Review: The Black Stallion and the Lost City by Steve Farley

The Black Stallion and the Lost City by Steve Farley. An Alec Ramsay and the Black Story.

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2011
List Price: $16.90
ISBN-13: 9780375868375

Review: Have you ever wondered what it would be like in Greece? Is it really as relaxing as it sounds? The Black Stallion and the Lost City an Alec Ramsay and the Black Story by Steven Farley gives a really realistic description of Greece. This book is in a series that is continued from Steven Farley's dad. Young Alec Ramsay, the owner of the Black, a famous race-horse, is summoned to make a movie about Alexander the Great's life. His stallion is to play Bucephalus, Alexander's stallion. However, he and his friend Xeena are plunged into the mythical world of Acracia, a lost city. Alec and Xeena must figure out what is going on in this strange place, avoid four flesh-eating mares, and escape back to the movie campus. Can they uncover a way out or are these two messengers stuck in Acracia forever?

Alec Ramsay and the Black are called to Greece to act in a movie reenacting the life of the famous warrior Alexander the Great and his magnificent stallion, Bucephalus. The Black is like a real-life Bucephalus with a shiny, ebony coat. However, during a break in filming the scenes, Alec and his friend Xeena ride their horses along a river and are whisked away into a foreign and strange world. They soon discover that they are in Acracia, a city that has been lost for centuries. Medio, the society's leader, has four beautiful white horses that the Black takes a fashion for. Little do Alec and Xeena know, but these four albino mares are legendary flesh-eating mares that were first bred by the great horseman Diomedes. Acracia also has waters like the Fountain of Youth and grandparents appear to be in their thirties. What is going on in this hidden, secluded society? Alec and Xeena have to be very careful to avoid becoming addicted to the water and the hidden city and remaining there forever. They must fight for their lives against Medio's four flesh-eating mares and escape before they can be trapped on mount Atnos forever.

The Black Stallion and the Lost City is a very good book. It is a part of the Black Stallion series started by William Farley. This book, The Black Stallion and the Lost City, is written by William Farley's son, Steven. This is a really good book. The author based the story off of old Greek myths and it has some reality to it. Mt. Atnos is a sacred area and home of the god Diomedes in Greek myth. Steven Farley does a great job of continuing his father's series. He writes with the same enthusiasm and makes The Black Stallion and the Lost City a very interesting book to read. The only thing that I didn't like was some certain parts were confusing and lacking some things that were essential to understanding the plot. In some scenes, the scenery was totally ignored and it was hard to follow where and what the location looked like. However, he does use figurative language to make the reader interested in the complex plot. I never wanted to put down the book until I found out what had happened to Alec, the Black, and Xeena. Steven Farley did a wonderful job writing The Black Stallion and the Lost City. I rate this book five out of five stars.

Review written by Colleen (7th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Black Stallion and the Lost City for this review.

Have you read The Black Stallion and the Lost City? How would you rate it?