Stalking the Unicorn

By: Mike Resnick

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

It's New Year's Eve and the elf perched on John Justin Mallory's desk wants his missing unicorn back. And that's the easy part. Mallory's wife has run off with his partner, his detective business is in ruins, and the mob's out to get him. With so many wonderful things happening, Mallory decides that a case involving a trip from reality might not be so bad. After all, what more can he lose?

Mallory soon finds that he might lose it all as he enters a Manhattan that just couldn't be. Dodging nasty gnomes and mischievous felines (not to mention rampaging elephants down Fifth Avenue), he discovers that the malevolent demon Grundy also seeks the fabled beast, and will stop at nothing.

Mallory is no Philip Marlowe, and will have to do some pretty fancy footwork just to stay alive. For if the Grundy wins, not only Mallory's life but his world will be forfeit.

©1987 Mike Resnick; (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"The crisp dialogue and imaginative setting will have many fantasy readers wanting to revisit Manhattan's magical side." (Publishers Weekly)
"Mike Resnick is a journeyman in a world of apprentices, one who knows his craft. His name on a book guarantees a solid story and believable characters, constructed with imagination and grace. Most importantly of all, it guarantees entertainment." (Raymond Feist)

Really enjoyed listening to it

I love this type of alternative world mystery and Resnick spoofs the mystery and fantasy genres very well in this book. Every cliche is in this story, typically turned on its side.

I bought this book when it first came out and am glad to see that Audible now has it.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Absolute necessity!

This is just pure fun!

I downloaded this one on a whim as I was looking for something fun and different, something a touch 'Robert Asprin' (now if they would only make the M.Y.T.H. books into audio here!) and I was very pleased with this one.

This book is very much like one of those old detective movies/radio shows and the author sets a fine and fun setting and the narrator does an excellent job with his voicing of the characters.

Nothing serious here at all, but if you are looking for a fun, light and interesting listen I would recommend this instantly. I've already downloaded 'Stalking the Vampire', the follow up to this series and am eagerly awaiting to have the time to listen to it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

The city is a lady . . .

If you don't know about cheap detective novels, you might want to read up on them a bit. My father loved Mickey Spillane and Boston Blackey, or more recently John D. McDonald's, Travis Magee. That is the tradition that Mike Resnick uses to write about the hidden Manhattan. "Stalking the Unicorn," really does do a great job at taking a humorous jaunt. The genre isn't about deep character development, that's not the point of this kind of literature. It is more about just enjoying the story about someone's experience. It is like buying someone a beer to hear a humorous story. You don't need details about their life, it is just a story.

Peter Ganim does a fine job at reading. Through the entire book I kept thinking his interpretation of the main character's voice sounded familiar. Then it dawned on me, Steven Wright. If you like deadpan humor, you are going to love Ganim's reading.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

silly fun

this book is a lot of fun. I at first didn't care for the narrator, but he grew on me. The real issue I have with the book is the pacing. It drags in the middle where it seems to lose the plot and turn into a tour of New York and it's strange and interesting residents.

Still, this is a fun listen, and is followed up by a superior sequel. I look forward to the third book in the trilogy.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Stalking the unicorn's reader

I have enjoyed Mike Resnick books a lot. The issue this time is not the book, but the reader. This is one of those cases where I book probably should have not been read out loud.

9 of 13 people found this review helpful

Read at about 1.25 speed

Don’t know what happened during recording, but the narration is much better if sped up just a little- this was a great book where the main character doesn’t have some super power that would otherwise kill my interest.

i loved every minute

Where does Stalking the Unicorn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

to me everything about it was amazuing i listedn to all the stalking series

What did you like best about this story?

i loved the detective the most john justin malory

Which scene was your favorite?

THE GRUNDY!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

laughted alot at work lol

Good Setting, Boring Protagonist

Similarly to Resnick's Mutiny books, don't read this book for fleshed out characters. This is a beach book. I'm not saying it's bad but it is a very classical "Hero" story. The only twist is the setting, which is really the only reason to read it. I found the reader enjoyable for the character.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I couldn't get past the first 2 hours

Very badly read, or at least I think so. I will give it another try when I have no other books, but this did not catch my interest at all

2 of 6 people found this review helpful

good book, poor reader

I was really looking forward to hearing this, one of my favorite Resnick titles. That anticipation ended before the end of the first paragraph. The reading is one of the worst I've heard on Audible. He hesitates in the wrong places, puts emphasis on the wrong words, and is very slow in parts. For example, when the sentence has 'he said', there will be a long pause before those words. Very distracting -- it's impossible to stay immersed in the tale. Very disappointing. I'll avoid this narrator.

My advice is to forgo the audiobook for the printed version. Too bad. This is such a fun romp to read. Resnick turns the tropes and cliches of fantasy and hardboiled detective tales and makes them fresh.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Quirky alternative & fun.

Lots of books have been written about alternative worlds, but this is great fun.

Our resolute detective will do almost anything to earn a buck, and ends up getting into all sorts of trouble.

I really enjoyed it.