What I'm Reading: Uncommon Wonder from a Fantasy Master: Year of the Unicorn

A Grand Master of the SF/F Field 

~ Wondrous Worlds and Wondrous Stories ~

I came to Andre Norton in the mid 1970s through Warlock of the Witch World, and I found Year of the Unicorn after about 3 years of continually picking up her books.

I'm re-reading Year of the Unicorn, probably for the 7th time, and enjoying it just as much as the first time.  Maybe more.  Every time I read it, I see something that I didn't see before.

Norton is a hit-or-miss for me.  Some of her books are just meh.  Some of them I really really like.  Some of them stick in my head after one reading even years later.  Year of the Unicorn is the one that I consider her best work.  Other people name the Witch World series as her best.  Besides the Witch World series, she has many more fantasies as well as forays into science fiction (Zero Stone, even as science fiction, is my next fav.).

The Year of the Unicorn is an enjoyable read that is yet very unusual.

1)  I don't think anyone before or since has done shape-shifting were beasts in quite this way.

2) The Chosen One is definitely not chosen and is not ever going to be--with all the Chosen One books flooding the marketplace, more people should read Unicorn to see how Andre Norton broke the mold.,

3) The struggles of both protagonists are understandable and difficult.  Tricks and obstacles abound that you are not going to expect. 

One element that set this book apart was the creative plot twists with antihero protagonists. Gillian would not have been chosen without her trick; Herrel is not considered the best of the were riders. The descriptions are vivid. The storyline still charms me every time I read this book, and I re-read it about every five years while I don't pick up the Witch World books.

Likable characters. Strong imagery. Twists on the mythic tropes. Clear narrative that develops the story rather than skips through it (a problem with modern story).

Enjoy.


Here's the link.  I don't do affiliate links.  Geez, it's a good book.  Read it.