The Innkeepers' Song -- Peter S. Beagle

Genre: Fantasy

Awards: Locus

First Line: Once there was a village on a river in a southern country.

Best Line: She was gone into the emptiness before I could call; and before I could reach it myself, it had snapped shut and vanished, leaving nothing behind but a sagging, crumbling wall in a little wrecked room full of the sound of her name.

Book Blurb: In this extraordinary fantasy novel of love and death, young Tikat enters a shadow world of magic and mystery as he searches for the lover whose death and resurrection he witnessed. It is a wild ride that sets him on the trail of three cloaked women who are blessed--or cursed--to undertake an impossible mission of their own. All their fates will be irrevocably linked in a far distant inn, but it is not until the arrival of the once-powerful mentor who has summoned the three women that the true quest will begin. For he, who has been the greatest of wizards, lingers at the edge of death. And only they can save him from this doom brought on by an enemy who is heir to all the wizard's magic.

The Critics Say: Well, the book won the Locus Award, so the scifi, fantasy contingent is strongly behind. Regrettably, mainstream critics tend to avoid reading genre fiction, making it difficult to garner a comprehensive view of the critical reception of a fantasy book. All critics appear in agreement that characterization is strong, that Beagle is a fantasy giant, though some say that this novel in particular is a bit rambling.

I say: Genre fiction be damned, this is one of my favorite books of all time. Beagle is to fantasy what Faulkner is to regional literature (and just wait until I get started on my Faulkner collection!) Beagle follows traditional fantasy tropes: the peasant on a quest, the woman warrior, the good wizard v. bad wizard, etc. etc. However, the story is narrated in first-person, varying perspective from each of these characters, digging into their psyches in such a way as to shatter the archetype.

It would be impossible to disagree with the review stating that the novel meanders: at times it seems too big for this one novel. Each character is so alive, that the book seems more a culmination of a series of other books, and the reader sometimes is left wondering what happened in the past. What did Lal and Soukyan do before this? Who is the fox? What is the magician's past. Beagle, never the most prolific of writers, leave this open to the imagination, just as he leaves the end of the novel open. It is a brief glimpse into a world, into a mission, of sorts, for a small town, and left at that. For these characters it is epic: yet the world is not saved, and there is an implication that tertiary characters never recognize that anything has happened.

Sorry, ramble. The book is beautifully written, lyrical. Like Faulkner, Beagle does not shy away from embracing all character's viewpoints. He cleverly allows character's to narrate just the right sections, so as not to give away their secrets, without seeming sly or untrustworthy. It is impossible not to fall in love with each character, not to cry a little at the end.

Recommendation: I'll be honest. Some people hate fantasy. If you just hate the genre, don't bother, because you'll enter with disdain and will never finish. If you're willing to believe in a little magic, however, this will be one of the most beautiful books you ever read. A little too emotionally heavy for a beach read, it's great for rainy days or late nights. Short chapters make it an adaptable novel: it moves at a brisk enough pace that one can sit and read for hours, or just pick it up for a few minutes. The plot is linear and directed: if not read in a sitting, it won't be forgotten.

Rating: Overall: A

Plot: B+

Pacing: A-

Characterization: A+