The Last Unicorn
by Peter S Beagle Book Review by Miranda Fraser ISBN: 978-0-451-45052-4 What child hasn't dreamed of the beauty of unicorns? I remember being very young and my mother bringing home The Last Unicorn movie. I watched it over and over and I'm sure many of you have as well. If you have not, it is a beautiful movie, and until I saw this book at a bookstore I had never actually thought about whether or not it was a book! With that being said, I will say that I felt like the book and the movie were pretty close to the other. That's probably because the author also helped write the screenplay for the movie! There were plot holes that the book filled in, and there were events that seemed to be altered or rearranged from book to movie. However, I do think it made sense that some of these scenes got left out or weren't mentioned, being that this became a movie aimed towards children (they were mostly dull moments or confusing circumstances that were cut). This is a wondrous tale about a Unicorn who journeys out of her forest in search of other unicorns, or at least answers to where they have all gone. To begin with, Beagle tells us that Unicorns are immortal, they can die at the hands of other immortal creatures like Dragons and Harpies, but otherwise they live forever. They are the most beautiful creatures on the planet, mate very rarely, and have very little concept of the passing of time. Especially being that it is always spring wherever they dwell. The Unicorn in our story is just minding her business when two hunters enter her forest. The one starts talking about how they'll never catch an animal here for this is a Unicorn's forest- always spring and perfect here. If anywhere on the planet lived a unicorn, the last surely lived here. The Unicorn can't get this out of her head, how could she possibly be the last? Despite her fear she leaves her forest and searches for any sign that what she has learned is true. To her dismay men never recognize her, they always think she is a white mare. Beautiful, but just a horse. She is angered by this but also wonders if perhaps unicorns do exist and men are just too blind to know it. Not too long after starting this journey trouble begins to find her, for example men try and lasso her thinking she is a prize horse. But one night as she sleeps, a woman, Mommy Fortuna, drives past her and recognizes her immediately. Now, Mommy Fortuna runs the Midnight Carnival, a bunch of wagons/cages filled with 'magical creatures': a Manticore, Cerberus, Harpy, etc. She also keeps a magician with her, he's not the best at magic, but he entertains crowds well enough. When Fortuna stumbles across the unicorn she has them build the cage around her and take her as one more addition to their carnival show. The problem is men cannot seem to see real magic for themselves anymore. And yet they also want to believe so desperately that even poor magic can trick them into seeing what they want. I know that sounds confusing but if you read the book you will understand it immediately. Things in this Carnival are not what they seem. But then there is the Unicorn, she is a real as magic itself and the magician Schmendrick comes to the Unicorn and promises to help her get free. He makes good on that promise and all hell breaks loose for the Midnight Carnival. When the Unicorn asks Schmendrick how she can repay him, he asks that he come with her on her journey. She agrees, hesitantly, but knowing that she cannot make him a true magician, this is the next best thing she can give him. Now, the movie doesn't give too much background on Schmendrick, but in the book you find out he used to be a student of a famous magician, and is cursed to appear young until he can find his true magic and become a great magician. They continue traveling through towns and forests. In the movie this doesn't seem like much, in the book you get more details about their stops and Schmendrick's conversations with the townsfolk. All the while they see little sign of what has happened to the Unicorns, though they have pieced together that Kind Haggard's land may have some answers. Through a serious of unfortunate events, Schmendrick ends up in the hands of a Captain Cully and his band of 'merry men', sound like another fellow we all know? While Captain Cully tells great tales of his exploits, Molly Grue, who it's implied is with Captain Cully, has no trouble pointing out that he makes up his stories and is no Robin Hood. This is one of those scenes that was altered in the movie, for good reason, it dragged on and on and was rather boring in my opinion. Though reading the book makes the moment that Schmendrick is able to call on his magic and produce Robin Hood and his Merry Men all the more poetic! It should come as no surprise that Captain Cully did not appreciate that trick and ties the magician up to a tree to await punishment. The Unicorn comes to his rescue and there they are joined by Molly Grue. She has waited her whole life for a Unicorn, for they are supposed to meet young virgins and women, but none ever came. Molly is pissed and over joyed but she loves the Unicorn from the moment they meet. She joins them on their journey, for she knows the way to King Haggard's castle, and off they set. Before the castle there is a little town called Hagsgate, this is COMPLETELY left out of the movie. But it fills in more information about how the castle came to be, the curse on it and the town, information on the King's son, etc. The townsfolk pay the magician to kill the king's son so that the prophecy never comes true (come on, you guys know by now you're going to have to read to find out what I'm talking about *wink*). They continue on their way to the castle but by nightfall the Red Bull comes out and chases the Unicorn. In the book it says he is blind, perhaps that's why in the movie his eyes are white, but I always thought it was to further prove his demon like state. This bull gave me nightmares as a kid! He begins chasing her down, herding her like a sheep dog. When all hope is lost and it seems like nothing can be done Schmendrick calls on the magic and changes her form so that the Bull will leave her be. It works, though the Unicorn is heart broken to find herself in a human's body. She is a beautiful as she was as a Unicorn, though she does not think so. They continue on their way to the castle, where they are met by King Haggard and his son Prince Lir. Now here we get another prophecy, for as soon as King Haggard agrees to let them stay, his (now fired) magician tells him that he just let his doom in through the front door. He knows what the Lady Amalthea truly is and he rejoices in that last bit of revenge before leaving his former employer. Of course, Prince Lir falls for the Lady Amalthea and does everything he can think of from slaying dragons to swimming raging rivers, but nothing impresses her. There is a beautiful line in the book that they left out of the movie, where Molly tells her she could at least say a kind word the him. And she responds that he does all these things and she says nothing, "What will he do if I speak?" (184). I thought that was very beautiful and thought provoking! As the days pass they find nothing to help them prove where the Unicorns are. And as the winter goes on Lady Amalthea is losing more and more of her unicorn personality and memories. She no longer remembers who she is and becomes more and more human. And in doing so she begins to fall for Prince Lir as well. Haggard, growing confident in himself, reaches out to her and tells her he knows what she is and where the others are. He boasts and challenges her but ultimately this forces the outcome of the ending of the story. Now, I've already told you a lot about the story, and those of you who know the movie well can probably picture most of this in your head. I know I could! I will not tell you how the climax of the story goes or who wins the day. The ending is definitely emotional, and in some ways I felt more powerful than the ending of the movie. If you loved the movie I suggest you read this for yourself, no matter how similar the movie and the book are, the book always gives you more. And bonus this author has done quite a bit of work with unicorns in his fiction. Including a short story that is supposed to be a sequel of sorts to this one AND a book called "The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version". This is supposed to be the original version of the story and while I haven;t read it and cannot give it justice in description this is what the Goodreads page says, " This first take on the beloved classic -- so much the same, so very different -- is now available to readers for the first time, with an introduction and commentary by the author." I know I will be looking for a copy of that and will more than likely check out more of Beagle's fantasy novels. He stole my heart as a child, now let's see how he affects me as an adult. Read on my fellow bookworms and as always links to the author's pages are below!
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