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ravengrimsbane's review against another edition
4.0
I'm reading this slowly, as palate cleansers, so to speak, between other books, or when I have just enough time to get one short story in while waiting on something. It occurred to me I should be reviewing each story as I go after I kinda forgot about a couple, so if I have time I'll reread those once I've finished the whole thing, but anyway....
The Magical Properties of Unicorns
The Brew
Falling Off the Unicorn - A rodeo featuring unicorns, in addition to the usual animals. Has an interesting take on the whole "only virgins can touch" theme. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Hunter's Ode to His Bait - Another story featuring the virgins theme. While I think it was well-written, and that the author had an interesting idea, I didn't care for this one and found the ending kinda ooky. ⭐️
Ghost Town - A wanderer comes across a small desert town, that seems like nothing special at first, but with the help of one of the residents, he finds the magic in the town, and maybe just a little spark of something in himself, as well. Short and sweet with a message of hope that is very appealing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Magical Properties of Unicorns
The Brew
Falling Off the Unicorn - A rodeo featuring unicorns, in addition to the usual animals. Has an interesting take on the whole "only virgins can touch" theme. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Hunter's Ode to His Bait - Another story featuring the virgins theme. While I think it was well-written, and that the author had an interesting idea, I didn't care for this one and found the ending kinda ooky. ⭐️
Ghost Town - A wanderer comes across a small desert town, that seems like nothing special at first, but with the help of one of the residents, he finds the magic in the town, and maybe just a little spark of something in himself, as well. Short and sweet with a message of hope that is very appealing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
kleonard's review
1.0
Lots of people will buy this book, in part because of Peter Beagle's name. But they shouldn't. And it's a damn shame that Tachyon has pushed Beagle to co-edit it and write an Introduction. As his Introduction states, eloquently and bitterly, Beagle has become "the unicorn guy." It's not what he wanted; he thinks his best work is still his first novel, the ghostly romance A Fine and Private Place. But he's been hemmed in by the unicorn-lovers and especially those who would capitalize on them. This book is an attempt to do just that--cash in on the unicorn-lovers, who may or may not know Beagle's views on the matter. A lot of these stories are good, but many of them are from other, readily available anthologies, such as Zombies vs. Unicorns, which is very-well represented here (by which I mean: just go read Zombies vs Unicorns instead of this book).
I won't even get into the problems of all of the pieces in which "virginity" is given actual consideration in the course of the story.
Leave Beagle alone. Go read his unicorn book, and his other books, and the other books that this anthology borrows from. But don't keep asking him to be "the unicorn guy" anymore.
I won't even get into the problems of all of the pieces in which "virginity" is given actual consideration in the course of the story.
Leave Beagle alone. Go read his unicorn book, and his other books, and the other books that this anthology borrows from. But don't keep asking him to be "the unicorn guy" anymore.
tippyloohoo's review against another edition
3.0
This was a rather hit and miss collection of short stories featuring unicorns. None were what I would consider your "traditional" unicorn story and while that was not necessarily a bad thing, it was somewhat unexpected. Most of the stories I either didn't like at all or I didn't start to like them until at least half way through. Some of the standouts that I did enjoy where The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory, Falling Off the Unicorn, and A Hunter's Ode to His Bait which is the best story in the collection in my option.
someonetookit's review
4.0
Being an anthology of short stories based around unicorns, it could have been a bit hit and miss but I mean, what did i have to lose?
So there were a few that I did a little eyeroll and others that I was so massively disappointed there was no more, that I simply sat and stared at my e-reader for a while. I broke it up between a few sessions in between other reads so as I could fully appreciate the majesty of the tales that took my breath away. Yes, some were a little on the nose while others were amazing, but overall it was a fairly enjoyable experience. My favourites would probably have to be Nix, Yolen and Springer's contributions
So there were a few that I did a little eyeroll and others that I was so massively disappointed there was no more, that I simply sat and stared at my e-reader for a while. I broke it up between a few sessions in between other reads so as I could fully appreciate the majesty of the tales that took my breath away. Yes, some were a little on the nose while others were amazing, but overall it was a fairly enjoyable experience. My favourites would probably have to be Nix, Yolen and Springer's contributions
minanonim's review against another edition
Read part of it, and realized that this format is not of my liking.
annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Unicorn Anthology is a collection of 16 pieces of short fiction by some literal titans of speculative fiction. Every single story in this collection is top-shelf, there are no weak stories. All of these have been published previously and date from 1975-2017. Many of the older stories are quite difficult to find and several were new to me in any form.
Due out 19th April 2019 from Tachyon, it's 288 pages and will be available in ebook and paperback formats.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away. I can only recall a few times where I've read a collection (or anthology) straight through from cover to cover. This one I did. I even re-read the stories which I had read before.
I won't precìs all the stories, and all are strong, but there are a few true standouts:
My Son Heydari and the Karkadann by Peter S. Beagle is a first person story in the form of an anecdote. Based in both folklore and Persian oral history, it's a twisty tale that kept me guessing completely to the end. The nuance and flavor of the storytelling is amazing and I am utterly in awe of Mr. Beagle's command of the form. Just a really superlative story. This one was also included in The Overneath reviewed my blog here.
The Transfigured Hart by Jane Yolen. Part fable and part coming of age. This one is a modern story and in a way is all about perceptions and consensual reality (what things actually are depends on how we perceive them). I adore Ms. Yolen's writing and this story is gentle and wistful and beautifully written. I believe I have read this one years ago, but had forgotten about it for a long time. Such a melancholy piece.
Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II. A grifter gets a rare chance to change the path he's on. I really loved this one even though it's more or less straightforward fiction with the slightest touch of magical realism. It's an upbeat and very well written story.
Just a really super collection of short stories.
Five stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Unicorn Anthology is a collection of 16 pieces of short fiction by some literal titans of speculative fiction. Every single story in this collection is top-shelf, there are no weak stories. All of these have been published previously and date from 1975-2017. Many of the older stories are quite difficult to find and several were new to me in any form.
Due out 19th April 2019 from Tachyon, it's 288 pages and will be available in ebook and paperback formats.
One reason I prefer collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away. I can only recall a few times where I've read a collection (or anthology) straight through from cover to cover. This one I did. I even re-read the stories which I had read before.
I won't precìs all the stories, and all are strong, but there are a few true standouts:
My Son Heydari and the Karkadann by Peter S. Beagle is a first person story in the form of an anecdote. Based in both folklore and Persian oral history, it's a twisty tale that kept me guessing completely to the end. The nuance and flavor of the storytelling is amazing and I am utterly in awe of Mr. Beagle's command of the form. Just a really superlative story. This one was also included in The Overneath reviewed my blog here.
The Transfigured Hart by Jane Yolen. Part fable and part coming of age. This one is a modern story and in a way is all about perceptions and consensual reality (what things actually are depends on how we perceive them). I adore Ms. Yolen's writing and this story is gentle and wistful and beautifully written. I believe I have read this one years ago, but had forgotten about it for a long time. Such a melancholy piece.
Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II. A grifter gets a rare chance to change the path he's on. I really loved this one even though it's more or less straightforward fiction with the slightest touch of magical realism. It's an upbeat and very well written story.
Just a really super collection of short stories.
Five stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
hannah_greendale's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
gotathingforthings's review
2.0
My video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvzfUwFKqXc
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. 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. 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? 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.
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.
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?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.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.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. 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.
books_plan_create's review
3.0
Not all of these tales were my cup of tea, or should I say not my cup of Unicorn Brew...But it was still an enjoyable collection from new and old/known authors. There were a few stories I would have enjoyed more reading material for.
This collection has something for everyone: good unicorns, villainous unicorns, giant unicorns, sex, hunting, death, blood, fantasy, and other non children appropriate topics. Yes, you read that correct. This is not a collection for children who have read all the unicorn books in the kids department.
And even though the book has already been published: thanks NetGalley and Publisher for giving me an advanced read of this book...even if I did slack on reading it pre-pub!
This collection has something for everyone: good unicorns, villainous unicorns, giant unicorns, sex, hunting, death, blood, fantasy, and other non children appropriate topics. Yes, you read that correct. This is not a collection for children who have read all the unicorn books in the kids department.
And even though the book has already been published: thanks NetGalley and Publisher for giving me an advanced read of this book...even if I did slack on reading it pre-pub!
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5, rounded up because there were a couple really good stories in here, and they don't deserve to get a ton of hate for the less-than-stellar ones surrounding them.
I hate to be the one to say it, but The Unicorn Anthology simply does not do justice to the mythological awesomeness of the unicorn. I'm not saying that all the stories in it were bad--there were actually a few that were truly awesome--but as a whole, the quality was uneven, which significantly dampened the book's enjoyability.
I don't want to go analyze this story by story here, so instead, here are some quick notes:
THE GOOD:
- "Survivor" by David Smed completely blew my mind. Unlike most of the collection, which had more or less positive endings, this piece takes unicorn lore to a traumatized Vietnam vet and turns a "blessing" into something out of a horror story.
- Garth Nix's "The Highest Justice" is an elegantly simple fusion of unicorns and zombies in a more or less medieval setting, and it feels like both a complete story and a precursor to something greater--wholly satisfying on its own, but also sitting as a nice setup for future work, should he choose to revisit this world.
- In "The Transfigured Hart," Jane Yolen brings a truly childlike delight to the topic of unicorns, with characters that are kids who actually feel like kids. It is magical and heartwarming and I really wish the collection had more stories with actual kids in them...
- Of course, Peter S. Beagle's contribution to the collection is a good deal of fun...but he deliberately focuses on beastly unicorns by another name, in a non-European country, resulting in a clever inversion of the typical unicorn tropes
THE BAD
*Note: I'm not going to name specific stories here, since some of these are spoilers
- So many stories are preoccupied with virginity. I get that it's an integral part of unicorn mythos, but in a contemporary collection, there is so much room to explore what that does or doesn't mean (since, after all, virginity is a social construct)...and this collection fell flat, looking mostly at classic definitions. In fact, one story suggests that lesbian sex doesn't count as losing one's virginity, which has some unpleasant implications, I think (though the characters themselves were very concerned, saying that it mattered a lot to them and it should to a unicorn as well).
- The writing was kind of...unimpressive in several of the stories. They read like something out of an early fiction workshop, with poor development of characters and/or plots that make exactly zero sense.
THE UGLY:
- A girl falls in love with a man who literally bought her as a child so he could use her virginity to catch unicorns. He's so much older, and he freaking OWNS HER. That is beyond messed up.
- "A Thousand Flowers." The story had such potential--a unicorn rapes a princess (inversion of tropes? Okay, I'll bite...), and an innocent man is framed for it--but the rest of the story just falls apart. It switches perspectives so many times, the ending makes no sense, and it is honestly a hot mess.
- A dildo made out of a unicorn horn. Yes, that is literally a crucial part of one of the stories, and I kind of (by which I mean very much) hate it. And then, one woman uses it as a strap-on to rape another woman. What the actual fuck??
Overall, an unimpressive collection, but with a few gems hidden in the rubble. If you're a fan of dark, gritty fantasy, you might enjoy this more than I did, and if nothing else, fantasy fans should definitely check out the few stories I mentioned under "The Good." But as a whole, I feel really let down; there are so many big themes to explore with unicorns (innocence, righteousness, beauty, hidden danger...), but The Unicorn Anthology just didn't deliver.
TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: rape, sexual assault, violence toward children and animals, Stockholm Syndrome
I was provided with an eARC of this book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my review in any way.
I hate to be the one to say it, but The Unicorn Anthology simply does not do justice to the mythological awesomeness of the unicorn. I'm not saying that all the stories in it were bad--there were actually a few that were truly awesome--but as a whole, the quality was uneven, which significantly dampened the book's enjoyability.
I don't want to go analyze this story by story here, so instead, here are some quick notes:
THE GOOD:
- "Survivor" by David Smed completely blew my mind. Unlike most of the collection, which had more or less positive endings, this piece takes unicorn lore to a traumatized Vietnam vet and turns a "blessing" into something out of a horror story.
- Garth Nix's "The Highest Justice" is an elegantly simple fusion of unicorns and zombies in a more or less medieval setting, and it feels like both a complete story and a precursor to something greater--wholly satisfying on its own, but also sitting as a nice setup for future work, should he choose to revisit this world.
- In "The Transfigured Hart," Jane Yolen brings a truly childlike delight to the topic of unicorns, with characters that are kids who actually feel like kids. It is magical and heartwarming and I really wish the collection had more stories with actual kids in them...
- Of course, Peter S. Beagle's contribution to the collection is a good deal of fun...but he deliberately focuses on beastly unicorns by another name, in a non-European country, resulting in a clever inversion of the typical unicorn tropes
THE BAD
*Note: I'm not going to name specific stories here, since some of these are spoilers
- So many stories are preoccupied with virginity. I get that it's an integral part of unicorn mythos, but in a contemporary collection, there is so much room to explore what that does or doesn't mean (since, after all, virginity is a social construct)...and this collection fell flat, looking mostly at classic definitions. In fact, one story suggests that lesbian sex doesn't count as losing one's virginity, which has some unpleasant implications, I think (though the characters themselves were very concerned, saying that it mattered a lot to them and it should to a unicorn as well).
- The writing was kind of...unimpressive in several of the stories. They read like something out of an early fiction workshop, with poor development of characters and/or plots that make exactly zero sense.
THE UGLY:
- A girl falls in love with a man who literally bought her as a child so he could use her virginity to catch unicorns. He's so much older, and he freaking OWNS HER. That is beyond messed up.
- "A Thousand Flowers." The story had such potential--a unicorn rapes a princess (inversion of tropes? Okay, I'll bite...), and an innocent man is framed for it--but the rest of the story just falls apart. It switches perspectives so many times, the ending makes no sense, and it is honestly a hot mess.
- A dildo made out of a unicorn horn. Yes, that is literally a crucial part of one of the stories, and I kind of (by which I mean very much) hate it. And then, one woman uses it as a strap-on to rape another woman. What the actual fuck??
Overall, an unimpressive collection, but with a few gems hidden in the rubble. If you're a fan of dark, gritty fantasy, you might enjoy this more than I did, and if nothing else, fantasy fans should definitely check out the few stories I mentioned under "The Good." But as a whole, I feel really let down; there are so many big themes to explore with unicorns (innocence, righteousness, beauty, hidden danger...), but The Unicorn Anthology just didn't deliver.
TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: rape, sexual assault, violence toward children and animals, Stockholm Syndrome
I was provided with an eARC of this book by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not impacted my review in any way.