Customer Reviews

The Unlikely Ones

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is another story that reads like a fairy tale.
In a faraway cave a dragon lies in deep despair, for his life's quest had been to gather 5 priceless gems, and they have been stolen. He cannot return to his homeland without them.

In a dank cottage, 5 unlikely heroes are enslaved by an evil witch through very painful pebbles embedded in their flesh. They are Thing, a twisted girl deemed so hideous that she always wears a mask, Corby, the black crow, Puddy, the toad, Moglet, the timid kitten, and Pisky, the golden fish. They have no memory of their past and have learned over time to communicate amongst themselves.
When the villagers band together to burn the witch, our heroes escape and set out to solve the mystery of how to remove the pebbles that are causing them such agony. Along the way they meet two others harmed by the witch. The first is a hornless unicorn, whose whose horn was destroyed and companion was slain by the witch. The second is a knight cursed by the witch because he spurned her. His curse is to have rusty armor, a blunt sword, and all desire unfulfilled until he weds the ugliest creature in the land.
Many adventures follow and each member of the group meets a challenge that only they can face, until the mystery of the pebbles is solved. Unlike most books, the fulfillment of the quest is not quite the end, as in the real world each one must find their own happiness in the end.
A very good book with a bittersweet ending.

I read this book many years ago, when it first came out. I loved is so much that I have reread it several times. Mary Brown created a fabulous world with wonderful characters, many of whom were animals. To this day, I still remember the book, and I have my original paperback copy of the book. Thing, the central character, is a young woman who is the friend and protector of animals who have had a jewel bonded to their bodies, and she can speak their various languages. Thing spends most of the time caring for them, and orchestrating the escape from the witch who has them under her spell. They meet up with other characters, including a cursed knight and a unicorn with a broken horn. The ultimate goal is to have a dragon reverse the spells. If you love this book, as I did, you will love "Pigs Don't Fly."

If you want a book that has adventure and danger, humor and sorrow, despair and enlightenment, then you must read this book! I first read this book many years ago and I've reread it so many times I have worn out my original hardback. Mary Brown captures perfectly the trials and tribulations of a small band of misfit adventurers who struggle to overcome their individual debilities - and with the support of their magical friends, break the witch's curse forever! My favorite authors include Stephen Donaldson, Mercedes Lackey, and ofcourse J.R.R. Tolkien. In THE UNLIKELY ONES, Mary Brown has created intriguing and likeable characters; human, animal and magical, who struggle to overcome overwhelming obstacles and their own inner demons to show us that love and friendship can overcome anything! This is a charming tale filled with love; poignant and strong. You won't be disappointed.

I found this book to be extremely enjoyable and very diverse in imagination. I love the combination of dragon, wizards, witches and unicorns, and the "talking" animals. Mary Brown has written this novel so well that you really can imagine you're there and part of it. My 13 year old daughter has also read and enjoyed it, and in fact, wanted to call her new kitten "Moglet", after the cat in the story.

Simple, straightforward fairytale ingredients, three-dimensional, next-door characters, and humor combine to make this a refreshing, unique, and necessary addition to fantasy list. Not one unnecessary word. That's very, very rare in this genre. Mary Brown is a very talented writer (there are many out there) AND she is very careful, meticulous in fact, in what finally gets published (very few out there take the time).This a story that transcends the fantasy category and is destined to become a classic. I will certainly reread it and reread it and . . . (you get the idea).

This book presented some very profound concepts in a story that was both poignant and a real-page-turner. The hero and heroine were different, and likeable, and the supporting cast of animals was generally quite a hoot. The unicorn, Snowy, was unforgettable. I have read several other Mary Brown books since this one, and I'm sorry to say that they haven't come close to equalling The Unlikely Ones. But The Unlikely Ones is a real classic, and a real keeper.

Mary Brown's The Unlikely Ones could best be described as a modern folktale, a strange and magical tale involving talking animals, witches' curses, unicorns and dragons.

The Unlikely Ones takes many of the tropes of folklore and fantasy -- the quest, the party of adventurers, the dragon -- and then turns them on their head -- the quest is to get rid of precious gems; the party of adventurers is a hunched girl, a rusty knight and a group of animals; the dragon is . . . well, you'll have to read and find out. The result is an utterly charming and delightful novel that made me laugh and also sniffle a little at certain points. Plus, it has alliterative poetry in it, and I have no defense against that literary form as a Medievalist.

So, why am I knocking off two stars? Well, the novel is overwritten and drags towards a somewhat anticlimatic end. I found myself skimming through the last few chapters in impatience. I also was unconvinced by the romance between two of the characters, primarily because I found the male half of it entirely unattractive in every way. He was rude, patronising, misogynistic, and, most unforgivably of all, had an intermittent Irish Brogue that would make the Lucky Charms Leprechaun cry.

Nevertheless, a worthwhile and absorbing read.

I simply love fantasies! Not only do they take you completely away from your familiar world but most times, if it's well written, they have some very insightful lessons as well. This one touches on it all - dispair, strength, love, caring, giving, loss and laughter. Great job!

I have read fantasies for many years now and am amazed at how thought provoking they can be. A different way to look at life. The Unlikely Ones didn't let me down. The story unfolded so effortlessly that I was carried away in the adventure at a time in my life when I really needed to be carried away!

The story was so believable in it's far-out-ness! The relationships that Thing had with the animals was so real that I believe it! A great complimentary book for the Unlikely Ones is Kinship With All Life, by J. Allen Boone. They are so different but so much the same! Amazing and wonderful!

First thing of all...I'm afraid to say that the illustration for the front cover is quite misleading. Actually, the heroine in this story is no supermodel with luscious lips and professional eye makeup - but an innocent little girl who was forced to wear a mask because her face had been cruelly disformed by the wicked witch who kept her and all her beloved pets prisoners by painfully embedding precious jewels into various parts of their bodies to keep them from escaping. But the heroine and her animal friends all managed to escape and then went off on a very perilous journey in search for an enchanted dragon who would free them from their hurts and handicaps. And at the same time, an unkempt knight soon came across the unlikely troop and thus decided to join them. The great adventures that followed took very wild turns and twists into VERY scary situations as well as truly magical scenes that any fantasy fans would gladly indulge in. Very humorous and whimsical, yet...also sexist in a sense. Especially the ending which I DIDN'T LIKE AT ALL! So I never even bothered to finish it at all. Too Cinderella and Snow-Whitish for my liking. But if you can get past this kind of arrogance on the author's part, you would doubtlessly enjoy it anyway.

To be honest, I'm not a fan of fantasy novels. But I found this book at a flea market and was intrigued by the description on the back and the quote suggesting that even people who don't enjoy fantasy books would enjoy this one. It's true; every page of this book held my attention fast. The characterization is stellar, dialogue is smart and witty, and the story overall is sweet, original, not at all cliche. The seven main characters are so endearing; you can't help but wish them well and hope against hope for a happy ending. It's a tale of friendship and camaraderie, self-discovery and, most importantly, the nature of love in every possible incarnation. More than once I found myself moved to tears, and I highly recommend "The Unlikely Ones" to all readers~ but especially animal lovers.

(Please ignore the new cover art.)