Nobody writes about unicorns better than Peter S. Beagle. That’s the reason why, more than half a century after its initial publication, his magical novel The Last Unicorn is still considered the standout classic of the genre. Beagle’s writing, lyrical and gossamer-light but almost always fringed with an edge of darkness, suits the character of the unicorn perfectly. After all, life can never be too bright and carefree when you’re an endangered mythical species, no matter how beautiful and fast on your hooves you are.
So when it comes to co-editing an anthology of unicorn fiction that brings together the work of some of fantasy’s very best writers, you’d think Beagle would be the perfect choice. But here’s the problem. Few writers, no matter how good they are, can mix the light and dark of a unicorn’s existence as poetically as Beagle can. When they try, the results are more often than not complicated, depressing and not much fun to read. And Beagle, a writer who has never been afraid to explore the base sadness and isolation of a unicorn’s life, is understandably drawn to those qualities in other author’s works, which means many of the stories he’s compiled in this anthology have a grimness about them which makes the collection difficult to entirely enjoy. For that reason, The Unicorn Anthology is a book to dip into rather than read in one go.
However, several of the stories are quite outstanding, especially Dave Smeds’ Survivor (about an immortal Vietnam veteran who, thanks to a magical unicorn tattoo, discovers the heartbreak of eternal life), the childhood-centric The Brew and Stampede of Light (by Karen Joy Fowler and Marina Fitch respectively), and Patricia A. McKillip’s girl-transformed-into-a-unicorn ‘thought piece’ Unicorn Triangle.
Among the stories to be wary of are Carlos Hernandez’ The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory (with a title like that, we surely don’t have to explain why), The Lion and the Unicorn by A.C. Wise (unpleasant), and Margo Lanagan’s stilted and confusing A Thousand Flowers. Unsurprisingly, the very best story in the anthology was written by Beagle himself and draws from a lot of his familiar themes. Together with his revealing although far too brief introduction, this alone makes purchasing The Unicorn Anthology a slam-dunk for Last Unicorn fans.
THE UNICORN ANTHOLOGY / EDITOR: PETER S. BEAGLE, JACON WEISMAN / AUTHOR: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: TACHYON / RELEASE DATE: 9TH MAY
