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Heavenly Horse #2
Piper at the Gate
The sequel to Mary Stanton's first novel, "The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West", this novel continues the story of the desperate struggle for survival of the sacred Appaloosa breed of horses against impossible odds.
306 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1989
2 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stanton
58 books320 followersMary Stanton was born in Florida and grew up in Japan and Hawaii, after which she returned to the United States and received a B.A. in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Minnesota.
Stanton’s career as a fiction writer began with the publication of her first novel, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, in 1984. A beast fable similar in tone and theme to Watership Down, it was published in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. The sequel to that novel, Piper at the Gates, appeared in 1989. She sold her first mystery to The Berkley Publishing Group in 1994.
In all, Stanton has written nineteen mystery novels, two adult fantasy novels, eleven novels for middle-grade readers (including the successful series, The Unicorns of Balinor), and three scripts for a television cartoon series, Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, as well as edited three short story anthologies. Her nonfiction articles on horse care and veterinary medicine have appeared in national and regional magazines.
Stanton's newest series, The Beaufort & Company Mysteries, was launched in December 2008 with the publication of Defending Angels. Set in Savannah, Georgia, the paranormal mysteries chronicle the adventures of Bree Winston-Beaufort, a young lawyer who inherits her uncle's law firm and its deceased clientele, whom she represents in appeals before the Celestial Court.
The second book in the series, Angel's Advocate, was published in June 2009, followed by Avenging Angels in February 2010.
Mary also publishes the Hemlock Falls and Dr. McKenzie mysteries under the name Claudia Bishop. See the Claudia Bishop web site for more information.
Stanton’s interests outside writing have remained consistent over the years. She is a horsewoman, a goat aficionado, an enthusiastic (if inept) gardener, and a fan of gourmet food, but not an expert. She has developed a writing program for teens and middle grade readers that has had considerable success in schools.
Stanton has been a dedicated reader all her life, with particular emphasis on biography, history, veterinary science, medicine, psychology and current affairs. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America.
Stanton’s career as a fiction writer began with the publication of her first novel, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, in 1984. A beast fable similar in tone and theme to Watership Down, it was published in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. The sequel to that novel, Piper at the Gates, appeared in 1989. She sold her first mystery to The Berkley Publishing Group in 1994.
In all, Stanton has written nineteen mystery novels, two adult fantasy novels, eleven novels for middle-grade readers (including the successful series, The Unicorns of Balinor), and three scripts for a television cartoon series, Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders, as well as edited three short story anthologies. Her nonfiction articles on horse care and veterinary medicine have appeared in national and regional magazines.
Stanton's newest series, The Beaufort & Company Mysteries, was launched in December 2008 with the publication of Defending Angels. Set in Savannah, Georgia, the paranormal mysteries chronicle the adventures of Bree Winston-Beaufort, a young lawyer who inherits her uncle's law firm and its deceased clientele, whom she represents in appeals before the Celestial Court.
The second book in the series, Angel's Advocate, was published in June 2009, followed by Avenging Angels in February 2010.
Mary also publishes the Hemlock Falls and Dr. McKenzie mysteries under the name Claudia Bishop. See the Claudia Bishop web site for more information.
Stanton’s interests outside writing have remained consistent over the years. She is a horsewoman, a goat aficionado, an enthusiastic (if inept) gardener, and a fan of gourmet food, but not an expert. She has developed a writing program for teens and middle grade readers that has had considerable success in schools.
Stanton has been a dedicated reader all her life, with particular emphasis on biography, history, veterinary science, medicine, psychology and current affairs. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 23, 2019
Eh, couldn't get into this one the same way as the first. The way the horses talk about El Arat, like she'd always been a part of their mythology and not a recent addition less than a few years old just broke my suspension of disbelief. DNF
July 11, 2012
While i liked the characters in this book awhole lot more, i felt alot of it was too easy? not believable? It was like, the story is great, alot of potential, but the author didn't want to take the time to lead you there. Also,at the beginning of the book, I like Piper...alot. But by the end, he loses something, and well at least we still have the geldings. But I would like to see a third book, i would like to know what happenes to El Arat and her fillies. Piper is still young enough, he could remain the main char. or his son, Rocket.
November 9, 2011
YET MORE HORSIES!!! Hooray!
This book, the sequel to The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, was ridiculously well-loved by me as a kid, and it has stood up to re-readings as an adult well enough, though I don't revisit it as often as its prequel.
It's another fantasy set in the realm and mythos of equines, filled with warring gods and brave mortals in peril.
also: HORSES!!! YES!
This book, the sequel to The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, was ridiculously well-loved by me as a kid, and it has stood up to re-readings as an adult well enough, though I don't revisit it as often as its prequel.
It's another fantasy set in the realm and mythos of equines, filled with warring gods and brave mortals in peril.
also: HORSES!!! YES!
February 1, 2016
A horse tale with a twist. Very much so along the lines of Watership Downs but with less of an appeal to stop ecological destruction and a lot more fantastical elements.
April 1, 2024
‘Piper at the Gate’ is the sequel to ‘The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West’, following Piper, son of Duchess and the Dancer from the previous book. The souls of Piper’s parents are trapped in limbo due to the schemes of the evil El Arat, and Piper and his friends must travel into the very depths of horse Hell to save them.
I enjoyed this slightly more than the first book, perhaps because the author expects the reader to be familiar with the world and thus wastes less time on exposition. It could have used a bit of editing – “Lilly” and “Lily” are both used for one character, and “Soul Taker” becomes “Soultaker” about halfway through. There are also a couple of typos, such as “on” instead of “one” and “tall” instead of “tail”.
As with the first book, the horses are a little too anthropomorphic and knowledgeable about humans, but if you liked ‘The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West’, you will probably like this.
I enjoyed this slightly more than the first book, perhaps because the author expects the reader to be familiar with the world and thus wastes less time on exposition. It could have used a bit of editing – “Lilly” and “Lily” are both used for one character, and “Soul Taker” becomes “Soultaker” about halfway through. There are also a couple of typos, such as “on” instead of “one” and “tall” instead of “tail”.
As with the first book, the horses are a little too anthropomorphic and knowledgeable about humans, but if you liked ‘The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West’, you will probably like this.
September 13, 2020
Piper at the Gate reads a touch better than its previous installation, though I would hazard to say the characters are not as interesting/do not grow as much. Most characters are quite basic, particularly our main character Piper, though he does change somewhat within the last two chapters-- it's rather abrupt.
I would recommend this book to those who like fast-paced and lore-heavy stories, but don't mind rather matte main characters (also, read the first one before this!).
I would recommend this book to those who like fast-paced and lore-heavy stories, but don't mind rather matte main characters (also, read the first one before this!).
October 23, 2024
So before I get into my criticisms of this book, I would just like to point out this is possibly one of the most foundational books of my childhood. I must've read it dozen times or more. Containing everything that I love about fantasy, horses, etc., it just started my journey into the fantasy genre.
It is an absolutely fantastic book, far better than Watership Down, and I can't imagine why it's not on top 10 lists for best animal fantasy ever written. Copies are hard to come by, and you can only buy them used. Seems they're not re-printing it anymore, which is an absolute travesty.
So yes while I have my minor complaints about it, I will never stop me from enjoying this book over and over and over and over. Particularly in the autumn, it is an excellent Halloween read. So if you want to just skip the issues I have with it and take my word that it's a good book, there you go.
The first thing that bothers me, is that right away, it seems that the evil side is breaking the laws, by putting poisoned hay in a place to be eaten. El Arat deliberately tricked the Namer. And lied straight to Equus's face. She also managed to make three soul takers instead of one. As well as set her skeleton army after Duchess.
But again, for some reason, supernatural bad guys can do whatever they want and get away with it, and the supernatural good guys can't. At this point, El Arat, her children and the skeleton writers are all supernatural demons. And the good guys have only mortals? Doesn't seem fair.
That does seem to be a recurring issue of these books unfortunately.
Secondly, they say that "El Arat had to kill the first foal of Duchess in order to enter the black barns"-which is demonstrably not true, if you bother to read the first book. She had to kill Pony's , there was like at least an entire chapter about this.
Also, I don't find the idea of letting a large herd of expensive and valuable horses just wander around in the mountains of Montana by themselves particularly rational, from either an ethical or a business viewpoint.
Having horses, and possibly your most valuable stud, fall prey to avalanches, drought, starvation, cougars and wild animals, landslides, or even evil humans, seems particularly risky venture.
As we saw in the previous book, there are people that will deliberately trick wild horses Into capture, and then starve them to death, or sell them off cheaply to be butchered for dog food.
Why, WHY is Piper expected to compete in a rodeo only three days after coming back from the mountains, without any training, etc.? He's supposed to just remember everything and immediately be ready to compete? These are skills that are one through constant repetition, and practice. Neither of which he has.
It is an absolutely fantastic book, far better than Watership Down, and I can't imagine why it's not on top 10 lists for best animal fantasy ever written. Copies are hard to come by, and you can only buy them used. Seems they're not re-printing it anymore, which is an absolute travesty.
So yes while I have my minor complaints about it, I will never stop me from enjoying this book over and over and over and over. Particularly in the autumn, it is an excellent Halloween read. So if you want to just skip the issues I have with it and take my word that it's a good book, there you go.
The first thing that bothers me, is that right away, it seems that the evil side is breaking the laws, by putting poisoned hay in a place to be eaten. El Arat deliberately tricked the Namer. And lied straight to Equus's face. She also managed to make three soul takers instead of one. As well as set her skeleton army after Duchess.
But again, for some reason, supernatural bad guys can do whatever they want and get away with it, and the supernatural good guys can't. At this point, El Arat, her children and the skeleton writers are all supernatural demons. And the good guys have only mortals? Doesn't seem fair.
That does seem to be a recurring issue of these books unfortunately.
Secondly, they say that "El Arat had to kill the first foal of Duchess in order to enter the black barns"-which is demonstrably not true, if you bother to read the first book. She had to kill Pony's , there was like at least an entire chapter about this.
Also, I don't find the idea of letting a large herd of expensive and valuable horses just wander around in the mountains of Montana by themselves particularly rational, from either an ethical or a business viewpoint.
Having horses, and possibly your most valuable stud, fall prey to avalanches, drought, starvation, cougars and wild animals, landslides, or even evil humans, seems particularly risky venture.
As we saw in the previous book, there are people that will deliberately trick wild horses Into capture, and then starve them to death, or sell them off cheaply to be butchered for dog food.
Why, WHY is Piper expected to compete in a rodeo only three days after coming back from the mountains, without any training, etc.? He's supposed to just remember everything and immediately be ready to compete? These are skills that are one through constant repetition, and practice. Neither of which he has.
May 31, 2018
A well-done, worthy sequel for an excellent book.
July 3, 2021
An excellent sequel
February 5, 2023
A few things in this book didn't quite match up with the first, but still a good read. Another book that's a secret gem of the horse fantasy world!
June 22, 2024
An exceptional follow-up to the first Heavenly Horse. I enjoyed this one immensely. I would recommend this to anyone who loves horses and a great fantasy story.
November 18, 2022
What a perfect ending to this duet. I started it in the middle of a move and lost track of it for a while, otherwise I would have finished this book in a day. It's non stop action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. These are a wonderful addition to my horse fantasy collection. It's rare to find books where the horses are the main characters, and I just love the way she developed these ones. Horses having their own culture? Gods, laws, legends, religion? Why not? If you love horse fantasy like I do, definitely add this one to your "to be read" list. All the stars to Piper at The Gate!
January 17, 2008
Even better than the first book. This story revolves around Piper, the first son of Duchess and The Dancer. Piper is called on to rescue his sire and dam after they've been tricked onto the green path, and into a sort of limbo, by the Dark Horse.
July 13, 2009
also read as a kid, its part 2 of the heavenly horse. :)
April 3, 2011
Read this book when a was younger, and I still think of it as one of the best books I ever read.
Want to read
February 12, 2012I feel like I must have read this. I've read the first one about 3 times. But I honestly can't remember anything about it at the moment, except the cover. So it is on my 'to-read' list.
November 14, 2012
love it lots of thrill
January 8, 2013
A childhood favorite of mine
August 28, 2016
I adored this book. It reminded me of Watership Down, in like the best of all possible ways! I can't wait to find the first one!
October 8, 2016
No review: its been a while since I read this: 15 years or so?!
October 17, 2022
The Heavenly Horse didn’t deserve a sequel so unnecessary and shameful. It had all the potential to be great, but Piper missed every single opportunity thrown it’s way. DNF
October 28, 2012
Sequel to heavenly horse. If you know a teen who loves horses get them these books!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews