The Innkeeper's Song The Innkeeper's Song 
Most fantasy novels
in the average Barnes & Noble (is there any other kind?) are of the
"youth meets wizard, goes
on quest, discovers hidden powers and saves the world" variety.
This is not that story. This is a story of a young man and a wizard,
but it is equally the story of three women, a stable boy, and, of course,
an innkeeper. The story is well told through chapters from different first
person perspectives, a la William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.
This technique is used masterfully by Beagle to develop an ensemble cast
of characters, each with depth and emotional resonance. Each character is
intriguing, slowly revealing new facets through the story, with each facet
hinting at ever more unexplored depths. This is a fantasy story which, unlike
many, doesn't exhaust the characters and their world. Some people won't
enjoy this book, but I think it is the perfect book for those who enjoy
and are open to fantasy, and are looking for a change of pace from the average, poorly written epic quest trilogy.
