This is the first in a series of books written by Robert Adams set in a post WWIII world.  Humanity has after 500 years only now begun to recover from the "War of the Gods".  Starting in the kingdoms of the four Mexico's this book follows Milo Morai an apparent immortal returning to lead the Horseclans which he founded in North America.  The reader learns that North America has broken up into many statelets, nomadic territories and fiefdoms.  The great plains are dominated by the Horseclans, the "rust belt" and northward is dominated by small warring "kingdoms", the eastern seaboard is broken into 3 Ehleeni (Greek) conquered areas, the Cumberlands have various "barbarian" kingdoms and tribes. 

    Things have greatly changed after the great war.  Geographically, North America has experienced many earthquakes, rising and lowering of land, tidal waves, rivers changing course, mountain building and subsiding.  Biologically, many animals have become larger (the "Blackfoot" is a giant ferret, a giant 20 foot long Otter is also encountered) and more robust.  The great cats have returned and thrive on the plains and have developed mindspeak.  Horses have also developed mindspeak as well as humans and occasionally other animals.  The great cats are the similar in appearance to Saber tooths but have longer legs ("built for the chase rather than the charge").  Only the Horseclans have developed a culture that accepts Humans, Cats and Horses as partners.  To describe the general culture of the Horseclans picture the Amerindian horse cultures with Mongol features (using Yurts, Carts, Sabers, mostly dairy foods) added.

    For 20 years after his return to the Horseclans Milo turns them Eastward to reach the city by the sea which is prophesied to be the ancient homeland of the Horseclans.  Milo works out an alliance with robust Ehleeni, mercenary barbarian troops and the Horseclans.  This Horseclans alliance clashes with the decadent Ehleeni culture with the result that the Horseclans bring down one of the Ehleeni states and reach their city by the sea.  Along the way Milo finds three other "Undying" like himself; Mara, Aldora and Demetrios. Milo's efforts are almost derailed by the actions of a group of people who are left over from an outlawed experiment (moving the mind of chosen people into the bodies of other unwilling hosts) from before the war.

    The Coming of the Horseclans was a great read with excellent descriptions of horsemanship, swordplay and bowmanship.  The premise of the story, post-apocalyptic North America while oft done is handled in a novel and interesting manner with several twists.  On the negative side, Robert Adams often went for the easy stereotypical descriptions: the Horseclansman are "noble savages"; the Ehleeni are foppish, decadent, homosexual pedophiles and other "barbarians" are shown in varying degrees of mercenary, selfish or loyal behavior with little in between.  Adams even used the old "thorn from the paw of the beast" in one sub-story when Aldora pulled an arrowhead from the paw of the giant otter.

    If you want a story that has really despicable bad guys and really noble good guys this book is for you.  If you are looking for characterizations that are more realistic look somewhere else.

 Shown Rolfe