“THE LAST UNICORN is the best book I have ever read. You need to read it. If you’ve already read it, you need to read it again.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of THE NAME OF THE WIND and THE WISE MAN’S FEAR In 1968 Peter S. Beagle published his second novel, an oddly magical creation that was a heartbreaking quest, a fairy tale, and a spoof on fairy tales all at the same time. It is now recognized as a timeless classic of fantasy on par with THE LORD OF THE RINGS, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING. To date six-and-a-half million copies have been sold in more than 25 languages, and in 1982 it was turned into an animated film that has won the hearts of tens of millions worldwide. Now THE LAST UNICORN comes to commercial release in ebook format for the first time, as an Amazon exclusive. This deluxe edition presents THE LAST UNICORN in its definitive author-approved 2007 text, along with new introductions, the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning sequel story “Two Hearts,” and an extensive and revealing interview with its genius creator. “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... a delicate, sensitive, yet powerful rendering of all the intangibles that make a fairy tale unforgettable.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch “The plot is a classic quest structure—an impossible goal, a motley company, heroes, villains, monsters, magic, desperate chances, bittersweet success. The last unicorn in the world sets out from her enchanted forest to discover the fate of her kin. She finds danger and challenges. She acquires companions. She battles evil, loses, suffers a form of exile [as she] becomes, briefly and agonizingly, human... 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. Part of the wonder is the effortless way Mr. Beagle combines fairy-tale imagery with matter-of-fact modernity. He slides from heroic fantasy to laugh-out-loud funny: a sorcerer confronts an enemy with ‘demons, metamorphoses, paralyzing ailments and secret judo holds’; a prince rides home singing in harmony with the severed ogre’s head lashed to his saddle. The story has an intimacy and immediacy that captivates the reader. You don’t read this with the futile wish that such things would happen to you—you read it and believe, at once, that they could.” —The Green Man Review —Peter S. Beagle was born in 1939 and raised in the Bronx, just a few blocks from Woodlawn Cemetery, the inspiration for his first novel, A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE. Today, thanks to classic works such as THE LAST UNICORN, TAMSIN, and THE INNKEEPER'S SONG, he is acknowledged as America's greatest living fantasy author; and his dazzling abilities with language, characters, and magical storytelling have earned him many millions of fans around the world. In addition to stories and novels Beagle has written numerous teleplays and screenplays, including the animated versions of THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE LAST UNICORN, plus the fan-favorite “Sarek” episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. His nonfiction book I SEE BY MY OUTFIT, which recounts a 1963 journey across America on motor scooter, is considered a classic of American travel writing; and he is also a gifted poet, lyricist, and singer-songwriter. He has won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Mythopoeic Awards, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Association, and also France's prestigious Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire.
