The Line Between

The Line Between (2006) Peter S. Beagle

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

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