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Today I'm excited to share my thoughts in review of a fantasy classic, The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. It is the story of a unicorn who realizes, after overhearing a conversation between two hunters in her enchanted wood, that she may be the last existing unicorn in the world. To confirm this, she leaves her forest home and embarks on a journey to find out what happened to her fellow unicorns. Along the way, she encounters an inept wizard named Schmendrick and Molly Grue, a woman who has long given up on finding unicorns or on magic existing in the world.
This novel is one that I've been meaning to read for a long time. As someone who loves writing fantasy myself, especially fantasies that involve fairy tale and folklore elements, I feel like this is one book I couldn't overlook as a possible mentor text. For those not familiar with what a mentor text is, it is a published work that writers read to gain insight into how to effectively employ crucial techniques in their own writing. These can range from things like characterization, to world building, to developing settings, or themes, employing figurative language, developing dialogue, and myriad other aspects of story creation. I can confidently say that I was not disappointed by this book even if it was originally published in 1968. However, there were some aspects of it that I felt could have been improved. As with even the most well-written books, no work is ever perfect. This one is beautiful enough though for the weaker aspects to be overlooked and those did not prevent me from fully enjoying the story.
Let's get into it. First, let's talk about the numerous positives. First, the premise of this story is so unique and original. I do not recall ever reading a novel quite like this one before. The tone of the writing and the fairy tale aspects of it come closest to The Princess Bride in quality. However, The Last Unicorn is much more serious in tone and much less tongue in cheek in nature than William Goldman's work. The other thing I immediately noticed was the prose writing in this novel. Beagle is such a master of figurative language, description and weaving together beautiful prose to incorporate a deeper meaning into his writing. Take this description of Molly Grue for instance when she first sees the unicorn:
"Molly Grue laughed with her lips flat. 'And what good is it to me that you're here now? Where were you twenty years ago, ten years ago? How dare you, how dare you come to me now, when I am this?' With a flap of her hand she summed herself up: barren face, desert eyes, yellowing heart" (Beagle 97).
How beautiful and yet spare is that description of Molly in that moment, "barren face, desert eyes, yellowing heart." An earlier quote from Schmendrick sums up his condition as a wizard who cannot summon or control his power at will. It also is a beautiful commentary on the human condition as well where he says:
"'There is much misjudgment in the world. Now, I knew you were a unicorn when I first saw you... Yet you take me for a clown, or a clod or a betrayer, and so I must be if you see me so... We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream'" (Beagle 40).
Again, so spare and yet so touching and heartbreaking as Schmendrick explains what being human often means to the immortal unicorn who wants for nothing and cannot feel regret. His explanation is so spot on when he tells her, "We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream." It's just gorgeous writing! Other aspects of the story that are lovely in their inception are the main characters in the novel, the unicorn, Schmendrick and Molly and how each changes during their quest. Schmendrick saves the unicorn but also changes her very nature at one point in the story by making her mortal. Molly softens and finds joy and purpose in her life again as she accompanies the wizard and the mystical beast in their journey. The unicorn herself changes, as in experiencing what it is to be mortal, she learns the immediacy of life by inhabiting a body that is dying as all mortal bodies begin to do from birth. She experiences regret as well, something no other unicorn can understand, and which continues to set her apart even when she saves her own kind, finding and setting the other unicorns free.
With all of those positives, you may wonder what could possibly be a weakness of this work? Well, I felt while the storytelling was wonderful overall, there were places where the plot lacked some development for some of its threads. The hero the main characters encounter is a little two dimensional for me. He does grow and change as a secondary character. But we are told he does this more than we are shown it. Also, the main villains in the story, King Haggard and his Red Bull, are meant to be mysterious and to an extent they are, but they were too mysterious for me. Too many questions were left unanswered in the story about their connection, how they first came to be a pair, who King Haggard really was and where he came from, what sort of creature the Red Bull really was, even the story behind the building of Haggard's castle could have been developed more. Of course, doing so would have made the book longer and maybe some of Beagle's shorter works set in this realm go back and answer some of these questions. However, it would have been nice to have more character and story development for both of these antagonists in terms of the plot.
That being said, this is a phenomenal story. I do think even though it is marketed as being for an upper middle grade or young adult audience, that it might be harder for a contemporary young reader to get into. But I really hope that it will continue to be in print for many years to come, even if its appeal remains more for an adult audience. It is a lovely work and deserves its place in the fantasy canon. If you would like to find a copy of your own to read, click on the title in this post and you will be taken to Better World Books, a wonderful used online bookstore that helps support literacy around the world with each purchase on their website. Even if you don't want to buy a copy of this book, check them out.
Next month, I have a special treat for all of you! I will be sharing a Q&A session with author Katelyn Doyle about her debut rom-com Just Some Stupid Love Story which comes out June 6, 2024. My post of her Q&A will go live that same day, June 6th. I will also post a brief book review of the novel the Sunday before the Q&A goes live. Also in June, I'll be posting a review of an advanced reader copy (ARC) of T. Kingfisher's latest novel, A Sorceress Comes to Call that is set to come out August 6, 2024 and is "a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale The Goose Girl..." I'm thrilled to have a chance to read an ARC of T. Kingfisher's book as she is one of my favorite fantasy novelists. Below are some short blurbs about both these books.
For fans of Emily Henry, a debut about a rom-com screenwriter who doesn't believe in love and a divorce attorney who does, forced together at their high school reunion fifteen years after their breakupMolly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.
Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.
When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.
Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.
Wickedly funny, sexy, and brimming with laughs and heart like the best romantic comedies, Just Some Stupid Love Story is for everyone who believes in soulmates—even if they would never admit it.
From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress Comes to Call—a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic.*The hardcover edition features a foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*
Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.
But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.
When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.
"Kingfisher never fails to dazzle."—Peter S. Beagle, Hugo-, Nebula-, and Locus-Award winning author of The Last Unicorn
