The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

[Jonathan , Reader of the fantastic]

This is our classic November read. I also plan to read this if I can find a copy. Hope you all enjoy it!

[Xdyj]

I read it a while ago & liked it. It's a nice, fable-like story w/ a lot of quoteworthy lines.

[Brenda]

One of the classics of the genre: unicorn before unicorns were cool.

[[deleted user]]

The animated movie version of The Last Unicorn is also pretty good, if you just fast forward over Mia Farrow singing "Now that I'm a Woman". It takes its dialog right from the book (because Mr. Beagle write the screenplay - but not the song!) I got my copy autographed by the author, the only author signing I have anywhere.

Have a taco.

[S.]

finished reading it the other day. absolutely heartbreaking and yet hopeful at the same time. i was left with a sense of longing and emptiness afterwards. this wasn't my first time reading the story (i've been a lifetime fan, just about), but it never fails to pack a punch.

[[deleted user]]

stormie wrote: "i was left with a sense of longing and emptiness afterwards."

The Last Unicorn is rather bittersweet. It's populated by people who are unhappy because they aren't what they dreamed of being. Schmendrick wants to be a "real" magician; Molly craves heroic romance; and Lir wants to be a heroic knight. Even the people who are the comfortable obstacles to their dreams have their own disappointments. Mommy Fortuna craves fame and immortality; Cully wants to be a cult hero (though he doesn't have the ambition to get up off his log); even Haggard wants nothing more than to be happy. Paxil would do wonders for these people!

And yet when the Unicorn/ Amalthea, Schmendrick, Molly & Lir get what they want, each finds it's not what they expected, and in the end they settle for more comfortable lives that make them happier. (At the end, Schmendrick & Molly meet a damsel in distress, who they send off to Lir, since that's his thing, not theirs anymore.

Be careful what you wish for, I guess,...

[Kevis]

The Last Unicorn is very different from most of the other fantasy books that followed on the heels of the publication of The Lord of the Rings. It's a sad, but beautifully written tale. I own the Deluxe Edition that features "Two Hearts", the Coda to The Last Unicorn. Definitely one of my prized possessions.

[Gabriela]

G33z3r wrote: "
stormie wrote: "i was left with a sense of longing and emptiness afterwards."

The Last Unicorn is rather bittersweet. It's populated by people who are unhappy because they aren't what they dre..."

I agree. I have always loved this story. I first saw the film as a child. There was no way to get the book in Argentina in the 80s, so I was an adult when I read it - quite recently actually. But the feeling it leaves me with is the same. It is not an "everything wraps up nicely" sort of story. And I think that is what makes it so special. It is easy to relate it to real life.

[Daniel]

A fantastic, lyrical fairy tale. Highly recommended. I love Beagle's prose and characters.

[Ben]

This is one of my all time favorite books - It is just such a well written, charming and creative tale. I recently got a digital copy with the "humble bundle" which I like as it now means if ever I want to reread it it is already there in my google drive to access.

I also love his "a fine and private place" which I also am very fond of.

[Katy]

I loved this book!! I also watched the animated movie, and to this day, it resulted in one of the only nightmares I really remember featuring the red bull. Lol

[Algernon]

I seriously MUST read this. I am surprised I haven't. I am completely in love with myth and fairie...

[Mary]

Algernon wrote: "I seriously MUST read this. I am surprised I haven't. I am completely in love with myth and fairie..."


It's a marvelous story. One of those few works before the big fantasy boom in the 1970s.

[Brenda]

The movie is making the rounds in revival:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gregory...

[Algernon]

That is what is particularly interesting about it...it is pre-LOTR mania...My favorite has been, and will always be, George MacDonald!

[Phil]

I love this book. It taps into fairy tale tropes in ways that are genuine and original.

Have a taco.