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Post by Claire on May 3, 2008 13:23:48 GMT 1
Been meaning to write this thread for a while. I was wondering what are the most unusual, weird or wonderful pony books everyone has read.
When I was researching the adult books came across one by Judith Tarr called A Wind in Cairo where a man is transformed into an Arab stallion by a sorcerer. (Wish I could do that...lets face it a choice between a bloke and a gorgeous arab stallion no contest!) I havent actually read it but certainly sounds unusual.
Probably the 2 most unusual pony books I have read are Mylor by Michael Maguire which is about a horse who has been created by a scientist (but despite this its good) and The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West by Mary Stanton which is about a bunch of horses and ponies at a breeding farm who become involved with horse gods and demons when it turns out that one of the mares is giving birth to a very special foal.
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Post by darkhorse on May 3, 2008 15:30:24 GMT 1
Anyone read The Winged Colt of Casa Mia (sp?) by Betsy Byars that is a strange one
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Post by Claire on May 4, 2008 11:27:06 GMT 1
Yes, Ive got that one. It is a bit different from the norm. Just got round to reading Hildebrand by John Thorburn now that is an odd book!
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pelly
Stablehand
Posts: 22
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Post by pelly on May 4, 2008 11:48:58 GMT 1
Michael Morpugo (cornish chap) and White Horses of Zennor.
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Post by garej on May 4, 2008 11:58:51 GMT 1
My latest book "The Deep Sea Horse" is a strange one (do bear in mind I have yet to read it all).
The horse (Claud) starts off on the land, but jumps into the sea after being fed up of the other colts laughing at him, and hearing the mermaids sing....
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Post by Claire on May 4, 2008 20:39:02 GMT 1
Another Primrose Cumming one that is unusual is The Great Horses. Read this a few days ago. Basically it follows the bloodline of a strain of Warhorses from the days of the Norman conquest to the when they were used as cart horses in modern (relatively speaking!) times. It surmises that the war horses were the ancestors of the Shires. It focuses on the lives of 3 horses each from a different time. It is a bit of a history book but is fiction. I must say I enjoyed it as the characters of the horses were really well done (not to mention the people).
I think Primrose Cumming was one of the most innovative writers in the genre, when you think she wrote traditional pony stories such as Mystery Trek and No Place for Ponies, fantasies such as Silver Snaffles and the Deep Sea Horse, books set in different culture such as Foal of the Fjords and Penny and Pegasus (set in Greece) and then you have things like the Great Horses, steeped in history. And all are really well written. Sorry strayed from the subject a bit but if you want an unusual pony book she has written a few good ones.
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Post by sarah on May 4, 2008 22:00:52 GMT 1
Plum Duff and Prunella is quite unusual - think the horse talks and whisks young girl off to a midnight woodland picnic for animals - well something like that anyway - ust read it again and will give a better description. Remember enjoying it and the illustrations.
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Post by Claire on May 4, 2008 22:41:03 GMT 1
That one sounds interesting who wrote it sarah?
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Post by sarah on May 5, 2008 12:20:24 GMT 1
Plum Duff and Prunella - written by Phillis Garrard (London, Country Life, 1938, Illus by M.E.Rivers-Moore).
Will let you know more when I have re-read it.
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Post by kunuma on May 5, 2008 13:25:08 GMT 1
I have to say that my favourite odd pony book is The Little White Horse, but a close second is The Horse and his Boy from the Narnia series. Number one for weird, and literary at the same time has to go to Gullivers Travels and the island of unpronounceable horses!! Several of my sci fi faves have important horse characters in them too!!!!!! ;D
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Post by susanb on May 5, 2008 17:29:18 GMT 1
The Black Loch by Patricia Leitch (first book I read by her...I was over the moon to have found such a great "new" author!)
Mig o' the Moor by Nancy Caffrey
The Grey Horse by R.A. McAvoy (grown up, rather than YA fantasy.....a good read, as is her non-horse Tea With the Black Dragon)
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Post by haffyfan on May 5, 2008 18:00:12 GMT 1
The Black Loch by Patricia Leitch (first book I read by her...I was over the moon to have found such a great "new" author!) How could we have all forgot about that one...another of my faves. Actually I think most of the Jinny's are quite unusual due to the celtic themes and magic woven though them too. Elidor (does that one count?)
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Post by susanb on May 5, 2008 19:22:29 GMT 1
:-) The obvious is always the one people forget!
I picked up the book in a store because it looked such good fantasy, not even knowing it had a horse element (the US printing doesn't have a horse in the cover art)...then I noticed that the back panel had a picture of her Last Summer to Ride (the US title for Janet Young Rider/Horse for the Holidays)...first thing I did when I got home was to hop on the net and locate that book...and after reading that I was hooked!
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Post by Claire on May 5, 2008 19:41:41 GMT 1
Oh how could I forget Black Loch too?! One of my all time favs. I agree that some of the Jinny ones are also unusual esp the ones with The Walker in them. Susan you always have some good suggestions of things to read will have to find the Grey Horse. I really want to read Mig o the Moor too but too expensive Kunuma yes agree with you for Little White Horse and Gullivers Travels (did you ever see the TV version of it with Ted Danson in? The horse bit was brilliant very moving) I know you like fantasy so wonder if you have ever read the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. There was one book in that (Nightmare?) in which the main character is a night-mare who has been chucked out of nightmare land and turned into a real horse. I loved it.
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Post by susanb on May 6, 2008 3:51:04 GMT 1
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Post by kunuma on May 6, 2008 16:47:53 GMT 1
Ooh thanks for that Claire, I will look out for him, no, I hadn't read any of his. Ilove the Marion ZB ones, where the hero comes from a horse loving tribe and looks after his horses before himself and the heroine has a white stallion who she would never leave. Prefers him to the hero!!!!!!!!! ;D Am in the middle of one which brings together hunting and scifi Personally I could have done without the hunting aspect, but have to read it out of curiousity!
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Post by Claire on May 6, 2008 20:16:25 GMT 1
Thanks for that link susanb. I was watching a copy of this a couple of weeks ago but I forgot to bid on it so will keep my eye on this one. Kunuma the nightmare one is the only one of the Xanth series to have a horse as the heroine however the first few are all good they are quite amusing (tho they are a tad sexist but then again the woman are usual the bosses so it evens out!) the series did deteriorate after a while but the first ones are definitely worth a look. BTW which are the MZB ones dont think I have read them, although read quite a few of hers.
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Post by trixiepony on Jun 13, 2008 3:45:40 GMT 1
Hi I just got this book its old Its Ponies at Westways by Constance m. White. Its prity old the writing in it is dated 7-7-54. I think it may be a school story more than a pony story, but I just got it and have only read a little of it.
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Post by kunuma on Jun 13, 2008 20:11:03 GMT 1
BTW which are the MZB ones dont think I have read them, although read quite a few of hers. With my usual speed at answering questions I now admit to having a blonde moment (which gets tangled up with approaching senility!) and the book I was thinking of is actualyl by CJ CHERRYH The Chronicles of Morgaine Probably my fav Fantasy/Sci Fi book.
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Post by Claire on Jun 13, 2008 20:24:09 GMT 1
Thanks kunuma, thought it was odd of me to have missed it!
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faldo
Stablehand
Posts: 4
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Post by faldo on Jun 27, 2008 20:46:03 GMT 1
Can any one help me with this one? Read it in the early 60's a sort of fantasy SF, where the heroine could turn at will into a horse or if neccessary a Hinny, after such a long time I can't remeber much about the plot, but it would have been aimed at the 11 - 14 year old reading age.
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