The Young Black Stallion

The wonderfully improbable chronicles of the Black Stallion continue with this narrative of the Black's colthood in the mountains of Arabia. Specially bred to strengthen the bloodlines of Sheik Abu Ishak's herds, the Black is the victim of a failed horse raid. Driven out of his secluded pasture, the colt takes up with a herd of ibex. Soon he is scaling sheer rock faces and dueling fierce rams to the death. Befriended by Rashid, a young Bedouin, the stallion journeys to the desert, attempting to elude the rival groups of horse traders that seek him. As all devotees of the series know, the Black is finally recaptured and put aboard the tramp steamer Drake , just in time for his star-crossed meeting with Alec Ramsay, his future master. Although this prequel never quite matches the sparkle of the earlier works, it certainly should answer several questions about the Black's beginnings. Even the book's rather cloying mystical streak is unlikely to disturb the loyal followers of the legendary stallion. Ages 10-14. (Nov.)