‘The Runaway Horses’, a tale of war, destiny and family

‘It’s in the mixing of the blood; Boer and Brit…’

In ‘The Runaway Horses’, Joyce Kotzè tells a fictional tale of the Anglo Boer War of 1899-1902, a war in which her own grandfathers fought on opposite sides. Two sets of cousins, Boer and Brit, find their destinies inexorably intertwined in the politics and mayhem that leads up to and encompasses the war.

From Transvaal to Victorian England, the cousins form strong bonds that are eventually tested on the battlefields of southern Africa. Through anger, injustice and betrayal, the family discovers that there is a force stronger than war.

As with much historical fiction, ‘The Runaway Horses’ is meant to entertain but also to remind readers that ‘…war has many facets. Soldiers who serve the aggressor are not necessarily guilty; they are following orders. It is the greed of governments that causes all this misery in the world.’

Many novels have been written about the Anglo-Boer War. One of the things that makes ‘The Runaway Horses’ unique is its brutal impartiality and the fact that the war is portrayed from both a British and Boer perspective.

Joyce Kotzè grew up in Namibia, studied in Cape Town, and worked as a radiographer on the conflict-torn borders of southern Africa. She now lives in a small village north of Cape Town where she is working on two new novels.

Blue Ink Review had much praise for the publication, “‘The Runaway Horses’ gives a sharp portrait of a time overshadowed by larger events ahead. More than that, it shows how war can devastate a family, no matter how determined its members are to hold together.”

For more information about the book and the author, visit the author’s website www.joycekotze.com or contact Lynne Wood at +27829023275 or alternatively at lynn.wood@mweb.co.za.

The book is published by AuthorHouse and sells at a recommended retail price of N$280.

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