The unicorn wants to find other unicorns. Mage Schmendrick, whose magic seldom works, never as he intendsed, rescues unicorn from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival. Only some mythical beasts displayed are illusions. Molly Grue believes in legends despite Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. King Haggard and his Bull banish unicorns into sea. This Deluxe Edition of the ebook also includes the Two Hearts novella, a sequel of sorts to the Last Unicorn.

Abundant with tales of quiet heroism, life-changing decisions, and determined searches for deep answers, this extraordinary collection of contemporary fantasy explores the realms between this world and the next. From the top of the Berlin Wall to the depths of the darkest seas, gods and monsters battle their enemies and innermost fears, yet mere mortals make the truly difficult choices. A slightly regretful author and a vengeful-but-dilapidated dragon square off over an abandoned narrative; the children of the Shark God demand painful truths from their chronically absent father; and a bereaved women sacrifices herself to change one terrible moment, effortlessly reversed by a shuffle of the deck. Whether melancholic, comedic, or deeply tragic, each new tale is suffused with misdirection and discovery, expressed in the rich and mesmerizing voice of a masterful storyteller. “The Rock in the Park" “Sleight of Hand” “The Children of the Shark God” “The Best Worst Monster” “What Tune the Enchantress Plays” “La Lune T’Attend” “Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers” “The Rabbi’s Hobby” “Oakland Dragon Blues” “The Bridge Partner” “Dirae” “Vanishing" "The Woman Who Married the Man in the Moon” (A Schmendrick Tale)

From Publishers WeeklyBeagle's novella, set in the world of 1991's The Innkeeper's Song, is an intimate take on the relatively common fantasy conceit of a powerful band of recluses. Following an encounter with three assassins, the wanderer Soukyan decides it is time to return to the monastery from which he had long ago escaped and take revenge on those who sent the killers. Beagle hints that Soukyan's world stretches far and wide but mostly focuses on a small area where various organizations have institutionalized murder and torture. Thoughtful, well-rounded characters make an intriguing contrast to scenes of bloody brutality. Readers familiar with The Innkeeper's Song will love this tie-in, while newcomers will both enjoy the tight focus and find plenty of incentive to seek out related works that further explore this complex, fully realized setting. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistBeagle returns to the world of his acclaimed The Innkeeper’s Song (1993) with this novel of Soukyan, the wandering fugitive from the Hunters. When their latest attack takes an unusual shape, it arouses Soukyan’s curiosity to the point of returning to the weird and sinister monastery where she was raised. Her disguise is quickly penetrated, and a gaggle of mad monks prepares to sacrifice her to the Hunter’s Tree, where Hunters grow like peapods. This is the secret of the monastery, an inexhaustible supply of assassins. Soukyan’s death is to revive the dying tree, but instead she brings it to a fiery end before fleeing. The quality of Beagle’s prose, characterization, and world building (without the aid of maps or glossaries) is as superlative as ever, and he manages to compress a full-fledged story into an amazingly small space. Masterpieces, let all take note, do not have to be lifted with both hands. --Roland Green

Coda to The Last Unicorn – a novelette. Available for free

When New York Times Bestselling writer Tad Williams described Peter S. Beagle as a 'bandit prince out to steal reader's hearts' he touched on a truth that readers have known for fifty years. Beagle, whose work has touched generations of readers around the world, has spun rich, romantic and very funny tales that have beguiled and enchanted readers of all ages. Undeniably, his most famous work is the much loved classic, The Last Unicorn, which tells of unicorn who sets off on quest to discover whether she is the last of her kind, and of the people she meets on her journey. Never prolific, The Last Unicorn is one of only five novels Beagle has published since A Fine and Private Place appeared in 1960, and was followed by The Folk of the Air, The Innkeeper's Song, and Tamsin. During the first forty years of his career Beagle also wrote a small handful, scarcely a dozen, short stories. Classics like 'Come Lady Death,' 'Lila and the Werewolf,' 'Julie's Unicorn,' 'Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros,' and the tales that make up Giant Bones. And then, starting just five years ago, he turned his attention to short fiction in earnest, and produced a stunning array of new stories including the Hugo and Nebula Award winning follow up to The Last Unicorn, 'Two Hearts,' WSFA Small Press Award winner 'El Regalo,' and wonderful stories like the surrealist 'The Last and Only,' the haunting 'The Rabbi s Hobby' and others. Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle collects the very best of these stories, over 200,000 words worth, ranging across 45 years of his career from early stories to freshly minted tales that will surprise and amaze readers. It's a book which shows, more than any other, just how successful this bandit prince from the streets of New York has been at stealing our hearts and underscores how much we hope he ll keep on doing so.

"What a treasure trove!"—Sarah Beth Durst, author of Queen of the Blood Unicorns: Not just for virgins anymore. Here are sixteen lovely, powerful, intricate, and unexpected unicorn tales from fantasy icons including Garth Nix, Peter S. Beagle, Patricia A. McKillip, Bruce Coville, Carrie Vaughn, and more. In this volume you will find two would-be hunters who enlist an innkeeper to find a priest hiding the secret of the last unicorn. A time traveler tries to corral an unruly mythological beast that might never have existed at all. The lover and ex-boyfriend of a dying woman join forces to find a miraculous remedy in New York City. And a small-town writer of historical romances discovers a sliver of a mysterious horn in a slice of apple pie.

This fantasy novel is the tale of three women of legendary skill on a quest to save the world's most powerful wizard, and the innkeeper's assistant whose heartbreak will bear witness, from the author of the bestselling The Last Unicorn.On a night like any other, three mysterious women arrive to an inn separately, one with a fox that is more than it seems. Karsh, the innkeeper, has no choice but to let the tangled drama unfold beneath his roof. His stable boy, Rosseth, is so mesmerized by the three cloaked women, a warrior nun, a fabled adventurer, and a girl who was saved from drowning, that he soon uncovers a deep secret that was better off remaining hidden. And then there is Tikat, overwhelmed by tragedy, who continues his journey to the inn, refusing to let death bring an end his love. Told in alternating points of view, fantasy master Peter S. Beagle has crafted an unforgettable novel of heartbreak and hope.

Ready for the next big thing? The New Voices of Fantasy spotlights nineteen breakout writers who are reinventing fantasy right now. Usman T. Malik, Sofia Samatar, Eugene Fischer, E. Lily Yu, Ben Loory, Maria Dahvana Headley, Ursula Vernon, Max Gladstone, and other emerging talents have been hand-picked by fantasy legend Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) and genre expert Jacob Weisman (Treasury of the Fantastic). International, crosscultural, and fearless, many of these rising stars have just or are about to publish their first novels and collections. They bring you childhood stories gone wrong, magical creatures in heat, a building that’s alive and full of waiters, love, ducks, and a new take on a bloodsucking fiend. Table of Contents: “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” by Alyssa Wong “Selkie Stories are for Losers” by Sofia Samatar “Tornado’s Siren” by Brooke Bolander “Left the Century to Sit Unmoved” by Sarah Pinsker “A Kiss with Teeth” by Max Gladstone “Jackalope Wives” by Ursula Vernon “The Cartographer Wasps and Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu “The Practical Witch’s Guide to Acquiring Real Estate” by A. C. Wise “The Tallest Doll in New York City” by Maria Dahvana Headley “The Haunting of Apollo A7LB” by Hannu Rajaniemi “Here Be Dragons” by Chris Tarry “The One They Took Before” by Kelly Sandoval “Tiger Baby” by JY Yang “The Duck” by Ben Loory “Wing” by Amal El-Mohtar “The Philosophers” by Adam Ehrlich Sachs “My Time Among the Bridge Blowers” by Eugene Fischer “The Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado “The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn” by Usman T. Malik

From the acclaimed author of The Last Unicorn comes a new, exquisitely-told unicorn fable for the modern age. Claudio Bianchi has lived alone for many years on a hillside in Southern Italy’s scenic Calabria. Set in his ways and suspicious of outsiders, Claudio has always resisted change, preferring farming and writing poetry. But one chilly morning, as though from a dream, an impossible visitor appears at the farm. When Claudio comes to her aid, an act of kindness throws his world into chaos. Suddenly he must stave off inquisitive onlookers, invasive media, and even more sinister influences. Lyrical, gripping, and wise, In Calabria confirms Peter S. Beagle's continuing legacy as one of fantasy's most legendary authors.

Star-studded and comprehensive, this imaginative anthology brings a myriad of modern fantasy voices under one roof. Previously difficult for readers to discover in its new modes, urban fantasy is represented here in all three of its distinct styles—playful new mythologies, sexy paranormal romances, and gritty urban noir. Whether they feature tattooed demon-hunters, angst-ridden vampires, supernatural gumshoes, or pixelated pixies, these authors—including Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, and Charles de Lint—mash-up traditional fare with pop culture, creating iconic characters, conflicted moralities, and complex settings. The result is starkly original fiction that has broad-based appeal and is immensely entertaining. Contents Introduction by Peter S. Beagle Mythic Fiction Introduction: “A Personal Journey Into Mythic Fiction” by Charles de Lint “A Bird That Whistles” by Emma Bull “Make a Joyful Noise” by Charles de Lint “The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories” by Neil Gaiman “On the Road to New Egypt” by Jeffrey Ford “Julie’s Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle Paranormal Romance Introduction: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Urban Fantasy” by Paula Guran “Companions to the Moon” by Charles de Lint “A Haunted House of Her Own” by Kelley Armstrong “She’s My Witch” by Norman Partridge “Kitty’s Zombie New Year” by Carrie Vaughn “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs “Hit” by Bruce McAllister “Boobs” by Suzy McKee Charnas “Farewell, My Zombie” by Francesca Lia Block Noir Fantasy Introduction: “We Are Not a Club, but We Sometimes Share a Room” by Joe R. Lansdale “The White Man” by Thomas M. Disch “Gestella” by Susan Palwick “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” by Holly Black “Talking Back to the Moon” by Steven R. Boyett “On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert With Dead Folks” by Joe R. Lansdale “The Bible Repairman” by Tim Powers “Father Dear” by Al Sarrantonio

Scanned, converted, re-formatted, proofed, custom title page, custom book cover and eBook creation by Jerry

The essential first volume of bestselling author Peter S. Beagle's (The Last Unicorn) short stories demonstrates why he is one of America's most influential fantasists. With his celebrated versatility, humor, and grace, Beagle is at home in a dazzling variety of subgenres. Evoking comparison to such iconic authors as Twain, Tolkien, Carroll, L'Engle, and Vonnegut, this career retrospective celebrates Beagle's mastery of the short-story form."For over forty years, Peter S. Beagle has been the gold standard of fantasy."—Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman[STARRED REVIEW] "Brimming with magic, lyrical prose, and deeply felt emotion, this is, indeed, essential reading."—KirkusAn unlikely friendship based on philosophy develops between an aging academic and a mythological beast. A mysterious, beautiful attendee who attends a ball thrown in her honor chooses whether or not to become mortal. A...

This book has 6 breathtaking tales set in the bestselling world of "The Innkeeper's Song". All those who were enthralled by Peter S. Beagle's highly acclaimed novel, 'The Innkeeper's Song', will revel in the prospect of re-entering its strange, haunting world in this collection of stories, each marked by that special brand of magic that has earned the author comparison with Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Moving from one teller of tales to another, Beagle describes the last, tragic sacrifice of the most celebrated bard of all time, the adventures of a peasant magician whose skills exceeded his own humble ambitions, the fate of a group of travelling players who make the mistake of dabbling in politics. He tells of the perilous escapade of two ageing mercenaries, the story of a young girl and Singing Fish, and records the poignant legacy of the dying race of giants. Told with humour, subtlety and infinite skill, these spellbinding stories will captivate all readers, whether they are seasoned Beagle fans or come to him for the first time. Contents: Last song of Sirit Byar -- Magician of Karakosk -- Tragical historie of the Jiril's players -- Lal and Soukyan -- Choushi-wai's story -- Giant bones.

“There are people who give, and there are people who take. There are people who create, people who destroy, and people who don’t do anything and drive the other two kinds crazy. It’s born in you, whether you give or take, and that’s the way you are.…” A Fine and Private Place is about people who give. Mr. Rebeck, for example, who lives in the cemetery in an abandoned mausoleum and makes it his job to welcome the new arrivals. Mrs. Klapper, whose husband Morris got up from the dinner table and went right over on his back—dead! Laura who sang the night away and stayed to watch the dawn. And of course the raven—an ill-tempered but basically kindly bird known simply as “the raven”—who knows all about give and take but prefers to give after all. Uproariously funny and deeply touching by turns A Fine and Private Place is a book that would have delighted E. B. White, an adult novel—yet built on the edge of fantasy and filled with the wonder and serious playfulness that children know and, sadly, lose.