John W. Campbell or one of the other Golden Age editors once observed that the best science fiction writing begins with the world as we know it and changes one thing. We can quibble over whether Peter Beagle is writing SF or fantasy but "In Calabria" begins with the everyday life of an ordinary farmer in Calabria who walks out of his farmhouse one day to find a unicorn grazing in his field. That's it. That's the story, and it is wonderful wonderful writing. Another Peter Beagle trionfo.

I received a review copy of "In Calabria" by Peter S. Beagle (Tachyon) through NetGalley.com.