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A review by paladinjane
The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle, Jacob Weisman
3.0
This collection of previously published stories offers a wide exploration of style and theme, far more than one might expect in a collection of stories about unicorns. In these stories, you can find interdimensional travel, time travel, noir mystery, unicorn riding competitions, and a grifter with a heart of gold, a zombie queen, and an American soldier in the Vietnam War, to name a few. These are modern takes on the unicorn myth, and I enjoyed the variety in them.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a lot of sexual content in these stories, often subverting the virgin aspects of the unicorn mythology. Other stories touch upon other aspects of unicorns’ affinity for purity, whether it’s magical healing or purifying water.
My favorite stories were “Survivor” and “The Highest Justice.” “Survivor” follows a young Vietnam soldier who gets a unicorn tattoo, only to discover that it protects him from death, at a terrible cost. “The Highest Justice” follows a princess and her undead mother, traveling with the unicorn who continues to revive the dead queen, on their way to confront the dissolute king.
Content warning: rape and racial slurs, in multiple stories
Table of Contents:
“The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory” by Carlos Hernandez
“The Brew” by Karen Joy Fowler
“Falling Off the Unicorn” by David D. Levine and Sara A. Mueller
“A Hunter’s Ode to His Bait” by Carrie Vaughn
“Ghost Town” by Jack C. Haldeman II
“A Thousand Flowers” by Margo Lanagan
“The Maltese Unicorn” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
“Stampede of Light” by Marina Fitch
“The Highest Justice” by Garth Nix
“The Lion and the Unicorn” by A. C. Wise
“Survivor” by Dave Smeds
“Homeward Bound” by Bruce Coville
“Unicorn Triangle” by Patricia A. McKillip
“My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” by Peter S. Beagle
“The Transfigured Hart” by Jane Yolen
“Unicorn Series” by Nancy Springer
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a lot of sexual content in these stories, often subverting the virgin aspects of the unicorn mythology. Other stories touch upon other aspects of unicorns’ affinity for purity, whether it’s magical healing or purifying water.
My favorite stories were “Survivor” and “The Highest Justice.” “Survivor” follows a young Vietnam soldier who gets a unicorn tattoo, only to discover that it protects him from death, at a terrible cost. “The Highest Justice” follows a princess and her undead mother, traveling with the unicorn who continues to revive the dead queen, on their way to confront the dissolute king.
Content warning: rape and racial slurs, in multiple stories
Table of Contents:
“The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory” by Carlos Hernandez
“The Brew” by Karen Joy Fowler
“Falling Off the Unicorn” by David D. Levine and Sara A. Mueller
“A Hunter’s Ode to His Bait” by Carrie Vaughn
“Ghost Town” by Jack C. Haldeman II
“A Thousand Flowers” by Margo Lanagan
“The Maltese Unicorn” by Caitlín R. Kiernan
“Stampede of Light” by Marina Fitch
“The Highest Justice” by Garth Nix
“The Lion and the Unicorn” by A. C. Wise
“Survivor” by Dave Smeds
“Homeward Bound” by Bruce Coville
“Unicorn Triangle” by Patricia A. McKillip
“My Son Heydari and the Karkadann” by Peter S. Beagle
“The Transfigured Hart” by Jane Yolen
“Unicorn Series” by Nancy Springer