Black Unicorn and Gold Unicorn by Tanith Lee
The "Black Unicorn" and its sequel, "Gold Unicorn," follow the journey of Tanaquil, a sixteen-year-old girl raised in a desert fortress by her aloof sorceress mother, Jaive. Initially unaware of her magical heritage, Tanaquil discovers her unique ability to mend objects after reassembling the skeleton of a unicorn, which then leads her into a fantastical adventure. Throughout her travels, she learns that her father is the evil Prince Zorander and that she has a half-sister named Lizra, who seeks to conquer the world with a mechanical gold unicorn.
Tanaquil's story explores themes of identity, familial relationships, and personal growth as she grapples with her powers and the responsibilities they entail. In her quest, she encounters various challenges, including the manipulative Emperor of War and the consequences of Lizra’s ambitions. As Tanaquil navigates these trials, she develops a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. The narrative culminates in her decision to return home, setting the stage for potential further adventures as she continues to seek improvement in both her world and her own abilities.
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Black Unicorn and Gold Unicorn
First published:Black Unicorn (1991) and Gold Unicorn (1994)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—magical world
Time of work: Undefined
Locale: An unidentified magical world
The Plot
Black Unicorn and its sequel, Gold Unicorn, tell of the adventures of sixteen-year-old Tanaquil. At first, Tanaquil knows nothing of her heritage, but by the end of the second book, she has learned much about her own identity and abilities. She also has learned not to judge people—including herself—too quickly. The ending of Gold Unicorn, in which Tanaquil journeys toward home, leaves open the possibility of another sequel.
Tanaquil wants to leave the desert fortress where she was reared by her emotionally distant sorceress mother, Jaive. She apparently has no magic of her own, and she wearies of the inconvenient side effects of Jaive’s magic. In one instance, Jaive’s magic resulted in a peeve, a common desert creature, acquiring the power of speech. Jaive refuses to let Tanaquil go or even to identify Tanaquil’s father.
One day, the peeve discovers the skeleton of a unicorn, which Tanaquil reassembles. It turns out that she has a magical power after all: the power to mend things. The unicorn comes alive, and Tanaquil and the peeve are compelled to follow it to an exotic city by the sea. There, Tanaquil meets Lizra, the daughter of the city’s ruler, the evil Prince Zorander. Soon Tanaquil discovers that Zorander is her father and Lizra is her half sister.
During a ceremonial procession, the unicorn appears and steals from Zorander two white shells. Tanaquil realizes that the unicorn is from a better world and that it wishes to return. She helps it by mending the sorcerous gate between worlds with the white shells. Unfortunately, the peeve follows the unicorn through the gate, so Tanaquil also must follow.
The unicorn’s world is wonderful, putting Tanaquil’s world to shame. She realizes with horror that her mere presence wounds the Perfect World and plans to leave immediately. Before she exits through the gate, the unicorn touches her and her peeve with its horn, granting them immunity from physical danger. Tanaquil takes the shells as she leaves, disabling the gate so that no one else can harm the Perfect World.
When she returns to her own world, Zorander is sick, and Lizra declares that she will stay with him. Tanaquil sets out with her peeve to learn more about their world and perhaps to improve it. She sends a message to Jaive promising that eventually she will return home.
Gold Unicorn describes Tanaquil’s travels. She hears of the empress Veriam, who wishes to conquer the entire world, and is shocked to learn that the empress is in fact Lizra. Lizra has constructed a huge mechanical unicorn of gold as a symbol of her conquest. Unfortunately, it does not work. Lizra commands Tanaquil to mend it. Unwillingly, Tanaquil does so, using one of the fossil shells. Tanaquil and Lizra’s chief adviser, Honj, secretly fall in love. Although she disapproves of Lizra’s goals, Tanaquil accompanies her and Honj from conquest to brutal conquest, until they are set upon by “mousps,” half-mouse, half-wasp creatures created by the local magician Worabex.
To escape, the sisters, Honj, a stingless mousp, the peeve, and assorted other followers duck under the belly of the gold unicorn. This leads them through a magical gate into a hellish world. The Emperor of War, ruler of this world, courts Lizra, who appears to be delighted with his attentions. Disgusted, Tanaquil and Lizra’s other friends abandon her and seek to find the gate to their own world. When Honj breaks his arm rescuing the peeve, Tanaquil learns that her power to mend works on people as well as on objects.
Soon Lizra emerges from the evil castle and informs them that she only pretended to court the emperor so as not to anger him. She has told the emperor that although she longs to be his bride, she is betrothed to another. Because the emperor believes in loyalty, one of the values of war, he has told her how to return to her world. Lizra leads Tanaquil and the rest to the return gate, which Tanaquil mends with the remaining white shell.
Honj decides to stay with Lizra, who, having conquered the world, now shoulders the burden of ruling wisely. Tanaquil travels toward home, joined by the mousp as well as the peeve. Soon the mousp reveals himself as Worabex, who wishes to befriend Tanaquil and to court her mother. Tanaquil rejects his friendship, so Worabex turns himself into a flea and hitches a ride on the peeve. The unlikely trio continues on its journey.