A national bestseller. "A riveting tale of the American past and a brilliantly realized journey into the heart of darkness." -- The Boston Globe

Winner of the Chicago Tribune Heartland Literary Prize

When Robey Childs's mother has a premonition about her husband, a soldier fighting in the Civil War, she does the unthinkable: she sends her only child to find his father on the battlefield and bring him home.

At fourteen, wearing the coat his mother sewed to ensure his safety -- blue on one side, gray on the other -- Robey thinks he's off on a great adventure. But not far from home, his horse falters and he realizes the enormity of his task. It takes the gift of a powerful and noble coal black horse to show him how to undertake the most important journey of his life: with boldness, bravery, and self-possession.

Coal Black Horse joins the pantheon of great war novels -- All Quiet on the Western Front, The Red Badge of Courage, The Naked and the Dead.

"Gripping... echoes the work of Cormac McCarthy." -- The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A remarkable creation." -- Chicago Tribune

"Exciting... a grueling adventure." -- The New York Times Book Review

"Gorgeous and moving." -- The Washington Post Book World

"A singular and poetic addition to the Civil War bookshelf." -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Olmstead makes the ride and exciting one... Reminiscent of Crane's Red Badge of Courage." -- NPR's All Things Considered

"Harrowing... [Olmstead] writes like a man on fire." -- The Denver Post

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• Literature & FictionGenre FictionComing of Age

• Publication Date: May 1, 2025
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 236 Pages
• File Size: 40 KB