| $@%&! level: Low (if any) “Bedroom” level: None Violence level: Low Back Cover: “The Last Unicorn is the story of a quest, the search by the unicorn—immortal, infinitely beautiful—for her lost fellows. She is assisted in her mission by Schmendrick the Magician, a kind of poor man's Merlin whose devotion to the exquisite creature he follows is exceeded only by his mediocrity in magic. A third traveler, fiercely loyal Molly Grue, tries to bring some semblance of order and practicality into the lives of her two mad charges in this wonderfully imaginative and touching tale.” |
Given that I like it so much, I'm having a strangely hard time thinking of what to say about it, aside from that you should read it. Or watch it. Preferrably both. It's one of the most perfectly mystical fantasy novels ever written, an excellent combination of the abstracted and inhuman nature of the unicorn, the madcap incompetence of the magician, and the loveless greed of the King. In a way, the King and the unicorn are opposite sides of the same thing. They're both loners with no feeling of love for anyone. The difference is that the unicorn is meant to be that way. Not being human, she doesn't have human emotions or attachments, and doesn't even understand the love and devotion she inspires. King Haggard, on the other hand, perfectly understands the fear and hatred he inspires, and just doesn't much care. The aloofness and isolation that are natural for a unicorn, and which don't keep her from helping people when she can, just cause him to go insane. It's a pretty cool juxtaposition.
I also love that the unicorn changes everything and everyone around her. Schmendrick learns confidence, Lir learns heroism, Molly learns hope and happiness. Even the background characters of King Haggard's land grow to love her and are changed by their love. And the land itself, which Haggard has laid waste with his greed, learns to blossom again.
There are actually a lot of deeper ideas hidden in here about love and obsession, bravery, talent, compassion, and the magic that is inherent in life and in people. But I suspect that what I really like about it is that it reminds me of some of my most pleasant dreams, the ones that make me sad that I have to wake up from them and go back to real life.