Play Black Beauty — an interactive story where YOU are the hero

after the classic by Anna Sewell, 1877

Live a whole life on four legs — from sunlit meadows to London cab ranks. Trust the good hands, endure the bearing rein, pull through the storm night, and carry every master's choices in your own body until kindness finds you again.

A moment from one playthrough

The river has risen over the bridge planks and something in the dark ahead is wrong — you can smell it. Your master urges you forward; his spurs say go, the water says no. Refuse and stand though the whip comes down, or trust him and step onto the bridge?

Play Black Beauty now →

Start free — 10 Somni Coins when you confirm your email. No subscription; narrated aloud; plays in 26 languages.

The Somni Tales reader: an open book with two pages of a story, an ink illustration, and a “write what you do” bar below.

Live Black Beauty, don't just read it

In this interactive telling of Black Beauty, you don't read about the hero — you are the hero. The Storyteller keeps Anna Sewell's world true to the original — its characters, its places, its mood, all held as canon — then narrates every scene aloud and draws the moment you're in as an ink illustration. You type or speak what you do next, and the world answers: it remembers the promises you made, the things you took, and the people you crossed. Follow Anna Sewell's plot faithfully, or step off it and watch a brand-new version of Black Beauty unfold — one that still reaches a real ending.

How it works

The Storyteller holds the world of the book as canon — its characters, places and mood — and opens with you as the hero.
Type or speak anything: the world reacts, remembers, and stays true to the original's spirit.
Every playthrough is a brand-new story. Follow the plot — or break it and see what happens.

Common questions about playing Black Beauty

Is Black Beauty free to play on Somni Tales?

You get 10 Somni Coins free when you confirm your email — enough to open Black Beauty and step into the first scenes. After that, Somni Coins cost from $5 with no subscription, and unused Somni Coins are refundable within 14 days.

Do I have to follow Anna Sewell's original plot?

No. The Storyteller holds Black Beauty as canon so its world, characters and mood stay true — but your choices write a brand-new telling. Follow the classic beats, or break from them and see where the story goes.

Can I play Black Beauty aloud and in my own language?

Yes — every scene is narrated aloud word by word, and Black Beauty plays in 26 languages. Change the language, voice and reading speed any time from the reader's Settings.