OF WIND AND WOLVES

A high-action adventure set on the ancient Eurasian Steppe, where nomadic tribes battled one another and encroaching Greek colonists for dominance over the land.

Five centuries before the Common Era, Anaiti, daughter of a Rokhalani princess and the Bastarnai King, is to be given by her father in marriage to the elderly Ariapaithi, King of the Skythians. Trained by her mother’s people to be independent, Anaiti has no interest in being a wife and mother. She has agreed to the arrangement to ensure peace between the Bastarnai kingdom and the Skythians. She is what the Greeks call an hamazon, or amazon, a member of the feared Rokhalani tribe of tall, fierce women. Although the Bastarnai are a farming tribe who have settled on the border of the Steppe, the Rokhalani are nomadic, and Anaiti has a passion for the open wildness of the steppe. She is mentally and physically devoted to the hamazon ethic, a commitment that was sealed many years ago when her right breast was ceremonially cauterized to improve her archery skills. But there’s a problem: Although Anaiti is a skillful rider and is highly adept in archery, she’s never killed an enemy. Among both tribes, no warrior is to be married before first accomplishing this feat. Ariapaithi proposes a compromise: “She’ll ride with our men as they patrol the marches and return when she has a scalp. When she makes her kill, I’ll make her my wife.” Anaiti willingly accepts this challenge; it’s a way to postpone marriage. Ariapaithi assigns protection of her life and virtue while living among the male warriors of the steppe to his youngest son, Aric, “Warden of the East March and Kara-Daranaka of the kingdom’s most sacred warband.” And so begins a yearlong saga of a relationship between Anaiti and Aric that grows in intensity, loyalty, and dangerous intimacy.

The Skythians are portrayed in history as a fearsome, bloodthirsty band of savages with exceptional archery skills while astride a horse. Elliott’s mission, however, is to limn the humanity of the tribe. The pages abound with gruesome battles, but there’s also loyalty and friendship, a devotion to the land and their gods, and poignancy. Elliott is herself a horse trainer, and many of her most tender passages concern Anaiti’s love and unique understanding of horses. There’s also humor tucked into deft prose, amusingly peppered with standard modern four-letter curse words. Plus, there are dozens of philosophical debates between Anaiti and the Skythians about the nature and rules of the universe. Still, make no mistake, this is not an adventure for the squeamish. The land, climate, and culture leave no room for the weak. Violence and death hide behind every turn in the road and sometimes within the tribe itself (“Grabbing a fistful of his hair, he pulled back the man’s head and sliced open his throat, spraying me with a shower of hot blood”). The final pages of this first volume of a projected trilogy intentionally leave readers guessing what will come next.

A gritty, entertaining, and intriguing mix of history and fantasy, with a formidable female lead.