In Of Wind and Wolves, J.M. Elliott offers readers a combination that’s all-too-rare in historical fiction, finding that precious balance between historical accuracy, compelling characters and engaging storytelling.

The debut installment of Elliott’s Steppe Saga takes place in the Ukrainian steppes of the 5th century B.C.E., a setting where native tradition faces the pressure of the ascendant Greek, or Hellene, culture. Anaiti, daughter of an Amazon woman and Bastarnai king, has been promised to the elderly Skythian King Ariapaithi, a betrothal meant to foster peace between tribes and stem the pressure of Hellene colonialism.

Anaiti, skilled in horse-riding and combat, quickly learns that Ariapaithi has conditions for his new bride (his third). She must kill a foe in battle and bring the scalp to her new husband. She accepts the condition, eager to delay a useless, sedentary life bound to a royal tent and a secondary role.

Anaiti joins the Skythian’s “most sacred” warband, a group of fierce warriors led by the compelling and courageous Aric, a well-drawn character who offers Anaiti insights into the Skythian culture, traditions and lore, as well as lessons about the land itself. As Anaiti and the warband face the constant perils of the steppe, the prospect of life as an arranged bride confined to a subservient role becomes increasingly unimaginable.

The kernel of this impressive tale told from the Skythian viewpoint came to Elliott in a passage regarding Heracles and the Skythians (or “Scythians” in modern spelling) from the ancient historian Herodotus. From this small snippet from antiquity, Elliott spins a deft, hypnotic tale that fuses poetry, mythology and the hard realities of life on the ancient steppe. Elliott’s powerful characters shine brightly in the well-drawn, well-researched historical context, an element bolstered by the in-depth glossary. The story is told from Anaiti’s first-person perspective, and the approach gives immediacy to a story set in prehistory.

For anyone with even a casual curiosity about the peoples of the ancient world obscured by the passage of millennia, Elliott offers a powerful and stirring narrative time machine.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.