I Am The Great Horse

I Am The Great Horse

Product Description A thundering epic about Bucephalus, young Alexander the Greats fierce, fiery, battle-scarred stallion--straight from the horses mouth. I am the dark horse, Bucephalus. I am no black beauty. I am a stallion trained for war. From the moment they dare sit on his back, the fates of Alexander, 12-year-old heir to the Macedonian throne, and Charm, a kind stable girl, are bound to the battle-ready steed. When the boy becomes king, Bucephalus helps his young master transform into a conquering hero. In a hard-won, nearly blind blaze of glory, they gallop from Greece to the golden sands of Persia to the edge of the known world. At their side, as ever, is Charm. This is their epic. Through the eyes of a horse, history unfolds. From School Library Journal Grade 6-10This is a marvelous book, and much of its strength relates directly to its nonhuman narrator. Alexander the Greats horse, Bucephalas, is always ready to fight if another stallion challenges his position as herd leader; he dominates dung to establish his priority; he whinnies affectionately to his mares, and, occasionally, breaks free to make a foal with one. More importantly, he brings a somewhat nonjudgmental viewpoint to the life and activity of Alexander, screening the conqueror through a horses norms rather than those of a human being. This viewpoint allows Roberts to narrate extremely harsh incidents of battle or execution as examples of the way a dominant stallion maintains control of his herd. For some readers, the most interesting side of the animal might be his ability, shared with the other horses in the book, to see ghosts, both human and equine. It serves to heighten the tension in several sections. A human viewpoint is provided through Bucephalass groom, Charmeia, and the three share a horse bond that links them until Alexander and Bucephalas die. Charmeias consistently kind and tender heart is an effective counterweight to Alexanders almost manic approach to life. Roberts has clearly done her research. Her Alexander is complex, driven, alternately coldly ambitious and warmly generous: arguably both hero and criminal. I Am the Great Horse is a rich, rewarding, and propulsive read that deserves a wide audience. Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Part historical fiction, part fantasy, this action-packed war novel tells the story of Alexander the Great from the viewpoint of his beloved horse, Bucephalus, who carries the conquering hero from Greece and Persia to India around 330 BCE. Bucephalus can understand human behavior and speech, and what he does not witness, he picks up from groom-gossip. Some readers will be intrigued by the personal relationships between the conqueror and his friends and enemies, but the action is thrilling, as horse and rider tear into battle and nearly always win. It all comes together in the loving bond between Alexander, his horse, and his groom, Charm, who hides many secrets: Who raped her mother? With echoes of todays conflicts, she questions what Alexander calls his liberation of the peoples he conquers, the massacre, the mutilation, and the torture. The Iliad is constantly invoked, but more than the epic struggle, what is best here is the horse that sees things that men do not. Hazel Rochman Copyright American Library Association. All rights reserved