by Donna Barr (Author)
Publisher : Brave New
Words (January 1, 1992)
Softcover, 144 pages
All of Donna Barr’s books
are unique, not only in topic but in execution. She has a style all her own in
character interaction. Each of her characters has a natural warmth and a caring
attitude, which they might be forced to suppress. Eventually that decent
attitude comes through, allowing even antagonists to interact without the plot
running into stereotypes or clichés. Each story is characteristic of the
author, and I think I can honestly say that no one could write this story in
exactly the same way as she does.
The protagonist is
Steinheld Löwhard, or "Stinz"---a centaur - who lives in an isolated
Centaur community in pre-WWI Germany.. The Gieselthal centaurs call themselves
halbpferd ("halfhorses") and look down on the nomadic "gypsy centaurs"
who come through their valley at intervals. While relations between centaurs
and "two-leggers" are usually cordial, there is normally some
distance---centaurs see "two-leggers" as weak ad generally avoid
them.
While the whole of the
story takes Stinz from his early youth, up to near-death. This particular
chapter covers the centaur's draft into the German military. On the eve of his
announcing his engagement, the recruiters turn up to take Stinz away. What
follows is a fish-out-of-water story in the military and his superiors
attempting to figure out how exactly to train him, as most of the physical
training for humans are either inefficient or impossible for training a
half-horse.
For more readings, try books by Rex Hurst.
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