OMHG

Oh My Horsey God, look what arrived in the post this week:

One of the hidden benefits of crowd-funded things like Unbound and Kickstarter is that it's quite easy to forget that you've bought something until it arrives. Thanks to Kickstarter I shall someday be surprised by two graphic novels, three e-books, a dance/metal album, two digital movies and - if I should ever go to Washington Island - a cookie.

Needless to say, I was intrigued by the mystery package; delighted when I found it was Warhorses of Letters; and very pleased when I remembered I'd upgraded to the signed copy. But I reached the pinnacle of my excitement when I realised it had a little bookmark ribbon. I have quite a few hardbacks but I think this may be the first with a little ribbon. It's the perfect finishing touch to this chronicle of 'the world's greatest gay, equine, military, epistolary romance'.

If you're thinking, "But wait, I heard the radio version, why would I bother reading the book?" then my answer would be "the hoofnotes". The correspondence between Copenhagen (Wellington's horse) and Marengo (Napoleon's horse) has been annotated so thoroughly that entire pages are given over to everything from: comments on "hacho" (the horse word for macho); through horse military training; to Marengo's response to a listener's request for advice to horses in a star-crossed romance.

So if you enjoyed the radio series, buy the book. If you didn't hear the radio series, buy the book because you really should learn about this epic equine romance.