Sleight of Hand by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
Peter S. Beagle has a readily identifiable voice. It is weighed down with loss and regret; the voice of someone
all too aware of the approach of death yet who regards it, if not with indifference, then with acceptance; it
talks more easily about the past more than the future.
And that voice is fully in evidence in this latest collection of stories. They are stories of memory, filled
with sentiment that just occasionally slips over into sentimentality.
Return by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Christopher DeFilippis
In this new novella, the author returns to the extraordinary Fantasy realm he first
introduced in his 1993 novel The Innkeeper's Song, and proves once again that his prose style is unmatched
for wit and grace.
But despite its familiar setting and distinguishing technique, this is a somewhat atypical offering -- perhaps
most remarkable for the fact that the story in and of itself will probably have very little
bearing on whether you choose to buy the book.
Mirror Kingdoms by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Steven H Silver
When the name Peter S. Beagle is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind are unicorns. In Mirror Kingdoms:
The Best of Peter S. Beagle, there are plenty of unicorns to satisfy his fans, but there are more stories without
the iconic beast, and the volume thereby demonstrates the breadth of Beagle's writing and interests.
We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Rich Horton
This collection is a great way to introduce yourself to the
fabulous work this wonderful writer has been doing these recent years. He made his reputation with the
magnificent 60s novels, A Fine and Private Place and The Last Unicorn, and cemented it work outside
the field like I See By My Outfit and with later novels like The Innkeeper's Song.
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff
As the story opens, a talking raven arrives in a cemetery in the Bronx, New York to deliver a stolen
baloney to a man who has been living in the cemetery for the past 19 years. Mr. Rebeck. Shortly he meets Mrs. Klapper
who is here to visit the grave of her husband, Morris.
The cast of major characters is filled out by a couple of ghosts, each of whom we meet on the occasion of his or her funeral.
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The Line Between by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Paul Kincaid
The author has always eschewed the falseness of sentimentality, while wringing all manner of emotions from his audience. That
he does so with such unfailing grace is what has made him one of the finest of modern fantasists. Each one of the stories
gathered here is aimed directly at the heart, and whether told in the voice of a sparky girl or an old man burdened by too
many memories the tone is always the same. This, it tells us through all the joys and excitements, is the way we experience
the sadness of the world.
Giant Bones by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Donna McMahon
Peter S. Beagle has honed his prose to a glow, and Donna can only describe his recent stories as exquisite. In particular, she was
fascinated by "The Last Song of Sirit Byar" (the tale of an aging musician and the young girl who follows him on
the road) and "Lal and Soukyan" (two old warriors journeying to atone for an act of cruelty performed decades before).
A Dance For Emilia by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Nick Gevers
This novella is a fine and deeply felt mix of wit and elegy. Like his previous
novel, Tamsin (1999), this is a contemporary fantasy, told in a conversational modern voice less
conspicuously flamboyant than the famously fabulous diction of The Last Unicorn and The Innkeeper's Song;
but unlike Tamsin's artificial and awkward teenage narrator, Jacob is concisely and maturely
reminiscent, and his tale has a truly adult fascination.
Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Charlene Brusso
The novel is an old-fashioned ghost story dovetailed with
a very contemporary coming-of-age tale. While each alone would work as
a separate book, the author's interweaving gives the piece a lively synergy
which spirals around themes of love and family, loneliness and forgiveness.
Giant Bones by Peter S. Beagle
reviewed by Stephen M. Davis
Here, you'll find six stories written with a deft hand and a light touch. The
stories are tied together only by being part of Beagle's Innkeeper's Song world.
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