Rereading: THE LAST UNICORN by Peter S. Beagle

Cover art by Gervasio Gallardo

This is the edition that I read first, after buying it in 1969. What I actually read recently was the reprint below:

Illustration by Darrell K. Sweet

A 1978 hardcover reprinting two Beagle novels and two short stories. I already reread and reviewed the other novel, A Fine And Private Place. I will cover the two short stories at the end of this review.

“The Last Unicorn,” first published in hardcover in 1968, and then in the above Ballantine paperback edition in 1969, is Beagle’s best-known work, and it essentially made his career as a writer possible. You can read more about that career HERE.

It’s been more than 50 years since I read “The Last Unicorn,” and I only remembered the broadest outline, if that. The unicorn lives in a wood, as it has for countless years, watching over the plants and animals also there, and one day hears two hunters talking about unicorns, and how they have all vanished from the world. The unicorn thinks about this, and eventually decides to go on a quest for her people.

On the way she is captured by a woman running a sideshow of mythical creatures, including some fakes disguised by her spells, and a real harpy. There she also meets Schmendrick, a would-be magician who can barely succeed at the kind of stage tricks that will fool patrons of the show. But Schmendrick wants to aid the unicorn, and helps engineer her escape, joining her quest. Later they are also joined by a female outlaw, Molly, and eventually they come to the castle of King Haggard, and his mighty magical beast, The Red Bull, who has somehow removed all the other unicorns from the world. Schmendrick, in an occasional gift of real magic, turns the unicorn to a young woman they name Lady Amalthea, in order to protect her from the Red Bull. They take up residence in Haggard’s castle, where his son, Prince Lír, falls in love with Lady Amalthea. The rest of the story explores these characters and the mystery of the missing unicorns. Beagle’s writing is emotional, charming, funny, heartfelt, magical, and sad by turns, a wonderful display of his talent.

Of the two short stories, both are well written. “Lila the Werewolf” takes place in lower Manhattan in the 1960s, as a young man finds out the girl he’s dating has a dangerous secret. Dangerous to both of them. “Come, Lady Death” is set in Old England, where an elderly and very rich woman, tired of the lavish parties she’s known for, decides to invite an unusual guest to her next one, Death herself.

These novels and stories are highly recommended.

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