About the author
Mary Stanton (b.1947) was brought up in Hawaii and educated at the University of Minnesota. She started working as a copywriter in the 1980s, opening her own marketing communications company later in the decade. She sold that company in 1994 to concentrate full time on writing. She lives in New York, with some of the horses who have inspired her books – she has also written non fiction articles on horses and their care. Under the pseudonym Claudia Bishop she writes crime novels, though she has also written the Angel series of crime fiction under her own name.
Her first book, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, was published in 1988 and is a fantasy in which the Dark Horse and his minions (henchhorses?) search for the last true Appaloosa. It was followed by Piper at the Gate (1989). Her longest series for children is the Unicorns of Balinor series, clocking in at eight titles.
Finding the books
All appear to be still available, and some are available as ebooks.
Links and sources
Mary Stanton on Wikipedia
The Unicorns of Balinor on Wikipedia
Series
The Showing series
Bibliography (horse books only)
The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West
Baen Books, New York, 1988, 344 pp
New English Library, 1988, 350 pp
There is only one last true Appaloosa left, and the Dark Horse and his minions are searching for it, for their own dark purposes.
Piper at the Gate
Baen Books, New York, 1989,
As Piper at the Gate of Dawn (right)
New English Library, 1989, 320 pp.
Sequel to Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, this continues the story of the Appaloosas’ struggle.
The Road to Balinor
Scholastic, paperback, 1999, 138 pp
Balinor is a peaceful, magical world watched over by a herd of beautiful unicorns. But darkness has fallen over Balinor. The royal princess and her majestic unicorn, Sunchaser, are sent from Balinor to our world to find safety. But danger has followed them. They are the only ones who can truly save the kingdom. It is time for the princess to find her way back to Balinor.
Sunchaser’s Quest
Scholastic, New York, 1999, 122 pp
“Now in Balinor, Arianna learns that she is a Princess and that the evil Shifter has seized control of the Palace and the Royal Family. Arianna must travel to the Palace with Chase, also known in Balinor as Sunchaser, to find the missing piece of his horn that will restore his power as Lord of the Animals.”
Valley of Fear
Scholastic, New York
“Princess Arianna, her Bonded unicorn Sunchaser and their companions (including two foxes) must travel through the deadly Valley of Fear to reach the evil Shifter’s stronghold, Castle Entia. There the princess must reclaim the Royal Scepter, the main source of the Shifter’s power and also a key to remembering her past.”
By Fire, By Moonlight
Scholastic, New York, 1999, 118 pp
“Ari and her unicorn, Sunchaser, have been sent back through the Gap to Glacier River Farm –far from Balinor. Now the Gap is blocked. With time running out, Ari must embark on a perilous journey across the Sixth Sea.”
Search for the Star
Scholastic, New York, 1999, 114 pp
“The evil Shifter regains some Deep Magic by stealing the Indigo Star from the sleeping giant dragon Naytin and tries to destroy the unicorns of the Celestial Valley: their bright colours and their powers start to fade. Arianna, the Sunchaser and others set out to take the Indigo Star from the Shifter and return it to the dragon.”
Secrets of the Scepter
Scholastic, New York, 2000, 113 pp
“Ari and her unicorn, Sunchaser, must venture on a perilous journey to the Crystal Arch to visit Atalanta–the Dreamspeaker, leader of the Celestial Valley. They must discover how to control the magical Royal Scepter before the Shifter’s next attack.”
Night of the Shifter’s Moon
Scholastic, New York, 2000, 109 pp
“With the Royal Scepter in hand, Princess Arianna and her unicorn, Sunchaser, are now armed with the powerful Royal Magic. They are ready to reclaim the throne and plan to battle the evil Shifter during the Shifter’s moon.”
Shadows over Balinor
Scholastic, New York, 2000, 111 pp
“Princess Arianna inquires about the past and learns the truth about the fall of the great unicorns from the Celestial Valley. She uncovers the truth about shifting magic and how that power has led the fallen unicorns into the shadows… to become the evil Shadow Unicorns.”
