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The Black Stallion #11
The Island Stallion Races
More than anything, Steve Duncan dreams of racing his huge, wild stallion, Flame. The horse is untrained, but incredibly fast and Steve just wants to show him off. When two strangers show up and offer to make Steve’s dream a reality, Steve cannot believe his luck. But soon he realizes that a professional racetrack is no place for an unbroken stallion.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
23 people are currently reading
952 people want to read
About the author
Walter Farley
169 books1,035 followersWalter Farley's love for horses began when he was a small boy living in Syracuse, New York, and continued as he grew up in New York City, where his family moved. Young Walter never owned a horse. But unlike most city children, he had little trouble gaining firsthand experience with horses-his uncle was a professional horseman, and Walter spent much of his time at the stables with him.
"He wasn't the most successful trainer of race horses," Mr. Farley recalled, "and in a way I profited by it. He switched from runners to jumpers to show horses to trotters and pacers, then back to runners again. Consequently, I received a good background in different kinds of horse training and the people associated with each."
Walter Farley began to write his first book, THE BLACK STALLION, while he was a student at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, and
finished it while he was an undergraduate at Columbia University. It was published by Random House when he was 26. He used his first advance to go traveling and after that hardly stopped longer than it took him to write another book. He traveled and lived in Mexico, Hawaii, the South Seas, most of the South American countries, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe.
The appearance of THE BLACK STALLION in 1941 was hailed by enthusiastic boys and girls all over the country. An avalanche of mail urged Mr. Farley to write more about Alec Ramsey and the Black. But World War II intervened. Mr. Farley went into the US Army, where he spent the next five years. Most of the time he was assigned to Yank, the army weekly magazine, and he was also trained in the Fourth Armored Division.
After the war Walter Farley resumed the adventures of Alec and the Black with THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS. This was followed by SON OF THE BLACK STALLION. Then Mr. Farley tried his hand at a story about a new boy, Steve Duncan, and a new horse, Flame, in THE ISLAND STALLION. Mr. Farley's readers were just as delighted with this book as his others.
Mr. Farley went on to write many more stories about the two stallions, and about other horses as well. Children of all ages have found Farley titles to enjoy, since many of the later stories were written for Mr. Farley's own children when they were too young to read his Stallion novels. And older readers and adults have been gripped by his fictionalized biography of America's greatest Thoroughbred, Man O'War. Walter Farley's titles reached a grand total of 34. The 21 Black Stallion and Island Stallion stories are still in print and selling steadily. His readers respond with passion, writing him thousands of letters and emails every year. In May 1949, the first Black Stallion Club was founded, in Kentucky. Mr. Farley designed a membership button for it; the button was in constant demand among his readers for years. The Black Stallion books were so popular in the late 1940s and '50s that they York Times annual list of best-selling children's books. Three nationwide Black Stallion contests were held. Walter Farley's books have been published abroad in more than 20 countries, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Israel, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaya, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as in the United States and Canada.
All his life Walter Farley remained a keen spectator of the racing scene, and he enjoyed nothing more than hobnobbing with horse trainers and other professional horsemen. It is thanks to these people that his books are so full of authentic details of raising and training horses. When not busy working or traveling, Mr. Farley liked to ride dressage and high school Lippizaner horses. He also sailed and sometimes raced his 35-foot auxiliary sloop "Circe."
Mr. Farley and his wife Rosemary, had four children: Pam, Alice, Steve, and Tim, whom they raised on a farm in Pennsylvania and in a beach house in Florida. In addit
"He wasn't the most successful trainer of race horses," Mr. Farley recalled, "and in a way I profited by it. He switched from runners to jumpers to show horses to trotters and pacers, then back to runners again. Consequently, I received a good background in different kinds of horse training and the people associated with each."
Walter Farley began to write his first book, THE BLACK STALLION, while he was a student at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, and
finished it while he was an undergraduate at Columbia University. It was published by Random House when he was 26. He used his first advance to go traveling and after that hardly stopped longer than it took him to write another book. He traveled and lived in Mexico, Hawaii, the South Seas, most of the South American countries, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe.
The appearance of THE BLACK STALLION in 1941 was hailed by enthusiastic boys and girls all over the country. An avalanche of mail urged Mr. Farley to write more about Alec Ramsey and the Black. But World War II intervened. Mr. Farley went into the US Army, where he spent the next five years. Most of the time he was assigned to Yank, the army weekly magazine, and he was also trained in the Fourth Armored Division.
After the war Walter Farley resumed the adventures of Alec and the Black with THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS. This was followed by SON OF THE BLACK STALLION. Then Mr. Farley tried his hand at a story about a new boy, Steve Duncan, and a new horse, Flame, in THE ISLAND STALLION. Mr. Farley's readers were just as delighted with this book as his others.
Mr. Farley went on to write many more stories about the two stallions, and about other horses as well. Children of all ages have found Farley titles to enjoy, since many of the later stories were written for Mr. Farley's own children when they were too young to read his Stallion novels. And older readers and adults have been gripped by his fictionalized biography of America's greatest Thoroughbred, Man O'War. Walter Farley's titles reached a grand total of 34. The 21 Black Stallion and Island Stallion stories are still in print and selling steadily. His readers respond with passion, writing him thousands of letters and emails every year. In May 1949, the first Black Stallion Club was founded, in Kentucky. Mr. Farley designed a membership button for it; the button was in constant demand among his readers for years. The Black Stallion books were so popular in the late 1940s and '50s that they York Times annual list of best-selling children's books. Three nationwide Black Stallion contests were held. Walter Farley's books have been published abroad in more than 20 countries, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Israel, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaya, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Switzerland, as well as in the United States and Canada.
All his life Walter Farley remained a keen spectator of the racing scene, and he enjoyed nothing more than hobnobbing with horse trainers and other professional horsemen. It is thanks to these people that his books are so full of authentic details of raising and training horses. When not busy working or traveling, Mr. Farley liked to ride dressage and high school Lippizaner horses. He also sailed and sometimes raced his 35-foot auxiliary sloop "Circe."
Mr. Farley and his wife Rosemary, had four children: Pam, Alice, Steve, and Tim, whom they raised on a farm in Pennsylvania and in a beach house in Florida. In addit
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
October 27, 2008
What a bizarre book! I suppose every author, in the midst of a lengthy and popular series, faces the temptation at some point to break out of the well-worn groove and try something really different. This book is Walter Farley succumbing to that temptation, and the results is a quirky delight. Not perfect, but I really enjoyed the ride.
January 24, 2009
This was a pivotal book in my life. It guided my reading concentration straight from horse books to science fiction, by the clever combination of genres.
February 11, 2017
When I was eight and nine years old, I read everything I could get my hands on by Walter Farley. I remember, from a distance of more than fifty years, being thrilled when beings from another world showed up in this one!
January 21, 2019
Favorite book out of all of the Black Stallion books. You are in for a surprise if you read this book.
November 1, 2020
By far my least favorite in this series. Why in the world would we need to bring in science fiction into books like these. Just plain odd.
September 23, 2022
3.5/5 because.... what? what? .... what was this book?
rounded up because i liked the ending....?
what.
rounded up because i liked the ending....?
what.
August 22, 2024
This is a book about horses and aliens. It felt like 20 pages of racing and 200 pages of Jay the Alien really, REALLY wanting to see the horse race. Entertaining in the sense that I’ve never read anything like it.
Here are a list of the things these aliens do/have done:
• They can shapeshift into anything they like.
• They can communicate telepathically, but I guess choose not to most of the time because….. they’d rather talk?
• The aliens can drive cars, although they’ve never touched the steering wheel, but they learn this by watching the Cubans drive??? (Race is in Havana, Jay ends up being a reckless driver.)
• They’ve mastered mass acceleration.
• For some reason there are parts of their ship that Steve can’t physically see, like it’s just void?? But the aliens can?? Why?
• In embracing technological advancements, they left behind animals? For some reason? Horses may have existed on their planet??
• Jay knows Spanish. I don’t know how. And he can change his accent to sound more rich and fancy or more casual.
• They can fly. Jay tries to teach Steve how to do this ONCE and it is NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN.
• All the inanimate objects are alive. Tapestries. Metal. ***The flesh bridle.***
• They have body altering liquid that will change the features of whatever it’s applied to for a few hours.
• They live for hundreds of years, possibly thousands.
• They can print foreign currency??? Maybe? Where are they getting all this money from?
• Might have the ability to heal others at great speed somehow.... guessing based off of the way Flame was healed from the burn in his side.
•Might have the ability to emotionally manipulate other living things. Why did Steve come to trust the aliens so instantaneously, describing that warm feeling of trust and kindness from these dudes? Was it to shorten the length of the book?
I have my issues with this book, like the fact that a good portion of the first half of the story is just the two aliens bickering, and that Jay and Flick feel more like two creepy guys than offworld creatures, but this book is so insane that I did get some enjoyment from it. 2/5, I will be reading another one of these.
Here are a list of the things these aliens do/have done:
• They can shapeshift into anything they like.
• They can communicate telepathically, but I guess choose not to most of the time because….. they’d rather talk?
• The aliens can drive cars, although they’ve never touched the steering wheel, but they learn this by watching the Cubans drive??? (Race is in Havana, Jay ends up being a reckless driver.)
• They’ve mastered mass acceleration.
• For some reason there are parts of their ship that Steve can’t physically see, like it’s just void?? But the aliens can?? Why?
• In embracing technological advancements, they left behind animals? For some reason? Horses may have existed on their planet??
• Jay knows Spanish. I don’t know how. And he can change his accent to sound more rich and fancy or more casual.
• They can fly. Jay tries to teach Steve how to do this ONCE and it is NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN.
• All the inanimate objects are alive. Tapestries. Metal. ***The flesh bridle.***
• They have body altering liquid that will change the features of whatever it’s applied to for a few hours.
• They live for hundreds of years, possibly thousands.
• They can print foreign currency??? Maybe? Where are they getting all this money from?
• Might have the ability to heal others at great speed somehow.... guessing based off of the way Flame was healed from the burn in his side.
•Might have the ability to emotionally manipulate other living things. Why did Steve come to trust the aliens so instantaneously, describing that warm feeling of trust and kindness from these dudes? Was it to shorten the length of the book?
I have my issues with this book, like the fact that a good portion of the first half of the story is just the two aliens bickering, and that Jay and Flick feel more like two creepy guys than offworld creatures, but this book is so insane that I did get some enjoyment from it. 2/5, I will be reading another one of these.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2015
This horse story is Walter Farley's gentle foray into science fiction. They were all doing it, even Biggles flew over a strange magnetic Tibetan mountain (Biggles Hits The Trail) and Farley may have felt his books had become typecast. Or maybe he was having a bit of fun with a book which no editor would have taken from a first-time author.
Steve Duncan has discovered an island with horses left by the Conquistadores in The Island Stallion, one of Farley's best works.
Returning for a visit he finds two strange men where only his professor friend Pitch (Phil Pitcher) should have been. Pitch can't explain how they arrived but they seem pleasant enough and they want to study the horses too. Steve really wants to race his fiery chestnut stallion Flame but of course he can't reveal the existence of his lost world, Flame doesn't have racehorse papers and Steve doesn't have money for transport or entries. But apart from that, no problems. Steve just wants to have his stallion admired and to prove that Flame is a champion. He doesn't really realise that it would be a bad idea to take Flame out of his environment when the island interior is all he has ever known.
The two little men, who change into birds when nobody is looking to travel further, offer to solve Steve's problems since he has been so helpful. By now Steve realises that these are not ordinary people and before he can really take it in, they transport him and Flame to the nearest racecourse and give him the opportunity to make good his boast.
Given the certainty that Flame would pick up equine diseases to which he and his herd had no immunity, not mentioned, the easy acceptance of the aliens and lack of the word abduction, the shift of mass from small bird to man-size, we do get the impression that Farley was writing for a younger reader than in his earlier books.
The island stallion really gets into his stride on a racecourse in The Black Stallion's Challenge which is also a much better book, but this is gently entertaining and will suit young horse lovers.
Steve Duncan has discovered an island with horses left by the Conquistadores in The Island Stallion, one of Farley's best works.
Returning for a visit he finds two strange men where only his professor friend Pitch (Phil Pitcher) should have been. Pitch can't explain how they arrived but they seem pleasant enough and they want to study the horses too. Steve really wants to race his fiery chestnut stallion Flame but of course he can't reveal the existence of his lost world, Flame doesn't have racehorse papers and Steve doesn't have money for transport or entries. But apart from that, no problems. Steve just wants to have his stallion admired and to prove that Flame is a champion. He doesn't really realise that it would be a bad idea to take Flame out of his environment when the island interior is all he has ever known.
The two little men, who change into birds when nobody is looking to travel further, offer to solve Steve's problems since he has been so helpful. By now Steve realises that these are not ordinary people and before he can really take it in, they transport him and Flame to the nearest racecourse and give him the opportunity to make good his boast.
Given the certainty that Flame would pick up equine diseases to which he and his herd had no immunity, not mentioned, the easy acceptance of the aliens and lack of the word abduction, the shift of mass from small bird to man-size, we do get the impression that Farley was writing for a younger reader than in his earlier books.
The island stallion really gets into his stride on a racecourse in The Black Stallion's Challenge which is also a much better book, but this is gently entertaining and will suit young horse lovers.
September 18, 2014
I thought I'd read all of Walter Farley's book, but I don't ever remember reading this one before. I've always loved The Island Stallion, but must not have ever read all of the others with Flame and Steve in them.
The first thing I noticed when I read this was how simplistic the writing style was. It seemed outdated as well. This didn't deter me from reading it because I know that it was written in the 50s and is classified as a book for younger readers.
What really surprised me was the I didn't expect that in the story. I expected a horse race, and lost of human/horse interactions. Still, it added an interesting twist to the story.
I did get a little bit annoyed with Steve's clinginess to his horse - Flame. Perhaps it may ring true to someone who has spent so much time with their horse, but isn't there enough time for breakfast?
The first thing I noticed when I read this was how simplistic the writing style was. It seemed outdated as well. This didn't deter me from reading it because I know that it was written in the 50s and is classified as a book for younger readers.
What really surprised me was the I didn't expect that in the story. I expected a horse race, and lost of human/horse interactions. Still, it added an interesting twist to the story.
I did get a little bit annoyed with Steve's clinginess to his horse - Flame. Perhaps it may ring true to someone who has spent so much time with their horse, but isn't there enough time for breakfast?
July 8, 2016
With The Island Stallion Races, Walter Farley takes a detour into sci-fi. This is much different than most of the rest of the books in the series, although the racing theme is ever-present. Steve and Flame are still the highlight of the book, however other characters are introduced, temporary though they might be. Overall it's an interesting take on Steve and Flame's relationship - young boy and wild horse with an understanding between them - as well as a way for Steve to realize his dream of racing Flame.
August 21, 2023
This book was awful. I'm shocked it's rated as high as it is! It was a dumb premise within an even dumber premise. Dreams and aliens? C'mon! Those are cheap tricks, and this book had nothing going for it. Horse lore and aliens do not mix.
I haven't enjoyed any of the Island Stallion novels, and I'm glad to say this is the last in the series. I won't be missing this branch of the series.
Lastly, the epilogue was truly WTF, and I didn't know WHAT to think. I was just glad to be done.
I only recommend to the most hardcore Black Stallion fans, who are committed to reading the whole series.
I haven't enjoyed any of the Island Stallion novels, and I'm glad to say this is the last in the series. I won't be missing this branch of the series.
Lastly, the epilogue was truly WTF, and I didn't know WHAT to think. I was just glad to be done.
I only recommend to the most hardcore Black Stallion fans, who are committed to reading the whole series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2024
Guys, pack it up. Stop writing horse books. This is not only the best Black Stallion book out of the entire series (so far), it is also easily the best horse book ever written, not because it's well-written but because it is absolutely off-the-rails bonkers in the best way possible. Aliens in a book about horses? I didn't know I needed this! This was amazing. Absolutely loved it. Jay and Flick (the alien characters) occasionally made comments that were almost Richard Rohr-like ("nothing is ever really dead, so we're never really alone"). This makes me want to read more sci-fi from the '50s.
November 15, 2017
I thought I had read all the available Black and Island Stallion books that were out when I was reading horse books. I really don't think I read this one for some reason, but I might've. Having said that, the next time I read it, I was already well into my science fiction journey. I was pleased, to a point, with the aliens taking Flame to race in Cuba (this was pre-Castro just like Guys and Dolls.)
I wish I could say I like the racing stuff, but on the second read the UFO and the aliens were my focus, and the horse, always the horse.
I wish I could say I like the racing stuff, but on the second read the UFO and the aliens were my focus, and the horse, always the horse.
July 12, 2017
"We’re not the same without animals."
What... did I just read?
I adore horse books. I adore Walter Farley's books. I'm not quite sure what this Island Stallion book was. I mean, there were horses, yes, but.... it's a science fiction horse novel? I don't know. It's very strange. That aspect takes me out of what I love about Farley's books: they're realistic. This as aspects of realism, interspersed with aliens. I just don't know how to shelve this in my head.
What... did I just read?
I adore horse books. I adore Walter Farley's books. I'm not quite sure what this Island Stallion book was. I mean, there were horses, yes, but.... it's a science fiction horse novel? I don't know. It's very strange. That aspect takes me out of what I love about Farley's books: they're realistic. This as aspects of realism, interspersed with aliens. I just don't know how to shelve this in my head.
March 22, 2022
Dit boek vind ik de minst leuke tot nu toe van deze normaal geweldige serie. Ik snap niet waarom er opeens science fiction in deze boekenserie zit en vind het er ook totaal niet bij passen. Er waren veel betere manieren geweest om Flame aan de race te laten deelnemen dan deze. Ik had gehoopt dat dit boek weer over de prachtige Blauwe Vallei en Flame ging, maar helaas. Hopelijk is het volgende boek weer wel leuk!
March 4, 2022
This book features a return to the island of wild horses, left over from the Spaniards. We see a continuation of the Flame saga, which is an interesting story, but this book was probably my least favorite. Flame is turned into a racehorse, which was exciting to me as a kid. I still love this series, even if this wasn't what I would consider on par with the previous books in the series.
March 12, 2024
I read this about 60 years ago as a child and loved it, as I loved all Farley’s books, although then and now I prefer the Black over Flame. Rereading this book now, I found the sci-fi element a bit jarring.
June 26, 2018
More of a sci-fi bent than most horse books!
August 17, 2018
I always figured that Walter Farley was a fairly conservative person... but what the heck was he partaking in when he wrote this one?!
December 1, 2020
Bizarre read. Out of sync with all other Farley's books. He could have thought of another way to race the Flame that made more sense.
October 24, 2022
this author is very well
April 1, 2023
2,5 stars. It was a really weird read and i just didn’t have any of the ‘Black Stallion’ vibes. So disappointing…
November 29, 2023
Favorite book out of all of the Black Stallion books. You are in for a surprise if you read this book.
January 7, 2025
Read these all as a kid. Found several in a little free library. One of the weirder black stallion books. Still enjoyable but not the best.
April 28, 2025
Great story
I loved this book. It's worth the 5 stars plus. This whole series has been great. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I loved this book. It's worth the 5 stars plus. This whole series has been great. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
March 1, 2017
Sometimes I wish Mystery Science Theater 3000 did books as well as movies. This would have been a great one for them to demolish.
Why? Here's the premise:
Two aliens from another planet decide to go into Thoroughbred horse racing. They select for their one-horse stable Flame, the Island Stallion. But in order to race Flame, they need the cooperation of the only boy who can ride him, Our Hero Steve.
Think Walter Farley was getting sick of writing about horses?
On the plus side, it's about the only science fiction book with horse racing. The only other book I can think of with this combination is Piers Anthony's Split Infinity. The Anthony book is far more believable -- in its own way.
Why? Here's the premise:
Two aliens from another planet decide to go into Thoroughbred horse racing. They select for their one-horse stable Flame, the Island Stallion. But in order to race Flame, they need the cooperation of the only boy who can ride him, Our Hero Steve.
Think Walter Farley was getting sick of writing about horses?
On the plus side, it's about the only science fiction book with horse racing. The only other book I can think of with this combination is Piers Anthony's Split Infinity. The Anthony book is far more believable -- in its own way.
July 26, 2011
The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt
The Island Stallion Races
The Black Stallion's Courage
The Black Stallion Mystery
The Horse-Tamer (all by Walter Farley)
I stepped away from my re-read of this series as I just knew the two books listed first were coming up. Even as a child I never cared for the books without Alec and the Black. These two (Sulky Colt and Island Stallion Races) were even worse than I remembered. I wonder if The Island Stallion Races is what turned me off of sci-fi. The Black Stallion's Courage was one of my faves in the series and I still liked it a lot, even if I found some of it pretty implausible. I actually enjoyed The Black Stallion Mystery a bit more this time around. The Horse-Tamer isn't really part of the series but is about the Black's trainer Henry Dailey as a boy. Kind of bland, really.
The Island Stallion Races
The Black Stallion's Courage
The Black Stallion Mystery
The Horse-Tamer (all by Walter Farley)
I stepped away from my re-read of this series as I just knew the two books listed first were coming up. Even as a child I never cared for the books without Alec and the Black. These two (Sulky Colt and Island Stallion Races) were even worse than I remembered. I wonder if The Island Stallion Races is what turned me off of sci-fi. The Black Stallion's Courage was one of my faves in the series and I still liked it a lot, even if I found some of it pretty implausible. I actually enjoyed The Black Stallion Mystery a bit more this time around. The Horse-Tamer isn't really part of the series but is about the Black's trainer Henry Dailey as a boy. Kind of bland, really.
January 23, 2023
This is just put of place in the series. I mean, Aliens? ALIENS?!! Come on, Walter Farley, is this the best you can do? Seriously, this would just never happen. NEVER! He could have done so much better.
Summary:
Steve Duncan vocally agrees he is happiest with Flame safe and sound on Azul island, but silently, Steve wishes to race Flame. A mysterious meteorite hits the water near Azul island. But it turns out, it isn't a meteorite at all, it is two unearthly men one if wish agrees with Steve on the behalf of racing Flame. After back and forth decision making, Steve and the two men take Flame to Cuba to be raced. With a little bit of difficulty, They enter Flame into the race. Can Flame beat top class race horses, or is he as worthless as any lame horse?
Summary:
Steve Duncan vocally agrees he is happiest with Flame safe and sound on Azul island, but silently, Steve wishes to race Flame. A mysterious meteorite hits the water near Azul island. But it turns out, it isn't a meteorite at all, it is two unearthly men one if wish agrees with Steve on the behalf of racing Flame. After back and forth decision making, Steve and the two men take Flame to Cuba to be raced. With a little bit of difficulty, They enter Flame into the race. Can Flame beat top class race horses, or is he as worthless as any lame horse?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2012
The great thing about Walter Farley was his ability to get away with writing things that otherwise wouldn't necessarily be present in an average everyday horse book. In this book, it was the presence of aliens manipulating the situation so that Flame, the island stallion, would face the Black. Pretty fascinating. The story, as always, contained the deep and epic love of boys for their horses in a way that no other author has really captured since.
Enjoyable, entertaining--- Walter Farley alone is enough reason to read it.
Enjoyable, entertaining--- Walter Farley alone is enough reason to read it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews