The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West [Hardcover]

Mary Stanton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1988

An epic fantasy about Duchess, an ill-tempered mare who is recognized as carrying the sacred Appaloosa genes which were abdicated as part of a pact with the Dark Lord. She and her breed are saved from extinction by the mysterious ancestral rainbow horse from the courts of the Outermost West.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Dark Horse and his minions search for the last true Appaloosa for their own nefarious purposes, while, from the Courts of the Outermost West, the Dancer enters the world to save his breed from extinction. In the tradition of Watership Down (1974) and Tailchaser's Song (DAW, 1986), Stanton explores the secret world of horses in a story full of adventure, myth, and peril that will appeal to both horse lovers and fantasy fans. Recommended. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (November 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0450490602
• ISBN-13: 978-0450490606
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,980,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book i ever read!, January 21, 2000

By 

Claire Jolliff (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (Mass Market Paperback)

I owned this book since i was about nine and i've read it about 20-30 times, it never gets old. it isn't anywhere near my usual genre as i much prefer horrors but this really was the greatest book i have ever read. At first it seemed to be a simple flighty fantasy tale but i soon became too caught up in Duchess, The Dancer, Susie, El Arat and all of the others, i couldn't put it down, the book is so deep and goes onto so many levels, i suppose you have to be a horse liker to appreciate it but having lost it i would love to get hold of it again as the plot and storyline and the bordering on believable fantasy are all so captivating...

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FABULOUS MIX OF FANTASY AND REALISM!, June 20, 1999

By 

"rukhus" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (Mass Market Paperback)

Y'know, there's always that one impulse book that you buy, and this one is mine. You should never judge a book by its cover, but if you see this cover you'll know why I did. It turned out to be a wonderful story reminiscent of Watership Down and that sort of style ( animals talking to one another, sharing myths, group heirarchy, & so on) but I thought it was much more interesting. The characters in these horses' myths actually live and pose a real threat to them. I read it in two days and set out the third to find the sequel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical horse story..., June 7, 2002

By 

Pomru "[e-mail]" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West (Mass Market Paperback)

My first reaction to seeing this book's title was to wonder what the author was thinking. It didn't sound particularly inspiring. I pulled the book off its shelf at the used bookstore I found it in, and immediately regretted my first impression. The cover art suggests a story far darker and deeper than you would expect from the book's title, and a Tolkien-esque epic scale. I bought it without another thought.

Sure enough, this was no children's book. What Richard Adams did for rabbits in Watership Down, Mary Stanton does here with her horses. The antagonists are truly evil in ways most storybook villians only aspire to, and the equine mythology/religion thoroughly detailed. My only disappointment was in thinking this masterpiece was a one-shot wonder, a belief that was thankfully proven wrong by the discovery of this book's more epically titled sequel, "Piper at the Gate"

NOT for young children (say, under 13). Anor the Executioner will give them the screaming meemies, and Anor's master (the equine analog to the devil) will give them nightmares (no pun intended) for weeks. But a MUST READ for anyone over the age of 13, whether you like horses or not.

NOTE: Due to the dark and supernatural nature of the storyline and antagonists, I'm tempted to catagorize this one under "anthropomorhpic/horror" instead of fantasy.