This powerful first person narrative uses magical realism to stunning effect to tell a story that is as compelling as it is important. Set on a remote Scottish island after a strange ecological disaster which has left the world largely devoid of human life, this is the story of Jo and his family. When the quiet collapse of the civilised world is followed by the death of his father, Joel Anthony is left, with his mother and sister, stranded on a remote Scottish croft. The arrival of an unusual herd of horses marks the beginning of shifts in reality and intuitions of Graham Anthony's continued presence in his family's life as they learn to survive. The need for resources sends Joel, with his horse, Gray, on a long journey to the closest town, where the fate of the missing people becomes evident. But Jo's family aren't the only survivors, and first the French children, Sophie and Laurent, then their fragile alcoholic father, Pierre, join them. That a doctor, Nemisha, should turn up just as Christopher Anthony is being born, is only one of the synchronicities the growing group learns to accept as part of their connection with the horses. What then, should they make of Phil, Jenny and their family, who are determined to remake the old world, where they defined themselves through sales meetings and coffee mornings? The disruption they cause, including the collapse of Pierre's hard won sobriety, tests the vision of a co-operative new world and brings confrontation between humans and horses. As Phil and his family decide to leave, Joel's continuing sense of his father's presence enables him to prevent a crisis but when, soon afterwards, the family are all injured in a car accident, the burden of their rescue and care falls on Joel's group. With Phil's leg broken, his family is forced to stay, despite reluctance on both sides, but the growing community catches a glimpse of the future as the horses, once more, take them by surprise. '...a tale of many parts. It is a post-apocalyptic story, a teenage coming of age story, a book for aficionados of magic realism and lovers of horses and a story of environmental disaster and recovery' - Sandra Burr 'a compelling hybrid of realistic family drama and ecological fable...an uplifting and open-hearted novel ' - Robert McKay 'Walker's gentle magical realism is a million miles from the relentless pessimism more typical of the growing post-apocalyptic genre' - Suzy Ceulan Hughes "This powerful first person narrative uses magical realism to stunning effect to tell a story that is as compelling as it is important. Set on a remote Scottish island after a strange ecological disaster which has left the world largely devoid of human life, this is the story of Jo and his family." Welsh Books Council Told in the voice of Joel, a thoughtful and sensitive teenager, The Horses is an enchanting tale of survival and renewal in a post-apocalyptic world. Walker's gentle magic realism is a million miles from the relentless pessimism that is more typical of the growing post-apocalypse genre; far from keeping you awake with nightmares, her vision of a potential future with most of humankind wiped off the face of the planet is so positive that you might be forgiven for wishing it upon yourself. Joel, his younger sister Ginny, and their parents Moth and Graham are holidaying in a remote corner of Scotland when 'the Spill' reduces to dust everyone gathered in even small population centres, along with most plant- and animal-life in these areas. They resourcefully take over the small farm of Tir na Croabh, where they survive quite contentedly in complete isolation until two years later, when Graham dies as a result of an accident and a herd of horses mysteriously appears and makes the farm its home. With Graham gone, Moth pregnant and resources dwindling, the future looks bleak, and what Joel finds on his lone foray to the nearest town of Corrycreag is far from reassuring. In the words of Elaine Walker's better-known namesake Alice, 'horses make a landscape look more beautiful'. Scotland's rugged beauty is highlighted here by the presence of these magical beasts, each of them pair-bonded with its human counterpart in a growing cast of characters whose personalities and inter-relationships are echoed in the herd. Certainly there is magic, but it is so closely aligned to reality that your belief in it barely falters, and the pages of this compassionate and deeply optimistic tale turn all too quickly and seemingly of their own accord, leaving you with a sense of having lived briefly in a better and more beautiful world. Suzy Ceulan Hughes / A review from gwales com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Elaine Walker lives in North Wales, UK. Her publications include fiction, poetry and non-fiction. She is also a singer/songwriter and musician. As a fiction writer, she is particularly interested in magical realism and storytelling which is not bounded by reality. She has a doctorate in En