Customer Reviews

The Black Stallion's Ghost

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am 12 years old and I LOVED this book! There is NO sex in it, unless you consider the breif mating of The Black and The Ghost. I will admit, however, it does have some pretty detailed deaths and horrors. I stayed up late reading this book it was so good! If you like The Black Stallion- read this book! For added effects- read it at night by flashlight.

Not for the squeamish! There's forbidden sex, a non-Christian diety and violence. And really not for children ages 9-12, as recommended. I know--I've HAD this book since 9 and hated it then. I re-read it a couple nights ago (I am now in my late 20s) and really enjoyed it. Personally, I would rate the book a 7, but useing the entire Blackl Stallion series as a reference, I gave it a 6. The average reader of the Black Stallion series likes their stories to have all the questions clearly answered, have the horses be the most complex characters and have a definate ending--this book does not have those. I have the feeling Walter Farley wrote this book more for himself than for his audience. He tried to write something he was not known for--a creepy Edgar Allen Poe type book, instead of a regular horse story. Also, he wrote The Black Stallion in 1945 and this was published in 1969--I think he EXPECTED his readers to grow up a bit and want to read something different. If you avoided this book as a kid, give it a try now--you'll be surprised. This is one of the most unique books of the series, requireing you to think and use your imagination as well as to have a love for horses

The Black Stallion's Ghost by Walter Farley left me in suspense so I didn't want to put it down! I recommend this book for children ages 8 to 14. It was neat to learn that Ghost's owner was afraid that Kovi would come and get him. The parts where the horse's routine was described were very interesting.

Imagine your horse running away, your only friend. Walter Farley, author of The Black Stallion's Ghost, puts you right next to Alec Ramsey,11, when he takes a different path one day with his horse, The Black. Little did he know, this decision would come back to haunt him.
Alec is an average boy, with the exeption he is one of the youngest horsemen and he and his horse are racers. The Black can run like the wind; together Alec and The Black are unstopable.
When Alec and The Black were riding through an unfamiliar trail, they suddenly heard music. They looked through a nearby bush and saw a man with his horse. When the man saw Alec, he invited him over for lunch. The man called himself Captain.
When they got there, a fierce storm hit forcing Alec to spend the night.
As night came, Alec could not fall asleep. He looked through the window and saw The Black running away. Captain came out of the barn. Alec ran to get his horse, he was too far in the Everglades to find.
Will Alec find his horse? Read to find out. I recomend this book to 10 and up, there is blood and violence. I liked this book because it talks about horses and you always wonder what will happen next.

I love the way the spirit, ghost or whatever it is is presented, not your average ghost, here! The dream sequences are marvelous, and the waking nightmares downright terrifying! This book scared me half to death when I was a kid, it still gives me shivers! Though having a scene where a crazed stallion brutally attacks and breeds a mare is NOT children's reading material. And was bad character representation for our equine hero!

The Black Stallion's Ghost
By: Walter Farley
Reviewed by: J. Yeh
Period: P.1

The Black Stallion, written by Walter Farley, is about a young boy and a stallion called Black. There has been many sequels of The Black Stallion. This book is about a boy named Alec and his adventure with his horse. Alec went to see a circus with a ringmaster and a horse who is like a ghost. Alec was riding Black through the fog-shrouded Everglades and they came upon a man on a gray mare that turns out to be the Ghost. They met eachother and the captain invited Alec to his house. Alec has a feeling that his host is insane. They had lunch together and Alec was about to go home when the captain begged him to stay for the night because a storm would be coming soon. It turned out that the captain wanted to breed his horse with Black. When Black was getting close with the Ghost, the captain tried to keep him away and got a pitch-fork to defend his horse. The next thing that happened was Black was running off towards the Everglades. Alec who was knocked out woke up and found that Black was gone. He tried to run after him, but the captain wouldn't let him because it was dangerous. Alec begged the captain to go with him because it was his fault that Black ran off. The captain was afraid of the Haitian curse. After a long search, the captain was found dead by Alec. Alec eventually found the Black. He rode back to the captain's place and found the people from the place he was supposed to stay at. They were very worried about Alec and took him and Black back. Alec told them the story, but they said that the captain had died a long time ago. They found out that the blind man had sold the Ghost to a man. Alec had wanted to buy that horse so that he could breed the Ghost and Black. They found the man who had the Ghost and Alec said he would buy it for any amount of money. The man said the horse was not on sale, but Alec eventually bought the horse for a large amount of money.
I like the book because it is an adventurous story about a horse and a loving boy. One of my favorite quotes is, "It's too late for regret. I MUST find him." It showed how much Alec had love for Black. Alec had lived with Black since his childhood and had loved and cared for it although the horse was a wild and fierce one that no one could go near him but himself. Another quote that I like was, "Come on. We're getting out of here." This quote meant that Alec was getting out of the Everglades with Black together without any of them getting left behind.
My favorite part of the book was when Alec and the captain went to find Black. Alec had the courage to go when the captain didn't. I liked this part because Alec wouldn't give up finding Black and that showed how much he cared for it.

I'm a mom who has read nearly all the Black Stallion books when I was young and have now introduced my daughter to them. She is in 4th grade and is 10 years old and LOVED this book! While another reviewer said this book was too scary for her 3rd grader I think you need to evaluate your own child and if they have ever watched the Harry Potter movies or something similiar they will have no problem with this book. It is a little different from most of Farley's books in that it adds some mysticism to the genre and you end up wondering is the monster Kovi real or is it in the imagination of every human being. In a way you never really know and that is what makes the book linger in your mind even after reading it. It's a real page turner and I think most kids today would really like something like this. While the original Black Stallion is a little dated (though still a terrific read), the Black Stallion's Ghost could have taken place right now. Get it and watch your child WANT to read!

The moment Alec met the captain he got a chill up his spine. Why was the Authority on Dressage and his beautiful horse out in the middle of the everglades? To find the answer Alec must plunge into the face of danger. But is the danger real or only in his mind?

This book was refreshingly strange. It didn't have most of the level headed thinking installed in most horse books. If you are interested in this book you should probably look into The Black Stallion Legend and The Island Stallion races both by Walter Farley. I haven't read The Island Stallion races yet but I have it on reserve so sometime I will be posting a reveiw for that.

Farley takes a different tack with this one, and it works well. There is some real suspense in this one! The story is great and Farley adds a great book to his series about the Black. Read it!

This book contains a brutal breeding, imaginary spirits and ghosts, and it scares the stuffing out of you. This book is totally unlike Farley. It is an overall good book, but NOT for people under 16. And even then you have to have the ability to not let things get to you , otherwise you will be up scared half the night! My advise to kids under 16 is DON'T READ IT!