The story really comes to live when word spreads about Claudio's mysterious visitor and people from all over the world come to gawk and try and get a glimpse of the unusual mother and her child. In Calabria is a quiet sort of story that gradually worked its way into my heart. Claudio is like an Italian version of my favourite grumpy old man, Victor Meldrew from the TV series, One Foot In The Grave though he handles a unicorn giving birth on his land that old Meldrew would have.

I've never read fantasy fiction before with unicorns in it, not that I remember anyway so the subject matter was a refreshing change. This is my first time reading the author. 'THE WHOLE TROUBLE with your farm', Romano Muscari said 'is that it is too far uphill for the American suntanners, and too low for the German skiers. Beagle's continuing legacy as one of fantasy's most legendary authors. Lyrical, gripping, and wise, In Calabria confirms Peter S. Suddenly he must stave off inquisitive onlookers, invasive media, and even more sinister influences. When Claudio comes to her aid, an act of kindness throws his world into chaos. But one chilly morning, as though from a dream, an impossible visitor appears at the farm. Set in his ways and suspicious of outsiders, Claudio has always resisted change, preferring farming and writing poetry. From the acclaimed author of The Last Unicorn comes a new, exquisitely-told unicorn fable for the modern age.Ĭlaudio Bianchi has lived alone for many years on a hillside in Southern Italy's scenic Calabria.

In Calabria by Peter S. Beagle