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Horseclans #1
The Coming of the Horseclans
"A violent, lusty saga of barbaric nomads on their journey to reclaim their homeland in the 27th century, post-cataclysmic America!"
MILO OF MORAI...
over 650 years old and immune to death by ordinary means, he appears in fulfillment of "The Prophecy of the Return" to lead the Tribe of Horseclansmen back to their homeland by the sea. Aided by huge, tigerlike prairie cats, and the vicious fighting horses with whom he communicates by Mindspeak, Milo and his thundering nation on horseback battle their way eastward.
The story is set in the twenty-seventh century A.D., in a world still submerged in barbarism and chaos. Six hundred years earlier a succession of man-made and natural disasters destroyed whole continents and races, changing the face of the earth. New empires are now being formed by men who possess the savage fighting skills of their ancestors along with super-normal mental powers of new world man!
MILO OF MORAI...
over 650 years old and immune to death by ordinary means, he appears in fulfillment of "The Prophecy of the Return" to lead the Tribe of Horseclansmen back to their homeland by the sea. Aided by huge, tigerlike prairie cats, and the vicious fighting horses with whom he communicates by Mindspeak, Milo and his thundering nation on horseback battle their way eastward.
The story is set in the twenty-seventh century A.D., in a world still submerged in barbarism and chaos. Six hundred years earlier a succession of man-made and natural disasters destroyed whole continents and races, changing the face of the earth. New empires are now being formed by men who possess the savage fighting skills of their ancestors along with super-normal mental powers of new world man!
200 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
49 people are currently reading
873 people want to read
About the author
Robert Adams
74 books68 followersFranklin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
May 29, 2017
[Reread – May 2017]: I was an avid follower of Robert Adams’ Horseclans novels when they first came out in the late ‘70s - early ‘80s,[1] though my interest began to flag as I grew older and grew less and less comfortable with Adams’ raging homophobia. That and I was growing away from the simplistic military-sf that the Horseclans novels were a part of. Even so, I came to regret leaving my copies at my mother’s when we cleaned out the house after her death. So I surrendered to nostalgia recently and downloaded the Kindle versions of books #1 and #7, Horseclans Odyssey, the two I remembered as being my favorites.
The premise of the series is simple enough. Toward the end of the 20th century, a nuclear and biological holocaust along with some natural disasters destroyed our civilization. Milo Morai is a mutant – an immortal creature with Wolverine-like regenerative powers. He rescues a group of orphans in Los Angeles, taking them east into the Great Plains, where he lays the groundwork for their culture – a mix of Native and Mongolian nomadic traditions that would stand them in good stead in the world’s new circumstances. He also left them a prophecy that a leader would take them back to “Ehlai” at some time. He then left to find a reputed island where other immortals had gathered. Several centuries later, he returns to the Horseclans, who have come to dominate the plains from Canada into Mexico, becomes their War Leader, and begins to lead them back to their fabled homeland (though since LA and its surrounds are still a radioactive wasteland or under water, he fudges the prophecy and points them further eastward). This is where The Coming of the Horseclans opens. The clans are crossing the Appalachians and confronting the medieval-like kingdoms of the former eastern United States. And if that weren’t enough, Adams introduces ghosts from Milo’s past: Far to the south (in erstwhile Florida), a group of scientists plot to seize control of their former country and restore the U.S. to its former glory (“Holy Make America Great Again!, Batman!”). They too are immortal but have achieved this through science – a vile process of transferring their brains from host body to host body down the centuries.
You’re going to have to have a strong stomach if you want to read these novels. Adams was a vet and had a keen interest in ancient and medieval warfare, which is clearly evident whenever he writes about battles, weapons, armor, or – and I have to give him credit – the trauma that goes with all the bloody fighting. As an example, Aldora, one of the immortals introduced in this book, is an 11-year-old girl brutally raped by her (Horseclan) captors. She, of course, escapes that hell but she grows up to be a very troubled woman in subsequent books.
Beyond any moral qualms you may have when reading these books, the writing is – let’s be honest – competent but not all that good. Adams knows how to tell a story and move things along (usually) but the characters are shallow and predictable and their motivations simplistic. Morality is Manichaean – the “good guys” are honorable, trustworthy, brave, etc., and the “bad guys” are irredeemable (and often gay). If he had incorporated more characters like Aldora or stretched his story-telling talents (see below), the brutal reality of his world would have been more acceptable (tolerable?). As it is, often the writing comes across like a B-movie script where the writers fall back on rape and over-the-top debauchery to identify the bad guys.
I don't want to climb too high on this soapbox. If you like the series more than I used to, I’m not going to think you’re morally bankrupt or that your reading taste is suspect. Far from it. I’ve got plenty of books on these shelves that are by no sane measure “good” but that I love (and movies, a shout out to “Zardoz”). This review is purely self-reflection; I’ve come to desire more thoughtfulness and insight even from books I read just for pleasure.
My post-apocalyptic reading choices got better, I like to think, even at the time. I discovered A Canticle for Leibowitz and Edgar Pangborn before I left for college. More recently, I’ve enjoyed Riddley Walker and The Country of Ice Cream Star, among other examples. [All mentioned here, I cannot recommend highly enough.][2]
I can’t recommend the Horseclans novels now. They were fun when I was 14 but they can’t hold my interest any longer. [Though I’m still going to reread #7 soon. I recall thinking it was a lot like REH’s “Beyond the Black River,” in that it was a departure from the usual Horseclans book and was better because Adams was stretching himself as a writer just as Howard had done in the short story. Hopefully, my memory will be vindicated.]
__________________________________
[1] For those following the timeline of my life, I would have been 8 when this book was first published, though I probably didn’t get a copy of it until I was around 11 or 12 at the earliest. Most likely, later – around 13 or 14.
This was also the time when I was deep into RPGs and the country was going through the last spasms of the Cold War. “Threads,” “The Day After” and “Damnation Alley” were popular films, and my friends and I were into post-apocalypse games like “Gamma World,” “Aftermath!” and “Project Morrow.” My room was littered with maps of a post-WW3 America where half the coasts had sunk beneath the waves, mutants roamed the ruins of our cities, and humans eked out a precarious existence living in barbarous kingdoms.
[2] As I was drafting this review, I also remembered Andre Norton’s Daybreak – 2250 A.D.
[3] I should mention two things about the e-book edition. One, the proofing is atrocious. Someone must have scanned in a hard copy and given the results only a cursory glance. Two, somewhen they tacked on a second, tedious prologue and inserted a scene mid-book where Aldora befriends a mutated otter. Neither are necessary nor particularly interesting. I feel I’m watching Greedo shoot first.
___________________________________
I read this series in my callow youth. The first half-dozen or so are decent reading but if got harder and harder for me to get past the excessive homophobia and anti-clericalism.
The premise of the series is simple enough. Toward the end of the 20th century, a nuclear and biological holocaust along with some natural disasters destroyed our civilization. Milo Morai is a mutant – an immortal creature with Wolverine-like regenerative powers. He rescues a group of orphans in Los Angeles, taking them east into the Great Plains, where he lays the groundwork for their culture – a mix of Native and Mongolian nomadic traditions that would stand them in good stead in the world’s new circumstances. He also left them a prophecy that a leader would take them back to “Ehlai” at some time. He then left to find a reputed island where other immortals had gathered. Several centuries later, he returns to the Horseclans, who have come to dominate the plains from Canada into Mexico, becomes their War Leader, and begins to lead them back to their fabled homeland (though since LA and its surrounds are still a radioactive wasteland or under water, he fudges the prophecy and points them further eastward). This is where The Coming of the Horseclans opens. The clans are crossing the Appalachians and confronting the medieval-like kingdoms of the former eastern United States. And if that weren’t enough, Adams introduces ghosts from Milo’s past: Far to the south (in erstwhile Florida), a group of scientists plot to seize control of their former country and restore the U.S. to its former glory (“Holy Make America Great Again!, Batman!”). They too are immortal but have achieved this through science – a vile process of transferring their brains from host body to host body down the centuries.
You’re going to have to have a strong stomach if you want to read these novels. Adams was a vet and had a keen interest in ancient and medieval warfare, which is clearly evident whenever he writes about battles, weapons, armor, or – and I have to give him credit – the trauma that goes with all the bloody fighting. As an example, Aldora, one of the immortals introduced in this book, is an 11-year-old girl brutally raped by her (Horseclan) captors. She, of course, escapes that hell but she grows up to be a very troubled woman in subsequent books.
Beyond any moral qualms you may have when reading these books, the writing is – let’s be honest – competent but not all that good. Adams knows how to tell a story and move things along (usually) but the characters are shallow and predictable and their motivations simplistic. Morality is Manichaean – the “good guys” are honorable, trustworthy, brave, etc., and the “bad guys” are irredeemable (and often gay). If he had incorporated more characters like Aldora or stretched his story-telling talents (see below), the brutal reality of his world would have been more acceptable (tolerable?). As it is, often the writing comes across like a B-movie script where the writers fall back on rape and over-the-top debauchery to identify the bad guys.
I don't want to climb too high on this soapbox. If you like the series more than I used to, I’m not going to think you’re morally bankrupt or that your reading taste is suspect. Far from it. I’ve got plenty of books on these shelves that are by no sane measure “good” but that I love (and movies, a shout out to “Zardoz”). This review is purely self-reflection; I’ve come to desire more thoughtfulness and insight even from books I read just for pleasure.
My post-apocalyptic reading choices got better, I like to think, even at the time. I discovered A Canticle for Leibowitz and Edgar Pangborn before I left for college. More recently, I’ve enjoyed Riddley Walker and The Country of Ice Cream Star, among other examples. [All mentioned here, I cannot recommend highly enough.][2]
I can’t recommend the Horseclans novels now. They were fun when I was 14 but they can’t hold my interest any longer. [Though I’m still going to reread #7 soon. I recall thinking it was a lot like REH’s “Beyond the Black River,” in that it was a departure from the usual Horseclans book and was better because Adams was stretching himself as a writer just as Howard had done in the short story. Hopefully, my memory will be vindicated.]
__________________________________
[1] For those following the timeline of my life, I would have been 8 when this book was first published, though I probably didn’t get a copy of it until I was around 11 or 12 at the earliest. Most likely, later – around 13 or 14.
This was also the time when I was deep into RPGs and the country was going through the last spasms of the Cold War. “Threads,” “The Day After” and “Damnation Alley” were popular films, and my friends and I were into post-apocalypse games like “Gamma World,” “Aftermath!” and “Project Morrow.” My room was littered with maps of a post-WW3 America where half the coasts had sunk beneath the waves, mutants roamed the ruins of our cities, and humans eked out a precarious existence living in barbarous kingdoms.
[2] As I was drafting this review, I also remembered Andre Norton’s Daybreak – 2250 A.D.
[3] I should mention two things about the e-book edition. One, the proofing is atrocious. Someone must have scanned in a hard copy and given the results only a cursory glance. Two, somewhen they tacked on a second, tedious prologue and inserted a scene mid-book where Aldora befriends a mutated otter. Neither are necessary nor particularly interesting. I feel I’m watching Greedo shoot first.
___________________________________
I read this series in my callow youth. The first half-dozen or so are decent reading but if got harder and harder for me to get past the excessive homophobia and anti-clericalism.
April 14, 2018
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
The Coming of the Horseclans and the series it spawns series by Robert Adams (no relation to yours truly) is a post-apocalyptic, pulp fiction series that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is about gory battles, psychic animals, a brutal world, and larger-than-life heroes and villains. Or as the author himself put it:
The following tale is a fantasy, pure and simple. It is a flight of sheer imagination. It contains
no hidden meanings, and none should be read into it; none of the sociological, economic,
political, religious, or racial “messages” with which far too many modern novels abound are
herein contained. The Coming of the Horseclans is, rather, intended for the enjoyment of any
man or woman who has ever felt a twinge of that atavistic urge to draw a yard of sharp, flashing
steel and with a wild war cry recklessly spur a vicious stallion against impossible odds.
The tale is set in a 27th century post-apocalyptic America, where a past nuclear and biological war has completely transformed the world. The protagonist Milo of Morai, a mutant from the 20th century, has survived all these centuries, returning now to the horseclans he helped create to fulfill his own prophecy by leading them to their ancestral homeland. (Well, sort of.) Naturally, the journey is fraught with danger, as the clans cross a near unrecognizable America where decadent city-dwellers, other Immortals, and vicious survival rules the day.
What drew me to this series back in the early 1980s was the concept of the story and the amazing, pulp covers. Being a huge lover of sword and sorcery fiction by Robert E. Howard and others at the time, this book seemed like a can’t miss for my reading tastes. I mean, if I loved Conan the Barbarian fighting wizards and monsters across the Hyborean world of the distant past, why wouldn’t a story of a post-apocalyptic world where nomadic warriors (Think Mongolian horde with mutant horses!), telepaths, ancient technology, and Immortals fighting for control of the world not entertain me? It was pulp fiction fun with a modern twist. A can’t miss like I said.
Now, to be completely transparent, I didn’t like this novel or the series as much as I wanted to. It was a bit too brutal for my tastes back then. The heroes and villains too violent, too callous, and too prone to rape anyone who didn’t move out of the way quick enough. The plot lines fairly straight forward and predictable. And the writer’s style was adequate but never very refined. So while I did read several books after this one, I soon lost interest and never returned.
Even with my lack of love, I still feel this book and the Horseclans series in general is one which should not be forgotten. For its time, it was a thrilling, realistic, pulp fiction story which was short (The longest novel was only 253 pages. The average length of a novel was 202.), violent yet realistic (The author was a Vietnam veteran who understood the horrors of combat and their aftermath.), and mixed science fiction with fantasy into a nice mixture. So I’d encourage lovers of pulp fiction to go out, grab copies of this and the first few books, and see if this adventure series is the entertainment you crave.
The Coming of the Horseclans and the series it spawns series by Robert Adams (no relation to yours truly) is a post-apocalyptic, pulp fiction series that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is about gory battles, psychic animals, a brutal world, and larger-than-life heroes and villains. Or as the author himself put it:
The following tale is a fantasy, pure and simple. It is a flight of sheer imagination. It contains
no hidden meanings, and none should be read into it; none of the sociological, economic,
political, religious, or racial “messages” with which far too many modern novels abound are
herein contained. The Coming of the Horseclans is, rather, intended for the enjoyment of any
man or woman who has ever felt a twinge of that atavistic urge to draw a yard of sharp, flashing
steel and with a wild war cry recklessly spur a vicious stallion against impossible odds.
The tale is set in a 27th century post-apocalyptic America, where a past nuclear and biological war has completely transformed the world. The protagonist Milo of Morai, a mutant from the 20th century, has survived all these centuries, returning now to the horseclans he helped create to fulfill his own prophecy by leading them to their ancestral homeland. (Well, sort of.) Naturally, the journey is fraught with danger, as the clans cross a near unrecognizable America where decadent city-dwellers, other Immortals, and vicious survival rules the day.
What drew me to this series back in the early 1980s was the concept of the story and the amazing, pulp covers. Being a huge lover of sword and sorcery fiction by Robert E. Howard and others at the time, this book seemed like a can’t miss for my reading tastes. I mean, if I loved Conan the Barbarian fighting wizards and monsters across the Hyborean world of the distant past, why wouldn’t a story of a post-apocalyptic world where nomadic warriors (Think Mongolian horde with mutant horses!), telepaths, ancient technology, and Immortals fighting for control of the world not entertain me? It was pulp fiction fun with a modern twist. A can’t miss like I said.
Now, to be completely transparent, I didn’t like this novel or the series as much as I wanted to. It was a bit too brutal for my tastes back then. The heroes and villains too violent, too callous, and too prone to rape anyone who didn’t move out of the way quick enough. The plot lines fairly straight forward and predictable. And the writer’s style was adequate but never very refined. So while I did read several books after this one, I soon lost interest and never returned.
Even with my lack of love, I still feel this book and the Horseclans series in general is one which should not be forgotten. For its time, it was a thrilling, realistic, pulp fiction story which was short (The longest novel was only 253 pages. The average length of a novel was 202.), violent yet realistic (The author was a Vietnam veteran who understood the horrors of combat and their aftermath.), and mixed science fiction with fantasy into a nice mixture. So I’d encourage lovers of pulp fiction to go out, grab copies of this and the first few books, and see if this adventure series is the entertainment you crave.
May 17, 2016
I found the contents of this book so foul that I have refused to read another single word by this author for the decades since I read it. I would rate it zero stars if the platform allowed it. I have cherished books since the age of six and have tried my best to take care of the physical books I own. If I still had a copy of this book, I would destroy it without hesitation.
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November 26, 2015
It lost me at the line about the captive women taken by the hero's warband being "well-raped." NOPE. I can't just give it a single star because it may get better, it may subvert that, it may critique that, but so far it hasn't and I'm done.
December 31, 2008
The first in the Horseclans series. I give it four stars mainly for that. It's a good story but probably 3 and a half stars might be a better rating. I'm not a big fan of "undying" heroes since it seems relatively easy to be a hero if you don't have to worry about actually getting killed.
February 4, 2023
This was an immensely popular series in the 70's and 80's spanning 18 books. This book takes place about 600 years after the fall of civilization due to nuclear/biological warfare. The story starts in Mexico, but most takes place in the former United States. As you can expect, barbarism, feudal tribes, kingdoms, etc. have popped up after the fall. There are some interesting concepts here- telepathy with big cats, horses, some humans, and other animals. There are some mutated immortal type humans that are either revered as godlike or forsaken. It's a brutal place, and I would caution younger or modern readers. A couple of early brutal scenes against adolescents had me throwing the book down. I get that this type of stuff would happen in a world like this, heck it happens on a daily basis in our world. I just prefer less graphic descriptions-I believe things can generally be implied. This dropped a star for an otherwise pretty good read. I might pick up the series at a later date, because, conceptually, the groundwork has been laid for an interesting series.
October 18, 2017
Review originally appeared in FantasyLiterature.com:
After two centuries, the undying High Lord Milo Morai has returned to the Horseclans to lead them to their prophesied destiny. First they must conquer their enemies and the Witchmen — pre-holocaust scientists who have continued living by transplanting their minds into stolen bodies.
I stole most of that synopsis from the back of the book, because I only made it to page sixty-nine, the end of chapter six, and I still hadn’t gotten to the meat of the story.
I’ve wanted to get my hands on a copy of The Coming of the Horseclans for a while now. When I was a kid, I remember seeing these books on the grocery store magazine shelves or drugstore spinner racks, and later on at the mall bookstores in the Men’s Adventure section. I was already a fan of Conan and some other lesser-known sword & sorcery heroes, and just the name, “Horseclans,” stirred my blood. Add that to the exciting cover illustrations, which I now know were done by Ken Kelly, and I can’t explain why I never picked one up back then. (Most likely, I was just broke.) So, I really wanted to like this book and follow the rest of the series, which is eighteen books total.
However, my nostalgia for old books I hadn’t read didn’t prove strong enough to carry me through. The two prologues — that’s right, two, titled “Prologue I” and “Prologue II” — were sheer torture to read. No lie, I could hear Ben Stein’s monotone voice as I read them. I hoped that once I got to the story, things would pick up, but they didn’t.
I found nothing interesting about the hero, Milo Morai. He’s the typical macho character found in way too many cookie-cutter action-adventures. He has it all: good looks, skills (per Napoleon Dynamite, “Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills”), wealth, and brains. He doesn’t seem to be killable, or at least I never got to a point in the story that told of any Achilles’ heel. He knows how to telepathically communicate with horses and cats of the sabre-tooth variety. Women can’t resist him. They don’t even mind much when he enslaves them, which is kinda the Horseclans’ thing.
The Horeseclans are basically a post-apocalyptic version of the Huns. They wander the far-future North American plains, raiding the local farmers and doing some trade business with the slaves and the plunder they acquire. Up to the point I stopped reading, they seem to be the dominating bad-asses of their time, which is helped by the fact that their enemies stupidly fall for any strategic trap Milo sets for them. Enemies that are so vile — they sexually abuse and murder young boys — and so idiotic, I can’t imagine why any subordinates would ever indulge them. And don’t even get me started on the unpronounceable languages of all these people.
Adams takes the long way around to get to a point. Granted, maybe I would have gotten some clarification eventually if I’d have stuck with it. But I just couldn’t get motivated enough to bother. For a tale that is supposedly rife with combat and barbarian warriors, I was bored. Even the potential of sexy slave women couldn’t rouse my interest. ;)
With all due respect to the late Robert Adams, I think these stories are just dated. Perhaps genre fiction of the mid-seventies, especially the adventurous sci-fi/fantasy geared toward a male readership, wasn’t taken as seriously by publishers back then as it is nowadays. The Coming of the Horseclans lacks sophistication and uniqueness when compared to current books of similar genre.
Maybe I didn’t give Adams a fair shot. HORSECLANS fans, feel free to set me straight. I sincerely want to know if I just don’t get it.
After two centuries, the undying High Lord Milo Morai has returned to the Horseclans to lead them to their prophesied destiny. First they must conquer their enemies and the Witchmen — pre-holocaust scientists who have continued living by transplanting their minds into stolen bodies.
I stole most of that synopsis from the back of the book, because I only made it to page sixty-nine, the end of chapter six, and I still hadn’t gotten to the meat of the story.
I’ve wanted to get my hands on a copy of The Coming of the Horseclans for a while now. When I was a kid, I remember seeing these books on the grocery store magazine shelves or drugstore spinner racks, and later on at the mall bookstores in the Men’s Adventure section. I was already a fan of Conan and some other lesser-known sword & sorcery heroes, and just the name, “Horseclans,” stirred my blood. Add that to the exciting cover illustrations, which I now know were done by Ken Kelly, and I can’t explain why I never picked one up back then. (Most likely, I was just broke.) So, I really wanted to like this book and follow the rest of the series, which is eighteen books total.
However, my nostalgia for old books I hadn’t read didn’t prove strong enough to carry me through. The two prologues — that’s right, two, titled “Prologue I” and “Prologue II” — were sheer torture to read. No lie, I could hear Ben Stein’s monotone voice as I read them. I hoped that once I got to the story, things would pick up, but they didn’t.
I found nothing interesting about the hero, Milo Morai. He’s the typical macho character found in way too many cookie-cutter action-adventures. He has it all: good looks, skills (per Napoleon Dynamite, “Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills”), wealth, and brains. He doesn’t seem to be killable, or at least I never got to a point in the story that told of any Achilles’ heel. He knows how to telepathically communicate with horses and cats of the sabre-tooth variety. Women can’t resist him. They don’t even mind much when he enslaves them, which is kinda the Horseclans’ thing.
The Horeseclans are basically a post-apocalyptic version of the Huns. They wander the far-future North American plains, raiding the local farmers and doing some trade business with the slaves and the plunder they acquire. Up to the point I stopped reading, they seem to be the dominating bad-asses of their time, which is helped by the fact that their enemies stupidly fall for any strategic trap Milo sets for them. Enemies that are so vile — they sexually abuse and murder young boys — and so idiotic, I can’t imagine why any subordinates would ever indulge them. And don’t even get me started on the unpronounceable languages of all these people.
Adams takes the long way around to get to a point. Granted, maybe I would have gotten some clarification eventually if I’d have stuck with it. But I just couldn’t get motivated enough to bother. For a tale that is supposedly rife with combat and barbarian warriors, I was bored. Even the potential of sexy slave women couldn’t rouse my interest. ;)
With all due respect to the late Robert Adams, I think these stories are just dated. Perhaps genre fiction of the mid-seventies, especially the adventurous sci-fi/fantasy geared toward a male readership, wasn’t taken as seriously by publishers back then as it is nowadays. The Coming of the Horseclans lacks sophistication and uniqueness when compared to current books of similar genre.
Maybe I didn’t give Adams a fair shot. HORSECLANS fans, feel free to set me straight. I sincerely want to know if I just don’t get it.
April 22, 2012
Fans of military fantasy with Sword & Sorcery traits will enjoy this (David Gemmell and Karl Wagner were better writers, but fans of theirs would enjoy this opener of the Horseclans series). The premise is ostensibly apocalyptic sci-fi, but really it appears as a gritty epic fantasy (i.e. no bullets or lasers or machines, just barbarian hordes, swords and some mutant-telepathy and immortality mixed in).
Cover artist Ken Kelly did a superb job, and arguably was more successful than the author in presenting/creating the world. Truthfully, it is worth tracking these out of print books down just for the cover art.
It is an interesting opening book, and since I am compelled to read the next book (Swords of the Horesclans) I rate it 4/5.
Cover artist Ken Kelly did a superb job, and arguably was more successful than the author in presenting/creating the world. Truthfully, it is worth tracking these out of print books down just for the cover art.
It is an interesting opening book, and since I am compelled to read the next book (Swords of the Horesclans) I rate it 4/5.
January 22, 2012
I've heard about the Horseclans novels for some time, first in Maureen Birnbaum: Barbarian Swordsperson (a send-up, obviously) and then from other sources. So when I saw quite a beat-up copy at a library sale, I had to pick it up.
This first novel is interesting, so far as 'Future Regressed' fantasy novels go. The characters occasionally do more 'telling' than I'd like to appraise this or that listener (and the reader) of this or that bit of history, but I suppose Adams has to get the notes he's built the novel on across to us somehow.
There's some homophobia involved, but Adams does have one character claim the vilified characters are practicing a perversion of his race's (Greek) customs. Really, what's being decried is mainly child rape. Interestingly, though, apparently heterosexual rape is okay, so long as the victim is of a proper age.
All in all, I don't know how to take Adams yet. On the one hand, he presents his world in a 'this is how things are now' fashion, and, as I know it's to some extent how things have been, it's hard to fault him too much. On the other hand, he does present a character from a more civilized time who doesn't bat an eye, mostly, at what the world has become.
So I can't decide whether Adams is some starry-eyed atavist, or a writer who sees himself 'telling it like it is,' if you follow me. I scored quite a few of these at a library sale, though, so I think I'm going to see where he goes.
This first novel is interesting, so far as 'Future Regressed' fantasy novels go. The characters occasionally do more 'telling' than I'd like to appraise this or that listener (and the reader) of this or that bit of history, but I suppose Adams has to get the notes he's built the novel on across to us somehow.
There's some homophobia involved, but Adams does have one character claim the vilified characters are practicing a perversion of his race's (Greek) customs. Really, what's being decried is mainly child rape. Interestingly, though, apparently heterosexual rape is okay, so long as the victim is of a proper age.
All in all, I don't know how to take Adams yet. On the one hand, he presents his world in a 'this is how things are now' fashion, and, as I know it's to some extent how things have been, it's hard to fault him too much. On the other hand, he does present a character from a more civilized time who doesn't bat an eye, mostly, at what the world has become.
So I can't decide whether Adams is some starry-eyed atavist, or a writer who sees himself 'telling it like it is,' if you follow me. I scored quite a few of these at a library sale, though, so I think I'm going to see where he goes.
April 2, 2015
As an illustrator, I am often drawn to books by their covers. Especially classic painted covers. It was Kelly's work that made me pick up this series in a local charity shop. It was the dirt cheap price that made me pick up 14 volumes of them.
Once I finally started in on the first volume, I found the premise intriguing. I am a big fan of post apocalyptic fantasy. From Gemmel's Jon Shadow series, to the classic animated series, Thundarr. I even run an epic fantasy rpg set in a post apocalyptic America. So with a cool premise and interesting setting, why only two stars?
Robert Adams writing is passable, and not beyond what can be expected from classic sword and sorcery pulps. His sentences are filled with adjectives and flourish. He relishes in world building. But almost to a fault. Little of the story is spent on exposition outside of battle scenes, and much of the dialogue is spent further fleshing out the world. This wouldn't be a big deal for a first volume in a series, if it really felt Adams was trying to get anywhere.
But the biggest problem this and subsequent volumes suffer from is the growing sense that Adams is just a jerk. His opinion of women and homosexuality is far from varied in his characters. Every female character is sexual assaulted, and according to the protagonists, that is okay as long as they aren't children. Misogyny is common in this genre, but for the time these were written, this blatant disregard for any sense of sexual politics is just ridiculous. It is cringe-worthy and as the book progresses, harder and harder to ignore. No amount of psychic battle cats can cover that up.
Once I finally started in on the first volume, I found the premise intriguing. I am a big fan of post apocalyptic fantasy. From Gemmel's Jon Shadow series, to the classic animated series, Thundarr. I even run an epic fantasy rpg set in a post apocalyptic America. So with a cool premise and interesting setting, why only two stars?
Robert Adams writing is passable, and not beyond what can be expected from classic sword and sorcery pulps. His sentences are filled with adjectives and flourish. He relishes in world building. But almost to a fault. Little of the story is spent on exposition outside of battle scenes, and much of the dialogue is spent further fleshing out the world. This wouldn't be a big deal for a first volume in a series, if it really felt Adams was trying to get anywhere.
But the biggest problem this and subsequent volumes suffer from is the growing sense that Adams is just a jerk. His opinion of women and homosexuality is far from varied in his characters. Every female character is sexual assaulted, and according to the protagonists, that is okay as long as they aren't children. Misogyny is common in this genre, but for the time these were written, this blatant disregard for any sense of sexual politics is just ridiculous. It is cringe-worthy and as the book progresses, harder and harder to ignore. No amount of psychic battle cats can cover that up.
May 31, 2023
I remember seeing this 1975 publication in stores back in the day, but I'd never read any of them. Finding this at a paperback show for $2 I couldn't resist.
I can't believe this series ran for so long. It was a difficult read because of the writing. The plot is fine, though it does get increasing ridiculous as it goes on.
In the year 2593, the world population has fallen to less than a billion due to an unexplained war, plunging the world into medieval times. There are nomadic horseclans and dirtmen, farmers. The book follows Milo Morai, a man of rising importance among the horseclans due to his fighting abilities. He is one of the few humans who can communicated via telepathy with horses, giving him an edge while in battle. He can also communicate via telepathy with the big cats--sabertooth tigers reintroduced into society by science just before the world went to war. Milo has another ability revealed later which took much of the tension out of the book. And the author Adams must have felt the same, as Milo disappears for the final conflict.
The book tries to emulate the battles and mythology of Conan the Barbarian, but uses forgotten science of the past to explain things. This might have worked, but the battles between clans and other kingdoms interrupted this explanation of the past, which seemed far more interesting than what was happening in the present. I found the battles best when it focused on one-on-one fights, as the armies came across as awkward in their descriptions.
I'll not be returning to this series. If I'm craving primitive battles, I'll see out Howard's writing, which is much better in its delivery.
I can't believe this series ran for so long. It was a difficult read because of the writing. The plot is fine, though it does get increasing ridiculous as it goes on.
In the year 2593, the world population has fallen to less than a billion due to an unexplained war, plunging the world into medieval times. There are nomadic horseclans and dirtmen, farmers. The book follows Milo Morai, a man of rising importance among the horseclans due to his fighting abilities. He is one of the few humans who can communicated via telepathy with horses, giving him an edge while in battle. He can also communicate via telepathy with the big cats--sabertooth tigers reintroduced into society by science just before the world went to war. Milo has another ability revealed later which took much of the tension out of the book. And the author Adams must have felt the same, as Milo disappears for the final conflict.
The book tries to emulate the battles and mythology of Conan the Barbarian, but uses forgotten science of the past to explain things. This might have worked, but the battles between clans and other kingdoms interrupted this explanation of the past, which seemed far more interesting than what was happening in the present. I found the battles best when it focused on one-on-one fights, as the armies came across as awkward in their descriptions.
I'll not be returning to this series. If I'm craving primitive battles, I'll see out Howard's writing, which is much better in its delivery.
March 22, 2014
Ok, I haven’t read these in 30 years, and I’m getting ready to read them again, so I may change this rating.
Others have explained the storyline. I want to talk about why it was great to me, as a young adult, reading this author.
This was one of the most influential series to me in my teen days. After Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad, and the Hitchhiker’s series, it still stands among my favorites to this day. Perhaps not for the high quality of the writing so much as what I learned from the author.
It has always bothered me when someone says after having read a book, or having given up on one, that "There are chapters that don't mean anything," or "What was the point of that scene?" or “The author loves to fill space with unnecessary trivial information,” or "There were flashbacks that were unnecessary.” I think to myself, do these people understand that they are reading fiction, and not Non-Fiction?
This guy (Robert Adams) got it, though, and was instrumental in teaching me the truth at a very young age that fictional stories don’t have to ‘mean’ anything. And every chapter doesn’t have to stay on a single linear track towards the end and make a point. They are not essays. They exist purely for entertainment purposes, not to give meaning to life. Every reader should be reminded to suspend belief and try to enjoy themselves before reading a work of fiction. Yes, I think maybe that should be international law.
Not that the Horseclans stories strayed from the storyline a lot. They didn’t. But the Author constantly reminding me to take them with a grain of salt and to just enjoy them, and then by telling such an involved and entertaining story really put weight behind his words. Where a lesser writer might have let the message get lost along the way, his words allowed me to have a greater appreciation for so many other authors I might not have read had I not already learned to open my mind as I opened the pages of a book.
Anyway, my point is, these books were just sheer entertainment, a guilty pleasure, and anyone who likes a good juicy sword and sorcery tale (with some technology eventually added because the story is set a few centuries after the fall of our society) should enjoy it and most of the series. I’m thinking especially teen boys would love them the most. I believe I got tired of them around book 10, with the loss of one of my favorite characters, but I still read a few more after that.
I think this was my favorite, I hope you make it that far:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
This one was a close second if I recall:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Others have explained the storyline. I want to talk about why it was great to me, as a young adult, reading this author.
This was one of the most influential series to me in my teen days. After Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad, and the Hitchhiker’s series, it still stands among my favorites to this day. Perhaps not for the high quality of the writing so much as what I learned from the author.
It has always bothered me when someone says after having read a book, or having given up on one, that "There are chapters that don't mean anything," or "What was the point of that scene?" or “The author loves to fill space with unnecessary trivial information,” or "There were flashbacks that were unnecessary.” I think to myself, do these people understand that they are reading fiction, and not Non-Fiction?
This guy (Robert Adams) got it, though, and was instrumental in teaching me the truth at a very young age that fictional stories don’t have to ‘mean’ anything. And every chapter doesn’t have to stay on a single linear track towards the end and make a point. They are not essays. They exist purely for entertainment purposes, not to give meaning to life. Every reader should be reminded to suspend belief and try to enjoy themselves before reading a work of fiction. Yes, I think maybe that should be international law.
Not that the Horseclans stories strayed from the storyline a lot. They didn’t. But the Author constantly reminding me to take them with a grain of salt and to just enjoy them, and then by telling such an involved and entertaining story really put weight behind his words. Where a lesser writer might have let the message get lost along the way, his words allowed me to have a greater appreciation for so many other authors I might not have read had I not already learned to open my mind as I opened the pages of a book.
Anyway, my point is, these books were just sheer entertainment, a guilty pleasure, and anyone who likes a good juicy sword and sorcery tale (with some technology eventually added because the story is set a few centuries after the fall of our society) should enjoy it and most of the series. I’m thinking especially teen boys would love them the most. I believe I got tired of them around book 10, with the loss of one of my favorite characters, but I still read a few more after that.
I think this was my favorite, I hope you make it that far:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
This one was a close second if I recall:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
May 27, 2024
A weird one, and a hard one to rate. This is one of those books that I got some enjoyment out of but would probably never recommend to anyone else.
First of all, Adams put a little forward in here about this book not containing any messages about politics, religion, etc., but that's just not true. This becomes more and more apparent as the series goes on. Robert Adams was a guy that would have fit right in with modern ultra conservatives. He even drove around his town with bumper stickers proclaiming his love of "god and guns". In this book and later on in the series we see that the bad guys are usually homosexuals (and Adams seems to think that homosexuality=pedophilia) and women's lib, hippies, and the government are all very bad. He's the kind of guy that thinks a lesbian can be "converted" into being straight if she just gets shagged properly by the right manly man.
In this book alone, the good guys are real cartoonish alphas, making sure that their female captives are "well raped" and murdering everyone in their path. They make Conan the barbarian look like a vegan socialist.
So why didn't I hate this? Because it fulfills my #1 requirement for this kind of trashy pulp: it is almost non-stop action. It's a short read and it is filled to the absolute brim with flashing swords and spilled guts. The writing is very basic and the characterization is almost non-existent, but that's not why you pick up a book like this. You want to read about bloody battles and heads flying and this delivers that in spades.
I just don't know if I can stomach enough of Adams' personal weirdness to continue any further (and this coming from a guy that fought through waaaay more Gor books than he should have, so you know it's got to be pretty bad).
First of all, Adams put a little forward in here about this book not containing any messages about politics, religion, etc., but that's just not true. This becomes more and more apparent as the series goes on. Robert Adams was a guy that would have fit right in with modern ultra conservatives. He even drove around his town with bumper stickers proclaiming his love of "god and guns". In this book and later on in the series we see that the bad guys are usually homosexuals (and Adams seems to think that homosexuality=pedophilia) and women's lib, hippies, and the government are all very bad. He's the kind of guy that thinks a lesbian can be "converted" into being straight if she just gets shagged properly by the right manly man.
In this book alone, the good guys are real cartoonish alphas, making sure that their female captives are "well raped" and murdering everyone in their path. They make Conan the barbarian look like a vegan socialist.
So why didn't I hate this? Because it fulfills my #1 requirement for this kind of trashy pulp: it is almost non-stop action. It's a short read and it is filled to the absolute brim with flashing swords and spilled guts. The writing is very basic and the characterization is almost non-existent, but that's not why you pick up a book like this. You want to read about bloody battles and heads flying and this delivers that in spades.
I just don't know if I can stomach enough of Adams' personal weirdness to continue any further (and this coming from a guy that fought through waaaay more Gor books than he should have, so you know it's got to be pretty bad).
January 22, 2016
The Horseclans series is probably the best blend of fantasy and SiFi I have ever read. Pretty much something for everyone in these books. Great characters, epic storyline, fantastic writings. My highest recommendation
June 9, 2009
I'm quite divided in my opinion about this book. I love the telepatby with horses part, but I profoundly hate the male-are-better part of it.
March 18, 2019
This is the first time I’ve seen anyone described as “well-raped”. Hopefully it will be the last.
June 23, 2025
I waffled between a 3 and a 4 on this one, not because I didn't enjoy the hell out of it, but because there are some elements in this, oh lord, 50 year old book that have aged ... poorly. (TBH, some of those elements probably weren't great even at the time, but I was in high school when I first picked up this series, and it was the 1980s, so a lot of it just kind of slid by.)
Details: The Horseclans (our heroes) have a pretty casual attitude towards rape and enslavement of the "Dirtmen" (non-Horseclans folks) they attack. And the Ehleenee nobles (the major villains of the piece) are portrayed as a bunch of effete, greasy pederasts, and Very Bad Things happen to young boys at their hands, although those things take place entirely off-screen, at least.
So: This is another series that I discovered in the book review column of Dragon Magazine sometime around 1982 or so. (Although the book being reviewed, and the first book of the series I read, was Horseclans Odyssey, which was the 7th book in the series, but which was written as a prequel set before the events of the first book, so of course I had to read it first. After which, I went on to read this book and the sequels that followed, although I never made it through all eighteen volumes of the series.
The story takes place some six hundred years in the future. (Well, six hundred years after the book was first written in 1975; more like 550 years from today.) At some point I believe around 1980, there was the Three Day War, missiles started flying and, well, Man's civilization was cast in ruins.
Our story begins with one Senor Maylo de Morre riding up through the Four Kingdoms of Mexico. At this point, the Earth's population is much reduced and people seem to be living mostly in feudal states in something like a Dark Ages level of technology -- swords, lances, bows, but no firearms or anything of the sort.
Maylo is, we also discover, secretly an immortal who was born maybe in the 1940s?, and who has spent the last couple hundred years wandering the far corners of the Earth to see how everybody's doing, but is now on his way back to his true focus, the Horseclans, a sort of Mongol-inflected nomadic society he had created from whole cloth shortly after the Great Disaster, and which he had then sent marching east to return to their Holy City of Ehlai. (Which, yes, LA was, in fact, to the west, but given that most of California fell into the ocean due to earthquakes, simpler to point them in the other direction.) And, after some well-drawn military encounters between Maylo's Mexican escorts and some banditos (during which Maylo also, of course, acquits himself very well), he does make his way back to the Horseclans, of whom he remains the High Chief, and then the story can really begin.
Which story is, at this point, mostly just the Horseclans pushing towards the eastern seaboard, much to the chagrin of most everybody in their way, most especially the Ehleenee (invaders from across the sea, who seem to be primarily of Greek extraction, plus others from that end of the Mediterranean), who had conquered much of the East Coast a couple hundred years ago, then promptly became cruel and decadent and, well, that comment from back at the beginning of the review, and who have no interest in letting a bunch of smelly, horse-riding barbarians cross their borders. So we'll get plenty of warfare, mostly the Ehleenee infantry and cavalry (and their mercenary adjuncts) going up against the Horseclans who are death with their bows, whether mounted or afoot, and otherwise well-trained in all of the deadly arts.
And while this book does reach a reasonably satisfying conclusion, it's also very much the first in a series, establishing the world, letting Milo Morai discover and recruit a few other immortals to share his journey, and giving just a glimpse of the folks who will turn out to be the true villains of the next several volumes.
Oh, and how could I fail to mention the Cats? You see, in addition to everything else, the Horseclans members are mostly possessed of mild telepathy, which they use to bond with their horses, but which they also> use to bond with intelligent, telepathic, large (like, 150-200 lbs., I believe) cats, who are only too happy to join them in battle.
Details: The Horseclans (our heroes) have a pretty casual attitude towards rape and enslavement of the "Dirtmen" (non-Horseclans folks) they attack. And the Ehleenee nobles (the major villains of the piece) are portrayed as a bunch of effete, greasy pederasts, and Very Bad Things happen to young boys at their hands, although those things take place entirely off-screen, at least.
So: This is another series that I discovered in the book review column of Dragon Magazine sometime around 1982 or so. (Although the book being reviewed, and the first book of the series I read, was Horseclans Odyssey, which was the 7th book in the series, but which was written as a prequel set before the events of the first book, so of course I had to read it first. After which, I went on to read this book and the sequels that followed, although I never made it through all eighteen volumes of the series.
The story takes place some six hundred years in the future. (Well, six hundred years after the book was first written in 1975; more like 550 years from today.) At some point I believe around 1980, there was the Three Day War, missiles started flying and, well, Man's civilization was cast in ruins.
Our story begins with one Senor Maylo de Morre riding up through the Four Kingdoms of Mexico. At this point, the Earth's population is much reduced and people seem to be living mostly in feudal states in something like a Dark Ages level of technology -- swords, lances, bows, but no firearms or anything of the sort.
Maylo is, we also discover, secretly an immortal who was born maybe in the 1940s?, and who has spent the last couple hundred years wandering the far corners of the Earth to see how everybody's doing, but is now on his way back to his true focus, the Horseclans, a sort of Mongol-inflected nomadic society he had created from whole cloth shortly after the Great Disaster, and which he had then sent marching east to return to their Holy City of Ehlai. (Which, yes, LA was, in fact, to the west, but given that most of California fell into the ocean due to earthquakes, simpler to point them in the other direction.) And, after some well-drawn military encounters between Maylo's Mexican escorts and some banditos (during which Maylo also, of course, acquits himself very well), he does make his way back to the Horseclans, of whom he remains the High Chief, and then the story can really begin.
Which story is, at this point, mostly just the Horseclans pushing towards the eastern seaboard, much to the chagrin of most everybody in their way, most especially the Ehleenee (invaders from across the sea, who seem to be primarily of Greek extraction, plus others from that end of the Mediterranean), who had conquered much of the East Coast a couple hundred years ago, then promptly became cruel and decadent and, well, that comment from back at the beginning of the review, and who have no interest in letting a bunch of smelly, horse-riding barbarians cross their borders. So we'll get plenty of warfare, mostly the Ehleenee infantry and cavalry (and their mercenary adjuncts) going up against the Horseclans who are death with their bows, whether mounted or afoot, and otherwise well-trained in all of the deadly arts.
And while this book does reach a reasonably satisfying conclusion, it's also very much the first in a series, establishing the world, letting Milo Morai discover and recruit a few other immortals to share his journey, and giving just a glimpse of the folks who will turn out to be the true villains of the next several volumes.
Oh, and how could I fail to mention the Cats? You see, in addition to everything else, the Horseclans members are mostly possessed of mild telepathy, which they use to bond with their horses, but which they also> use to bond with intelligent, telepathic, large (like, 150-200 lbs., I believe) cats, who are only too happy to join them in battle.
May 23, 2024
Robert Adams world of the Horseclans is set in a post apocalyptic world where civilization has descended into barbarism. It is a brutal and ugly world and it's inhabitants behave in a brutal and ugly manner. Unfortunately, the reader is not spared the ugliness.
Despite this though, there is the core of an interesting story here. The Coming of the Horseclans is the first part of this 18 book series. In about 200 pages, Adams has crammed in immortals, horses and big cats that are able to communicate via telepathy, psychic vampires and...giant mutated ferrets.
I also found the individual fights and battles to be well written...and there are more than a few of these.
It also hints at a larger plot unfurling perhaps orchestrated by remnants from the "old world".
I feel there are no real "heros" in this story. I did not care for the "great" Milo Morai, the protagonist in this story. A centuries old warrior who is searching for an island inhabited with more of his kind. I did like the horses, big cats and the giant mutated ferret.
I managed to find the first 9 of this series and I'm curious as to what happens next, so I will persevere.
PS. The US versions of these books had some awesome cover art that was done by Ken Kelly and the UK versions published by Futura had some decent covers by Luis Royo.
Despite this though, there is the core of an interesting story here. The Coming of the Horseclans is the first part of this 18 book series. In about 200 pages, Adams has crammed in immortals, horses and big cats that are able to communicate via telepathy, psychic vampires and...giant mutated ferrets.
I also found the individual fights and battles to be well written...and there are more than a few of these.
It also hints at a larger plot unfurling perhaps orchestrated by remnants from the "old world".
I feel there are no real "heros" in this story. I did not care for the "great" Milo Morai, the protagonist in this story. A centuries old warrior who is searching for an island inhabited with more of his kind. I did like the horses, big cats and the giant mutated ferret.
I managed to find the first 9 of this series and I'm curious as to what happens next, so I will persevere.
PS. The US versions of these books had some awesome cover art that was done by Ken Kelly and the UK versions published by Futura had some decent covers by Luis Royo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2022
I remember kids at school reading these but never borrowed one, guessing that they were trash. The Post nuclear apocalypse setting with sentient animals sounded interesting so I gave it a go. Well, now I know, truly awful. This kind of setting has been done so much better, without the boring battles and raping peadophiles in Hiero's Journey or the The Breaking of Northwall series.
July 11, 2008
Set in 27th century post-apocalyptic America, the Coming of the Horseclans tells the story of Milo of Morai, an immortal mutant from the 20th century, who has returned to the Horseclans to fulfill a prophecy and return them to their ancestral home. He leads them across a ruined America in battles with decadent city-dwellers, encounters more Undying (immortals like himself), and generally, has interesting adventures. The book is the first in a long series, and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.
This is great, fun, fiction. Deep? Not according to Adam’s own introduction:
The following tale is a fantasy, pure and simple. It is a flight of sheer imagination. It contains no hidden meanings, and none should be read into it; none of the sociological, economic, political, religious, or racial “messages” with which far too many modern novels abound are herein contained. The Coming of the Horseclans is, rather, intended for the enjoyment of any man or woman who has ever felt a twinge of that atavistic urge to draw a yard of sharp, flashing steel and with a wild war cry recklessly spur a vicious stallion against impossible odds.
And you know what? He’s right. Oh sure, I suppose I could try and analyze the crap out of this thing, and find socio-political meaning in it somewhere…but that would ruin the novel. If you’re going to read this (and I heartily recommend you do, especially if you’re a fan of pulp fiction), read it to enjoy it, not beat it to death with analysis. Enjoy the crazy, gory battles, the psychic cats and horses who aid the Horseclans (Why are they psychic? Who cares?), and the strange and intricate politics of the world. But don’t analyze it. You’ll miss the point.
This is great, fun, fiction. Deep? Not according to Adam’s own introduction:
The following tale is a fantasy, pure and simple. It is a flight of sheer imagination. It contains no hidden meanings, and none should be read into it; none of the sociological, economic, political, religious, or racial “messages” with which far too many modern novels abound are herein contained. The Coming of the Horseclans is, rather, intended for the enjoyment of any man or woman who has ever felt a twinge of that atavistic urge to draw a yard of sharp, flashing steel and with a wild war cry recklessly spur a vicious stallion against impossible odds.
And you know what? He’s right. Oh sure, I suppose I could try and analyze the crap out of this thing, and find socio-political meaning in it somewhere…but that would ruin the novel. If you’re going to read this (and I heartily recommend you do, especially if you’re a fan of pulp fiction), read it to enjoy it, not beat it to death with analysis. Enjoy the crazy, gory battles, the psychic cats and horses who aid the Horseclans (Why are they psychic? Who cares?), and the strange and intricate politics of the world. But don’t analyze it. You’ll miss the point.
October 11, 2023
These were a cover buy. 80s style Mad Max characters on giant horses? I'll take as many as you've got.
I know I'm not the target audience here. The author clearly revels in the mythos of male warrior-leaders, and we spend a lot of time on military strategy and discussion. The treatment of women is disgusting AND entirely disinterested in any critical thought on the topic.
I pushed through out of interest in the lore and setting - it's fantasy at first glance but is actually taking place in a distant future, post-apocalyptic USA, which reframes any fantastical oddities as the result of technological development or mutation. A mind-controlling witchman is a scientist leftover from the previous age; a giant creature is really (yes, really) a .
0 stars for Robert Adams
+ 1 star for cover artist Ken Kelly
+ 1 star for lore
+ 0.5 stars for telepathic horses
I know I'm not the target audience here. The author clearly revels in the mythos of male warrior-leaders, and we spend a lot of time on military strategy and discussion. The treatment of women is disgusting AND entirely disinterested in any critical thought on the topic.
I pushed through out of interest in the lore and setting - it's fantasy at first glance but is actually taking place in a distant future, post-apocalyptic USA, which reframes any fantastical oddities as the result of technological development or mutation. A mind-controlling witchman is a scientist leftover from the previous age; a giant creature is really (yes, really) a .
0 stars for Robert Adams
+ 1 star for cover artist Ken Kelly
+ 1 star for lore
+ 0.5 stars for telepathic horses
Read
January 12, 2021DNF. The opening prologue was promising, with a very fast-paced pulpy adventure with lots of swords and cavalry charges, and a mysterious immortal hero who can telepathically talk with cats and horses. But there came a part where he leads his tribes to pillage and rape weaker villages, and when the author described a village of women (the men had been slaughtered) as “well-raped,” I threw the book in my donate box.
October 15, 2023
I'm always on the lookout for long-running series that blend pulpy action with uber-detailed worldbuilding. The problem is that most of those works fall under the umbrella of fantasy, usually with a heavy emphasis upon Sword & Sorcery elements. The end result is less variety than you might expect from authors whose purported appeal hinges upon their imagination. This reality also leaves me particularly excited when I uncover pulpy speculative fiction that diverges from fantasy tropes. Enter the Horseclans novels of Robert Adams, which transplant the action-oriented sensibilities of Sword & Sorcery into a post-apocalyptic America populated by barbaric nomads! Quite the premise. Unfortunately, the reality of the series falls short of expectations, with The Coming of the Horseclans being a slightly frustrating read where an interesting story is derailed by needless detail and clunky prose. Still better than mediocre, but significantly slower-going than I was expecting.
The Coming of the Horseclans is set six-hundred years after a worldwide nuclear apocalypse. The remnants of mankind have been reduced to medieval conditions, and the former United States is split between a sparsely populated interior and a string of coastal kingdom, the latter of which are ruled by cruel pseudo-Greeks known as the Ehleenee. The primary plot follows Milo Morai, a war chief of the titular nomads who's leading his people to a prophesized paradise on the ocean. Unbeknownst to most of his followers, Milo is also a centuries-old mutant with Wolverine-esque healing capabilities. Other unique story elements include a race of saber-toothed tigers that are allied with the horseclans, telepathic abilities that allow the nomads to communicate with animals, and a mysterious race of body-hopping "witchmen" that are descended from pre-apocalypse scientists. I suppose you could say that those final touches push the novel into the realm of full-blown sci-fi fantasy, but it's probably more accurate to describe The Coming of the Horseclans as an adventure novel with elements of heroic fantasy and military fiction.
I love the general idea of Robert Adams' world, and I can't think of another series featuring a remotely similar collection of fantastical elements. Milo Morai is also an engaging protagonist, even if it takes a while to figure out his true motivations. The final aspect of novel that I really enjoy are the numerous battle sequences. Apparently, Adams was a huge aficionado of military history, and his knowledge is reflected in the book's brutal yet unpredictable action sequences. What doesn't work nearly as well is all of the exposition. In particular, Adams has a convoluted prose style that's prone to run-on sentences and frequent asides. Coupled with near-encyclopedic levels of detail, and you're left with a sometimes-exhausting read. The novel also has the habit of abruptly inserting new side characters, long before you're made aware of their connection to the plot, whereas the novel ends rather anticlimactically. The Coming of the Horseclans was Adams' first published work, and at times it reads like an especially promising yet under-edited manuscript.
All things considered, although The Coming of the Horseclans has a number of obvious flaws, its overarching plot is engaging enough that I'm eager to continue on in the series. Here's hoping that Adams' prose improves with additional experience…
The Coming of the Horseclans is set six-hundred years after a worldwide nuclear apocalypse. The remnants of mankind have been reduced to medieval conditions, and the former United States is split between a sparsely populated interior and a string of coastal kingdom, the latter of which are ruled by cruel pseudo-Greeks known as the Ehleenee. The primary plot follows Milo Morai, a war chief of the titular nomads who's leading his people to a prophesized paradise on the ocean. Unbeknownst to most of his followers, Milo is also a centuries-old mutant with Wolverine-esque healing capabilities. Other unique story elements include a race of saber-toothed tigers that are allied with the horseclans, telepathic abilities that allow the nomads to communicate with animals, and a mysterious race of body-hopping "witchmen" that are descended from pre-apocalypse scientists. I suppose you could say that those final touches push the novel into the realm of full-blown sci-fi fantasy, but it's probably more accurate to describe The Coming of the Horseclans as an adventure novel with elements of heroic fantasy and military fiction.
I love the general idea of Robert Adams' world, and I can't think of another series featuring a remotely similar collection of fantastical elements. Milo Morai is also an engaging protagonist, even if it takes a while to figure out his true motivations. The final aspect of novel that I really enjoy are the numerous battle sequences. Apparently, Adams was a huge aficionado of military history, and his knowledge is reflected in the book's brutal yet unpredictable action sequences. What doesn't work nearly as well is all of the exposition. In particular, Adams has a convoluted prose style that's prone to run-on sentences and frequent asides. Coupled with near-encyclopedic levels of detail, and you're left with a sometimes-exhausting read. The novel also has the habit of abruptly inserting new side characters, long before you're made aware of their connection to the plot, whereas the novel ends rather anticlimactically. The Coming of the Horseclans was Adams' first published work, and at times it reads like an especially promising yet under-edited manuscript.
All things considered, although The Coming of the Horseclans has a number of obvious flaws, its overarching plot is engaging enough that I'm eager to continue on in the series. Here's hoping that Adams' prose improves with additional experience…
September 15, 2017
The post-apocalyptic setting of Robert Adams multi-volume Horseclans series is important mainly as a backdrop, but in a much different way. The plains and eastern U.S. after a devastating nuclear war functions like Robert E. Howard's Hyborean Age -- as a backdrop for some down-and-dirty sword-slinging, hacking and slashing action.
In the series' first novel, 1975's The Coming of the Horseclans, we meet Milo Morai, a man who has lived for centuries, saw the nuclear holocaust of 1980 and helped its survivors develop a nomadic culture modeled on different plains Indian tribes. Milo is one of the Undying, a group of immortals who can be killed only by suffocation, decapitation or drowning. He had sought others of his kind but not found them, so when the novel begins he is returning to the Horseclan people he founded. They have flourished, communicating telepathically with their mounts and with genetically engineered saber-toothed cats developed before the war. The bulk of the novel recounts how the Horseclans invade the decadent kingdom of the Ehlens (Hellenes), Kenooryos Ehlas. These Greek-speaking people had invaded the U.S. after the war and established themselves on the Eastern seaboard.
Throughout the novel -- and the whole series -- Adams stops now and again to lecture about politics, religion and the corrupting effects of civilization. These exposition asides frequently stall the narrative and have the additional effect of making the author appear like a jerk if you happen to hold one of those opinions on the downside of his literary nose.
Features such as that lessen the fun of what should be a big ol' sword-and-sorcery romp across the remnants of the old world, and Adams is simply not enough of a stylist like Howard and other earlier writers to overlook the digressions. The tale-spinner's inability to know when to shut up and spin leaves Coming and the rest of the Horseclans series at a solid C+ instead of the B or B+ its elements give it the potential to be.
Original available here.
In the series' first novel, 1975's The Coming of the Horseclans, we meet Milo Morai, a man who has lived for centuries, saw the nuclear holocaust of 1980 and helped its survivors develop a nomadic culture modeled on different plains Indian tribes. Milo is one of the Undying, a group of immortals who can be killed only by suffocation, decapitation or drowning. He had sought others of his kind but not found them, so when the novel begins he is returning to the Horseclan people he founded. They have flourished, communicating telepathically with their mounts and with genetically engineered saber-toothed cats developed before the war. The bulk of the novel recounts how the Horseclans invade the decadent kingdom of the Ehlens (Hellenes), Kenooryos Ehlas. These Greek-speaking people had invaded the U.S. after the war and established themselves on the Eastern seaboard.
Throughout the novel -- and the whole series -- Adams stops now and again to lecture about politics, religion and the corrupting effects of civilization. These exposition asides frequently stall the narrative and have the additional effect of making the author appear like a jerk if you happen to hold one of those opinions on the downside of his literary nose.
Features such as that lessen the fun of what should be a big ol' sword-and-sorcery romp across the remnants of the old world, and Adams is simply not enough of a stylist like Howard and other earlier writers to overlook the digressions. The tale-spinner's inability to know when to shut up and spin leaves Coming and the rest of the Horseclans series at a solid C+ instead of the B or B+ its elements give it the potential to be.
Original available here.
March 1, 2021
I’ve heard of this series for such a long time so now that the opportunity to pick several volumes for less be warned that Robert Adams pulls no punches characters than $10 I said “what the hell” and grabbed them. Not sure what to think of it. Basically this is the fantasy version of pulpy crime noir—wildly uneven storytelling with lots of little starts and stalls and a ‘resolution’ that came out of nowhere and landed like a lead balloon. The characters are pretty much cyphers, performing actions that propel the plot but without any individuality or particular point of view. Where Robert Adams excels is in describing the environs of his brave new world and translating his vast knowledge of military history and tactics to the page. These descriptions are generally lengthy, reminding me a little of such works as Mallory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, but they are truly the only things that I found really engaging despite their occasional brutality.
It should be mentioned that Robert Adams pulls no punches on his descriptions of war and its brutal aftermath—plenty of casual mention of rape, human trafficking, slavery, pillaging, looting and so on (even on the Horseclans’ part), with women bearing the lion’s share of this brutality in the book. Of the two lead female characters, Mara and Aldora, the first was enslaved after her people were conquered and Aldora was a child who was trafficked and abused before gaining her freedom.
It should be mentioned that Robert Adams pulls no punches on his descriptions of war and its brutal aftermath—plenty of casual mention of rape, human trafficking, slavery, pillaging, looting and so on (even on the Horseclans’ part), with women bearing the lion’s share of this brutality in the book. Of the two lead female characters, Mara and Aldora, the first was enslaved after her people were conquered and Aldora was a child who was trafficked and abused before gaining her freedom.
February 17, 2023
This will be in two parts.
Part the first: approximately ten years ago I’d read some reviews about Robert Adams and his HorseClans series. Having picked up 2 or 3 from a book sale, I decided that I was going to procure the entire series, all 18 plus 2 Friends of the Horseclans, I then set about trolling eBay and any other used venue, and eventually succeeded in my goal. Almost ten years later I finally got around to starting the series…
Part the second: it took me ten days to read this sub-200 page book; every flip of the page an agonizing read. I understand Mr. Adams wrote this just over 40 years ago, but given some of the brilliance that is just as old or older, it is very, VERY disappointing. So disappointing that I just removed all of the collection from my library’s shelves.
I read a fair amount, and would like to say I’ve a reasonable mental catalog of literature, good, bad, and about everything in between, but after reading The Coming of the Horseclans, there is absolutely no way I would invest more of my time reading any of the additional 19 books.
I wish I hadn’t been so hasty, whilst being misinformed, as to purchase some twenty books that are far from worthy of one’s time…if one crosses your path, pause, watch it go by, and stay far away……..
Part the first: approximately ten years ago I’d read some reviews about Robert Adams and his HorseClans series. Having picked up 2 or 3 from a book sale, I decided that I was going to procure the entire series, all 18 plus 2 Friends of the Horseclans, I then set about trolling eBay and any other used venue, and eventually succeeded in my goal. Almost ten years later I finally got around to starting the series…
Part the second: it took me ten days to read this sub-200 page book; every flip of the page an agonizing read. I understand Mr. Adams wrote this just over 40 years ago, but given some of the brilliance that is just as old or older, it is very, VERY disappointing. So disappointing that I just removed all of the collection from my library’s shelves.
I read a fair amount, and would like to say I’ve a reasonable mental catalog of literature, good, bad, and about everything in between, but after reading The Coming of the Horseclans, there is absolutely no way I would invest more of my time reading any of the additional 19 books.
I wish I hadn’t been so hasty, whilst being misinformed, as to purchase some twenty books that are far from worthy of one’s time…if one crosses your path, pause, watch it go by, and stay far away……..
February 19, 2023
A riveting, post-apocalyptic blend of heroic fantasy and science fiction. While a tad clunky at times (especially with some moments of lengthy exposition), The Coming of the Horseclans thrillingly sets up a brutal, gritty world long ravaged by nuclear war and natural disaster, and thus returned to a state of semi-barbarism and savagery.
I'd probably give this book 4.5 stars, but I lean more towards 5 stars for the sheer enjoyment it provided, even with its flaws. If you enjoy epic battles, classic heroes, and despicable villains in a book that tries to be nothing other than what it is - a bloody, fantastical romp written to thrill and entertain - this is for you. I mean, come on... it even has telepathic sabre-tooth tigers that wear armour and don steel tips on their fangs for battle. What more could you ask for?!
I initially bought all 20 Horseclans books on a whim, and as they've been sitting on my bookshelf for a while, I'm very glad I finally took the leap and actually started this epic journey. I don't want to jump the gun and speak too soon, but this was a promising beginning to what may prove to be a new favourite.
I'd probably give this book 4.5 stars, but I lean more towards 5 stars for the sheer enjoyment it provided, even with its flaws. If you enjoy epic battles, classic heroes, and despicable villains in a book that tries to be nothing other than what it is - a bloody, fantastical romp written to thrill and entertain - this is for you. I mean, come on... it even has telepathic sabre-tooth tigers that wear armour and don steel tips on their fangs for battle. What more could you ask for?!
I initially bought all 20 Horseclans books on a whim, and as they've been sitting on my bookshelf for a while, I'm very glad I finally took the leap and actually started this epic journey. I don't want to jump the gun and speak too soon, but this was a promising beginning to what may prove to be a new favourite.
August 25, 2021
I read these books many years ago and loved them. One of my friends told me that they hadn't stood the test of time and I think I agree. I think this first book fleshed out could have been three books by itself, but much of the story is told in info drops throughout the story.
There is one character in particular who has a complete change in personality and behavior but no real explanation of what happened to bring that shift about. It would have been interesting to dig into that in detail, at least I would have found it interesting.
I have one more of these on my kindle, I'll give it a go and see what I think. Its great fodder for a role playing game setting. There is even a setting book for the Horseclans put out by GURPs.
There is one character in particular who has a complete change in personality and behavior but no real explanation of what happened to bring that shift about. It would have been interesting to dig into that in detail, at least I would have found it interesting.
I have one more of these on my kindle, I'll give it a go and see what I think. Its great fodder for a role playing game setting. There is even a setting book for the Horseclans put out by GURPs.
March 11, 2019
In a futuristic yet somehow arcane and barbarous world the Horseclans have been scattered and lost over what was once the United States.
Milo Morai an immortal has spent the last two hundred years searching for others of his kind to fulfil a prophecy stating that he lead the Horesclans to their destiny homeland near the sea but wars and feudal disputes lie in his way.
Can Milo succeed with his scattered band and "mind speaking" horses and big cats as allies?
Clever fusion of mythology, fantasy and sci fi all rolled into a rich and sweeping saga.
An epic start to a huge volume of Horseclans novels.
Milo Morai an immortal has spent the last two hundred years searching for others of his kind to fulfil a prophecy stating that he lead the Horesclans to their destiny homeland near the sea but wars and feudal disputes lie in his way.
Can Milo succeed with his scattered band and "mind speaking" horses and big cats as allies?
Clever fusion of mythology, fantasy and sci fi all rolled into a rich and sweeping saga.
An epic start to a huge volume of Horseclans novels.
January 29, 2022
1.5 at best and that’s overlooking a LOT.
There are moments where this could be an interesting world, but the writing fails to immerse the reader, the author is a far too eager to write of rape and child abuse, and the plotting is all over the place and breaks down into a phone book like recitation of names and unexplained dynastic structures.
Needed an editor and an outline that offers a more focused plot.
There are moments where this could be an interesting world, but the writing fails to immerse the reader, the author is a far too eager to write of rape and child abuse, and the plotting is all over the place and breaks down into a phone book like recitation of names and unexplained dynastic structures.
Needed an editor and an outline that offers a more focused plot.
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