Customer Reviews

The Black Stallion and Flame

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have no idea where Walter Farley got the idea for this book. It was definitely one of his stranger ones! The Black ends up shipwrecked on Azul Island, the home of Flame. This is exciting enough to me, but Walter Farley throws in a rabid vampire bat for some reason! To make things even odder, the bat keeps dive-bombing and attacking horses in the herd which somehow ends up with Flame and The Black working together. It is quite unrealistic. I am not saying the two stallions should have killed each others; whatever Walter Farley likes to say about "killer wild stallions", 95% of fights between stallions don't result in serious injuries, let alone death. Stallions want to win, not murder each other. However, I don't think the two of them would have teamed up to face the "horrible menace" of the rabid bat. Also, bats do not display rabies. It has been proven that they can carry it with apparently no ill effects, so to have a foaming-at-the-mouth, "insane" bat attacking full grown horses is ludicrous! Vampire bats don't attack anything; they sneak up on SLEEPING animals, make a tiny cut, and lap up the blood without even waking the victim due to special chemicals in their mouths. So in all, a rather disappointing book in my opinion. I love The Black and Flame, but this was not one of the better books involving them.

In The Black Stallion and Flame, Alec and the Black are in a plane wreck when flying over the Caribbean. The chapters then alternate between Alec and Henry, who make there way to a populated island, and the Black, who makes his way to a nonpopulated island. Alec and Henry are looking for the Black when they discover that a deadly diseased vampire bat is on the loose. Meanwhile the Black finds his way onto an island through a tiny passage that is almost invisible. Alec and Henry take a boat out looking for the Black and discover the island that he is on, but they can't figure out how to get onto it (this is the same island from The Island Stallion, for those of you who have read it). Alec realizes that the bat has traveled in their boat with them to the island! The Black meets Flame, the Island Stallion, but it doesn't use the name "Flame" in the story so unless you have read The Island Stallion, you have no idea who the "Flame" in the title is. Anyway, they are battling! But then the bat comes onto the island and starts trying to attack them! Will the horses team up to defeat the deadly bat, or will one (or both) of the heroes die (either thru battle or from the bat)? And there's the big question looming over it all: Will Alec find his horse? And if he does, will the Black be willing to give up his new life in the wild for the world of racing? This is a super book!

I got so excited when I saw this book! My favorite horses in the world by my very favorite author! It started well, but somehow it didn't grip as well as all the rest of Farley's. Still worth the price and the read, but not up to the Farley par. The story is good, but the details don't wrap me up, and the tension doesn't build as strongly. Read it anyway.

I have all the Black Stallion books through The Black Stallion and the Girl, and this seems more of a departure than the two books on his harness-racing son, Bonfire. It begins with a plane crash that separates The Black, mares and foals from Henry and Alex who manage to land on the island where The Island Stallion reigns with his herd. While I won't go into the plot of the book, I found that, interesting as it was, it just couldn't come close to the racing world we are used to. No Napolean, no Satan, no Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay for the most part, and no Hopeful Farm. The story did highlight the strong bond between Alex and The Black which was the best part for me. I had a hard time swallowing the idea of two wild stallions racing after a bat, though. It was more exciting in The Black Stallion Challenged when he and Flame battled on a racetrack instead of an island.

In this book we get the first meeting of Walter Farley's two most famous Horses the Black Stallion (The Black) and the Island Stallion (Flame). During a bad storm the plane, Alec, The Black and Henry are on, crashes. The Black and some mares and their foals, get separated from the human survivors. The Black and his small band, end up finding Azul Island, where Flame is King of his herd. While Henry and Alec eventual get rescued and taken to another island. However they refuse to leave with out looking for the Black. The Black enjoys his found freedom, but two powerful stallions can never coexist for long

The chapters alternated between Alec and Henry's POV , and The Blacks, which is quite interesting to see Walter write from the Horses prospective, something I don't think he ever did before, nor again as far as I know.

We also have a rapid Vampire Bat that stirs up trouble for both the humans and the horses.

I happen to disagree w/ the person that said that the book was horrible. I loved this book so much. Everytime I read it, I'm on the edge of my seat wondering if everything is going to turn out ok, even though I know what is going to happen. I have probably read the book 7-8 times since I found it in a box that my mom used to have. I have read about half the books and I love them all. I would definitly recommend this book to anyone that loves horses!

This book is so good. I read it over and over. I was so scared when the bat came after the Black and Flame even though I knew nothing can happen to the heros of the story.

Finnaly the Black Stallion and Flame meet. The bat is a nice twist. I am also glad that The Black and Flame didn't kill each other. But why does Walter Farley always have a plane crash? Its getting a little old. Where is Steve any way?

The Black Stallion and Flame is an awesome book! It is about a boy who gets in a plane accident and loses his horse The Black. The Black helps other mares gets saftly to an island. Later in the story it talks about how The Black finds Flame and they help eachother. The boy finally finds his horse. I recommend this book!

I liked the book and the way that they meet. But where is Steve and why did Alec not whait by the island a little longer, for if he had he would have found the Black quiker. I have to agree why does Walter Farly allways have a plane crash or some other tradity happen? I was amased that the Black and Flame helped each other the way they did. I thought that they would have killed each other like the way Flame killed the Piebald in The Island Stallion.