The Phantom Stallion
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The Phantom Stallion books are a series by American Terri Farley, written for young adult readers.
First published in 2002 by Avon Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the Phantom Stallion series has captivated the hearts and imaginations of young readers all over the world. The main character is a girl named Samantha (Sam) Forster who shares a unique bond with a wild horse called the Phantom. Having spent two years away from her family's Nevada ranch to recover from a riding accident, Samantha returns home to find that things are never easy where horses are concerned.
There are 24 books in the series with one million copies sold worldwide. Almost every book has a new equine character as its focus and Samantha and her friends battle horse thieves, wildcats and more to keep their horses safe. The Nevada backdrop provides the setting for this unique series.
Terri Farley has committed herself to lengthening the Phantom Stallion series with a new gig. Her newest series will be entitled, Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island, and will focus on the life of Darby, a character from the last book, Run Away Home.
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[edit] The Characters
- Samantha Anne "Sam" Forster - Sam is the main character of the series. Ever since she was little, she has had a special bond with a horse that has grown up from a black colt named Blackie to a wild gray stallion called the Phantom. Sam is known for being stubborn, loving animals, and doing anything for the horses she loves. Sam has auburn hair, brown eyes (although at some point it's said she has blue,) and is around five feet tall. Her riding horse is a bay mustang named Ace. She's thirteen at the beginning of the series and turns fourteen later in the series, and she is a freshman, but later on becomes a sophomore. The only school activity Sam really participates in is Journalism class, especially in photography. Sam also loves basketball and movies. Sam's dad forced her to live with Aunt Sue in San Francisco for two years to recover from a riding accident.
- Jake Ely - One of Sam's best friends, Jake Ely is known for being shy and trying to explain his thoughts in as few words as possible. He knows a lot about horses and Sam often turns to him for advice about a horse she is dealing with at the time. Jake is sixteen years old, supposedly turning seventeen later in the series, and often plays the role of Sam's chauffeur/guardian as he feels very protective of Sam. He lives on Three Ponies Ranch with his two parents and six brothers, often called the Ely brothers. Jake is half Shoshone, has Indian-black hair, brown eyes, and is at least six feet tall. His favorite horse is a black quarter horse mare named Witch, whose name is not ironic. His best friend's name is Darrell.
- Jennifer "Jen" Kenworthy - Usually called Jen, One of Sam's best friends, Jen is intelligent, sarcastic, and possibly a slightly better rider than Sam. She dreams of someday becoming a vet, her horse is a palomino mare named Silk Stocking (Silly), and she strives to keep A's on her report card to earn a scholarship for college because she knows her family won't be able to afford college otherwise. Her family lives in lower class and can't afford much. She lives on Gold Dust Ranch, her family's small house in the shadow of Linc Slocum's huge mansion. Her family's old ranch was called the Diamond K and attempted a palomino breeding program called Fire and Ice, which they were forced to stop because of their low amount of money. Jen was home schooled until middle school. Jen has blonde hair often worn in braids, blue eyes, and wears black-rimmed glasses.
- Pamela "Pam" - Usually called Pam, Sam's other best friend from San Francisco. She visited Sam after she went back home to Nevada. Sam meet Pam after she went to live with Aunt Sue in San Francisco for two years to recover from a riding accident.
- Darby Carter - Darby loves horses even though she's never actually ridden one and in "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" she adopts a wild sorrel filly that she saves on the range in Nevada and names her Hoku. Hoku is Hawaiian for, "Star". She is Sam's new best friend from California. She's part Hawaiian. Her mother is an actress and for some strange reason is mad at her father and refuses to return to Hawaii. She has astma and is prone to getting car sick. She comes to a riding camp in Nevada in book #24 of the Phantom Stallion series. In "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" Darby is 12, however in the Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Islad series Darby is 13.
- Wyatt Forster - Wyatt is Sam's father. He is known for being strict, just as stubborn as Sam, and has an inborn radar to detect when his daughter is out of bed. Wyatt, much like other cowboys in the series, speaks in as few words as possible and it's clear through the series that grammar isn't one of his top priorities. Wyatt's bald-faced horse was named Banjo, but he was forced to sell him because of a flood caused after a drought.
- Brynna Forster - Brynna is Sam's stepmother. She works at the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, and loves wild horses. Her maiden name is Olson. She marries Wyatt Forster in the seventh book, and announces her pregnancy in the sixteenth book. In the twenty-fourth book Brynna gives birth to a beautiful baby boy named Cody. Brynna often wears her red hair in a French braid and usually wears her work uniform's khaki pants. Brynna's favorite horse is a blind sorrel mare named Penny, but she also rides River Bend's only Appaloosa, Jeepers Creepers.
- Grace Forster - Sam's grandmother, called Gram throughout the series. Gram is the book keeper of River Bend Ranch, cooks, keeps the house clean, and tends to her garden. Her favorite horse is a paint mare named Sweetheart, although she hardly ever rides.
- Linc Slocum - The villain in the series, Linc Slocum has a reputation of playing cowboy. He is convinced he can buy his way into anything, and sometimes, it works. The one thing he can't get with money is the Phantom. To him, the beautiful stallion is a trophy he could show off everywhere he went, and he would finally be a true cowboy. Linc thinks of many schemes to make money and capture the Phantom, trying to prove he's a cowboy and not just a Western-wannabe throughout the entire series. He often uses Champ, a palomino gelding previously owned by the Kenworthys, as a riding horse. In "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" Linc got arrested.
- Rachel Slocum - The villain's daughter, set on ruining Sam's school life as a freshman. Rich and popular, Rachel wears fashionable clothes and looks wonderful in everything she wears. Rachel has a twin brother named Ryan and has a slight British accent. In the sixth book, The Challenger, Rachel buys a chestnut mare named Mocha in order to impress her twin brother, although she hardly rides after that and will normally think of horses almost as low as she thinks of Sam. In "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" Rachel moved back to England and asked Sam to help Ryan out at the ranch.
- Ryan Slocum - The villain's son, Rachel Slocum's twin brother, but likes horses a lot more than his twin sister. He has a slight British accent, and has come to Nevada from living with his mother in England. His favorite horse is Sky Ranger, he rides English, he and Jake Ely tend to be competitive, and Jen has a crush on Ryan when he makes his first appearance in The Challenger, and throughout the rest of the series. In "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home" Ryan took over the ranch after Rachel moved back to England.
- Lila Kenworthy - Jen's mother, her favorite horses are Golden Rose and Mantilla, she has blonde hair like her daughter, was once Rodeo Queen, occasionally has a testy relationship with her husband Jed, and was good friends with Sam's mother, Louise.
- Jed Kenworthy - Jen's father. His favorite horse is named Sundance. He is Linc Slocum's foreman, used to own the Diamond K with his family, occasionally has a shaky relationship with his wife, Lila, and is friends with Sam's father, Wyatt.
- Maxine Ely - Jake's mother, and is Sam's history teacher at Darton High. She is blond, petite and rules her household of men. Maxine enjoys photography and has won awards for her photographs. In "Run Away Home" Maxine and Sam helped Brynna deliver Cody when she went into Labor during a huge snow storm.
- Luke Ely - Jake's father. A full-blooded Shoshone. He owns Three Ponies Ranch and works in mines.
- Adam Ely - One of Jake's brothers, who works in Reno at a kayaking outfitter store.
- Kit Ely - Eldest of the Ely brothers. He rodeoed professionally, before being forced to retire because of an arm injury- a bronc crushed his wrist "into dust". Kit appears in the Wild Horse Island series as well, as the ranch foreman.
- Quinn Ely - Quinn is the only Ely brother besides Jake and Kit that plays a fairly large part in the series. He has spiky hair and is on the student council at Darton High. He has a chocolate brown Quarter Horse named Chocolate Chip, who is identical in conformation to his full sister Witch.
- Nate Ely - Nate is another Ely brother. All we know about him is that he rides a horse named Digger.
- Bryan Ely - Yet another Ely brother.
- Darrell - Jake Ely's best buddy at school. Wears baggy clothes and has a bad-boy reputation, but proves that he cares about animals throughout the series.
- Aunt Sue - Sam's mother's sister. Lives in San Francisco. Sam lived with her for two years after her accident resulting in a brief coma. The series begins as Sam is coming back from living with Aunt Sue. Aunt Sue is the closest Sam will get to remembering her mother. Even thought Aunt Sue doesn't ride like Sam she loves movies.
- Louise Forster - Sam's mother who died in a car accident when Sam was five years old.
- Cody Forster - Sam's little brother. He was born in December in "The Phantom Stallion: Run Away Home".
- Mrs. Allan - A bossy old woman. Grams old friend. Owns the Blind Faith Mustang sanctuary, she saved a bunch of unwanted wild mustangs from being killed at the BLM. Has a grandson that is a junior in high school and is in Phantom Stallion: Firefly, named Gabriele or Gab. He saves Pirate after he is burned in a fire.
[edit] Animal Characters
- The Phantom - Sam's horse has changed a lot since he was her beloved black colt she named Blackie. Although this stallion has changed from coal black to dappled-silver and gray, there is still one thing that is similar about him, the main thing that ties The Phantom and Sam in a bond. When he was a colt, Sam gave him a secret name, Zanzibar, which was an Indian technique used to bond with horses. The Phantom, having one of the largest herds in Nevada, battles bachelor stallions, watches over lone foals, and will do anything to keep his herd and Sam safe.
- Ace - Sam's new horse. A bay mustang gelding standing at around fourteen hands high. He tends to test Sam when she leasts expects it, and although he can be sassy and stubborn, Sam still loves him. Except when she's grounded, Sam usually rides Ace everyday. Ace has a star face marking and two hind stockings. Ace ran with the Phantom when he was wild and still seems to have a friendship with the stallion.
- Blaze - The Forster's dog Border Collie.
- Cougar - The Forster's cat.
- Buddy - Sam saves this calf from drowning in quicksand, and later becomes Sam's orphaned female calf. Later on Sam lets the calf out and she goes and lives with the other cows.
- Dark Sunshine - The mare Sam tries to save in the third book. She was being used as a Judas horse and can only be trained at night
- Popcorn - An albino mustang used for The HARP Girls.
- Silk Stockings - This is Jen's palomino mare, nicknamed 'Silly'
- Strawberry - The leader of the pack. Is a very bossy horse.
- Sweetheart - Gram's old horse.
- Witch - Jake's big black Quarter Horse mare. Witch has a bit of an attitude, thinking she is the queen of mares. The words "fast and quick-tempered" were once used to described the black mare.
[edit] List of Novels
- The Wild One - (July 2002)
- Mustang Moon - (2002)
- Dark Sunshine - (October 2002)
- The Renagade - (November 2002)
- Free Again - (January 2003)
- The Challenger - (March 2003)
- Desert Dancer - (May 2003)
- Golden Ghost - (July 2003)
- Gift Horse - (October 2003)
- Red Feather Filly - (February 2004)
- Untamed - (April 2004)
- Rain Dance - (July 2004)
- Heartbreak Bronco - (October 2004)
- Moonrise - (February 2005)
- Kidnapped Colt - (April 2005)
- The Wildest Heart - (June 2005)
- Mountain Mare - (September 2005)
- Firefly - (October 2005)
- Secret Star - (January 2006)
- Blue Wings - (February 2006)
- Dawn Runner - (May 2006)
- Wild Honey - (July 2006)
- Gypsy Gold - (September 2006)
- Run Away Home - (December 2006)
