The Unicorn Anthology

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Did you grow up on fairy tales and unicorn stories? Well, this anthology isn't a collection of those tales. This anthology will show the world the darker side of unicorns. Some would even argue that it is the more accurate portrayal of their history.

Included in this anthology, you'll find The Magical Properties of Unicorn Ivory, The Brew, Falling of the Unicorn, A Hunters Ode to Bait, Ghost Town, A Thousand Flowers, The Maltese Unicorn, Stampede of Light, The Highest Justice, The Lion and the Unicorn, Survivor, Homeward Bound, Unicorn Triangle, My Son Heydari and the Karkadarnn, The Transfigured Hart, and Unicorn Series.

My Review:

Oh. Well, this wasn't quite the anthology I was hoping for. Don't get me wrong! I wasn't expecting The Unicorn Anthology to be all bright and bubbly (though I don't mind happier unicorn tales, to be clear). I really like darker, more fae-esque takes on unicorns.

That said...I only loved a few of the shorts in here. I was initially drawn to this anthology because of a.) unicorns and b.) a few authors (Caitlin R. Kiernan, Carrie Vaughn, etc.), but that wasn't enough to keep me invested.

My biggest problem is that I didn't connect to a lot of the stories. Or I didn't enjoy the implications they made (looking at you, the story that implies lesbian sex doesn't count as losing your virginity).

Here's the good: Survivor by David Smed, The Highest Justice by Garth Nix, and The Transfigured Hart by Jane Yolen (I knew she wouldn't let me down!).

Side note: This anthology is a recent(ish) publication of a bunch of older short stories. Most of them had previously been published somewhere else, so you don't need to read this anthology to access them all. This nicely compiles a few thematically appropriate shorts into one anthology.

Highlights:
Anthology of Short Stories
Unicorn-centric shorts
Urban Fantasy

Trigger Warnings:
Suicide
Rape/Drugging

Thanks to Tachyon Publications and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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