Preliminary thoughts *SPOILERS*:

I read the edition released in the early 90's with the Pamela Patrick cover as opposed to this edition.

The story takes place after Shetan is taken from his home in Arabia. He meets Alexander "Alec" Ramsay, a boy who immediately becomes impressed with the stallion, whom he names "The Black" (unknown of his "Shetan" name). Together they become marooned on a desert island after their ship sinks; the island is where they actually bond as the Black allows Alec to ride him there for the first time. When they arrive home in Flushing, New York, United States, they meet a former horse racing trainer named Henry Dailey who takes both of them on for the race against Cyclone and Sunraider.

Unlike The Young Black Stallion, this story mostly followed the storyline of the 1979 film The Black Stallion; and I found myself thinking of the similarities and differences between book and movie constantly as I read it. Among the major differences were Alec's father and his constant influence in Alec's life when it came to the Black; especially when he played the key role in deciding to let his son race the stallion (this action had been done by his mother in the film). I noticed that as I was reading, I actually imagined the exact same places and characters as they look like in the film. I think this was possible because the book's narrative is written in such a way that, even if one has never seen the movie, one can picture the characters and settings so vividly and easily.

I reserve the right to edit, including add more to, this review in the future.