The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West

It seems every little girl loves horses. And I was no different. I read a ton of horse-themed books, but quickly wanted something new. I wanted more than the traditional "girl works on a horse farm" horse book. I loved Farley's Black Stallion series, but even then I wanted more fantasy than reality. Stanton delivered beautifully with her duology about Dancer, the Heavenly Horse. This was one of the first stories I encountered to truly anthropomorphize horses (even beyond Black Beauty). Horses are not only sentient, they have a pantheon of gods made up of all the breeds. They talk and socialize. They fear. And there is a "devil."

Duchess is the last of the Appaloosas and has been horribly abused. Her breed has nearly been exterminated. show more Though her coat is buckskin, she carries the genes within her to bring spotted Appaloosas back. Dancer is the first among the horse breed gods, an Appaloosa stallion, and he wants to make Duchess his. But, the Dark Horse wants to stop them at all costs and unleashes a fanged monstrosity called Anor.

Not only is this a classic good versus evil story, it touches on some moral issues in a subtle way. Such as the mistreatment of animals, and the rightness of keeping animals in captivity. Duchess gives young readers a "person' to identify with on these topics. This is also a rousing adventure with a well-thought out mythology and great characterization. Highly recommended to all horse-lovers, and anyone who loves a good story. Unfortunately, this book and the sequel, Piper at the Gate, are out of print. But worth looking for on the secondhand market.

This is the UK hardcover edition. The book was only published as mass market paperback in the U.S. Unfortuantely, it is out of print in both countries. show less

I read this ages ago and can't remember much about the plot. But I do remember it as being a good read - especially for for anyone who loves horses. It is written by someone who knows a bit about horses - and which end to feed. It would be a good book for a teenager with a horse fixation.

A really good fantasy read especially if you like horse stories too. A very clever idea to use horses in the way that it does to create a fantasy novel.

Beyond wonderful, even for non-horse lovers (like me).

Much more epic and complex than Watership Down, too. *g*