Into the Land of the Unicorns
As a small child I was obsessed with this book and, by extension,
unicorns in general. But I can basically trace that obsession right back
to this very book. Into the Land of the Unicorns may have been one of my most read books as a child. It was certainly one of the most influential, at least in the early years.
There isn't anything particularly special about this book. It's a fairly generic story about a girl who travels to a fantastical land, meets a bunch of cool creatures, and travels through said land on a quest. But it was probably the first time I encountered that formula, and boy did I fall in love. There are your standard unicorns and dragons. But there's also the Dimblethum, who's like a more mature version of Ludo from Labyrinth and the Squijum, a cross between a squirrel and a monkey.
There's also a decent sense of history about this world. The main character, Cara, is all tied up in it thanks to her family. Her ancestor believes all unicorns are fearsome creatures who must be destroyed, and her father has bought into that. Meanwhile, her grandmother is a friend of the unicorns. Most of the people in the land recognize her name, thanks to her adventures as a teenager. It's a legacy that pulls Cara in several directions, and it makes her much more interesting.
I was hugely influenced by this book as a small child. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get into Luster, the land of the unicorns, convinced that if I just hoped or believed hard enough I would get there. These attempts to travel to another world during recess are also on of the very first things I shared with the girl who would become one of my best friends through high school, back when I was a shy girl at a new school.
This is also the book that first made me want to be a writer. It was accessible in a way that convinced me I could do this, too. The first full story I wrote, back in high school, was essentially a knock off of this book. But it planted that seed, one I've been trying to fulfill ever since (hence this blog).
But the real reason this book stuck with me for so long is that it doesn't end. Coville planned an epic series, and this book is so clearly just the first of many. Almost nothing happens in it, and it ends just as the characters are setting off on another adventure. An adventure that Coville promises will be in the next book.
Except he never wrote that book.
Well that's not true. He did eventually write it; it just took entirely too long. By the time the sequel had been released, I had moved past unicorns. I had practically forgotten about this book, turning my attention to Harry Potter and The Sword of Truth and the like. I learned to live with the fact that this story would never be finished, that I'd never find out what happened next. This early lesson in disappointment is perhaps why I'm not as anxious about Pat Rothfuss' or GRRM's next release as many other people.
Then something magical happened. While browsing through a used book sale, I stumbled across the sequel. And not just the sequel. Practically a mint-condition first edition of the sequel (which is maybe not as impressive for a book that no one's ever heard of). I scooped it up for less than $0.50 and took it home. I delved straight back into the magic in these books, and once again I cannot wait to find out what happens next. But this time I won't have to wait two decades.
There isn't anything particularly special about this book. It's a fairly generic story about a girl who travels to a fantastical land, meets a bunch of cool creatures, and travels through said land on a quest. But it was probably the first time I encountered that formula, and boy did I fall in love. There are your standard unicorns and dragons. But there's also the Dimblethum, who's like a more mature version of Ludo from Labyrinth and the Squijum, a cross between a squirrel and a monkey.
There's also a decent sense of history about this world. The main character, Cara, is all tied up in it thanks to her family. Her ancestor believes all unicorns are fearsome creatures who must be destroyed, and her father has bought into that. Meanwhile, her grandmother is a friend of the unicorns. Most of the people in the land recognize her name, thanks to her adventures as a teenager. It's a legacy that pulls Cara in several directions, and it makes her much more interesting.
I was hugely influenced by this book as a small child. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get into Luster, the land of the unicorns, convinced that if I just hoped or believed hard enough I would get there. These attempts to travel to another world during recess are also on of the very first things I shared with the girl who would become one of my best friends through high school, back when I was a shy girl at a new school.
This is also the book that first made me want to be a writer. It was accessible in a way that convinced me I could do this, too. The first full story I wrote, back in high school, was essentially a knock off of this book. But it planted that seed, one I've been trying to fulfill ever since (hence this blog).
But the real reason this book stuck with me for so long is that it doesn't end. Coville planned an epic series, and this book is so clearly just the first of many. Almost nothing happens in it, and it ends just as the characters are setting off on another adventure. An adventure that Coville promises will be in the next book.
Except he never wrote that book.
Well that's not true. He did eventually write it; it just took entirely too long. By the time the sequel had been released, I had moved past unicorns. I had practically forgotten about this book, turning my attention to Harry Potter and The Sword of Truth and the like. I learned to live with the fact that this story would never be finished, that I'd never find out what happened next. This early lesson in disappointment is perhaps why I'm not as anxious about Pat Rothfuss' or GRRM's next release as many other people.
Then something magical happened. While browsing through a used book sale, I stumbled across the sequel. And not just the sequel. Practically a mint-condition first edition of the sequel (which is maybe not as impressive for a book that no one's ever heard of). I scooped it up for less than $0.50 and took it home. I delved straight back into the magic in these books, and once again I cannot wait to find out what happens next. But this time I won't have to wait two decades.
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