| Two Hearts | |
|---|---|
An illustration for "Two Hearts" by Cory and Catska Ench on the cover of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2005. |
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| Author(s) | Peter S. Beagle |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 218 pp |
| ISBN | 9870451450523 |
| Preceded by | The Last Unicorn (1968) |
"Two Hearts" is a novelette written by Peter S. Beagle in 2004 as a coda to The Last Unicorn (1968), despite his decades-long reluctance to continue the original story. It was first published as the cover story of Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine in October/November 2005, but can also be found in Beagle's short story anthology, The Line Between, and is also included in the deluxe edition of The Last Unicorn that was published in 2007.[1] More recently it has been included in The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction: Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology (2009).[2]
Contents |
A young girl named Sooz lives in a village plagued by a griffin. The beast has preyed on the village's sheep and goats for years, but recently it has started killing children as well. Sooz embarks on a quest to recruit the King to save her village, and on the way runs into Schmendrick and Molly Grue from The Last Unicorn. Upon reaching the king's castle they find an aged Lír, who on first glance does not seem to be up to the task of slaying a griffin. Lír eventually accepts the mission and sets off with Sooz, Molly Grue, and Schmendrick to battle the griffin in the Midwood.
The genesis of the project came about when Beagle's business manager suggested that he write a story set in the world of The Last Unicorn without necessarily including any of the same characters. From there, Beagle says that "things happened."[3]