I Am the Great Horse

I am the Great Horse #novel

by Katherine Roberts

From the moment the battle-scarred horse Bucephalas, allows a prince and a runaway girl to sit on his back, he is bound to them forever. The prince is the young Alexander, who he proudly carries into battle, blazing a trail to the very edge of the world in his master's search for glory and adventure.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Horses, Historical, Animals, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy

543 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

I grew up in the south west of England and studied Mathematics at the University of Bath, writing fantasy and science fiction in my spare time. After graduating with 1st class honours (in maths, not fantasy writing!), I worked with computers for several years before redundancy convinced me that working with horses might be healthier.

I spent the next decade working in various horse racing yards, and kept on writing. "Song Quest" was eventually published in 1999 and went on to win the Branford Boase Award for best debut children's novel by a UK author.

Reviews

[Susan Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is superb, and underrated I think because reviewers don't know whether to call it history, or fantasy, YA or adult, and it baffles them.
Talking horses? - obviously fantasy, for kids!
Political machinations, bloody battles - oh, obviously history and for adults.
Ghosts, Amazons - oh, must be fantasy.
Forget genres and approach it as a wonderful story. It made this hardened, cynical old writer cry!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good historical novel for the young reader. It gives a fairly good account of Alexander's life and accomplishments while giving the reader a sense of his frailties. Written from the viewpoint of his warhorse, there is definitely a sense of fantasy. However any person who has had a bond with any animal, and a horse in particular, will recognize the feelings Buchepalus's groom. An interesting read for the young reader who is either interested in the horse/human bond and/or this period of history

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!!! This is just one of those awesome books that deserve way more than five stars.When i started reading this, i thought this was just gonna be some crappy warrior black beauty, but Bucephalas is more!! This is the story of Alexander the great's horse. My perspective totally changed reading this book.I am the great horse changed my life forever <3

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title of I Am the Great Horse should really be I Am the Not-so-great Book. I love the idea of a book about Bucephalus, the favorite horse of Alexander the Great. However, I'm still waiting for that book. This ain't it.

I should have known there would be a problem with the first page. "I am no black beauty," Roberts has Bucepahalus declare. This lets readers know that this book is a kind of anti-Black Beauty. However, Black Beauty wasn't published until 1877. Bucephalus died in 326 BC. How the heck could old Ox-head know about Black Beauty? He travels in time?

Apparently, yes. At the end of the book, Roberts has a long explanation about why she wrote the story as effed up as she did. She was trying to write something similar to the Illiad, Alexander the Great's favorite book. It would have been nice to have this explanation up front as it would have made the story less puzzling.

On the first page, Bucephalus mentions that he sees a ghost. Now, this is a horse famously afraid of his own shadow in a species notorious for going into panics at the slightest provocation, so at first I just thought "ghosts" were just horse-ese for "things that made me scared."

But no. Roberts means that horses see ACTUAL ghosts. And fire demons. And Amazons riding unicorns.



As soon as I read the unicorn part I really should have stopped but no -- I had to be masochistic and read the whole damn thing JUST to see if could possibly get any worse. At least I had a few good laughs at just how ridiculous the whole thing got.

What a mess! I lost count about how many times Bucephalus is stolen. And he has a girl groom that makes incredibly stupid decisions. (Of course -- have to have a girl in a horse story nowadays -- even if it would be practically impossible for the times. But hey -- we have an army of Amazons and ghosts so why not a girl groom?) Alexander here is unrecognizable from the way we were taught in school -- here he's a Greek version of a chaste Caligula. He is seen as monogamous but history proves otherwise. Alex probably banged anything that moved (when out of sight of his soldiers.) I wouldn't be surprised if he banged Bucephalus.



There was a whole rivalry thing going with a really evil horsemaster (who is never named) but that got too ridiculous, too. At least it kept the story moving. I was so glad when it was all over.

Never reading Katherine Roberts again -- unless a gun is put to my head.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would rate 3.5 stars if I could. This is a cute little easy book that is really enjoyable to read, told from the perspective of Bucephalas. I think I read this in early high school, so this was a nice throwback.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rereading this one, originally read when I was a preteen.


It's a simple, earnest book that's sweet and enjoyable. 


Narration:


Bucephalus is distinctly animal-ish, no-nonsense and with a refreshing disdain for human rules and culture. The fact that the horses don't have dialogue (excluding Bucephalus's narration) makes it far less cartoonish than it might have been. Certain expressions used throughout are distinctly horse-like things to say and need no explanation (e.g. "I made myself huge" = big arched neck, big trot, puffed out chest; "I dominated his dung" = well, you can figure this one out).


Characterization:


Alexander is young, foolish, loving, and lovable. Charm is fierce and endearing. Bucephalus is brutish and egomaniacal, as you'd imagine a stallion to be, but still sweet at times.


Anachronism:


I hate to be picky- I get we're in SuspendedBeliefLand in a big way since a horse is narrating- but describing something as "the color of ripe corn" annoyed me. No corn in ancient Macedonia!


Trumpisms:


The one thing that made me laugh this time around? The way the author capitalizes words at the end of a sentence. Like every page:


"I put my teeth on his withers and began to mutual groom. BLISS!"


Reminds me vividly of Trump's tweets ("Look at the way the leftist media represents me. SAD!")


Overall:


You know how movies are described as being "feel-good" ? Maybe I'm off base in saying this because this is, after all, a book involving war and slaves and rape and blood-- and maybe it's only because I read this as a child and it's comfortably familiar-- but I would call this a feel-good novel. There is a lot of chaos and unpleasantry in my life this month, and this book was a gentle escape from that.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot deny that I enjoyed this book, although it may have been confusing at times. However, I thought that some invented characters - specifically Charm and the painted warriors - were completely unnecessary. It seems that Roberts tries to make this both a biographical epic and a fantasy story, but she doesn't quite reach the mark of either. I thought it would have been great if she had left this as a tale of Alexander's conquests through the eyes of his horse - a very interesting perspective in contrast to many historians! - but, unfortunately, I had to put up with characters such as Charm, which didn't enhance the story whatsoever.

The best parts were certainly Alexander and his horse. I loved the voice Roberts had given to Bucephalus, and her portrayal of Alexander is how, I think, most of us imagine him - a fierce leader and warrior feared and revered as a god. The real sideline characters - Alexander's generals, his opponents - have excellent parts and voices throughout the book. Almost all of the battles are present. If you're a history freak and don't mind history being tweaked, then check this book out. Or, if you like horses... :) There are quite a lot of horse references in this one!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Am The Great Horse by Katherine Roberts is a fictional novel published in August 2006

In my opinion this book is very intriguing to me as it instantly captured my attention the minute I had opened the book and began reading. I Am The Great Horse takes place in Pella Macedonia, an ancient city in Greece about Alexander The Great told in his horse's eyes. The horse's name is Bucephalus , a headstrong war horse that carries Alex into many battles. Charm is a young girl who hides her true gender by posing as a boy so that she can work as a mulemaster and ends up getting herself tangled as Alexander's stable hand. Going back to Bucephalus being headstrong, Bucephalus Is very "picky" as who he trusts to mount him, making many surprised when Alexander and Charm can ride him.

[Isabelle Whittall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read this book since I was 9 but I LOVED it then.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the horses name was Bucephalus not bucephalas so I cant even get past the first 100 pages

[Rachel Suddick]

Another favourite book from my childhood which I have just remembered again🥺

[Alice Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite book ever. Everything is exactly right for a rolicking good read- the plot, characters, pacing, atmosphere.

It inspired half of my primary and high school creative writing attempts. Even, when studying Wuthering Heights, a rather pathetic attempt to write from the perspective of Heathcliff's horse.

Bucephalus is beautifully drawn, from sparse detail given in ancient sources. He leaps out of the page with a loud, colourful, and distinctly equine, personality. The supporting cast are distinct and given amazing depth.

After studying Alexander himself, there is no doubt that this story is as close to the ancient texts as possible while also retaining a credible plot for a young audience.

[Sherry Elmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential and I began it with hope. As a horse person, I expected to love Bucephalas, and the story of Alexander the Great is fascinating. I like that the book followed historical battles, but I hated that a modern tone crept into it. One of the problems with historical fiction is keeping it historical--nothing jars a reader out of the story like a modern word or phrase here and there. It's so annoying.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the story was fun and exciting, I sometimes felt like what I was reading was written by an 11 year old boy. The author clearly has an understanding of horse behavior, which I do appreciate. All too often, an author will write a book about horses that makes it seem like they've never seen a horse up close, ever.

[Rose Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I've read more than any other book I've ever picked up. Katherine Roberts wrote this perfectly, and it is my favourite book. History, adventure, loyalty, all through the eyes of a horse. It can't get any more perfect.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was a grate story I loved that it was told by the horse! this book helped me read better and faster too!!:)

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish, as I started to find the constant battle after battle beginning to wear on my interest and patience. There was some potential for a good story, but alas, not in this.

[Adele Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the start and end of this book, and Bucephalus' viewpoint throughout was fascinating to a horse lover (and I had a quiet laugh at how the horse, written nearly 20 years ago, often reported events in a simplistic manner similar to a certain ex US President, HA! SAD!) .

However the middle of this book took me FOREVER, hence the 4 stars. Alexander did a LOT of dominating and Charm did a lot of daft things and it did drag for a while.

The ending was well worth reaching though. Bucephalus' ability to see ghosts throughout paid off really well and even though Alexander became an increasingly unlikeable character, I had tears pricking the back of eyes in the last chapter.

The insane logistics of Alex's campaigns were also fascinating to read about. For instance these war horses - all mares and stallions - were essentially tied overnight in lines for months at a time, out in all conditions. The story of thousands of horses and men marching across continents seems totally insane to consider now.

[Rose Padden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this last night, and yes it may have taken me a while, however I started back in the school library coming up for 2 years ago now, and really liked it (I think I only got about 100 pages in) but term finished before I could continue with it, and when we came back I had forgotten about it, until last year when I found it in a bookshop and was like “omg I never finished this” so I bought and started re-reading it again, (I then however discovered the good girls guide to murder trilogy, and powered through those and it’s prequel in under a month😂) after I’d finished those, I picked it back up and really commuted to finishing it.

Not gonna lie I did shed a tear or two when Borealis, Zoroaster and Arion’s ghosts appeared at the end🥲
But yes once you get through the middle it does become very interesting and you just want to keep reading. Really recommend as it’s also historical! :)

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mum bought me this for Christmas in 2008, mostly as a joke. Here is my review from the time: "Alexander the Great from the POV of his horse Bucephelas. V. silly, I suppose, but an enjoyable read, though ger addition of a female protagonist as Alexander's groom and half-sister felt forced and unconvincing. Still, v. fun most of the time."

[Jessica Sy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a teenager and instantly loved it. I've always loved history, but being told through the eyes of a character who is usually seen as an accessory gave the story a whole new life for me. It was an easy read, but definitely for young readers.

[Toni Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but got tired of following Alexander on his seemingly endless campaigns. It was interesting that the story was told from the POV of the horse but it was difficult to believe that the horse understood so much of what was going on around him.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book for a younger reader who wants to know about Alexander the Great. There's violence and love, but not much that's explicit. The horse narrator concept verged between creative and cutesy, but could be fun when it hit the right note.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF'ing as this is repetitive and tedious, but to be fair I believe this is aimed at younger readers. I just don't have the patience for any more horses shitting and laying their ears flat and "acting wild".

[Janessa Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books I read as a teenager that I always think about when people ask me what I like to read. Hard to describe. I couldn't put it down and I read it several times. I love the 1st person POV from Bucephalus himself.

[Mythical Mishmash · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went in expecting a fictional account of events from one of my favourite warhorses, but instead I got a disrespectful joke of a “story”, full of RANDOM CAPITALS and juvenile prose. What an embarrassment of a book.

[AlexBeddoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was younger and it’s easily my favourite horse book!!

[Ina Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I would call it a historical, fiction fantasy.

[iivalexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's just me and my childhood fav horse books against the world

[Glauber Ribeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force. I'm very glad my daughter Julia convinced me to read it.