All the Horses of Iceland, by Sarah Tolmie

 I really expected and wanted to love this book. Yet, although the story itself is intriguing, it seemed to move at a snail's pace. That said, my rating is possibly more on me than the author or story itself. Myths, after all, do tend to move forward haphazardly and occasionally very, very slowly. Hence, if you're more attuned to that pace and perhaps have some background in Old Norse mythology, this fantasy may be right up your alley. As a forever horse lover, as noted, I found the story intriguing but slow. It took awhile for the unfamiliar names and terms to sort themselves out in my mind, too, so wished there had been a tad bit more explanation. That may have been by design, of course, to reflect main character Eyvind's same unfamiliarity with many of the different languages he encountered on her journey.

The story itself is simple. Eyvind leaves his home to journey to, well, he really isn't sure where he's going for sure. Along the way he encounters a diverse population, most suspicious and even unfriendly toward those unfamiliar to them. In the process, he discovered magic within himself and, yes, found the magical horse with no name. He soon acquires a small band of horses that seem strangely bound to him via the horse with no name's mysterious powers. I had to smile as on his journey homeward, he meets a follower of Mohamed who is riding a beautiful mare, one whose breed he discovers is so prized that they are kept in their owner's tents at night and largely pampered. Surely an Arabian. This is in contrast to the sturdy, tough soon to be Icelandic horses that Eyvind has acquired.

Although this book didn't quite live up to my expectations, the fantasy was interesting and I spent some time researching the breed. I was somewhat familiar with the breed as there are some of these horses scattered about Alaska in remote areas, so even knowing this was a fantasy story, I wanted to know more. In other words, the book had done perhaps what was intended, making me curious. These horses toughness and intelligence are well known. The Icelandic horse is noted for having five paces rather than the three more common horse gaits. The tolt was mentioned in the book but never fully described. According to my research, in this pace the horse keeps its back level, head up, neck arched, and lifts both feet high in a four beat, lateral motion. They can reach the speed of 20-35 mph at this gait. Amazing. I wish the book had been this amazing and given more detail but if you're into mythic lore and have some background knowledge, you may find the book fascinating.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan, #Tor/Forge, for the ARC. While it didn't quite live up to my expectations, it was still intriguing, and I learned a great deal about the mythology of the horse.