"A book you can sink your teeth into!"

I'm a huge fan of Susan Squires and this book is just one of the reasons why. I'm absolutely amazed at her talent. Each time I read one of her books, I think she cannot possibly top this one and she consistently does it each and every time much to my reading enjoyment.

This is something of a sequel to Susan Squires' first book DANEGELD. This tells the story of Epona, follower of the Great Mother and keeper of the Herd. Epona has waited much too long to get a girl child in order for her to pass down her Gift in the tradition of the Eponas who lived before her. Now Epona or Pony knows it is time. She chooses Alfred, king of Angleland when he comes to her hut in search of horses for his men in order to fight the Vikings back to their own land.

Then Valgar the Viking conquers the downland and takes Pony prisoner. Pony feels an attraction of sorts for this carnivore but how can this be? She has always strived for calm. Then one night on Samhain, Pony and Val come together in the circle of stones in an explosion of feelings. Pony doesn't know it yet but she becomes pregnant. She feels she has to leave Val in order to fulfill her destiny, whatever that may be. This takes her far and wide in search for the truth and what she needs to do in order to finally fulfill her destiny.

This is a book to be savored. It is one novel that I could really sink my teeth into. It is rich in detail and depth and is no light, fluffy read. Every page of this book truly astounded me. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted March 1, 2003

She waits under the sign of the White Horse for the man who will father her girl-child. Will it be Saxon king or Danish outcast? Her choice will change the world. In Viking fire burns her destiny.

Epona waits beneath the sign of the White Horse, last of those who worship the Great Mother, for the man who will fulfill her destiny and give her a girl-child. Her gift is a connection to the natural world. Yet as the battle between Saxon and Viking sweeps across her land, it brings two men. One will become Alfred the Great. One is an outcast Viking warrior. The future of England hangs on Pony's choice. Even the nature of her gift is changing and she must embrace the very thing she fears to save it.

Summary

Out of Darkness, light. War swept England, and the dark ages grew darker as Vikings put Saxon strongholds to the torch and promised new rule. The horde found Epona, Daughter of the Goddess, on the hill beneath the Sign of the White Horse. There she had lived, awaiting the man who was fated to give her a child. In Viking fires burned her destiny.