The Last Unicorn

December 13, 2018
The Last Unicorn Book Cover The Last Unicorn
Peter S. Beagle
Fantasy
Penguin Books Ltd.
July 2008
Paperback
294
Library
1968

She was magical, beautiful beyond belief -- and completely alone...

The unicorn had lived since before memory in a forest where death could touch nothing. Maidens who caught a glimpse of her glory were blessed by enchantment they would never forget. But outside her wondrous realm, dark whispers and rumors carried a message she could not ignore: "Unicorns are gone from the world."

Aided by a bumbling magician and an indomitable spinster, she set out to learn the truth. but she feared even her immortal wisdom meant nothing in a world where a mad king's curse and terror incarnate lived only to stalk the last unicorn to her doom...

 

When Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom and I were discussing potential books for a buddy read, The Last Unicorn came up. For Amanda, she was interested in reading this as it is Patrick Rothfuss’ favorite novel. For me? I was interested as this is stand-alone fantasy (there are alike two. Ever) and because 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of this classic fantasy novel. We were both prepared for Tolkien-influenced fantasy. Neither of us was prepared for the true magic we found in the pages of this brilliant novel.

Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.

The Last Unicorn follows its eponymous character through a self-imposed quest to answer a seemingly simple question: Am I the last of my kind? On her quest, many incidents happen to the unicorn and she is joined by some traveling companions. Fueled by rumors of a great Red Bull who chased away the unicorns, the group seeks out his master: King Haggard whom the people of the land all feel aversion towards. Only once they arrive things do not go as intended. Like they do.

I have been mortal, and some part of me is mortal yet. I am full of tears and hunger and fear of death, although I cannot weep, and I want nothing, and I cannot die. I am not like the others now, for no unicorn was ever born who could regret, but I do. I regret.

Let me just get this out of the way first: I am completely in love with Beagle’s prose. Absolutely smitten. The words flow easily off the page while keeping the plot moving and my imagination enriched. Thanks to this incredible writing, I was never bored, discontent, or distracted. The verse is almost poetic at times, and beyond so when Beagle’s songs are portrayed. The prose is also rich in allegory and metaphor. Often, this is a challenge for me as someone who doesn’t see pictures in my head. But instead, I connected with the metaphors in a way I never expected. Like I said. Smitten.

Her voice left a flavor of honey and gunpowder on the air.

If the prose doesn’t capture you, the story will. Beagle takes fantasy tropes and turns them on their heads in this quasi-satiric fantasy. A fairy tale is a simple story with extra layers of meaning moralizing them and providing education. The Last Unicorn reads like a fairy tale, and perhaps it is to a certain extent, but the tongue-in-cheek humor steeped in these pages often had me laughing aloud. Beagle is subtle in his wit; it covers the pages like an amused calm. This satire is gentle. You’d have to be paying attention to catch all of it.

Take me with you. For laughs, for luck, for the unknown. Take me with you.

The pacing of The Last Unicorn feels like a traditional fairy tale. This happens, then this happens, then this happens — everything is sequential and can almost be compartmentalized into smaller stories within the whole. This is one of the major Tolkien influences I can see on Beagle’s works. The pacing reminds me of The Hobbit where I can stop reading at the end of a chapter, fully sated by a complete story-within-a-story. There are plenty of other Tolkien-esque concepts, but unlike Tolkien, this is no Epic fantasy with orcs and elves. The simplicity of the fairy tale is what makes this story magical.

Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns way go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of a story.

Beagle’s characters truly shine. Schmendrick the Magician?! Come on! He’s amazing, if only for the sort of name 6-year-old Jackie would have made up. In The Last Unicorn, typical fairy tale characters are placed in atypical roles and situations providing comic relief while delivering subtle social commentary.  Each character also contains a deep flaw which drives the commentary home. Such as Prince Lir failing to see the difference between real heroism and posturing, or the unicorn being proud to the point of vanity – something a unicorn should be unable of experiencing. They are remarkably self-aware characters. Beagle even goes so far as to have his character acknowledge they are part of a fairy tale and must follow the required tropes of said fairy tale.

The magician stood erect, menacing the attackers with demons, metamorphoses, paralyzing ailments, and secret judo holds. Molly picked up a rock.

Ultimately, The Last Unicorn is a beautiful story about discovering who you really are. Yes, it’s about good and evil, friendship and love, striving for our dreams, what makes us human, and what makes life worth living. But the ideas which cling to me long after I’ve shut the pages relate to identity. You can only find happiness within yourself. The things you fear will never go away until you confront them; internally as well as externally. You cannot wait for good things to come to you. Each of these themes appears time and again. Without spoilers, I cannot go into details, but the message Beagle presents is beautiful.

We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream.

If you even remotely enjoy fantasy, please go pick up this book right now. Reading The Last Unicorn is truly a unique and worthwhile experience.

Thank you to Amanda @ Cover2CoverMom for being willing to buddy read this book with me! I learned a ton from our discussion and I look forward to doing it again someday.  


What do you think?

  • Have you read The Last Unicorn? What do you think of this book?
  • Do you enjoy reading satire? Why? Which books come to mind when considering literary satire?
  • What are your favorite stand-alone fantasy novels?
  • Have you ever picked up a book because an author you respect recommended it? What books? Which authors recommended them?

24 Comments

  • Captain's Quarters December 13, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    I am so glad that ye have finally experienced this book. I love it so. I need to reread it because the details are fuzzy. It is time to refresh. Also now ye should watch the animated movie. It be awesome. Arrr!
    x The Captain

    • Jackie B December 13, 2018 at 9:38 pm

      I’ve heard the animated film takes itself much more seriously than the book does, which is interesting. I imagine it might make the story more frightening! But I’ll definitely watch it. I bet it’s on a streaming service somewhere. XD

      When did you last read this book, Captain? And, I assume you’ve seen the film? If so, what are your thoughts on comparing the two?

      • Captain's Quarters December 22, 2018 at 9:31 am

        I last read the book about a decade ago so I am due to reread it. I haven’t seen the film in forever. I don’t know if I can compare the two adequately at this point because of the time delay. I do know that the film for me is visually striking and I can still remember certain visuals like the butterfly, the unicorns in the sea, the skeleton etc. And as I am not a visual person, I do think it is interesting that I have any of those images in me noggin. But the film and the book are so intertwined in love together that I do find it hard separate the two of them. That is likely to change when I properly revisit both. I am meaning to do that in 2019 if time permits. Ye really do have fantastic comments and questions!
        x The Captain

        • Jackie B December 24, 2018 at 12:27 pm

          I’m not a visual person either, so this really intrigues me! I know The Last Unicorn film is made by the same studio who made The Hobbit. But I haven’t seen that either! XD Perhaps I need to make a list of films to watch in 2019.

          Thanks for the sweet compliment. 🙂 I try. The conversation is the most important part of blogging for me.

          • Captain's Quarters December 24, 2018 at 2:21 pm

            I do hope that ye write a review of the last unicorn movie so that I can hear yer thoughts on it. Also I didn’t know that Mr. Beagle narrates an audiobook version! Mehaps I should listen to the last unicorn instead of readin’ it. Aye, I love that idea. Arrrr!
            x The Captain

            • Jackie B December 25, 2018 at 10:11 pm

              I’ve never written a movie review! Oooh. I’d have to think about what that would look like on my blog. Obviously, the focus would be on comparing the two. But, I tend to allow films, TV, and books to exist in “separate universes” in my mind. For example, the Harry Potter films don’t bother me because I feel like the universe of the films is its own contained space. Does that make sense?

              • Captain's Quarters December 26, 2018 at 5:13 pm

                I do understand about separate universes. I used to be furious as a kid at bad movie adaptations. But I have to admit that I don’t really care that much now. Part of it is working on different productions of the same plays and learning to appreciate different views into the same story. Part of it is that I don’t really watch tv and don’t really go to the movies that much either. I don’t even know where our tv is at the moment. Not hooked up that’s all I know. I almost always like a book better than the film. The only exception I can think of at the moment is the princess bride. I mean who doesn’t love the Dread Pirate Roberts? Arrr!
                x The Captain

                • Jackie B January 16, 2019 at 10:16 am

                  Somehow, a bunch of your comments ended up marked as spam. Weird. Time to catch up!

                  I love how your experience with plays has helped you to appreciate different views of the same story. I *also* don’t watch TV or really go to the movies! I’m so glad to know I’m not alone with this. I *do* know where my TV is, as it’s in the guest bedroom, but I don’t know where the remote is or if it is even hooked up correctly. XD Yay!

                  Hm. I don’t know if I have a film I think of as better than the book. The Princess Bride is the same (with the exception of 3 chapters) between the book and the film. Goldman was a screen-writer before an author. XD So good. I’ll have to ponder this some more. Perhaps I’ll come up with something.

              • Captain's Quarters December 27, 2018 at 5:54 am

                I do understand about separate universes. I used to be furious as a kid at bad movie adaptations. But I have to admit that I don’t really care that much now. Part of it is working on different productions of the same plays and learning to appreciate different views into the same story. Part of it is that I don’t really watch tv and don’t really go to the movies that much either. I don’t even know where our tv is at the moment. Not hooked up that’s all I know. I almost always like a book better than the film. The only exception I can think of at the moment is the princess bride. I mean who doesn’t love the Dread Pirate Roberts? Arrr!
                x The Captain

          • Captain's Quarters December 26, 2018 at 5:20 pm

            I know I saw the hobbit film at some point. The First Mate always talks about how well it captures the book. I guess I should re-watch that one too.
            x The Captain

  • Anna @MyBookishDream December 14, 2018 at 11:07 am

    This is one of those fantasy books that I have had my eye on for years, but for some reason haven’t picked up yet. I’m glad to see that you enjoyed it! 😀 I remember watching and re-watching the animated movies as a child and loving it, which makes the fact that I never picked up the book even weirder. XD Well, I do plan to read it and hopefully I’ll get around to it sooner rather than later. Great review!

    • Jackie B December 26, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      Haha– it’s not that weird that you haven’t picked up the book if you’ve seen the film a ton. I find that if I have a childhood love of a film, and there is a book I haven’t read, I’m hesitant to pick it up. What if this ruins my childhood love?! 😉

      I haven’t seen the film of The Last Unicorn yet, but now it’s on my to watch list (which is a very short list, honestly, I don’t watch a lot of TV/film). I am excited to see it and compare the two. I wonder if they are similar… It would be challenging to make a story as complex as The Last Unicorn into a single animated film. But, the same studio did it successfully with The Hobbit.

  • Grab the Lapels December 15, 2018 at 9:52 am

    I haven’t read The Last Unicorn, though I did know of it (likely due to the movie). I was really interested while reading your thoughts about how fantasy traditionally “goes” (that’s not the word you used, but I can’t think of the right word). The most recently fantasy I’ve read is the Mary Brown quartet. It was very much this happens, then this, and this. I like that because I know something is always going to happen–the story always moves forward. Then I was thinking…..that’s exactly what the Magic trilogy by Lackey DOESN’T do! I think her novels are held together by characters that you get really, really attached to. I was glad to read on Facebook that so many of your friends have read and loved Lackey. I hope they come visit your blog during our journey together. Make sure you share your posts on your personal Facebook page so they can keep up!

    • Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku December 26, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      Yes! There are two forms of fantasy, in my head. The sort where this happens, then this happens, then this happens. And then there is the fantasy which is written like all other fiction. I’m excited to hear that your experience with Lackey is more of the latter. Don’t get me wrong– I like the this then this then this fantasy. It’s often sword and sorcery, and it has a warm place in my heart. But sometimes I need deeper fantasy with fully realized characters and plots. 🙂

      My copy of Arrows of the Queen arrived today! I have two more books to finish before i can pick it up, but I AM SO EXCITED. SO EXCITED. I’ll make certain to include my Facebook friends in our adventure. Hopefully they’ll be joining us. 🙂

      • Grab the Lapels December 26, 2018 at 7:50 pm

        It sounded like the would! It’s a whole gang of Lackey lovers on your FB!

        • Jackie B December 27, 2018 at 10:47 pm

          Here’s hoping I quickly become one. 🙂

  • Nick December 15, 2018 at 9:57 am

    I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The animated movie they made of it a few deacdes back is pretty good, as well. It might have been done by the same animation company as the old animated Hobbit movie. I always remember the bits where Shmendrick reveals that he sees the unicorn for what she is, and the skeleton they must convince to let them pass. So many vivid details, it just feels like A Good Fantasy Book.

    • Nick December 15, 2018 at 9:58 am

      ^decades. That’s what I get for typing on a phone.

      • Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku December 26, 2018 at 12:25 pm

        NICK COMMENTING ON MY BLOG! NICK COMMENTED ON MY BLOG! I feel so special!

        It was definitely done by the same animation studio which did The Hobbit. I haven’t seen the film, but I look forward to seeing it someday soon! There’s something about that old school animation which really speaks to me.

        I’m glad you have so many fond memories of the film! You definitely should read the book someday if your brain is holding on to so many vivid details. The Last Unicorn probably has many details from the book which are lost on the film — I’d love to hear your thoughts!

        And kudos for correcting your typo. After all the time, I just let those go. We cannot be perfect, can we? 😉

  • Amanda @Cover2CoverMom December 22, 2018 at 2:24 pm

    I think we picked the perfect book for our first buddy read! The Last Unicorn was not at all what I was expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise!

    You know what we didn’t talk about? The audiobook! Since we both read it in print form, I wonder how the audiobook is? I wonder who narrates it… If it is narrated correctly, I bet it would be a delight to listen to!

    • Jackie B December 24, 2018 at 9:58 am

      It’s narrated by Peter S. Beagle! Seriously! I mean, I’m certain there is more than one variation of the audiobook, but the *right* one to listen to is obviously this version. If I come back to this book some day, I’ll definitely listen to the audiobook.

      It was a great buddy read option for us. 🙂 I’m so glad we picked a winner! Let’s hope our luck holds in the future, hm? 😉

  • Krysta January 3, 2019 at 11:34 pm

    I love The Last Unicorn! It is a truly beautiful work and, even if inspired by Tolkien, I think very un-Tolkienian. There’s not a fully realized world and much of the world seems not to make sense, but somehow the flavor of Fairie is all you need to accept that this is how things are.

    • Jackie B January 6, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      Exactly! It can also see the influences of Lewis Carroll in that sense – the world doesn’t have fixed rules, they don’t always follow the rules we’ve encountered before, and the absurd is often considered normal.

      It always amazes me when authors can convince people unstable, inconsistent worlds are totally viable with their words. It worked for me here!

      • Krysta January 6, 2019 at 6:38 pm

        The Last Unicorn is really an under-rated fantasy in some ways. It’s a classic and yet I don’t know many people who have read it. But I think so many of them would love it!

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