The Silver Stallion

James Branch Cabell was much admired by H.L. Menken as one of the few southern writers of merit, and i can see why. He is quietly and persistently subversive - the innunedo in the book is quite wicked. Murder, adultery, treachery etc are dealt with in such a civilised and matter of fact and even tounge in cheek way. The book can be seen as a satire of southern american society. Its rather reminicent of Lord Dunsany. Cabell repays close reading and much meaning has to be teased out of the text. Im sure it did appear shocking in the 1920's when written - but now days would appear rather tame and stale to most. It provides a wealth of insite into the human psyche.

Before "The Fellowship of the Ring" there was "The Fellowship of the Silver Stallion"; the consequences for those who allied themselves in arms with Dom Manuel (The Reedemer), progenitor of generations (mortal and otherwise) and founder of myth.

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) wrote "All social realities--values and processes--are created by humans. The social and ideational world represents no entity without humans. Such a world is the reflection of the socialization experienced by each individual in his/her cognitive development. This novel is an inadvertent fictional demonstration of the validity of Durkheim's statement.This book provides a major key for getting perspective on Poictesme and its varied inhabitants. In 1239, Dom Manuel, Count of Poictesme disappeared. At Storisende, his young daughter Melicent said that she had seen her father on a black horse riding to the west in company with Grandfather Death on a white one. Young Jurgen, another child who was the son of Coth, reported that at dusk,in Upper Morven, he had seen Dom Manuel partake of a fearful eucharist, who was then transfigured into the glowing clouds of the sunset. Dom Manuel had founded the Fellowship of the Silver Stallion, and since it had lost its leader, Niafer, his wife, summoned the nine remaining members of the group to come to Storisende for its final meeting. After they all had arrived, Horvendile addressed them as follows, "The master who held Poictesme, under my whims, has passed. A woman sits in his place, his little son inherits after him. So begins a new romance; and a new order is afoot." Next, he assigned each of the nine a fate and ordered that a fire be kindled. The banner of the fellowship was burned and each lord of the Black Stallion broke his sword into fragments and threw them into the flames, so that their swords could never defend any other standard. The nine, Gonfal of Naimes, Donander of Evre, Kerin of Nointel, Ninzian of Yair, Holden of Nerac, Anavalt of Fomor, Coth of the Rocks, Guivric of Perdigon and Miramon of Ranec, returned home and made ready for the new order. In this book, the fates of Gonfal, Miramon, Coth, Guivric, Kerin, Ninzian and Donander are told. Alongside their stories, a parallel history is given of the birth and triumph of the great legend about Manuel the Redeemer as it developed in Poictesme.