Swords of the Horseclans

Horseclans #2

by Robert Adams

For seven hundred years, the Undying High Lord Milo has been building his Confederation, leading the Horseclans slowly across the lands once known as the United States, absorbing city-states and nomadic tribes alike, some by peaceful means, some by the sword.

Now, led by an ancient and evil intelligence, his enemies have united and a wave of unstoppable destruction is thundering swiftly down on the Confederation forces...

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure

180 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1976

About the author

Franklin Robert Adams (August 31, 1933 - January 4, 1990) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, formerly a career soldier. He is best known for his "Horseclans" books. He wrote as Robert Adams, an abbreviated form of his full name.

Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series).

Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.

Reviews

[Mohammad Ali Abedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(There are 18 books, and I read until Book 10, Bili the Axe)

I read a bunch of these books, and eventually I got bored of it, but man, what a ride. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world. Everything has gone wrong, from nuclear warfare to plagues, so nothing remains from our time. This new world is run by barbarians and swords. In the new world, there are a few changes. Some clans have the ability to mindspeak to a few select animals, such as big cats (which are more like panthers), and a select few have the power of immortality. Such as our main character, the Undying High Lord Milo!

Milo starts up as a small clan leader, and eventually his clan starts growing bigger as the novels progress.

The series is a manly fantasy story with none of the silly dancing elves stuff. Every few pages, someone gets either killed or raped, and the good guys usually are responsible for both. There isn’t a really strong plot or characters to speak off, but if you have to want to pretend you are a man and raping some villagers and chopping off heads, then it can be fun.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Horseclanning.

This time, the timeline has skipped ahead about 40 years and the undying Milo Morai's Confederation now controls a healthy chunk of what used to be the Eastern Seaboard, albeit with some borders less than entirely settled; and as the book begins, Demetrios (revealed at the end of The Coming of the Horseclans to be one of the Undying, and so given a high position in the Confederation) is leading a force of Horseclans against King Zenos of Karaleenos (yes, if you're going to read these books, you have to get used to the way that modern-day place names are mangled to represent the passage of time; and ditto various Greek terms), against whom he has ... animosity. But that soon pales in comparison to the news that King Zastros of the Southern Kingdoms is leading an unimaginably large force north to despoil the Confederation. (And are Shadowy Forces(tm) pulling the strings behind Zastros? Could be ...)

And as with the first book, there's plenty of cavalry charging and infantry marching and archers shooting, and plenty of plots and intrigue and worldbuilding, and it's all pretty gripping stuff even if it's not that much different than the first book.

[Rhoddi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dud of a sequel that doesn't get my hopes up for the rest of books I have in this series.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, the Horseclans books make a strong series of heroic fantasy. I really liked the settings for most of these, and Adams had great narrative drive and really knew how to tell a story. I did 'not' like the undying characters. To me, that really diminishes the heroic elements of the characters. Of course, not all the books had undying characters in them and those were generally the better books in the series.

[Gary Currier · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an easy read, has intrigue but literally no action at all. I had trouble completing the book it was just without any reason to read it. The conflict never arrives...an army is coming with overwhelming numbers and it falls apart on arrival. It is well written but boring. The first book was more what I would expect.

[John McDermott · Rating 3 out of 5]

My ratings based upon my memories of reading the first two Horseclan novels as a teenager . In other words, a very long time ago!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Adams' Horseclans novels are most commonly categorized as pulpy sci fi adventure, a la a post-apocalyptic variation on Sword & Sorcery fantasy. This reputation is undoubtedly informed by the short length of its entries, as well as those glorious, Frank Frazetta-esque cover illustrations, but I've come to realize that the series' pulpy affectations are merely skin-deep. Sure, there's a fair amount of gory action sequences, but those set-pieces sit alongside loads of historical minutiae and military planning. As such, it's probably more accurate to describe the novels as military fiction set within a fantastical, post-apocalyptic universe, and it's on Swords of the Horseclans where this alternative characterization becomes obvious. Although it's a direct continuation of its predecessor, Adams' focus on grounded politicking and strategizing is even more dominant this around. The end result is in no way poor, but it's bound to strike many fantasy fans as dry and somewhat aimless. A slightly disappointing follow-up to The Coming of the Horseclans.

Swords of the Horseclans is set approximately forty years after The Coming of the Horseclans. The nomadic horseclans, led by the immortal Milo Morai, have consolidated their control over Kehnooryos Ehlahs- a coastal kingdom located in what was once Virginia. Yet instead of peacefully coexisting with the pseudo-Greek Ehleenee inhabitants of the region, the rule of High Lord Morai is challenged by the remaining Ehleenee states. Much of what follows is an account of Milo's campaign against King Zastros- leader of the southernmost Ehleenee kingdom. Meanwhile, Milo's wife Mara remains in his capital and enters into a complex set of intrigues with King Alexandros of the Sea Islands. Eventually figuring into the story are the Witchmen- body-hopping descendants of pre-apocalypse scientists who are secretly behind the invasion of King Zastros. Apart from the Witchmen, the supernatural elements that punctuated The Coming of the Horseclans are incidental to the plot. In particular, the "mindspeaking" prairie cats of Adams' first novel are almost entirely absent.

I was impressed by the underlying premise of The Coming of the Horseclans, but was frustrated by Adams' awkward prose and felt that his storytelling could've been much tighter. Swords of the Horseclans succeeds in addressing only a subset of those concerns. In particular, when compared to its predecessor, Swords of the Horseclans is a far easier read yet moderately less entertaining. To the first point, Adams' prose is much improved, and he has cut back on the bizarre colloquialisms that stilted much of the dialogue on The Coming of the Horseclans. This is no longer the work of an amateur author, and Adams has clearly benefitted from better editing this time around. Sadly, his smoother writing style is counterbalanced by an even greater fixation upon inessential detail. Adams also continues his habit of info-dumping large amounts of plot via extended dialogue. Witness the "instructional" discourse between Milo and Mara near the end of the work. This tendency is made more frustrating by the fact that, although there's always something going on in, it doesn't feel like Swords of the Horseclans significantly advances the overall plot of the series. When only a handful of important events occur, none of those events should be recounted after the fact!

All of this makes Swords of the Horseclans a mixed bag. Apart from a handful of lengthy "history lessons", I mostly enjoyed myself while I was actually reading it. Yet when I finished the novel, I was left wondering whether it was time well spent. I will say that, given the novel's abrupt, semi-cliffhanger ending, I'm still intrigued to learn what happens in Revenge of the Horseclans. A strangely addictive quality that the rational part of my brain can't quite explain. I guess that's one thing that the Horseclans series has in common with the best of serialized, pulpy fiction…

[Lewis Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swords of the Horseclans, though not quite as great as its predecessor, is still a very solid entry in the series. I'm definitely a little confused by the reviews here claiming that "nothing happens" and that there's "no action", and I have to wonder if said readers really paid that much attention at all. Even if (spoilers coming) the great battle that's foreboded doesn't truly come to pass, there are still tons of heated duels, bloody skirmishes, and battle sequences that include forces numbering in the thousands - or even tens of thousands - by the end.

All in all, Swords of the Horseclans has almost everything I want and expect from an instalment in the Horseclans saga. Although the absence of the cats was a dampener and the ending was a little anti-climatic, it still did a great job at setting up future books by introducing what seems to be Milo's ultimate antagonists. As such, my interest in the series remains as high as ever and I'm thrilled to still have sixteen more of these books to read (18 if you include the two short story collections).

That being said, while I admire Adams' knowledge and attention to detail in all things militaristic, his tendency to over-describe these details sometimes bogs down the action sequences and takes away from the excitement and momentum. Because of this, I generally enjoyed the personal duels and smaller character moments in this book more than the larger conflicts.

Still, a damn good read for anyone who enjoys bloody, fantastical escapism.

[David Palazzolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t know why I’m still reading this series—the characters are ciphers and Robert Adams as well as the typesetter of this book are in dire need of editorial guidance. What I’ve read is less a novel and more of a series of vignettes strung loosely together in a rough fashion and it is not always clear when certain scenes end and a new one begins as there are no breaks in the text—several times I had to stop reading to navigate the confusion generated by this habit. Surprisingly this novel took place some 30-40 years after the last but you don’t really figure that out until it’s casually mentioned in conversation halfway in. Also for an author who claims that this series is merely an adventure story and that nothing should be read into it, Robert Adams’ conservative leanings are suspiciously transparent.

I will say this—Adams does subvert expectations towards the end. He seems to be building toward a standard climatic battle and we get something else. Additionally, Adams’ prose style seems inspired by Mallory’s La Morte D’Arthur—a cursory exploration to his characters as human beings contrasted with an exhaustive detailing of troops, armor, a step by step accounting of the battles and lots of emoting between the warriors after battle, especially when dealing with honorable yet defeated foes. So I guess herein lies the charm for me as I loved Mallory in college. Against my better judgment I’m going to read the third book I have already and see if things improve

[John Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series, and it's more of the same to the first book. Lord Milo and his army march somewhere, another army shows up, having been attacked all the way there by Milo's troops, and gets defeated soundly, with the victors getting to kill most of the enemy, except for ones who change sides.
There's a little bit of creepiness thrown in because there are 20th Century Americans who have worked out a way to transfer their consciousness from body to body, and have no qualms in doing so to living humans, turning them into meat puppets. These "witchmen" will be an on-going villain to Milo's Hero.
There's not as much interaction between the horseclans and their mind-speaking cats this time though, which was disappointing. In terms of greatness, it's no Lord of the Rings, but it's probably in Conan range, I guess.

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is second in a series, and feels a little like important aspects are missing from knowledge when read separately, but mostly fills in necessary gaps.

A distant future book, takes place in North America that has fallen into horse riding warbands and small clans for 700 years. The lead character is slowly building a confederation, and for some unknown reason can live forever.

This book is about 3/4 prep for a battle, the battle is anticlimactic, and then a more interesting story dump occurs. The result is lopsided, and I wish there plot had been better paced. I have book 4 and will read it out of curiosity, as the setting is an interesting what-if.

[JW David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a disjointed and tough read mostly because of the difficulty of the names, peoples, and places. Had I not read the series and enjoyed it before (30+ years ago) this might have been my last attempt at the series. And if I recall correctly I didn't read that book until much later as I found all my books at yard sales, and kept a list of books I was looking for in my wallet.
But I remembered he needed to create his world for his series, and those were the days of the thinner books being considered novels.
Putting that into prospective this book is more of a history than a novel, but has elements of both, and provides background to many of the later stories.

[Kent Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good memories from the1980's

Book.was good then and is good now. At one time I owned the whole series. But due to busted water pipe most were damaged and molded. I hope these continue Bili the Axe was always a personal favorite. Reading this is like running into an old friend you haven't seen in a decade or more. Please continue the series.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine adventure, well told.

Think the Horseclan novels are just pulp adventure fiction? These books are well written, filled with interesting characters who reflect the strengths and frailties of human in close quarters. I have read them several times over the years, and they keep my interest and continue to give me pleasure.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milo Morai is slowly trying to build a confederation trying to amalgamate and absorb cities and tribes.
But his enemies are trying to thwart his plans by uniting but meanwhile a wave of destruction is inexorably crashing down on the confederation.

[Stephen M. Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The future is the past.

The concepts of the Horseclans, prairie cats and near immortality combine to create a world both old and new. The interplay of the factions and lead characters provide fresh looks at age-old question s.

[Dan Beaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adams' homophobia and misogyny, coupled with some very awkward proper nouns makes this a difficult read, but if you are interest in post-apocalyptic novels, its status as a classic in the genre makes it hard to overlook.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is terrible. It is poorly written, confusing, and weird (not in a good way). I read the first one back in high school. It's like Camelot on Gamma World, but with taking horses and huge, steaming heaps of misogyny. Dumb.

[Steve Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent series!

I've read these books many time over the last 30 years or so. Great reading for escaping and recharging your imagination.

[richard b. rupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series

I have read the entire series at least a dozen times and am currently renewing my love affair with this series yet again.

[Graham Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how he has four plots running at once but none of then suffer and all come together for a logical ending!

[STU · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed to flow better than the first book.

[David Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second novel about the Horseclans, a post-apocalyptic tribe of mounted nomads who worship Richard Harris (rim shot), one can read as a straightforward adventure story. The eponymous clans, under their semi-immortal leader Milo, fight and defeat the decadent Greek war leader Zastros and his evil scientist allies, the Witchmen. Adams writes clearly and includes plenty of medieval period detail and action scenes, so this is a pretty quick read. I find it difficult to recommend, however, because despite his specific promise not to advance an agenda, Adams spends much of the novel grinding his authorial axe. His treatment of homosexual characters would have been dated in the 1970s (when this novel was written) and is inexcusable today; one of those characters, Demetrios, Adams portrays as a mincing, bejeweled pedophile who pisses his trousers at the first sign of trouble. Women in the novel are "good" as long as they remain demure, sexually available, and attentive. One of the female characters, Mara, spends the last part of the book serving as the audience for Milo's giant lumps of exposition. The evil woman in the novel is a revenant 20th-century scientist who hates men and repeatedly reminds her colleagues about her four academic degrees, until Adams delivers what he considers her come-uppance. Readers of a more religious bent, meanwhile, will find Adams's treatment of the 27th-century Greek Orthodox Church offensive; even I found his anti-clerical cliches tiresome. This is not a post-collapse future in which the Church serves as a conservator of culture, as, for instance, in A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ. Nor is it one in which assertive women or non-normative men have much a place. What hope exists for the future Adams vests in strong-willed, independent-minded leaders and the fighting men who like to take orders from them. I don't know if Robert Adams was a fan of Thomas Carlyle, but ideologically speaking, the two had much in common.

[SFReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I would classify the first volume a being close to heroic fantasy, albeit in a future apocalyptic setting, this second volume in the series, Swords of the Horseclans, is more military fantasy. Book 1 ends with Milo completing his odyssey of leading the Horseclans from the high plains of the middle use to the eastern seaboard, where he establishes them in their new home and forms the Confederation.

Swords of the Horseclans takes place some 30 years after the end of book one. Milo and three other undying (Aldora, Mara and Demetrious) now rule the Confederation, it being a bit larger than in the first book with the addition of some additional territory over the years. With the exception of Demetrious, Milo and the undying rule the confederacy as a benevolent dictatorship, with each member state free to see to its own affairs as long as such affairs include treating the common people well. Demetrious come from a rather decadent ruling class, and has returned to his pederast ways after a brief stab at being a decent human being at the end of book one.

Swords of the Horseclans (Horseclans #2) review at SFReader.com

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epic in scope. A little less gritty than the the first in the series (Coming of the Horseclans), which featured gore, rape, and torture. Instead, the comical plight of Demetrios offers some levity. The logistics of battle are articulated nicely. The dialogue style is unnatural, however; essentially the dialogue is just more narrative from the author rather than genuine conversation. The primary battle is largely anticlimactic since we are constantly made aware that the antagonist army is uninspired and ill-prepared.

I admit to being enthralled by Ken Kelly's cover art. Compared to the text, the cover art disproportionally brings to life the post-apocalyptic North America "Horseclan" world. I am compelled to read the next in the series, though I am expecting less than after reading the first book.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've reread this a couple of times over the years. The first few books are pretty good. Nothing superb, but a fun, fast read if you like this kind of thing. It's more of a fantasy, but there is a Science Fiction basis - it's a post apocalyptic (nuclear war) world where a nomadic people are the good guys. Some super msart animals, a few immortals & such dropped in.

I think this is book 2. After about book 6 or 7, I got a little worn out with the series. I've been meaning to go back & read it again, since I didn't have the entire series all at once, but read it out of order, in scattered pieces across the years.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author seems to have a good pedigree in the industry, so I decided to give Robert Adams a shot. And, while I generally am able to give most authors a fair chance, I had to admit failure with this novel. Yes, I do read military SF and fantasy from time to time. And that’s not the problem with this novel. It’s the author’s style, which is unnecessarily wordy, verging on purple.

Full review over at You Gotta Read Reviews:
http://yougottaread.com/review-swords...

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some fairly fantastic worldbuilding in Adams' books, and I was impressed with some of the characterization.

However, what bothers me is Adams' propensity for equating pedophilia with homosexuality, and his very blatant homophobia. As I enjoy the general plots, I try to overlook this, but it's becoming difficult.

[Jaq · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really felt like a colour by numbers adventure. Nothing new was added, and the characters simply filled the pages. I was left feeling cheated, I wanted more, much more, and was left wanting at the end of it.

[ExtremeBibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nostalgic re-read, from one of the old-school fantasy/science-fiction authors of yore. The Horseclans series is a great mix of future-world alternate reality, adventure, and straight-up speculative fiction. The spiritual heir to Jules Verne and George Stewart.