The Last Unicorn was one of my favourite movies as a child – mystical and scary. It tells the story of the last unicorn and her quest to discover what has happened to her kind. I had never read the book, but came across it while looking for bedtime novels to read to my son. As it turns out, the movie was a very faithful adaptation of the novel, with just enough extra details to make me feel like I was getting more story.
In this tale, the last unicorn leaves the safety of her forest and sets foot in a world that has moved on without her. Unicorns are a myth, and humans cannot even recognise her for what she is. She is captured during her travels in carnival of horrors and is saved by Shmendrick the Magician. Shortly after, they encounter a crew of outlaws styled loosely on Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Molly Grue defects and joins the magician and the unicorn, and the three of them form an unlikely group who go in search of the Red Bull – a creature who is thought to have caused the demise of the unicorns.
The novel is as mystical and scary as the movie, and my five year old son was sharply focussed on discovering the truth behind the Red Bull. Written in the 60s, the novel stands the test of time. But, a word of warning: every second sentence in this novel is a simile. After a while, that got a little grating. The flowery language throughout might not be to everyone’s taste. But it is certainly descriptive!
Overall, 4 autumn coloured kittens out of 5.
