The Wandering Unicorn
#7663.77 adjusted 3.90 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1965 Reading commitment Low Manuel Mujica Lainez Last reviewed 2026-10-29
Overview
Manuel Mujica Lainez’s El unicornio (1965), published in English as The Wandering Unicorn in Mary Fitton’s translation with an introduction by Jorge Luis Borges, retells the legend of Melusine. The immortal, shape-shifting fairy, ancestress of the house of Lusignan, narrates from the twentieth century the adventures she witnessed in twelfth-century France and in the Holy Land of the Crusades, invisible among knights, angels, demons and other fairies, and the doomed love she conceives for a mortal. Borges called it not a reconstruction of the past but a glowing dream set in it. The English translation was a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award finalist in 1986.
Historical fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Wandering Unicorn Manuel Mujica Lainez
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Wandering Unicorn; Original title El unicornio (Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires, 1965). English translation by Mary Fitton, with an introduction by Jorge Luis Borges; English editions are dated 1982 to 1985 by different sources (Lester & Orpen Dennys, Taplinger, Berkley). ISBN of the Berkley paperback, a modern English edition, since the Spanish first edition predates the ISBN. | 1965 | 1 | core | 3.77 (325 ratings) |
Standalone novel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Wandering Unicorn? The Wandering Unicorn's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Wandering Unicorn finished? Complete (1965).
- How much reading does The Wandering Unicorn take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Wandering Unicorn ranked? #766 in this site's official ranking, based on 325 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #766?
Ranked #766 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.77 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (325 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.13 behind #765, The Keys to the Kingdom.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 325 ratings · Ranks #766 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 1986: finalist: The Wandering Unicorn; For the English translation.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.77 across 325 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Wandering Unicorn (Manuel Mujica Lainez) accepted 2026-10-28
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
Rule: Core Canon = the single novel El unicornio (1965), registered under its English title, The Wandering Unicorn.