Book Review: Young Black Stallion, 5 – The Yearling by Steven Farley



Once again, Danielle must adjust to life without her beloved horse Redman, who’s back on duty at the riding camp. She turns to Raven for comfort, but the brash young colt is more full of himself than ever. Although Alec, Raven’s trainer, is pleased with the development of his future racehorse, Danielle is troubled by Raven’s increasingly aloof manner. Despite her best efforts, he doesn’t seem to care whether she is around or not. Alec reminds Danielle that Raven, like the famous Black, will never be anyone’s pet. Can Danielle give up her secret hope of being the colt’s best friend?

Sadly on this book I have to go back to my former..sadness with the series…*sigh* here we go.

While he has made an appreciated attempt, Steven Farley’s books just do not live up to the caliber of his father’s work (Walter Farley). I have read 6 of the books in the “Young Black Stallion” series, and I find them more akin to the “Thoroughbred” and “PonyPal” books, sadly lacking the fire and excitement of the original Black Stallion books. Steven Farley has made some glaring errors in his protrayal of Alec Ramsey… How could Alec be only 18 if he found the Black at 15? So the Black has only been racing for 3 years through all 21 books in the original series? Come on! Make Alec 25 or so, and that would be believable….

Also, what makes these books less interesting to read is that they are “dumbed down” a bit, while the original stories were written for 10-12 years olds, they appealed to adults too! (Like myself, who grew up reading the Black Stallion books.)

I think “The Black Stallion’s Shadow” and The Black Stallion’s Steeplechaser” were much better than the books in this “Young Black Stallion” series. For your money, I think you are better off trying to get some of the original 21 books by Walter Farley…


Book Review: Young Black Stallion, 4 – Wild Spirit by Steven Farley



It’s shaping up to be the best Christmas ever for Danielle. With both her dad and her horse, Redman, home for the holidays, the farm couldn’t be busier. But Raven, the spirited colt with whom Danielle has been working, doesn’t want to share her attention. Danielle knows she has a duty to the colt and to Alec Ramsay, his owner, but she can’t help feeling loyal to Redman as well. If Raven is to be manageable as a racehorse someday, he must learn to share territory with other horses–but can he?

The book was good and I think it will be great for younger hores lovers. It has alot of horse talk so you need to really know horses to understand the book. It is a step up from the other 3 books and perhaps in this book the writer has gotten his stride a little bit. I am still leery but as always will keep reading, it shows promise and improvement.


Book Review: Young Black Stallion, 3 – The Homecoming by Steven Farley

Danielle is thrilled to be helping Alec Ramsay escort a vanload of racehorses from New York to Florida. She’ll also get to visit her horse, Redman, who has been earning his oats at a riding camp up north. When an extra stall unexpectedly becomes available in the van, Redman’s new owner allows Danielle to take him home for a visit. Danielle is overjoyed to be reunited with her beloved horse, but the trip home turns out to be more hazardous than anyone imagined. Can Danielle and Alec make it safely back to Florida with their precious cargo?

This one is a little bit better than the other two. But it is still not up to the calibre of the regular series. I do not think Steven Farley is a bad author persay but he should have stuck with his own story line to make it more his own and not so fakey sounding. However I guess it was just easier to take his Father’s idea.


BooK Review: Young Black Stallion, 2 – A Horse Called Raven by Steven Farley



Danielle is working at Alec Ramsay’s stable, but she still has a long way to go before she can buy back Redman. When a dangerous flu virus strikes a neighboring farm and most of the horses are moved, Danielle is crushed to learn she’s temporarily out of a job. Then the little black colt to whom she’s beginning to grow attached falls ill, and Danielle’s priorities begin to change…



I don’t know if he’s just trying to make money off his father’s famous series, but I think he should’ve come up with his own idea for a children’s series. The Black Stallion books that Steven Farley is writing stick out like a sore thumb. This one has no improvement over the first one. Hard to plug along but I made a commitment to do so.


Book Review: Young Black Stallion 1 – The Promise by Steven Farley



Thirteen-year-old Danielle Connor feels nothing but rage toward Alec Ramsay, the famous young jockey who has turned her family’s farm into a training facility for his Thoroughbred racehorses, including the legendary Black. Now Danielle’s family has to move and her beloved horse, Redman, has been sold. Even after Alec introduces her to a special black colt, Danielle remains determined to be reunited with Redman…at any cost.

As a long time reader of the ‘Black Stallion’ series, I was curious to see what Mr. Farley’s son had done with the stories since I felt Walter Farley left the series unfinished. I loved the series as a child and have even re-read the books as an adult (as my readers can now tell by all my reviews). Although I applaud anyone’s efforts in writing and publishing a book, Steven Farley might have wanted to write about a different subject. The ‘Young Black Stallion’ series is looking like it might be a big disappointment; this story was silly and pointless. In several instances the author has taken sentences, word for word, from his father’s earlier ‘Black Stallion’ books and simply changed the character’s names. The characters are poorly developed and clumsy with each other. The plots have a lot of holes in them, even for children. Based on the earlier stories, Alec could not possibly be only 18 and why should he be? Alec supposedly wanted the farm where Danielle lived in order to board his horses there, then with the exception of a mare and foal, all the horses he supposedly acquired the farm for remained at another facility. A Thoroughbred operation such as Alec and Henry had supposedly built would not isolate one promising colt and spend so much one-on-one time. Where were all the other Hopeful Farm colts? The series would probably read better if it did try to weave the ‘Black Stallion’ characters into it, but rather expanded its own story.




Wow..

When one has to move they sit back and go wow at their TBR collection. Sadly we were planning on moving and that got shoved way foward by an evil landlord. But anyways I just finnished packing up all of my books in Large Priority Mail boxes…I have 30 boxes full of books. 30 boxes of just books. That is alot of books. I always knew I had a lot of books but one doesnt know just how many until they see them all packed in boxes that have to be carried..and moved. Wow.

The Young Black Stallion by Walter Farley & Steven Farley

The wonderfully improbable chronicles of the Black Stallion continue with this narrative of the Black’s colthood in the mountains of Arabia. Specially bred to strengthen the bloodlines of Sheik Abu Ishak’s herds, the Black is the victim of a failed horse raid. Driven out of his secluded pasture, the colt takes up with a herd of ibex. Soon he is scaling sheer rock faces and dueling fierce rams to the death. Befriended by Rashid, a young Bedouin, the stallion journeys to the desert, attempting to elude the rival groups of horse traders that seek him. As all devotees of the series know, the Black is finally recaptured and put aboard the tramp steamer Drake , just in time for his star-crossed meeting with Alec Ramsay, his future master. Although this prequel never quite matches the sparkle of the earlier works, it certainly should answer several questions about the Black’s beginnings. Even the book’s rather cloying mystical streak is unlikely to disturb the loyal followers of the legendary stallion.

The father-son authors have produced an excellent story, recreating the youth of the Black until the time when Alex Ramsay witnesses him being loaded–with savage fury and hatred for all men–on board The Drake in a Middle Eastern port. The Prologue and Epilogue are set in the Arizona desert where Alec, now a young man, spends the night with his beloved stallion, grazing nearby. Contemplating the starry nocturnal sky Alec locates the Horsehead Nebula and seriously ponders the tantalyzing theory that his horse was sired by a celestial equine.

The main body of the book narrates the desperate attempts of various men who pursue ownership of Shetan–for pride and breeding purposes. Sheikh Ishak hides the yearling in a remote mountain fastness, but a rival sheikh sends a bold band to steal him. A young hunter and tracker named Rashid is selected to kill the venerable Old Herder, who suspects the colt’s semi-divine pedigree. Abandoned to certain death by the rival sheikh, Rashid spends months in the mountains, trailing Shetan and rescuing him from a ferocious leopard. But toleration of the man’s presence does not forge a true bond between the Arabian strangers. Also Rashid is haunted by the intermittent appearance of a peregrine falcon, which hovers over him like a future menace.

Rashid’s plans to capture and sell Shetan, to assure himself a life of comfort, are foiled by the Ishak and the arrival of a resourceful English agent called The Cat. Who will ultimately triumph during this prolonged battle of wills? His breeder and rightful owner, the rival sheikh, Rashid with whom readers come to empathize, Mansoor (the Cat) or the mighty stallion himself? Dramatic conflict is enhanced from the obvious Man vs Man scenario to Man vs Nature, for the harsh mountains and pitiless desert environments interject challenges unforeseen by human schemes. Characterized by minimal dialogue and elements of surrealism this book proves fascinating for readers of all ages.

Book Review: The Black Stallion Legend by Walter Farley

Taking only the black stallion, Alec Ramsey heads West to escape from personal troubles and discovers, living among the desolate northern Arizona mountains, a tribe of native Americans awaiting the end of the world.

This last in the famous series about a young boy and his beloved racehorse is deeper and much more “adult-like” in nature than the books that preceeded it. It shows Alex (the young boy from the begining of the series) as an adult faced with trememdous issues and obstacles. I remember when I first read this book as a teenager I cried at the beginning and I cried again at the end, but for totally different and contrasting reasons. Even though I loved the beginning books, which are much more innocent and happy in their nature, I ended up loving this one the best because not only did it bring about a heart warming conclusion to a classic series, but the writing, in and of its own in this particular book, is expert.

Book Review: The Black Stallion and the Girl by Walter Farley


Hopeful Farm’s success has greatly increased Alec and Henry’s workload. After firing an employee for kicking a yearling, Alec takes out an advertisement in a racing magazine. When Pam Athena applies for the job, Alec has a hard time persuading his partners to retain her as a trainer and even harder time convincing them to let her ride the Black Stallion when Alec is suspended as a jockey.

This is about Alec falling in love with a girl who applies for a job at Hopeful farm. Though those close to Alec don’t think a girl should be involved in horse racing, he wants her to stay and she does. Pam (the girl) shows Alec what its like to be young though they are close in age Alec feels years older. Pam rides for the fun of riding. Alec has forgotten that since its become a business riding. Pam even works magic with Black Sand,The Black’s grandson, Satan’s son. In the end though Pam loves Alec and wants to one day marry him being young she still wants to see stuff and grow up. They promise to stay in touch, and even though Alec misses her he never forgets what she taught him.

Oddly in this book Pam rides The Black in a race. I’m pretty sure in most of the other books it’s always been said that Alec is the only one the Black allows to ride him with expectation to the Black’s original owner Abu Ben Ishak. There was even talk from Henry on putting another Jockey up on the Black if Pam couldn’t handle him.

This was a good book, Pam and Alec’s relationship was sweet. The character of Pam was great too she just had a spark to her and she kind of reminded me of Alec in the first few books, how she would talk softly and just say anything to calm a horse down

Book Review: The Black Stallion’s Ghost by Walter Farley

While riding the Black in the Everglades one day, Alec meets a man astride a ghostly gray mare. Alec?s fascination with the man turns to fear as he realizes the man is dangerously close to insanity. Soon Alec and the Black are caught up in a deadly chase through the depths of the Everglades, where a misstep could be fatal.

The Black Stallion, written by Walter Farley, is about a young boy and a stallion called Black. There has been many sequels of The Black Stallion. This book is about a boy named Alec and his adventure with his horse. Alec went to see a circus with a ringmaster and a horse who is like a ghost. Alec was riding Black through the fog-shrouded Everglades and they came upon a man on a gray mare that turns out to be the Ghost. They met eachother and the captain invited Alec to his house. Alec has a feeling that his host is insane. They had lunch together and Alec was about to go home when the captain begged him to stay for the night because a storm would be coming soon. It turned out that the captain wanted to breed his horse with Black. When Black was getting close with the Ghost, the captain tried to keep him away and got a pitch-fork to defend his horse. The next thing that happened was Black was running off towards the Everglades. Alec who was knocked out woke up and found that Black was gone. He tried to run after him, but the captain wouldn’t let him because it was dangerous. Alec begged the captain to go with him because it was his fault that Black ran off. The captain was afraid of the Haitian curse. After a long search, the captain was found dead by Alec. Alec eventually found the Black. He rode back to the captain’s place and found the people from the place he was supposed to stay at. They were very worried about Alec and took him and Black back. Alec told them the story, but they said that the captain had died a long time ago. They found out that the blind man had sold the Ghost to a man. Alec had wanted to buy that horse so that he could breed the Ghost and Black. They found the man who had the Ghost and Alec said he would buy it for any amount of money. The man said the horse was not on sale, but Alec eventually bought the horse for a large amount of money.
I like the book because it is an adventurous story about a horse and a loving boy. One of my favorite quotes is, “It’s too late for regret. I MUST find him.” It showed how much Alec had love for Black. Alec had lived with Black since his childhood and had loved and cared for it although the horse was a wild and fierce one that no one could go near him but himself. Another quote that I like was, “Come on. We’re getting out of here.” This quote meant that Alec was getting out of the Everglades with Black together without any of them getting left behind.
My favorite part of the book was when Alec and the captain went to find Black. Alec had the courage to go when the captain didn’t. I liked this part because Alec wouldn’t give up finding Black and that showed how much he cared for it.

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