Cover Image: The Unicorn Anthology

The Unicorn Anthology

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Member Reviews

2.5 stars

brief summary
A collection of new and previously-published short stories on the subject of unicorns, curated by Peter S. Beagle.

full review
As with any anthology, The Unicorn Anthology had its strengths and weaknesses. That said, there is absolutely something for everyone in this anthology (except perhaps fans of futuristic settings and technology, there was really not much of that, but if you're looking for unicorns in space there's always Anne McCaffrey's Acorna books), which makes it a well-curated anthology, in my opinion. There wasn't any one story in here which made me want to own a copy of the book, but it was worth a read, and more enjoyable than other anthologies I have read on the same topic.

Somewhat surprisingly, the weak points, in my opinion, were those offerings supplied by Jane Yolen, Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Beagle himself. The Yolen piece I know I've read elsewhere, and the Kiernan piece was simply too scattered for my tastes. Beagle's fictional contribution was a fairly mediocre piece, but I found his introduction actually off-putting, since a decent portion of it was devoted to his protestations that he was more than just the Unicorn Guy, and then his eventual resignation to the role. Of course it is probably frustrating to become a household name to readers of fantasy for a trifle you wrote early in your career and don't think all that highly of, but as Beagle points out (citing a quotation of Christopher Lee's), without The Last Unicorn, who knows what would have become of him. So it comes across as more than a little disingenuous for him to complain on one hand about being known solely as the author of The Last Unicorn while continuing to profit off of his reputation as its author and knowingly take part in the curation and editing of unicorn-related works.

I much preferred the pieces by Carlos Hernandez, Carrie Vaughn, David D. Levine and Sarah A. Mueller's, and Garth Nix. I recognize that these pieces cast unicorns in a more traditional light than some of the pieces I found unremarkable or unappealing, and while I appreciate the creativity and imagination that came from stepping outside the box with interpretations of unicorns that these in-between authors I really am more interested in unicorns than in human struggles tangentially related to unicorn-like things.

rating scale
1 star - I was barely able to finish it. I didn't like it.
2 stars - It was okay. I didn't dislike it.
3 stars - I liked it. It was interesting.
4 stars - It was excellent. I really liked it.
5 stars - OMG I WANT TO STALK THIS AUTHOR!

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I've been on a run with anthologies lately, which is great because I usually LOVE anthologies. When the opportunity arose to review The Unicorn Anthology, I was excited! I guess I expected you know, shiny, white, magical, unicorns. Instead, this was quite the dark anthology with rape, suicide, and death. A lot of death. Which is typically fine when I'm expecting a lot of death like a horror anthology, but this just smacked me upside the head.

Most of the stories fell under three major themes: the way outdated and overdone, "unicorns only like virgins", a transformation of some sort, and innocence or righteousness. I tended to like the last category, feel meh about the middle, and LOATHE the first. The stories also vary in how the unicorn is interpreted and how in the forefront it is, which means just barely in some of these interpretations.

There are spoilers involved so read on at your own peril.

The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory - 3 🐾
A Large Hadron Collider created dimensional portals and unicorns slipped through. I liked the set up of this story and the fact that there were forest rangers dealing with the unicorn poachers. Dislikes: Poachers. Dead Unicorn.

The Brew - 2 🐾
Kids believe a magical whiskey with a unicorn on the label has healing properties, but it is in super grumpy neighbors basement. This one was a really weird read and hard to understand. Dislikes: Where's the unicorn?

Falling of the Unicorn - 2.5 🐾
Equestrian Unicorns the size of ponies. Sweet f/f romance. Actual magic, finally! MC stands up to harridan mother which made me really happy. Dislikes: Unicorns can only be ridden by virgins and will violently attack anyone who is not. So lesbian sex doesn't count? Liked the story but subtracted points for the implications.

A Hunters Ode to Bait - 1 🐾
Hunter buys a virgin to hunt and kill unicorns over many, many years. Dislikes: Dead unicorns!!! A gross relationship ending that's almost Stockholm syndrome.

Ghost Town - 3 🐾
Con man finds himself in a little magical town and has a brief encounter with a unicorn. He learns to be a better man. Dislikes: Was just okay. At least no one killed the unicorn.

A Thousand Flowers - 1 🐾
I got so lost on this one. The POV changed multiple times. There was a baby with green genitalia that may or may not have been a unicorn. I don't know? Weird.

The Maltese Unicorn - 1 🐾
Lots of drugs and I don't just mean the characters in the story. A dildo made out of a unicorn horn. I think they stuck all the really weird ones in the middle to suck you in and make you keep reading. I mean, seriously. What. The. What. Dislikes: Rape. Weirdness and not in a good way.

Stampede of Light - 4.5 🐾
A weird lady that no one, except a teacher, can see is kidnapping kids (that no one else remembers existing) on the playground at school and is embroidering them as unicorns on her skirts. I actually liked this one a lot though. Kinda creepy.

The Highest Justice - 5 🐾
Unicorn helps the princess to dispense justice when the Queen is poisoned. This one was fun. I loved that the unicorn was actually up front and center in this one and had a hand (or horn) in bringing about justice. Extra points for zombie queen.

The Lion and the Unicorn - 3.5 🐾
This one was super short and really dark, but I liked it. In this one, the unicorn is actually a boy. Dislikes: Why is there so much rape in this anthology?? In this story, it's only implied, but still. Dang.

Survivor - 4 🐾
I liked this one. Vietnam soldier gets a tattoo of unicorn after insulting tattoo artist. Believes he's cursed. Others think it's his good luck charm. Unicorn tattoo is actually absorbing those that died around him and he sets out to finish what they couldn't. The ending. Woah.

Homeward Bound - 2 🐾
After his father dies, a boy is sent to live with his uncle. His uncle has a unicorn horn but tells him it's a narwhal horn, and the boy becomes obsessed with it. It shows him the truth about himself. The idea was interesting but the follow through didn't do it for me.

Unicorn Triangle - 3 🐾
Unicorn is cursed by a sorcerer, sent into the future, and changed into a human. Now working as a maid in a beach hotel, she meets the princess that she was supposed to. This one was super short. It had potential but I think it needed to be longer.

My Son Heydari and the Karkadarnn - 2 🐾
Peter Beagle wrote this one. You know, the guy who wrote The Last Unicorn? Apparently, unicorns aren't really his thing. Who knew? In this one, unicorns are called karkadanns and they are massive, brutal beasts, the size of Greek bulls, with a horn six feet long and curving fangs. Heydari treats one after it's injured. Dislikes: Dead karkadann.

The Transfigured Hart - 3 🐾
Two children form a friendship while searching for a unicorn that may just be a white stag. Dislikes: It. was. so. long. Descriptive scene of the deer goring a dog.

Unicorn Series - 1 🐾
Aaaaannnnd....now there's poetry. No, just No.

The average of all of the above?? 2.5/5

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As this is an anthology, I tried to write a short review for all of the 16 short stories. Also, these stories was not specifically written for this anthology but seems to be coming from different years and previously been published/seen in other works.

The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory by Carlos Hernandez
Having read one book previously by him that centered around parallel worlds and had a main character named Gabi I found this quite funny! Lol! Either way, since this is more scientific than magical this really has the “what if” vibe about it. That what if unicorns came into this world as in the story, would it be like this? Yes. I believe there is a lot of truth in this one. I like the science parts of it, but the plot with the girl could have had more of an exploration to it. The end did not give the emotional punch it wanted. 3/5 stars.

The Brew by Karen Joy Fowler
This one was soooo weird. We start a story, and within that story we get a flashback/another story, and in that story we go into another story? My head was spinning. If it had been executed in a good way, this could’ve worked! But it was just weird and confusing. I liked the idea of the whiskey and the background for it. Some sentences were just really weird and vague, and I found myself rereading them trying to understand what they really meant. Not really for me. 1.5/5 stars.

Falling Off the Unicorn by David D. Levine & Sara A. Mueller
This one had a f/f romance in it! And they were really cute together! It also had magic yay! And the unicorns were basically ponies, because if you were too tall you couldn’t ride them lol. BUT apparently they only let themselves be ridden by virgins… and here it seemed like either lesbian sex didn’t count or they unicorns actually didn’t care about virgins after all? I don’t like the whole definitions of what “losing your virginity” entails. And here the story feeds into that and it rubbed me the wrong way. <spoiler>Even Misty and Caroline thought that they were not virgins anymore, so why did Misty insist that she could still ride the unicorn? Was it because it didn’t “count” or because the unicorn just liked her/them?</spoiler> Either way, I liked how Misty stood up for herself in the end! 2.5/5 stars (loses appeal because of the what counts when having sex and losing your virginity? -.-).

A Hunter’s Ode to His Bait by Carrie Vaughn
Why are all these unicorn stories so sad?! Like I just want a fluffy fairytale with magic and unicorns. Is this too much to ask?! But no I get another story where unicorns are getting killed and they love virgins. So this little girl is bait…and likes it? BUT: I sorta liked this one xD It was dark and ominous, but how old was that dude compared to the girl LOL?! 3/5 stars.

Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II
This story was more focused on a con man going on a spiritual journey to find the right way for his life than it was about unicorns. But at the same time, doesn’t unicorns represent the pure and magical in the world? So that a man could find the better part of himself through magic (and a brief meeting with a unicorn) isn’t that … off? I still wasn’t that interested in the story, I just didn’t really care for the main character wops. 2.5/5 stars.

A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan (trigger warnings: stillborn/baby death, suicide)
And I thought the other stories in this anthology was weird… This wanted to be weird, and it knows it’s weird. So it works? Maybe. I have no idea. This one was also really dark and had some earing themes in it. The writing however was not something for me, and I lost the meaning in all the long sentences. It also changed POV’s two times, and the first time it was so sudden I had no idea it even happened. So yeah, that was off for me. The story itself has interesting parts, but overall a bit too weird and confusing for me. <spoiler> HOW DID THE UNICORN AND THE PRINCESS DO IT? TELL ME. </spoiler> 2.5/5 stars.

The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlín R. Kiernan (trigger warnings: rape)
SERIOUSLY. ALL THESE. ARE. SO. WEIRD. In this one there is magic, there are demons who can use them and possibly humans I’m not sure? There wasn’t enough details about it and I wanted more! The main character was interested in girls, so yay for that, but other than that I everything was soooo weird. I liked how the story was written though, with the beginning and going back to explain why it they had ended up like that. But the events were so weird? <spoiler> LIKE they literally had a unicorn-horn-dildo and when they had an orgasm with it they felt pure for a moment and would crave that feeling for the rest of their lives?! I was like: WHAT WHAT WHAT.</spoiler> This is the kind of story I could imagine could’ve worked if it was longer and had more time to be fleshed out, also: WHY THE RAPE?! SO UNNECESSARY. 2.5/5 stars.

Stampede of Light by Marina Fitch
In this one children are being kidnapped by a weird lady in a schoolyard lol. I’m not kidding WHY ARE THESE SO WEIRD. The story touched about the themes of loneliness that children often feel when they are being neglected/have no friends etc. That is a really real problem we have in the world. But the whole unicorn part was … weird. I have seriously lost count how many times I have written weird in this review. But yeah, nothing really special here in this one… 2/5 stars.

The Highest Justice by Garth Nix
Wooo Garth Nix’s story! At the time of typing I have never actually read anything by him, so this will be my first Garth Nix experience! Finally a story with a princess and a unicorn like I had expected was in this anthology lol! I mean there was one other with a princess but that one was… odd. So this one we have a princess walking with the queen who was poisoned and they are going to… I guess you have to read it yourself to know? I liked this one because it wasn’t weird af and the princess and the unicorn was sweet! I actually could’ve had more in this story/world, but it was also sorta typical but that was fine at this point lol xD 3/5 stars!

The Lion and the Unicorn by A.C. Wise trigger warnings: rape
Another weird one, but I liked it?! It was intriguing and really dark. Here a unicorn-boy has been enslaved and since he is so beautiful people cannot control themselves around him. He is chained to a bed and is being raped so NOT NICE. But the story isn’t supposed to be nice either? I liked the background we got from him, and it was really really dark. I seriously wanted more from this story, IT WAS SO SHORT. The shortest one yet. The writing was also something I really liked so I’m just sad it wasn’t longer and a full length novel? Obviously it had horrible circumstances, but it was a good story! 4/5 stars.

Survivor by Dave Smeds
Omg xD In this one the MC gets a unicorn tattoo and goes to war, and the people who die around him lives in his tattoo?! It also had some length to it, but I was actually really curious to see where the story would go. You also ask yourself the question: is people actually living inside of him or is he imagining it? I thought the ending was a bit too open, but overall this wasn’t so bad! 3/5 stars.

Homeward Bound by Bruce Coville
Here the MC’s father died and he has to live with his uncle, who has a unicorn horn on his wall. And the MC has been obsessed with it for years and he WANTS TO REACH IT AND TOUCH IT. <spoiler> and then he is actually a unicorn himself LOL. He had always been a unicorn? THAT WAS HIS TRUE FORM. <spoiler/> I was waiting for this kind of story in the anthology, it was totally fine! I was intrigued to know what would happen when he finally reached the horn. 2.5/5 stars.

Unicorn Triangle by Patricia A. McKillip
Here a unicorn has been cursed by a sorcerer and changed into a human. I liked the idea for the story, and the background. But it went past too quickly to care much for it, I wish it had been longer and that we could have explored more comparing her unicorn life and her human life. Because that it was ultimately is interesting with the story. Also find out if she managed to turn back or not, because the story just ends when it was getting good! 2/5 stars.

My Son Heydari and the Karkadann by Peter S. Beagle
Finally the story from the unicorn master himself?! Here Beagle takes a really interesting take on unicorns, and calls them karkadanns. I liked that they had a weird name. in this unicorns are made into savage beasts, and a father is telling the story of his son saving one. I overall liked this one, and was intrigued the whole way! 3/5 stars.

The Transfigured Heart by Jane Yolen
This one was quite cute! It follows two kids who become friends while spotting what they believe is a unicorn in the forest. I liked how it was written and enjoyed the two leads. I think it could have been even more magical, but that is just me who longs for magic in this world…. 3/5 stars.

Unicorn Series by Nancy Springer
I can admit that this one did not really stuck with me. It is a long verse/poem thing, and was not really my thing. I thought some parts were nice, but I honestly can’t remember much.. wops. 2/5 stars.

It was fascinating to see all these very different stories having one thing in common. That really shows how “one idea” can spring so many different outcomes, and I love that about storytelling in general. But overall most of these stories were so weird and not enjoyable at all, so I did not like this anthology as much as I thought I would. Some were interesting and had appeal, but it is not enough to carry the whole book. The ones I did have an okay time with were totally average, except The Lion and the Unicorn by A.C. Wise, which was my favorite and is a story I think I will go back to reread. Not really a book I would recommend unless you are peculiar interested, just know that it gets really weird! Overall star rating: 2/5 stars.

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My Review: As with many other girls, I was completely obsessed with unicorns when I was younger, and I would be lying if I said I ever outgrew that love. So when I saw this book available, I jumped at the opportunity to read a bunch of unicorn stories by different authors. As with any anthology collections, some stories I really enjoyed, others were not my favorites. I usually enjoy the more sword and sorcery fantasy stories with a historical type setting, but was very surprised to find that a lot of the stories in this book that are set in modern times ended up being my favorites. Maybe it was my wish that unicorns do exist in our current world, hidden away only to be spotted on occasion. All in all I really enjoyed this eclectic collection of unicorn stories, it was fun to wrap up each day with these magical creatures, whether they were beautiful and enlightening or slightly frightening.



My Rating: I enjoyed reading short stories from some of my favorite fantasy authors, as well as discovering some new ones. It was entertaining to read the different visions of unicorns authors can create. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.

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I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

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No soft, cuddly unicorns here!

Maybe my expectations were too high. Or maybe some of the writers ideas about unicorns and mine didn't mesh. Although I didn't expect to read about my granddaughters' favorite pillow representations of soft cuddly unicorns that are straight out of Disney, I was unprepared for many of the raw facets presented.
Unfortunately quite a few of these tales just didn't excite me. I knew this collection was going to be unconventional but it seems I over anticipated my enjoyment. At moments I felt I'd wandered onto some sort of darkly modern gothic TV set.
I was taken but not captured by the twist in Carrie Vaughn's “A Hunter’s Ode to His Bait.”
I would say my favorite was “The Highest Justice” by Gate Nix but then I've always enjoyed his writings.


A Tachyon ARC via NetGalley

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As always with anthologies, there's a likelihood that you won't enjoy every story in the selection - but although that is true here, I found myself enjoying a much higher percentage than usual! There's not one story here that I actively disliked, and for the most part, these are very intelligent, fun, and interesting takes on unicorns.

I had read Jane Yolen's The Transfigured Hart before, and I was pleased to find it included here - it's a gorgeous tale that reads like a fable and a modern middle grade all at the same time. I really loved the stories by Garth Nix, Patricia A McKillip, and Caitlin R Kiernan, in particular.

Don't be put off by the cultural image of unicorns as sparkly twee magic horses - these unicorns are fascinating, smart, wild creatures, and each story has a different take on the legends. It's a great selection of stories.

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As pretty much every other person ever who reviews anthologies has said, giving one review for a whole anthology is difficult. Between the different stories, the themes are different, the tones are different, the writing styles are different, so it's hard to have one rating that applies to all of the stories. That being said, I try to rate books based on what they were trying to be/do, and I think this anthology did a great job of being an anthology of unicorn stories.

As I said, in terms of writing, these stories are all very different, which means that there will inevitably be at least one that won't click with you (for me it was "The Maltese Unicorn"). And in terms of plot and how/how much unicorns are involved, the stories vary as well--in some they're a huge part, in some they're relatively marginal. But honestly, I loved that. Having stories about unicorn hunters and virginal unicorn riders mixed in with stories about unicorn horn whiskey and a unicorn tattoo gives the anthology some variety.

While the stories almost exclusively focus on the Western, Medieval unicorn (with the exception of Beagle's story about the Persian karkadann) and the related ideas of virginity/purity, innocence, immortality, etc., the way these themes are addressed are different enough to make the stories each unique and interesting.

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Overall, I’m not a big fan of anthologies. I like the idea that you can read short stories by your favorite authors but I am often disappointed because if I really like the story I would like it to be longer and sometimes the story is short because it is uninteresting. This anthology has a lot of my favorite authors in it but I was surprised at how dark most of the stories were. I didn’t think that all unicorn stories would be happy but, wow, the unicorns here were either bad news or they were really treated unfairly. Not to give any spoilers but there were virginal sacrifices, children being sold, unicorns being murdered and witches sucking up children’s souls. There was also a lot of stories that included topics about female sexuality. I’m not opposed to it but I thought it really didn’t belong in a unicorn anthology. There were one or two uplifting stories but overall, this anthology was too dark for my tastes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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The is always a danger with multi author anthologies that the taste of the collection just wont gel with the reader, and this was certainly one of those cases for me. All of the stories appear to be reprints from past publications, and several of them were quite dated which when we're dealing with topics of female sexuality--which was the topic in MANY of these--they often FELT dated and unremarkable or frankly bleh to a modern reader.

There were a few gems in this collection such as Stampede of Light, The Highest Justice, The Maltese Unicorn, and Ghost Town, however, the misses were so off putting I can't give this better than a 2-star.

For a full fleshed out rundown of my thoughts on the highs and lows in this collection check out my review on youtube.

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A diverse and polished collection of short stories about one of the most mysterious, magical and elusive of the mythical beasts , the Unicorn. Some very highly renowned fantasy authors contribute tales to the collection which is curated by the author of one of the most famous unicorn stories of all, Peter S Beagle.
One of the best things about the collection is the sheer variety in the stories, from zombie queens to competitive unicorn riders, hard boiled PI type characters to lonely young girls and boys, the only thing these sundry protagonists each encounter a unicorn in some shape or form, with no two tales alike.
As with any short story collection I found some more enjoyable and interesting than others. Particular favorites of mine were A Hunter's Ode to his Bait by Carrie Vaughn, The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlin R Kiernan and The Highest Justice by Garth Nix.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

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The Unicorn Anthology edited by Peter S. Beagle & Jacob Weisman
Unicorn
**THIS ARC WAS PROVIDED COURTESY OF Tachyon Publications via NetGalley IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

Future Publication Date: April 19th, 2019

Execution: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Key Descriptors: unicorns, LGBT+, friendship, sex, violence, virginity

Applicable /r/Fantasy Bingo Squares: Novel Published in 2019, Five SFF Short Stories

Review: When we think of unicorns, I think we often forget the two more “vulgar” concepts they are linked to: sex and violence. We hunt the unicorn for its horn. We kill it, imposing our mastery over the innocent. Unicorns will only accept the hand of a virgin – by opposing sex, they become a symbol of it; this is particularly true given the somewhat phallic nature of the horn.

If you’re coming in to this anthology expecting it to be filled with glitter and happiness, I have some bad news: that’s definitely not what you’ll be getting. However, if you’re hoping instead for a much more adult look at what the unicorn has historically symbolized, you will be in for a real treat. Beagle and Weismann have put together an anthology that showcases every aspect of the unicorn, all the way from adorable friendship and coming of age right on over to joy of mastering and destroying innocence. I found it damn impressive and fascinating to read – I’ll confess, I had anticipated a bit more glitter and happiness than what I found between these pages, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

I think my favorite in the collection was “A Hunter’s Ode to His Bait” by Carrie Vaughn. Vaughn’s story features not only gorgeous prose, but also a protagonist unusual by unicorn story standards: a young maiden who is an active participant in the unicorn hunt. She wants the kill just as badly as does the man using her as bait; she craves the challenge, the domination, the thrill of using her desirability to lure in the beast.

“Her feet and legs were caked with mud, the hem of her gown black with the stuff, even though she held it off the ground. She was wet as a drowned kitten, but smiling and shining, moving a slow dance like she was born to this damp world – as innocent as the rain. Rain which gave life, and which flooded and drowned. This, he thought, was why men paid more for virgins.

The old unicorn was also aroused.

She had him then.”

I had shivers reading this. What an amazing scene – using innocence intentionally in seduction and turning the unicorn trope right on its head.

Also worth a mention is “Falling off the Unicorn” by David D. Levine and Sara A Mueller. This was a surprisingly adorable coming of age story featuring the cutest LGBT romance you can imagine. I had such a good time reading it and rooting for our young protagonists! Many of the stories had LGBT themes, but this one, I think, did it best. That said, “The Brew” also deserves an honorable mention, if only for this quote:

“It was just so hard to put the two lives together. At the time I felt that the first life was just a lie. I felt that everyone who loved me had been lied to. But now – being gay seems to be all I am sometimes. Now sometimes I want someplace where I can get away from it. Someplace where I’m just Bobby again.”

This was such an interesting and relatable take on being part of a minority. While I personally am not, this is a sentiment I’ve absolutely heard echoed by many of my openly LGBT+ friends. In the current out and proud climate, it’s easy to lose yourself by trying to put this one small piece of you forward all the time.

I could easily go on and on about every story in this anthology; there wasn’t a single dud amongst them, and I have great things to say about every page. Gorgeous prose for gorgeous unicorns, surprising violence and sexuality, and trope reversal abound. I strongly recommend this to anyone, and perhaps especially to those who think they’re not a fan of unicorns!


The Unicorn Anthology can be found on Amazon and Goodreads.

If you liked The Unicorn Anthology, you might also enjoy:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

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Rating anthologies is always hard. **The Unicorn Anthology**, fittingly edited by *Peter S. Beagle* contained stories that touched me, and stories that just passed some time. Different strokes for different folks, and all that. Most stories tended to be dark and tragic, unsurprisingly enough. There are a couple of very good stories in there, so if the whole mythical realism thing interests you, check it out.

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The Unicorn Anthology is full to the brim with unicorns aplenty, following them as they gallop through a series of stories that are fresh and cutting-edge. Unicorns may seem like a played out fantasy trope, but this collection proves otherwise. Many of the stories bring unicorns into the modern world, creating a fascinating dynamic against the expected medieval setting. The collection brings unicorns firmly into the twenty-first century, and it was a delight to read.

I was most impressed by the modernization displayed in the stories. We see unicorn riding akin to bull riding, with young girls competing against each other for fame and glory. We see poachers stalking after a lone unicorn who accidentally stepped into the world through a rip in the multidimensional fabric. I was continuously surprised by the originality and imagination on display.

Overall, The Unicorn Anthology is a multi-layered collection that adds depth to the typical unicorn tales. It’s an excellent fantasy anthology that shows how fascinating these mythical creatures can be.

Final review to be posted on April 29: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/04/29/the-unicorn-anthology-book-review

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I really wanted to love this anthology. I adore stories about unicorns and The Last Unicorn is one of my favourite books of all time. Maybe because of that my expectations were high. Unfortunately I didn't connect with so many of these stories.

It didn't get off to a great start when Peter S. Beagle made it pretty clear that he resents being known as the Unicorn Guy which I think is a real shame. The second half of the book was better than the first but that wasn't enough to save it for me.

Thank you to Tachyon Publications for giving me a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Growing up I loved books about mythical beasts, and unicorns were no exception.

The stories in this book can be (loosely) divided into a few themes, based loosely around certain aspects of the myth of the unicorn. I've decided to give my comments on all of the stories (writing this on an airplane, I have time!), and have grouped them to the theme I think they fit best.

<b>Maidens/Virginity</b>
My least favorite theme, because I think that most of these were poorly written.

<i>The Magical Properties of Unicorn Horn by Carlos Hernandez</i>
3/5. An interesting urban take on the unicorn myth.

<I>Falling off the Unicorn by David D. Levine and Sara A. Mueller</I>
5/5. A creative interpretation of the unicorn myth, and one of the few stories where the unicorn wasn't the focus of the story. Bonus for <spoiler>LGBT representation</spoiler>.

<I>A hunter's ode to his bait by Carrie Vaughn</I>
0/5. Easily my least favorite story in the anthology. It grossed me out. Nothing really innovative about the story. <Spoiler>I hated how the story was about a gross older man who <b>buys</b> a girl to use as bait for unicorn hunting. He then proceeds to essentially groom her and then fucks her at the end. WHAT. THE. FUCK. </spoiler>

<I>A thousand flowers by Margo Lanagan</i>
3/5. I liked it. However, the change in POV halfway through the story was poorly done. I was very confused.

<I>The Lion and the Unicorn Boy by A.C Wise</I>
4/5. A heartbreaking story. I wish there was more! I would read a whole novel about this character.

<B>Innocence/Purity</b>
This section is more about being innocent and/or naive, without the sexual connotations.

<I>Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II</i>
3/5. I think this one was a take on the "purity" part of the unicorn myth. I enjoyed the narrative but I don't think there was <spoiler>enough to tell me why the main character should be considered pure. </spoiler>

<I>Stampede of Light by Marina Fitch</I>
5/5. A lovely tale that was quite well written. I'm not so familiar with the unicorn myth that was the basis of this story but I still enjoyed it.

<I>The Highest Justice by Garth Nix</I>
5/5. I enjoy most of Garth Nix's writing.

<I>My son Heydari and the Karkadann by Peter S. Beagle</I>
3/5. I think the writing was heavy handed.

<I>The transfigured hart by Jane Yolen</I>
3/5. A bit long. <spoiler>I think that the parallels between a white hart and a unicorn could be better made. It was an interesting concept and was almost there, but I wasn't fully satisfied with the story. </spoiler>

<B>Magic Horn/Transformation</b>
I wish more authors had taken on this aspect of the unicorn myth, these were some of my favorite ones to read.

<I>The Brew by Karen Joy Fowler</I>
3/5. I enjoyed it.

<I>The Maltese Unicorn by Caitlin R. Kiernan</i>
5/5. One of the standouts from this collection. A gritty tale with fascinating characters. Such a great take on the myth of the unicorn horn. I'm a bit obsessed with the authors writing so now I'll have to find more stuff by her.

<I>Survivor by David Smeds</I>
5/5. Another standout from this collection. I think the initial basis of the story was a bit weak, but the rest of it was really good. Would have loved to read a longer version.

<I>Homeward Bound by Bruce Coville</i>
3/5. Very nice concept, but was poorly executed. More time could have been spent developing the characters, as the reveal seemed a bit.. much to me, considering how little I knew.

<I>Unicorn Triangle by Patricia A. McKillip</i>
4/5. Really enjoyed it, and I wish it were longer.

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Overall I enjoyed the collection. As you can tell I liked some more than others.

<I>I got a copy of this from Netgalley.</i>

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Unicorns are a mystical, magical creatures. In this unique anthology of unicorns story, there is a different look at unicorns. If you want original stories, read this! They are written about lost innocence, first love but also about hunting unicorns for their horns. One of my favorite stories is by Jane Yolen “The Transfigured Hart” about a horse-loving girl and a bookish boy shared an obsession with a white creature in the forest. There is an argument between them about if the white creature is a white deer or a unicorn. Who is right? Read this delightful story and find out! Read thee other stories to discover unicorns that are not only special but different! A delightful book to read!

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3/5 stars

A decent anthology filled with a mixed bag of fifteen adult unicorn short stories and a few poems. There were several stories I really liked, but only one I really loved "The Highest Justice" and one I truly hated "A Thousand Flowers". I felt that most of the stories were really about the main characters in a world where unicorns are possible. The unicorns were often side characters or casually mentioned. The adult themes vary on severity and topics from story to story. Trigger warnings are listed below at the end of the review for those that need them! My favorites out of all of them were "Stampede of Light", "The Highest Justice", "Survivor", "Homeward Bound", and "The Transfigured Heart". The rest of them you could honestly skip.

"The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory" by Carlos Hernandez - 2.5 stars
A report tags along with a park ranger only to find unicorn poachers have kidnapped a girl. This was an odd beginning and slightly morbid story, but I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters.

"The Brew" by Karen Joy Fowler - 3 stars
A strange woman reminisces one Christmas eve about the time her and a friend discovered a man with magical unicorn brew. This story was a decent read! I really liked the backstory within this one about the mysterious neighbor and found myself wondering what would happen next.

"Falling off the Unicorn" by David D. Levine & Sera A. Mueller - 3 stars
A F/F young romance story about a unicorn rodeo rider. This one had a strange take on unicorns. It still had the virgin element, but unicorns were magical show ponies. The characters were what made this story a better read and their developing relationship.

"A Hunter's Ode to His Bait" by Carrie Vaughn - 2 stars
A unicorn hunter buys a virgin and travels from kingdom to kingdom using her as bait for years. One day he discovers the oldest unicorn and decides to hunt one last time. This short story was not that great and had several sexual scenes within it. I didn't particularly care about the characters one way or the other.

"Ghost Town" by Jack C. Haldeman II - 3 stars
A con man breaks down in a mysterious town in the middle of nowhere between New Mexico and Arizona. This was a decent different kind of unicorn story. It was an adult tale, but definitely less sexual than all of the others within this anthology. I liked the mythology behind the mysterious town and how the story played out.

"A Thousand Flowers" by Margo Lanagan - 1 star
A man comes across a unicorn in the woods that leads him to a girl that appears to have been raped. The man is captured by guards and presumed to have attacked the girl who turns out to be a princess. This was honestly the worst story in the anthology. Rape or bestiality played a big part in this weird story. It just left me with a bad feeling and I would recommend skipping it!

"The Maltese Unicorn" by Caitlin R. Kiernenm - 2 stars
A f/f twisted attraction story about a bookseller that gets caught up in acquiring an object for a mysterious lady working for her demon boss. This story felt like an old black and white detective movie in parts with it's 1930's New York setting. I honestly didn't care for any of the characters. The female/female attraction came out of nowhere and there was a demonic rape scene that was twisted. The best part of this story was the setting with it's feel of an alternate 1930's universe with demons and magic. It had promise, but it just took a strange a direction.

"Stampede of Light" by Marina Fitch - 3.5 stars
A child goes missing on a playground and the only witness was a teacher who saw a brief glimpse of her with a strange, beautiful woman. No one at the school remembers the child after and the teacher is worried the woman will be back. This finally felt like a story where I truly cared about the characters. The relationship between the teacher and a shy student was sweet and well written. I found myself wondering how it was going to end!

"The Highest Justice" by Garth Nix - 4 stars
My favorite story out of the anthology! A long time ago, a magical unicorn granted a queen a favor. Centuries later, a princess calls upon that same unicorn to help her dispense justice for the current queen who was murdered. I loved the mixed elements of fantasy, magic and horror in this story. The undead queen meets beautiful unicorn was such an interesting contrast. I would have loved to read even more of this story!

"The Lion and the Unicorn" by A. C. Wise - 2.5 stars
A story of an enslaved boy unicorn and the time he met an old woman while sick. An okay story, but once again I didn't feel much for the characters. It was short and slightly interesting though!

"Survivor" by Dave Smeds - 3.5 stars
A soldier on temporary leave in the middle of the Vietnam war gets a unicorn tattoo. When he returns to war, his unit tells him it's his lucky charm. He doesn't believe at first, but after surviving several attacks, he begins to wonder. This soldier story was so good and had definite supernatural elements along with the magical unicorn tattoo. This is another story I could have read more from!

"Homeward Bound" by Bruce Coville - 3 stars
After losing his father, Jamie goes to live with his uncle who owns a unicorn horn that Jamie remembers seeing as a child. This story took twists I didn't see coming! I enjoyed this one that was way more than it seemed.

"Unicorn Triangle" by Patricia A. McKillip - 3 stars
A hotel maid has flashbacks to when a sorcerer transformed her from a unicorn to a girl with his dying spell. This one was interesting with the maid reminiscing and telling you her story and how she came to be in the this world. It did have an odd ending that could have been much better, but it was an okay story overall.

"My Son Heydari and the Karkadann" by Peter S. Beagle - 2.5 stars
In Persia, karkadanns are types of wild unicorns. This story was all about an elephant herder telling about the time his son Heydari saved a karkadann. It was an okay story. Unicorns are wild, violent and apparently hate elephants in this take on a different kind of unicorn story. I didn't feel any attachment to the characters once again so for me it was just an okay story.

"The Transfigured Heart" by Jane Yolen - 3.5 stars
A boy and a girl discover they both glimpsed what might have been unicorn in the woods and plan to wait for it to appear beside a natural pool. I really liked this story. It was told from multiple POV including the girl, boy and the unicorn. It was a simple story, but it made you care about the characters and what would happen when they found the unicorn.

"Unicorn Series" by Nancy Springer - 2 stars
A few unicorn related poems, but they didn't interest me as much as the stories.

TRIGGERS: Rape and bestiality. No scenes of the actual act, but did pertain scenes describing the aftermath and state of the characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Tachyon Publications and the authors for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I am DNF’ing this one at about 40%. I NEVER DNF a book, but this one is just not for me; it’s not at all what I was expecting. Having this on my back burner has become more of a stress/obligation at this point, so I need to just move on from it for now. I may come back to it eventually, and if I do I’ll update my reviews.

As a lover of unicorns, I personally found the stories in this anthology disturbing. Among the stories I did get through, there was one with a girl having a sexual relationship with a unicorn, and one with a couple hunting and killing unicorns and then having sex against the carcass of the killed animal (a giant innocent animal killed only for sport, not for any noble reason).

II just can’t justify continuing to read a book that is not at all enjoyable to me and is actually upsetting to me. Maybe these types of stories are for some people, but not me.

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3.5 stars

All of my thoughts about each individual story can be read in my updates.

This was a fun collection for those who enjoy tales about this mythical creature. The stories all revolve around the different perspectives unicorns have taken up in history, fantasy, or folklore, and how in turn people will react or be affected by this. For such a wondrous creature not all of the stories are bright and sparkling, some of them are dark and grim. I like the created worlds that were made and how it worked around some more pervading myths about them.

The second half of this anthology is better than the first, as the strength of the stories are a lot more cohesive and developed. I thought this would have been a lot better if some of the stories weren't reused ones which could be read from other popular anthologies. I wish we could have little bits about the authors who wrote these stories but alas.

Some treasures of stories in here. A nice anthology with a very cohesive adherence to the theme.

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