I found this book to be creative, interesting, and an easy read. The world of magic created by author Judith Tarr (writing pseudonymously as Caitlin Brennan) is a thing of beauty. Her characters are quite believable, and sympathetic -- with one notable exception, that I believe detracts from this book. There are several sexually explicit scenes written into this novel that, I feel, detract from the power of the book. I found myself skimming through these sections -- not because I am prudish in any way, but simply because I wanted to get on with the story, not read about sex. Without these scenes, I would probably have added a star to 4 1/2 stars.

Still, I am looking forward to reading the remainder of the books in this series -- again, skimming through the explicit scenes. ( )

Each year, a call goes out from the Mountain and the gods that live there in the form of white stallions, seeking boys to become Riders. Now, something monumental is changing. Valeria has received the Call, even though she is a girl. Unable to turn away from it, she disguises herself as a boy and sets out for the Mountain. On the way there she is first rescued from a pack of nobles by a stranger, who finds her a safer passage as part of a caravan. It is there that she meets Euan Roe, a barbarian prince who is in the Aurelian Empire as a hostage. On arrival at the Mountain, she discovers her rescuer is called Kerrec and is a First Rider. It is these two men that will shape Valeria's future, and with it the future of Aurelia.

Valeria succeeds in all the tests the candidates must face, but at her moment of triumph she is revealed to be female. Centuries of tradition war with the possible will of the gods and it is tradition that wins. Valeria is forbidden to be a candidate, only managing to stay on the Mountain as Kerrec's servant.

When Euan Roe, in collusion with the Emperor's bastard, half-barbarian son, unleashes his scheme to defeat the Empire, Valeria suddenly finds herself a pivotal player in the future of the world. She is caught between two men and two possible destinies. Who she chooses will shape the future - literally, as the stallions can influence past and present with their dance.

I was dubious about this book. First, when I considered buying it, I remember that I'd had varied opinions of the stories in the Luna range so far. I had also read some mixed reviews. So I asked my pusher/dealer, Barbara (who is also known as my favourite bookseller). She recommended it highly and I left the shop with a copy. I was secondly dubious when I read the blurb more carefully - the book sounded like it had the potential to be a bad rip-off of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar. I am delighted to say I was wrong on all counts. I loved this book and I can't wait for the next one.

Caitlin Brennan is actually author Judith Tarr, obviously choosing to use a pseudonym to write in a different field from the one where her name is already known (historicals and historical fantasy). This is straight fantasy and might be a shock for anyone expecting it to be a historical. She is also deeply involved in the world of Lippizan horses (those wonderful horses so well known through the Viennese riding school) and that is where the inspiration for her stallion has clearly come from. The stallions dance, just as Lippizans do, and it is from that dance and the patterns it makes that some of the greatest magic in her fantasy world comes.

The stallions are other-worldly, a little condescending to humans and have ways that all well beyond what ordinary mortals are likely to understand. Valeria could be called a clichéd heroine - she is the farm girl who receives a magical call and ends up saving the world (did you think she wouldn't?) and mixing with the high and mighty. Brennan saves Valeria and her story by making her heroine engaging and far from perfect. Her supporting characters are generally also well drawn. Kerrec is slowly revealed as being a man under all his Rider discipline, while Euan Roe moves from being an apparently pleasant, captivating prince, to something a little less pleasant. The Imperial Heir, Brianna is also well drawn and I could just picture her lovely, little courtyard where a surprising amount of the story took place. Some of the other characters suffer in comparison, especially the masters on the Mountain, who are little more than silhouettes.

The end shows this to clearly be part of a series - it is a case of winning the battle rather than the war, and the two major villains are at large at the end. I don't mind. I want to know what happens next. I really loved this book; so long as you don't go into it expecting a Lackey story, I think many others will as well. Brennan has carved out a very nice little world for herself and it is begging to be explored further. ( )