Unicorns of Balinor
Unicorns of Balinor is a series by Mary Stanton for young readers. The story begins with a young girl, Ari, who is recovering in the hospital and suffers from memory loss after a mysterious accident. Her only prominent and familiar memory is a strong connection to Chase, one of the horses at the Glacier River Farm where Ari lives with her foster parents, Ann and Frank. However, Ann and Frank realise they cannot afford Ari's medical bills and decide to lease Chase for riding lessons to the obnoxious and spoiled Lori Carmichael. Heartbroken to see her horse being treated badly, Ari runs away with Chase and her faithful collie, Lincoln. They do not get far before the group, along with Lori, fall through the mysterious Gap, a pathway between worlds.
The group lands in Balinor, a magical land of unicorns, plagued by an evil and intangible entity known as the Shifter. Ari is revealed to be the missing Princess Arianna, heir to the throne of Balinor, and Chase is the unicorn known as the Sunchaser, Lord of the Animals. With help from Atalanta, a Celestial Valley Unicorn known as the Dreamspeaker, and Tobiano, an obnoxious pinto unicorn, they are to first recover the Sunchaser's broken horn and then the Royal Scepter to defeat the Shifter and restore the balance of magic in Balinor.[1]
Characters
- Arianna "Ari" Langley
- Ari is left with amnesia when the Shifter cast a spell to make her forget who she was when the Dreamspeaker took her away into hiding with two human servants in the human world. Ever since then, she has been in the hospital with two broken legs to show what she actually went through. Her only vivid memories were of her beloved horse named Chase; he is actually a unicorn whose horn was broken off on the day of the Great Betrayal. Her hair is the same color of Chase's mane and tail. She has sky blue eyes and is thirteen at the start of the series.
- Sunchaser
- Known also as Chase, but only Ari and the people he knows best can call him Chase. Sunchaser is Arianna's Bonded unicorn. While in Balinor, he and Ari can speak through their minds as a more personal way to speak. He is also the Lord of the Animals. When they first returned to Balinor, Sunchaser was thought to be just a unicorn having lost his horn when it was shattered in a great battle. He is also kin to Atalanta herself and is brother to Rednal, leader of the red band. Chase is bronze-colored with deep mahogany eyes, has solid bronze hooves, and his mane and his tail are the same shade of Ari's hair. He is one of the largest unicorns, with a sharp ebony horn, and at the base of his horn is the ruby that holds his personal magic.
- Atalanta
- A Celestial Unicorn known as the Dreamspeaker. Known also as the Lady of the Moon, Atalanta is a beautiful silver-and-violet unicorn who dwells in the Celestial Valley. Her mate is Numinor, the Golden One. When the Shifter first took over Balinor, Atalanta sent Chase and Arianna to Glacier River Farm to protect them from harm. Atalanta's nature is generally sweet, and she often visits Arianna in her dreams to warn her of danger, or to offer her advice.
- Moloth
- Head of the Shadow herd, Moloth is a fierce shadow unicorn who is also the Shifter's right-hand servant. Able to change into a crow, Moloch has been used for many spy missions. At the end of Shadows Over Balinor Moloth and Chase engage in a fight which resulted in Chase, unwillingly and at Ari's request, letting the large coal-black unicorn go. The whereabouts of Moloth are currently unknown after he runs away and goes into hiding.
- Lori Carmichael
- An ordinary girl from our world, Lori comes from a wealthy family and is somewhat spoiled. When Chase was to be sold to Lori's family, Ari ran away with Chase and Lori followed her. Lori ends up in Balinor with Ari and becomes one of her closest friends, though she still remains rather overbearing.
- Finn
- Originally from the desert country known as Deridia, Finn is a faithful and trust-worthy companion of the Princess. He helps Arianna and the Sunchaser win the Trial by Fire and eventually becomes the Captain of the Royal Cavalry. He initially rides Rednal, but when Rednal had to return to the Celestial Valley, Finn started to ride the Royal unicorn Beecher instead.
- Dr. Eliane Bohnes
- Ari's faithful nurse, who accompanied Ari, Chase, and Anale (Ann) and Frank to the Glacier River Farm to protect Ari. Before she was a wizard in Balinor who served in the royal palace. When Ari and Chase return to Balinor, Dr. Bohnes follows her to ensure that Ari remains well.
- Lincoln
- A collie who is loyal to Arianna and Sunchaser. He turns out to be a frog-like creature named Gully who is the link between Balinor and earth, and is the only one capable of opening the doorway.
- Numinor
- Leader of the herd of Celestial Unicorns, known as the Golden One. He is the mate of Atalanta.
- Rednal
- A Celestial Unicorn, brother of Sunchaser. He is the leader of the Red Band of the Celestial Unicorns.
- Tobiano
- A Celestial Unicorn, known also Toby. He tends to be very rude, especially to Lori. But even though he is rude he is loyal and true to the Celestial Valley herd and his friends.
- The Scepter
- The royal scepter of Balinor, capable of speech and offers advice, though never provides any direct clear advice when Arianna requires it. The only way for anyone to ask it advice must be in question form. Its shaft has a lapis lazuli unicorn with sapphire eyes on top of it.In THE VALLEY OF FEAR, Ari got it, alongside the Six.
- Lady Kylie
- Originally a lady-in-waiting to the royal family of Balinor, Lady Kylie is revealed to be a follower of Entia and can take the form of a snake.She is said to be Lori's 'friend' in THE VALLEY OF FEAR and Lord Lexan's sister in SUNCHASER'S QUEST.
- The Shifter
- Known as Entia, the most evil being in Balinor. His name, the Shifter, derives from his ability to shift into any form for a limited amount of time. When the moon is dark (as in Earth's new moon), it is called the Night of the Shifter's Moon, and nobody can use magic for positive means. Eventually, Entia was killed in book 7.
- The Old One
- The Old Mare of the Mountain, a mysterious unicorn mare, the Beholder Of The Deep Magic. She is mentor to Atalanta.
Books
- The Road to Balinor (1999)
- Sunchaser's Quest (1999)
- Valley of Fear (1999)
- By Fire, by Moonlight (1999)
- Search for the Star (1999)
- Secrets of the Scepter (2000)
- Night of the Shifter's Moon (2000)
- Shadows over Balinor (2000)
- Unicorns of Balinor (omnibus 1–3) (2006)
The Missing Ninth Book
As the series seemed to end on a cliffhanger, many fans wondered if and when a ninth book would be published. Unfortunately, Stanton's contract with Scholastic, the publisher, ran out before she could finish the ninth book.[2] Sadly, Ms. Stanton has not expressed any desire or ability to publish a sequel.