Earthsong Series by Mary Mackey

Volume One of The Earthsong Trilogy evokes the moment in pre-history when marauding nomads brought horses, male gods, and war to a goddess-worshipping Europe that had known peace for thousands of years. Against this perilous backdrop, a passionate, dangerous love develops between Marrah, a gifted priestess, and Stavan, one of the invading warriors. Kirkus: The author of 20th-century heartstring dramas (Season of Shadows, 1991, etc... moreVolume One of The Earthsong Trilogy evokes the moment in pre-history when marauding nomads brought horses, male gods, and war to a goddess-worshipping Europe that had known peace for thousands of years. Against this perilous backdrop, a passionate, dangerous love develops between Marrah, a gifted priestess, and Stavan, one of the invading warriors. Kirkus: The author of 20th-century heartstring dramas (Season of Shadows, 1991, etc.) travels back to prehistory (as in The Last Warrior Queen, 1983) to center her exemplary heroine in the Brittany of 4372 B.C.--and in the heart of Earth Mother goddess worship. To the east of the peaceful, creative peoples, however, are the patriarchal tribes of the steppes, where women--and life itself--are little valued. Doom is on the way, and lovers from two cultures find themselves in the thick of horror. It is on her coming-of-age day that Marrah finds and rescues the odd-looking stranger who's lying on the beach, almost drowned, after his boat has sunk. Eventually, the language barrier overcome, Marrah learns that this young, blond man, Stavan, is the youngest son of the Great Chief of the Hansi, horsemen and warriors who roam the Sea of Grass, killing and conquering. Marrah is amazed by the Hansi's lack of egalitarian, life-giving values: ``...slaves, wars, concubines...your people sound horrible.'' Yes, indeed, and Stavan warns that they are on the way west. Now, Stavan, in love with Marrah and respecting her people, offers to try to deflect the Great Chief; Marrah and younger brother Arang will also journey--to warn other of the matristic peoples. The journey takes them through welcoming villages, forests, and religious places, but then disaster strikes, and Marrah and Arang are captured. There's an orgy of violence and cruelty, leading to a (literally) graveside escape. Mackey's message concerning patriarchal bloody swords vs. matriarchal plowshares sounds like a rallying trumpet. Certainly the Earth Mother worship--consisting of ``eating well, singing beautifully, enjoying themselves and making love,'' imagined from rose-colored mists of the past--is appealing. Overall: a competent adventure, with characters chatting easily in a modern idiom, for the Bradley/Auel readership. (First printing of 100,000) "A researcher's precision combined with storytelling magic."-Marija Gimbutas, author of The Civilization of the Goddess "Vivid, dramatic, compelling."-Marge Piercy, author of Woman on the Edge of Time less

In the year 4368 B.C.E., Marrah, daughter of the peaceloving shore people, has fled captivity from the nomad warrior horde who have a lust for carnage and conquest that is alien to her. Across a landscape of frozen steppes and trackless forests, she and her companions must evade the horsemen before they reach her beloved homeland by the sweetwater sea... moreIn the year 4368 B.C.E., Marrah, daughter of the peaceloving shore people, has fled captivity from the nomad warrior horde who have a lust for carnage and conquest that is alien to her. Across a landscape of frozen steppes and trackless forests, she and her companions must evade the horsemen before they reach her beloved homeland by the sweetwater sea. Making escape even more dangerous is the presence of her lover, Stavan, who has abandoned his place of honor among the nomads to join her in her flight and ally himself with the Mother Goddess. "deserves a place on the shelves next to the works of Jean Auel" -Booklist Booklist: The sequel to Mackey's Year the Horses Came transports us to northeastern Rumania and western Ukraine some six to eight thousand years ago. Drenched in blood sacrifice and hatred, the villain Changar vows revenge against Marrah and her gentle lover Stavan, a prehistoric New Age man and rightful heir to the Hansi throne, which has been usurped by the dead chief Zuhan's evil bastard son Vlahan, a devotee of rape and destruction. In the spirit of ancient adventure novels, this fictional clash of good and evil abounds with visions, omens, and goddesses and, like its predecessor, is based on archaeologist Marija Gimbutas' goddess-centered studies of old Europe. With an ending that readies readers for another in a series, it deserves a place on the shelves next to the works of Jean Auel. Marrah is forced to put her convictions and courage to the supreme test—as she risks everything she and her people hold dear—in a struggle that will change the prehistoric world forever…. "A heart-pounding evocation whose lessons lie in the hearts of the characters."-Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul. "Literary grace and powerful storytelling."-Theodore Roszak less

The year is 4300 BCE. The place is Europe, where Eastern nomads have invaded Shara, a civilized city that worships the great Goddess…and where a bold and passionate young woman named Keshna comes of age as a female warrior and a daring avenger. The nomad diviner Changar has kidnapped Queen Marrah’s son Keru—and Keshna has vowed to hunt Changar down. But the barbaric Changar is a force to fear. He has taken possession of Keru’s spirit turned him against his own people... moreThe year is 4300 BCE. The place is Europe, where Eastern nomads have invaded Shara, a civilized city that worships the great Goddess…and where a bold and passionate young woman named Keshna comes of age as a female warrior and a daring avenger. The nomad diviner Changar has kidnapped Queen Marrah’s son Keru—and Keshna has vowed to hunt Changar down. But the barbaric Changar is a force to fear. He has taken possession of Keru’s spirit turned him against his own people. Across a land of warring tribes, primitive rituals, and savage terrors of nature, Keshna begins an epic struggle for survival as she battles a dangerous, seductive enemy with the power to destroy her people and the proud young warrior she has come to love… less