00009735

Alec was broken-hearted. An Arab chieftain had appeared with proper ownership papers and taken Alec's beloved horse back to his desert birthplace.

In this sequel to The Black Stallion, Alec finds himself traveling to the deserts and mountains of Arabia, to the original home of The Black, and to see the purpose for which the great horse was bred.

I enjoyed this story, and how the author described the culture of the Bedouin tribes, without employing long passages devoted to explanation, and relating the adventures of Alec, without having to dispel belief. ( )

This book was written with more than a love of horses in mind, it also includes an interesting look into history and gives us a glance into the Arabian culture that modern books tend to completely disregard. Before the days when you would hop on a plane to cross the ocean, back when horse racing was truly the sport of kings, one boy went with his friends on a journey around the world to reunite with his horse. This is the story of Alec and the Black, continued with perfection. You can almost feel the heat of the desert on you as Alec and the others travel under the hot sun, and as always the experience of riding in a big race is so well told that you can almost feel the wind in your own face.

Farley has the ability to create the perfect story with ease, giving just the details needed to keep the heart pumping and letting the imagination do the rest, creating a winning combination for adventure. This is one of those books that should be on the shelves of all horse lovers, no matter what age they might be.

A surprisingly even-handed treatment of the Middle East, written so long ago that getting there from New York took 6 days by plane. Heart-pounding excitement, the most wonderful horses ever, and a deeply satisfying conclusion. There's a reason that this is still the horse series. ( )