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From the moment the battle-scarred horse Bucephalas, allows a prince and a runaway girl to sit on his back, he is bound to them for ever. The prince is the young Alexander, whom he proudly carries into battle, blazing a trail to the very edge of the world in his master’s search for glory and adventure. The girl, Charm, is a lowly stable girl, who brushes away the ghosts Bucephalas sees and forgives his arrogant ways. But unlike the golden Alexander, Charm has darker reasons to stay by his side. 

Told through the eyes of the horse, history, mystery and adventure unfold in this glorious epic adventure from the Branford Boase Award-winning author of Song Quest and Spellfall.

Reviews:

'… a rich, rewarding, and propulsive read that deserves a wide audience.' SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

'Not only is it an exhilarating breakneck gallop of a good read; you actually do see Alexander's history in a different way, from his horse's perspective. You get the glory and the excitement of victory but also see how addictive and damaging it is for the victor. An absolutely splendid and perfectly achieved book.' MARY HOFFMAN

My name is Bucephalas, and you should know right away that I’m no Black Beauty. My coat is the colour of oil-from-the-ground, but that’s where the resemblance stops. I have a big head, a white splodge between my eyes, battle scars, and a brand the shape of two horns burnt into my backside. I am, however, very strong and worth my (considerable) weight in gold as a warhorse. At least, I used to be, until I did the most shameful thing a horse can ever do. I killed my own rider.

I didn’t mean to trample the poor man to death. All I remember is the enemy’s pike, five times longer than a normal spear, hitting me in the eye. My rider fell off. The rest was a confusion of ghosts and screams. For half a year I lived in darkness. Once I could see again, the ghosts had not vanished like they usually do, but lurked in the shadows of my damaged eye. An inferior horse would have panicked. But I am a stallion trained for war, so I tried to fight them.

Ha! It took me a while to realize no one can dominate a ghost, by which time I had gained my reputation for being un-rideable. No one dared sit on me – until the day our trader took us north, to the land of my enemy, where I met two remarkable humans who were not afraid of me: Alexander, Crown Prince of Macedonia. Charmeia, the only other person who could ride me.

For ever after, our lives were joined by the invisible bond that links human to horse and can be escaped only by death. People may tell you some of this story isn’t true. But Alexander’s royal historian was paid to write lies, and he never ventured down to the horse lines anyway, so what could he know?

Climb on my back, if you dare, and let ME carry you into the battles that changed the world.