The first book I finished reading in 2024 was The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Surprisingly, this was my first time reading this classic of fantasy fiction. I also have no memory of ever seeing the animated movie. This strikes me as weird because I loved unicorns as a kid and grew up on movies like The Princess Bride, Willow, and Dragonslayer, alongside all the Disney animated classics. I don’t know if my parents specifically had something against the book and movie, or if it was just that by the time I was old enough to watch the movie (having been born the same year it was released), it was too old to be new and exciting, and not old enough to be a classic. Or maybe our small-town video store just didn’t have a copy.
Gosh, remember video stores? Remember wandering the shelves trying to find something you hadn’t seen before that was relevant to your interests? Remember “Be Kind, Rewind”?
What I’m saying is that I’m old. The Last Unicorn is older. The book was published all the way back in 1968. I definitely had some trepidation at the idea of reading it for the first time in the 2020s. I think we’ve all had the experience of re-reading something we enjoyed as a child, or finally picking up a much-recommended classic, only to be hit in the face by some disgusting racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or ableism. So I asked friends who had re-read it recently, and they assured me it held up.
Surprisingly, it does. Look, I wouldn’t say The Last Unicorn is progressive, but it’s not regressive either. There’s a couple weird cringe interactions between heterosexual couples that hew to some typical gender stereotypes, but that’s as offensive as it gets.
The Last Unicorn didn’t become a new favorite. I’m not sitting here regretting that I waited so long to read it. But I enjoyed the experience, and smiled when I caught a couple of references that I’d seen people make before and didn’t realize came from this book.
One interesting thing that I noticed is that the world building is pretty… squishy. A common complaint I see against some “lighter” genres of fantasy, such as romantasy, young adult, and cozy fantasies, is that the world building is slap-dash and uneven. But The Last Unicorn shows that there’s clear precedence. Not every author has to go all JRR Tolkien. You can get away with setting your story in the vague medieval or Renaissance past, with references to Robin Hood, but no clear geographical markers, and throw some magic in, and make a few anachronistic comments, and still become a beloved genre classic.
Note: This edition has an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss. I normally read introductions but I am decidedly not a fan of Rothfuss so I skipped right past it. Sorry not sorry.
CWs/TWs: No major content warnings here. There’s some mild violence and peril, some light misogyny, and some character descriptions that could be fatphobic, but nothing really in-your-face.
Format and source: I read this as an ebook, borrowed from the Seattle Public Library.
Book Bingo Prompts
I had a library hold on The Last Unicorn for weeks before I picked up any Book Bingo cards, so I was happy to find that it fit into squares for both Nook & Cranny and Brick & Mortar’s challenges.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): A Little Thing Called Magic. Look, what could be more magical than a unicorn? I rest my case. But beyond that, the wizard Schmendrick also has his whole story arc with his magic. It’s a very magical book is what I’m saying.
Brick & Mortar: A Classic (New to You!). The Last Unicorn is considered a classic of fantasy fiction, and as mentioned before, I somehow never read it before!
Current Bingo Challenge Progress
Nook & Cranny (Card 1): 0 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Nook & Cranny (Card 2): 1 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.
Brick & Mortar: 1 out of 25 prompts complete. 0 bingos.