M J Trow, whose detective series featuring Inspector Lestrade, Peter Maxwell and Kit Marlowe I used to enjoy enormously, turns his writing skills to an fabulous book about famous horses down through history who have changed the course of that history. Utterly brilliant.

Books Monthly

As featured in the article: 'War horses book by Island author'

Isle of Wight County Press

Humans should be grateful that horses have decided to befriend and work for and with us. Humans have benefitted more from the pact than war horses. At lease 8 million horses and mules were killed in World War I alone, but many people do and did have a love for horses. Author Trow starts with a bombing in the 1980's with one of the Royal Army horses, Sefton, who survived, receiving thousands of get-well cards and raising money for a hospital wing. Trow then takes readers back millions of years to eohippus, mesohippus, and to the possibly first domestication of horses in the Eurasian steppes by the Botai people in Kazakhstan. He is clear in this section of ancient history that some theories are just that, theories. However, the horse is the most frequently depicted animal in Paleolithic cave art and horses in a military setting appear as far back as Assyria. Readers learn about famous war horses through time and place, but also something about the soldiers and peoples who rode them, even including a chapter on Hollywood films and horses. Although there is dispute, the last major cavalry charge was in November 1941 in Russia when about 2,000 horses and their riders were killed in 10 minutes by the invading Germans. The author has an easy-to-read style with a little humor thrown in that I have enjoyed in his other books. There is also a helpful bibliography.

NetGalley, Tracie Antonuk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Great book honouring war horses who lost their lives while serving during war.

Must read book.

NetGalley, Karen Bull