All the Horses of Iceland

by Sarah Tolmie

A hypnotic historical fantasy with gorgeous and unusual literary prose, from the captivating author of The Fourth Island.

Everyone knows of the horses of Iceland, wild, and small, and free, but few have heard their story. Sarah Tolmie's All the Horses of Iceland weaves their mystical origin into a saga for the modern age. Filled with the magic and darkened whispers of a people on the cusp of major cultural change, All the Horses of Iceland tells the tale of a Norse trader, his travels through Central Asia, and the ghostly magic that followed him home to the land of fire, stone, and ice. His search for riches will take him from Helmgard, through Khazaria, to the steppes of Mongolia, where he will barter for horses and return with much, much more.

All the Horses of Iceland is a delve into the secret, imagined history of Iceland's unusual horses, brought to life by an expert storyteller.

• ISBN10: 125080793X
• ISBN13: 9781250807939
• Publish Date: 1 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 5 April 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 112
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

If you love horses, magical tales, or stories stemming from Iceland, then you've got to look into All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie. Admittedly the title of this story is very on the nose, but that is far from being a bad thing.

Follow a Norse trader as he travels through Iceland. His story is full of magic, wonder, lore, and whispers. Everything has a balance and a cost, especially when trading in horses. Eyvind can promise you the truth in that statement.

"Every horse in Iceland, like every person, has ancestors who sailed here in a ship...their sturdy kin can be seen...working around farms and fjords...[these] little horses of the North, strong as oxen..."

Is it possible for a book to be everything and nothing like you expected at the same time? If so, then that description applies to All the Horses of Iceland. I knew that this would be a horse book (obviously), and based on the description, I also knew that it would be more. And yet I was unprepared for the depth and turn that this book followed.

Eyvind of Eyri is a horse trader, a calling that provided the opportunity to travel all over Iceland searching for deals, buyers, and horses. It also opened the door for so much more, as readers are quick to discover.

The foundation of All the Horses of Iceland is excellent. The world is beautiful and carefully laid out, detailing even the trade route and history of the region. From there, the world is infused with color as characters and the plot rises to the surface. There were times when this became a lot, but I don't think this was a bad thing.

Thanks to Tor.com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks