A Whisper of Horses

A futuristic adventure fantasy in which an orphaned girl is on a quest to find the last horses on Earth

Serendipity lives inside a walled city. Before her mother died, she gave Seren an old figurine of a horse. Horses no longer exist in Serendipity’s world, but when she discovers a map that may lead her to real horses, she starts on a journey that will take her far from everything she knows.

Traveling with an orphan boy, Tab, and his beloved dog, she''s soon on the run from a powerful and dangerous man who will do anything to make sure Serendipity never leaves the walled city again.

Zillah Bethell’s middle-grade fiction debut A Whisper of Horses is original, breathtaking, adventurous, and moving. With elements of both science fiction and realism, it is a story of friendship, perseverance, and resilience that readers won’t soon forget.

Praise for A Whisper of Horses:

"[A] densely plotted dystopian novel, Welsh author Bethell’s debut. . . . Bethell’s inventive heroine propels an action-packed adventure." —Publishers Weekly

"Bethell turns all the old formulas on their head. . . . As with all good fantasy, there is a strong requisite of reality. . . the narrative is driven by the skillfully articulated sentiments of a horse-obsessed girl." —The Telegraph (U.K.), five stars

"When Serendipity’s mother dies, she leaves Serendipity a figurine of a horse, an animal that has long been extinct in the world. Soon, she learns more about her mother’s history and discovers a map that might lead to horses. . . . This debut offers up a solid dose of middle-grade adventure." —Booklist