Who wrote the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn?

Peter S. Beagle wrote the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn.

The novel was first published in 1968 and follows a unicorn who believes she may be the last of her kind. After learning that other unicorns have disappeared, she leaves her forest to discover what happened. Her journey brings her into contact with the magician Schmendrick and the woman warrior Molly Grue.

The story combines fairy-tale motifs with melancholy, humor, romance, and reflections on mortality. King Haggard’s kingdom is connected to the disappearance of the unicorns, while the red bull is a major supernatural force in the plot.

The Last Unicorn is often confused with Beagle’s screenplay work or with the 1982 animated film, which Beagle also wrote. The book itself is a novel, and its author is Peter S. Beagle. Roger Zelazny, Patricia A. McKillip, and Michael Moorcock are notable fantasy writers, but none wrote this particular book.