Product Description

In the sequel to Black Unicorn, Tanaquil, a young mender, and her familiar come face to face with her half-sister, Lizra, who forces Tanaquil to make a perilous choice between aiding Lizra in her quest for conquest or risking her terrible anger.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1614716 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10?In this sequel to Black Unicorn (Atheneum, 1991), readers rejoin Tanaquil after a year of travel has broadened her knowledge of the world and of herself. Coming to terms with her gift for sorcery, the teen finds herself in the midst of a war between a conquering Empress and the lands she is besieging. The Empress, who turns out to be Tanaquil's misguided half-sister, has built a mechanical golden unicorn. Tanaquil senses its evil nature but cannot deny her gift; she breathes "life" into it, only to find that she has helped create a war machine. The plot then follows the golden beast into war, eventually leading Tanaquil into an unpleasant alternate world that is virtually the opposite of the perfect world she had discovered in the previous book. This novel is not as captivating or as smoothly constructed as the first one. However, readers who enjoyed that title will want to continue following the heroine's adventures, and Lee does introduce some new and interesting characters. Although the immediate conflicts are resolved, there is definitely room for a third volume. A foreword summarizes Black Unicorn.?Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. Lee's sequel to Black Unicorn (1991) continues the adventures of 16-year-old Tanaquil, runaway daughter of an idiosyncratic sorceress. Here, the young mender and her familiar, a spirited, intelligent peeve, are taken captive by a band of soldiers that is part of the army of Empress Veriam, who is intent upon conquering the world and rendering it "perfect," with a law for everything. To Tanaquil's complete astonishment, the empress, rumored "conqueror and child-eater," is her 16-year-old, half-sister, Lizra. To further her cause, Lizra has had constructed a huge, mechanical, gold-plated unicorn as a symbol of her power, but the unicorn doesn't work, and Lizra bades Tanaquil to mend it. A great part of the story follows the advancing army as it pursues the conquering of all the lands. However, the unicorn turns out to be far more than a machine of war; it proves to be a gate to an alternate world, where war is king and the fallen rise on the morrow to fight yet again. Although the story drags in places as the empress wages war, the scenes in the alternate, Inferno-like world are mesmerizing and scary; there is enough humor to leaven the whole, and the conclusion is open to yet another sequel. Not a starting place but an appealing story for readers of the first fantasy. Sally Estes

Customer Reviews

Quite enjoyable
Tanith Lee displays her usual inventiveness in Gold Unicorn; the result is a very satisfactory sequel to Black Unicorn.

While not, in my mind, quite as enjoyable as the first one, Gold Unicorn nonetheless remains a well-crafted fantasy in a creative and unusual world. Darker than its predecessor, Gold Unicorn explores Tanaquil's struggles between loyalty to her half-sister Lizra, now the dreaded conquerer, and her own belief that the ideal world her sister strives for cannot be achieved by war. Added are several complications-- a massive mechanical gold unicorn Lizra has ordered Tanaquil to fix for her war campaign, the mischievous peeve, stinging mousps (a magician's creation formed of mice and wasps), Honj, the enigmatic consort of Lizra...and a hell world to parallel the perfect world Tanaquil saw in the last book.

Obviously some people won't appreciate this book, but to those who enjoy Tanith Lee's particular style, Gold Unicorn is the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Brilliant, Artistic
This book was fantastic. Tanith Lee is a master craftman. This is a dark book, giving insightful glimpses into the destructive, shallow side of human nature - something unusual in a young adult fantasy. The characters are many-sided and intriguing, particulary the Empress, and Honj. Tanaquil's mixed feelings about them add depth and realism. The subtle romantic tension also adds spice to the story, as the the twist at the end. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes thought-provoking, entertaining stories.

War, Plagues, Star Crossed Lovers...to Begin With
Tanaquil has had the time of her life traveling and seeing all the wonders of the world for herself. But, as she begins to near her homeland, she hears rumors of horrible wars and a mad empress bent on conquering the world. Tanaquil fears for her mother and her half sister and heads straight for enemy territory in order to reach them...only to be captured by the empress' forces.

But that is not the worst, not by far, for, when Tanaquil is brought before the empress, who should it be but her own sister, Lizra! And Lizra has no intention of letting Tanaquil go. Lizra has had built a giant golden unicorn that will bring fear to the hearts of her enemies, but it will not work. She knows that Tanquil has an uncanny talent for mending things, so she commands Tanaquil to fix her unicorn. And Tanaquil does...against her better judgment.

Now the unicorn is destroying cities and slaughtering many. Tanaquil is sick over her part in Lizra's war, but she cannot leave...for she has fallen in love with Honj...who just happens to be the future husband of Lizra. How can they ever be together when a madwoman controls them...a madwomen they both care for...

This book is the sequel to Black Unicorn and equally as good as the first.