Back Cover:
Thirty years ago, Peter S. Beagle entered the delicate heart and mind of a unicorn who learns one day that "I am the only unicorn there is." Readers young and old were utterly enchanged by The Last Unicorn, and, with each generation, Beagle's beloved novel grew in popularity and stature to become one of the world's all-time fantasy classics. here, then, is the enduring tale of the last unicorn's quest for life and love...of the bumbling magician and indomintable woman who shared her dream...and of the special magic that burnds deep within every heart.

List of Characters:
The Unicorn - heroine of the story; searches far and wide for the rest of her kind.

Schmendrick the Magician - foolish magician who is immortal utnil he can do something right; accompanies the unicorn on her quest.

Molly Grue - grubby woman who leaves a group of bandits to accompany the unicorn and Schmendrick.

King Haggard - evil king whose reign has not made him happy; keeps all the unicorns in the sea for himself.

The Red Bull - phantom fire-bull of Haggard's, sent for the sole purpose of herding all the unicorns in the world into the sea.

Prince Lir - Haggard's adopted son; becomes a hero trying to make Lady Amalthea fall in love with him.

Lady Amalthea - human form of the unicorn.

The Drunken Skeleton - dead drunkard whose skeleton now resides atop the grandfather clock; likes wine, even nonexistant wine.

A cat, four men at arms, some villiage folk, etc.

Favorite Character:
The Red Bull because, even though it never says anything, it still possesses a massive aura of power that is simply breathtaking. Though I do disapprove of its copping-out at the end against the unicorn.

Least Favorite Character:
No question about it. Prince Lir. A fop personified. He's a complete loser who can't fight and just gets run over by very large, flaming bulls. And he can't sing! If you've seen the movie, you'd hate him too.

Least Favorite Quote:
"Be still" --Schmendrick, every time he's not happy with what someone is doing at the time.

Favorite Part of the Book:
Either the part at the end right before they walk into the clock, when they aretalking to the drunken skeleton about the riddle of "the clock striking the right time," or the part at the very beginning with the butterfly. It's very funny, though seeing the movie enhances it greatly.

Comments:
The book truly is a classic. It possesses a good plot and very believable characters who you grow to love and hate. Though it is a bit slow at parts, the action is really fast-paced. The unicorn is a character youwill either love for her determination and love for nature or absolutely despise for her stubbornness and foolishness. I would recommend watching the movie as well; it follows very closely to the book, though some important plot points are left out, not changed.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

ISBN: 0451450523
Edition: Trade Paperback