Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman

Amazon.com

This is the 30-years-in-coming sequel to Walter M. Miller's seminal work, A Canticle for Leibowitz. It chronicles the odyssey of Brother Blacktooth St. George, a fallen monk of the Leibowitz order who becomes secretary to the politically ambitious Cardinal Brownpony. Brownpony is involved in a complex scheme to break the rule of the Hannegan Empire, which dominates the 35th-century's post-apocalypse world. Even though Brownpony's plans will ultimately restore both the world and the declining Papacy to some form of order, he is not a religious man, although he is drawn to those who are. He sees something profoundly religious in Blacktooth, who on the surface seems to be a disgraced monk foundering in confusion because of his love for a woman, his semi-pagan visions of the Virgin Mary, and his nomadic heritage. Ultimately it seems that Brownpony's--and indeed humanity's--salvation may lie with Blacktooth, who will never quite realize how great is the gift he's been given.

Book Description

It has been nearly forty years since Walter M. Miller, Jr., shocked and dazzled readers with his provocative bestseller and enduring classic, A Canticle for Leibowitz.  Now, in one of the most eagerly awaited publishing events of our time, here is Miller's masterpiece, an epic intellectual and emotional tour de force that will stand beside 1984, Brave New World, and A Canticle for Leibowitz.

In a world struggling to transcend a terrifying legacy of darkness--a world torn between love and violence, good and evil--one man undertakes an odyssey of adventure and discovery that promises to alter not only his destiny but the destiny of humankind as well. . . .

Millennia have passed since the Flame Deluge, yet society remains fragmented, pockets of civilization besieged by barbarians.  The Church is in turmoil, the exiled papacy struggling to survive in its Rocky Mountain refuge.  To the south, tyranny is on the march.  Imperial Texark troops, bent on conquest, are headed north into the lands of the Nomads, spreading terror in their wake.

Meanwhile, isolated in Leibowitz Abbey, Brother Blacktooth St. George suffers a crisis of faith.  Torn between his vows and his Nomad upbringing, between the Holy Virgin and visions of the Wild Horse Woman of his people, he stands at the brink of disgrace and expulsion from his order.  But he is offered an escape--of sorts: a new assignment as a translator for Cardinal Brownpony, which will take him to the contentious election of a new pope and then on a pilgrimage to the city of New Rome.  Journeying across a continent divided by nature, politics, and war, Blacktooth is drawn into Brownpony's intrigues and conspiracies.  He bears witness to rebellion, assassination, and human sacrifice.  And he is introduced to the sins that monastery life has long held at bay.

This introduction comes in the form of AEdrea, a beautiful but forbidden "genny" living among the deformed and mutant castouts in Texark's most hostile terrain.  As Blacktooth encounters her again and again on his travels--in the flesh, in rumors of miraculous deeds, and in the delirium of fever--he begins to wonder if AEdrea is a she-devil, the Holy Mother, or the Wild Horse Woman herself.

Picaresque and passionate, magnificent, dark, and compellingly real, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman is a brutal, brilliant, thrilling tale of mystery, mysticism, and divine madness, a classic that will long endure in every reader's memory.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

A sequel of sorts to A Canticle for Leibowitz, but definitely not in the same class. This book is more concerned with the conflicst within the church of the time, and the conflicts in the greater political arena of what was the USA at one time.

It follows one particular lower order monk who proves influential because of what he knows, and can see.

Profound Disappointment.......2007-02-18

Perhaps I had been expecting a true sequeal to the original. I was so excited when I saw the book but instead of a taut, touching tale I got a rambling, frequently boring, difficult to follow story that I had to force myself to finish. It seemed more a tale of politics and religious infighting than a science fiction story.

Problems? How about WAY too many characters, many with multiple names. I consider myself intelligent and widely read but the rush of people created such a flux that the plot seemed almost secondary. I liked the hero but for all his potential he did little more than whine, worry and wonder. His boss, the antipope, became the star of the show along with the swordsman.

The story did not "flow" and bogged down several times in minor details. The first section covereding the time in the abbey passed uneventfully but for a few personal crises. Then we journey toward the conclave and are introduced to host of new folks. Finally we arrive in the city and meet yet another cast of characters. The story was as much about Native American culture as anything. The language issues, interesting at first, became tiresome as we switched from various dialects (some almost unpronouncable with special symbols) to Latin (frequently) to English. All in all, not a success.

Secularism versus Parochialism.......2006-09-10

Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman takes place during the second era described in A Canticle for Leibowitz. The world and its institutions are recovering from the horrific imapct of global nuclear war. Much as was seen as civilization came out of the Dark Ages, secular matters are now moving to the forefront. Whereas the first era saw an Americanized version of the Roman Catholic Church rule with benevolent autocracy from its Seat near what was St. Louis, Missouri, the rise of nation-states - in general and one in particular - in the second era has created a classic thesis/antithesis situation. The resolution of this conflict, the synthesis, is of course already known to readers of Cantcile. The third era finds nation states back doing what they do best; nanmely fight among themselves and - in doing so - reaping yet another whirlwind from what they have sown. But, knowing this does not spoil the thrust and inherent charm of this story, however.

While the primary thrust of the story is the telling of the battle between the secular and the parochical, it is told on two separate and distinct levels. The first is the battle between the Church, shown in the manifestation of the Papacy and the nation-state of Hannigan and its rulers who seek to treat the aforementioned Papacy much as the Medicis did in the Renaiassance.

The second is in the trials and ultimate redemption of Brother Blacktooth St. George, a native American monk. Miller chooses native Americans - both Catholic and pagan - to populate his parochial world. With a native American Cardinal seeking to wrest the Papacy away from its thrall to the Hannegan, this adds yet another layer to the conflict that ultimately leads to - as it has in our world - the demise of the plains culture. Amidst thos realpolitk, Blacktooth St. George is on a quest for his own spirituality purity and center. Like the world aroun him, the path is fraught with temptation and peril in more=or-less equal measures. The end for St. George is peaceful after he elects for mental and spirtual sanity to reject the secular trappings of both church and state in favor of a simple, austere and satisfying conclusion.

Yes, this ghost-edited sequel/digression is a bit of a mess. Not completed, so much as assembled, by a ghost writer, the narrative is repetitive in parts, but is fascinating as an insight into the writing process. Consider the circumstance of having spent years sporadically writing a story that you never had the drive to complete. As you came back to work on it, you probably would not spend much time reviewing what you had alreay produced. This would likely result in your tending to repeat yourself from time to time. And, you probabaly wonder much care about it as the writing process moved along; after all that is what editing resolves.

But, imagine that the this sporadic writing is further complicated by the fact you are 1) suffering from some mental instability that leads to suicide, 2) you have become disaffected and disenchanted by that which you held as the center of your secular and parochial universes and 3) the world in general is a nastier place than you had hoped it would be some four or five decades after your generation gave its all to rdi the planet of ultra nationalism and autocracy.

When Miller wrote A Canticle for Leibowitz, the image of the Catholic Church was personified by deeply faithful priests represented in movies by actor like Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Miller, who experienced World War II and the Cold War and saw them as a sure sign of the corruption of man, wrote a story showing that religion was and should be the cynosure of how to live.

By the 1980s and 1990s however, Miller saw a Catholic Church that was far less avuncular; one that was consuming itself in a miasma of self-protective politics aimed in part at supressing scandals. In this book, Miller presents that Church in the same harsh and objective light that he flashed on the nation-state in his first book.

So, those who loved Canticle, be ready for a soemwhat difficult read and a shock. You are going to read Miller's thoughts and beliefs and convictions in a less organized, but far more authentic form. Don't be deterred by its lack of dulce et decorum. Instead rejoice in the opportunity to share in the joy of watching a human being's progress in understanding man and God!

Not Great But I Was Still Thrilled To Return To Miller's Future World.......2006-06-15

This book's predecessor, A Canticle For Leibowitz, is among my all-time favorite novels, and so I was naturally thrilled to find out that a sequel had been published. This novel, set roughly a generation after Book Two in "Canticle" tells the story of the politics of war and theology amid a very violent age in the future of humankind.

For those who do not know, Mr. Miller's twin novels take place many centuries from now in a world greatly altered as a consequence of nuclear warfare. The United States, like the Roman Empire before it, has fractured into a number of regional powers (Denver, Laredo, Texarkana, etc.) most of whom are actively in conflict with one another. Amid this new dark age the Roman Catholic Church strives to keep the light of knowledge burning, and in this era its monastic libraries are filled with books on such mystical and un-grasped subjects as the internal combustion engine, aeronautics, and advanced medicine. The hope is that one day humans will again reach the level of progress they had before the "Flame Deluge" and comprehend and use this stored wisdom.

Set in the militant kingdom of Texarkana, and concerning itself with violent conquest and the political intrigues behind the scenes in the election of a controversial Pope, the main character here, a monk in the Order of Leibowitz, takes us into this tale that covers but a few years of happenings, as opposed to the civilization-wide scale of the original Leibowitz work. Here one will find a good story and uncover further details of the nature of life in the post-fallout age, but there is sadly an emptiness to the prose that the first novel lacked. Where A Canticle For Leibowitz was rich and imaginative, this book is dry and hollow and its shallowness greatly impeded my acceptance of it.

There is also the nature of...authorship. The story goes that Miller completed this book shortly before his death (suicide?) in the 1990's, but rumor has it this was in fact ghost written by someone else, rather like the V. C. Andrews novels that are still appearing long after her demise.

Whoever authored this book, I am glad it is out there in the market and I wish more works were set in Miller's landscape, but there's no getting around the fact that this is an inferior sequel that does not measure up to the all-time classic from which it descends.

An Original Vision, but a flawed story.......2006-05-16

As a fan of Canticle for Leibowitz, I was curious about this sequel, written so many years later. I found the book to be less entertaining than Canticle and somewhat disappointing until I got to the end, when it began to come together and make just a bit of sense. But I was confused through most of it by the bewildering cast of characters who all seemed to have several odd names (Wooshin and The Axe, Blacktooth and Nimmy, Brownpony and the Red SomethingOrOther...). The backstory was never incorporated either, so we're left to figure out how many political entities are fighting for control of various places in the American southwest, with all new confusing place names. The many hordes of uncivilized peoples were hard to sort out as well. What was the difference between the Grasshoppers, the Jack Rabbits and the Wild Dogs? I don't know. And why is the papacy in America? I don't know that either.

At times the story seemed just political, at times it became mystical, and at times it seemed satire. Was the church holding things together, as it did in the Middle Ages, preserving the past as monks translate and save old books? Or was the church the cause of war, with Cardinal Brownpony organizing the hordes to attack the secular power of the Hannigan? Or was this just satire, as exemplified by the scene with the ridiculous conclave of ridiculous cardinals, holed up in their stench-filled quarters posturing for power while the mob howled outside, demanding they choose a pope? They choose the one truly delightful (though bewildering) character in the book, Amen Specklebird, an old, black hermit, to be the new pope. His papacy is soon in shambles and he is murdered after he goes back to his hermit's cave, desiring his old, simple existence back and leaving the papacy to the schemers. But violence fills this post-Apocalytic world.

The main character, Blacktooth St. George, is a also puzzle. He struggles with every aspect of his life: his work at the abbey as translator, his sexuality and attraction to the even stranger character, Aedrea, and his relationship with the church. He, like Brownpony, is only partly a Catholic. He retains the vision of his Nomad ancestor, and thus the title of the book. He cannot let go the the vision of the Wild Horse Woman.

As with Canticle, the book is quite literate, and I enjoyed the Latin references, but would there really be so many dialects after the Apocalypse? I kept wondering if there were subtle literary puns I was missing. Blacktooth is a literate and educated person compared to the masses, but this too is a puzzle. How did he come by his intelligence and knowledge of so many dialects and languages?

The book would have been better if if had been shorter and if the story had somehow illuminated the point of the novel more clearly. I don't know what Walter Miller was trying to tell us with this very weird tale. The book is certainly an original - not really like science fiction, but not the adventure genre either and certainly not spiritual literature. This book is not for everyone, and it's not surprising that the reviews here are mixed.

Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness # 2: Marvel Team-Ups (Marvel / Dynamite Comic Book 2007)

Average customer rating:

Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness # 2: Marvel Team-Ups (Marvel / Dynamite Comic Book 2007)
John Layman
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000P648WK

Product Description

The Zombie plague spreads, turning an entire world of super-powered heroes and villains into bloodthirsty walking dead! And only one manarmed with a deadly boomstick, a sharp tongue and movie star looks can stand against them. Its Ashley Williams against the zombie incarnations of Spider-Man, the Punisher, the Avengers and dozens more. These guys dont stand a chance!

Average customer rating:

horses, magic and wishes
A great book
Enchanting - A Great Read for All Ages!!!
Great for a short story collection
CHARMING!!!!A WONDERFUL READ!

If Wishes Were Horses
Anne McCaffrey
Manufacturer: Roc Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0451456424

Book Description

Young Tizra and her twin brother Tracell find their world abruptly changed when their father is unexpectedly called to fight in a war which promises to last much longer than the usual three-day skirmish. Their mother--the village healer--enlists her children to assist her in caring for the many refugees left wounded and homeless by the conflict. Inspired by her mother, Tizra learns never to surrender hope even in a time of fear and uncertainty.

Customer Reviews:

horses, magic and wishes.......2007-01-10

Another title which seems to have been written early in her career. It is aimed at horse mad younger readers who like a bit of magic and fantasy. I enjoyed it even though i am out of the target market

A great book.......2002-02-26

When war breaks out, and her father is mobilized, young Tirza Eircelly watches as her mother must prepare the demesne for the tribulations that war will surely bring to it. Her mother is a bastion of calm and wisdom in the dark days, keeping everyone moving forward while others lose their heads. Tirza learns to help her mother, and be the woman that her times require.

Although there are no wizards or exploding fireballs, this is a magical tale, a tale of a gentle magic, the sort that comes from within. This is a very touching story. Lady Talarrie is drawn as a formidable woman, a woman of courage and compassion, of action and wisdom. Though it might sound cliche, I don't believe that you can read this story without falling in love with it. This is a great book, one that I recommend to everyone!

Enchanting - A Great Read for All Ages!!!.......2000-07-08

I borrowed this book from the library and read it in a single day! It is well written and enchanting. The characters are charming and you will enjoy reading about their lives. It also gives a good picture of everyday life in the medieval time period. My daughter (11) is now reading it.

Great for a short story collection.......1999-06-05

So far, she has done three of these little books and I have loved all of them. I think that she should compile a book of all these stories when she's gotten a few more. I know that I'd definetely buy it.

CHARMING!!!!A WONDERFUL READ!.......1999-03-30

This book is worth it's weight in gold! It's a charming and whimsical tale of yesteryear that leaves the reader smiling and pleasantly happy.

The Stalking Horse: An Evening-Length Opera Ballet in Five Acts

Average customer rating:

Storyline ....
'The Stalking Horse'

The Stalking Horse: An Evening-Length Opera Ballet in Five Acts
Constance Ash
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0441779239

Customer Reviews:

Storyline ...........2003-05-12

...

Here's the description from the cover to help you decide if this book is for you: "She danced to the music of magic, danger, and love ... Glennys had come to the dazzling city of St. Lucien to seek her fortune. No longer under the protection of Baron Fulk, unable to return to her strict Alaminite folk, she soon found work as a Horse Skiller with the Queen's Opera. But her Heart's true desire is to appear with the Opera ... performing onstage in the intricate and demanding horse-dance. And Glynnys has the gift that could make her the greatest of all dancers. But to reveal her gift is to expose her true identity, for only one of the noble blood has the power. And amid the courtly intrigues of St. Lucien, to claim her birthright could put Glennys is gravest peril ..." This book is a mix of fantasy and suspense. Excellent read.

'The Stalking Horse'.......2000-10-18

'The Stalking Horse' details Glennys's time as a ballerina and Horse Skiller for the ballet. There are intrigues and murders, Glennys's 'Horse Sense' and dancing. I bought this book without realising it was the second in a series, but I will be buying the other two books in the series. I really enjoyed this book; the only problem is that it jumped around too much, and I found this a little confusing.

Average customer rating:

Must have for Mercedes Lackey fans
A sci-fi/horse lover's dream book!
Two hooves up, WAY up!
If you love horses...

Horse Fantastic

Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0886775043

Customer Reviews:

Must have for Mercedes Lackey fans.......2002-07-10

A friend of mine loaned me this book when they heard that I love Misty Lackey's books. "Stolen Silver" is the story of how the Karsite Alberich was found by his companion.
All of the stories were wonderfully thought provoking and surprisingly deep for a sub-genre that has seen alot of fluff.

A sci-fi/horse lover's dream book!.......2000-01-07

I could not put this book down. Highly, highly reccomended for horse lovers(though not all the stories are suitable for children).

It's hard to find horse stories with a sci-fi/fantasy twist, and there are some good ones here. Four hooves up(haha)!

Two hooves up, WAY up!.......1998-11-04

A MUST-HAVE for horse lovers! When I first picked it up, I thought, oh geez, more girly horse-stuff....WRONG! Never have I read such great horse fiction! Most of the authors are actually knowledgeable about horses, which is definitely a plus! Some stories are even better than the Black Stallion. Most reccomended stories: "The Most Magical Thing About Rachel"(the author should do a full-length novel of this one!), "When Lightning Strikes", and "Riding the Nightmare"(altho' the ending is a tad cheesy:-).

If you love horses..........1998-03-20

This collection of shorts is a must for any horse lover...while I do not knock the feline...there are a LOT of worthy critters out there and this book does justice to one of them...so watch out kitty it's pay back time!

The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West

Average customer rating:

Awesome!
Unforgettable
Why No Animated Movie?
i luvvvvvvvvvvvv this book!
For Equine Lovers Everywhere

The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West
Mary Stanton
Manufacturer: baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0671654101

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2006-08-08

This is a riveting story, and one I'm glad to find on Amazon! If you liked Wastership Down, you'll love this story. The horses are portrayed in such a realistic fashion that you'll never watch two interact in the same way again!

Unforgettable.......2005-12-30

Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and its sequel are indispensable books for both fantasy lovers and horsepeople. Many reviewers have commented that Heavenly Horse was a lot better than Piper but I thought they were both excellent. There are not many books I will stay up all night for but this one and Piper I had too. The Dark Lord and his followers are truly horrific and the good characters felt like friends by the time the book was finished. Mary Stanton must be a very imaginative person or, an avid horsewoman. She seems to understand horses as well as the author of My Friend Flicka and its sequels. All of these stories aren't just for kids, but for adults as well. I enjoyed it just as much at nearly 30 as I did at 10. However, it was a lot scarier to me when I was a child. Probably more suited to teenagers.

Why No Animated Movie?.......2004-11-11

This is a truly epic read.
I would even venture that people who have no interest in horses should pick it up and get stuck in.

Like most of the reviwers here, i was first introduced to it as a teenager and have gone back to it countless times since.

Anyone that enjoyed Watership Down, or indeed epics such as The Hobbit, should consider getting hold of a copy (i've just purchased my second copies of both 'Heavely Horse' and 'Piper' - the urge has come to read tham again and just i can't wait long enough to pick up my original copies from my mums house!)

One thing i don't understand is why an reputable-but-edgy animation studio (Blue Sky, or Brad Bird - are you reading this?) has not spotted this book's potential and made a film out of it. One reason could be that some of the characters are truly terrifying, and they would find it difficult to rate as a result (yes boys, there's plenty of eerie - not to mention downright horrific - stuff happening here; so, as many readers have mentioned, don't let the title put you off!)

Finally, for the benefit of those that are not overly keen on the fantasy genre (of which i am one!), it should be mentioned that this book is not purely fantastical. It has a strong grounding in reality and day-to-day issues such as animal cruelty. This make it all the more compelling.

Read it.

i luvvvvvvvvvvvv this book!.......2004-06-23

The title was abit odd, but as soon as i read it, i was crazy for it! Duchess ,Susie, and El Arat were only some of the rich characters featured in this book. (WARNING SPOILERS!) i totally cried a river when Susie died and was totally shocked to find out about El Arat being evil. after the billionth time i read it, you start to see clues to her dimise. an awesome book do not pass up!

For Equine Lovers Everywhere.......2003-10-27

This book was amazing. I loved horses to begin with, but after reading Mary Stanton's work of art, my love for them grew. Her novel showed me a new way of looking at the lives of horses and helped me in my own writings. This book is a MUST for any horse lover.

Average customer rating:

Dark Horse
Amazing book
A Future Classic!
One of the Best Books Ever
Best Fantasy series I have read ever.

Dark Horse (Tsr Books)
Mary H. Herbert
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0880389168

Customer Reviews:

Dark Horse.......2006-04-06

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love stories about horses and them communicating with humans. The book was a bit predictable and it could have used a little more romance, but it was great.

Amazing book.......2002-09-23

this si an amazing book. if you like a bit of war, an amazing storyline a just a tiny bit of romance, you'll liove it. Unforunetly it is out of print now, but perhaps it can be reprinted for the next generation, I know it's worth it.

A Future Classic!.......2001-01-29

Dark Horse is on par with early Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey stories, and contains many of the elemtnts that made both the Valdemar and Pern series popular. Magical black horses choose and accompany "good" mages, protecting them from evil magic and acting as advisor and friend.

Dark Horse is the story of a young girl who is orphaned when her entire tribe is killed by a rival tribe that is led by an evil mage. She rescues and is rescued by a Hunnuli, a giant protector-horse, and is adopted by another tribe. When she learns that she, too is a mage (though a good one) she risks losing her life and her love because of the gifts she was born with...

I am disappointed that after only five books that this series has come to an early and undeserved demise.

One of the Best Books Ever.......2000-01-19

I have read many fantasy and sci-fiction books and the is probably one of the best, if not the best. You can feel and understand what the characters' feel. I loved this book!

Best Fantasy series I have read ever........1999-12-01

This Book is one of the best I have read. But as a series this is the BEST fantasy series, I have ever read. I wish there were more!

Average customer rating:

Brother & Sister???
Mixed feelings
Her Best Work
NOT FOR KIDS!
Don't Even Bother

White Horses
Alice Hoffman
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Domestic Life | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Mothers & Children | Women's Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0399127097

Book Description

The New York Times bestselling author of Here on Earth presents a "sexually charged...almost hypnotic"* novel about men, women, romance, and real life. (Publishers Weekly)

When Teresa was a little girl, she dreamed of dark-eyed, fearless heroes on white horses who would sweep her away. But now, as the adult Teresa negotiates life and love, she begins to understand that fairy tales don't always come true...

"Haunting...Hoffman is a daring and able writer."--The New Yorker

Customer Reviews:

Brother & Sister???.......2007-06-05

I am working my way through all of Alice Hoffman's books. This story was a little different in that it featured a "disturbing" relationship between a brother and sister. I still love her style of writing, imagery, and imagination in telling a story.

Mixed feelings.......2005-12-11

This book wasn't what I was expecting at all. I love Hoffman's writing style and the way she adds a hidden sense of the supernatural in her writing. This story was captivating, but I was completely unprepared for the incest. I think this is a wonderful story, but it's hard to look around the incest for most people. Me included. This is definatly a book to pick up with an open mind and to be looked at from different angles. I did like certain aspects of the book. There's a statement in this about our expectations of romance and love from the tales we all grew up with.

Her Best Work.......2002-07-10

This book is by far Alice Hoffman's work of art-and that might be an understatement. This was a brilliant piece of writing that takes you deep into a girls soul making you laugh, cry and most importantly understand love, family and redemption. I'm amazed that WHITE HORSES has not gotten the same recognition as some of Hoffman's other books.

NOT FOR KIDS!.......2002-04-23

My eleven year old grand-daughter loves horses so "White Horses" was among the books she chose for me to order for her online. She took it to school one day, came home with it, cut it to shreds, and threw them in the garbage....

Make no mistake about it, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR CHILDREN!

Don't Even Bother.......2002-03-29

I loved "Here on Earth", but I was just disgusted with "White Horses"... The fact that an incestuous relationship is treated as 'normal' really bothered me... so much so that I stopped reading half-way through the book, and just skimmed to see what happened. I'm glad I didn't waste any more time on it.

Giant Horse of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, #22) (The Wonderful Oz Books, #22)

Average customer rating:

A few flaws, but otherwise excellent

Giant Horse of Oz (The Wonderful Oz Books, #22) (The Wonderful Oz Books, #22)
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345323599
Release Date: 1985-09-12

Customer Reviews:

A few flaws, but otherwise excellent.......2003-02-02

On the positive side, this book gives a glimpse at Ozian history, telling about some of Mombi's hitherto unknown evil deeds, the rulership of the Munchkin Country, and the origins of the Good Witch of the North. On the negative side, Thompson shows her usual carelessness with dates and times, and some people have objected to the Good Witch's origins. The story itself is somewhat weak on plot, with everything resolved as soon as the main characters get to the Emerald City. On the other hand, it contains some of Thompson's best creations: a fire-breathing sea monster, a medicine man with an actual medicine chest, a naive animated statue, and the title character, a horse with expanding legs. The creativity level of this book makes it well worth reading, despite its minor flaws.

Average customer rating:

Charming fantasy with "horse sense"
From a Connemara Pony enthusiast
Wonderful Story for All Ages ... 9 to 90 will enjoy
Kiss me, I'm Irish
Fairy Tale with a Twist

Grey Horse
R.A. Macavoy
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0553265571
Release Date: 1987-04-01

Book Description

Set against the colorful and magical backdrop of Ireland, The Grey Horse chronicles a time when the Irish people suffered under harsh English overlords who sought to destroy their culture and way of life. Into the Irish town of Carraroe, a magnificent, completely grey stallion appears. The horse brings with him the promise of better times and magical happenings, for he is actually the shape-shifted form of Ruairi MacEibhir, journeyed to such a time of danger in order to win the hand of the woman he loves.

Download Description

The small Irish town is puzzled by the arrival of a gentle grey horse and bizarre young man with hypnotic eyes. Quickly one rebellious woman discovers the pair desires just one thing: her.

Customer Reviews:

Charming fantasy with "horse sense".......2004-10-02

I first read R.A. MacAvoy's "Tea with the Black Dragon" many years ago, and it remain one of my favorite books. So I was so glad to see some of her other books being reissued.

The Grey Horse is a lovely, charming fantasy that works on so many levels. Set in an 1881 village in Ireland, it is the story of a fairy horse, Rauri, who falls in love with a village girl and wants to marry her. And yet it is so much more than that!

What could have been a trite, two-dimensional story by another writer comes alive in the hands of R.A. MacAvoy for her characters are alive and vivid. Rauri is not an elegant, ethereal fairy, but an earthy, sometimes confused man who shares much of the stubborness and behavior of the sturdy Connemara pony he often turns into. Not innately clever, he has "horse sense" and a good nature that is very appealing. His heart's desire, Maire, is likewise not the usual fairy tale heroine. She is a big girl, stubborn, and full of fire, not as pretty as her petite sister, but of infinitely more worth.

Underneath the romance between Rauiri and Maire lies the struggle of the Irish people to assert their independence against the English overlords. The struggle of the Irish peasants to keep their connection to their land while dealing with a foreign culture (English) and the struggle of the fairy to fit into a foreign culture (Human) while retaining his deeper and more ancient connection to the land gives the book an interesting dynamic tension.

This book is one of the more interesting fantasies, and will retain a place on my bookshelf for future reading!

From a Connemara Pony enthusiast.......2003-12-14

Not only an engrossing tale, the author's style of writing and word play captivate you from page one and makes you wish for more at story's end. In the middle of my second reading, I find it even more enjoyable the second time around.

Highly recommended.

Wonderful Story for All Ages ... 9 to 90 will enjoy.......2003-08-16

this ultimate 'horse' story. Didn't want the story to end...the sign of a good tale. thank you Ruth!

Kiss me, I'm Irish.......2002-08-10

R.A. MacAvoy, whose debut novel was "Tea with a Black Dragon," has written another charming, but lesser known fantasy called "The Grey Horse." Its story takes place in 1881, in County Connemara, Ireland, during the time when the Irish National Land League was trying to oust foreign (English) landlords and teach the local farmers to stand up for their rights to fair rents and fixed tenure on the land. Irish revolutionaries are an integral part of MacAvoy's landscape, but they enhance the fantasy rather than intrude upon it.

As the novel begins, the old horse trainer, Anrai Õ Reachtaire discovers a púca (fairy horse) on his way to the village of Carraroe. He mistakes it for a strayed Connemara pony stallion, standing alone on a hill, without hobble or halter. The púca kneels, inciting Anrai to mount (what horseman could resist such a fair invitation?), and off they gallop on one of Fantasy's best and funniest wild rides.

Anrai finally manages to throw a rope halter over the pony's head:

"Anrai felt a jolt as through the horse had shied in place. Its sides went as stiff as wood. It hopped and trembled and before Anrai's eyes began to steam. Startled himself by this reaction, Anrai very warily tied the lead rope to both sides of the mouthpiece, making a sort of bridle out of the halter. 'Don't tell me you're a stranger to the old rope halter, my lad,' he whispered gently, close to the horse's ear. He saw a round eye ringed with white, and the long, unkempt yellow tail switched left to right. Anrai had a sinking feeling there would be a fight between himself and this horse on the stones of Knockduff Peak.

"But he had to go home. At this season, there were no more than two more hours of light and likely no visible moon after that. He gave the horse an experimental squeeze of the legs. In perfect obedience it moved down the mountainside."

Once haltered, the púca has to obey Anrai. They canter home, and the old man spends several weeks trying to find the pony's unknown owner. Meanwhile, although he grows fond of the grey, he obeys a hunch to leave its halter on. It isn't until Anrai decides the stallion is really his to keep that he attempts to perform a minor operation on him---he already has two stud horses in his barn and doesn't need a third. He and his stablehand strap the grey into a chute, and Anrai asks for his knife:

"The grey horse gave a convulsion that shook the oak posts, so deeply sunk into stone. The front straps broke, and it rose up screaming, not as the furious chestnut had screamed, but very like a man.

"It stood, and seemed to dwindle, and then toppled over in confusion. It shouted, 'By heaven, man! Look what you are about!' And then there was no horse."
Anrai, in the sudden throes of heart failure, manages to remove his halter from the púca, and the horse-turned-man promptly saves his life.

We learn why the púca, whose name is Ruairi MacEibhir has decided, after many centuries, to return to the haunts of man. He has fallen in love with one of the village women and wants to court her in the guise of Anrai's stablehand.

The courting of Máire NiStandún takes the rest of the book, as she is not sure she wants to marry a sometime-man sometime-horse. The land revolt swirls on around the quarreling couple. Old Anrai challenges a half-English landowner to a match race: the landlord's chestnut Thoroughbred against his grey Connemara stallion. Anrai's no-good son deserts from the British army and slinks home to cause all sorts of trouble. The local priest attempts to baptize Anrai's new stablehand---the púca survives his baptism, although the priest almost doesn't.

Basically, MacAvoy has written a story of life in a small, nineteenth-century Connemara village, with a horse-fairy thrown in to really get the Irish up. Even if you've read every other Celtic fantasy to hit the shelves (there seem to be a million of them), you'll not have found one as entrancing, or as madly Gaelic as "The Grey Horse."

Fairy Tale with a Twist.......2001-12-10

The Grey Horse is one of the standouts in the recent crop of modern fairy tales. MacAvoy explores the same Irish angst that more mainstream writers like Brendan O'Carroll and the McCourt brothers have tackled. However, she avoids bludgeoning the reader with the misery of being Irish. If you don't care for the Big Themes, you can just read it as a love story with a lot of horses.
Around the end of the 19th century, an Irish horse fairy falls in love with a mortal woman and tries to win her affection by assimilating into the communtity. MacAvoy, in exploring the puca's attempts to fit in, reveals how the Irish themselves are estranged in some way from their country and their communtity. Parents don't understand their children, men don't understand women, the gentry fit in with neither the English nor their lower class neighbors, the rural population distrusts outsiders, and so forth.
I liked that the love interest is the strong smart woman instead of the fatuous blond. The story is written for adults, but I wouldn't hesitate to give it to an adolescent. Prissyness info: I can't remember any bad language. A few people get damaged or killed in morally appropriate circumstances. It is mentioned that horses are not monogamous, and women should consider the consequences of certain actions involving men.

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