The Last Unicorn is another one of those older fantasy fiction books that are considered classics. I have been intentionally reading through these greats of the genre to improve my own writing. This one really surprised me with the pureness and lack of many of the modern-day conventions.
Published in 1968, The Last Unicorn predates the big surge of fantasy fiction that happened during the 70’s and 80’s. The story follows a single immortal unicorn as she travels out of her woods to see if she is the last one and what happened to the other unicorns. She runs into danger and is helped by a cursed magician named Schmendrick. Together they come into the company of a band of thieves and are joined by a woman who had seen this unicorn before name Molly Grue. Finally, they learn about where the unicorns were gathered up by a red bull at the cursed castle of King Haggard.
The plot is a basic quest-style plot structure. There aren’t any major twists or surprises. Still, the language is beautiful, and some of the most poetic descriptions of the world I have ever read. There is also playfulness without any reservation in using the narrator’s voice to compare this fantasy work to our world. In today’s fantasy fiction, you would get zapped for saying things like, “… it is not like you see them in the movies today.” I love this book, but I suspect it could never be published today. In a world that judges a manuscript by the first five pages at most (sometimes only the first few lines), this book starts out very slowly, describing the forest and the Unicorn before anything actually happens. It is gorgeous but very different than the books that feel like you must start in the middle of an action scene.
The main thing I disliked about the book was the vagueness of the Red Bull. There are a few well-loved fantasy books that cause me this same struggle in their descriptions. Certain magical things in some books are so beyond what I am about to imagine that it is hard for me to understand what is happening. I am actually planning on watching the animated movie that Mr. Beagle had a hand in to see how the movie portrays the Red Bull. This complaint does not diminish the enjoyment of the book, but it is just a slight distraction. Overall, the mysteriousness of the Red Bull makes it a fearsome threat.
This book was published before the genre of fantasy fiction was split up into adult, young adult, and middle school subgenres. Most fantasies at this time targeted younger readers, so it is very clean. It has no causing, no sex, no grotesque violence, and no disturbingly adult issues. I love how the great classic fantasy ignores political issues and ready topics just to tell a good story. There is a strong fairy tale feel to the novel (which it is self-conscious of), and does not have the elves, dwarves, or ogre races. Everyone is human in a medieval world with magic and magical creatures thrown in.
I highly recommend this book to all ages of fantasy readers. It is a beautiful book that moves slowly and steadily to a beautiful ending. It is the kind of idealized world and story to make you feel good at the end. It feels optimistic and hopeful. It’s a good book for a vacation, a rainy day, or a time in which you want to refresh.
Check out my young adult fantasy fiction novels HERE for something optimistic and fun.
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