Sturdy young-adult heroic fantasy, and not quite standard. It's set in a high-medieval nation ruled by a caste of aristocrats, based on ancient or mythical Persia. Hrum, imperial Rome, is about to invade and the disorganized nobles on their splendid horses have barely a clue how unprepared they are.
The novel twist is that several of the young protagonists are not aristocrats, and are more or less consciously attracted to the equal rule of law in nations controlled by Hrum. Since these characters are quite young, and are moreover living through personal and national tragedies, their feelings and actions with regard to the conquerors veer wildly about.
One youngster is most aristocratic, a sulky hotheaded snobbish young woman who manages to be barely likable to the characters around her. Clearly she has a lot of personal charm, and will probably Learn and Grow in the rest of the series. Maybe she won't; Bell has already put in one completely tragic scene where heroic logic required, and she didn't foreshadow it any too heavily, either.
ISBN: 0-689-85413-7
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