The Horse, a novel written by Mount Markham Central School graduate James Ciccone and published by Wang & Jean of New York, has won the 2024 International Firebird Book Award, Pat Rullo of Speak Up Talk Radio announced.
The Firebird Book Awards are awarded for exceptional works of literary fiction and nonfiction. Authors and publishers worldwide submit work to the International Firebird Book Awards.
The panel of judges includes 27 individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
The judges only award the coveted Firebird to entries with the highest score.
Legendary bestselling author James Reasoner calls The Horse "a gut punch of a book...very well written and impossible to put down.
Author James Allen Smith compares the courtroom scene in The Horse to O' Henry and Edgar Allen Poe.
The Horse is a story involving an ownership dispute over a champion racehorse that descends into murder, revenge and madness.
The novel is set in Civil War era Saratoga Springs and the famous racetrack's inaugural race meet in 1863.
The story's symbolism connects with universal themes of morality exposing the dark side of human nature, including the nation's history of racial and class conflict.
Ciccone's next book, a collection of short stories titled Barn Fire, is set for release next month.
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