I recently downloaded Flame on Kindle, having learned from author Leanne Owens that is was free over the weekend. Yay for another horse book to read! I have read one of Leanne’s books before, Horses of the Sun and enjoyed this.
It is nice to discover other Australian authors that write about horses. Flame is a short story that could easily be devoured in an afternoon.
Flame is a wild horse in Australia. He starts out as a yearling in the story when some stock men are caught up in a fire, trying to move their herd of cattle to safer ground. The wild horse although presumably a brumby appears to have thoroughbred blood in him. One of the stock men feels a connection with the colt in that first meeting. And then over time, as the stories of Flame grow, John feels that he will see the horse again.
This short story looks at the harsh conditions that stock men work in and wild animals encounter in the Australian outback. Storms, flooding and the worst perhaps – fire – are all explored as Flame lives out his years in the wild.
The reader gets to learn about this environment through the eyes of ageing stockman John and growing wild horse, Flame. Many emotional stories are shared as one wild horse uses his knowledge of the land to save various people. Through these events the reputation of Flame grows and John finds himself wondering if this magical ghost horse is indeed real.
But his various interactions with the flaming chestnut over time prove to him that this wild horse – although seemingly magical – was very much real. Flame was an informative and enjoyable short read with a very big horse focus. Recommended.
Author: Leanne Owens
Fiction – adult
In My Library? As an ebook it is.
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