I love Beagle’s writing and storytelling, and I can understand why others might not enjoy this book. I, however, very much enjoyed it. While there are no unicorns to be seen, there are wizards, assassins, foxes and horses, clever young men, foolish young men, and an Innkeeper who is trying his best, all of whom are telling their part of the story.

And in a way it’s almost like a story about how a story becomes a story. First there’s the song itself, and then the people who inspired the song, each of whom has a chapter or three — some less, some more — to give their version of the story. In some, the wizard is a benign teacher, for others he’s a tyrant or simply an exhausted old man. The Innkeeper is either a fool or a bully or a hardworking man. And in the end it doesn’t matter which version of the story you prefer because the next person, the next reader, will take their own from the very same events, the very same book, and come away with something completely new.

The writing is lovely, and the pace is pretty solid for the most part, but the sex scene kept going and going as everyone had to have their own chapter about it. (Written in Beagle’s prose, it isn’t spicy but instead lyrical and fanciful.) The characters are more archetypes than people, though Lal and Nyateneri have some moments where it’s just the two of them in the woods that develops both they themselves, and the relationship they find themselves in.

If you like prose, fantastical magicians who tell you absolutely nothing useful, clever foxes who think they’re more clever than they are, and different shades of love — between lost loves, new loves, and people who are only lovers for now — you should have a good time with this. But go into it knowing what you’re getting into, which is something more winding and languid and far less straightforward than a traditional fantasy. If you do give it a chance, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

I'd read this book before, when it first came out; I think I appreciated it more this time. It's a very odd book, hard to describe in a way that isn't either misleading or fails to convey why it's good. The structure is inventive, the pacing is peculiar, the characters are memorable, and the prose is to die for. It's not The Last Unicorn, but what is? I loved it.

𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰.

The Innkeeper's Song is centered around an old inn, and follows three mysterious women that show up one day and bring nothing but chaos while they search for their mentor. Oh, and there's a fox. Of course it quickly became my favorite character.

Beagle’s writing is so beautifully poetic! There are SO MANY pov characters, and each one has such a distinct voice while still flowing together. At first it was hard to jump around so much, but once you catch on to the central plot it works so well.

This is a classic fantasy novel in a lot of ways, but is also distinctly original. The scale of the story is fairly small (at least compared to a lot of modern epic fantasy) but has so much depth with how each of the characters' stories are woven together. If you enjoy found family, rich prose, and a large cast of interwoven characters, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this!

There is an uncomfortable scene that really took me by surprise 🫣 If you read this you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

This was a good story but the execution was a little challenging for me to follow. I found my mind wondering often and none of the many POVs really grabbed my attention. I would recommend the book but I’d just say you have to be in the right mindset for it and be ready to put some work in. I feel like maybe the book should have been longer to really dive in.

Thank you saga press for this read!

The Innkeeper’s Song is a moody, character-driven fantasy told through multiple first-person perspectives. The story centers on a quiet inn where mysterious women and strange forces begin to converge. Each chapter shifts point of view, including the innkeeper, a stable boy, a fox, and others, all of whom bring their own tone and texture to the world.

The prose is lyrical and restrained. Beagle has a way of creating atmosphere without overexplaining anything. The magic feels ancient and intuitive, and the narrative unfolds slowly, almost meditatively. Some voices are stronger than others, but the overall tapestry works.

Readers who prefer traditional plots might feel let down. The book resists straightforward momentum, and its ending is more reflective than explosive. A few characters, like Tikat, come off flatter when compared to others like Karsh or the fox, who bring more tension and voice.

Still, this is a rich, quiet novel about grief, transformation, and fate. If you want action-heavy fantasy, this probably isn’t it. But if you're into layered perspectives, poetic language, and slow-burning mystery, it’s well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing the eARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) - Peter Beagle (https://beagleverse.com) is the author of more than a dozen novels. The Innkeeper’s Song was published in 2024. It is the 38th book I completed reading in 2025.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R.

Tikat and Lukassa are young lovers, hoping to soon be married. Their dreams are shattered when Lukassa falls into a river and drowns. The village searches for her, but her body is never found. A strange woman named Lalkhamsinkhamsolal—Soukyan (Lal), an adventurer, passes through the area and revives Lukassa from the river bottom. The two ride off before Tikat can speak with his betrothed. He pursues the two for many days but never catches up with them until they arrive at the Gaff & Slasher. An Inn run by Karsh with stable boy Rosseth and serving girl Marinesha. By then, the warrior nun Nyateneri has joined the two women.

The women have been drawn to the inn to save a powerful wizard who is being hounded by Arshadin, one of his former students. Nyateneri must also contend with assassins sent by her former convent. To save the wizard Lal and Nyateneri must travel for days trying to find and confront Arshadin.

Tikat arrives at the Inn barely alive, but still pursuing his love. Her death experience has left her without any recollection of her former life. Rosseth befriends him and convinces Karsh to give Tikat work at the inn. Rosseth is enraptured by the three strange women, particularly Nyateneri.

As the wizard hovers near death at the Inn, Nyateneri and Lal set off on a quest to find Arshadin. What new hurdles must they overcome if they are to be successful? Rosseth, Tikat, and Lukassa remain at the Inn to care for the wizard.

I spent 10.5+ hours reading this 360-page fantasy. In hindsight, I wish I had called a Rule of 50 and saved myself a few hours. I struggled to stay with the book. The story is told from the viewpoint of several characters. While there were three brief action sequences, most of the novel was rambling nonsense. I give this novel a rating of 2.8 (rounded to 3) out of 5.

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Why I keep imagining, in the face of all contrary experience, that Peter S. Beagle writes light fantasy is beyond me. "The Innkeeper's Song" opens with a sudden death and devastating grief, and it ends -- honest, this is not a spoiler: if you don't know all along that more grief is on the way -- with a wrenching-apart and a heartbreaking revelation.

Beagle's people, including the supernatural ones, aren't the perfect beauties of most fantasy, even fantasy that thinks of itself as edgy or morally gray. They're variously battle-scarred, traumatized, broken-toothed, old, poor, fat, heartsick, unable to express or acknowledge love, and guilty. At least one is entirely amoral and utterly terrifying. Even when they do their best and even when their best defeats evil, the harm they suffer is never undone, but must be borne -- must be accommodated somehow. That these wounded people are able to pick themselves up and go on living is something we know because they take turns telling their stories, at some time in the future, to some unknown interlocutor, and because the narrative gives us a few slim threads of hope.

A wonder of a novel that I doubt I'll ever dare to read again. Thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC, and for reissuing this book.

This was first published in 1993, which I was unaware of. I thought, wow a new book?! But it's not.
I love books like this, normally. Magic, secrets, endless walking around - sign me up. But this one just couldn't keep me interested. The changing POVs is too abrupt sometimes, too lengthy others.
Other writers may have used even more descriptions to make this a 500+ page tome, but the author is able to get the info in. It is a LOT of info, not a quick read, or you will miss some juicy details.

Peter S. Beagle’s The Innkeeper’s Song is a lyrical and hauntingly beautiful fantasy that unfolds with the gentle patience of a story told beside a warm hearth. It’s a novel that invites the reader to sit down, listen closely, and lean into the atmosphere it creates, rather than rushing through plot points. In a genre increasingly dominated by fast paced, plot heavy novels, Beagle’s deliberate pacing and poetic style are both refreshing and, admittedly, challenging.

Told from multiple perspectives, the story slowly weaves together the lives of a cast of enigmatic characters. The prose is musical, often elusive, and leaves much unsaid.. inviting the reader to linger in the spaces between the words. It’s a novel that trusts its audience to meet it halfway, to imagine the world beyond the page, and to sit with its ambiguity. For some readers, this will feel rewarding. For others, it may come off as frustratingly vague.

While the storytelling is rich and immersive, there are a few moments that feel jarring through a modern lens. One example is the description of a character’s skin as “brown as bread”...a simile that, though likely not intended with malice, feels clumsy and dated today. These minor instances may pull some readers out of the otherwise carefully crafted world.

Still, The Innkeeper’s Song is a testament to Beagle’s talent for mythic storytelling and lyrical prose. It’s not a book that rushes to please... it lingers, it meanders, and it echoes. It may not be for everyone, but for those who love quiet magic, layered characters, and a bit of mystery left unsolved, it’s well worth the journey.

ps. favorite character/animal companion .. somewhat.. the fox :)

Thank you to Peter S. Beagle, the Sage Press Team and Netgalley for allowing me on this adventure!

Thanks to Saga Press for the free copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This book is so strange. It has so many POVs (including a fox and a dead-but-alive-again girl), and some of those POVs are very stream-of-consciousness and hard to follow. And there's a random orgy? And it also turns out that one of the women isn't a woman. There's a quest, and battling wizards, and assassins, and a heartsick boy who wants to get his love back. And a very grumpy innkeeper. And I didn't think I was enjoying it.

But in typical Peter S Beagle fashion, he leaves you emotionally bereft at the end with eyes brimming with tears. I don't know how he does it, but he does it every time. Nothing makes sense, but at the end, it's the human condition that shines through.