The Last Unicorn The Lost Journey
by Peter S. Beagle; Peter S. Beagle
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Pub Date Dec 06 2018 | Archive Date Feb 19 2019
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Description
Peter S. Beagle first imagined his beloved heroine when he was twenty-three, half a decade before she sprang into the world. Now the Last Unicorn’s fantastical origins are recaptured in this lovely commemorative hardcover. Here you will discover the eighty-five page genesis of Beagle's masterpiece, his own wry musings upon his early career, charming original illustrations, and tributes from modern fantasy legends Patrick Rothfuss and Carrie Vaughn.
In this wonderfully strange adventure, a brave unicorn leaves her solitary life behind, determined to discover if she is the last of her kind. She is forewarned by a forlorn dragon and befuddled by a chatty butterfly; her unfamiliar traveling companion will be an exiled demon with a split personality and a penchant for philosophy.
Somewhere between mythology, modernity, and magic, the Last Unicorn has found herself on the road less traveled by . . . until now.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
Praise for The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey
“[STARRED REVIEW]
Fifty years ago, the first edition of The Last Unicorn was
published; the legend of a unicorn searching for her kind has filled readers’
hearts for decades. This commemorative hardcover edition is the first draft of
what would eventually become Beagle's best-known work . . . Fans will want to
witness the evolution into the original.”
—Booklist
“Although this book
is not the complete story of the travels of the unicorn and her friends, fans
of the original will love encountering additional characters they never had the
pleasure of meeting when they first experienced the unicorn’s journey.”
—Publishers Weekly
“10/10 stars.
[Beagle’s] storytelling is pure artistry, and his prose is among the most
delicate, magical writing you’ll probably ever read . . . a terrific little
novella and a very welcome insight into Beagle’s earliest writing process and the
evolution of a modern classic.”
—Starburst
“It is the first journey, the first introduction, the first chance meeting on the road, a melding of the immortal world of the unicorn and the brief world of us mortals, the first glimpse of the lilac wood. It is here we glimpse what will come to be, years before it came to pass.”
—Barnes & Noble Book Blog
“A very beautifully written book. 5/5 stars.”
—Open Book Society
“Beagle has a way of drawing readers in and making us believe in unicorns.”
—San Francisco Book Review
"Peter Beagle is one
of America’s finest writers of literary fantasy. The Last Unicorn: The
Lost Journey further strengthens his reputation."
—Michael Moorcock, author of the Elric of Melniboné series
“Did you ever have a dream
that was gorgeous and harrowing, confusing and profound, and utterly impossible
to describe? This story is that dream.”
—Jacqueline Carey, author of Starless and Kushiel’s
Dart
“A lyrical tapestry of wordplay and despair, with resonances of Malvina Reynolds’ funny and desolate song-writing (‘Little Boxes,’ ‘What Have They Done to the Rain?’); a shadow Carl Sandburg version of the unmaking of myth, with a sixties sensibility.”
—Nina Kiriki Hoffman, author of The Thread that Bonds the Bones
“Enchanting, wistful,
beautiful—it haunts me!”
—Tamora Pierce, author of Tempests and Slaughter and The
Immortals Quartet
“The Last Unicorn: The
Lost Journey is a must-read for any fans of The Last
Unicorn who want to see the bones of the story they love and a journey
and experience like no other. The magic is still there, as is the love for this
amazing story, only in a different way.”
—Six Blue Marbles
Praise for The Last Unicorn
"Comes alive and
stays alive on bright intensity of imagination."
—The New York Times Book Review
"Almost as if it were
the last fairy tale, come out of lonely hiding in the forests of
childhood, The Last Unicorn is as full of enchantment as any
of the favorite tales readers may choose to recall."
—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"[The Last Unicorn ]
has inspired everything from The Princess Bride to Stardust."
—Publishers Weekly
"What makes The
Last Unicorn unique is the way Mr. Beagle transcends the ordinary
fantasy quest trope with his incomparable storytelling skill. The book is a
triumph . . . The writing is as precise and beautiful as mosaic tiles, as
colored glass backed by gold, sharp and glittering."
—Green Man Review
Marketing Plan
Promotion at major trade and genre conventions, including BEA, Readercon, the International Convention for the Fantastic in the Arts, the World Science Fiction convention, and the World Fantasy Convention
Author tour, readings, and signings TBD
Features, interviews, and reviews targeting literary and genre venues
Planned galley distribution and book giveaways to include NetGalley, Goodreads, Tor.com, Amazon, SF Signal, and additional online outlets
Advertising and promotion in national print, online outlets, and social media
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781616963088 |
| PRICE | CA$32.95 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 96 |
Featured Reviews
Dawn N, Reviewer
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Caro
The unicorn has spent too long in her forest without seeing other unicorns come and go. Her only companions are the animals who are born within the forest, breed there, die, are born again, breed, and die again. She doesn’t mind being the only unicorn in miles in the forest. After all, unicorns are rarely in each others company. Then a dragon appears in the unicorn’s forest, she is ready to fight the dragon and defend her home.
“Nothing in her long life prepared her to deal with a weeping dragon.”
But the dragon she encounters is not scary and ferocious as she remembers them to be. This dragon is in pain and has news for the unicorn that she didn’t expect. The unicorn is the first unicorn the dragon has seen in a long time. In fact, he thought there were no more unicorns alive.
In Peter S. Beagle’s latest book The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey, the unicorn we love and know has come to the realization that there might not be anymore unicorns in this world. When she encounters the weeping dragon, he delivers news of the new world created outside of her forest by modern humans. There’s no more dirt roads, only iron ones, there are coaches with lights that humans ride, there is electricity, telephones and technology beyond her imagination. That world that she once knew has changed. There are no more princes that protect cities and with this knowledge she sets off in a journey to find what happened to the unicorns.
“The road to your forest is made of black iron, and on it, all day and all night, the coaches run and roar, and flash yellow lights till they drive you mad, and yell like sea-demons. They’re bigger than I am, some of them, and they run faster than you ever dreamed of running.”
Throughout her journey she finds a butterfly who may possibly give her information about the unicorns whereabouts. During this time the unicorn encounters a child that can see and speak with her but can’t help her in her journey. She comes across other humans but they are nothing of what humans used to be. They don’t recognize her as a unicorn and call her a mare. At one point, the unicorn finds a demon by the name of Azazel who is accompanied by a smaller demon, Webster. The unicorn, followed by the demons, sets off to find if she is indeed the last of her kind and how much the world has changed during her absence, encountering more humans and demons along the way.
“The unicorn had a moment to notice that the girl, like the demon, cast no shadow under the red sun-and then the girl was gone, glitter and all, vanished between one step and another as completely as a note of music.”
This was a very beautifully written book. From start to end the reader gets fantasy references that bring back memories from our childhood fantasy books, stories, and tales. When the unicorn finds the dragon it is sad to hear how much the world has changed and even his own kind is disappearing. I liked that this book also makes references to modern day technology and devices. The story is first set in the unicorn’s forest and the reader doesn’t notice the time change until the unicorn begins her journey. The reader learns of the changes along with the unicorn.
The characters were all amazing and had great quotes. We have the unicorn, the dragon, the butterfly, the human child with great insight, the human couple of an example of humans nowadays, Azazel, Webster, and even a mention of the Red Bull among others. I really liked this book and it made me remember why I like fantasy novels and why the Last Unicorn story is one of my favorites not to mention Beagle’s writing. You know it’s a good book when you go around telling people about it! If you like fantasy books, The Last Unicorn: The Lost Journey is the book for you.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
