I'm in the minority of readers of this book, I think. I liked it, but not nearly as much as many people. For its time, it was inventive fantasy, very different than Tolkien or other fantasy published in the 1960's. However, that does not make it a fantasy classic for me.
This at times feels like something that someone dreamed, then turned into a novel. The unicorn has a series of ever more dangerous encounters with various opponents and mythical beasts, all the while confronting the shrinking of its habitat by civilization. Must be another ecology book disguised as a fantasy novel, I guess.
Its worth reading, but be prepared for some odd flights of fantasy. ( )

I grew up watching the movie based on this book, never really knowing that it was a book until I was in high school and saw a copy in the paperback rack of the school library. This is an incredible fantasy that manages to be true to classic fantasy while still being tongue-in-cheek. In that way, it reminds me of The Princess Bride.

This is the story of a unicorn that hears rumors that she is the last of her kind and decides to find the other unicorns. On the way, she is assisted by a bumbling magician named Schmendrick (who is, as is noted in every account, beardless, and yet, on this cover, he has a beard! Boo!), a middle-aged, tough-as-nails woman named Molly Grue, and a prince that has too much time on his hands. The concept of being unable to recognize a myth (i.e. unicorns, a wizard, or a harpy) even when we have proof in front of us is a popular theme in the book.

This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite fantasies. It has just the right mix of traditional fantasy stories (of perhaps the more girlish variety) with comedy, and memorable characters. ( )

Just a lovely and enchanting story told by a poetic talent.

I fell in love with the movie as a child, but it was not until years later that I realized the movie was based on a book. So, as a young adult, I discovered the beauty of this work all over again through the enticing words of Peter S. Beagle. Even today as an adult, this tale manages to enchant me.

The words I’m using may seem to be a bit much, but I found Beagle’s writing in this novel to be a simply exquisite piece of writing. There are many authors who can fabricate an interesting story or a complex world, but it takes s certain sense of style to write a text that is, in and of itself, beautiful. The voice Beagle uses is as much a part of the story as the plot and characters themselves.

As for the plot and the characters, Beagle demonstrated similar skill. Throughout the story he introduced the reader to a myriad of characters, most of whom had a wondrous charm all their own. The Unicorn was every bit as lovely and ethereal as one could hope for, while Schmendrick was a wonderfully complex jester. Molly provided an earthy balance to her colorful counterparts, though she was no less memorable than her companions. Even the minor characters manage to endear themselves to the reader.

As for the plot itself, it is a multi layered creation. Beagle does not let his audience relax into simplicity. For all the pain they may cause, the villains strike a sympathetic note and there is not a single main character that lays claim to perfection. Not even, particularly by the end, the Unicorn.

There is a brutal honesty in this fantasy world that is utterly compelling and I would highly recommend that those who love fantasy indulge in at least one read through of the book. ( )

This is a book that I read after seeing it in the library of a friend on Library Thing (It was virtually the only book that she'd actually given a rating to. I was curious.

It's a fantasy novel, which reminds me of the 'Princess Bride' more than anything else. The narrative exists on several levels. The characters have a self-awareness that they live in a reality of fairy stories. Prince Lir slays dragons and presents their heads to his lady love, because that's what heros do. Cully, the outlaw, desperately hopes that his visitor is Professor Child, the (historically real) collector of ballads, as he wants all the songs that he has written about himself to be recorded for posterity. The songs, are, of course, largely cobbled together from existing folk songs about famous outlaws and bandits - Cully has no skill as a songwriter any more than he has as an outlaw.

However, the reason the novel works is because there is a second layer of awareness underlying the first. There is magic that is flummery (even though it is still what we would call magic) and magic that is real. The magic that doesn't count is simple conjuring. It may achieve things that we would regard as impossible to be done by sleight of hand, but it achieves nothing that really matters. It can create the seeming of a manticore from a lion, but it cannot make the lion actually BE a manticore. Sometimes, it verges on the edge of reality. When the spider weaving the web believes that she really is Archne, then her belief adds to the illusion cast upon her.

The second kind of magic is deeper and more real and harder to define. It isn't just tricks and appearances. It is the unicorn. She is more real than anything around her. She does not consciously set out to influence the world around her; her intererst in mortals is pretty much non-existant. She is incapable of love. Love is transient, fleeting, mortal. She is immortal and unchanging.

In a world where unicorns can exist, there is always the possibility of real magic. The outlaws play at being Robin Hood and try and adapt his legends to themselves, but the real Robin is the ultimate dream for them. To see or touch the real Robin Hood is to bring reality to their dreams and hopes for themselves. Not the cold reality that destroys dreams, but the kind of reality that says dreams have meaning and are but the shadow of an eternal verity.

The unicorn is an abstract. She is pure beauty, moonlight in darkness. She is springtime. To once see a unicorn is to carry something of beauty with you for the rest of your life. She is hope. She is pure and untouchable. She is the sure knowledge that there is something unsullied in the world.

She is the last of her kind.

When she sets forth from her eternal springtime forest to seek other unicorns, then she sets the story in motion. (I'm not going to talk about the people she meets, as I don't believe in giving away plots in advance.)

The novel has both strengths and weaknesses. The greatest strength is the sense of beauty and magic behind the veil of myth and fairy tale.

The weakness (for me at least) is when the parody is slightly over-done. The anachronisms are probably deliberate to make the contrasts sharper, but I still find medieval outlaws eating tacos to be a little disconcerting.

The other great strength lies in Beagle's descriptive writing. He has a real gift for phrases that come to life: "following the fleeing darkness into a wind that tasted like nails". I can feel and taste the entire rainstorm in that single phrase. ( )