T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed on 6/21/2020 + 273 more book reviews

Need to do some catch-up, so I'm putting some books on my to-read list which are a bit out of character for me, so to speak. I was going through some old papers recently, and found a box of books I had when I was younger. They almost count as new reads; I haven't read most of them in decades. I also need some lighter material, as what I've been working through over the last month or so has been pretty heavy going.

This definitely counts as something of a flight of fancy! Apparently there are now sequels to this novel, first published in 1985. I think this is one of the first-run paperbacks from the Scholastic Book Club. Can't count how many of those I had at one time, or how many I still have. Having studied Classical mythology for several years, I see how old themes still resonate, and are reinterpreted time and again. In this delightful read, which hearkens back to ancient times, both in the manner of the story and in its vernacular, a young firebrand, literally, in this case, undertakes a quest, an arduous and dangerous pilgrimage with others of his "people," as an initiation into adulthood. It just so happens that the "people" are unicorns, but humans or any of a vast array of other mythical characters could easily be substituted.

The creator of this world is Alma, an omniscient equid of some descript, at least as imagined by her Creation: another case of a god made in man's (or unicorn's) image, a reflection of our own creation mythology. In this richly imagined world, imbued with the forces of nature, there are many elements we would find familiar: warring tribes (griffins, pans, dragons, the treacherous worm-like wyverns, and the unicorns themselves) (species), with their own languages, traditions, conflicts and alliances, fashioned sufficient to serve as metaphor; quests; kings and princes; seers of dreams, magicians and healers, all of which make for a first rate fantasy tale. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll just leave off here. This was intended as children's or adolescent literature, I think, but there's definitely sufficient depth and intrigue for an older audience. Short but worthwhile, and I'm considering checking out those later in the sequel.

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