Ludo and the Star Horse
by Mary Stewart
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Description
One night when Ludo is home alone, his family's only horse, Renti, escapes from the stable. Overcome with guilt and fear, Ludo follows Renti out in to the snow, and before long the pair find themselves in the House of the Archer, a gateway to the Zodiac. Here, the Archer tells Ludo that Renti is a Star Horse, and has chosen to return to his own kind. Ludo, says the Archer, may keep faith with Renti and accompany him, or, if he prefers, return home. Ludo decides that he must repay Renti's show more years of loyal service, and so the pair set off on a journey through the houses of the zodiac, or 'Star Countries'. They must pass through all twelve before catching the sun - but Ludo soon realises that many of the house rulers are less than hospitable. Dismissed by the imperious goat, chased by the crab, taunted by the bloodthirsty twins... theirs is a perilous and unpredictable journey... show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Darn it, wrote a review and it went poof. OK.
Nice, interesting, a bit too young for me. It felt fairy-tale-ish, although Ludo does make some choices and consider his alternatives. The Zodiac theme is interesting, and the horse is nicely portrayed - intelligent but definitely not human - not anthropomorphic. A sweet story with some deep issues gently covered.
Um, I'd forgotten this was a Mary Stewart. Not as good as others by her (A Walk in Wolf Wood is for a slightly older audience, and has a lot more depth to it, for instance). But a very good children's book.
Nice, interesting, a bit too young for me. It felt fairy-tale-ish, although Ludo does make some choices and consider his alternatives. The Zodiac theme is interesting, and the horse is nicely portrayed - intelligent but definitely not human - not anthropomorphic. A sweet story with some deep issues gently covered.
Um, I'd forgotten this was a Mary Stewart. Not as good as others by her (A Walk in Wolf Wood is for a slightly older audience, and has a lot more depth to it, for instance). But a very good children's book.
A delightful story of a journey round the Zodiac made by a boy and his horse. He meets many gods and characters of Greek legend in the process, and of course he learns lessons, but it isn't a preachy book at all. It's a higly imaginative story, and I love it. (Even though my own Zodiac sign doesn't come out of it at all well!)
Ludo travels around the zodiac with his family's beloved farm horse Renti, to allow Renti to become a star horse.
Not one of Stewart's best efforts, but I'm glad I got to read it.
Not one of Stewart's best efforts, but I'm glad I got to read it.
A childhood favourite - not read since the 70's at a guess; bit very fond memories
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Horses, fantasy -- children's/young adult fiction
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Author Information
51+ Works 40,210 Members
Mary Stewart was born on September 17, 1916 in Sunderland, County Durham, England. She received a First Class Honours B.A. in English from Durham University in 1938 and a teaching certificate in 1939. She taught in elementary school until 1941 when she was offered a post at Durham University. She taught there until 1945 and received a M.A. in show more English during that time. Her first book, Madam, Will You Talk?, was published in 1955. Her other works included My Brother Michael, Touch Not the Cat, This Rough Magic, Nine Coaches Waiting, Thornyhold, Rose Cottage, and the Merlin Trilogy. She also wrote children's books including Ludo and the Star Horse and A Walk in Wolf Wood. She died on May 9, 2014 at the age of 97. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Ludo en het sterrenpaard
- Original title
- Ludo and the Star Horse
- Original publication date
- 1975
- People/Characters
- Ludo; Renti (horse); Archer; Goat; Gula the Water Carrier; Chrysomallion (show all 14); the Bull; Castor and Pollux; Lykeios the Far Shooter; The Crab; Lion; The Lady; The Master Craftsman; The Scorpion
- Important places
- Bavaria, Germany; Star Country
- Dedication
- For Amelie
- First words
- This is the story of something that happened a long time ago, to a boy called Ludo, and you can believe it or not as you please.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)But Ludo didn't care. He knew that it was true.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 147
- Popularity
- 222,842
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.98)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, Finnish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 1
