Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Last Unicorn

by Peter S. Beagle (Goodreads Author)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 40,197 ratings · 1,519 reviews

The Last Unicorn is one of the great fantasy novels of the 20th Century. Since its publication in 1968 it has never been out of print, with 6 million-plus copies sold around the world, and it has been translated into more than 20 languages. The animated movie, version released in 1982, has been seen by hundreds of millions of people, and after 25 years is still showing reg...more

Mass Market Paperback, 248 pages

Published January 12th 1982 by Del Rey (first published 1968)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 20, 2012 mark monday rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastickal-classik

so i set the mood for rereading The Last Unicorn by putting together a nifty mix of woodstock era classics, heavily featuring the likes of jethro tull & canned heat & richie havens & a lot of early pink floyd. i put on my comfy clothes. i brewed some tea. i picked my sunniest room and my cat - sensing my mood - snuggled in close. however, i did not smoke any weed. perhaps this was my mistake? nonetheless, the mood was definitely set and the enjoyment swiftly commenced.

this is a nice...more so i set the mood for rereading The Last Unicorn by putting together a nifty mix of woodstock era classics, heavily featuring the likes of jethro tull & canned heat & richie havens & a lot of early pink floyd. i put on my comfy clothes. i brewed some tea. i picked my sunniest room and my cat - sensing my mood - snuggled in close. however, i did not smoke any weed. perhaps this was my mistake? nonetheless, the mood was definitely set and the enjoyment swiftly commenced.

this is a nice little book. it's sweet and cheeky and full of a kind of idealistic purity. it is very counter-culture in its quiet way. i was reminded constantly of things like Harold & Maude and King of Hearts and the Yellow Submarine and Jonathan Livingston Seagull. and of laying out on the grass with my friends during college in the 90s, happily on drugs and talking about life. it made me think of flowers and sunshine and animals that i like. this is certainly not a trippy book, but it is a pleasantly mellow one in tone and outlook. the writing is similarly warm and fuzzy. characterization is relaxed; living metaphors for freedom & authority & purity & greed & experience are mixed and matched in a loose, breathable fashion. the entire endeavor is what one would call a warm and human experience. i can see why this book has so many admirers and why it has apparently never been out of print. reading it is like reading a modern fable - it feels instantly classic, automatically timeless. and hopefully its beautiful messages about life and how to live it will never go out of style.

my favorite parts came early and then at the very end. the final standoff between our heroes and the Red Bull was very well done and genuinely gripping. even better was the time spent in Mommy Fortuna's horrible caravan. that was awesome! the descriptions of the different ensorcelled beasts, the dreaming spider, Schmendrick's introduction, Mommy Fortuna herself (such a poisonous yet rather sad & pathetic character), Mommy Fortuna as Old Age, and of course the terrifying, brilliantly rendered harpy... all quite delectable.

it's interesting to me to think about my two different reactions to the book: now and then. "then" was back in junior high, i think. i LOVED Schmendrick and found Molly Grue to be an annoying, tedious character. despite her, i loved the book from beginning to end. the beauty of its ultimate meaning (whatever that may have been to my 14-year old self) had me thinking about life and how to live it. many, many years later - yesterday! - i found Schmendrick to be distinctly annoying and Molly Grue to be the secret hero of the novel. this grouchy, critical, often overbearing middle-aged lady is also brave, honest, decent, completely down to earth - and such an unusual character to find as a lead in a fantasy novel. go, Molly, go! unfortunately, i also found myself to be positively un-charmed by all the anachronisms and whimsy. all that stuff just felt dated, goofy, sorta cheap. like that fookin butterfly for chrissakes. so unfunny. and judo. and "last of the red-hot swamis". and much more. ugh!

still, a lovely book with a timeless message. although i found those whimsical anachronisms to be obnoxiously precious & cutesypoo, overall they didn't end up being too dire and my experience was not remotely ruined. hell, i roll my eyes at my closest friends and i still enjoy their company. this may only be a 3-star book for me, but i did like it a lot. it remains sweetly appealing and genuinely charming. maybe if i was stoned now, i would give it 4 stars. but nowadays i only get stoned to reality tv.(less)

35 likes · like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 K.D. Oliveros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: 501 Must Read Books (Children's)

Shelves: 501, childrens, fantasy

Magical. One of the best children's fantasy books that I've ever read. The prose is as enchanting as the unicorn. Everytime the unicorn appears, thinks and speaks, I am thrown out of this world. Peter Beagle (born 1939) is a scintillating American author and he's got a equally dazzling character to mark his place in this literary world - none other than what people say as a legendary yet fictional animal, the most important imaginary animal of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - the unicorn.

H...more Magical. One of the best children's fantasy books that I've ever read. The prose is as enchanting as the unicorn. Everytime the unicorn appears, thinks and speaks, I am thrown out of this world. Peter Beagle (born 1939) is a scintillating American author and he's got a equally dazzling character to mark his place in this literary world - none other than what people say as a legendary yet fictional animal, the most important imaginary animal of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - the unicorn.

However, Beagle did not stick to the unicorn as depicted in those bygone era of Middle Ages and Renaissance nor he used the unicorn as mentioned several times in the Holy Bible. Here, the unicorn can be turned into a beautiful lady, Amalthea that is also the name of a Greek deity. Amalthea has a love interest, Prince Lir, who is actually an adopted son of the King who captures all the other unicorns and Amalthea would like to free them back to the forest.

That in essence is what this book is all about. I withhold the other characters and events so I will not spoil the fun of those who are still planning to read this. Trust me, though, that this is not your typical children's book because the prose is too beautiful for toddlers to appreciate. If James Thurber's "13 Clocks" is too dark, this one of Peter S. Beagle, "The Last Unicorn" is too beautiful for the simplistic minds of children, especially small children. However, it is not as complex as let's say, J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings." Nothing can compare to that book. This unicorn book is great but there is just nothing that compares to LOTR. No debates, please.

I am glad I finally gave time for this book. My weekend yesterday became my best alone-in-the-house-weekend because of this book. My wife and daughter were busy buying Christmas gifts and I was there sitting on the easy chair in the living room devouring this book about some far away ancient palace with an evil king and a beautiful unicorn-turn-lady-turn-unicorn-again Amalthea. Beautiful prose. Easy to read yet scintillates in its beauty. I could almost hear the gallops, the forest,the wind and the mystical bells every time the unicorn appears and moves. Unforgettable fantasy book. Just unforgettable. Wow.(less)

24 likes · like · see review

Jul 16, 2007 Aerin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, childrens, well-that-was-awesome, the-luxury-of-loneliness

This is an achingly beautiful and stunningly-told fable that broke my heart.

The unicorn was gray and still. "There is magic on me," she said. "Why did you not tell me?"

"I thought you knew," the magician answered gently. "After all, didn't you wonder how it could be that they recognized you?" Then he smiled, which made him look a little older. "No, of course not. You never would wonder about that."

"There has never been a spell on me before," the unicorn said. She shivered long and deep. "There ha...more

33 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Mariel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the science of dreams

Recommended to Mariel by: red bull gives you wings

Shelves: rubber-ring

Michel Gondry has a theory that when we sleep our bodies, minds, souls, heart (whatever else there might be) are opened up and when we awake we want to be close (and also explaining why people wake up horny). Like a kind of rebirth or cleansing of the day to day crap. (He puts it better than I do because he's Michel Gondry and I'm Mariel.) I dislike to be touched. I don't wake up craving physical connections like that. I'd rather wrap myself up in a cocoon. Preferably a bubble, that way I could...more Michel Gondry has a theory that when we sleep our bodies, minds, souls, heart (whatever else there might be) are opened up and when we awake we want to be close (and also explaining why people wake up horny). Like a kind of rebirth or cleansing of the day to day crap. (He puts it better than I do because he's Michel Gondry and I'm Mariel.) I dislike to be touched. I don't wake up craving physical connections like that. I'd rather wrap myself up in a cocoon. Preferably a bubble, that way I could still see what else was going on and then use it to make my bubble extra pretty.

Now this is the part where I'll actually start writing about Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. Beagle's book is that waking up and feeling touched story for me. Everything I love, and a (um) rebirth of why I had loved in the first place.
Beagle is a genius. Ever notice how desperately ironic kid's entertainment is today? A lot of things, actually. (Not that I'm saying that The Last Unicorn is a kids book. It's not. It's a book for people who care about shit.) There's nothing ironic about this story. The humor is tongue in cheek, and the experience an amused calm. I hate to be winked at. It stresses me out. The joke isn't on anyone. Beagle hasn't the inclination or time (ours too) to waste on pointless jabs and in need of some ritalin hijinks. Trying to be something you're not. Getting to be what you could be in your best moments. Finally, the every day carrying over, and what you use to carry you, all making the whole. That's what the time is really for. Being able to convey the pure of heart intentions goes beyond being a damned good writer (which he is). He's gotta be an awesome person to be around period.

I love this book so much that I don't even know where to begin or stop trying to describe it... Can you be young again when you're old but be old when you're young? It's like that.

The only part of The Last Unicorn that I didn't feel as the timeless stories (if I had been alive hundreds of years ago I'd still have loved Robin Hood) was the love story. That was foriegn to me and did not make my soul yearn to keep on living it in my mind. I feel Sharon Shinn's The Shape-changer's Wife is a kindred spirit of 'Unicorn' (Beagle endorses it on the cover. No surprise there). In this regard, Shinn did it better. The love was freedom and that made my heart soar. For once, not being torn, or suffocated. I understand the love as nature. What I don't understand is the coming together of two beautiful people to be beautiful together, the wanting to hold onto that beauty and pine for it to stay that way forever. That's not nature. That's what people say is "we're only human" when they wanna excuse something depressing. That loss I felt hollow for, and wasn't a waking up and wanting it back thing for me. Give me an image like the unicorn leaving her haven to seek the rest of her kind, or a worn down woman getting to be young once more through Maid Marian, and I'm blown away. Like an arrow straight to my heart.
The Last Unicorn is what's still there (the heart of the matter) when change, time bypasses and whatnots are stripped away. I barely remember dreams. If I had a good one I'd probably not remember it. What I dream of in the day time is stuff like this. (less)

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 19, 2012 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fantasy

I'll get straight to the point on this, read it, read it now. The Last Unicorn (1968) is a classic and not without reason.

The third-person narrative centers on a unicorn who, believing she is the last of her kind in the world, sets off on a journey to discover what has happened to the others. She encounters a host of diverse characters as her journey progresses, each of them bringing her closer to her goal. (Wikipedia)

I thought I'd do this review a bit different than my normal routine and just l...more

32 likes · like · see review

Oct 06, 2008 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, four-star-fiction, young-adult-books, all-fiction

"It cannot be an ill fortune to have loved a unicorn," he said. "Surely it must be the dearest luck of all, though the hardest earned."

"As for her, she is a story with no ending, happy or sad. She can never belong to anything mortal enough to want her."

What a weenie am I! I actually got all misty eyed near the end of this book. Really a sweet story filled with colorfully drawn characters and writing that engages all six of your senses.
I don't know why I never found this book when I was a young...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 12, 2009 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-and-sci-fi, most-beloved

it's a real shame that as i was giving this book five stars i could hear in my head some of the many people whose opinions i don't ask for going "oh, that tara, she's so spacey and mock-able. ha!" if they saw it, and then i think, well.. let's be sweet anyway. so last night my dad and i were watching the jimmy carter documentary and were all "oh, he is so awesome". then the dvd player started acting up. i grabbed another disc and put it in to see where the problem lay, and the dvd was The Last U...more it's a real shame that as i was giving this book five stars i could hear in my head some of the many people whose opinions i don't ask for going "oh, that tara, she's so spacey and mock-able. ha!" if they saw it, and then i think, well.. let's be sweet anyway. so last night my dad and i were watching the jimmy carter documentary and were all "oh, he is so awesome". then the dvd player started acting up. i grabbed another disc and put it in to see where the problem lay, and the dvd was The Last Unicorn. as soon as it began my dad said "whoa, i love this movie and haven't seen it in years! let's just watch this and finish jimmy carter another time". and so we did, and high-fived when it was over and talked about what a fantastic movie it is, and how Peter Beagle is a sorta lovely writer.

so when i got home, i was thinking how i've been reading another awful book by one of a cabal (truly, a devious cabal) of writers of whom I constantly swear I will never read anything by again until someone says "no, tara, you are an idiot, they are so amazing and relevant and just because you hate everything ----- or ----- have ever written or recommended on book jackets, you are full of nonsense so read this". and then i end up wanting to wring my own neck for not listening to my own judgment yet again. so i was all, oh man how am i going to read another hundred pages of this tonight, i need a break. thus i came to pick up the last unicorn again (after many such agains). and it's just fantastic and great and written by a man who i think i would actually like if i met him. and he would have a really long droopy moustache and little glasses and give me a thumbs up and then shoot off to the moon on a rocket. yeah, the book is spacey. and it's whimsical, and probably more serious and relevant than another hundred page description of families on too many prescription drugs and psychoanalyzing themselves. it's funny how some (not all) good writers get closer to telling what life is like by taking a step in the seemingly opposite direction and telling a completely impossible story. and a story which brings real joy is worth its' weight in gold. is this really a review? i don't think so. but the book stands for itself, so i'll just stand up for the book.(less)

38 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2010 Lowed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Melancholy peppered with loveable characters, added with prose better than Tolkien! Wheew!

Some of you might disagree, but as you read this book, you live with every word of it! You could taste and feel the coldness of Haggard's keep, and know how every characters emotion at a given situation in a given time.

The writing is really emotional, I think this was page three:

"Who knows? Times change. Would you call this age a good one for unicorns?"

"No, but I wonder if any man before us ever thought his...more

6 likes · like · see review

May 22, 2008 Mona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mona by: Aerin

Shelves: middle-grade-young-adult-fiction, 20th-century-lit, fantasy

This book may fool you. It's not a once-upon-a-time tale, nor is it just for children. When I first picked up this book, all I knew about it was that a trusted friend - whose book recommendations have never led me astray - loved it. I was under the impression that it was for children, and even though I am a self-described kid at heart and stalwart defender of children's literature, I thought it would be a light read, devoid of any complexities. Well, I was wrong.

The story begins in the lilac woo...more This book may fool you. It's not a once-upon-a-time tale, nor is it just for children. When I first picked up this book, all I knew about it was that a trusted friend - whose book recommendations have never led me astray - loved it. I was under the impression that it was for children, and even though I am a self-described kid at heart and stalwart defender of children's literature, I thought it would be a light read, devoid of any complexities. Well, I was wrong.

The story begins in the lilac wood of the unicorn. She soon discovers that she is the last of her kind when she overhears two hunters discussing how once there used to be unicorns and maybe that they never existed at all. The unicorn is old and has always lived alone, but she decides she must venture out of her forest to see if it is true that she is the last. From the moment that she leaves, the unicorn encounters adventure and trickery. She is mistaken for a simple mare, she gets caught and is displayed as a freak show act, she meets a failed magician named Schmendrick, and ultimately, has to face her enemy, The Red Bull, at the desolate castle of King Haggard. Through it all, the unicorn changes and learns to understand the basic human needs for love and friendship.

From the first page, I quickly realized that Beagle's writing is far from simple. I found myself reading and re-reading sentences and paragraphs, sometimes puzzling out a second, hidden meaning. In other circumstances, this could have gotten old and fast. But here, the writing was too rich to pass over quickly and with each re-reading, I was able to mine more pleasure out of the story. What interested me most about the story is the way that Beagle takes the theme of the mythical nature of unicorns and infuses the story with it. On the surface, the story is a bittersweet tale about a special creature who seeks to find her own, but underneath, there is a second story about perception and belief in the unbelievable. I really have no nitpicks with this book - five stars for both writing and enjoyment.

(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2010 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fantasy, own, unicorns, highly-recommended

In prepping for Unicorns Vs. Zombies Week, which was a long time in the making, I had taken it upon myself to make a list of books to read featuring unicorns. Of course, The Last Unicorn topped the list. Seriously, I cannot think about unicorns without thinking about this book. And no, the unicorn in this book is not bloodthirsty. Although I had made up my mind earlier to be Team Unicorn, I think had I been on the fence, this book would definitely have pushed me onto Team Unicorn.
Read the rest o ...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 01, 2010 BurningYourBooks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, one-hand-one-heart

This book has haunted me ever since I first finished it years, and years ago. I'll be driving down the freeway and the slant of sunlight off of a trucks rear window will suddenly remind me of a line in one of these chapters and a fever will grab hold of me all of a sudden and it won't be quelled until I get home and reread that passage, which turns into rereading that chapter which turns into rereading this book. I'm not safe anywhere, I was sick to death recently and the first thing I reached f...more This book has haunted me ever since I first finished it years, and years ago. I'll be driving down the freeway and the slant of sunlight off of a trucks rear window will suddenly remind me of a line in one of these chapters and a fever will grab hold of me all of a sudden and it won't be quelled until I get home and reread that passage, which turns into rereading that chapter which turns into rereading this book. I'm not safe anywhere, I was sick to death recently and the first thing I reached for was this. How do I immunize myself against it? I don't know. I find myself at even a greater loss when I ask myself if I really want to be free.

There comes a time in everyone's life, if they are so lucky, where they happen across a book that just turns their life inside out and upside down. This is one such book. To the uninterested observer it appears as a silly book about unicorns that seems like it has no interest in obtaining a demographic beyond that of tween girls and basement nerds. But to these people I express my sorrow that they will live their lives with the incredible loss that is never having read this book.

The Last Unicorn is about remembering the past and foreseeing the future and about accepting our losses and defeats when they are handed to us, and it is about learning to treasure the bright spots within them. It is about what it means to posses and to be possessed. Two characters passing through a wood early in the novel debate the existence of unicorns at first jokingly, then heatedly and then at last with a bit of trepidation, sorrow and fear at the passing of the unknown while they were not watching. "I wonder if any man before us would have thought his time a good time for unicorns?" one of the woodsmen asks and soon we see quite clearly that the answer is, and always will be, a resounding and cold hearted no as our unicorn is put in damp, dark cages both literal and figurative.

Not much happens in this book in the traditional story telling sense. The unicorns quest ends rather abruptly by the time we reach the castle and that happens less than half way through the book. After that the characters mill around in a stagnant environment and the battle of wits that any other author might have substituted here as the main course of action is instead replaced by a battle of reflection and remembrance, of memory and time. The main action in this book is not played out in gallant sword fights, daring chases, and grand acts of wizardry (although there is plenty of that, make no mistake at times this can be a very violent and bloody book), but rather the choices and changes the characters go through in their lives.

Finally, to speak of the few criticisms directed at the text - without giving too much away, for the second half of the book there is indeed a romance in the pages and some others have spoken about how it lacks a heart gripping quality and to this I'd have to agree. But you have to remember that the romance really isn't meant to be viewed as such and so people seeking a grand romantic adventure will be advised to look elsewhere. The Lady Amalthea throws herself at Liir with an unnatural devotion that quite frankly obliterates all that she is, even admitting to herself that she allows him to construct everything she is as a person and as a result their romance is very light, very lovely but it hasn't been earned at all. And because you can not claim something you haven't gained the right to earn in the end they are the only ones left with nothing to posses.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Apr 29, 2009 Fox rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twitch, Sean,

Recommended to Fox by: Jackie

Shelves: 2009, fantasy, fiction, own

The Last Unicorn is quite possibly the most beautiful book ever written. The story it tells is of a quest undertaken by the last unicorn, Molly Grue, and Schmendrik the Magician to save the unicorns from the Red Bull of King Haggard. What appears at first glance to be a traditional fantasy tale winds up being far more. The Magician is the last of his own kind, however, he is also completely incompetent in his art and wishes nothing more than to find his magic so that he may be mortal and die. Mo...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2008 Loyola University Chicago Libraries rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bill

Written with gentle wit and a deceptively straightforward presentation, The Last Unicorn creates a complex and completely believable world that combines familiar fairy tale mythologies with a contemporary shrewdness that somehow manages to avoid being too clever, too garrulous, or too slyly modern for its own good – something no other fantasy novel, however well known, seems to have accomplished. As a result, The Last Unicorn is unlike any fantasy novel that I’ve read, and the supplemental story...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 30, 2009 Ambertronic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: fantasy, peter-s-beagle

I seriously wonder if Peter S. Beagle has Synesthesia. His choice of adjectives is beautiful and downright tasty. Sounds have color and texture, it's as if he was able to show people what it would be like to walk into a Van Gogh painting and live inside it.

His plot is not as it seems, at first appearing cliche (you may find yourself thinking "This is like the start of hundreds of fairy tales I've read as a kid") but you will be delightfully proven wrong. His characters are unique and experience...more

11 likes · like · see review

Apr 13, 2011 Mercedes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the most beautiful stories I have ever read in my life. I read it as a child and it has stayed with me ever since.

There's a certain melancholy sweetness about it that touches your soul, its lyrical prose just floats off the page like the softest down, it's like having a dream about a poem you once heard many years ago.

I'm such a fan of this book that I even have a signed deluxe copy (including the coda, Two Hearts) by the man himself!

Soppy, I know, but it's one of the rare few books that...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 28, 2012 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairytale, mythical-creatures, aficionados-best-fantasy-list, wizards, standalone, fantasy

I read this mainly because I've heard it's a fantasy classic, and felt I should. It was indeed magical, and read like a true fairytale with a unicorn and other mythical creatures, a noble prince with quests, a wizard, and an evil king. I can see why it's a classic.

I'm only giving it 3 stars, though, because the emotional connection and immediateness of more modern fantasy isn't there, and it felt like watching the story from afar. The characters definitely felt emotions. Intellectually, I know t...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 22, 2013 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

I read this under several objections, most them having to do with how ridiculous the title and the cover look, especially if you are over thirty carrying it around. But author after author I love kept talking about Peter S. Beagle and The Last Unicorn. They didn't suggest reading it, they just assumed that all the writers and readers in the room had, the same way they assume that everyone has read LOTR.

So I read it and I can't understand how Peter S. Beagle did it. How he can make us all be th...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Read it for itself. A classic of it's type.

I found this a "mildly interesting" book. It never pulled me in yet it was interesting enough that I stayed with it. It's sort of like a weak tea, drinkable but not something I'm overly pleased with.

3 likes · like · see review

May 24, 2011 Diane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, read-before-2011

I picked up this book after reading the Nebula award-winning novelette "Two Hearts," which is really a sequel to The Last Unicorn. Had I not read "Two Hearts," I would have passed on this book, based on the title alone. Unicorns - along with rainbows and ponies - are for little girls. Right? If not for "Two Hearts," I would have never purchased The Last Unicorn, and I would have missed out on one of the most enchanting and beautifully written books I have ever read.

With a little over two hundre...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 26, 2009 Raja99 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why I read this book: It's probably been on my to-read pile for decades. Our family often spends Christmastime in Florida for a week, and I plan to get a lot of reading done. I'd taken this at least once before, but hadn't gotten around to it. This time, I got around to it ;-).

An amazing book. I'd heard that this was one of the classics of fantasy, and was a little afraid of getting burned (as I was by Tea with the Black Dragon , though my friends at the SFDG helped me appreciate that more), but...more Why I read this book: It's probably been on my to-read pile for decades. Our family often spends Christmastime in Florida for a week, and I plan to get a lot of reading done. I'd taken this at least once before, but hadn't gotten around to it. This time, I got around to it ;-).

An amazing book. I'd heard that this was one of the classics of fantasy, and was a little afraid of getting burned (as I was by Tea with the Black Dragon , though my friends at the SFDG helped me appreciate that more), but this not only met my expectations (admittedly low for Fantasy) but greatly exceeded them. It was very different from what I expected, which is all to the good; no typical mass-market Tolkein ripoff here. It's a very dense book; there are plenty of jokes (in- and otherwise) and puns, but it's also a deeply felt book, and a book overflowing with magic. There's a big section that reminds me of Ray Bradbury (via Charles G. Finney), and in some ways, it does a better job of achieving what Stephen King's Dark Tower seven-book series tried to do--but in a single, 250-page volume. (And the shorter length is a major weapon in its arsenal; King's series is practically drenched in the author's burnout by book seven).

I definitely need to get the SFDG to try this book ;-)

(Finished 2008-12-28 09:33 EST)

I got the SFDG to agree to discuss this book on 2009-03-26, and I just finished rereading it.

This time, I listened to the author's unabridged reading (available from Conlan Press's website; see http://www.conlanpress.com/Merchant2/... for free samples). Beagle isn't a professional voice actor, but he did a very good job. I enjoyed the reading, and as with a Ray Bradbury reading, I got new insights from Beagle's performance. Alas, I ran short of time and had to "fall back" on the dead tree edition to skim some of the last chapters ;-).

The unabridged audiobook includes original music by Jeff Slingluff ; each chapter begins with an instrumental piece under a minute (or so). The music is lovely, but it does interfere with the momentum of the narrative, in my humble opinion.

The two nicest things about the audiobook as contrasted with the dead-tree book: The author does a very good reading, and I picked up a number of little gems that I'd missed because the narrative had made me rush eagerly to the end ;-). Also, the songs embedded in the narrative worked much better as songs than as embedded verse; maybe it's just me, but I find it difficult to read poetry and work out the scan and stresses, and I much prefer having the author present his preferred interpretation. The song at the end of the book gets a particularly nice treatment; the author sings it with a guitar accompaniment. The ending song had puzzled me in dead tree, but it seems perfect now.

(Finished rereading 2009-03-26 < 08:00 EDT)(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 13, 2008 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fantasy lovers/fairy tale lovers

Shelves: fantasy

"The Last Unicorn" was one of my favorite childhood movies. My sister and I watched it so many times that to this day, we can still quote over half the movie if not all of it.

The story is a unicorn who lives with no cares, existing in her own vain world with no fear of death and no regrets. When she happens to hear a couple of hunters speak of there being no more unicorns left in the world, she leaves the safety of her wood to find out where they've all gone.

Along the way, she meets up with a...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 17, 2009 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those who love a sweet fantasy

Recommended to Richard by: SFinSF.org

Shelves: classic, fantasy, fantasy-magic, bookclub

A short, sweet and bittersweet fantasy about unicorns and wizards, enchantments, monsters and heroes.

Beagle has gentle fun with this fairy-tale quest, winking and teasing his readers with soft ironies intermixed with a lullaby of a story.

It doesn't take long to read this classic, and I can strongly recommend it to anyone susceptible to an innocent archetypal myth.

...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Kalin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This Unicorn, along with Ende's _Neverending Story_ and Zindell's _Requiem for Homo Sapiens_, has made me what I am.

It has been there for me to shine and shiver with its seashell light even in the deepest night. It has been there to remind me that great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, otherwise half their greatness goes unnoticed. That you can't make real magic by offering up someone else's liver; you must tear out your own. (And not expect to get it back, aye.) It's been a song and a com...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 17, 2007 Jeffrey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: All you Harry Potters

This is one of my favorite books from childhood. I will note that the animated movie is actually pretty goood as a surreal interpretation of this book, it does a good job of holding onto the strangeness of the story and the classic fantasy elements.

Pearl S. Beagle takes the cliches of classic fantasy and twists them to create a unique world that is still very familiar. Underlying the entire story is a powerful sense of longing and nostalgia. It is sad (in a good way) and fantastic. This book is...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 29, 2009 Corinne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am ashamed that I haven't read this before. I was a great devotee of the movie when I was young and it wasn't until I was a teen that I even realized there WAS a book. But even then, I remember checking it out once and trying it, but just preferring the movie. Silly girl. The book is just as good and definitely more profound. Or, maybe, I have just lived enough now to see that it IS profound.

The last unicorn doesn't know she is the last until she hears a hunter speak the words. Her journey to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 *tarazza rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A truly beautiful fantasy.

Some favorite quotes:

“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock on the witch's door when she is already away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found out and foiled before he does something wicked. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpi...more A truly beautiful fantasy.

Some favorite quotes:

“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock on the witch's door when she is already away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found out and foiled before he does something wicked. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.”

“When I was alive, I believed — as you do — that time was at least as real and solid as myself, and probably more so. I said 'one o'clock' as though I could see it, and 'Monday' as though I could find it on the map; and I let myself be hurried along from minute to minute, day to day, year to year, as though I were actually moving from one place to another. Like everyone else, I lived in a house bricked up with seconds and minutes, weekends and New Year's Days, and I never went outside until I died, because there was no other door. Now I know that I could have walked through the walls. (...) You can strike your own time, and start the count anywhere. When you understand that — then any time at all will be the right time for you.”

“The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.”

“Unicorns are not to be forgiven." The magician felt himself growing giddy with jealousy, not only of the touch but of something like a secret that was moving between Molly and the unicorn. "Unicorns are for beginnings," he said, "for innocence and purity, for newness. Unicorns are for young girls." ... Molly was stroking the unicorn's throat as timidly as though she were blind. She dried her grimy tears on the white mane. "You don't know much about unicorns," she said.”

And finally:

"'Farewell,' she said. 'I hope you hear many more songs' - which was the best way she could think of to say good-bye to a butterfly."(less)

like · see review

Apr 08, 2013 Jeffrey Witthauer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my favorite novel. I was already a fan of the animated movie before I picked up the book, and the movie was such a masterpiece I thought the book could not possibly be better. And then, to my great surprise and delight, it was far better.

One of the truly unique things about Peter S. Beagle is his ability to craft words in a way that seems at once poetic, and yet never forced or stilted. While The Last Unicorn is, at its heart, a deconstruction of fantasy archetypes, it is never cruel or...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2013 Mazohyst (Edel) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-ages, beautiful, favourites, fiction, library, novel, read-again, reread, want-to-own, fantasy

I did not expect this book to capture my heart so quickly.

This book has been on my to-read list for a while, mostly because I've been on a search for a book that I once read as a child about unicorns. This is not that book. But I don't regret reading this book at all.

Sadly, the fantasy genre is not my thing. Usually I regard fantasy as silly child's play. I can't take most fantasy seriously because I find it so hard to get absorbed into the world and to believe in it. Maybe I lack the imaginatio...more

like · see review

Jan 19, 2013 Omar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been meaning to read this book for many years now.

I've been meaning to read many a book, for many a year, and some of them are forgotten but I was reminded of this one by hearing Patrick Rothfuss say it is a book every fan of fantasy must read. I like Patrick's writing well enough - though less than most - but I like him more, and so I tend to listen when he speaks and for this one thing above any other, I will always, always be grateful that I did.

He made me remember that I needed to read...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Cleo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, classics

The Last Unicorn is an interesting fantasy novel. It is, of course, the story of the last unicorn. One day, she leaves her forest and sets out to discover what happened to all the other unicorns. Along with the way, the unicorn meets with many people, Schmendrick the magician (who doesn't have that much magic) and Molly Grue. I'm not sure when I last read this fantasy, but it was a while ago.

This is a surreal little concoction. The whole story seems dreamlike, unreal. It flows along at a slow bu...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Frag Dolls Book Club: * Official The Last Unicorn Discussion Thread ~SPOILERS~	6	17	27. März, 20:15 Uhr
Sci-fi and Heroic...: The Last Unicorn	8	30	27. Dezember, 07:00 Uhr
Eclectic Readers: The Last Unicorn	1	9	25. April, 14:01 Uhr

combine
Other Editions (49)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

2,504 users

Classics

341 users

Young Adult

262 users

Childrens

101 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

100 users

Fantasy > Unicorns

69 users

Fantasy > Magic

66 users

Adventure

54 users

Fantasy > Fairy Tales

49 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

41 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Peter S. Beagle

Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. He is also a talented guitarist and folk singer. He wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place , when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, which routinely polls as one of the top ten fantasy novels of all time, and at least two of...more

More about Peter S. Beagle...

Books by Peter S. Beagle

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Last Unicorn

17 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Last Unicorn

“Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.” — 2,085 people liked it

“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. The swineherd cannot already be wed to the princess when he embarks on his adventures, nor can the boy knock on the witch's door when she is already away on vacation. The wicked uncle cannot be found out and foiled before he does something wicked. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” — 261 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Last Unicorn
avg rating	preview: The Last Unicorn Goodreads rating: 4.18 (40197 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/917220.The_Last_Unicorn?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1217313735l/917220.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/917220.The_Last_Unicorn?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle[/url]

The Last Unicorn

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website