Witty Little Knitter

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.