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Innkeeper's World #1
Gollancz The Innkeepers Song.
This New York Times Notable Book is the captivating tale of one man's quest to capture the ghost of his dead lover. His odyssey draws him into the lives of three magical women on horseback with a dangerous quest of their own. A dazzling fantasy of love and death, lust and betrayal, from the beloved author of The Last Unicorn.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
95 people are currently reading
5572 people want to read
About the author
Peter S. Beagle
222 books3,870 followersPeter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. He is also a talented guitarist and folk singer. He wrote his first novel, A Fine and Private Place , when he was only 19 years old. Today he is best known as the author of The Last Unicorn, which routinely polls as one of the top ten fantasy novels of all time, and at least two of his other books (A Fine and Private Place and I See By My Outfit) are considered modern classics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
September 12, 2011
A plot summary of this book might go something like this: A wizard and his former students fight against another former student who has traded his life to the darkness for power. It would be accurate, but totally misleading. So what was the book really about? Stories. Singing. Love. Hate. Obligations. Responsibilities. Death. Rebirth. Redemption....
If I had to describe The Innkeeper's Song in a word, it would be this--chewy. Some books are like milkshakes. You just drink them down easily and go on to the next one. Others, like this one, you read slowly. If you don't, you miss half of it. Beagle has packed in enough story in this novel for a book three times its size. Another author would have have turned it into a 1000 page doorstop and it would have taken no more time to read than it does at its proper length. This is one I'll probably have to read again, since I'm sure I could come back to it in six months or so and be thinking "I totally missed that!" in every other chapter. There's a lot here. Take your time.
If I had to describe The Innkeeper's Song in a word, it would be this--chewy. Some books are like milkshakes. You just drink them down easily and go on to the next one. Others, like this one, you read slowly. If you don't, you miss half of it. Beagle has packed in enough story in this novel for a book three times its size. Another author would have have turned it into a 1000 page doorstop and it would have taken no more time to read than it does at its proper length. This is one I'll probably have to read again, since I'm sure I could come back to it in six months or so and be thinking "I totally missed that!" in every other chapter. There's a lot here. Take your time.
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October 27, 2025За поръчки и помощ с разгласата (имаме нужда :) – оттук.
Из предговора:
А сега (...) правя крачка встрани и поглеждам самата „Песен“. Защо е важна тази книга за човека Калин, за мечтите му какво да включва „Човешката библиотека“. По какво се отличава тя от другите книги, които познавам.
Ами например:
В целия роман ще срещнете всичко на всичко двайсет герои. Въпреки това ще ги помните по-дълго от стотиците в епичните десеттомници. Седмици след като ги изпратите към следващите им пътешествия, гласовете им ще ви съпровождат във вашите.
В „Песента“ няма ни една война, ни едно сражение. Има схватка между трима, схватка между двама и три сблъсъка, в които физическите умения не помагат с нищо. Аз ги помня и петте, щрих по щрих… и са повлияли, осъзнато или не, на начина, по който пиша бойни сцени. Само Зелазни ми е влиял така.
Кулминацията на „Песента“ – моментът, в който сълзите ни се отприщват – няма нищо общо с бойните сцени. Или дори с тоя толкова любим, толкова изтъркан похват – смъртта на някой герой. Не искам да ви отнема радостта от първооткривателството, затова само ще кажа: там ви чака не смърт, а прераждане. И то не физическо. (Искам повече такива финали.)
„Песента“ не е любовен роман – не и в смисъла, който обичайно влагаме в „любовен“. Вътре обаче има една интимна сцена – трийсет страници, с над двама участници, – която и до днес ме кара да се чудя:
– какво са разбрали, какво са почувствали всички други знайни мене автори (освен Стърджън и Зиндел) от обединяването на телесното и на душевното привличане – връзката между секса и желанието, и копнежа, и нуждата да обичаш; и ако са разбрали, ако са почувствали нещо – защо, за Бога, никога не са успели да ни го покажат?
– какво сме разбрали, почувствали ние, живите човеци, за които мисълта да споделим легло с повече от един (а понякога – даже с един) партньор е… не, почакайте, няма аз да ви кажа. Кажете вие: каква е реакцията ви, ако си представите, че сте в легло с повече от един партньор? И, една стъпка по-натам: откъде ви е дошла тази реакция?
– и следователно – как е възможно еднасекс не, не, думата я уцелих по-добре в началото – една интимна сцена, при която чувствата буквално замъгляват умовете на участниците (но избистрят взора им… ще видите)… как е възможно една чувствена сцена да ми породи толкова мисли? Знаем ли ние, като разказвачи, как да ползваме историите си наистина? Знаем ли какво всъщност можем?
Ала самият предговор... не е толкова бояк. Чуйте...
Из предговора:
А сега (...) правя крачка встрани и поглеждам самата „Песен“. Защо е важна тази книга за човека Калин, за мечтите му какво да включва „Човешката библиотека“. По какво се отличава тя от другите книги, които познавам.
Ами например:
В целия роман ще срещнете всичко на всичко двайсет герои. Въпреки това ще ги помните по-дълго от стотиците в епичните десеттомници. Седмици след като ги изпратите към следващите им пътешествия, гласовете им ще ви съпровождат във вашите.
В „Песента“ няма ни една война, ни едно сражение. Има схватка между трима, схватка между двама и три сблъсъка, в които физическите умения не помагат с нищо. Аз ги помня и петте, щрих по щрих… и са повлияли, осъзнато или не, на начина, по който пиша бойни сцени. Само Зелазни ми е влиял така.
Кулминацията на „Песента“ – моментът, в който сълзите ни се отприщват – няма нищо общо с бойните сцени. Или дори с тоя толкова любим, толкова изтъркан похват – смъртта на някой герой. Не искам да ви отнема радостта от първооткривателството, затова само ще кажа: там ви чака не смърт, а прераждане. И то не физическо. (Искам повече такива финали.)
„Песента“ не е любовен роман – не и в смисъла, който обичайно влагаме в „любовен“. Вътре обаче има една интимна сцена – трийсет страници, с над двама участници, – която и до днес ме кара да се чудя:
– какво са разбрали, какво са почувствали всички други знайни мене автори (освен Стърджън и Зиндел) от обединяването на телесното и на душевното привличане – връзката между секса и желанието, и копнежа, и нуждата да обичаш; и ако са разбрали, ако са почувствали нещо – защо, за Бога, никога не са успели да ни го покажат?
– какво сме разбрали, почувствали ние, живите човеци, за които мисълта да споделим легло с повече от един (а понякога – даже с един) партньор е… не, почакайте, няма аз да ви кажа. Кажете вие: каква е реакцията ви, ако си представите, че сте в легло с повече от един партньор? И, една стъпка по-натам: откъде ви е дошла тази реакция?
– и следователно – как е възможно една
Ала самият предговор... не е толкова бояк. Чуйте...
August 29, 2025
The Innkeeper’s Song is Peter S. Beagle’s masterpiece. It’s not his most famous novel (The Last Unicorn likely will forever hold that place), and it’s not even my favorite of his books (for that see The Folk of the Air). But for pure artistic complexity and literary brilliance, Beagle reached his pinnacle with this amazing novel.
Think of The Innkeeper’s Song as a brilliant, sprawling mural. At mural’s center is the inn and its environs, with action, life and plot swirling around it. Radiating out from that center are the complex stories of all those who congregated at the inn — the stories of who they are, what has shaped them, and what brought them into the plot’s center.
And imagine Beagle as the master artist painting this massive mural with a collection of masterfully wielded first person narrators (nine in all). He created a type of Rashomon effect, telling various aspects of the story over through several different characters, each viewing the event (and each other) with significant differences. And what a color palette he used! From the basic brown of the innkeeper’s narration through the crazy scarlet of the fox, each character’s narration added depth, color, and complexity.
And the story itself? It begins with a tragic death and an unlikely resurrection. It continues with pursuits and tracking through dangerous wastes, shape changing foxes, a legendary warrior, a warrior nun, fanatical assassins, a noble stable boy, stubborn, heartbroken lovers, epic wizard wars, a simple serving girl, doomed quests, a devastating demon, and an unlikely orgy described from four separate perspectives. All playing out in and around the simple inn of a grumpy but stolid innkeeper.
But for all the flash, thunder, and wonder of this marvelous tale, it all comes back to the characters and their humanity, just as it always does in Peter S. Beagle stories. Beagle’s characters are so real they almost breathe. The plot exists so we can know them for a little while, and perhaps understand ourselves better for the acquaintance.
Think of The Innkeeper’s Song as a brilliant, sprawling mural. At mural’s center is the inn and its environs, with action, life and plot swirling around it. Radiating out from that center are the complex stories of all those who congregated at the inn — the stories of who they are, what has shaped them, and what brought them into the plot’s center.
And imagine Beagle as the master artist painting this massive mural with a collection of masterfully wielded first person narrators (nine in all). He created a type of Rashomon effect, telling various aspects of the story over through several different characters, each viewing the event (and each other) with significant differences. And what a color palette he used! From the basic brown of the innkeeper’s narration through the crazy scarlet of the fox, each character’s narration added depth, color, and complexity.
And the story itself? It begins with a tragic death and an unlikely resurrection. It continues with pursuits and tracking through dangerous wastes, shape changing foxes, a legendary warrior, a warrior nun, fanatical assassins, a noble stable boy, stubborn, heartbroken lovers, epic wizard wars, a simple serving girl, doomed quests, a devastating demon, and an unlikely orgy described from four separate perspectives. All playing out in and around the simple inn of a grumpy but stolid innkeeper.
But for all the flash, thunder, and wonder of this marvelous tale, it all comes back to the characters and their humanity, just as it always does in Peter S. Beagle stories. Beagle’s characters are so real they almost breathe. The plot exists so we can know them for a little while, and perhaps understand ourselves better for the acquaintance.
July 29, 2025
Chłopak podążający za duchem swej zmarłej ukochanej, gdy ich wspólną przyszłość przekreśliło utonięcie dziewczyny. Marudny, gruboskórny karczmarz i nastoletni stajenny, skory do śmiechu i pomocny, mimo codziennych trudów i cierpień. Trzy tajemnicze kobiety - czarna, władająca szpadą, kochająca opowieści, brązowa, wojownicza i nieugięta, biała, milcząca i poszukująca swojego imienia. No i lis. Lis, który równocześnie lisem jest i nie jest, a w swej narracji nie mógłby być bardziej lisi. Ścieżki tych (i nie tylko!) postaci pewnego upalnego lata przecinają się w karczmie "Pod Kogucią Ostrogą", a każde z nich wychodzi z tego spotkania w jakiś sposób odmienione.
Peter S. Beagle kolejny raz mnie oczarował. Prostotą, cudownym klimatem, barwnymi postaciami i głębokimi relacjami między nimi, magią, która równocześnie stoi w centrum tej historii i jest dla niej zaledwie tłem. No i, czy też przede wszystkim, językiem - pełnym niedopowiedzeń, urwanych myśli, poetyckim tam gdzie trzeba i bardzo konkretnym, gdy wymaga tego sytuacja, przywodzącym na myśl sen, historię opowiadaną przy ognisku lub baśń czytaną w dzieciństwie. To jest prawdziwa magia. Nie wymaga wcale wielkich bitew, szalonych pościgów, portali do odległych światów czy innych fajerwerków (choć to wszystko też tu jest! Po prostu nie w tym kryje się siła tej opowieści.)
W zamkniętej (choć nie do końca i nie zawsze) przestrzeni zmieściło się całe multum światów, wszak każdy bohater ma swój własny i to nim się z nami dzieli. Dlatego ta historia w każdym rozdziale brzmi nieco inaczej, w zależności od tego, czy poznajemy ją chwilowo z ust uczennicy czarodzieja, chłopaka stajennego albo pomocnika kucharza. Każda z tych postaci jest tutaj ważna, tak samo jak misterna sieć powiązań między nimi. Dlaczego przedstawiany jako samolubny okrutnik karczmarz kilkanaście lat temu przygarnął małego chłopca? Co łączy trzy tajemnicze kobiety, których śladem podążają mordercy? Kim jest zmęczony życiem staruszek, kreowany na potężnego maga, a obawiający się zasnąć? I jaka jest w tym wszystkim rola lisa?
To jedna z tych książek, które można czytać kilkukrotnie i za każdym razem odnaleźć w niej coś nowego, tego jestem pewna. Myślę też, że wiele osób może uznać ją za nudną i jestem w stanie to zrozumieć - nie powiedziałabym, że mamy tu akcję pędzącą w zawrotnym tempie, choć z drugiej strony dzieje się bardzo dużo. Trzeba jednak czytać między wierszami, wiele rzeczy przyjąć na wiarę i dać się ponieść tej opowieści. Mnie oczarowała i wzruszyła, ostatnich dwadzieścia stron czytałam ze łzami w oczach. Czuję, że podobnie jak o "Ostatnim jednorożcu", będę o niej myśleć jeszcze długo.
"- Przeżyłem - powiedziałem. - Ale nie wiem, czy to znaczy to samo, co nie umrzeć."
____________
PS Żeby być sprawiedliwą, powinnam pewnie wspomnieć o trudnej dziś do strawienia scenie seksu z szesnastolatkiem. Jest to jednak świat, w którym w tym wieku wychodzi się za mąż, więc może nie powinnam się czepiać.
Peter S. Beagle kolejny raz mnie oczarował. Prostotą, cudownym klimatem, barwnymi postaciami i głębokimi relacjami między nimi, magią, która równocześnie stoi w centrum tej historii i jest dla niej zaledwie tłem. No i, czy też przede wszystkim, językiem - pełnym niedopowiedzeń, urwanych myśli, poetyckim tam gdzie trzeba i bardzo konkretnym, gdy wymaga tego sytuacja, przywodzącym na myśl sen, historię opowiadaną przy ognisku lub baśń czytaną w dzieciństwie. To jest prawdziwa magia. Nie wymaga wcale wielkich bitew, szalonych pościgów, portali do odległych światów czy innych fajerwerków (choć to wszystko też tu jest! Po prostu nie w tym kryje się siła tej opowieści.)
W zamkniętej (choć nie do końca i nie zawsze) przestrzeni zmieściło się całe multum światów, wszak każdy bohater ma swój własny i to nim się z nami dzieli. Dlatego ta historia w każdym rozdziale brzmi nieco inaczej, w zależności od tego, czy poznajemy ją chwilowo z ust uczennicy czarodzieja, chłopaka stajennego albo pomocnika kucharza. Każda z tych postaci jest tutaj ważna, tak samo jak misterna sieć powiązań między nimi. Dlaczego przedstawiany jako samolubny okrutnik karczmarz kilkanaście lat temu przygarnął małego chłopca? Co łączy trzy tajemnicze kobiety, których śladem podążają mordercy? Kim jest zmęczony życiem staruszek, kreowany na potężnego maga, a obawiający się zasnąć? I jaka jest w tym wszystkim rola lisa?
To jedna z tych książek, które można czytać kilkukrotnie i za każdym razem odnaleźć w niej coś nowego, tego jestem pewna. Myślę też, że wiele osób może uznać ją za nudną i jestem w stanie to zrozumieć - nie powiedziałabym, że mamy tu akcję pędzącą w zawrotnym tempie, choć z drugiej strony dzieje się bardzo dużo. Trzeba jednak czytać między wierszami, wiele rzeczy przyjąć na wiarę i dać się ponieść tej opowieści. Mnie oczarowała i wzruszyła, ostatnich dwadzieścia stron czytałam ze łzami w oczach. Czuję, że podobnie jak o "Ostatnim jednorożcu", będę o niej myśleć jeszcze długo.
"- Przeżyłem - powiedziałem. - Ale nie wiem, czy to znaczy to samo, co nie umrzeć."
____________
PS Żeby być sprawiedliwą, powinnam pewnie wspomnieć o trudnej dziś do strawienia scenie seksu z szesnastolatkiem. Jest to jednak świat, w którym w tym wieku wychodzi się za mąż, więc może nie powinnam się czepiać.
Want to read
November 19, 2017Buddy read with Laura
Hoping this chases away my five day slump
Hoping this chases away my five day slump
May 29, 2011
Honestly: I'm not quite sure how to sum up my feelings for this books...or just say anything about it. I found it awesome. I also think many people might find it terribly dull, which I somehow also understand but I still think it's awesome.
Well what's it about? There is a boy who sets out to save his true love (turns out she doesn't want to be rescued), there are two very beautiful and very misterious women, one of which has a name that reads like someone's been sick over a scrabble-board (it just gets abbreviated to 'Lal' most of the time). The other is called Nyateneri, which is slightly better. One third into the book there is a not too explicit but somehow still gratious foursome sex-scene, and only afterwards does the plot really start...it involves an old misterious, wise and powerful wizzard and another one who is even more powerful but not as wise. There is danger of the world getting destroyed.
Oh, and there's a shapechanging fox of mediocre importance.
All this sounds like someone just mashed a couple of random fantasy-cliches together but it's so much more. It is hard to describe, why exactly (and I'm tempted to say 'Well because it's Peter S. Beagle'). I think it's because all that is not the most important part. It's about love, friendship, relationships, running away from your past, trusting people and so much more. Saying that sounds terribly pretentious, but it is true.
Another beautiful thing about the book is, how it is told: Different characters tell the stories from their point of view. Not all of them are directly involved in the events, there's a traveling actress and different people, working in the inn, where most events take place, who tell the story, even though they have barely/no influence on it. But still, every character has a distinct voice (except perhaps for Nyateneri and Lal, they sound quite similar at times) that makes him immediately recognisable.
It is not a book for everybody. I wouldn't even guarantee that you'll like The Innkeper's Song if you have liked The Last Unicorn because in a way TLU is still a more typical fantasy-story than this...Now there should be a 'but', but I can just repeat: you might find it awesome. You might find it boring if you're expecting conventional fantasy. Go and find out for yourself.
Well what's it about? There is a boy who sets out to save his true love (turns out she doesn't want to be rescued), there are two very beautiful and very misterious women, one of which has a name that reads like someone's been sick over a scrabble-board (it just gets abbreviated to 'Lal' most of the time). The other is called Nyateneri, which is slightly better. One third into the book there is a not too explicit but somehow still gratious foursome sex-scene, and only afterwards does the plot really start...it involves an old misterious, wise and powerful wizzard and another one who is even more powerful but not as wise. There is danger of the world getting destroyed.
Oh, and there's a shapechanging fox of mediocre importance.
All this sounds like someone just mashed a couple of random fantasy-cliches together but it's so much more. It is hard to describe, why exactly (and I'm tempted to say 'Well because it's Peter S. Beagle'). I think it's because all that is not the most important part. It's about love, friendship, relationships, running away from your past, trusting people and so much more. Saying that sounds terribly pretentious, but it is true.
Another beautiful thing about the book is, how it is told: Different characters tell the stories from their point of view. Not all of them are directly involved in the events, there's a traveling actress and different people, working in the inn, where most events take place, who tell the story, even though they have barely/no influence on it. But still, every character has a distinct voice (except perhaps for Nyateneri and Lal, they sound quite similar at times) that makes him immediately recognisable.
It is not a book for everybody. I wouldn't even guarantee that you'll like The Innkeper's Song if you have liked The Last Unicorn because in a way TLU is still a more typical fantasy-story than this...Now there should be a 'but', but I can just repeat: you might find it awesome. You might find it boring if you're expecting conventional fantasy. Go and find out for yourself.
October 18, 2015
Isn't it annoying when a book ends that you don't want to end? Then, you sort of feel weird because a world has closed. You can reread it, reenter the world, but you'll never be the you that you were when you first read it, so it won't be the same. That's how I feel about The Innkeeper's Song just like I do about The Last Unicorn. Beagle is a magician, a good Arshadin, someone you know immediately is a master who you'll never surpass. But you don't mind because you get to experience the magic.
That's all I can really say about how I feel for this book. I can also say I didn't feel this way at first. The more I read it, the more it got to me. The characters. The story. The world. I'm sure most people won't feel this way, but I love this book. I can't recommend it unless you love Beagle and other worlds and characters that you wish you knew in real life but are glad that you don't know because they would break your heart. Otherwise, don't read it because you'll ruin it.
That's all I can really say about how I feel for this book. I can also say I didn't feel this way at first. The more I read it, the more it got to me. The characters. The story. The world. I'm sure most people won't feel this way, but I love this book. I can't recommend it unless you love Beagle and other worlds and characters that you wish you knew in real life but are glad that you don't know because they would break your heart. Otherwise, don't read it because you'll ruin it.
August 6, 2018
the story and the people and the writing needs time to completely enjoy, i was thought about of not continuing when i was in the third or fourth chapter and my confidence in the author and the reviews nudged me on and then after a while i was not reading a book but living a story, an amazing story.
i will never doubt mr beagle again!
i will never doubt mr beagle again!
February 15, 2013
When three strange women (one black, one brown, one white) arrive at a wayside inn called The Gaff and Slasher, Karsh, the innkeeper, takes them in against his better judgment. Two of the women—Lal and Nyateneri—are searching for their former mentor, a powerful magician who has summoned them to save him from destruction and worse at the hands of his most powerful pupil, Arshadin. The third, Lukassa, is a village girl whom Lal resurrected after she drowned and whose childhood love, Tikat, pursues the three, intent on regaining her. When these blighted souls converge on the inn, life there is forever changed as powerful forces wage ungodly battle for possession of the magician’s soul.
I first came across The Innkeeper’s Song ten years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite fantasy novels. Beagle is a masterful stylist, his narrative full of wonderful, unexpected metaphors and fierce musicality. There is poetry in this book few writers can manage, full of things left unsaid and subtle inferences. All of this comes together to weave a compelling story that is impossible to put down.
Told from various points of view, The Innkeeper’s Song is a multi-faceted fantasy, not just one tale, but several woven together seamlessly, flowing in and out of stream-of-consciousness. Hard to fathom, I know, but it works brilliantly because Beagle is a master of characterization. There is never any doubt who is talking, even when the differences are subtle.
In elegant yet simple prose, Beagle plumbs the nature of life, death and love by illuminating the shifting relationships among the various major and minor players (including an irascible shape-changing fox) who people this affecting tale.
Favorite Line/Image: My name is Karsh. I am not a bad man.
I am not a particularly good one, either, though honest enough in my trade. Nor am I at all brave—if I were, I would be some kind of soldier or sailor. And if I could write even such a song as that nonsense about those three women which someone has put my name to, why, then I would be a songwriter, a bard, since I would certainly be fit for nothing else. But what I am fit for is what I am, everything I am. Karsh the innkeeper. Fat Karsh.
They talk foolishness about me now, since those women were here. Since that song. Now I am all mystery, a man from nowhere; now I am indeed supposed to have been a soldier, to have traveled the world, seen terrible things, done terrible things, changed my name and my life to hide from my past. Foolishness. I am Karsh the innkeeper, like my father, like his father, and the only other country I have ever seen is the farmland around Sharan-Zek, where I was born. But I have lived here for almost forty years, and run the Gaff and Slasher for thirty, and they know that, every one of them. Foolishness.
Bottom Line: A fantasy masterpiece that has withstood the test of time, The Innkeeper’s Song is not to be missed.
I first came across The Innkeeper’s Song ten years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite fantasy novels. Beagle is a masterful stylist, his narrative full of wonderful, unexpected metaphors and fierce musicality. There is poetry in this book few writers can manage, full of things left unsaid and subtle inferences. All of this comes together to weave a compelling story that is impossible to put down.
Told from various points of view, The Innkeeper’s Song is a multi-faceted fantasy, not just one tale, but several woven together seamlessly, flowing in and out of stream-of-consciousness. Hard to fathom, I know, but it works brilliantly because Beagle is a master of characterization. There is never any doubt who is talking, even when the differences are subtle.
In elegant yet simple prose, Beagle plumbs the nature of life, death and love by illuminating the shifting relationships among the various major and minor players (including an irascible shape-changing fox) who people this affecting tale.
Favorite Line/Image: My name is Karsh. I am not a bad man.
I am not a particularly good one, either, though honest enough in my trade. Nor am I at all brave—if I were, I would be some kind of soldier or sailor. And if I could write even such a song as that nonsense about those three women which someone has put my name to, why, then I would be a songwriter, a bard, since I would certainly be fit for nothing else. But what I am fit for is what I am, everything I am. Karsh the innkeeper. Fat Karsh.
They talk foolishness about me now, since those women were here. Since that song. Now I am all mystery, a man from nowhere; now I am indeed supposed to have been a soldier, to have traveled the world, seen terrible things, done terrible things, changed my name and my life to hide from my past. Foolishness. I am Karsh the innkeeper, like my father, like his father, and the only other country I have ever seen is the farmland around Sharan-Zek, where I was born. But I have lived here for almost forty years, and run the Gaff and Slasher for thirty, and they know that, every one of them. Foolishness.
Bottom Line: A fantasy masterpiece that has withstood the test of time, The Innkeeper’s Song is not to be missed.
October 6, 2021
3.5 stars
This isn't a perfect book; what bothered me most was a . It takes place between two of the main characters, which left me with some serious, ongoing cognitive dissonance in terms of how I felt about the characters and their relationship.
But what is there to do, when an author makes sentences like "Death is a nowhere lined with lightning"? I am a sucker for Peter S. Beagle and the particular shine he puts on love, melancholy, hope, and pettiness --his prose rings like a bell. (It also slips in and gets me right between the ribs.)
This isn't a perfect book; what bothered me most was a . It takes place between two of the main characters, which left me with some serious, ongoing cognitive dissonance in terms of how I felt about the characters and their relationship.
But what is there to do, when an author makes sentences like "Death is a nowhere lined with lightning"? I am a sucker for Peter S. Beagle and the particular shine he puts on love, melancholy, hope, and pettiness --his prose rings like a bell. (It also slips in and gets me right between the ribs.)
July 22, 2025
Listen, I appreciate this gifted book so much, but I cannot get over the foursome that happened with a 16 year old boy. At the time I did not know he was 16, but then I read the line that said
“As I have said, in those days a show of anger was the greatest luxury I dared imagine allowing myself, and at sixteen, the actual emotion seemed already as rare and unnatural in me as the display.”
Nope. Big DNF at 50%.
“As I have said, in those days a show of anger was the greatest luxury I dared imagine allowing myself, and at sixteen, the actual emotion seemed already as rare and unnatural in me as the display.”
Nope. Big DNF at 50%.
November 17, 2017
I quite enjoyed the shifting perspectives of this book -- for some reason, though, I wanted every chapter from a new person's point of view. (Perhaps this was because the initial discovery of each character's distinct persona through a first-person lens was so exciting and entrancing, I just wanted that to keep going!)
Once I adjusted to that, and what all was going on plot-wise, it became a somewhat more introspective, at times almost mystical, fantasy. More creative than most, I dare say (this is Beagle, after all), and with unfailingly engaging characters.
And of course, I'm a sucker for shrewd, tough-as-nails, heroines (of which this story has two!) My favorite scene, hands down, is when one of them defeats the one opponent she meets who is her martial superior, who has already beaten her handily... by telling him a story. A woman warrior, mage, storyteller, trickster -- how could I not love such a character?
Once I adjusted to that, and what all was going on plot-wise, it became a somewhat more introspective, at times almost mystical, fantasy. More creative than most, I dare say (this is Beagle, after all), and with unfailingly engaging characters.
And of course, I'm a sucker for shrewd, tough-as-nails, heroines (of which this story has two!) My favorite scene, hands down, is when one of them defeats the one opponent she meets who is her martial superior, who has already beaten her handily... by telling him a story. A woman warrior, mage, storyteller, trickster -- how could I not love such a character?
January 24, 2008
One of those amazing experiences that come along every now and again was hearing Peter Beagle read from scraps of this book before it was published. And when it was published, what a novel! Nobody has ever kept so many point of view characters dancing in such an elaborate and intricate tale, with it all ending as it should, something only a true master of the art could pull off.
March 30, 2013
Една магична история, изпълзяла изпод кълба непрогледна мъгла, водена от мелодия отвъд живота , водеща към дълбините на смъртта , и по-далече...
Всичко започва в едно пасторално селце, дало ненавременна жертва - половинка на огромна любов. Писъкът на болката привлича своите и чуждите, един недовършен дух изпълзява изпод дверите на тъмнината, и тръгва на пътешествие без смисъл, с неясен спътник без минало и преследвач идващ точно от отминалите дни. Странните пътешественици се увеличават, и намират своя пристан в крайпътен хан, който не ги приема с отворени обятия, но отваря сърцата на обитателите си към външната страна на бледия ден, канейки нощта и липсата на тъмнина в магията да се приютят под самотния покрив, подсланял хиляди пътници, но не като тези. О, не, не и като тези... И безкрайната истина за завинаги изгубеното и никога ненамереното започва своя танц пред очите на читателя, който освен да чете със широко отворени зеници и притаен дъх, всъщност няма избор друг никакъв.
Бийгъл е абсолютния майстор на думите, и дори тъжната ми среща с Тамзин не ме разубеди съвсем в чародейството на изреченията, вълшебството на ритъма, магията на писането, който този човечец владее до връхчетата на пръстите си. Светът на Ханджията и неговите гости е абсурден, неясен, едва загатнат, и въпреки това толкова цветен, жизнен и ухаещ на истинско, че сякаш вади у теб спомени за нещо твърде отдавна незапомнено, но винаги търсено неслучило се минало, в което ти се иска да си живял. Героите изплуват от мрака и не вървят пряко към обичайните пътеки от светлина, а по-скоро се крият в сенките, водени от закони и обещания, които отдавна са престъпили, но въпреки това биват изпивани вътрешно от желание да спазват. Три жени, три магьосници, три самодиви от някакъв специален бийгълски тип, се вмъкват в живописната сравнително спокойна картинка на едно загубило се във времето място, преобръщат го из основи, преоткриват самите себе си, и на всичкото отгоре докато правят това, дори не са истинските главни герои в картината. Представете си изображение, което крие динамиката на смисъла си на далечен заден план, докато на преден танцуват фигури, просто създадени да изпиват интереса само и единствено към себе си. Две картини в една, две книги в една, болезнено събрани от съпричастността към загубата и смъртта. И когато си мислиш, че всичко вече ти е ясно, и имаш някакъв енд, пък било то и съмнително нарицан като хепи, изведнъж кулмнацията на истинската история те бухва в носа, и всичко започва отначало, дори и след последната бяла страница, там някъде в главата ти.
То е ясно, че точно тази книга е безкрайно трудна за описание. След прочита и мога да се закълна , че съм чела поне няколко коренно нееднакви книги едновременно , създадени от различни автори, писани в различни времена, с идеи съвсем противоположни, даже противоречащи си на всяко едно ниво и осъзнаване. Богато изживяване по толкова учудващо много и неочаквани начини, че всяка гледна точка, меняща се с летописна прецизност и уважение към ритъма на времето, те изпълва с усещането за още един отворен прозорец, и понякога за още една затворена врата във света зад присвитите в недоверие очи. Шепи от улики към несъществуващи престъпления, нишки на загадки, които просто не търсят своето решение, капки идеи, които попиват и се раждат седмици след последните авторови думи. За мен е огромна чест да обявя, че Чобитите са се заели с този проект от години, и надявам се същият да види бял свят съвсем скоро. Защото преводът ще е съвсем друг свят от оригинала, а думотърсача в мен гори точно за такива измерения на необяснимото и красивото. Това е кауза , достойна да бъде подкрепена от ценителите на истински важното богатство в живота на един мислещ човек - а именно да се взира с неуморно любопитство зад изящно гравираните двери на ума на един гений на словото и да поглъща световете, създадени с брилянтно чист творчески импулс. Аз подкрепям всички радетели на истински добрите и ценни за читателите книги, направете го и вие - ето тук ще откриете как : http://choveshkata.net/blog/?p=3449
November 25, 2012
Like several million people, I read 'The Last Unicorn' when it was the big thing (probably around when the movie came out; not when it was first published - I'm not THAT old) - still, it was years ago, I don't remember it that clearly, but it just didn't really strike me for whatever reason. Since then, Beagle's writing hasn't really been on my radar - but I'm going to have to change that.
I got this book after reading Beagle's short story 'Chandail' in the anthology 'Salon Fantastique,' and loving it. I was delighted to learn there was more set in the same world.
One of the main characters in this is the woman in 'Chandail' and it was wonderful to learn a bit more of her background and history.
As a novel, on its own - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this book at all. I have no criticism. It does what the best fantasy does: creates a story of real people, real emotions, believable conflict and drama - while tying it in to myth and mythology, using symbolism and classic tropes to tell something entirely new. I'm impressed - and will be seeking out more of Beagle's work.
Three women ride into town... the dark warrior Lal, the nut-brown Nyateneri, cloaked in religious robes, and the pale and resurrected Lukassa. They are pursued by a lover, and they are pursued by assassins. In turn, they pursue a lost friend; and a powerful wizard. The inn where they take rooms will never be the same... and especially, life will never be the same for the innkeeper's boy, Rosseth.
I got this book after reading Beagle's short story 'Chandail' in the anthology 'Salon Fantastique,' and loving it. I was delighted to learn there was more set in the same world.
One of the main characters in this is the woman in 'Chandail' and it was wonderful to learn a bit more of her background and history.
As a novel, on its own - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this book at all. I have no criticism. It does what the best fantasy does: creates a story of real people, real emotions, believable conflict and drama - while tying it in to myth and mythology, using symbolism and classic tropes to tell something entirely new. I'm impressed - and will be seeking out more of Beagle's work.
Three women ride into town... the dark warrior Lal, the nut-brown Nyateneri, cloaked in religious robes, and the pale and resurrected Lukassa. They are pursued by a lover, and they are pursued by assassins. In turn, they pursue a lost friend; and a powerful wizard. The inn where they take rooms will never be the same... and especially, life will never be the same for the innkeeper's boy, Rosseth.
August 18, 2018
This isn’t so much a DNF as a “set aside for now.” I admire the writing, but the plot and the characters aren’t really landing with me. I think it may have a bit to do with the rapid shifts in POV. I usually like multiple-POV stories, but here I felt it had a distancing effect.
There are just so many books I want read.
There are just so many books I want read.
August 21, 2013
A fantasy book for those that don't particularly like fantasy (like me). Beagle, also a songwriter, actually wrote the song (excerpted below) and then several years later, he wrote this book because he wanted "to find out what the hell the song was really about."
"There came three ladies at sundown:
one was brown as bread is brown,
one was black, with a sailor's sway,
and one was pale as the moon by day.
The white one wore an emerald ring,
the brown led a fox on a silver string,
and the black one carried a rosewood cane
with a sword inside, for a saw it plain... "
And what a wonderful, magical story he came up with. By using the points of view of a dozen or so different characters, he weaved a romping fun tale of Lal, Nyateneri, Lukassa and all the other great characters from the Gaff and Slasher as they journey to save their wizard friend/mentor and subsequently find a little bit about themselves and the world in the process. Beagle's writing style was beautifully descriptive but never too flowery or long-winded.
This book will be one of my all time favorites and one that I would highly recommend to fantasy lovers and non-fantasy lovers alike.
"There came three ladies at sundown:
one was brown as bread is brown,
one was black, with a sailor's sway,
and one was pale as the moon by day.
The white one wore an emerald ring,
the brown led a fox on a silver string,
and the black one carried a rosewood cane
with a sword inside, for a saw it plain... "
And what a wonderful, magical story he came up with. By using the points of view of a dozen or so different characters, he weaved a romping fun tale of Lal, Nyateneri, Lukassa and all the other great characters from the Gaff and Slasher as they journey to save their wizard friend/mentor and subsequently find a little bit about themselves and the world in the process. Beagle's writing style was beautifully descriptive but never too flowery or long-winded.
This book will be one of my all time favorites and one that I would highly recommend to fantasy lovers and non-fantasy lovers alike.
November 9, 2020
DNF I loved the beginning of this book, the prologue was fantastic,it was as magical and lyrical as The Last Unicorn. The first couple of chapters followed suit and then...it began to unravel.
Each chapter is a different character and there's a Lot of them and most I didn't like or I didn't like them from their point of view,yet I liked them from others viewpoints,all very odd. So you're bouncing around, never knowing who's going to be next, and it's jarring. The story doesn't flow very easily due to this either.
The idea of the story is very interesting at first,but it's hard to follow and after awhile I just gave up,I couldn't take wading through all these dozens of viewpoints.
This is the 4th book I've read by Beagle and The Last Unicorn is the only one I've loved. I almost wonder if my love of the movie made me like the book,though I do love that book, it's beautiful. I'm sure I've missed out on all sorts of beautiful, whimsical,funny goodness by not finishing but it was just too hard going.
Each chapter is a different character and there's a Lot of them and most I didn't like or I didn't like them from their point of view,yet I liked them from others viewpoints,all very odd. So you're bouncing around, never knowing who's going to be next, and it's jarring. The story doesn't flow very easily due to this either.
The idea of the story is very interesting at first,but it's hard to follow and after awhile I just gave up,I couldn't take wading through all these dozens of viewpoints.
This is the 4th book I've read by Beagle and The Last Unicorn is the only one I've loved. I almost wonder if my love of the movie made me like the book,though I do love that book, it's beautiful. I'm sure I've missed out on all sorts of beautiful, whimsical,funny goodness by not finishing but it was just too hard going.
March 9, 2022
I liked the world building, although maybe this world is a bit fuzzy around the edges. "Here be sheknaths," you might read on a map. But what the shek, if you'll pardon the impertinence, Master Beagle, is a sheknath? And a rock-targ? Angels and ministers of grace, defend us!
I liked the use of multiple narrators, but the fuzziness and blending together of identities is another matter. And perhaps it is best not to say too much about the scene in the room where more things than just identities get blended. Cough.
Most of the characters are kind of harsh on Karsh, the titular innkeeper, but he is more sensitive and more complex than we first suspect.
I liked the use of multiple narrators, but the fuzziness and blending together of identities is another matter. And perhaps it is best not to say too much about the scene in the room where more things than just identities get blended. Cough.
Most of the characters are kind of harsh on Karsh, the titular innkeeper, but he is more sensitive and more complex than we first suspect.
February 7, 2017
"The Innkeeper's Song" is a wonderful addition to Peter S. Beagle's astounding repertoire of fantastical stories. It deserves to be remembered with his classic works such as "The Last Unicorn" and "A Fine and Private Place."
The story starts with death. Lukassa and Tikat are very much in love. They grew up together in their small fishing village, sharing joys and sorrows their entire young lives. Until by cruel twist of fate, Lukassa falls into the river, and though Tikat valiantly tries, he ultimately fails to save her and she drowns. Which, normally, would be the end and not the beginning of a love story. But a mysterious woman using a ring raises Lukassa from death days after she fell into the water. Together they ride off with a third woman - and Tikat follows. Ultimately, they end up at the Gaff and Slasher, an Inn run by Fat Karsh and a small cast of characters to include the stableboy, kitchen girl, cook and others. The mystery of who the women are and why they are at the Inn unfolds.
We learn that Lal and Nyateneri, the two women, are each powerful warriors, but they are both looking to help someone who, long ago, helped them each in turn. A powerful mage who is being hunted by someone or something looking to destroy not only his body but his mind. But first they have to find him.
Beagle is able to weave a compelling and beautiful tale using his masterful grasp of poetic language, while never losing sight of the narrative. He creates a world that stretches far beyond the pages of this one book. He does it in a way that is deceptively simple, never fully explained, and never becomes tedious. Everything feels vivid, genuine, and beautiful. And that he makes it seem so effortless is a testament to his considerable skill as a storyteller.
The story unfolds through the tellings of various narrators. Each showing different facets of the story through their telling. It is in turns, humorous and heartbreaking and always beautiful. If you have overlooked this stand-alone piece of Beagle's work, you should pick it up. You won't be sorry.
The story starts with death. Lukassa and Tikat are very much in love. They grew up together in their small fishing village, sharing joys and sorrows their entire young lives. Until by cruel twist of fate, Lukassa falls into the river, and though Tikat valiantly tries, he ultimately fails to save her and she drowns. Which, normally, would be the end and not the beginning of a love story. But a mysterious woman using a ring raises Lukassa from death days after she fell into the water. Together they ride off with a third woman - and Tikat follows. Ultimately, they end up at the Gaff and Slasher, an Inn run by Fat Karsh and a small cast of characters to include the stableboy, kitchen girl, cook and others. The mystery of who the women are and why they are at the Inn unfolds.
We learn that Lal and Nyateneri, the two women, are each powerful warriors, but they are both looking to help someone who, long ago, helped them each in turn. A powerful mage who is being hunted by someone or something looking to destroy not only his body but his mind. But first they have to find him.
Beagle is able to weave a compelling and beautiful tale using his masterful grasp of poetic language, while never losing sight of the narrative. He creates a world that stretches far beyond the pages of this one book. He does it in a way that is deceptively simple, never fully explained, and never becomes tedious. Everything feels vivid, genuine, and beautiful. And that he makes it seem so effortless is a testament to his considerable skill as a storyteller.
The story unfolds through the tellings of various narrators. Each showing different facets of the story through their telling. It is in turns, humorous and heartbreaking and always beautiful. If you have overlooked this stand-alone piece of Beagle's work, you should pick it up. You won't be sorry.
March 13, 2015
I was brought to this book by a song. The German progressive metal band Blind Guardian, which is one of my favorites, wrote a song called Road of No Release and I could not stop listening to it. I looked up the lyrics, which is habit for me when it comes to music, and saw that almost every verse was a telling of a character. So I had HAD to see what story they were from and found this book and knew it was a must read.
I'm glad I did read this and would recommend it but only to those who like both fantasy stories AND enjoy having to comprehend every detail. It's a thinking man's (or woman's. Just an expression :P) book. The book as a simple story is ok at best and one you've probably heard before, but the true story is in the detail. Read through a chapter quickly and you will miss half of it and things three chapters later will make no sense. I am a quick reader and I have the ability to memorize and comprehend what I've read as I read it. The words form movies and scenes in my head in every detail, yet I found myself re-reading each chapter two and sometimes three times just to make sure I wouldn't have to go back and find what it was I missed.
Pick it up and take your time. Go to the bathroom, wash your hands, grab your snacks, and your drinks before you settle down to start this book or continue where you left off. It's a good ride and worth the time.
I'm glad I did read this and would recommend it but only to those who like both fantasy stories AND enjoy having to comprehend every detail. It's a thinking man's (or woman's. Just an expression :P) book. The book as a simple story is ok at best and one you've probably heard before, but the true story is in the detail. Read through a chapter quickly and you will miss half of it and things three chapters later will make no sense. I am a quick reader and I have the ability to memorize and comprehend what I've read as I read it. The words form movies and scenes in my head in every detail, yet I found myself re-reading each chapter two and sometimes three times just to make sure I wouldn't have to go back and find what it was I missed.
Pick it up and take your time. Go to the bathroom, wash your hands, grab your snacks, and your drinks before you settle down to start this book or continue where you left off. It's a good ride and worth the time.
December 4, 2013
i read Giant Bones quite a few years ago and loved it. for those unfamiliar, Giant Bones is a collection of short stories. why i mention it here.. at least two of the characters in The Innkeeper's Song are in the book Giant Bones as well. Lal and Soukyan - i immediately fell in love with the old warriors in that book and started wondering if they appeared elsewhere in one of Mr. Beagle's novels. when i discovered The Innkeeper's Song, i was THRILLED to pieces. it was like being reintroduced to a couple of old friends.
the rotating first person worked well here, Beagle had a way of pulling it off. the only slow spot that i encountered was during a soliloquy in Lukessa's perspective during a journey through the underworld. that chapter, for me, drug on and on and i found it almost irritating. i soldiered through and was rewared, the book ended, as others have said, as it should have. and now i want to go back and read Lal and Soukyan's adventure in Giant Bones once more.
the rotating first person worked well here, Beagle had a way of pulling it off. the only slow spot that i encountered was during a soliloquy in Lukessa's perspective during a journey through the underworld. that chapter, for me, drug on and on and i found it almost irritating. i soldiered through and was rewared, the book ended, as others have said, as it should have. and now i want to go back and read Lal and Soukyan's adventure in Giant Bones once more.
March 30, 2016
I found the unusual writing style of this author a little difficult to get used to for the first couple of chapters, but then I became engrossed in the story and ended up really appreciating the way he portrays his protagonists in an almost poetic, strangely enchanting way. All written in first person narrative, each chapter is a monologue related by different characters describing their experiences as the drama unfolds. I particularly enjoyed the fox, who surreptitiously steals the limelight and appears to be the catalyst, as well as the 'deus ex machina' for the whole fantasy.
February 25, 2020
DNF @ ~50%.
Labai stipriai prasidėjusi ir gan smarkiai mane užkabinusi knyga vėliau vis blėso ir blėso, kol galiausiai man pasidarė nuobodi ir nebekabinanti. Manau, norėdamas nesunkiai ją pabaigčiau ir greičiausiai netgi patiktų. Bėda tik ta, kad... nenoriu. :) 2*, nes nebuvo visiškai klaiki ir bloga, o pradžia netgi labai gera.
Labai stipriai prasidėjusi ir gan smarkiai mane užkabinusi knyga vėliau vis blėso ir blėso, kol galiausiai man pasidarė nuobodi ir nebekabinanti. Manau, norėdamas nesunkiai ją pabaigčiau ir greičiausiai netgi patiktų. Bėda tik ta, kad... nenoriu. :) 2*, nes nebuvo visiškai klaiki ir bloga, o pradžia netgi labai gera.
September 19, 2021
Beagle è un autore affermato e apprezzato nel mondo anglosassone, meno in Italia; alla fine degli anni 70 la benenerita MEB pubblicò nella collana Saga i suoi due capolavori, ‘A fine and private place’ (1960) e ‘The last unicorn’ (1968), rispettivamente come ‘Il piccolo popolo’ e ‘L’ultimo unicorno’; quest’ultimo, che beneficiò anche di un apprezzato film di animazione nel 1982, è stato ripubblicato nel 2008 da Kappa Edizioni. Ma questo suo terzo capolavoro, del 1994, vincitore del premio Locus e tradotto in tedesco russo ungherese e greco, resta inedito da noi, così come molti bellissimi racconti (Beagle è un mago della lingua). Proviamo a capire perché.
Nel classico villaggio contadino da fantasy senza tempo, una ragazza abbracciata al fidanzato cade nel fiume e annega. Il corpo non verrà ritrovato, ma all’alba successiva lui, rimasto addormentato per lo sfinimento sulla riva del fiume, vede una donna a cavallo ridare vita alla sua fidanzata, infilarle un anello e portarla via. Comincia così a inseguirla, con molta difficoltà; la donna è con altre due misteriose viandanti, e dopo alcuni giorni si fermano a una locanda. Lì vedremo che le tre donne stanno sfuggendo a due inseguitori ben più temibili del povero ragazzo, e al tempo stesso stanno cercando qualcuno..
La trama prende un vorticoso andamento circolare, incentrato sulla locanda del burbero oste Karsh del titolo (solo nelle ultime pagine capiremo l’importanza della sua canzone): tutti i protagonisti sembrano arrivarvi, partirne, per poi ritornarvi. Affascinante la tecnica della narrazione: ognuno dei capitoli brevi o lunghi è un ricordo in prima persona di uno dei personaggi, dall’oste al garzone di stalla, alle stesse donne in fuga, alla volpe che portano con sé, ognuno con il suo diverso modo di parlare efficacemente caratterizzato.
Come dicevo, Beagle è un mago della parola: è questo può essere un vantaggio oppure uno svantaggio. Tra il realismo dell’inizio e il serrato finale, la trama è complessa e Beagle la gioca tutta su descrizioni sorprendenti, metafore poetiche, frasi oracolari. Non si arriva al delirio lirico e simbolico dell’Ultimo Unicorno, del suo duello con il Toro Rosso che coinvolge perfino le onde del mare; ci sono sottile umorismo e pennellate di erotismo tra il ragazzo di stalla e la matura ma attraente monaca-guerriera; almeno tre lunghe, emozionanti e sorprendenti scene di duello.. ma, soprattutto nel duello finale tra i due maghi, bisogna seguire l’onda delle parole e delle immagini più che cercare di capire logicamente coa stia accadendo.
Da evitare insomma per chi cerca azione del genere ‘heroic fantasy’ oppure una narrazione ‘scorrevole’, ma è una storia che lievita dentro e merita di essere letta con lentezza. Beagle ci ha lavorato a lungo, componendo anche le musiche per le canzoni citate nel testo.. e ha dedicato anche un racconto, ‘Chandail’, alla guerriera Lal.
Nel classico villaggio contadino da fantasy senza tempo, una ragazza abbracciata al fidanzato cade nel fiume e annega. Il corpo non verrà ritrovato, ma all’alba successiva lui, rimasto addormentato per lo sfinimento sulla riva del fiume, vede una donna a cavallo ridare vita alla sua fidanzata, infilarle un anello e portarla via. Comincia così a inseguirla, con molta difficoltà; la donna è con altre due misteriose viandanti, e dopo alcuni giorni si fermano a una locanda. Lì vedremo che le tre donne stanno sfuggendo a due inseguitori ben più temibili del povero ragazzo, e al tempo stesso stanno cercando qualcuno..
La trama prende un vorticoso andamento circolare, incentrato sulla locanda del burbero oste Karsh del titolo (solo nelle ultime pagine capiremo l’importanza della sua canzone): tutti i protagonisti sembrano arrivarvi, partirne, per poi ritornarvi. Affascinante la tecnica della narrazione: ognuno dei capitoli brevi o lunghi è un ricordo in prima persona di uno dei personaggi, dall’oste al garzone di stalla, alle stesse donne in fuga, alla volpe che portano con sé, ognuno con il suo diverso modo di parlare efficacemente caratterizzato.
Come dicevo, Beagle è un mago della parola: è questo può essere un vantaggio oppure uno svantaggio. Tra il realismo dell’inizio e il serrato finale, la trama è complessa e Beagle la gioca tutta su descrizioni sorprendenti, metafore poetiche, frasi oracolari. Non si arriva al delirio lirico e simbolico dell’Ultimo Unicorno, del suo duello con il Toro Rosso che coinvolge perfino le onde del mare; ci sono sottile umorismo e pennellate di erotismo tra il ragazzo di stalla e la matura ma attraente monaca-guerriera; almeno tre lunghe, emozionanti e sorprendenti scene di duello.. ma, soprattutto nel duello finale tra i due maghi, bisogna seguire l’onda delle parole e delle immagini più che cercare di capire logicamente coa stia accadendo.
Da evitare insomma per chi cerca azione del genere ‘heroic fantasy’ oppure una narrazione ‘scorrevole’, ma è una storia che lievita dentro e merita di essere letta con lentezza. Beagle ci ha lavorato a lungo, componendo anche le musiche per le canzoni citate nel testo.. e ha dedicato anche un racconto, ‘Chandail’, alla guerriera Lal.
July 25, 2025
"The Innkeeper's Song" inhabits a rare space in high fantasy—intimate yet vast, familiar yet strange. The atmosphere Beagle creates feels like sitting by a crackling fire in an ancient tavern while extraordinary tales unfold around you, each voice distinct and haunting.
I'm typically drawn to multiple POVs, but this novel demanded a different kind of attention. Each chapter shifts perspective, from the gruff innkeeper to mysterious travelers, and I found myself flipping back pages more than once to connect threads.
Beagle's prose is intoxicatingly lyrical. His sentences flow like music—sometimes gentle as a stream, other times crashing like waves.
The challenge came in piecing together what initially seemed like disparate stories. Three women pursuing different quests, an innkeeper with his own secrets, a fox transformed into a man—all orbiting each other in ways I couldn't immediately grasp. I confess to feeling lost during the first third of the book.
But patience rewarded me. The narrative slowly crystallized, revealing connections between characters that had been subtly woven throughout. By the final chapters, I felt the satisfaction of completing an intricate puzzle.
Despite—or perhaps because of—its complexity, "The Innkeeper's Song" offers a richness rarely found in more straightforward fantasies. It's not an easy read, but it's a profoundly rewarding one for those willing to listen closely to its many voices.
Special thanks to Saga Press Books for my free copy. As always, the thoughts shared here are completely my own.
I'm typically drawn to multiple POVs, but this novel demanded a different kind of attention. Each chapter shifts perspective, from the gruff innkeeper to mysterious travelers, and I found myself flipping back pages more than once to connect threads.
Beagle's prose is intoxicatingly lyrical. His sentences flow like music—sometimes gentle as a stream, other times crashing like waves.
The challenge came in piecing together what initially seemed like disparate stories. Three women pursuing different quests, an innkeeper with his own secrets, a fox transformed into a man—all orbiting each other in ways I couldn't immediately grasp. I confess to feeling lost during the first third of the book.
But patience rewarded me. The narrative slowly crystallized, revealing connections between characters that had been subtly woven throughout. By the final chapters, I felt the satisfaction of completing an intricate puzzle.
Despite—or perhaps because of—its complexity, "The Innkeeper's Song" offers a richness rarely found in more straightforward fantasies. It's not an easy read, but it's a profoundly rewarding one for those willing to listen closely to its many voices.
Special thanks to Saga Press Books for my free copy. As always, the thoughts shared here are completely my own.
January 1, 2025
christmas eve book! a few too many perspectives for me, and found it quite slow in places. also the multiple people / magicians at the end really confused me. but two perspectives I really enjoyed, and I enjoyed reading a more traditional fantasy again.
July 5, 2018
AAAAAA QUÉ BUENO ES Y QUÉ BIEN ESTÁ ESCRITO
Reseña como filólogo: MA GUSTAO FUERTE
Reseña como filólogo: MA GUSTAO FUERTE
April 3, 2021
The Innkeeper's Song
tells the tale of three woman who come to an inn while in search of their injured teacher, who has been injured by a fellow wizard and now faces his death and the deaths of everyone around him.
You don’t actually get to see the lyrics to The Innkeeper’s Song (written long after the events of the book), which is a shame since the story is told as though the characters are being asked to explain their parts in it. The innkeeper goes on for about a page and a half about the discrepancies at one point. You do get the impression though that a great deal of time has passed since the events of the book and the interviews with the character. Which is a shame because it doesn’t sound as though the three girls have met again in that time.
Once they track down their teacher and find out what's going on, and they decide to hunt down his attacker and do what they can. That's it, just do what they can. They started out with the clear idea of killing their teacher's attacker and about midway through they switched to just buying him time to heal. This was the first I've read of characters who adjusted their goals to suit reality. This book should be so well known it's not even funny. And their teacher is priceless, the man takes this book to a whole new level. He was built up to be the standard mentor archetype, but he spends his entire appearance very casually and cheerfully telling the girls variations on 'don't do that, you'll die' and 'when he comes to turn me into a horrible immortal monster, throw that vase at me and run away really fast'. And how about the scene where Lal wins a sword fight with storytelling? Nothing about this book was what I was expecting.
I have to talk about something. I was about halfway through this book when I decided that it should have been the next Harry Potter. The writing was fantastic and mature, the characters were memorable, there was magic, the reactions were much more relatable than the teenage meltdown that was The Half-Blood Prince . Why haven’t more kids read this?
The verdict? It's written by the author of The Last Unicorn , and though I've never read that one the other reviews I've read of this book spoke highly of it and led many to read this one. So if you liked The Last Unicorn give The Innkeeper's Song a try. If you haven't, try it anyway. This is a damn good book.
You don’t actually get to see the lyrics to The Innkeeper’s Song (written long after the events of the book), which is a shame since the story is told as though the characters are being asked to explain their parts in it. The innkeeper goes on for about a page and a half about the discrepancies at one point. You do get the impression though that a great deal of time has passed since the events of the book and the interviews with the character. Which is a shame because it doesn’t sound as though the three girls have met again in that time.
Once they track down their teacher and find out what's going on, and they decide to hunt down his attacker and do what they can. That's it, just do what they can. They started out with the clear idea of killing their teacher's attacker and about midway through they switched to just buying him time to heal. This was the first I've read of characters who adjusted their goals to suit reality. This book should be so well known it's not even funny. And their teacher is priceless, the man takes this book to a whole new level. He was built up to be the standard mentor archetype, but he spends his entire appearance very casually and cheerfully telling the girls variations on 'don't do that, you'll die' and 'when he comes to turn me into a horrible immortal monster, throw that vase at me and run away really fast'. And how about the scene where Lal wins a sword fight with storytelling? Nothing about this book was what I was expecting.
I have to talk about something. I was about halfway through this book when I decided that it should have been the next Harry Potter. The writing was fantastic and mature, the characters were memorable, there was magic, the reactions were much more relatable than the teenage meltdown that was The Half-Blood Prince . Why haven’t more kids read this?
The verdict? It's written by the author of The Last Unicorn , and though I've never read that one the other reviews I've read of this book spoke highly of it and led many to read this one. So if you liked The Last Unicorn give The Innkeeper's Song a try. If you haven't, try it anyway. This is a damn good book.
August 5, 2020
Re-read. 25 years ago this book brought me back to reading Peter Beagle, and I haven't stopped since. 25 years and innumerable fantasy books later, I thought I'd re-read it to see how it held up.
It holds up very well, as a cleverly plotted, completely contained fantasy tale. It uses the device of alternating first person POV per chapter to show the reader a more comprehensive picture than any one character has. In this, it reminded me of the Ken Kesey book 'Sometimes a Great Notion' which uses the same device, including an animal (a dog in the case of Kesey, a fox in this book).
I had forgotten there is a character who we would now call transgendered. In the book, it appears to be a small glamour that the person uses to disguise their identity. There is a passage about sexual relations concerning this which may feel unsettling to contemporary readers who are more aware of issues of consent.
Beagle has a deft way of representing magicians and wizards. Whether it is Schmendrick the magician in 'The Last Unicorn' or the unnamed wizard in this book, Beagle shows that a mortal dealing with magic is skating on the thin edge of what can be known and controlled.
One reason that I loved this book, and think it still works, is that after the big climactic fight scene, there is a lovely little coda that will break your heart, and leads to a most satisfactory ending. A lot of authors have trouble with endings; Beagle nails it in this one. The book's preface has the lyrics to the innkeeper's song that recaps the overall storyline. After finishing the book and re-reading the lyrics, the meaning changes from a bawdy one to a melancholy one. Nice touch.
It holds up very well, as a cleverly plotted, completely contained fantasy tale. It uses the device of alternating first person POV per chapter to show the reader a more comprehensive picture than any one character has. In this, it reminded me of the Ken Kesey book 'Sometimes a Great Notion' which uses the same device, including an animal (a dog in the case of Kesey, a fox in this book).
I had forgotten there is a character who we would now call transgendered. In the book, it appears to be a small glamour that the person uses to disguise their identity. There is a passage about sexual relations concerning this which may feel unsettling to contemporary readers who are more aware of issues of consent.
Beagle has a deft way of representing magicians and wizards. Whether it is Schmendrick the magician in 'The Last Unicorn' or the unnamed wizard in this book, Beagle shows that a mortal dealing with magic is skating on the thin edge of what can be known and controlled.
One reason that I loved this book, and think it still works, is that after the big climactic fight scene, there is a lovely little coda that will break your heart, and leads to a most satisfactory ending. A lot of authors have trouble with endings; Beagle nails it in this one. The book's preface has the lyrics to the innkeeper's song that recaps the overall storyline. After finishing the book and re-reading the lyrics, the meaning changes from a bawdy one to a melancholy one. Nice touch.
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