The Island Stallion's Fury

Island Stallion #2

by Walter Farley

Only Steve Duncan and his friend Pitch know of the valley hidden behind the high cliffs of the remote Caribbean Azul Island. And only the two of them know of the beautiful, purebred horses that live there, under the watchful eye of the great red stallion, Flame. But when Pitch’s half-brother Tom learns of this lost paradise, he will stop at nothing to make it his own, even if he has to destroy it.

Genres: Horses, Fiction, Young Adult, Animals, Childrens, Classics, Middle Grade

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Walter 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

Reviews

[Kensie Linton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters of this book are Pitch, Steve, and Tom. Pitch is an archaeologist. He found this island and is looking for things from the Spanish Conquistadors. Azul Island is believed to have been the island where the Spanish stayed and built tunnels. Steve is Pitch’s best friend. He came to the island the year before with Pitch and met his stallion, Flame. Tom is Pitch’s fostered brother. He is so big and muscular that he rules Antago because everyone is scared of him so they obey him.
The setting of this book takes place on Azul Island in the summer. The whole problem started when they had to go to Antago for the vet, and when they had set sail Tom saw them and wanted to follow them to the secret hideout. He found the way in to Azul Island and wanted to take over the prized land with the power of his bull whip. He wanted to trap Steve and Pitch with no food and leave them to die. Then he started to beat Flame, Steve’s stallion, so he could then have full control over the island. Tom is determined to break Flame to obey him. It is all solved when Flame and Tom are on the ledge and Tom tripped on his bull whip. He fell off of the 300 ft. tall ledge onto the bottom. Steve passed out and when he awoke was told from Pitch that Tom didn't survive the fall and that they were safe and free from him. They went to Antago to get police to come and remove his body from the island.
I thought the book was amazing in the beginning until Tom came in. When he started abusing Flame, I wanted to get in the book and do something to him. It made me so mad! I didn't want to go on, but I didn't want to give up though. I was so happy when Tom died that I felt bad for being so happy. Overall, I suppose it was pretty exciting with all of the action that was in it.

[Ellen Martens · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was reading this book at age 12, my father asked me what I was reading and of course I answered "The Island Stallion's Fury". He was amazed. "Einstein's Theory"? "The kid's a genius!"

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started re-reading The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley in April and read five more from that series in May: Son of the Black Stallion, The Black Stallion and Satan, The Island Stallion, The Island Stallion's Fury, and The Blood Bay Colt. Only The Black Stallion and Satan was as enjoyable as when I was a kid, though I remember never really caring for the Island Stallion "spin-offs" or the two books on harness racing. Where's Alec and The Black? Bring 'em back!

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had its good parts and its bad parts. I hated Tom, but then, we were supposed to, Farley made that obvious. His villains are almost always very obvious.

It did have a few good parts, though. The beginning, before Tom showed up, was pretty good. It wasn't terrible, though, except for the part where Tom and Flame fight. I hated that.

All in all, just an okay installment in the series.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may be that I'm getting too old for these stories. I loved everything I read by Walter Farley when I was young, particularly his tales of the Island Stallion. The first two thirds of this one, though, seemed very slow and not a lot happened. The pace sure did pick up at the end and the last 30 pages were intense. I enjoyed the book and I bet younger kids between 8 and 15 would probably thrilled to it.

[Cathy Inboden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Returning to Azul Island alongside Steve and Pitch, we are excited to learn this is still a forgotten paradise. Steve and Flame continue to have the kind of connection most riders dream of having with their horse. Then twin foals are born, and one is orphaned. Steve and Pitch set to the hard task of raising him, and saving his life. When a chance encounter with Tom back on Antago sets of a chain of events that brings the cruel man to Azul Island, within reach of Flame and the foal, we fear that nothing can ever put things back the way they were.

Farley sets up another great novel in The Black Stallion series with tension and excitement. We're invested in the outcome of the story and in the well-being of horses and men. Everything feels fresh and new, and at times terrifying, as we hold our breath alongside Pitch and Steve, hoping for the best.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it brings out the character of Flame more than the other books in the Island Stallion series, this is a very violent book and may not be suitable for small children. I can't help but wonder if Farley was depressed when he wrote this. It's one of the shortest books in the series. Even Ruth Sanderson (the cover artist) seems to be phoning it in, too. Compare the image of Flame on the cover with the Breyer Fighting Stallion model. Just add some waving mane, a blue sky and some canyon rock walls in the background and --hey presto -- instant book cover.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

My oldest son asked me to read this book, thinking that I'd enjoy it. For the most part, I did. I found the contrasts particularly interesting. Tom is painted evil from the first mention and only gets more stupid, fat and animal with every encounter. Flame, however, is his opposite: beautiful, intelligent and benevolent. We're never given a chance to like Tom and we're never given a chance to dislike Flame.

Overall, it's an "OK" book. My issues with it are more about what I like in a book than anything to do with the book.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Never was there a horse so beautiful! No other could match the finely molded body or the giant muscles that moved so smoothly beneath tight, sliding skin. No equal did he have in strength of legs and withers, chest and shoulders."

Flame and his band of island horses are at risk from a no-good horse "trainer" who isn't, well wo isn't very nice to his horses. It's up to Steve and Pitch to protect the horses from harm and from discovery.

Like all Farley's books, they're short and basic, but great for horse lovers.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hated this one. I even dreaded it before I started reading it, which made it even worse. I didn't enjoy the first Island Stallion book, and this followed everything I hated about that first book right on through. The villain story made zero sense. The only positive was the history and allure of the island, which unfortunately wasn't as prominent in this book as in the other one.

I don't recommend this book.

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've ever seen the Disney movies Tom and Huck and Tarzan, you might be familiar with their villains, Injun Joe and Clayton. The villain of this book is kind of like a mashup of those two, except much less scary. Clayton and Injun Joe at home, if you will. I shouldn't be reading a scene that's supposed to be scary and cringing instead. However, I did like Steve's internal dialogue when he and Pitch were in the caves. That was genuinely good writing.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first Island Stallion book as there is a bit to much unreal information about horses. I know both series give human emotions to the horses to an extent but having a stallion care about the well being of a foal was just stretching credibility too far. The boys enjoyed it though and the part where the stepbrother is lost in the caves is pretty creepy.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only Black Statllion Series book that I'll separately add to my list, simply because it's amazing. It takes place on a mysterious island with lots of tunnels and secret passages and the kinds of things that enchant young readers. Soo good.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Island Stallion's Fury (The Black Stallion, #7)
Farley, Walter
this is a great story about horses and their world, showing that all we know about horses is not dictated by human interactions. Black beauty and flame are at odds with each other.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters, and their world and hope I get the chance to read the story again and/or to read more within the series.

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Zion Lucier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finding this book pretty slow and boring, just trying to get through it in order to move on to the next book of the series. I much prefer the books with the races in them compared to the spin off series of the Island stallion.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sees the return of Flame to the narrative. Flame's island paradise is threatened, and so are all of the wild horses that are under his care. This book was pretty dramatic, but I loved it as much as the others. This is a great series for young horsepeople.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.. I love Walter Farley Books.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The boys who went to the deserted island and found the horse, Flame as they named it, did research on the island. They've found a lot of the history on the island.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extra 1/2 star.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

It doesn't really even earn a single star, it simply has too much discription! I can't even finish it, too boring, no suspense.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hace the fondest memories of searching for these books while on vacations at books stores all over the country when I was in grade school.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stormed through this series. I made a beeline for the "F" section for a month's worth of library visits, until I had read the whole series.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first book was the story of a boy and a horse, but the series grows with books on similar themes of overcoming adversity and animal/human bonding. Loved them as a kid.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

See the first book in the series for the full review.

[Suzann]

Best of the bunch, if you ask me

[Jackie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was not a Black Stallion book that I could ever put down. The stories are the best.

[Steve Shilstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a youth, this was my favorite Walter Farley, what with the Spanish conquistador relics and all.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read from long ago