I've been a long time fan of Beagle's work and this was no exception. Beagle's name is synonymous with the greats of fantasy and does not need an elaborate introduction. I thought I would be prepared for the reentry of The Last Unicorn, but I was severely unprepared for the emotional journey they took me on. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of his works and look forward to adding them to our library system.

Peter is such a wonderful writer. He somehow makes walking around in the woods for eons entertaining. I had to double check constantly to make sure he was actually a he because he did such a beautiful job of expressing the emotions that can result from sexual assault. This is the reason for the pg13 rating. It is not a detailed encounter but it was very unexpected since the first story is very pg. Not a children’s book. Be prepared to cry.

I feel like it’s going to be way too slow and thoughtful for a lot of readers but if you are actually familiar with The Last Unicorn you are probably going to love this little look into the life of Sooz after her Unicorn adventure.

I applaud the publisher's and Beagle's decision (and whoever else was involved) to republish "Two Hearts", the 2007 Hugo and Nebula award winning short story sequel to The Last Unicorn, here to accompany the novella "Sooz". ("Two Hearts" was previously published in The Line Between.) "Sooz" could stand on its own, but reading it directly after "Two Hearts" made the experience more special and exciting. As a lifelong fan of his 1968 classic, The Last Unicorn, I was thrilled to learn about this book, and Beagle wonderfully delivered. He is a master at writing fantasy that captures the reader and feels like it could even happen in our world while clearly being set in another. The hero's journey aspect through both the short story and novella gave me a fond remembrance of Schmendrick and Molly Grue's original journey all that time ago. Admittedly, I did not expect a story of the fae from Beagle, but it feels strongly his at the core and not like simply another faerie retelling.

This book is especially for fans of The Last Unicorn but can also appeal to readers that like stories about finding your way home again and the importance of home and family. The Way Home CAN be read without having read Beagle's first unicorn tale, because he expertly recounts necessary bits of that through Sooz's narrations. I will absolutely buy a physical copy of this and have already preordered it.

Much thanks to Berkley Books within PRH and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a very anticipated book of mine early as E-ARC.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This makes a nice addition to the author's classic novel, "The Last Unicorn". Well written, this book has the same melancholy feel of the previous book, and doesn't try to sugarcoat some of the more harsh realities that can impact those who go a-questing. You really don't need to have read the original novel in order to enjoy this book, but then you also shouldn't deny yourself the pleasure of reading that one as well.

Thank you so, so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the gift of this arc!

Absolute perfection, 5/5 stars

Peter S Beagle has been one of my favourite authors since before I could read. The animated movie of The Last Unicorn was a formative movie of my childhood, and upon reading the novel many years later to discover how incredibly well it was adapted was an absolute delight. And being able to return to this breathtaking world? What a treat.


Two Hearts is about nine year old Sooz, a girl from a village being plagued by a griffin that has taken up residence in the neighbouring woods and likes to snack on the local children. When her best friend is taken, enough is enough and Sooz runs away to get the king himself to slay the beast, as his many previous knights could not. Along the way she meets up with Schmedrick the Magician and Molly Grue, also on their way to visit King Lir.

This story was so moving, reading it from little Sooz's point of view added that extra veil of innocence and wonder that I had when I first watched (and subsequently became obsessed) with The Last Unicorn. All of the adults have aged considerably, and reading them as an adult now adds a layer of melancholy I wasn't expecting but really enjoyed. The ending of this had me weeping, it was so beautiful and touching.

"Sooz" is about our same little heroine, now at 17. When she finds out she had an older sister that ran away with the Fae -or the Dreamies, as little Lenia always called them - Sooz will stop at nothing to rescue her.

I loved the narrator in this story, clearly Sooz looking back on her life from a much older and more mature age, both looking fondly at and chastising her younger self. This story was beautiful, heartbreaking, and a perfect example of immersive fantasy, at least for me.

I can't wait to put this collection on my shelf with my other Peter S Beagle books. 5 million stars out of five