The First Unicorn Rider: A World of Skandar Story

Skandar #0.5

by A.F. Steadman

Meet the adventurer who first discovered the Island in this thrilling novella prequel to the Skandar series from New York Times and internationally bestselling author A.F. Steadman—featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout!

George Penhaligon has only ever wanted adventure. And when he finds himself shipwrecked and alone on a mysterious island, he makes an incredible discovery. Unicorns are real—and they’re bloodthirsty.

Slowly, George gains one unicorn’s trust, and together, they explore the island’s magical secrets. But there is a dark presence lurking in his new home, more deadly than any unicorn.

Can George fulfill his destiny and free the island from a terrible fate?

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Rah Apitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

slay honestly

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read the entire Skandar series throughout the years and enjoyed EVERY SINGLE ONE! I am sad that it is over but it is the book that got me back into reading and when I heard Annabel had written a prequel I was all for it. I picked this up and it did not disappoint, I very much adored it like the others, Annabel really has a way with words and describing her world to the readers with such amazing detail. I would definitely read the Skandar series first if you haven't as I think the origin story will make more sense. I spent a lot of the book spotting things and getting excited to know how things were created. Defintely worth a read, you won't regret it and if you do read this first you have the entire skandar series to read.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending - love the pictures in it❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

[Reixma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the prequel to the main Skandar series, and introduces the one who would become the forefather of the 6 characters who would pass into the mythos and lore of the island in Skandar's timeline.

I would have liked a bit more about the characters and who they were, but this was written for younger readers, so it had enough detail to give you the gist.

I would love to see a series that expands on George and his time on the island, and how things progress to more of what we know!

[Saimi Korhonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But George knew Rebel – she was all he knew now really. And her fierce wild heart was joined with his own. From that, and the time they had spent together, he understood enough about her noble soul that she would only share her magic for something important. Soemthing adventurous and daring and magical. Because together – with this kind of power – the boy and the unicorn might just be able to change the world.”

Long before Skandar Smith stepped foot on the Island, a young boy, George Penhaligon, finds himself shipwrecked and alone on an island brimming with magic and teeming with bloodthirsty unicorns. He encounters and slowly befriends a wild, young unicorn who introduces him to the wonders of the island as well as the dark entity that threatens to destroy it.

I love the Skandar series with my whole heart. The moment Steadman announced that she was publishing a prequel story about George, the First Rider, and his Wild Unicorn Queen, I knew I had to get my hands on it as quickly as possible. You can start reading the series with this book, but I'd say this is more engaging and interesting if you already know the events of the main series set years and years after George ends up on the island. This book does not offer any grand revelations about the world nor does it really change the way you see the original series – it's more just a fun little prequel story that fleshes out the character of the First Rider, shows the origins of many of the Island's most notable features (such as its treehouse architecture), introduces you to the Island before it became a home to humans as well as unicorns and showcases the beginnings of what will become George and Rebel Spirit's grand project: creation of the Eyrie and making the Island a home and a haven. The reader does kinda know where George ends up, but it was still fun following him on his journey of getting to know the Island and its unicorns. It was cool seeing George map the Island, figure out the elemental nature of the magic, train himself in the use of magic and realize, with Rose, that on an island full of unicorns stampeding around, it is safest to sleep above the ground in trees. I love the explanation as to why the 5th element is called spirit: to George its white light reminds him of ghosts and spirits. The very ending, with people flocking to see the unicorns and him seeing, through spirit, the beginnings of their bonds and seeing, as he puts it, "the future" – aka a future where people from all over the world can find their way to their unicorns and make homes on the Island with them – was great. But even though you know where things are going, there were still some surprises such as a literal dragon feeding off the magic of the Island. I also did not guess that the dragon would, once destroyed, release the elemental dragons Skandar and co encounter in book five. Prequels are always gonna be, in part, predictable and that's in some ways the point of them. It's all about how the characters end up where you already know they will end up, so it didn't bother me that there weren't great many surprising twists.

George was an okay main character. If I didn't already like him based on the Skandar books – if this was the only story he was in – I probably wouldn't have grown overly attached to him. I appreciate Steadman writing sensitive and vulnerable boy main characters and avoiding all the classic tough boy tropes so prevalent in fantasy. I loved George's endless yearning for adventure and his desire to see the world and to have adventures – all that was classic fantasy MC stuff and, even though it was stereotypical, I still loved it. I love a character from a small village who has big dreams. Rebel Spirit, the main unicorn character, was also cool – fierce, headstrong, brave and loyal, but also someone who gets scared. Based on what I knew of her from the Skandar books, I expected her to already be the Wild Unicorn Queen when she meets George. It was really cool that she starts out as a young foal determined to save her home, who risks being cast out by being different and befriending a human, making him her rider and sharing her magic with him. Even though it was horrible that the dragon destroyed the ancient Queen, I was still whooping with delight when the other unicorns bowed to Rebel and chose her as their new Queen. She and George both had cool character arcs and, by the end, they are quickly becoming the legends they are by the time Skandar and his friends live on the Island. Their ending, with George realising he cannot go back home, not after all this, and that he has to make his own way in the world, as his mother urges him to and despite his brothers thinking he is being stupid, and Rebel standing by his side (alongside Rose and Silver Shanty), was sweet.

The relationship between George and Rebel Spirit was lovely. I loved how their bond emphasises choice instead of just destiny: Rebel and George decide to trust each other, to stick together and the closer they become, the more they keep choosing each other time and time again. It is Rebel's choice to gift George her magic. It's not simple destiny, but love and trust that has grown through trials and tribulations. I also love stories of unlikely friendships, and a friendship between a shipwrecked boy from a fisher family and a wild, decaying unicorn is quite the unlikely thing. I am also a sucker for stories of lonely people finding each other and becoming each other's new family. This quote got to me: “’Are you alone, like me?’ George asked the unicorn quietly. He knew it couldn’t understand him, not in words anyway, so instead he put his palm against its bloodied neck. ‘Well, we’re not alone – not any more. Now we have each other.’” Rose and George also have the same vibe going on, as do Rose and her unicorn: “’You’re mine, aren’t you?’ the girl said softly. ‘You called me here, didn’t you?’” Rose and George were a lot of fun. I am so happy Steadman also took this book as an opportunity to introduce us not just to the First Rider but also the First Silver who, as we learned from the Skandar books, became his partner in all senses of the word. They are not yet love interests, not really, in this book – they are just kids trying to survive and becoming pals – but you can see why they would end up together in the end. They had a fun dynamic, full of quips and gentle teasing but also real, genuine care. I loved this quote from George near the end where he realises he will go back to the Island, even if it means leaving his family behind: "But then Rose was right there beside him. The pirate took the fisherman’s hand and he realised suddenly that she was his guiding light. He knew that if Rose was with him, and Silver Shanty and Rebel Spirit, then his heart could survive leaving the place he called home. That they’d make a new one wherever they went. Together.” So cute.

A bit more on Rose. She was a lot of fun, all bravado and confidence on the surface with vulnerabilities and loneliness hidden deep within her heart. Her being a pirate was a delight, as was the way she threw herself into learning magic and bonding with her unicorn. From the beginning you know she has a darker backstory, but when it was revealed I was still surprised and saddened. The fact that she had been left, abandoned in the middle of the ocean in a small boat, by her crew when they found out she was a girl and not the boy she pretended to be, was so cruel. Poor girl. She doesn't go into the details, but it's clear she has never had anyone – no family, no real friends – so it makes sense why Silver Shanty immediately becomes so important to her and why she fears George leaving her behind so deeply. Her presence elevated the story and made reading it way more fun. I liked George and Rebel's adventures before she shows up, but Rose just gave the narrative a boost and provided a lot more humor and plenty more opportunities for heartfelt moments.

One of the key themes of this book was embracing difference and having the courage to go against the grain. Rebel Spirit is shunned by some other unicorns for becoming George's partner and for sharing her magic with him, but in the end, that courage to be different is what makes her the Queen. George's brothers don't always understand their baby brother's desire for adventure nor do they want to come with him to the Island. They mistrust magic and they want to stay in the world they are comfortable in. Rose's sad backstory has a lot to do with people shunning people who are different and mistrusting them because of old superstitions or prejudice. George fears Rebel at first because she is scary-looking, but by the end, he sees her true beauty: “Because Rebel Spirit was a monster by human standards, and George loved her just the way she was.” George is also a bit jealous of the bond he can see between Silver Shanty and Rose, but in the end he realises that even though his bond with Rebel is different, it is still beautiful and powerful, perhaps even more so than the one between Shanty and Rose, as Rebel shared all magic with him, making him allied to all elements equally. The Skandar books have always focuses on these kinds of themes, which I think is really valuable and important especially in a book series aimed at young audiences. The way the stories and characters embrace differences and learn to overcome their fears and prejudices surely help kid readers who are othered by the world they live in feel less alone, less odd. The books also emphasise the importance of working together and how wondrous things can be achieved when people – and unicorns – combine their strengths. Never a bad lesson to remind readers of all ages of.

Finally, the art is amazing. Who doesn't love official, stunning art in their books?

I am happy Steadman gave us this little glimpse into the history of the Island and how it came to be. I am happy she gave us a bit more time with George and that she introduced us to Rose. If she ever decides to publish more stories set in this world, be they prequels or sequels or a whole new set of stories with whole new characters, I'll be there.

[Flo H · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am suprised by how much i loved this book. i want another book about george and more about the founding of the island. If you liked the skandar series this is a must read, very interesting

[Victoria Pring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh! I loved this book. I wasnt sure about it at first as one of the things I love about the rest of the series is the fun, Skandar and Bobby and all the unicorns. This book doesn't really have that, George is the only human we have for quite a large portion of this book and even later we are far too focused on impending doom to be particularly light hearted. This book however does manage to still give you those feelings of hope and magic and friendship. I loved seing the origins of so many things we as readers love in the series and getting to know these characters. I hope to see more books in this universe in the future.

[Laines · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing addition to the series, and I loved all the little details that were added into this books
5/5⭐️

[Claire ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading, but doesn't bring anything new to the SKANDAR world.

Ensuring Simon & Schuster squeezes every last penny out of this series, THE FIRST UNICORN RIDER is a short prequel to the much-hyped SKANDAR series about, you guessed it, the first person to discover and ride unicorns on the Island. I have a well-documented love-hate relationship with this series – mediocre entertainment overall – but I figured, to get full closure, I might as well read this.

I'm entirely whelmed by this book. It was disappointing in that I closed THE FIRST UNICORN RIDER and felt so unsatisfied, but not irate enough to toss it in frustration. This book is fine. Just fine.

George Penhaligon is an ordinary boy who, after washing upon the shore of a mysterious island, discovers a place of unicorns and magic. But a dark force moves across the land, intent on siphoning the magic for itself.

The problem with THE FIRST UNICORN RIDER is that it doesn't really flesh out the history of the Island in any meaningful way. All of the lore presented in THE FIRST UNICORN RIDER can be easily drawn from the original series if you're looking hard enough. Like, we already knew the First Rider was a Penhaligon who rode the Wild Unicorn Queen, that was in SPIRIT WAR. You do learn about the first silver rider but nothing else is new. There's a whole treasure trove of conflict we could mine, like the relationship between George and the rest of his family who eventually come to Island – because we know they will – especially with Piran, one of the primary antagonists in the final book of SKANDAR, but it's not even remotely addressed.

If George was a more interesting character or had a more interesting life, the story wouldn't be so middling, but incidentally he's about as vanilla a character as Skandar was, and he doesn't even get the luxury of a few more books to flesh himself out. Half of this book George spends alone, with a lot of description and very little dialogue, which doesn't do any favours in drawing out his personality. George's eventual companion, a spirited pirate named Rose, was a far more interesting character and I wish she had been the protagonist instead.

Also I don't know if this was in the original series as much, but the number of times 'bloodthirsty unicorns' is said became so irritating. We get it, Steadman, you queried the series with that tagline. Once is enough.

Diehard fans will enjoy THE FIRST UNICORN RIDER, but for myself it didn't meet the potential it had to tell a great story.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Still a no on TIMELESS.

LAST REVIEW

1: SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF ★★★☆☆
2: SKANDAR AND THE PHANTOM RIDER ★★★☆☆
3: SKANDAR AND THE CHAOS TRIALS ★★★☆☆
4: SKANDAR AND THE SKELETON CURSE ★★★☆☆
5: SKANDAR AND THE SPIRIT WAR ★★★★★

[Emily Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent novella from the world of Skandar that depicts how George Penhaligon became The First Unicorn Rider.

When he is shipwrecked on a mysterious Island with bloodthirsty unicorns, George thinks he's going to die. However, he finds an unlikely friend in the wild unicorn known as Rebel Spirit, who keeps George alive and eventually gives him some of her magic. However, not all of Rebel's herd accepts the Rider, and there is a large, dangerous monster sucking the very magical life force out of the Island itself.

A year passes, and another human is washed up. Rosemary the Pirate. Who bonds with a freshly hatched Silver called Silver Shanty. Shanty does not look like Rebel, with her rotting body and decaying look, no, Shanty is a pure, healthy silver colour, the only one in her hatching herd not to look like he is dying.

Together, George and Rosemary learn how to live on the Island, control their unicorn's magic, and defeat the dragon that is plaguing their land, using all five elements (spirit, fire, water, earth, and air) to do so. Eventually, this will lead to the First Children, the Hatchery, the Eyrie, and finally, Skandar Smith.

Relatively fast pacing but shy enjoyable story nonetheless that expands on a key origin within Skandar's world!

[Alex Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Great prequel to the Skandar series an an great re-introduction to the series after reading the series in Summer of 2024, and got me reinspired to continue the series.
Very quick book great characters great prequel that adds more magic into the original novel showing how George goes from a fisherboy to a shipwrecked boy after a storm that he didn't believe that his mother & three brothers when talking about the storm, so he takes the Penny their fishing ship, on search of fishes, but he is shipwrecked instead, where he meets a mysterious creature a unicorn that slowly as time goes on he bonds with, as they explore their bond, and use their friendship & newly discovered power to defeat an dragon that has been sucking the soul of the magic of the island, and teaching the power to a shipwrecked pirate girl named Rose as she gets her own unicorn & help mould the element. But side note why is the Spirit Element hated so much if the first rider was an spirit element allied. If i remember correctly it was due to them can killing other unicorns & bonds, but wouldn't it have more weight that the first rider was Spirit allied but feel free to correct me if wrong as i said before it's been a year and a half (or so).

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so so much! I was a bit unsure how I would feel with this as I never really connect to prequels or books set within the same world the same as I do with the main series. But this one - loved loved loved it!

I was so sad to read the final Skandar book but was super happy that this one was to follow. I eagerly awaited the publication date and before I knew it- I’d finished it! We get to know so much about George and his delve into the world of unicorns - the origin story for how the Eyrie came about and the start of the story for how bonds with unicorns came to be.

It was such a lovely story - heartwarming, feel- good adventure. Seeing both George and Rose battle their own challenges and finding found family with each other was wonderful to read. It was an effortlessly enjoyable book. I can’t wait to see what else the author comes out with now this one has come to an end.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine wanting to be a fisherman and being shipwrecked on an island, injured and hurt. Then seeing a terrifying creature and not sure what to do. This was such a great intro into this world, and I can't wait to discover more of this world of Skandar. It has fantastic world building, unicorns, and dark creatures. The mystery surrounding the island is very intriguing and pulled me in. The emotions of being able to fly on a unicorn felt so real.
The narrator, Alfred Enoch did a great job portraying the characters in the book. It was an engaging listen that kept me hooked till the very end.
This is perfect for young readers and teens who are wanting to read a prequel to see where it all began. If you're looking for adventure, with dragons, and found family be sure to check this one out.

A very special thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio via Libro.fm for the gifted ALC.

[Worm of the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, I devoured this in two days! It was so good and I always love a good prequel as well as a backstory. And WHAT?! Artwork was in this book? That is definitely a plus especially in chapter books! It brought the story even more to life!

It was fascinating to see how the unicorn riders and all the elements and the island came about. And after the dragon was defeated, it warmed my heart just a little bit to know that she kind of felt bad for the dragon and thought maybe that he was angry with the world like she had been but in a way maybe by slaying it and getting the four other elemental dragons that they free the black dragon in some way.

Then bang! That ending where those showed up with Bond is already starting in their hearts was epic. I really really loved this book.

[H. Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to give books to my kid friends and try to read some of them before passing them on. The First Unicorn Rider was a nice intro to a series. Different take on unicorns! These are scary unicorns! But ultimately good ones. Fun and interesting take on the world of unicorns.

[Jennifer Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable prequel with a short story vibe and lovely illustrations.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet, the battle was a bit underwhelming but the ending was wholesome

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! Can I have some more origin stories, please and thank you?

[Jacob Glaspell · Rating 5 out of 5]

True 5⭐️

This was such a fun story in the Skandar series! I really enjoyed the adventure of this origin story!

[Jess White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I legit cried at the ending

[Hugo Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant prequel to the Skandar series love this

[Isobel Whitcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Applause 👏🏼

[Hollylovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little story in the series.

[۶ৎ⋆˚Lily Duffin˚ ⋆۶ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna miss this series sm.

[Suella Norton-Edwarss]

Brilliant book, couldn't put it down, would read a hundred times again

[Owen Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible, just like all the other A.F Steadman books