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New Policeman #3
The White Horse Trick
It is the latter part of the 21st century, and dramatic climate change has made life in Ireland almost impossible. Meanwhile, Tir na n'Og is faced with a refugee problem, and the king of the fairies is not happy about it and when it is revealed that the warlord who is behind the problem is a member of the Liddy family, JJ is sent to sort him out...Following on from The New Policeman and The Last of the High Kings, The White Horse Trick travels from the now to far distant futures: from world's end to world's beginning...
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Kate Thompson
63 books153 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults.She has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers. She worked with horses and travelled in India before settling in the west of Ireland with her partner Conor. They have two daughters, Cliodhna and Dearbhla. She is an accomplished fiddler with an interest in Irish traditional music, reflected in The New Policeman.
While Kate Thompson's children's fiction is primarily fantasy, several of her books also deal with the consequences of genetic engineering.
She has won the Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award four times, for The Beguilers, The Alchemist's Apprentice, Annan Water and The New Policeman. The New Policeman was also awarded the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Dublin Airport Authority Children's Book of the Year Award for 2005.
Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults.She has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers. She worked with horses and travelled in India before settling in the west of Ireland with her partner Conor. They have two daughters, Cliodhna and Dearbhla. She is an accomplished fiddler with an interest in Irish traditional music, reflected in The New Policeman.
While Kate Thompson's children's fiction is primarily fantasy, several of her books also deal with the consequences of genetic engineering.
She has won the Bisto Children's Book of the Year Award four times, for The Beguilers, The Alchemist's Apprentice, Annan Water and The New Policeman. The New Policeman was also awarded the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Dublin Airport Authority Children's Book of the Year Award for 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 23, 2018
This felt a little heavy-handed on the environmental message to begin with, but by the end, I'd thoroughly enjoyed it. Not quite as clever as the first in the trilogy, but a better read, in my opinion, than the second, and an excellent way to round the whole thing out.
December 1, 2010
Really a three and a half stars. A good story, well written, with smart and funny bits that I would easily recommend. A dystopian fantasy set in a post global warming Ireland, which is complete with a parallel reality fairyland.
The downside is the heavy handed message. Greed is bad and led to global warming and environmental destruction. Art is good and farming is pure. Issues of how art would exist without other commerce and the creative aspects of science or mercantilism are not gone into. I am not religious, but the Adam and Eve ending let me a bit squeemy. I am no fan of the mythology of the fall, in which the pursuit of knowledge leads to a loss of grace. I also don't like peddling a hybrid bacchante/puritan ethos to kids. Drink, smoke, fornicate, be poetic and musical and magic, just don't be greedy and keep track of time and sell a product someone would want to buy.
That said, it's a story, and quite a good one. Kids will figure it out and skip the preachy parts. It's a good read.
The downside is the heavy handed message. Greed is bad and led to global warming and environmental destruction. Art is good and farming is pure. Issues of how art would exist without other commerce and the creative aspects of science or mercantilism are not gone into. I am not religious, but the Adam and Eve ending let me a bit squeemy. I am no fan of the mythology of the fall, in which the pursuit of knowledge leads to a loss of grace. I also don't like peddling a hybrid bacchante/puritan ethos to kids. Drink, smoke, fornicate, be poetic and musical and magic, just don't be greedy and keep track of time and sell a product someone would want to buy.
That said, it's a story, and quite a good one. Kids will figure it out and skip the preachy parts. It's a good read.
January 12, 2016
I was going to give this audio book three, almost four stars but the ending made me change my mind. I can stand books that have quite a bit of evolution in them, but when they try to entwine that with creation, just no. The concept was really cool I enjoyed the beginning and middle, they were quite 'page turning' but not the end, the last few chapters just got worse and worse. There are some quite funny bits, and interesting characters. If you like lots of fantasy, faeries, time changing, apocalyptic adventures you may enjoy it. But the global warming and then trying to make the new world sound like the Genesis story was just to much for me.
May 18, 2012
It was well written, but the massage of the book was its sole reason for existence. I kept waiting for the story to start, but couldn't get into it with the Point hanging over my head. In short, I wasted precious hours I could have spent reading something else.
April 8, 2024
This one is really hard for me. The premise is one that I am quite triggered by and I almost didn't read it, but I love the world and characters so much I felt I needed to give it a try to see their stories out. I'm very glad I did though. The end was really lovely and even had me tearing up a couple times.
As I said, premise was not my cup of tea. I have seen a couple pretty graphic post apocalyptic movies that really scared me and ever since I get really trigged by the idea. Thankfully this book is definitely not graphic in any way (it's for kids after all), and you only see very mild brutality.
I will also say that this felt a little preachy at times. You can definitely tell that the author is a climate activist...Which is fine, just don't need to be so heavy handed about it. Thankfully that didn't last once the story really got going, but still had a presence throughout.
Overall, I truly do adore these characters and setting/world/lore and enjoyed my last bit of time with them. The New Policeman is still one of my favorite books of all time and I'm really glad I finally am able to complete the series.
As I said, premise was not my cup of tea. I have seen a couple pretty graphic post apocalyptic movies that really scared me and ever since I get really trigged by the idea. Thankfully this book is definitely not graphic in any way (it's for kids after all), and you only see very mild brutality.
I will also say that this felt a little preachy at times. You can definitely tell that the author is a climate activist...Which is fine, just don't need to be so heavy handed about it. Thankfully that didn't last once the story really got going, but still had a presence throughout.
Overall, I truly do adore these characters and setting/world/lore and enjoyed my last bit of time with them. The New Policeman is still one of my favorite books of all time and I'm really glad I finally am able to complete the series.
July 24, 2022
I enjoyed this read, although I had not read the earlier parts of the trilogy.
The white horse features less than you might expect, but plays a part as a fairy horse from Tir na nOg. The story is set in a dystopian near future Ireland. Some readers may feel the author is pushing the climate change message too hard; if the author intends bringing the world as we know it to an end, she needs a reason for the dystopia, and needs to reinforce that in this case there is no going back for her characters.
If you enjoy fantasy or dystopian fiction, you'll probably like the read; if you just want a horse story, it may not be for you.
The white horse features less than you might expect, but plays a part as a fairy horse from Tir na nOg. The story is set in a dystopian near future Ireland. Some readers may feel the author is pushing the climate change message too hard; if the author intends bringing the world as we know it to an end, she needs a reason for the dystopia, and needs to reinforce that in this case there is no going back for her characters.
If you enjoy fantasy or dystopian fiction, you'll probably like the read; if you just want a horse story, it may not be for you.
May 28, 2020
Much more serious than the first two. I liked the twist at the end, but in general, I think I should have stopped reading this series after the first book.
January 29, 2021
The mix of distopia and fantasy didn't make it for me. It's a long way from the first two. Too depressive for a young adults book!
August 26, 2025
I really liked the first two in this trilogy.
But this one is rather chilling and I feel that the ending mocks the biblical account of creation.
But this one is rather chilling and I feel that the ending mocks the biblical account of creation.
March 16, 2017
I didn't like this one as much as the two preceding novels in the series. It felt a little too 'preachy'.
November 7, 2010
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
In the near future, the world has been destroyed by climate changes. Life is almost impossible in Ireland. The topsoil, for the most part, has been washed away by torrential rain.
Commander Aiden Liddy, last seen as a toddler in THE LAST OF THE HIGH KINGS, is now part of an elite governing army that has stockpiled the food and is in charge of distributing and controlling the population. His general, Donal, has an alternate agenda that might destroy both worlds as they know it.
With T'ír na n'Óg unchanged, the king of the fairies has had an influx of refugees and is not happy about it. The only hope for the two worlds is something that lies within the fairy world.
Pup, one of the citizens under rule of the tyrannical Commander, is upset to one day find his brother missing. Thinking that it's the commander who took him, he confronts him and gets "volunteered" to be part of a special force. The force's job is to go into the fairy world and steal something that will save them all.
But how can Pup trust a man who may have kidnapped his brother? Will Aiden and Pup find a way to save both worlds?
THE WHITE HORSE TRICK is a great fantasy adventure filled with a fast-paced plot and complex characters. Although the global warming issue seems a little heavy, the author does a great job of weaving together a magical story filled with cleverness and teamwork. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, action, fairies, and apocalyptic-type stories will enjoy reading this trilogy in order, beginning with THE NEW POLICEMAN.
In the near future, the world has been destroyed by climate changes. Life is almost impossible in Ireland. The topsoil, for the most part, has been washed away by torrential rain.
Commander Aiden Liddy, last seen as a toddler in THE LAST OF THE HIGH KINGS, is now part of an elite governing army that has stockpiled the food and is in charge of distributing and controlling the population. His general, Donal, has an alternate agenda that might destroy both worlds as they know it.
With T'ír na n'Óg unchanged, the king of the fairies has had an influx of refugees and is not happy about it. The only hope for the two worlds is something that lies within the fairy world.
Pup, one of the citizens under rule of the tyrannical Commander, is upset to one day find his brother missing. Thinking that it's the commander who took him, he confronts him and gets "volunteered" to be part of a special force. The force's job is to go into the fairy world and steal something that will save them all.
But how can Pup trust a man who may have kidnapped his brother? Will Aiden and Pup find a way to save both worlds?
THE WHITE HORSE TRICK is a great fantasy adventure filled with a fast-paced plot and complex characters. Although the global warming issue seems a little heavy, the author does a great job of weaving together a magical story filled with cleverness and teamwork. Readers who like fantasy, adventure, action, fairies, and apocalyptic-type stories will enjoy reading this trilogy in order, beginning with THE NEW POLICEMAN.
Read
January 12, 2014Once I got into this book, I could hardly put it down. Something about the pacing and the suspense/mystery got me, and I really wanted to see it through. It's sort of about a post-global warming world, and things are not good at all, and so in this way it's like a lot of other recent/current books.
It's the 3rd in a series, by this author, and I read the other two, and the post-global warming and more bleak and dire setting/premise here is sort of weird, after the other two, though you could see it coming, really, I think.
In the end, though, I think this was not my favorite, of the three. I barely remember the first - The New Policeman, and really want to go back and re-read it. I think I might have read it the summer of Matt and Nika's wedding, maybe. So, could it really be six years ago?
I read the 2nd in the series this fall, The Last of the High Kings. Alden says it was his favorite, and I might agree, though, I need a more recent read of the first one to really be able to say. I remember really loving the first one.
This one gets a little extra-fantastical for me, at the end, though I know that others like that genre/take more than me, so I am okay with it. Just something about it sort of distanced me, though the overall story, as I said, was intriguing and good.
It's the 3rd in a series, by this author, and I read the other two, and the post-global warming and more bleak and dire setting/premise here is sort of weird, after the other two, though you could see it coming, really, I think.
In the end, though, I think this was not my favorite, of the three. I barely remember the first - The New Policeman, and really want to go back and re-read it. I think I might have read it the summer of Matt and Nika's wedding, maybe. So, could it really be six years ago?
I read the 2nd in the series this fall, The Last of the High Kings. Alden says it was his favorite, and I might agree, though, I need a more recent read of the first one to really be able to say. I remember really loving the first one.
This one gets a little extra-fantastical for me, at the end, though I know that others like that genre/take more than me, so I am okay with it. Just something about it sort of distanced me, though the overall story, as I said, was intriguing and good.
November 6, 2011
Mu actual rating here is 4.5, but goodreads doesn't allow for that.
I have read (or listened to) The New Policeman several times but have heard The Last of the High Kings just once. The White Horse Trick is a fit conclusion to the series. I won't go into the plot here, as that's easily available and besides... "Spoilers, sweetie!"
Having read other reviews, some of them critical, I acknowledge they have a point. JJ and Aisling do act rather oddly as parents, and although JJ being just 3/4 ploddy might have something to do with it, it doesn't explain Aisling unless the whole retirement plan thing means they don't see time the way we might.
I have been trying to work out why I love this series despite its oddities, and conclude that partly it's because of them, partly it's because Kate Thompson doesn't make things too easy, and partly (mostly) because I love the writing style and tone. The closest I can come to matching it is by suggesting Pamela Dean's Tam Lin and the "older reader" books by Diana Wynne Jones. All three authors are expert at making us accept less-than-heroic characters. Thomas, Janet, Howl, Sophie, JJ, Aengus, Jenny... none of them is wholly admirable, and yet they are SO real and even, in their ways, so lovable.
I have read (or listened to) The New Policeman several times but have heard The Last of the High Kings just once. The White Horse Trick is a fit conclusion to the series. I won't go into the plot here, as that's easily available and besides... "Spoilers, sweetie!"
Having read other reviews, some of them critical, I acknowledge they have a point. JJ and Aisling do act rather oddly as parents, and although JJ being just 3/4 ploddy might have something to do with it, it doesn't explain Aisling unless the whole retirement plan thing means they don't see time the way we might.
I have been trying to work out why I love this series despite its oddities, and conclude that partly it's because of them, partly it's because Kate Thompson doesn't make things too easy, and partly (mostly) because I love the writing style and tone. The closest I can come to matching it is by suggesting Pamela Dean's Tam Lin and the "older reader" books by Diana Wynne Jones. All three authors are expert at making us accept less-than-heroic characters. Thomas, Janet, Howl, Sophie, JJ, Aengus, Jenny... none of them is wholly admirable, and yet they are SO real and even, in their ways, so lovable.
June 21, 2011
In the third book in the trilogy that started with The New Policeman J.J. Liddy's chldren are all grown up. It's late in the 21st century and changing weather patterns have devastated Ireland (and the rest of the world but the focus of the story remains exclusively on Ireland and specifically the area around Kinvara). There are few animals, little food, no exports or contact with the outside world. The Liddy boys, Aidan and Donal, are the local warlords, but for very different reasons. Meanwhile, Aengus Og, just wants to nip over from the Land of Eternal Youth to pick up his favorite tobacco and finds more than he bargained for. This concluding adventure is much darker than the previous installments, with a somewhat predictable but still depressing ending. A rather scathing commentary on human nature and the future of the planet.
Book Pairings: This series would pair well with readers who enjoy Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. All deal with issues of good and evil, morality, and spirituality, providing food for thought as well as good stories.
Book Pairings: This series would pair well with readers who enjoy Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. All deal with issues of good and evil, morality, and spirituality, providing food for thought as well as good stories.
November 15, 2011
I listened to this one on audio book, and the narrator's soft Irish accent much enhanced the experience. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with JJ, Aisling, Jenny and Aengus and co. Kate Thompson has built an extraordinarily clever picture of an unusual family, I think. Quite apart from the audacious plot and that quite extraordinary ending (which I liked a lot more than some reviewers!) I found myself admiring the dexterous handling of a widely branching family tree in which it's perfectly possible for a granddaughter to be older than her grandfather and to be her own aunt. I found all sorts of things to ponder; how much, for example, did JJ's 25% fairy blood inform his personality? As for the fairies... they are quite close to the ploddies genetically, since they can interbreed and since they age when in the ploddy world. What sets them apart, aside from magic, is a cast of mind which makes them both fascinated by human endeavour and emotion while being also detached from it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2010
This book is an unusual blend of traditional fantasy with elements that are more commonly found in dystopian science fiction. This is the 3rd book in the series (The New Policeman; Last of the High Kings) & the children in book 2 have now grown old. Ireland is flodded due to global warming. One of the 4 Liddy children is a warlord & his brother is his general. (Dissapointingly there is almost no mention of the 2 daughters & no one seems to care about their condition at all. Again poor parenting as seen in book 2.) To spell out how the plot goes and how the 2 seemingly opposite genres work together would provide many spoilers, but to me the best part of this book was in the ending of it. That was great.
Oh - a note - at one point in the story there is a drinking contest. Some parents of elementary age students might be uncomfortable with this topic, so fair warning.
Oh - a note - at one point in the story there is a drinking contest. Some parents of elementary age students might be uncomfortable with this topic, so fair warning.
June 14, 2017
I love reading about Irish myths and fairy encounters, and this trilogy is such a fantastic modern setting for those old stories to come to life again. This last book is the perfect ending for the trilogy! Plenty of twists and turns in the plot, and simply brilliant writing. Nothing is ever quite what it seems in the beginning, and even a second look is twisted by fairy glamour.
I loved revisiting some old characters, seeing them grown up, and I loved the new characters as well.
The puca continues to creep me out, and Aidan Liddy with his demon-temper continues to freak me out. I adore Jenny, so calm and sweet, even with all her power. It was wonderful being inside Donal's head again, always generous and looking out for everyone. And poor JJ is just as funny and darling as ever!
I loved revisiting some old characters, seeing them grown up, and I loved the new characters as well.
The puca continues to creep me out, and Aidan Liddy with his demon-temper continues to freak me out. I adore Jenny, so calm and sweet, even with all her power. It was wonderful being inside Donal's head again, always generous and looking out for everyone. And poor JJ is just as funny and darling as ever!
December 31, 2010
This last installment of an Irish fantasy trilogy that includes The New Policeman and The Last of the High Kings is a bit disturbing, featuring as it does the destruction of human civilization, thanks to global warming. This is clearly a trend in YA literature - think of Carbon Diaries 2015, Raiders' Ransom, Ship Breaker, and many others. At least in The White Horse Trick, there is T'ir na n'Og to escape to. This is rather a bleak book nevertheless, although it does possess the glimmering bits of down-to-earth humor that make Thompson's books so enjoyable. The Adam and Eve ending is quite disappointing for its blatant wink/nudge aspect, but otherwise this is a fine wrap-up to the trilogy.
Read
August 6, 2010While reading this, the third and last novel in the fine New Policeman trilogy, I thought of K Ishiguro's masterful "Never Let Me Go" which never once mentioned the word "clone". Instead, Ishiguro told his story through his characters and as a result of the author's restraint, his story grew in power and tragedy. It is one of my favorite novels to this day.
"The White Horse Trick" didn't finish as strongly for me as it began. I love its characters, fairie and ploddy alike, and recommend it for that, but Message swamped the characters at the end.
October 23, 2010
Only after I finished it did I realize there was a #2 - that explained some of the "huh?" reactions I had to some of the plot, but overall I think I enjoyed that it was a sequel that left me out of some of the things that had happened since #1.
I really liked The New Policeman and was pleased to read another by Thompson. White Horse Trick carries on the silliness, though isn't quite as perfectly balanced. It provides a rather terrifying view of the world if we don't get our act together - more effective than anything Al Gore could produce.
I really liked The New Policeman and was pleased to read another by Thompson. White Horse Trick carries on the silliness, though isn't quite as perfectly balanced. It provides a rather terrifying view of the world if we don't get our act together - more effective than anything Al Gore could produce.
Read
November 7, 2010I picked this up as a Harper Collins review despite not having read the previous two in the trilogy. For that reason, it took a while to get into, but once I did, I was hooked. A dystopian fantasy story (ahem, my favorite) set in Ireland, we witness a war torn land juxtaposed with a fairy utopia. The ending is clever though I was a little bit like "really? Did you have to go THERE?" but it is well written nonetheless. I've heard fantastic things about The New Policeman, which is the first installment as well.
January 11, 2011
I very much enjoyed listening to this trilogy on audiobook, particularly with the Irish musical interludes. However, based on the great coverage in The Horn Book, I half-expected a masterpiece to rival Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.
These books are not on that imaginative or narrative level, yet the characters and settings have lingered in my memory. Scary to think that the author might be correctly predicting the near future of our planet's climate (and without magic to save us as a species...oh dear!).
I'll definitely be reading Kate Thompson's other books, past and future.
These books are not on that imaginative or narrative level, yet the characters and settings have lingered in my memory. Scary to think that the author might be correctly predicting the near future of our planet's climate (and without magic to save us as a species...oh dear!).
I'll definitely be reading Kate Thompson's other books, past and future.
January 25, 2012
This book was decent, but I wouldn't really recommend it to many people. The book starts out in the future, but the world is experiencing a "revenge of mother-nature" event.(hurricanes, rainstorms, blizzards, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, etc.) The human race is nearly extinct, and struggling to live. Without giving away too much of the book, the world basically starts from the beginning like the big bang had just occurred. Seven couples are left by the end, and they are to repopulate the world, like Adam and Eve.
November 26, 2010
What a wonderful---and surprising---end to this Irish myth trilogy! Like the previous two books, The White Horse Trick uses 'ploddies' and fairy folk on both sides of the time skin to complicate each other's lives in interesting ways. Thompson found an inventive way to conclude this trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed all three books.
September 24, 2010
YA Thompson
The third in the series. The first, "The New Policeman," is fantastic. And the second in the series is good too. This seemed like it was grafting sci fi and dystopian fiction to what had been pure fantasy. Though YA, perfectly fine for younger good readers.
The third in the series. The first, "The New Policeman," is fantastic. And the second in the series is good too. This seemed like it was grafting sci fi and dystopian fiction to what had been pure fantasy. Though YA, perfectly fine for younger good readers.
July 17, 2011
I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this one, but I think it is my favorite of the trilogy. Aengus Og was in fine form and provided quite a few humorous moments, as did the Dagda. The combination of dystopia and myth was intriguing, and I found the end to be rather clever.
February 23, 2012
I've loved the entire Kate Thompson "New Policeman" series. Highly recommended. Thoughtful, rich YA fiction that doesn't talk down to anyone in its audience. Deals with some pretty heavy global and human issues but has fun, too.
June 11, 2010
This masterly storyteller let the Message get in the way of the story, alas.
October 8, 2010
This was just as good as the first two, with grander themes--the fairies meet global warming! It was heartbreaking in parts; I'll add a couple of quotes.
January 24, 2011
This is the third book,but its the first one Ive read!I really enjoyed this,but I hope the climate in the future is NOT like that of the book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews