The Horse Keeper

by A. R. Forte

The Horse Keeper follows the life of a simple confederate soldier and accompanies him into some of the most terrible battles in history. Detailed accounts of these battles are expressed through his eyes, ears and experiences as sheer horror unfolds around him.

Giving the reader a brutal and emotional history lesson, it also encapsulates the feelings and drama of everybody the soldier shares his experiences with. Meticulously researched facts are woven into its powerful fictional storyline.

A. R. Forte draws inspiration from a number of authors, including Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote, Michael Shaarar and Jonathan Crane. The Horse Keeper will appeal to fans of military and historical fiction.

Reader reviews for A. R. Forte’s first book, Spirits of a Lesser God:

‘Takes satire to a different level... Each piece fences, jabs and swings at human hypocrisy brilliantly.’
‘The writer has sharp prose and brazen narrative. So much is expressed in short, perceptive sentences.’
‘A. R. Forte has found his own difinitive style.’
‘Forte has a shrewd and inviting way of sharing his prose with the reader.’
‘This author has an obscure but amazing look on life...’

Book Reviews

I bought The Horse Keeper after reading an extract on The New Authors Showcase and I am not disappointed. The writer pulls no punches. Slavery was barbaric,brutal and a grotesque injustice.The battle scenes are terrible , graphic and horribly realistic.Thelast two chapters hit like a hammer.And the players are so human and believable that they bring a tear to the eye.

by Steve Coleman

Speaking as a Civil War Buff,this is riviting,from beginning to end.Can't agree more with the previous review. The last two chapters really encapsulate the tragedy,pain and loss in a dramatic and poetic fashion.The way that the writer as woven the story-line within the fabric of historical facts is beautiful and painfully dramatic.The research into the battles is intricate and brutally potrayed.A very good and informative read.

by Len Clements

Action packed, brutally honest and very interesting, from start to finish. Only the boys who fought in these terrible battles would of really known the sheer horror of this terrible war.But this writer has obviously done his best to try and portray what they suffered and died for.

by Gary Burns

Lee was a military genius,who could pull off spectacular victories, despite being outnumbered and out-gunned. In The Horse Keeper the reader is given fleeting glimpses of how and why he became legend incarnate and was revered by his men,in a short space of time.

by Alex Mc Donald

A fascinating read.Most books which I have read are not on the side, but are written from the position of the Unión.AR Forte is trying to portray the battles and war through the eyes,ears and views from the position of the rebel foot soldier. And he covers both of the Eastern and Western battles.Up until Vicksburg and Gettysburg the Unión were losing the war badly and the writer is even prtraying how the Unión finally turned around the war after 4 years of terrible bloodshed.

by Patrick O'Shea

This is the first time that I have read a work that is trying to portray slavery and the war through the experiences, pain and suffering of a black slave woman that has survived appalling tragedy and grief.The profound part Belinda plays in The Horse Keeper, is a story within itself carefully crafted and woven into the fabric of the main theme.

by Sandra Croft

Emotive, graphic and deeply perceptive writing.I have read all of AR Forte's work and his narratives speak to the reader loud and clear.The battles scenes are absolutely terrifying.

by Steve Willis

What is particularly fascinating about this work is that the writer is starting out from the life, heart and soul of a very young man of his time and generation,who is completely innocent and oblivious of what is about to happen to him and his generation.This is why the battle scenes are so gut wrenching and pitiful.

by Neil Sudbury