Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

“Malevolent ghouls galloping across the grassland, skeletal wings unfurling, taking flight.”

In this quotation, the author employs vivid imagery and alliteration to create a powerful vision of unicorns that defies standard characterizations that are common in folklore. This more violent version of the mythical beast creates a tense edge that sets the tone for the book right away. By leading with such details, the author endeavors to establish that her unicorns differ greatly from the stuff of legend and cut a much more intimidating figure than the benign, friendly version that younger readers may be more accustomed to reading about.

“Then there was only sound. Explosions of elemental magic; unicorns screeching. More screaming from the crowd, and the unmistakable thundering of feet as Islanders attempted to escape from their seats.”

In this passage, Steadman uses an almost cinematic approach to create a visceral impression of the spectators’ terror and the thrill of the Chaos Cup match. This description shifts perspective and weaves together different senses to convey a deep sense of excitement and terror, and how subjective the experience of those emotions can be.

“In their fear, people had purged their homes of unicorns—picture books, soft toys, key rings, party decorations—and piled them onto towering bonfires that raged in public parks.”

This passage articulates a radical shift in perspective, for the Mainlanders had an idealized image of unicorns, but this flawed viewpoint turned to embittered disillusionment when the Island revealed the truth about unicorns’ inherent brutality.