Quite literally and seriously the best book I've ever read in my life, and my most favorite. I don't have enough words to describe it, yet too many at the same time. Genuinely a book everyone should read at least once in their life (and maybe once more because you didn't quite take it all in correctly the first time). I have many many loved quotes in this book (practically the whole thing), but here's some (very many) select few I hope will convince other people to read this masterpiece. Schmendrick smiled then. “I'm no man,” he said. “I'm a magician with no magic, and that's no one at all.” "But dragons could only kill her—they could never make her forget what she was, or themselves forget that even dead she would still be more beautiful than they." "The trees lunged at her, and she veered wildly among them; she who slipped so softly through eternity without bumping into anything." "Her trapped terror was more lovely than any joy that Molly had ever seen, and that was the most terrible thing about it." “My people are gone, and I will follow them soon, whatever shape you trap me in. But I would have chosen any other than this for my prison. A rhinoceros is as ugly as a human being, and it too is going to die, but at least it never thinks that it is beautiful.” “I am myself still. This body is dying. I can feel it rotting all around me. How can anything that is going to die be real? How can it be truly beautiful?” “...so I know something that a unicorn cannot know. Whatever can die is beautiful—more beautiful than a unicorn, who lives forever, and who is the most beautiful creature in the world. Do you understand me?” “Cruel?” she asked. “How can I be cruel? That is for mortals.” But then she did not raise her eyes, and they were great with sorrow, and with something very near to mockery. She said, “So is kindness.” "She turned her face to Molly Grue, and her eyes were not the unicorn's eyes. They were lovely still, but in a way that had a name, as a human woman is beautiful. Their depth could be sounded and learned, and their degree of darkness was quite describable." “When the wine drinks itself,” he said, “when skull the speaks, when the clock strikes the right time—only then will you find the tunnel that leads to the red bull's lair.” “It is true. We might very well escape the Red Bull that way even now, as we escaped before. But if we do, there will never be another chance. All the unicorns of the world will remain his prisoners forever, except one, and she will die. She will grow old and die.” “Everything dies,” she said, still to Prince Lìr. “It is good that everything dies. I want to die when you die. Do not let him enchant me, do not let him make me immortal. I am no unicorn, no magical creature. I am human, and I love you.” “No, we are not strong enough. He will change me, and whatever happens after that, you and I will lose each other. I will not love you when I am a unicorn, and you will love me only because you cannot help it. I will be more beautiful than anything in the world, and live forever.” “You are the one who taught me,” he said. “I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for it's spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you. Also to find some way of starting a conversation.” “He will never know what she has given him, but neither will she.” "Suddenly the unicorn screamed. It was not at all like the challenging bell with which she had first met the Red Bull; it was an ugly, squawking wail of sorrow and loss and rage, such as no immortal creature ever gave." The unicorn said, “That is true. You are a man, and men can do nothing that makes any difference.” The magician answered him sharply. "I promised only that you would see some sign of unicorns, and so you have. Your realm is blessed beyond any land's deserving because they have passed across it in freedom. As for you and your heart and the things you said and didn't say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. Think of that, and be still." The king spoke no more after that, and Schmendrick repented of his words. She went on, “I know why you did it too. You can't become mortal yourself until you change her back again. Isn't that it? You don't care what happens to her, or the others, just as long as you become a real magician at last. Isn't that it? Well, you'll never be a real magician, even if you change the Bull into a bullfrog, because it's still a trick when you do it. You don't care about anything but magic, and what kind of magician is that? Schmendrick, I don't feel good. I have to sit down.” Schmendrick must have carried her for a long time, because she was definitely not walking and his green eyes were ringing in her head. “That's right. Nothing but magic matters to me. I would round up unicorns for Haggard myself if it would heighten my powers by half a hair. It's true. I have no preferences and no loyalties. I have only magic.” His voice was hard and sad. “Really?” she asked, rocking dreamily in her terror, watching the brightness flowing by. “That's awful.” She was very impressed. “Are you really like that?” “No.” he said, then or later. “No, it's not true. How could I be like that, and still have all these troubles?” Then he said, “Molly, you have to walk now. He's there. He's here.”

Getrieben von dem Gerücht das Letzte ihrer Art zu sein, macht sich ein Einhorn auf die Suche nach Anderen. Begleitet wird es dabei von Schmendrick, einem talentlosen Zauberer, und der verhärmten Molly Grue. Ihr Ziel ist das Reich König Haggards, jenem hartherzigen Herrscher, der einst einem mystischen Biest - dem roten Stier - befahl, alle Einhörner der Welt zu finden und zu Haggard zu treiben. Doch um die Anderen zu finden, muss das letzte Einhorn sich zunächst selbst verlieren und um zu triumphieren, bereit dazu sein, den höchsten Preis zu zahlen… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ „Das letzte Einhorn“ war in meiner Kindheit einer meiner Lieblingsfilme 😍 Und ich war *today years old* als ich herausfand, das der Film auf einem (diesem!) Buch basiert 🙈 Nun, wie es Bücher nun mal so an sich haben, sind sie in der Regel besser als ihre „Bewegt-Bild“-Cousinen und Cousins - so auch in diesem Falle ♥️ Natürlich gab das Buch viel mehr Stoff her, als der Zeichentrick-Film aus 1982 und doch war ich überrascht, wie sehr man sich an den Original-Text gehalten hatte. Ich hatte die Stimmen und den Sound des Films durchgängig im Ohr 👂 Das Buch war absolute Nostalgie und ein Trip in Kindheitserinnerungen - ich erinnere mich, wie ich den Film x-Male auf dem Sofa meiner Eltern, eingewickelt in eine Decke, einen heißen Kakao neben mir, gesehen habe! Ich würde die Geschichte jederzeit und jedem empfehlen, weil sie kein klassisches Märchen, sondern eine düstere, stellenweise witzige und auch herzzerreißend romantische Folklore ist. ♥️

A great mix of fantasy elements, tragedy and a wonderful sense of humor. Though the book is not a particularly long read it did not seem as if anything is missing. Beagle seems to know perfectly well how much time to spend on anything. Every small side character is written in an interesting way and worth remembering. The protagonists have a good dynamic and every dialog or deed seems relevant for their arcs. If I had ro nitpick a little I would say that experiencing the unicorn forgetting over time would have been more effective than more or less just being told. But ai am glad that the book focuses on the things that it does.