Peter S. Beagle
The Last Unicorn (1968)
Although I've read other books by Peter S. Beagle, I had not yet read The Last Unicorn. It's mentioned as a classic, and I kept getting stunned disbelief that I had never read it, so I finally picked up a copy.
Perhaps it was a case over a book being over-hyped, and of raising my expectations too high to be met.
Because although the book was good, I didn't think it was great, and I don't think I would qualify it as a classic.
In fact, I prefer The Innkeeper's Song (1993) and Giant Bones (1997) to The Last Unicorn. Part of it was the writing: I could see the writing style that I liked in the later books, but for me, it wasn't quite there yet.
The story was very good--the last unicorn's search for her lost kindred, as she's joined by some of the few others who can see her for what she truly is. And I really liked the Magician Schmendrick. But then I love charlatans and scoundrels. (Which is amusing because I'm quite sure that I wouldn't like them at all in real life.)
This doesn't make this a bad book by any stretch--because it isn't a bad book. I just wouldn't personally qualify it as a classic, and given my druthers, I'd rather read Giant Bones.
Rating: 6/10
The Innkeeper's Song (1993)
I read The Innkeeper's Song several years ago--probably soon after it was published, and I picked it up solely on the strength of it's cover. I'm a sucker for fantasy books with strong female, and the three women on the cover--especially Lal on the left--look strong. Well, I wasn't sure about the woman in the middle, but she turned out okay.
The Innkeeper's Song is written from the point of view of multiple characters--each chapter is written from the point of view of a different character.
The story centers on a song ostensibly written by the innkeeper of the inn in which the events took place, although in his first chapter the innkeeper denies having written the song--or any song, saying:
And if I could write even such a song as that nonsense about those three women which someone has put my name to, why then I would be a songwriter, a bard, since I would certainly be fit for nothing else
I like Lal and Rosseth best, of all the characters in the story, and there are quite a few, despite the relatively short length. Lal, because I the fact that she is a middle aged heroine (although on the cover she looks as if she couldn't be much past being a teenager), and Rosseth because he's a genuinely nice guy--especially for a teenager.
I also like the fox, although the chapters written in his point of view I find particularly hard to read. I suppose that if the entire book were written in that manner, or if there were more dialogue involving the fox, it would be easier to read, but there are only a couple of chapters from the point of view of the fox, and by the time I've gotten used to the writing, the chapter is over and we've moved onto another character.
But aside from that I like the Fox, despite the fact that he ate the Innkeeper's pigeons. And I wanted to know more about the character of the fox, and why he was the way he was.
It's an unusual and interesting story, and one that I enjoyed rereading.
Rating: 8/10
Giant Bones (1997)
If for no other reason, you should read Giant Bones for the story The Last Song of Sirit Bayr. A woman dictates her story to a scribe, just so that there will be a record. She describes her history with the famous traveling musician and kiit player Sirit Bayr.
Most of these stories are written in a similar mien--one character relating their tale to another character offstage, so to speak, whose only participation in the book is as a listener.
The Magician of Karakosk vaguely reminded me of many different folktales, where the country peasant gets the better of the evil power. And folktales are really the spirit of this book--you feel as if you are being told the tale, not reading a polished story. I am not certain that I liked this method for all stories. I found it a bit distracting in Giant Bones, as the father keeps threatening to leave, or making other comments. But for the most part it works quite well, reminding me a small bit of the interruptions of The Princess Bride (the book or the movies). As I said, I think that The Last Song of Sirit Bayr is by far the best story in the book, but the others are also quite good, and unusual as well, in that you are not ever certain what will happen.
The Line Between (2006)
The Line Between is a collection of short (and some not so short) stories by Peter S. Beagle. It contains two short stories that are related to two of his books. Two Hearts is a sequel to The Last Unicorn and looks at some of the characters from that book, years after the event. As The Last Unicorn was not my favorite Peter S. Beagle story, this was not my favorite short story from this collection, although I have to admit that I quite liked the main character of the story, Sooz.
The story that I had most wanted to read when I picked up the collection was Quarry which is a prequel to The Innkeepers Song, which is my favorite Peter S Beagle story. Quarry tells how the fox and Soukyan met, because that was a question I had since reading The Innkeepers Song.
However, I’m not positive how strongly those stories will resonate with those who are not familar with the source material. I have forgotten much of The Last Unicorn and at times felt like I was missing part of the story, since I couldn’t remember much about the book.
But the strength of the collection comes from all the stories, and their variety. I particularly liked Gordon, the Self-Made Cat, which tells of a mouse who decides to become a cat. I also very much liked Salt Wine. It’s set when tall ships sailed the seas carrying commerce between the new world and the old, and tells of what happens when one of the characters saves a merrow, or merman. I was never quite sure where the story was leading, and always surprised at the twists and turns it took. In my opinion that is one of the strongest stories in the collection.
Another favorite was Four Fables, which is exactly as it sounds, four fables. “The Fable of the Moth”, “The Fable of the Tyrannosaurus Rex”, “The Fable of the Ostrich”, and “The Fable of the Octopus”. They’re exactly as advertised–short stories about whatever the topic creature is. They’re amusing, which is always a hit with me.
Once upon a very long time ago, in a hot and steamy jungle, on an earth that was mostly hot and steamy jungle, there lived a youngish Tyrannosaurus Rex. (Actually, we should probably refer to her as a Tyrannosaurus Regina since she was female, but never mind.)
About the only two stories that I didn’t love were Mr. Sigerson and A Dance for Emilia. Mr. Sigerson is a Sherlock Holmes story, which is why it wasn’t my favorite, because I’ve never been a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories written by anyone other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
A Dance for Emilia was a good story–very well done, but it just wasn’t the type of story that I particularly enjoy. Don’t ask me to tell you precisely what that is, but there was something about the tone that made me uncomfortable the same way Science Fiction makes me uncomfortable.
But all in all this was an excellent collection, and one I can highly recommend for those who enjoy Peter S. Beagle’s stories, or those who enjoy short stories in general.
Rating: 8/10
Books by Peter S. Beagle:
The Last Unicorn (1968) The Innkeeper's Song (1993), Giant Bones (1997), The Line Between (2006)
