What do you think?
Silver Brumby #4
Silver Brumby Kingdom
ISBN 0-583-30070-7 alternate cover
Baringa, grandson of the mighty Silver Brumby, Thowra, becomes The Stallion of Quambat Flat. But first he has to defeat Lightning, his own dam's brother, and then there are floods, and trouble with a black stallion who seeks a silver horse that has stolen his roan mares.
Baringa, grandson of the mighty Silver Brumby, Thowra, becomes The Stallion of Quambat Flat. But first he has to defeat Lightning, his own dam's brother, and then there are floods, and trouble with a black stallion who seeks a silver horse that has stolen his roan mares.
139 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Elyne Mitchell
67 books130 followersElyne Mitchell is an Australian author best known for her Silver Brumby children's series, which tells the story of brumbies that roamed the Snowy Mountains in the Australian Alps, in particular a pale brumby named Thowra.
In 1988, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to literature, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charts Sturt University in 1993.
In 1988, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to literature, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Charts Sturt University in 1993.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 18, 2021
It felt with this novel as though Elyne Mitchell reached the pinnacle of her storytelling craft. This showed us not just the animals and weather of the bush, but gave us the mystery of Baringa as he went hunting Dawn and was rumoured to be dead. It gave us tension in the form of waiting to see whether the black stallion would ever discover that Lightning had stolen his mares, and head to Quambat Flat to find them.
The place names are iconic, the horse characters are written sensitively and with great beauty, and there was a real zip to the writing. This series was an end of pandemic read in an attempt to find reading mojo again, and this was the first novel where I found it really difficult to put down as it reached the main part of the action.
Simply stunning.
The place names are iconic, the horse characters are written sensitively and with great beauty, and there was a real zip to the writing. This series was an end of pandemic read in an attempt to find reading mojo again, and this was the first novel where I found it really difficult to put down as it reached the main part of the action.
Simply stunning.
December 3, 2023
Unlike previous Silver Brumby books, which had a time jump between them (two years between Silver Brumby and Silver Brumby's Daughter, and another two years between Silver Brumby's Daughter and Silver Brumbies of the South), this story picks up only a couple of months after the end of Silver Brumbies of the South.
The snow Baringa was worried about at the end of the last book is melting, and now presents a greater danger as a flood. This is framed really well - when we met Baringa in the previous book he was still young and reasonably care-free, running with Dawn and Moon. But at the start of this book, he has grown into a stallion with responsibilities. The fact that Dawn will soon have a foal is one of the main drivers of the plot. Dawn falls because she is very pregnant and has difficulty balancing on the slippery rocks, and Baringa has grave concerns for her because of how close to delivery she is.
Unfortunately the plot means that Dawn, who was one of the best characters of South, is off-screen for most of the story. But even in this setting, Dawn does not come off as a damsel in distress, like Kunama in Daughter. She gets out on her own, protects herself and her foal on her own, and the only reason she does not return to Baringa on her own is because the foal is too small, not because she herself is incapable of doing so.
This story also has one of the best uses of narrative perspective to hide a plot twist. At the end of chapter six, Yarolala believes that she has seen Baringa die. The next several chapters are all from the perspective of her, Lightning, and Thowra, who eventually finds a hint that things may not be as they seem at the end of chapter eleven, before chapter twelve confirms for us that Baringa is actually alive. Even though the reader joins the disbelief that most characters in the story feel, and like them thinks Baringa could not be dead, it is an intense relief when the story switches back to Baringa's perspective.
Lightning also sees some character redemption in this story. He spends most of it as the same arrogant Lightning we saw in South, including getting himself and all the horses of Quambat into a lot of trouble by stealing the black stallion's roan mares, but once the black arrives he immediately has some forced realisations that make him a much more sympathetic character, and you end up really cheering for him during the epic fight.
You almost have to feel sorry for the black stallion, who has all of his mares stolen by silver horses over the course of the story and yet is accused of being paranoid about silver horses, and who only gets three of them back at the end, but he manages to stay unlikable and rude throughout, so you end up pleased that Lightning ends up keeping two of the roans and the white mare goes with Baringa.
The snow Baringa was worried about at the end of the last book is melting, and now presents a greater danger as a flood. This is framed really well - when we met Baringa in the previous book he was still young and reasonably care-free, running with Dawn and Moon. But at the start of this book, he has grown into a stallion with responsibilities. The fact that Dawn will soon have a foal is one of the main drivers of the plot. Dawn falls because she is very pregnant and has difficulty balancing on the slippery rocks, and Baringa has grave concerns for her because of how close to delivery she is.
Unfortunately the plot means that Dawn, who was one of the best characters of South, is off-screen for most of the story. But even in this setting, Dawn does not come off as a damsel in distress, like Kunama in Daughter. She gets out on her own, protects herself and her foal on her own, and the only reason she does not return to Baringa on her own is because the foal is too small, not because she herself is incapable of doing so.
This story also has one of the best uses of narrative perspective to hide a plot twist. At the end of chapter six, Yarolala believes that she has seen Baringa die. The next several chapters are all from the perspective of her, Lightning, and Thowra, who eventually finds a hint that things may not be as they seem at the end of chapter eleven, before chapter twelve confirms for us that Baringa is actually alive. Even though the reader joins the disbelief that most characters in the story feel, and like them thinks Baringa could not be dead, it is an intense relief when the story switches back to Baringa's perspective.
Lightning also sees some character redemption in this story. He spends most of it as the same arrogant Lightning we saw in South, including getting himself and all the horses of Quambat into a lot of trouble by stealing the black stallion's roan mares, but once the black arrives he immediately has some forced realisations that make him a much more sympathetic character, and you end up really cheering for him during the epic fight.
You almost have to feel sorry for the black stallion, who has all of his mares stolen by silver horses over the course of the story and yet is accused of being paranoid about silver horses, and who only gets three of them back at the end, but he manages to stay unlikable and rude throughout, so you end up pleased that Lightning ends up keeping two of the roans and the white mare goes with Baringa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2026
I remember reading these as a horse mad preteen back in the 90s and absolutely loving them with my whole entire heart. Sometimes you shouldn't revisit these things. There's nothing wrong here. I still love the way she writes about horses, I love how much she clearly loves the Australian Alps. Now, as an adult, I can look these places up on Maps and see the flats and trails and that's kinda neat. And yet, the weirdly human way the horses think and discuss the pretty mares gives me an ick I can't quite move past anymore. I'm a little bit sad about that.
September 22, 2022
This is the story of Baringa, grandson of Thowra, the most beautiful stallion in the mountains. Mitchell has really brought the Australian Alps to vivid life and the joy, grace and wildness of the animals and the bush is delightful.
January 24, 2021
Loved it! More adventures of the special horses. No men in this one. It's all about the weather and the animals.
October 31, 2023
Wonderful. And contrary to whom everyone else loves, I absolutely adore Lightning <3
September 22, 2024
idc this one SLAPPED
January 19, 2026
baringa is the best horse in this series man
March 3, 2021
Average of 3 stars (barely) for the four books.
I've now read books 1-8 back-to-back and need a break.
Moon Filly - 3 stars
================
A departure from the family of Thowra. Also a bit of a departure from the style of the rest of the series so far. It's a more romantic / poetic form of story telling. I think I prefer the other style but I'm sure it will appeal to others. As always, the most important parts are still present: the wild Brumbies of the outback.
Silver Brumby Whirlwind - 3 stars
============================
I still prefer the more straight forward story telling of the earlier books than this new style that started with "Moon Filly". Even the Thowra of this story didn't feel like the Thowra I've come to know and love. It was interesting to see how the two threads came back together in this story, but it felt surreal and dreamlike and, at the end, all I could wonder was: is that the last of the Silver Brumby? So many hints (where were Golden? And Storm? And Boon Boon?) So little certainty.
Son of the Whirlwind - 3 stars
========================
You can't love horses and dislike this book, but I've just found the tail end of the series increasingly disappointing. This one in particular doesn't seem to go anywhere except in circles and I miss the adventure and the energy and the straightforward story telling. Also nothing resolves. All one has are hints and questions.
Silver Brumby, Silver Dingo - 2.5 stars
==============================
I really wanted to like this more.
And perhaps if I wasn't familiar with the rest of the series, and had read it as a stand-alone, I might have.
Quite a significant departure where instead of merely horses (and the odd kangaroo called Bennie) we have a "family" of characters thrown together during a disaster: a young creamy colt, a white dingo pup, and an adult hawk. There are some adventures - and also lots of descriptions of the countryside and other animals, and repetitive comments on the beauty, strength, energy and courage of the younger pair. There is also a weird scene where there is a parade of horses (plus Bennie) from the other books in the series.
I've now read books 1-8 back-to-back and need a break.
Moon Filly - 3 stars
================
A departure from the family of Thowra. Also a bit of a departure from the style of the rest of the series so far. It's a more romantic / poetic form of story telling. I think I prefer the other style but I'm sure it will appeal to others. As always, the most important parts are still present: the wild Brumbies of the outback.
Silver Brumby Whirlwind - 3 stars
============================
I still prefer the more straight forward story telling of the earlier books than this new style that started with "Moon Filly". Even the Thowra of this story didn't feel like the Thowra I've come to know and love. It was interesting to see how the two threads came back together in this story, but it felt surreal and dreamlike and, at the end, all I could wonder was: is that the last of the Silver Brumby? So many hints (where were Golden? And Storm? And Boon Boon?) So little certainty.
Son of the Whirlwind - 3 stars
========================
You can't love horses and dislike this book, but I've just found the tail end of the series increasingly disappointing. This one in particular doesn't seem to go anywhere except in circles and I miss the adventure and the energy and the straightforward story telling. Also nothing resolves. All one has are hints and questions.
Silver Brumby, Silver Dingo - 2.5 stars
==============================
I really wanted to like this more.
And perhaps if I wasn't familiar with the rest of the series, and had read it as a stand-alone, I might have.
Quite a significant departure where instead of merely horses (and the odd kangaroo called Bennie) we have a "family" of characters thrown together during a disaster: a young creamy colt, a white dingo pup, and an adult hawk. There are some adventures - and also lots of descriptions of the countryside and other animals, and repetitive comments on the beauty, strength, energy and courage of the younger pair. There is also a weird scene where there is a parade of horses (plus Bennie) from the other books in the series.
October 11, 2015
Re-read!
The conclusion of Baringa and Lightning's story and another excellent book in the Silver Brumby Series!
Baringa is coming into his own power and slowly making a herd for himself when disaster strikes and he must set off to find the one he loves most in the world. While Lightning makes trouble for himself by stealing a herd of mares from a missing stallion.
We get to see other beloved horses once more and follow them into another portion of their life as both young stallions grow and begin to come into their own, Lightning maintaining his presence on the Quambat flat and building his own name while Baringa, like his grandfather builds a mystery around himself that captures all who hear of him and his white mares.
Thowra returns and has his own connected adventure and I love to see him again, older and ever more wise, truly enjoying and being at one with his world.
The conclusion of Baringa and Lightning's story and another excellent book in the Silver Brumby Series!
Baringa is coming into his own power and slowly making a herd for himself when disaster strikes and he must set off to find the one he loves most in the world. While Lightning makes trouble for himself by stealing a herd of mares from a missing stallion.
We get to see other beloved horses once more and follow them into another portion of their life as both young stallions grow and begin to come into their own, Lightning maintaining his presence on the Quambat flat and building his own name while Baringa, like his grandfather builds a mystery around himself that captures all who hear of him and his white mares.
Thowra returns and has his own connected adventure and I love to see him again, older and ever more wise, truly enjoying and being at one with his world.
July 13, 2012
One of my favs if not the best of the series. I think this may have been the first book I ever read as a child where something really bad happens and I was desperate to find the outcome. Definitely the most exciting of the four first books. You get the point of view from multiple horses, and they seem a lot more family orientated with emotions that kids would love.
I ended up buying the hardcopy version of this book, the same one as I read as a child, because of the artwork in it that I loved so much.
A must-read for anyone who loves horses.
I ended up buying the hardcopy version of this book, the same one as I read as a child, because of the artwork in it that I loved so much.
A must-read for anyone who loves horses.
April 28, 2013
This is the best of the Brumby stories I have read so far. Spring comes too early to the outback, bringing fast, deep floods. As Baringa tries to move his fillies to a safer place, Dawn slips and disappears into the flood. Desperate to find her, he seeks her in far places, fighting to survive and causing rumours of his death to circulate through the herds. Thowra, King of the Mountains, comes to investigate too, while Lightning only wants Baringa's beautiful fillies for himself.
A great little adventure that pulls at your heart strings in places.
A great little adventure that pulls at your heart strings in places.
June 23, 2009
My second favourite of the Brumby series, and following on from the brilliant Silver Brumbies of the South. Baringa is slowly building a beautiful herd, but he and Dawn still has more trials to face before they can live peacefully, as they still have enemies, as well as Lightning, to worry about. Baringa's increasing strength and fame amongst the brumbies of the south is exciting to behold.
Read
April 28, 2016Placeholder for the omnibus book with review found here. Otherwise it counts the omnibus as one book read and I'm reading one book from it a month.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
April 17, 2009
Out of all the Silver brumby books this is by far my favourite in the series.
March 31, 2013
I love this series; a great look from the point of view of the horse set in the Australian bush. Baringa is as endearing as Thowra.
December 6, 2013
I read all these books when I was a kid and was hooked, have read them as an adult and parent and its amazing the detail of australian landscapes and animals. Recommend to anyone.
October 6, 2016
The stories arent as strong as the first omnibus, but they were still an enjoyable and nostalgic read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews