor her family by marrying a Breton. There is only one who might change her mind: Tiarnn of Talensac, a handsome and noble knight... and a werewolf. But Tiarnn marries someone elseand when his new wife learns of his secret, she betrays him. When the widow joines forces with Tiarnns enemy, Marie realizes something is dreadfully wrong. Only she is clear-headed enough to rescue Tiarnn and return him to his rightful statusbut can she do so before it is too late?

The Sun's Bride — (2008) Publisher: Spring, 266 BC. When Isokrates, helmsman of the Rhodian warship Atalanta, encounters a pirate vessel off the Lycian coast, he finds himself caught up in affairs of state more deadly than the naval battles hes accustomed to. Among the pirates victims is a beautiful woman, the mistress of a king, who is fleeing to her lovers enemy with news that will start a war to engulf the whole of the east...