Praise for The Essential Peter S. Beagle, Vol I & II

  “Master enchanter Peter S. Beagle is best known for his novel The Last Unicorn, a book which has charmed generations of readers. But the briefer enchantments collected in these two volumes also brim with the deepest and truest of his magical powers: with laughter, with wisdom, and with the ineffable pleasure of the imaginary memories he shares. From the gradually refined focus of ‘Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros’ to the crankily slipped-and-skewed perspective of ‘Vanishing,’ these are visions of an inner world all of us need to visit again and again. Each tale is a spell welcoming our hearts to their real home: wonder.”

  —Nisi Shawl, author of Everfair

  “Stepping into a Peter Beagle story is like stepping out your front door into an alternate, but entirely logical, world: Your girlfriend seems to be a werewolf, the evening news is anchored by the Angel of Death, dreadful poetry is a lethal weapon, and a Berkeley traffic cop has to negotiate a depressed dragon out of an intersection. But then, what else to expect from a wizard of mischief like Beagle? Two perfect volumes that should come with a warning: When you try and go back inside your house, all its rooms will have changed.”

  —Laurie R. King, author of The Beekeeper’s Apprentice

  “Having all these Peter Beagle stories collected together is pure joy. His writing has amazed me my whole life. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but the amazement is ongoing.”

  —Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty Norville series

  “This was an amazing collection, and I cannot recommend it enough for existing fans of Mr. Beagle or fans of fantasy shorts or cozy fantasy.”

  —All Booked Up

  “Peter S. Beagle’s short stories tap into the sweetest sap of the soul and leave their mark forever. He always makes me cry in the most wonderful and necessary way.”

  —Delilah S. Dawson, author of Wicked as They Come

  “The Essential Peter S. Beagle Volumes I & II are everything I hoped for and wanted them to be. Beagle’s clever and utterly whimsical storytelling is evident in every story, and I love jumping from tale to tale and exploring the facets of his mind. The writing is fun and explores the unique while keeping one foot in the familiar, making it perfect for readers of all ages. I highly recommend these charming volumes!”

  —Charlie N. Holmberg, author of Keeper of Enchanted Rooms

  Praise for Peter S. Beagle

  “One of my favorite writers.”

  —Madeleine L’Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time

  “Peter S. Beagle illuminates with his own particular magic such commonplace matters as ghosts, unicorns, and werewolves. For years a loving readership has consulted him as an expert on those hearts’ reasons that reason does not know.”

  —Ursula K. Le Guin, author of A Wizard of Earthsea

  “Peter S. Beagle has both opulence of imagination and mastery of style.”

  —New York Times Book Review

  “At his best, Peter S. Beagle outshines the moon, the sun, the stars, the entire galaxy.”

  —Seattle Times

  “Peter Beagle deserves a seat at the table with the great masters of fantasy.”

  —Christopher Moore, author of Lamb and The Serpent of Venice

  “Not only one of our greatest fantasists, but one of our greatest writers, a magic realist worthy of consideration with such writers as Márquez, Allende, and even Borges.”

  —The American Culture

  “We all have something to learn—about writing, about humanity, about hope—from Peter Beagle.”

  —Seanan McGuire, Hugo Award-winning author of the Wayward Children series

  “Peter S. Beagle is (in no particular order) a wonderful writer, a fine human being, and a bandit prince out to steal readers’ hearts.”

  —Tad Williams, author of Tailchaser’s Song

  “Peter S. Beagle is a master of the magical.”

  —Kurt Busiek, author of Astro City and The Avengers

  “[Beagle] has been compared, not unreasonably, with Lewis Carroll and J. R. R. Tolkien, but he stands squarely and triumphantly on his own feet.”

  —Saturday Review

  “Peter S. Beagle is the magician we all apprenticed ourselves to.”

  —Lisa Goldstein, author of The Red Magician

  “One of the all-time greats.”

  —The Guardian

  “There are other authors who can write a sentence as well as Beagle, but there are very few who keep inventing sparkling fantasy ideas for decade after decade.”

  —SF Commentary

  Praise for The Overneath

  ★ “Beagle’s latest collection of short stories includes 13 fantasy gems and features many previously uncollected and never-before-published works. . . . A masterful collection from a short story master—a must-read for Beagle fans.”

  —Kirkus

  ★ “With sharp, lean elegance, Beagle effortlessly chronicles the lives of unicorns, trolls, magicians, and adventurers in 13 poignant stories, many of which caution readers about magic gone awry and temperamental creatures. . . . This enchanting collection employs simple humor and affectionate sarcasm and will enchant any reader who still believes in magic.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  ★ “Beagle’s strong and versatile talent is well on display here, and fantasy readers will be missing out if they don’t give it a look.”

  —Booklist

  “Verdict: For fantasy fans, Beagle should be a staple.”

  —Library Journal

  Praise for Sleight of Hand

  “Wise, warm and deep.”

  —The New York Times

  “This 13-story anthology will entice even the most jaded reader to read long hours into the night . . . Sleight of Hand will beguile and enchant.”

  —New York Journal of Books

  “Beagle still has the power to surprise . . . a new collection of stories by one of the all-time greats.”

  —The Guardian

  Also by Peter S. Beagle

  Fiction

  A Fine and Private Place (1960)

  The Last Unicorn (1968)

  Lila the Werewolf (1969)

  The Folk of the Air (1986)

  The Innkeeper’s Song (1993)

  The Unicorn Sonata (1996)

  Tamsin (1999)

  A Dance for Emilia (2000)

  The Last Unicorn: The Lost Version (2007)

  Return (2010)

  Summerlong (2016)

  In Calabria (2017)

  The Way Home (2023)

  Collections

  Giant Bones (1997)

  The Rhinoceros Who Quoted Nietzsche and Other Odd Acquaintances (1997)

  The Line Between (2006)

  Your Friendly Neighborhood Magician: Songs and Early Poems (2006)

  We Never Talk About My Brother (2009)

  Mirror Kingdoms: The Best of Peter S. Beagle (2010)

  Sleight of Hand (2011)

  The Overneath (2017)

  Nonfiction

  I See By My Outfit (1965)

  The California Feeling (with Michael Bry, 1969)

  The Lady and Her Tiger (with Pat Derby, 1976)

  The Garden of Earthly Delights (1982)

  In the Presence of Elephants (with Pat Derby and Genaro Molina, 1995)

  As editor

  Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn (with Janet Berliner, 1995)

  The Secret History of Fantasy (2010)

  The Urban Fantasy Anthology (with Joe R. Lansdale, 2011)

  The New Voices of Fantasy (with Jacob Weisman, 2017)

  The Unicorn Anthology (with Jacob Weisman, 2019)

  A Note from the Publisher About Piracy

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for purchasing this digital copy. We hope you enjoy it.

  This book is intended for review only. Please do not share, reproduce, post, or resell it. All editions of this book are protected by international copyright law; all rights are reserved without the express permission of the author and the publishers.

  Piracy is illegal. It hinders publishers from putting out more great books like this. Most importantly, piracy keeps authors from getting paid.

  If you have any questions about copyright, or if you think this copy was pirated, please immediately contact us at tachyon@tachyonpublications.com.

  Thank you,

  Tachyon Publications LLC

  1459 18th Street #139

  San Francisco, CA 94107

  415.285.5615

  tachyon@tachyonpublications.com

  The Essential Peter S. Beagle: Volume 1

  © 2023 by Peter S. Beagle

  This is a collection of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the author and the publisher.

  Introduction © Jane Yolen

  Cover art and interior illustrations by Stephanie Law

  Cover design and interior layout by Elizabeth Story

  Tachyon Publications LLC

  1459 18th Street #139

  San Francisco, CA 94107

  415.285.5615

  www.tachyonpublications.com

  tachyon@tachyonpublications.com

 
Series editor: Jacob Weisman

  Project editor: Jaymee Goh

  Print ISBN: 978-1-61696-388-0

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-61696-389-7

  Printed in the United States by Versa Press, Inc.

  First Edition: 2023

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  “Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros” © 1995 by Peter S. Beagle. First published in Peter S. Beagle’s Immortal Unicorn (HarperCollins).

  “Come Lady Death” © 1963 by Peter S. Beagle, copyright renewed 1991 by Peter S. Beagle. First published in The Atlantic, September 1963.

  “Lila the Werewolf” © 1971 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in New Worlds of Fantasy #3 (Ace Books), edited by Terry Carr.

  “Gordon, the Self-Made Cat” © 2005 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Raven, May 2005.

  “The Fable of the Moth” © 2006 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Line Between (Tachyon).

  “The Fable of the Tyrannosaurus Rex” © 2006 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Line Between (Tachyon).

  “The Fable of the Ostrich” © 2006 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Line Between (Tachyon).

  “The Fable of the Octopus” © 2006 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Line Between (Tachyon).

  “El Regalo” © 2006 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in The Line Between (Tachyon).

  “Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel” © 2008 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in Strange Reads (DreamHaven Books).

  “We Never Talk About My Brother” © by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, July 2017.

  “King Pelles the Sure” © 2008 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in Strange Reads (DreamHaven Books).

  “The Last and Only; or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French” © 2007 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in Eclipse One (Night Shade Books), edited by Jonathan Strahan.

  “Spook” © 2008 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in Strange Reads (DreamHaven Books).

  “The Stickball Witch” © 2008 by Peter S. Beagle. First published in We Never Talk About My Brother (Tachyon). Derived from an original podcast performance recorded by The Green Man Review.

  “A Dance for Emilia” © 2000 by Peter S. Beagle. First appeared in A Dance for Emilia (Roc Books).

  Table of Contents

  “Peter Beagle: Bottling Talent” by Jane Yolen

  “Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros”

  “Come Lady Death”

  “Lila the Werewolf”

  “Gordon, the Self-Made Cat”

  Four Fables

  “The Fable of the Moth”

  “The Fable of the Tyrannosaurus Rex”

  “The Fable of the Ostrich”

  “The Fable of the Octopus”

  “El Regalo”

  “Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel”

  “We Never Talk About My Brother”

  “King Pelles the Sure”

  “The Last and Only; or, Mr. Moscowitz Becomes French”

  “Spook”

  “The Stickball Witch”

  “A Dance for Emilia”

  “Peter Beagle: Bottling Talent”

  by Jane Yolen

  Peter Beagle and I are almost the same age. Born in the same place—New York City. Okay, confession—I am two months older, a hard admission because I have always prided myself on hitting the professional writing stage early. But, lest you think this is a simple older sister/baby brother contest, let me tell you that he was miles ahead of me, miles ahead of most American writers of that time, getting his BA a year before I did and winning major Fellowships along the way—Stanford Creative Writing fellowship in 1960 and the Guggenheim (1970) among them—while the rest of us had only barely tried authoring a book.

  And what a first book his was . . . when he had turned barely twenty-one the month before. His novel A Fine and Private Place was published in 1960 by Viking, a top literary publisher of the day. The book—urban fantasy before there was any such designation. It was a calling card thrown down into the middle of the Major Players’ game by a mere boy. The novel is about the journey between life and death and a man not ready to die, who nevertheless has died. He is trapped between life and death, searching for an escape, his only companions in the graveyard in which he finds himself an accommodating raven and an eccentric man who lives in the mortuary and talks to the dead. He stays there until love enters the equation.

  I was working in publishing then, a young editor, and read the book with great delight. I became a major fan of his, although far too shy to write and say so.

  I guess this introduction changes all that.

  But Beagle turned the world of fairy—unicorns and wish granters and angels both of life and death—into literary masterpieces that ring with authentic voices, stretching the definition of urban and rural fantasy in novels, novellas, and short stories. His work is a weird combination of Isaac Bashevis Singer, William Butler Yeats, a Borscht Belt comedian, and a wise-ass New York Jewish kid. His stories simply ring out with magic, tragicomedy, and the lyric line. NO one else even comes close!

  Most people my age became Beagle fans when The Last Unicorn appeared. And although I love that book, I loved A Fine and Private Place and I See by My Outfit even more. They fit right into my emotional playlist, while Unicorn was just another great fantasy novel that I devoured on the way to the next and the next.

  As I began writing this introduction, nineteen children and two teachers were murdered by a crazed eighteen-year-old in two attached schoolrooms in Texas. I read the news at the same time I was reading the stories in this book, not only because the deadline was closing in (no horrific pun intended) but because once I started reading (and, in some cases, rereading) the stories, I realized that the news could have been written (with more elegance and truth) by Beagle himself. His kind of story. His kind of darkness. His kind of hoped for redemptions. His dabbling in the wrong side.

  The first story I began was new to me: “Uncle Chaim and Aunt Rifke and the Angel,” an alternately brilliantly funny and dangerously sad story that did not take the edge off the news of the school shooting but somehow magnified the story in a way that made me weep as I read the ending. But that was only a precursor for the next one I settled into—“We Never Talk About My Brother.” And as I read, I was beginning to see a pattern that—if I hadn’t already been in awe of Beagle’s breadth as a writer—would have assured it. It certainly explained his work—and, in some ways, the horrendous TV news.

  Both those stories and others in the book utilize Yiddishkeit notions as well as trying to quantify the American experience. Stickball, and New York City streets, and the interplay of local schoolboys and witches. Urban spooks. Odd kings. Still, somehow the tales are also underpinned by knowledge of Torah, world history, the rules of stickball, philosophy, classic literature and—surprisingly—bad poetry. Yet the voice of each story, the delineation of characters, is different enough that one might be fooled into thinking that not one but two or more authors had written them.

  For example, “Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros” in other hands might have been a smug put-down (or windup) of academia. But here, although there is humor, there is pathos as well and—I expect—a heavy nod to the classes Beagle must have taken in philosophy in college. But it is so much more than that. It is about friendships and unlikely partners and the ability to believe in the impossible. Besides that, it is a paean to old professors and odd academics that I—as an old academic and widow of one as well—find so moving. First published in 1985, nearly forty years ago and before Beagle would have known or worried much about aging, at least not as he might well do today, being in his 80s. But boy! Does it resonate.