Yes, indeed, it truly took me an inordinate amount of time to read this book.

Ordinarily, that would imply a lower rating. However. The issue was that I simply could not, for the life of me, read it while in any state of sleepiness whatsoever.

Even the tiniest hint of sleepiness meant that I no longer had the slightest understanding of what the heck was going on.

And since I've mostly been reading in bed before sleeping, that translated into a whole heck of a lot of chapters that I would have to go back and reread.

To be honest, it was kind of amusing.

It's not that the storyline is overly complex (I've definitely read storylines that were far more difficult to follow).

Rather, it's just that the storytelling style itself is so rich in whimsy and metaphors.

It really demanded my full and undivided attention to keep up with it.

Then, when you add in the fact that one of the characters has adopted a disguise as the opposite gender, and the reader (and other characters) don't even discover this until more than halfway through the book, it just results in a bit of a muddled-headed reading experience.

If that makes any sense at all.

In any case, both the storyline and the style of writing are actually quite brilliant and entirely delightful.

Because Goodreads doesn't allow a half star, I'm placing this one at three stars, though I think it's more like 3 1/2.

I am a big Peter Beagle fan, but this book just didn't hit the mark for me. He tells it from the perspectives of at least 6 different characters. However, there just wasn't enough difference in some of the voices to keep me from getting confused.

Also, the one thing Beagle does best in some of his other works is create a world that draws you in. Sadly, I never got that here until just about the end of the book. By then it was too late to save the book for me.

The plot is rather complex. A young man loses his betrothed when she drowns. She is brought back by a strange woman, who then takes her away. He follows. The woman and the resurrected girl are joined by a third woman. The first and third woman are looking to help their friend, a wizard, who is being attacked by another wizard. The characters then mostly interact at a rundown inn, run by a harsh innkeeper with a secret about his stable boy. In the end...well, I won't spoil it, but there's a lot that goes on, including a mystery about the third woman.

This book is a far cry from some of Beagle's other works and is different from them in many ways. There are some bits of great storytelling, but I could just not get into this one. If you're trying to complete your Peter Beagle bookshelf, go ahead and get this. But if you're looking for a great story, you might want to pass this one by.

Up until more than halfway through, I truly wasn't certain whether this twisty, jump-about, and half-confusing thing would merit a full four stars. It was a rather chaotic read in parts, with the storylines zigzagging in a way that made it a bit of a challenge to follow.

However, as I delved deeper, I began to see its redeeming qualities. There were roots and half-spoken backstories that seemed to stretch for miles, hinting at a fully-fleshed world that we were just starting to discover. It was as if there was a rich tapestry of history and lore hidden beneath the surface.

Moreover, there were a few scenes that were simply terrifyingly beautiful. They had a power and a vividness that left a lasting impression on me. And perhaps most importantly, it had the same deep, bittersweet longing as The Last Unicorn written on its bones. This underlying emotion gave the story a depth and a resonance that made it truly special. Now, I'm almost tempted to give it five stars, but alas, Goodreads doesn't provide options in between.

Peter S. Beagle is truly one of my all-time favorite authors.

His prose is like a warm and cozy blanket that envelopes me, making me feel at ease and content. This has been especially crucial during this transition to the new year, when I've been in desperate need of that comforting feeling.

I'm aware that he has specifically mentioned this novel as his favorite, and indeed, it possesses an epic quality that justifies such a claim.

However, I can't help but wonder if, in today's context where attitudes towards gender and expression have undergone such a drastic shift since 1993, he would approach the writing of this book differently.

There is a significant amount of gender play in this story, and I found myself continuously waiting for it to evolve into a more in-depth exploration of the theme, rather than culminating in the kind of Shakespearean deception that it ultimately does.

Nonetheless, the actual plot of the group of heroes who gather in an inn and then remain there is truly excellent. And, as always, Beagle's writing has the power to soothe and comfort me deep within my heart.

The lead jacket quote proclaims this as "In many ways... Beagle's finest novel". If we set aside the mystery of what lies within that ellipsis, it mainly reveals to me that critic Gary K. Wolfe and I have vastly different expectations from Peter S. Beagle. It's not that his other works, like The Last Unicorn, lack moments of terror and heartbreak. Equally, The Innkeeper's Song is far from being a grimdark tale. It begins with a folk song that is more raucous than tragic and may or may not exist outside these pages. Then it pretends to tell us the real story behind its outlandish verses.

Where Beagle's masterpieces are almost fantasy by courtesy or due to the limitations of genres, this one, for better or worse, feels closer to the typical fantasy fare of battling wizards, impossible quests, sinister cultists, and savage beasts. Perhaps this was what the market demanded in the nineties, or maybe Beagle simply fancied a change. Certainly, he hadn't lost his wryness, wisdom, or whimsy. I was especially amused by the awful Dirvic language and wondered if any real tongue inspired it.

There's an ongoing, multifaceted exploration of how bodies and minds grow, break, heal, and end together – but importantly, not always, and what that might imply and if there are ways to address it. Above all, there's the style of the telling. The stable boy, the gruff publican, and a fox have just as much to say as the three strange women who come to the inn. And, unlike many relay race narratives in fantasy, it's very much an oral history being told to a specific someone, though we don't know exactly who. But just as you're getting fully invested in the balance of the epic and the mundane, the staff of the Gaff and Slasher (what a name for a pub!) fade out for 50 pages of solid adventuring. Which is, you know, okay – but there are countless others who can do that kind of thing, and only one Beagle. By anyone else's standards, it's brilliant, but definitely my least favorite of the Beagle novels I've read (unless Sooz was novel-length rather than a novella, anyway).

Peter Beagle is an author I hold in deep admiration. However, this particular book did not strike a chord with me. It stands out as quite different from his other works in several aspects.

The narrative is presented from the viewpoints of at least six distinct characters. Unfortunately, the lack of clear differentiation in some of their voices led to confusion on my part. One of Beagle's notable strengths in his previous writings is his remarkable ability to create immersive worlds. Regrettably, I found that this book failed to captivate me in that regard.

The storyline is intricate, revolving around three unusual women who arrive at an inn in search of a wizard known to two of them. The tale unfolds through various perspectives, including those of the women, the innkeeper, a stable boy, a young man seeking his deceased fiancée, a shape-shifting fox, and others such as the barmaid and the pot boy. While some characters, like the fox and the innkeeper, have distinct voices that make their chapters engaging, others tend to blend together, making it difficult to keep track.

My enjoyment of the book fluctuated with each scene. There was a particularly remarkable moment when Lal, one of the women, utilized the art of storytelling to triumph in a conflict. However, the conclusion felt overly mystical and ambiguous, reminiscent of a Robin McKinley novel. Additionally, there was an extended section—about twenty pages—dedicated to a non-graphic multi-person intimate scene that seemed largely superfluous and detracted from the overall flow of the story.

The writing itself is of high quality; Peter S. Beagle is undeniably a skilled author. Nevertheless, I found myself frequently losing focus while reading. It was challenging to maintain my concentration on the text. There may be numerous thematic elements that I missed, and fully grasping them would likely require a second reading, which I do not intend to undertake.

While there are moments of excellent storytelling, I struggled to engage with this book on the whole. If you are looking to complete your collection of Peter Beagle's works, it may be worth adding this title. However, if you seek a truly compelling narrative that will keep you hooked from start to finish, you might consider skipping it.

While this book may not be Peter Beagle's absolute finest work, it is, without a doubt, an enthralling fantasy novel composed of interwoven stories.

I had the pleasure of hearing him sing the song long before I delved into the book, and to my delight, a part of that very song is included within its pages.

The central themes of power, life, and death lie at the core of this captivating tale. Two disciples of a wizard embark on a quest to find their master. The only available clues have led them to a small, seemingly unassuming village. Along their journey, they encounter and acquire another woman who was formerly dead.

The boyfriend of the formerly deceased, the innkeeper, the innkeeper's stable boy, and all the others who interact with them contribute to fleshing out the story. As their individual tales intertwine, the viewpoint seamlessly changes from chapter to chapter. This unique narrative structure makes the book a somewhat challenging read in certain aspects, especially as the realities of the tale continuously twist and turn with each new plot revelation.

If you have a penchant for the style that Peter Beagle employed in The Last Unicorn, then there is a high probability that you would thoroughly enjoy this book as well.

From the Preface:

And now (...) I take a step aside and look at "The Song" itself. Why is this book important for the man Kalin, for his dreams of what "The Human Library" should include. How does it differ from the other books I know.

For example:

Throughout the entire novel, you will encounter a total of twenty heroes. Nevertheless, you will remember them longer than the hundreds in the epic trilogies. Weeks after you send them on their next adventures, their voices will accompany you.

In "The Song", there is not a single war, not a single battle. There is a scuffle between three, a scuffle between two, and three collisions, in which physical abilities are of no help. I remember all five, scream by scream... and they have influenced, consciously or not, the way I write battle scenes. Only "Iron" has influenced me in such a way.

The culmination of "The Song" - the moment when our tears are wiped away - has nothing in common with battle scenes. Or even with that so beloved, so worn-out embrace - the death of a hero. I don't want to take away the joy of discovery from you, so I will only say: there awaits you not death, but rebirth. And it is not physical. (I want more such finales.)

"The Song" is not a love novel - not in the sense that we usually put into "love". However, inside there is one intimate scene - thirty pages, with more than two participants, - which still makes me wonder:

- what did all the other authors I know (except Sturgeon and Zindel) understand, what did they feel from the combination of physical and spiritual attraction - the connection between sex and desire, and longing, and the need to love; and if they understood, if they felt something - why, for God's sake, have they never been able to show it to us?

- what did we, the living people, understand, feel, for whom the thought of sharing a bed with more than one (and sometimes - even with one) partner is... no, wait, I won't tell you. You tell me: what is your reaction if you imagine that you are in bed with more than one partner? And, one step further: where did that reaction come from?

- and consequently - how is it possible that one sex no, no, I hit the word better at the beginning - one intimate scene, in which the feelings literally blind the minds of the participants (but sharpen their gaze... you will see)... how is it possible that one emotional scene can give birth to so many thoughts in me? Do we, as storytellers, know how to use our stories truly? Do we know what we can actually do?

But the preface itself... is not so long-winded. Listen...

My first encounter with Beagle took place in a starred unit.

The Tavern Song is actually a very simple book, with a story that could be summarized in a few paragraphs. However, the author managed to extract the maximum from the pages, saying a lot between the lines and completely inspiring me for the world and characters he brought to life in it. So much so that at the end I was sorry it wasn't an x-log. But this book is from the times when a standalone fantasy novel was not a fad. If I remember correctly, in one review of Philip Pullman's book, I expressed that the book acts as an exercise in creative writing. And to a certain extent, I feel the same way here - it's simply that kind of story where a magnate gives a theme to a writer, and at the other end, the writer produces a result. Only when the result is masterful, as in this case, it is by no means a detriment. And perhaps it wasn't a magnate, but one of the Muses that sometimes sits lightly on the shoulders of all writers...

Otherwise, you can also imagine that book as a painting or as a song. After all, the end of the song also came into being. Listen to it, don't regret it.

A plot summary of this book might go something like this: A wizard and his former students engage in a battle against another former student who has sold his life to the darkness in exchange for power.

It would be accurate, but completely misleading. So, what was the book truly about? It was about stories, singing, love, hate, obligations, responsibilities, death, rebirth, and redemption....

If I were to describe The Innkeeper's Song in a single word, it would be "chewy." Some books are like milkshakes. You can simply drink them down effortlessly and then move on to the next one. However, others, like this one, require you to read slowly. If you don't, you'll miss half of its essence. Beagle has stuffed this novel with enough story to fill a book three times its size. Another author might have expanded it into a 1000-page doorstop, and it would have taken no more time to read than it does at its current, appropriate length. This is one book that I will likely have to read again. Since I'm certain that if I return to it in about six months, I'll be thinking "I completely missed that!" in every other chapter. There is a wealth of content here. So, take your time and savor it.

Peter Beagle once more showcases his remarkable eloquence within a fantastical world inhabited by wizards and knights (of a certain kind). They embark on a perilous quest against seemingly insurmountable odds, with the goal of defeating death itself.

It's worth noting that (spoiler alert) they have already achieved this feat once before. In true Beagle style, the characters are richly developed and complex. Their backstories are so engaging that they leave the reader yearning for more details.

The events that unfold in this magical world are a captivating mix of charm, intrigue, and horror. The writing is not only beautiful but also, at times, heart-rending. It has the power to draw the reader in and keep them enthralled from beginning to end.

Overall, this work is a testament to Beagle's talent for creating immersive and unforgettable fantasy worlds.

Magical coming of age is truly a remarkable experience. It is a journey filled with wonder, growth, and self-discovery. I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. During this process, I have witnessed my own transformation, both physically and mentally. I have learned valuable lessons, overcome challenges, and gained a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. The magical aspect of it lies in the unexpected opportunities that have presented themselves, the new friendships I have formed, and the memories that will last a lifetime. It is a time when dreams start to take shape and possibilities seem endless. I am grateful for this magical coming of age and look forward to the adventures that lie ahead.