The Best Unicorn Book

The Last Unicorn
By Peter S. Beagle

The Last Unicorn is a story about a unicorn and the quest for magic. It will delight adults as much as it will children.

The story follows a Unicorn who leaves her enchanted forest where she has lived forever. She realizes that there are no other unicorns left in the world. She goes on a quest to find what happened to them and is joined by an incompetent wizard called Schmendrick and a maid called Molly Grue. Together they travel to the castle of King Haggard following the rumors he and his magical creature, the Red Bull, have captured and imprisoned all the nations unicorns. As they arrive at the castle, the Red Bull appears and begins to chase the Unicorn. Schmendrick Rescues the creature by turning her into a human woman. The Unicorn is devastated at having been magically transformed into a human. Schmendrick explains it is the only way they can gain entrance to the castle. He names her Lady Amalthea and the three of them reach the castle.

King Haggard recognizes her for what she really is, but allows them to stay as new pawns in his game. The king's adopted son, Prince Lir, falls in love with Amalthea and tries to win her love. Schmendrick and Molly continue their quest to find the lost unicorns as Amalthea loses her memory of ever being a unicorn and totally becomes a human being.