World Famous Comics: The Last Unicorn: (40th Anniversary Edition)
The Last Unicorn: (40th Anniversary Edition)
By: Peter S. Beagle Publisher: Roc Trade Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Roc Trade Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 304 Publication Date: January 01, 1991
Amazon.com: The Last Unicorn is one of the true classics of fantasy, ranking with Tolkien's The Hobbit, Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy, and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Beagle writes a shimmering prose-poetry, the voice of fairy tales and childhood:
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.
The unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world, and sets off to find the others. She meets Schmendrick the Magician--whose magic seldom works, and never as he intended--when he rescues her from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival, where only some of the mythical beasts displayed are illusions. They are joined by Molly Grue, who believes in legends despite her experiences with a Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. Ahead wait King Haggard and his Red Bull, who banished unicorns from the land.
This is a book no fantasy reader should miss; Beagle argues brilliantly the need for magic in our lives and the folly of forgetting to dream. --Nona Vero
A unique and magical fairy tale 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 hundred pages, this book is not long, but it's not a children's book - not really - and it's not an especially easy read. The writing is thick with metaphor and simile. Where another book might present you with an original figure of speech here or a new turn of phrase there, and you might smile at the cleverness, The Last Unicorn turns up ten on every page. This book will sparkle in your mind long after you set it down.
The story is a fairy tale. Not a retelling, not a twist on a story we all know, but a unique and original story. The world and the characters are wonderfully drawn, their dilemmas are real, and the story is by turns both humorous and profound. This book as achieved the status of a fantasy classic, and very deservedly so. If you count yourself a fan of the fantasy genre, and haven't read this book, then you should.
great movie and book this is a really good book but the movie was really good as well and faithfull to the book.
A must for any children's collection! Recently, I had the great fortune to meet the author. HE is wonderful!!!!
He signed our books for the many children we love and his reading of this was a thrill. Beagle is a story teller of the best kind and he continues to write wonderful stories for children of all ages ( including grandparents).
The video is also a must. Yes, it is different but it is a classic for my children and their little ones!
The Everlasting Love of the Last Unicorn I loved the movie of this novel when I was a child, and in fact I didn't know that the film was based on a book until I was an adult. When I stumbled on Peter S. Beagle's classic in my local library between college and becoming a mother, I read it with a mix of anticipation and trepadation. I was not disappointed. This *is* a classic fantasy novel, and a classic story, woven by a masterful bard of the genre and the English language.
This tale focuses on one of the most magical and mysterious of all the myraid of mythological creatures, the unicorn. This particular one believes she is "the last," because there are no others of her kind around at the start of the book. Shortly she is spurred into a perilous quest for the rest of the unicorns, and thus ensues the amazing adventures she has.
The humans she encounters are good or evil, or some of both, and have their own flaws and hopes and choices, and help the unicorn to see their world from their views. She is a perfect being, immortal and sees things only from one point of view, and the emotional journey she embarks on later in the novel (not saying in what form, saving spoilers) is truly incredible, heartwrenching and heartwarming.
Unwittingly, since as a child I didn't know the film was adapted from a book, I've been tremendously influenced by Mr. Beagle's enduring novel. In my own writing (which, more often than not, has been in the fantasy genre), I've explored so many of the themes he touches on in "The Last Unicorn" -- loss, love, regret, destiny, good versus evil, and what the consequences may be for humans getting mixed up in magic. One thing I don't ever expect to be able to emulate -- Beagle's easy ability to write prose as flowing poetry.
This is a fabulous tale for children and adults alike. It makes one believe in magic and miracles, and, of course, unicorns.
A Dark, Philosophical Fantasy that should certainly not be classified as young adults' fiction. I like Peter S Beagle because even though his stories are set in mythical worlds or the spirit world they deal with grave issues of human existence that unsettle the reader.
I discovered this wonderful author through the animated version of The Last Unicorn, which I had watched as a child. The cartoon was so disturbing (in a good way) that years later images from it would flash in my mind. It was only recently that I discovered that it was an adaptation and immediately purchased the novel.
While the animated version has its own hypnotic allure, the novel is a million times better. Written in a lyrical style that is almost dream-like, the novel narrates the story of a solitary unicorn who leaves her forest in search of her kind. Her journey leads her to friendship, danger, human experience and even love that is impossible.
What draws me to the novel is the almost morbid tone that pervades the greater part of the novel and the philosophic element of the prose. The novel deals with friendship, loyalty, what it means to be immortal and the pangs of human existence. Reading the novel I was glad that I am mortal, for harbouring sorrow, loss and regret for eternity is a far greater torture than fear of death.
Though the novel does not end in the traditional fairy tale mode, it is a satisfying ending that resurges all the themes discussed in the novel. You will be haunted by this story for a very long time.
My only problem with the novel is that it is classified as young adults' fiction. This might deflect an adult readership. Don't be misguided by the classification. This is a novel that can be read at various levels and enjoyed by all.
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