The Mark of the Horse Lord

Name: The Mark of the Horse Lord
Rating: 4.4 (234 reviews)

by Rosemary Sutcliff

First published 1965

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4.3(234)

Roman northern Britain, in the first century. Phaedrus wins freedom in the arena but carries the guilt of killing a friend in the fight that released him. Because he closely resembles Midir, the missing heir of a tribal kingdom beyond the frontier, Roman agents offer him a dangerous role: impersonate the prince and overthrow the ruler who has seized power.

What begins as political deception becomes an education in the obligations of kingship. Phaedrus must learn the people, rituals and conflicts of a community that cannot be ruled as a Roman puppet. The mark burned into the horse lord’s body becomes a test of identity as well as proof. Sutcliff uses the impostor plot to ask whether a man can grow into responsibilities first accepted for survival and reward.