The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle by Peter S. Beagle
"The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle" is a collection featuring a range of imaginative stories that explore themes of love, transformation, and the interplay between life and death. The first tale, "Lila the Werewolf," introduces the complicated relationship between Joe Farrell and Lila Braun, who becomes a werewolf, leading to unexpected challenges and eventual separation. Following this, "The Last Unicorn" unfolds the journey of a unicorn seeking her kind, accompanied by a wizard and a strong-willed woman, culminating in an epic confrontation with the oppressive King Haggard.
Another notable story, "Come, Lady Death," presents Lady Neville, an aristocrat who invites Death to her ball, resulting in a dramatic twist as Death takes her place. The collection concludes with "A Fine and Private Place," which follows Michael Morgan, a college professor navigating existence in limbo and exploring love with a ghost, alongside the story of Jonathan Rebeck and his struggles with the living world. Throughout these narratives, Beagle's rich fantasy settings and multifaceted characters engage with profound questions about identity and connection, making the collection a significant contribution to contemporary fantasy literature.
On this Page
The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle
First published: 1978 (includes A Fine and Private Place, 1960; “Come, Lady Death,” 1963; The Last Unicorn, 1968; and “Lila the Werewolf,” 1974)
Type of work: Collected works
Type of plot: Fantasy—Magical Realism
Time of work: Various, primarily the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
Locale: New York City and England
The Plot
The first story in The Fantasy Worlds of Peter Beagle is “Lila the Werewolf.” It might be called either a short novella or a lengthy short story. It follows the brief relationship between Joe Farrell and Lila Braun. Shortly after Lila moves into Farrell’s apartment, Farrell begins to notice that Lila acts strangely during a certain part of the month. He soon discovers the reason for this behavior: Lila Braun is a werewolf. Although their relationship continues for a short time, it finally disintegrates when Farrell and Lila’s mother follow Lila, who is in wolf form, as she makes her rounds of New York City. Years later, Lilas mother calls Farrell to inform him of Lilas wedding to a research psychologist, whose interest in Lila is both romantic and professional.
The next story in the collection is The Last Unicorn. This novel focuses on the adventures of a female unicorn who leaves the safety of her forest in order to find others of her kind. Along the way, she gains the companionship of Schmendrick the wizard, whose success at wizardry is sporadic at best, and Molly Grue, a tender-hearted but tough-speaking woman. Their search leads them to the heart of the kingdom of King Haggard, a monarch whose desire to possess beauty and immortality led him years before to imprison unicorns within the waves of the sea. When confronted by King Haggard’s mighty Red Bull, the unicorn almost meets the same fate as her kindred, but Schmendrick changes her into the shape of a frail, beautiful woman, Lady Amalthea. Prince Lír, King Haggard’s adoptive son, soon falls in love with Lady Amalthea, but because of her true nature, she cannot fully reciprocate his love. The novel ends with the fall of King Haggard, the ascent of Lír to the throne, and the freeing of the unicorns from the waves.
“Come, Lady Death” appears after The Last Unicorn. This short story centers on Lady Neville, an important aristocrat with a flair for the dramatic. So that she can host the most exciting party in London, Lady Neville invites Death to be the guest of honor at her next ball. Death shows up in the guise of a beautiful young woman. By the end of the story, Death trades places with Lady Neville. The arrangement is sealed with a kiss between the two women.
The final story in the collection is the novel A Fine and Private Place. The story is about Michael Morgan, a young college professor who suddenly finds himself dead, even though he retains consciousness. He is in a state of limbo. In the graveyard, he meets Jonathan Rebeck, a misfit from society who has lived in the graveyard for two decades. Morgan also meets Laura Durand, a ghost like himself, and the two of them fall in love. The novel follows two main plots: the relationship between Morgan and Durand and the relationship between Rebeck and a widow, Gertrude Klapper. Morgan and Durand’s relationship is threatened by the exhumation of Morgan’s body because of Morgan’s apparent suicide (he is buried in a Roman Catholic plot). Rebeck and Klapper’s relationship is strained by Rebeck’s inability to cope with the outside world. Finally, Morgan and Durand are reburied in another cemetery, and Rebeck, with Klapper’s support, re-enters society.