Synopsis

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. articulated his dream, JFK was assassinated, and zip codes were first introduced to the US. The world was changing and changing fast. But for future fantasy author, Peter S. Beagle, and best friend, Phil Sigunick, it wasn’t changing fast enough.  Finding inspiration from TV’s westerns, the Lone Ranger, Lord of the Rings and the Pogo comic strip, the two twenty-something beatnik Jews from the Bronx hit the road for California on a couple of Heinkel scooters to find their fortunes.

Peter’s and Phil’s banter across the country is nothing short of hilarious, poignant and strikingly perceptive. Their journey away from sheltered childhood toward the responsibility and confusion of adulthood races along at break-neck (and occasionally, break-Heinkel) speed.  From the first freezing-cold night camping in Pittsburg to the Kansas City girl holding out against conformity to the prostitute Peter and Phil help buy gas in Vegas, our protagonists repeatedly find themselves living the dreams of the people they meet; the dream to escape and be free of societal demands and constraints.   

Both Peter and Phil know that they should savor the trip – a twilight celebration of their youth – and Beagle captures this bittersweet remembrance of things so barely past with exquisite imagery, intense affection, and an inevitable sense of both loss and gain. This travelogue-cum-bildungsroman resonates beyond geographic and generational divides, intricately articulating both a wistfulness and a wanderlust we may have forgotten we always had.

back to top

Author Profile

PETER S. BEAGLE, was born in 1939 and raised in the Bronx, just a few blocks from Woodlawn Cemetery, the inspiration for his first novel, A Fine And Private Place. He originally proclaimed he would be a writer when 10 years old: subsequent events have proven him either prescient or even more stubborn than hitherto suspected. Today, thanks to classic works such as The Last Unicorn, Tamsin, and The Innkeeper's Song, he is acknowledged as America's greatest living fantasy author; and his dazzling abilities with language, characters, and magical storytelling have earned him many millions of fans around the world.

In addition to stories and novels Peter has written numerous teleplays and screenplays, including the animated versions of The Lord Of The Rings and The Last Unicorn, plus the fan-favorite “Sarek” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

His latest story collection, The Line Between, was released in summer 2006 from Tachyon Publications. It includes the long-awaited coda story to The Last Unicorn, "Two Hearts," which won the 2006 Hugo Award for best novelette and has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award.   For more information on Peter, visit his website, www.peterbeagle.com.

back to top

Book Tour Schedule

New York, May TBA

back to top