Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
On This Page
Description
Galwyn, son of a Roman Celt, escapes from his tyrannical uncle and joins Lord Artos, later know as King Arthur, using his talent with languages and way with horses to help secure and care for the Libyan horses that Artos hopes to use in battle against the Saxons.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Caramellunacy Historical novels addressing what the real Arthur might have been like. Hollick's novel is geared towards adults (and is the first in a series), and McCaffrey's is young adult - but a very engaging read.
FAMeulstee The story of Arthur, no magic, but just the hard work of a leader who gathers an army to fight the Saxons.
themulhern Children serve a charismatic ruler and take on an important role in the defense of civilization from barbarians.
Member Reviews
A blurb on the cover of this one reads, "The story of King Arthur as it has never been told before..." This is true. It's true because this book seems to be as much about King Arthur's horse as it is about him. Now I've never found horse stories to be all that interesting. Arthurian tales, however, I find to be quite enthralling. Mixing the two turned out quite successful and yielded an enjoyable tale. (Of course, Ms. McCaffrey's ability to create interesting characters might have helped a little...) The book tells the tale of a boy named Galwyn. As the story starts, he has lost his father and is apprenticed to his shipowner uncle. His uncle's ship has been hired by King Arthur--or Comes Artos as he's called here--who is heading to a show more horse fair down near the Pyrenees Mountains to buy some top quality African horses. Galwyn is totally unsuited for a seafaring life, but his skill with horses and knack for picking up languages makes him an ideal helper for Arthur. The story follows Galwyn's development as a servant for Arthur and the devolopment of Camelot's new cavalry. I quite enjoyed the "behind the scenes" setting of the story. Much as I enjoy reading about the knights of the round table, I know that if I had ever been living around Camelot, I would never had made the cut. But I still would have wanted to do my part for the kingdom, in whatever trade I would have found myself in. So "Black Horses for the King" offers wish fulfillment of a different sort. I'm really glad I could check this one out.
--J. show less
--J. show less
Neat. As she says in the intro, this is Arthur the historical (more or less) person, not the knight in full plate. And no Guenevere triangle - I _hate_ that part of the story, it's so hopeless. Well-presented data on life at that time - I'm not certain of accuracy but it all fits together and makes sense. And a neat story - I suppose 'Horseshoes for the King' wouldn't have made as good a title.
Pleasant, old school, children's historical fiction. Probably a waste for an adult to read, but the ten to fifteen year old might really enjoy it.
It is a bit by the numbers and was probably written because the author is quite fond of horses, owns a number of them, and is involved in their care and management. The villain is just there for interest and the family hardly there at all. But the horseshoes are everywhere.
Sometimes it is nice when an aspiring young person can serve the cause of civilization in some other way than by fighting and killing. Shoeing horses is a quite respectable way and exciting in itself because horses are cool.
It is a bit by the numbers and was probably written because the author is quite fond of horses, owns a number of them, and is involved in their care and management. The villain is just there for interest and the family hardly there at all. But the horseshoes are everywhere.
Sometimes it is nice when an aspiring young person can serve the cause of civilization in some other way than by fighting and killing. Shoeing horses is a quite respectable way and exciting in itself because horses are cool.
First line:
~ 'Galwyn's feeding the fishes again,' the mate called as I emptied the odorous bucket overboard ~
Anne McCaffrey does a wonderful job describing the life of 5th century Britain at the time of King Arthur (in this case, Lord Artos, The Comes Britannorum). This is the story of a young man, Galwyn, who comes into Lord Artos' service as a translator and helps him purchase horses to take back to Britain to train as strong mounts for the armored warriors to fight the Saxons. Written for young adults, but equally enjoyable for this 59 year old, it depicts Galwyn's training as a farrier and the realistic issues of the early development of horse sandals (horse shoes) to protect the delicate hooves of these Libyan beauties. I love Anne show more McCaffrey's Pern novels and found her writing here to be equally captivating. I really wanted to see what happened to this young man and the horses he is responsible for. There is one nasty character in the book, an 'enemy' of Galwyn and I really enjoyed the way that Galwyn deals with him close to the end of the book. Do not read this looking for knights of the round table or Guinivere and Lancelot. This is about a young man's love of horses his care for them and for the master that he serves. show less
~ 'Galwyn's feeding the fishes again,' the mate called as I emptied the odorous bucket overboard ~
Anne McCaffrey does a wonderful job describing the life of 5th century Britain at the time of King Arthur (in this case, Lord Artos, The Comes Britannorum). This is the story of a young man, Galwyn, who comes into Lord Artos' service as a translator and helps him purchase horses to take back to Britain to train as strong mounts for the armored warriors to fight the Saxons. Written for young adults, but equally enjoyable for this 59 year old, it depicts Galwyn's training as a farrier and the realistic issues of the early development of horse sandals (horse shoes) to protect the delicate hooves of these Libyan beauties. I love Anne show more McCaffrey's Pern novels and found her writing here to be equally captivating. I really wanted to see what happened to this young man and the horses he is responsible for. There is one nasty character in the book, an 'enemy' of Galwyn and I really enjoyed the way that Galwyn deals with him close to the end of the book. Do not read this looking for knights of the round table or Guinivere and Lancelot. This is about a young man's love of horses his care for them and for the master that he serves. show less
I happened upon this young adult novel at the library and thought I'd give it a try after briefly looking at it. I tend to like stories about and around King Arthur, especially when they do something different, and this one does that. It focuses on and imagines a way that Arthur (here called Lord Artos) acquired great Libyan black horses for his knights. I found this story to be quite enjoyable. It is primarily the story of a young man, Galwyn, who helps Artos and is told in the first person from his viewpoint. I really got caught up in the adventure and thought this a great book.
This is not one of McCaffrey's science fiction tales although it perhaps could be termed a fantasy. It is a take on the old King Arthur legend. In the foreward McCaffrey says she had been fascinated by a chapter in Rosemary Sutcliff's book Sword at Sunset about how King Arthur got horses large enough for the Knights of the Round Table. So this is that story.
It centers around a young boy of Celtic birth, Galwyn, who met Artos (as he is called in this book) on board the ship that took Artos and some of his knights to France to purchase horses. Galwyn's uncle owns the ship and agreed to take him on as an apprentice when Galwyn's father died. The uncle is mean-spirited and the rest of the crew are as bad, if not worse. It's no wonder show more Galwyn admired Artos and his quest to rid Britain of the Saxons. Galwyn seizes an opportunity to follow Artos as he goes hunting for mighty horses. Galwyn is an asset to the quest with his facility with languages and horses. On their return to Britain Galwyn is apprehended for leaving his apprenticeship but Artos intervenes and Galwyn stays in Artos' employ. He learns more about horse care and farriering and becomes indispensable in keeping the war horses sound.
This was an interesting take on the Arthurian legend and I learned a lot about horses, especially shoeing them. I believe the book is intended for a young adult audience and I think ages 10 to 14 would appreciate it the most. show less
It centers around a young boy of Celtic birth, Galwyn, who met Artos (as he is called in this book) on board the ship that took Artos and some of his knights to France to purchase horses. Galwyn's uncle owns the ship and agreed to take him on as an apprentice when Galwyn's father died. The uncle is mean-spirited and the rest of the crew are as bad, if not worse. It's no wonder show more Galwyn admired Artos and his quest to rid Britain of the Saxons. Galwyn seizes an opportunity to follow Artos as he goes hunting for mighty horses. Galwyn is an asset to the quest with his facility with languages and horses. On their return to Britain Galwyn is apprehended for leaving his apprenticeship but Artos intervenes and Galwyn stays in Artos' employ. He learns more about horse care and farriering and becomes indispensable in keeping the war horses sound.
This was an interesting take on the Arthurian legend and I learned a lot about horses, especially shoeing them. I believe the book is intended for a young adult audience and I think ages 10 to 14 would appreciate it the most. show less
A straight historical novel which focuses solely on one point - horseshoes.
If, as some theorize, King Arthur, in the 5th century, imported impressive Libyan horses to Britain from the Middle East, how did he deal with the problems which would have occurred when animals used to a dry, desert climate were transferred to wet and soggy England? Hoof rot and mold & all kinds of horsey health issues would undoubtedly have occurred.
McCaffrey gives us her how-it-might-have-happened, through the story of Galwyn, a young man who throws his lot in with the Comes Artos - partly to get away from his apprenticeship to his nasty mariner uncle, and partly because he loves horses and is impressed by Artos. He learns from Artos' experienced horsemen and show more smiths, and a radical new technique - shoeing horses in iron - is developed. Galwyn becomes one of the first experienced farriers.
There's not really too much of a plot here - the most evil villain is a resentful and vindictive guy who was fired from Artos' service and wants to get back at the company and the horses - and if you have no interest in the specifics of things equestrian, this book probably won't interest you much. However, if you're a fan of horses in general, this short book is a quick read which definitely reflects the author's own love of horses. show less
If, as some theorize, King Arthur, in the 5th century, imported impressive Libyan horses to Britain from the Middle East, how did he deal with the problems which would have occurred when animals used to a dry, desert climate were transferred to wet and soggy England? Hoof rot and mold & all kinds of horsey health issues would undoubtedly have occurred.
McCaffrey gives us her how-it-might-have-happened, through the story of Galwyn, a young man who throws his lot in with the Comes Artos - partly to get away from his apprenticeship to his nasty mariner uncle, and partly because he loves horses and is impressed by Artos. He learns from Artos' experienced horsemen and show more smiths, and a radical new technique - shoeing horses in iron - is developed. Galwyn becomes one of the first experienced farriers.
There's not really too much of a plot here - the most evil villain is a resentful and vindictive guy who was fired from Artos' service and wants to get back at the company and the horses - and if you have no interest in the specifics of things equestrian, this book probably won't interest you much. However, if you're a fan of horses in general, this short book is a quick read which definitely reflects the author's own love of horses. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Best reading order of Anne McCaffrey's non-Pern sci-fi
43 works; 2 members
Sonlight Books
1,487 works; 25 members
Historical Fiction
889 works; 91 members
Roman Britain
42 works; 12 members
Books About Boys
175 works; 15 members
Children's Literature, Briefly Historical Fiction Reading List
44 works; 4 members
Horse Books for Kids
376 works; 6 members
A Rainbow of Books: Colors in the Title
570 works; 24 members
CC Cycle 1 Book List
23 works; 1 member
Talk Discussions
Past Discussions
Book Discussion: Arthurian Themed Read *Spoiler Free* in The Green Dragon (March 2008)
Author Information
257+ Works 207,457 Members
Anne McCaffrey was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 1, 1926. She received a degree in Slavonic languages from Radcliffe College. She worked in advertising for Helena Rubenstein from 1947 to 1952. Her first publication was a short story in Science Fiction Magazine, and her first novel, Restoree, was published in 1967. She is a well-known show more author of over 100 books, mostly science fiction, including the Dragonriders of Pern series, the Crystal Singer series, Acorna's Children series, The Twins of Petaybee series, and Barque Cats series. She won numerous awards including the Hugo Award for Best Novella for the short story Weyr Search in 1968 and the Nebula Award for Best Novella for Dragonrider in 1969. In 2006, she was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. She has also written books under the pseudonym Jody Lynn. She died of a stroke on November 21, 2011 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Black Horses for the King
- Original title
- Black Horses for the King
- Original publication date
- 1996
- People/Characters
- Galwyn Varianus; Artos aka King Arthur; Bericus; Bwlch; Canyd Bawn; Iswy (show all 7); Alun
- Important places
- England, UK
- Important events
- Battle of the Glein
- Dedication
- Apart from their love of Pern,
Marilyn and Harry Alm
are long-term friends and fans,
and thus it is my pleasure
to dedicate this book to them
in appreciation of their many
kindnesses and courtesi... (show all)es over
the years of our association. - First words
- "Galwyn's feeding the fishes again," the mate called as I emptied the odorous bucket overboard.
- Quotations
- No hoof, no horse.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)There were twelve great battles in all, the final one st Mount Badon. But though I lifted neither daggor nor sword in any other, I played my part, watching evero one of them, and keeping well shod the great black horses of Artos, the Comes Britannorum.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Fantasy, Teen
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ7 .M122834 .B — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,552
- Popularity
- 14,651
- Reviews
- 26
- Rating
- (3.64)
- Languages
- Dutch, English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 18
- ASINs
- 6