Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Black Unicorn
    Unavailable
    The Black Unicorn
    Unavailable
    The Black Unicorn
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Black Unicorn

    Written by Terry Brooks

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A year had passed since Ben Holiday bought the Magic Kingdom from the wizard Meeks, who had set a series of pitfalls against him. Ben survived, by the aid of three loyal friends: Questor Thews, an ill-trained wizard; Abernathy, a talking dog, the Court Scribe; and the lovely Willow, who sometimes had to be a tree.

    But Ben had been troubled by dreams of disaster to his former partner, Miles Bennett. Yet when he returned to Earth, Ben found Miles doing splendidly.

    Unknown to Ben, the dreams had been a trap by Meeks, who had returned to the Magic Kingdom as a tiny insect hidden in Ben's clothing. That first night back in Landover, Ben awoke to see Meeks gloating over him, claiming to have the medallion that could summon the mysterious knight-protector, the Paladin, and that he had cast a spell to switch appearances with Ben.

    Ben found himself outcast, no longer recognized by any friend, though all his powerful enemies seemed to know him. Without the medallion, he couldn't seek the help of the Paladin against Meeks. There was only the prism cat - whatever that might be!

    And where was Willow - and the mysterious black unicorn she'd set out to find?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJan 29, 2008
    ISBN9781423350255
    Unavailable
    The Black Unicorn

    Related to The Black Unicorn

    Related audiobooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Six-Gun Silhouette

      Nov 21, 2023

      So the story goes, one night in 1887 Buckskin Frank Leslie returned home drunk to wife May. Fed up, she accused him of being unfaithful, a charge most likely true. His manhood thus challenged, Frank resolved to “prove” his dominance, as well as his s

      1 min read

    • Article

      Tragedy Of The Little Darlings

      Mar 25, 2021

      EX LIBRIS J.M. BARRIE AND THE LOST BOYS A“CATCHING OF HAPPINESS” is how Philip Larkin, in a tender moment, referred to one of his godchildren. The phrase might also describe the relationship between another literary darkling, J.M. Barrie and a whole

      7 min read

    • Article

      Terror on Pendle Hill

      Jan 31, 2024

      Terror on Pendle Hill
      7 min read

    • Article

      For The Thrill Of It

      Aug 31, 2022

      When I was bound apprentice in famous Lincolnshire/ I served my master truly for nearly seven odd year/ Till I took up to poaching, as you shall quickly hear/ Oh, ’tis my delight on a shining night in the season of the year.” So goes the famous folk

      4 min read

    • Article

      Before Straight and Gay

      Feb 6, 2017

      Before Straight and Gay
      7 min read

    • Article

      Book Reviews

      Mar 31, 2022

      Kyrie McCauley HarperCollins Publishers ISBN: 978-0-0628-8503-6 Tens of thousands of crows invading Auburn, Pennsylvania, is a problem for everyone in town except seventeen-year-old Leighton Barnes. For Leighton, it’s no stranger than her house, whic

      2 min read

    • Article

      Strange Encounters

      Dec 16, 2021

      Strange Encounters
      5 min read

    • Article

      Benny And The Bets

      Sep 8, 2020

      Benny And The Bets
      4 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Jul 21, 2023

      By Denise Mina Raymond Chandler’s Los Angeles PI Philip Marlowe is reimagined by Mina in a novel that includes Anne Riordan, from Chandler’s 1940 novel Farewell, My Lovely, the working title of which was the same as this book. Here, Marlowe is tasked

      2 min read

    • Article

      Break For The BORDER

      Sep 29, 2020

      Break For The BORDER
      4 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Sedaris, Adelmann, Cross-Smith, and More

      May 31, 2022

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from David Sedaris, Maria Adelmann, Leesa Cross-Smith, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Real Mr Hyde

      Oct 10, 2019

      The Real Mr Hyde
      9 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Oct 27, 2021

      Nineteen-year-old Casey’s name was splashed across the headlines after the US family she was nannying for were found brutally murdered. Years later, back in England and living as ‘Rachel’, Casey’s life is the centre of a police investigation for a se

      1 min read

    • Article

      Bel voir Castle

      Apr 6, 2023

      Bel voir Castle
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Devil’s domain

      Feb 22, 2024

      The Devil’s domain
      13 min read

    • Article

      Fortune HUNTER

      Apr 26, 2020

      Rattled by the arrival of mysterious lawyer Amanda Sinclair who claims that her client, Chance Chancellor, has discovered that Katherine Chancellor’s original will is invalid, thereby disinheriting Devon of the billions he received, Devon struggles t

      2 min read

    • Article

      The real BEATRIX POTTER

      Oct 9, 2020

      The real BEATRIX POTTER
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      Weird World Jeepers creepers

      Sep 7, 2023

      Weird World Jeepers creepers
      3 min read

    • Article

      ...thomas And Jean Weir

      Aug 12, 2023

      ...thomas And Jean Weir
      2 min read

    • Article

      FRAUDSTER Found Out

      Jun 21, 2020

      FRAUDSTER Found Out
      2 min read

    Reviews for The Black Unicorn

    3.5/5

    469 ratings11 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This guy was a really good narrator for this book.
    • 2/5
      This is surprisingly dull. You're just waiting for the characters to catch up with what you've already figured out because the author keeps hinting at it. Shame, it has all these wonderful characters and we never get under their skin.
    • 4/5
      Boy, a lot of people really don't like this book. Well, I do. Granted, it's not as good as the first book in this Landover series, but I still think it tells a good story. In it, one night Ben Holiday, the new king of Landover, his wizard Questor Thews, and the sylph Willow all have dreams that compel them to go on individual quests because of what they see in their dreams -- Ben sees his former law partner in Chicago in trouble and crying out for Ben's help, Questor sees some magic books he can acquire, and Willow sees a black unicorn and a gold bridle meant for it. However, the evil wizard, Meeks, reappears and is the source of these dreams. He follows Ben back into Landover and exchanges identities with Ben, getting Ben kicked out of the castle and taking over the rule of the land. He then takes possession of the books that Questor attained and goes on an extensive search for the black unicorn, which apparently possesses some serious magic that he wants to harness. Meanwhile, Ben sets out on a search for Willow, anticipating great danger for her and wanting to save her from it. He is joined by a fantastic character, a fairie creature in the form of a "prism" cat named Edgewood Dirk. He accompanies Ben on his journeys, saves his life on occasion, and tries to impart wisdom in a game playing, cryptic cat-like way that merely infuriates Ben. (Brooks seems to really GET cats in his portrayal here.) He learns nothing. And this is where people have a problem with the book. In the first book, Ben used his skills learned as a world class lawyer to guide his way through becoming king of Landover. In this book, he's dense as a rock. I mean, dumb as hell. Midway through the book, a 10-year-old child can figure out what has happened to Ben, but it's not til the end of the book that he himself does, this after Dirk has hinted at it repeatedly. Apparently this infuriates a number of fans. I take it with a grain of salt and knock the book down a star. Of course, since this is a four book series, you know Ben's going to beat Meeks and win in the end, but it's fun to see it occur. And there's the love interest between Ben and Willow, although it's also frustrating to see how dense Ben is about his feelings regarding Willow. Still, this wasn't a bad book. I like magic and fantasy and there's plenty of that here. I've already read the third book in this series and I think it's a bit better, so chalk this up to trying to write a sequel to a really good first book and falling a bit short. Nonetheless, recommended.
    • 4/5
      Entertaining read, and a solid follow-up to the start of this series. I think the characters are well developed in this series and am looking forward to the next in this series.
    • 3/5
      I listened to the audiobook with the family on a road trip. I probably wouldn't have continued the series after the first book if it was only my choice. I’m not a fan of the main character, Ben. He’s not proactive, and shows no ability to see things from others perspective and empathize (a trait you’d think would be helpful in a lawyer). Most of the time I want to slap him upside the head and tell him he’s being a self-centered idiot. At the end of this book I’m still not sure why his friends are his friends, other than he is the Great High Lord, Mightily High Lord. (In all honesty, the best part of the book is that it led to a family joke biased off of Philip and Sot’s litany).Interesting world, interesting characters, but my inability to respect the main character leaves me with no interest in the rest of the series.
    • 3/5
      As with the first book, I had a really hard time getting into the story. It wasn’t until halfway through the book that I started getting invested in Ben’s new challenge—revealing Meeks for what he is—and the story behind the black unicorn. I would have also liked to have seen more of the changes to Landover under Ben’s rule, as well as some greater consequences whenever he leaves one world for the other. It was a good book, and for as much as I enjoyed it, I really don’t feel like picking up the rest of the series, mainly because of the fact that I’ve had a hard time just getting into the plot of the first two books.
    • 3/5
      One night, Ben Holiday, High Lord of Landover, and his companions the wizard, Questor Thews and the sylph, Willow, each have a dream which compels them on a quest. The three journeys seem unrelated, but they may not be. The reappearance of the evil wizard Meeks and the sighting of a Black Unicorn might also have something do to with the situation. This is a rather lackluster novel of magic and journeying across a fantasy world, which this author seems to be known for (except the lackluster part. I hear a lot of people really like this guy's books). I wasn't impressed with the first book of his that I read. The second one I quite enjoyed, with it's rather unique premise of having a regular guy from our world become king of a fairy world, but now that he's kind of settled in to the whole fairy kingdom thing, it becomes more reminiscent of every other swords/fairy creatures/good vs. evil magic book I've ever read. Also, I figured out the mysterious secret of the magical plot way, way before the characters did. I probably won't continue this series right away.Oh! I almost forgot. The one redeeming quality this book has is that of the prism cat, Edgewood Dirk, who follows Ben on his quest and imparts important information in a cryptic cat-like way. He was so funny, and so very, very like what I would imagine a magical talking cat would be, so aloof and arrogant. I loved him. That's what frustrates me about this author. The premise of Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! was wrought with so much potential for amusement, but he mostly played it straight. This book, with more from Dirk and the scribe/talking dog Abernathy, could have been better. It's like he's hovering around the edge of awesome, but can't quite get there.
    • 3/5
      The second book in the Landover series starts out (after a brief prologue) with our cast of characters sitting around at breakfast talking about dreams. Don't worry, this is indeed a fantasy adventure novel and not some Freudian Interpretation of Dreams textbook. However, there is a lot of psychological exploration of character and motivation that happens in this book. In fact, that's one of the elements of Brooks's writing that I often enjoy…the internal conflict that many of the characters go through as they try to sort out their own identity and/or motivations.In this book, we get into the semi-standard "quest" formula often found in fantasy and commonly used in Brooks's books. A series of dreams have suggested individual quests for three of our main characters. Ben needs to return to his non-magical hometown of Chicago to help his old friend who is in danger. Questor (the eccentric and comical wizard) has been shown the location of the secret lost books of magic which he must set out to recover. And Willow (the beautiful sylph who has fallen in love with Ben) has been prompted to seek out the mystical Black Unicorn, find a magical golden bridal that can capture it, and return to Ben.As each member of the party sets off on their individual quests, it quickly becomes apparent that the dreams were not as straightforward as they appeared. Most of the action follows Ben but we are given occasional chapters that keep us up to date with the other characters. Ben's return to Earth and his subsequent return to Landover unlocks a series of events that lead to his downfall from power and recognition as King of Landover. The result is his exile from his own castle and a new quest to find Willow (who still hasn't returned from her quest) and seek to protect her and to somehow solve his own problems along the way.The adventure aspect of this book is engaging enough. There are a couple of rather exciting and intense scenes (such as when Ben is with the River Master who is trying to summon the Black Unicorn…or the later confrontation between the witch Nightshade and the powerful dragon Strabo) but a lot of the novel involved inner monologue or strings of dialog in which Ben tries to unravel the mystery of his downfall. Ben's narrative explores the psychological question of "Who am I?" and "What's my motivation/passion/purpose?" Ben has "lost himself" in more ways than one. The questions and thoughts explored in the book are intriguing and thought provoking, but they dragged on a little too long, in my opinion. Page after page we wander along with Ben as he tries to find answers to these questions. He gains a magical companion in Dirk, the mystical prism cat who poses thought provoking questions and enigmatic explanations. After a short time, I was so frustrated with Ben that I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him to just "snap out of it"…tell him that the answer was so very obvious and he was an idiot for not seeing it and for asking the same stupid questions over and over without making any progress. This to me was a major disconnect. Ben is supposed to be a very bright lawyer with a quick mind for problem solving and evaluating the situations. I will gladly admit that it's generally harder to see something clearly that's right in front of you…easier to solve someone else's problems than your own. But truly, Ben should have been able to figure things out by halfway through his journey rather than at the last possible moment for salvation. Even if he wasn't fully able to unlock the magic spell that held him bound, he should have at least been able to see the nature of the problem.Apart from that character disconnect, I liked the general message of the psychological exploration. That we need to admit our own passions if we ever hope to achieve them…that the truth we see and understand may not be the real truth and that we should be willing to pull back the layers of illusion to better understand ourselves, others and the world.I felt like the story was fun and the characters developed a bit more than they had in the first novel. It still isn't an overly deep series with spanning epic proportions, but then it doesn't set out to be. This is another entertaining read.***3 out of 5 stars
    • 3/5
      Cute, but not as good as his Shannara books. Its not that the writing is all that much different, but Landover is much less complex and interesting than the Four Lands, and the villians are less complex as well.
    • 4/5
      I love this series! It's simple reading but just the kind of easy escapism read you need sometimes.
    • 2/5
      Summary: The previous owner wants his magic kingdom back.The Take-Away: A nice follow-up, but I'm going to spoil a couple of things if you haven't read the first one.While it was great to see the lengths to which the wizard Meeks would go to get the kingdom back from Ben Holiday (the lawyer from Chicago.) In fact, since Meeks never really intended for Holiday to stay, he was quite determined to get the kingdom back.After Meeks deceives Holiday and gets back to Landover, Holiday's adventure highlights how well he is ruling the kingdom, and getting the disjointed factions back to working together. Part of me wonders how well this is going. Part of me realizes that this wouldn't be the best storyline for Brooks to follow, even though I'm more curious than what was answered in the book. The havoc with the reluctantly-previous owner is quite rightly the focus.Recommendation: While I liked the first one better, the second in the series isn't the failsafe for continuing -- Book Three is (regardless of the series.) Since I haven't read that one yet, I can't give this one an accurate shakedown.