The Stone Arrow

The Pagans Trilogy #1

by Richard Herley

Stone Age England. The ancient, nomadic way of life is coming to an end; the agricultural revolution has begun. When the farmers of Burh attack the sleeping nomad tribe, Tagart is the only survivor. Twenty-five and heir to the chief, his sole inheritance now is his tribal honor - and it demands revenge. His ally is the forest that, and his own ingenuity, courage and hunting skill.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Ebooks, Fantasy, Prehistoric, Historical

Hardcover

First published July 12, 1987

About the author

I was born in England in 1950 and educated at Watford Boys’ Grammar School and Sussex University, where my interest in natural history led me to read biology; but from my earliest years English had been my “best” subject, and shortly before my final exams I decided to try to become a professional writer. The job of the artist – in whichever medium he or she works – is an important one, since, conscientiously practised, it helps us to make sense of ourselves and the world.

Authorship is not an easy path to follow. I continue to work at the craft and marvel at its subtlety. I prefer a conventional storytelling framework. This offers the greatest potential for the writer: a reader who wants to know “what happens next” is the most receptive and stands to gain the most of all.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! No question about it--I give this one a full five stars. The author keeps the story moving at a headlong pace, so it's a real page-turner. But I give it 5 stars mainly because it is excellent historical fiction bringing to life the Neolithic Age of five thousand years ago. The setting is southern England (I believe it's Sussex) and the "Agricultural Revolution" has reached Britain. However, such great changes come at a high cost--to the people following a more traditional way of life in a nomadic society based on hunting and gathering.
In this story, the farmers of a village attack and slaughter a tribe of forest nomads. The only survivor is a young man named Tagart. He dedicates himself to avenging the slaughter of his tribe. So this is basically a revenge story. But it is a lot more than that. And Tagart is an unforgettable hero. We root for him to achieve his vengeance--even as we know the way of life of nomadic people is doomed, in Britain and, in time, all around the world. I could not help but think of the European settlers invading the lands of the indigenous people of the Americas.
This book, published in 1978, is Book I of "the Pagan Trilogy." You know I'll be looking for the two books to finish this trilogy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend the book to historical fiction readers and to others who just want to read a book that is nicely 'put together.' The author's writing mechanics were excellent, and his pick up timing was just where it needed to be. The story was set in present day England at the time when nomads still roamed the earth, when pods of farmers were settling down, and when the mining industry was taking its hold on civilization. These three groups did not mix then any better than they mix now.

The problems begin over a dog killing that erupts into vengeful killings between the nomads and the farmers. In the midst of the nomad and farmer revenge war, Tagart, the one nomad left standing, is captured into the mining slavery business. Tagart, relieves himself and another slave from their bonds thereby causing the third skirmish. How these three entities think and act make the book a trip you do not want to miss.

Thank you, Mr. Herley, for a good read.

[Brandi Kutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stone Arrow was his first novel, but his more famous book would be The Penal Colony, which was the basis for the 1994 film No Escape. However, The Stone Arrow did win the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and help build his reputation for action, historical, and science fiction writing. The Stone Arrow is the first in its trilogy and tells the story of a man named Tagart. In order to appease the god who sent a drought over their land, a group of farmers in the Britain of 5000 B.C. murders a tribe of nomads that live nearby; however, the chief’s son, Tagart, survives and vows vengeance for his fallen tribe. This book was an intense and exhilarating ride. It was quick-paced, almost entirely action driven, and sometimes stressful. Tagart is a noble and cunning savage and at times he is too super, which takes away from the reality that Herley tries to create. Despite the small flaws, this book reveals some of Herley’s strengths as a writer: immersive action scenes, wonderful vocabulary, emotion-evoking prose, and even a dry sense of humor. The readers spend more time focused on the setting and plot than inside the character’s thoughts, which is plus for both the action genre and showing their feelings through actions than through descriptions. Interestingly enough, this book captures the struggle of hunter-gatherers and the superstitious society of the villagers. This book is recommended for readers who enjoy fast-paced action, historical fiction, and tales of honor, vengeance, and gore.

[S.wagenaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good adventure/revenge novel, a sort of stone-age Rambo. When the farming people massacre the nomadic hunter people of the forest, lone survivor Tagart swears vengeance. Some pretty creative kills via traps and poisoning, this is a surprisingly violent tale with a considerable body count. Well written, with plenty of details concerning life and survival in a harsh land, this was a lot of fun to read and good enough for me to look forward to book two, The Flint Lord.
Recommended!

[Rick Brindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story set in the stone age, in Southern England. The main character, Tagert, and hunter gatherer, is the sole survivor after his tribe is massacred by a village of farmers (nice twist). He seeks his revenge, and so the story develops.
This was a good story, perhaps a little too descriptive, and may have benefited from more dialogue, but that seems to be Richard Herley's way.

[Kurt H. Cushwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t know what to expect.

This was a break from the science fiction that I usually read. Good characters and the descriptions really set the time and place. I may read the second volume.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in the most part an engaging and exciting story. One man against many is always an appealing concept in literature and film alike.

This is set when bears were still dwelling in Britain, and a bear family play a crucial part in this action novel.

The main character Tagart is a bit of a John Rambo type – quiet but dangerous. I was rooting for him all the way through, which shows off the author’s skills at creating strong characters that readers can sympathise with. All characters have merit of one sort or another.

The plot revolves around Tagart wanting revenge on a village containing over 100 people after a group of them massacre his nomadic tribe.

About halfway through, we have a complete shift in momentum. This is necessary for the overall story, but I admit to being disappointed by the sudden change. Tagart’s inventive plans to take down individuals or groups of villagers was enticing, and I felt it was a shame this was put on hold for so long.

Not that the change of location is bad. It is, in fact, clever plotting that adds depth to the overall story, plus it creates a much more dangerous threat to Tagart come the story’s ending when he faces a power far greater than the combined forces of the villagers.

The dialogue exchanges are good, and I like that the language is contemporary. I’m not a fan of archaic language in historical novels, as it slows the narrative pace down with its unnatural feel to the modern reader. None of that goes on here.

It’s a pity dialogue exchanges aren’t more frequent. At times, the narrative gets too bogged down with detail. A lot of this detail is superfluous and should’ve been reduced or cut altogether.

Detail for detail’s sake is never a good thing. It’s as though the author wanted to convey as much of his research as possible. This doesn’t makes for good reading, and it’s for this reason I’ve rated ‘The Stone Arrow’ four stars, not five. Lists of items in a room, or types of food in a forest, are boring. Such static description written at length is prose at its most passive.

On the most part, though, this is a fine novel. I’ll certainly read the next book in the trilogy.

[Viva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising find. This was a kindle freebie from Amazon. Spoilers ahead.

I don't usually read Neolithic books but decided to give it a try. The writing is pretty easy to read and follow and I got into it right away. The plot was a little fuzzy in the beginning but once it started to focus on one person it started to get interesting.

Tagart is a hunter gatherer (HG) in the forest of early England. His tribe is destroyed by a farming community of about 200 people who decided to strike pre-emptively because they needed to clear the forest for more land and felt the HG were getting too close. So one night the farmers struck at night and attacked their camp killing everyone.

Tagart was wounded but didn't die because of the darkness but he was wounded. Once he started to heal he began a campaign of revenge to kill the farmers. He was doing a very good one-man job and killed many of the farmers when some traders happened by. They captured him and took him to the main town on the coast to be a slave. During the journey, a slave among the traders tried to help him to escape in exchange for freeing his sister who was a slave in the town. Tagart promised but they were found out and the slave was killed before Tagart could escape.

In the next part of the book Tagart becomes a slave in the mines, mining flint. He eventually escapes and saves the sister.

This is basically a revenge justice book set in stone age England. I liked it because the author was a good storyteller. The only thing I don't like is the element of conflict plot device which the author uses over and over again. I also enjoyed the setting but I don't know how accurate it is. Anyway, I'm now on the second book.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Stone Age Britain, this is the story of Tagart, a nomad who survives a massacre that wipes out the rest of his tribe and takes revenge on the village that did it.

Very rigorously researched and relentless in the detail of life several thousand years ago this is a violent story about the birth of civilisation and what it replaced. Mr Herley seems determined to put every part of his research into this story and is also fond of that Melvillean device, the list. We get a lot of lists in this book and while it does give us more detail and insight into the world and the characters it does feel somewhat forced after a few goes. This is a grim but interesting book with a clear prose style and some interesting insights into life way back when.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought that I would
Set in Stone Age Britain , Tagart is the only survivor of the massacre of his tribe and family ..and he's out to seek revenge
The revenge is brutal and quite graphic in parts
Initially I felt sorry for him, then I started to dislike him as his revenge seemed to be going too far and displayed a total lack of conscience to his victims which included women and children . However , he becomes the good guy again in attempting to rescue the sister of a young boy slave
I've already downloaded the second part of the trilogy and can't wait to start reading it
A very enjoyable ,if graphic , read 👍🏻

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into it expecting something simple and serious and literary. What I got was an unflinching horror-leaning proto-grimdark jungle-tactics revenge story, meticulously grounded in the ecology, technology, atrocity, and political economy of Neolithic Britain. Even Howard's Conan didn't come close to this level of bitterness about the rise of civilization - and Herley applied far less romanticism or noble-savage nostalgia to the alternative, with a much keener eye on human behavior, warts and all.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Paleolithic times in the south of present-day England, this is a fast moving and engrossing 1978 novel with what feels a fairly realistic portrayal of a violent society and culture clash. A young forest dweller avenges the massacre of his tribe by some farmers. After that vengeance he is captured and then escapes from slavery in the flint mines.

[Benjamin Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an exhilarating ride, to say the least. It was smartly paced, almost entirely action-driven, and so brutal in spots that I think it would have to be trimmed somewhat to qualify as a rated "R" film. And, incidentally, "this could be made into a very good movie" is what I found myself thinking over and over again. If Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear and Crichton's Eaters of the Dead were able to make the transition from (speculative) historical fiction to successful films, this book probably could.

The book immediately plunges the reader, as do so many of Herley's books, into the day-to-day world of people in another time and place. His skills at research and description allow him to do this more convincingly and more immersively than most writers, and his natural knack for pacing and self-editing allows him to do so without allowing the essential storyline to bog down. He's clearly a author in love with story and place, rather than with his own language.

While The Stone Arrow was a fast, exciting read, it doesn't quite stand up to the quality of Herley's later works, such as The Penal Colony, Refuge, or the incomparable The Tide Mill. That's because The Stone Arrow shows only some of Herley's many strengths: while his amazing vocabulary, powers of research, economy of words, and manifest love of nature are on full display here, his ability to sweep the reader through the full spectrum of human emotion is not, nor is his delightfully bone-dry sense of humor. While the book is nominally written from a third person omniscient perspective, the narrative eye spends relatively little time inside the characters' heads, preferring instead to focus on action and setting, showing how the characters must be thinking and feeling through their deeds.

Those observations are not necessarily fault-finding - this book strikes me as the work of a talented twenty-something writer out to make a big first impression, and that it certainly does! As it is, I'm now excited to sit down to The Flint Lord and The Earth Goddess, the two remaining books in this trilogy. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in pre-historic fiction, anyone who has read and enjoyed any of Herley's later works, or anyone who just wants to sit down and read a ripping tale of honor, vengeance, and ingenuity, with a Rambo-level body count.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was an easy read set in a time period that I personally find very interesting. Herley does a magnificent job of capturing the struggles of ancient people moving from a life of hunting and gathering to a more settled, agricultural setting at the very beginnings of civilization. The overall story is a simple one, reflecting the struggles between cultures seen on a grander scale in modern society. The author does a good job of weaving in religious superstition into the story, which helps push the story forward rather than being a simple crutch on which the fight between Tagart/Tsoaul and the villagers of Burh is based.

The one thing that seemed a touch out of place, or almost haphazardly forced in was the inclusion of the slavers and the Flint Lord. For a man that had been as influential as the Flint Lord seemed to have been in the region, he is amazingly missing for the first half of the story until suddenly his traders show up in Burh. I would have liked a bit more of this back story revealed on a more gradual basis, perhaps through the actions or speech of the villagers. As it was, it did add a twist to story that was beginning to be a bit linear.

It is clear, as well, that Herley has studied this time period well and is very familiar with the subject material, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, the author gets trapped in a bit of listing from time to time, giving out all the various plants that the peoples eat, or the fungi growing in the forest, or the local fauna. However, this was not a terrific distraction from the overall story, just a mere annoyance.

Overall, this is a nice, easy read and quite enjoyable. Though it is a tale of revenge and fighting, there is not an overabundance of blood and gore. A solid book, no doubt, but hopefully the author will build on his story and improve in the subsequent novels of the trilogy.

[Jefrois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written:

“…The air, hot and balmy, smelling of salt and iodine, felt soft on Sturmer’s skin as he lay staring upward into the pink realm of his lids. He could hear bees humming, a faint breeze in the parched stems of grass, the gulls against the waves below, the sibilance of pipits as they flew from chalk ledge to ledge on the cliffs. From time to time a jackdaw called. The sun on his face was making him drowsy. He was almost asleep, lingering on the border. Strange thoughts seemed normal….”

“… The sunset outside made everything blood-red. Pots and discarded tools threw long shadows. The river slid past the jetty, its surface in shade, dimpled by the beaks of the sand martins and swallows as they dipped in flight to drink. Swifts screamed among the barns and over the squat house roofs, chasing each other, climbing to altitudes where the sun was still hot on their wings. The coastline below stretched east and west, a thin ribbon of beach and cliff separating the sea from the shroud of the forest, which spread, faithful to the contours of the land, almost without pause to the very limits of vision.…”

He said, “Strange thoughts seemed normal…the sun was still hot on their wings….” This is what the two scenes are about. It’s what the book is about.

Immerse in it; feel it. Live in it….

“…To the very limits of vision….”

But I think he needs to tone it down (added, 1/31/2023), and make it more comprehensible.

Rather than incomprehensibly “describing” the trap he is making, just the broad outlines of them would be enough.

Etc.

.
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[John M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hats off to Richard Herley for a valiant attempt to tell a Stone Age story. As befits its time, it is a simple story of revenge and the struggle for survival. I didn't find any of the characters sympathetic or likable, but I didn't expect to. Herley is obviously well familiar with the prehistoric archaeology of West Sussex, and that is what kept me going, more than the story itself.

I assume this book and its sequels are set around 5000 BC. Prehistory is, I think, a difficult field to write fiction in, because the use of writing to discuss characterize preliterate people inevitably creates anachronism, such as with references to "Germany" and "Normandy." I understand that these are meant to orient the modern reader, but in serving our minds it does a disservice to theirs.

Nevertheless, the story has a simple, driving line, avoided the ridiculous, and kept me entertained for a few hours. This book and its companions are what I call a transit read, good for a twelve-hour airline/bus/train journey or a hospital stay, otherwise passable.

[Douglas Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel of early tribal Britain. I was a little underwhelmed, but it looks like the next book in the series might be more interesting.

Prologue
Tagart came out of the woods and stood facing the broad downhill sweep of the cereal field. The feeling of openness seemed strange and sudden after the embrace of the trees; he sniffed at the smell of the evening, almost cloudless now after the storm, a soft wind coming off the sea, bending the stunted ears of barley, fluttering the leaves of hazel and whitebeam. A hundred yards away the labourer stood upright and leaned on the handle of his mattock. He had only just become aware of another’s presence; yet Tagart had heard the man at work minutes ago, from the depths of the wood, whose floor he had traversed without so much as the snap of a twig.

Herley, Richard (1978-05-15). The Stone Arrow (The Pagans) (Kindle Locations 5-10). . Kindle Edition.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book straight through. I'm not an expert on Neolithic Britain, but the setting rang true.

This story is set 5000 years ago, as small farming communities are encroaching on the forests and bringing an end to the hunter-gatherer bands that have lived in the woods for generations. It is a story of ambition and revenge. It is very violent, but the author, to his credit, doesn't linger on the violence, or go into unnecessary detail.

The protagonist is sympathetic, despite being a barbarian.

The very beginning of the book struck me as a bit disjointed, but it settled down quickly. I liked it enough that I just bought the sequel, The Flint Lord, and I've already started reading it.

[Ruby Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get this free, having just finished The Penal Colony by this author, which I found excellent. Overall I found the book OK, but I never really got 'into' the whole plot and atmosphere for some reason. Usually I get drawn in to a novel, have favourite characters and locations etc., but it didn't happen with this one. There is no doubt that the book has been well-researched and it was interesting to have an insight into tribal rituals and customs, but I didn't find myself unable to put it down or motivated to stay up that extra few minutes every night to finish a chapter.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice book. I did have a couple of minor problems with the writing but the story was well constructed.

I think that the author knows the details of the world the characters move through. I just wish he did not try to impart every detail to the reader in long paragraphs describing each and every plant in a clearing, etc.

I think that the character development could use some work also. The female characters are only background scenery.

[Marko-Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I will admit that this was well written it is very difficult to say exactly what I think without giving away the plot. The hero (term used loosely) destroys an entire village and all of it's inhabitant to satisfy a need for revenge, but when he has a chance to do some actual good and rid the world of someone who is truly dangerous to everyone he suddenly develops compassion? I don't buy it. I will not be reading the other books in this series.

[Howard Brittain · Rating 3 out of 5]

An imaginative, and sometimes brutal, piece of story telling set in a prehistoric landscape pretty well told. The character development is goo but not great and an excessive amount of time is devoted to seemingly endless descriptions of the flora and fauna of the forest surroundings. However it's shortcomings are counterbalanced by it's originality and it worth a read.

[David J Sime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok for a time filler, but I imagine I'll forget the novel within a couple of days

You're better off reading Penal Colony by the same author - a better constructed novel with decent characters and a sharper plot

[Scott Groff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written tale of Dark Ages England at the he start of the Angle invasion. There are some sections where there are long series of plants, birds, etc. Just skim over the parts you don't like.

I've downloaded the next two books.

[Kenni]

I just couldn't get into it so I stopped reading it

[C.I. DeMann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it to be so damn good. Wonderful adventure told in a unique setting. Highly enjoyed.

[Mary Follis]

Prehistoric Britain--Tagart the Nomad plays Rambo on the village of Burh, and rescues Segle from Valdoe.

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

. . . feels as if you're there . . . watch your emotions . . . Richard Herley cuts no slack ! ! !