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Earthsea Cycle #1-4
The Earthsea Quartet
A superb four-part fantasy, comparable with the work of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, the "Earthsea" books follow the fortunes of the wizard Ged from his childhood to an age where magic is giving way to evil. As a young dragonlord, Ged, whose use-name is Sparrowhawk, is sent to the island of Roke to learn the true way of magic. A natural magician, Ged becomes an Archmage and helps the High Priestess Tenar escape from the labyrinth of darkness. But as the years pass, true magic and ancient ways are forced to submit to the powers of evil and death.
691 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin
826 books26.9k followersUrsula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.
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January 13, 2024
I’ve said it before but the world would be better if this had everything Harry Potter has.
October 1, 2012
The ‘Earthsea’ trilogy is, I think, the finest work of fantasy written in the twentieth century. What makes it stand out above so many others - quite apart from its beauty and wonder and terror and wisdom - is the fact that it achieves its effects with such perfect economy of style. Post-Tolkien, most fantasies achieve their world-building by layering detail upon detail, accompanied by genealogies, maps, appendices and such-like. Ho hum. Le Guin doesn’t waste a word. Not one. There isn't a single paragraph of padding in any of the books. The result is a poetically charged and completely realised world.
With the belated publication of ‘Tehanu’, the original ‘trilogy’ was repackaged as a ‘quartet’. I felt at the time that this was a mistake. The first three books are a perfect unit, and ‘The Farthest Shore’ is a perfect – though devastating – end. ‘Tehanu’ struck me as a kind of coda, a brave but rather painful attempt to ‘disenchant’ the series. It was more a comment on the original books than a continuation of them.
With the subsequent publication of ‘Tales from Earthsea’ and 'The Other Wind', a new shape became apparent. 'Tehanu' isn't the fourth book in a quartet, but the first book in a new trilogy.
Re-reading the first books as an adult, I was struck by the degree to which a writer with Le Guin's feminist credentials had written a series which observed all of the classic gender and power tropes. Starting with 'Tehanu', she effectively rewrites the first three books, deconstructing them, reinserting the 'outsiders'. It's a risky strategy, which could have destroyed all of the magic. In 'Tehanu' this almost happens. But taken as a unit, the 'second' trilogy is a remarkable achievement, a rare example of fantasy questioning its own basis - all the more powerfully because Le Guin understands, and loves, what she is taking apart...
With the belated publication of ‘Tehanu’, the original ‘trilogy’ was repackaged as a ‘quartet’. I felt at the time that this was a mistake. The first three books are a perfect unit, and ‘The Farthest Shore’ is a perfect – though devastating – end. ‘Tehanu’ struck me as a kind of coda, a brave but rather painful attempt to ‘disenchant’ the series. It was more a comment on the original books than a continuation of them.
With the subsequent publication of ‘Tales from Earthsea’ and 'The Other Wind', a new shape became apparent. 'Tehanu' isn't the fourth book in a quartet, but the first book in a new trilogy.
Re-reading the first books as an adult, I was struck by the degree to which a writer with Le Guin's feminist credentials had written a series which observed all of the classic gender and power tropes. Starting with 'Tehanu', she effectively rewrites the first three books, deconstructing them, reinserting the 'outsiders'. It's a risky strategy, which could have destroyed all of the magic. In 'Tehanu' this almost happens. But taken as a unit, the 'second' trilogy is a remarkable achievement, a rare example of fantasy questioning its own basis - all the more powerfully because Le Guin understands, and loves, what she is taking apart...
May 10, 2020
A Wizard of Earthsea - 4/5
The Tombs of Atuan - 4/5
The Farthest Shore - 5/5
Tehanu - 5/5
I am SO happy I finally took the plunge and read some Ursula K. Le Guin! All of my fantasy dreams came true with this quartet (I know there is another book and short stories). I think the effect was heightened by reading these four books in one go thanks to my compilation edition - I was completely immersed in her world for almost a week and it was glorious. It also allowed me to see the 'difference' that I'd heard so much about when it came to Tehanu, but honestly? That was my favourite of the four.
Let's get this out of the way - if you don't like fantasy in general, you aren't going to like this. It's a classic of the genre and at the beginning of A Wizard of Earthsea I thought it was showing its age. It was first published in 1968, and I found her style a little hard to adjust to at first. However, I pushed through the first 30 pages or so and that was it. Hooked.
It was amazing to see the inspiration behind JK's Harry Potter (which apparently she doesn't really acknowledge). A young boy, growing up modestly, is gifted with tremendous powers. He goes away to wizard school. Forms a rival. Makes friends. Heightens his powers. It's now a classic formula and hey! It works! If ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
I'm a sucker for a good training montage in a movie, and Ged's time learning at the school on Roke completely delivered on that front. Ged is a typical fantasy protagonist - a tad arrogant and in need of a lesson before he gets too big for his boots. I can definitely see the inspiration behind moody Harry in HP5, ha! But I came to love him, and his brooding ways.
I think some fantasy authors fall down because they try to juggle too many characters, lore, plotlines... Not so with Le Guin. Each instalment of Earthsea has a clear cut plot, a journey. And that's not to say they're overly simple - definitely not! But she presents her stories clearly and that is honestly refreshing in fantasy. I also loved the more philosophical side of A Wizard of Earthsea, as Le Guin's worldbuilding is founded in balance and equilibrium. Ged learns the hard way that his actions have consequences, that every decision has an effect on the balance of the world, one way or another. She takes her time with her storytelling; no detail is left behind, and yet you never feel like the story drags in any way. It unfolds slowly but unfold it does, and it kept me captivated.
From A Wizard of Earthsea, we leave Ged behind for a little while with the Tombs of Atuan - but he comes back, don't worry! When I say this was my 'least favourite' of the four, that doesn't really mean much as I'd still give it a solid 4 stars (4.5 for A Wizard of Earthsea). I think this one is more storytelling, less reflection on philosophy than the first book. Not a bad thing, but when you read them straight after each other, it feels like it's lost a bit of its depth.
But I still loved being introduced to Tenar, and the creepy sect (cult) of the Nameless Ones. Her journey from being hailed as the Priestess reborn from just 5 years old to questioning her faith in her Gods as a young woman was compelling. Then Ged arrives and all hell breaks loose.
Gosh it's really hard to talk about all of these without giving too much away! And I wanted to be fairly brief but I guess that's out the window. But without a doubt the last two books in this collection were my favourites.
The Farthest Shore sees a grim threat to the magical realm, with people losing their powers all over the place. Ged and Arren, a young prince, set off to, you guessed it, The Farthest Shore to find out what is going on. Dragons ensue. Who doesn't love dragons?! This was just the perfectly paced adventure, We get more of Le Guin's beautifully written wisdom as Ged passes on his worldly knowledge to Arren on their dangerous journey. It just felt like perfect fantasy. Like I was sitting by a fire with a huge mug of tea while Le Guim spun a yarn while a storm raged outside. I was transported.
And then we have Tehanu. Tehanu which apparently caused a bit of a stir for being an 'outlier' of the series. On the one hand I can see why people didn't like but on the other hand ?? How could you not like this? In Tehanu, Le Guin places the magic on the back burner for this one and we get to see a more human side to the characters we've met so far. Le Guin addresses much more real topics here. Abuse. Family. The role of women. Power dynamics between men and women. Love. I can imagine while a 15 year old boy might be disappointed, but honestly there's just such heart in this story that I hope other people can see too.
This book made me love Tenar even more than I did in Tombs of Atuan. Her compassion, her tenacity, her generosity. And Therru. Oh, Therru. This book made me unbearably sad in parts, incredibly angry in others, but also hold out for a glimmer of hope. The harsh mistreatment of women in this world reflects real issues in our world. And if you can't stomach that with your fantasy then I don't know what to tell ya. I think that issue lies with you.
This wasn't the concise review for the four books I had in mind but it's nice to just get your feelings down sometimes. If you're a fantasy fan and you haven't picked up Le Guin yet, then sort it out! You won't regret it!
The Tombs of Atuan - 4/5
The Farthest Shore - 5/5
Tehanu - 5/5
I am SO happy I finally took the plunge and read some Ursula K. Le Guin! All of my fantasy dreams came true with this quartet (I know there is another book and short stories). I think the effect was heightened by reading these four books in one go thanks to my compilation edition - I was completely immersed in her world for almost a week and it was glorious. It also allowed me to see the 'difference' that I'd heard so much about when it came to Tehanu, but honestly? That was my favourite of the four.
Let's get this out of the way - if you don't like fantasy in general, you aren't going to like this. It's a classic of the genre and at the beginning of A Wizard of Earthsea I thought it was showing its age. It was first published in 1968, and I found her style a little hard to adjust to at first. However, I pushed through the first 30 pages or so and that was it. Hooked.
It was amazing to see the inspiration behind JK's Harry Potter (which apparently she doesn't really acknowledge). A young boy, growing up modestly, is gifted with tremendous powers. He goes away to wizard school. Forms a rival. Makes friends. Heightens his powers. It's now a classic formula and hey! It works! If ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
I'm a sucker for a good training montage in a movie, and Ged's time learning at the school on Roke completely delivered on that front. Ged is a typical fantasy protagonist - a tad arrogant and in need of a lesson before he gets too big for his boots. I can definitely see the inspiration behind moody Harry in HP5, ha! But I came to love him, and his brooding ways.
I think some fantasy authors fall down because they try to juggle too many characters, lore, plotlines... Not so with Le Guin. Each instalment of Earthsea has a clear cut plot, a journey. And that's not to say they're overly simple - definitely not! But she presents her stories clearly and that is honestly refreshing in fantasy. I also loved the more philosophical side of A Wizard of Earthsea, as Le Guin's worldbuilding is founded in balance and equilibrium. Ged learns the hard way that his actions have consequences, that every decision has an effect on the balance of the world, one way or another. She takes her time with her storytelling; no detail is left behind, and yet you never feel like the story drags in any way. It unfolds slowly but unfold it does, and it kept me captivated.
From A Wizard of Earthsea, we leave Ged behind for a little while with the Tombs of Atuan - but he comes back, don't worry! When I say this was my 'least favourite' of the four, that doesn't really mean much as I'd still give it a solid 4 stars (4.5 for A Wizard of Earthsea). I think this one is more storytelling, less reflection on philosophy than the first book. Not a bad thing, but when you read them straight after each other, it feels like it's lost a bit of its depth.
But I still loved being introduced to Tenar, and the creepy sect (cult) of the Nameless Ones. Her journey from being hailed as the Priestess reborn from just 5 years old to questioning her faith in her Gods as a young woman was compelling. Then Ged arrives and all hell breaks loose.
Gosh it's really hard to talk about all of these without giving too much away! And I wanted to be fairly brief but I guess that's out the window. But without a doubt the last two books in this collection were my favourites.
The Farthest Shore sees a grim threat to the magical realm, with people losing their powers all over the place. Ged and Arren, a young prince, set off to, you guessed it, The Farthest Shore to find out what is going on. Dragons ensue. Who doesn't love dragons?! This was just the perfectly paced adventure, We get more of Le Guin's beautifully written wisdom as Ged passes on his worldly knowledge to Arren on their dangerous journey. It just felt like perfect fantasy. Like I was sitting by a fire with a huge mug of tea while Le Guim spun a yarn while a storm raged outside. I was transported.
And then we have Tehanu. Tehanu which apparently caused a bit of a stir for being an 'outlier' of the series. On the one hand I can see why people didn't like but on the other hand ?? How could you not like this? In Tehanu, Le Guin places the magic on the back burner for this one and we get to see a more human side to the characters we've met so far. Le Guin addresses much more real topics here. Abuse. Family. The role of women. Power dynamics between men and women. Love. I can imagine while a 15 year old boy might be disappointed, but honestly there's just such heart in this story that I hope other people can see too.
This book made me love Tenar even more than I did in Tombs of Atuan. Her compassion, her tenacity, her generosity. And Therru. Oh, Therru. This book made me unbearably sad in parts, incredibly angry in others, but also hold out for a glimmer of hope. The harsh mistreatment of women in this world reflects real issues in our world. And if you can't stomach that with your fantasy then I don't know what to tell ya. I think that issue lies with you.
This wasn't the concise review for the four books I had in mind but it's nice to just get your feelings down sometimes. If you're a fantasy fan and you haven't picked up Le Guin yet, then sort it out! You won't regret it!
Read
April 29, 2021introduction
The library kindly offered up this one volume collection containing A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), the tombs of atuan (1972), The farthest shore (1973), and Tehanu (1990). The first three I had read in childhood, possibly around the age of tenish . The last one I had never read before and had no intention ever to read, but there I go.
recollections
It might be that in childhood I first read tombs of atuan . I have a, quite possibly false, impression of a hardbacked library book from the Carnegie library opposite Ruskin Park where I was a regular almost every Saturday morning.
Rereading I notice how much I misremembered, or misunderstood, or creatively reinterpreted . In my memory the central character's introduction and exploration of the labyrinth took far longer and I retain an oppressive sense of the entire labyrinth being a place of absolute darkness where you had to read the walls with your fingers , and I had forgotten the ending almost entirely, which is too say I remembered in general terms that there was a happy ending, but I had forgotten everything else. So effectively my rereading was a first reading and this book that I had read before was curiously fresh to me, I read the first and third books in the series after that, probably in the wrong order, possibly borrowed from school, although I did buy the third book - farthest shore which I hope I still have, an ageing paperback, in a small wicker case with some other children's books, I have again a vague memory of carrying it around in some small concrety south-coast English seaside town which shall remain nameless one summer.
Spoilers
All kinds of readers, quite properly, object to spoilers. However I noticed reading these books that nothing is actually hidden and so in a way there is nothing to spoil. In the first book the main character is mysteriously assaulted by a mysterious creature which is mysteriously driven off and then remains mysteriously connected to the main character, admittedly I was reading the story for a second time but Le Guin is pretty explicit about what this mysterious creature is and its mysterious relationship to the main character in her choice of words to describe the situation, so much so that dare not even refer to any of those very simple every day words for fear of giving the game away. I think an adult reading for the first time, particularly if they had a vague awareness and limited knowledge of would work out what was going on and where the story was going pretty quickly. And much the same I felt was true of Farthest Shore in which the two main characters have stumbled over the solution to the immediate problem and one of them has figured out the answer to the larger social issues which are confronting this world too long before this is made explicit. I was reminded of watching an episode of Columbo, in some of them there is a sense that the detective played by Peter Falk, like the audience, knows who the criminal is, but because the US justice system which will not convict a felon purely on his Zen-like insight and intuition, he's obliged to wait the full length of the TV programme for the criminal to confess. The answers are there in the text, nothing is hidden, there are no spoilers in that sense but equally everything, in time is revealed. To my surprise this was even true of Tehanu which I had not read before.
a wizard of Earthsea
All four stories could be described as a person or persons becoming themselves, frequently by moving from childhood into adulthood, or more generally from crossing from one stage of life to another, this is externalised in a fairly literal way in this story through the movements of the main character. I was surprised at how masculine the tale seemed to be, the principal character was male, his important relationships were with other men, the most prominent female character crops up twice to inspire or encourage the darker side of the main character's personality, though at least she does not cause all human evil. It is impressively expansive for a short book (the first three are all under two hundred pages). In many ways it is a very traditional bildungsroman, but possibly with more dragons than one encounters in most such books. The main character's connection with a small mammal reminded me of Shevek and the otter in The Dispossessed but if there is some wider significance to this - it eludes me.
the tombs of Atuan
in the tombs the journey towards person-hood is externalised with the principal character being thrust into a position of seniority as High Priestess which is also a form of imprisonment in a temple complex in a desert in which she theoretically has authority within a dark labyrinth, this might be a comment on the emptiness of power, or the nature of being a teenager and the difficulties of escaping that condition. The story reminded me a little of school stories - a closed, largely same sex environment, with a degree of learning in the background which may or may not be relevant in a wider world. Hauntingly atmospheric.
the farthest shore
This is more like the first book just with the learner of the first book becoming the teacher of the third book, in the first he is apprenticed to Ogion the Silent, in this book the younger man tells the older one a pointed joke about the child with a stone for a teacher: what did they learn? , it is a very grim book, although not in a violent way.
Tehanu
This book was almost shockingly domestic in its setting, all the action taking place in a handful of locations on a small island, featuring kitchen gardens and grooming goats. Partly it is a book showing the wider consequences and results of the events in the previous book. It features the question of way men hate women, which ties into Le Guin's interests in other novels but seemed to be a new theme in the context of these Earthsea stories, so if this is a book with a more limited scale and geographical scope - here the characters movements seem at most to be transhumance rather than island hopping, this is outweighed by the characters concerns.
last words
the blurb on the back cover compared Le Guin to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis which is quite a disfavour to Le Guin, she was a lot leaner as a writer and had, I think, broader interests, and as always she ploughs her own furrow, here above all the Tao and Taoism - she eventually produced her own English language translation of Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way , a work which was a life long inspiration of hers. In practise this seems to mean that in Earthsea Wizards above all have to learn not to use magic, which I think is an idea that in time Terry Prachett took up.
The library kindly offered up this one volume collection containing A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), the tombs of atuan (1972), The farthest shore (1973), and Tehanu (1990). The first three I had read in childhood, possibly around the age of tenish . The last one I had never read before and had no intention ever to read, but there I go.
recollections
It might be that in childhood I first read tombs of atuan . I have a, quite possibly false, impression of a hardbacked library book from the Carnegie library opposite Ruskin Park where I was a regular almost every Saturday morning.
Rereading I notice how much I misremembered, or misunderstood, or creatively reinterpreted . In my memory the central character's introduction and exploration of the labyrinth took far longer and I retain an oppressive sense of the entire labyrinth being a place of absolute darkness where you had to read the walls with your fingers , and I had forgotten the ending almost entirely, which is too say I remembered in general terms that there was a happy ending, but I had forgotten everything else. So effectively my rereading was a first reading and this book that I had read before was curiously fresh to me, I read the first and third books in the series after that, probably in the wrong order, possibly borrowed from school, although I did buy the third book - farthest shore which I hope I still have, an ageing paperback, in a small wicker case with some other children's books, I have again a vague memory of carrying it around in some small concrety south-coast English seaside town which shall remain nameless one summer.
Spoilers
All kinds of readers, quite properly, object to spoilers. However I noticed reading these books that nothing is actually hidden and so in a way there is nothing to spoil. In the first book the main character is mysteriously assaulted by a mysterious creature which is mysteriously driven off and then remains mysteriously connected to the main character, admittedly I was reading the story for a second time but Le Guin is pretty explicit about what this mysterious creature is and its mysterious relationship to the main character in her choice of words to describe the situation, so much so that dare not even refer to any of those very simple every day words for fear of giving the game away. I think an adult reading for the first time, particularly if they had a vague awareness and limited knowledge of would work out what was going on and where the story was going pretty quickly. And much the same I felt was true of Farthest Shore in which the two main characters have stumbled over the solution to the immediate problem and one of them has figured out the answer to the larger social issues which are confronting this world too long before this is made explicit. I was reminded of watching an episode of Columbo, in some of them there is a sense that the detective played by Peter Falk, like the audience, knows who the criminal is, but because the US justice system which will not convict a felon purely on his Zen-like insight and intuition, he's obliged to wait the full length of the TV programme for the criminal to confess. The answers are there in the text, nothing is hidden, there are no spoilers in that sense but equally everything, in time is revealed. To my surprise this was even true of Tehanu which I had not read before.
a wizard of Earthsea
All four stories could be described as a person or persons becoming themselves, frequently by moving from childhood into adulthood, or more generally from crossing from one stage of life to another, this is externalised in a fairly literal way in this story through the movements of the main character. I was surprised at how masculine the tale seemed to be, the principal character was male, his important relationships were with other men, the most prominent female character crops up twice to inspire or encourage the darker side of the main character's personality, though at least she does not cause all human evil. It is impressively expansive for a short book (the first three are all under two hundred pages). In many ways it is a very traditional bildungsroman, but possibly with more dragons than one encounters in most such books. The main character's connection with a small mammal reminded me of Shevek and the otter in The Dispossessed but if there is some wider significance to this - it eludes me.
the tombs of Atuan
in the tombs the journey towards person-hood is externalised with the principal character being thrust into a position of seniority as High Priestess which is also a form of imprisonment in a temple complex in a desert in which she theoretically has authority within a dark labyrinth, this might be a comment on the emptiness of power, or the nature of being a teenager and the difficulties of escaping that condition. The story reminded me a little of school stories - a closed, largely same sex environment, with a degree of learning in the background which may or may not be relevant in a wider world. Hauntingly atmospheric.
the farthest shore
This is more like the first book just with the learner of the first book becoming the teacher of the third book, in the first he is apprenticed to Ogion the Silent, in this book the younger man tells the older one a pointed joke about the child with a stone for a teacher: what did they learn? , it is a very grim book, although not in a violent way.
Tehanu
This book was almost shockingly domestic in its setting, all the action taking place in a handful of locations on a small island, featuring kitchen gardens and grooming goats. Partly it is a book showing the wider consequences and results of the events in the previous book. It features the question of way men hate women, which ties into Le Guin's interests in other novels but seemed to be a new theme in the context of these Earthsea stories, so if this is a book with a more limited scale and geographical scope - here the characters movements seem at most to be transhumance rather than island hopping, this is outweighed by the characters concerns.
last words
the blurb on the back cover compared Le Guin to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis which is quite a disfavour to Le Guin, she was a lot leaner as a writer and had, I think, broader interests, and as always she ploughs her own furrow, here above all the Tao and Taoism - she eventually produced her own English language translation of Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way , a work which was a life long inspiration of hers. In practise this seems to mean that in Earthsea Wizards above all have to learn not to use magic, which I think is an idea that in time Terry Prachett took up.
September 29, 2024
A Wizard of Earthsea
(3.5 stars)
The magical coming of age story of a proud young wizard. I would have preferred a bit more dialogue to all the recounting, though.
The Tombs of Atuan (4 stars)
The story of a young girl, raised as the head priestess of terrifying ancient powers. In part an exploration of a religious cult, of unbelievers and corruption inside the community, as well as some of the political background and the fear-mongering of the Godking. It is also, however, a somewhat complementary coming to know oneself and coming of age story to that of Ged in the prequel. And I loved every bit of it.
The Farthest Shore (2.5 stars)
This one is filled with ruminations on life and death. I appreciated the subject matter but felt that it was a bit weaker in characterization than the previous two books. We know Ged from before, but he's suddenly transformed from the proud mage to the wise and patient Archmage - and Lebannen is rather flat. Another problem I have with this one, which is also an issue I had with A Wizard of Earthsea, is that a lot of time and travelling passes in the span of only a few pages, making the story seem a bit rushed since it doesn't take the time to flesh out one moment before leaping into the next one. At the same time, though, it feels a bit aimless and slow.
Tehanu (5 stars)
Subverting the classic fantasy prequels, Tehanu takes place in the same world but instead of focusing on the heroes, mages, and kings it tells the story of the unheard - the women, the elderly, the children, and the abused. It offers an exploration of trauma, gender, and the true meaning of power, all while crafting an engaging story and memorable characters. The fact that these characters are more vulnerable also works to its advantage, as it makes every potentially dangerous situation they experience much more tense and suspenseful. Definitely my favorite book in the series.
The magical coming of age story of a proud young wizard. I would have preferred a bit more dialogue to all the recounting, though.
The Tombs of Atuan (4 stars)
The story of a young girl, raised as the head priestess of terrifying ancient powers. In part an exploration of a religious cult, of unbelievers and corruption inside the community, as well as some of the political background and the fear-mongering of the Godking. It is also, however, a somewhat complementary coming to know oneself and coming of age story to that of Ged in the prequel. And I loved every bit of it.
The Farthest Shore (2.5 stars)
This one is filled with ruminations on life and death. I appreciated the subject matter but felt that it was a bit weaker in characterization than the previous two books. We know Ged from before, but he's suddenly transformed from the proud mage to the wise and patient Archmage - and Lebannen is rather flat. Another problem I have with this one, which is also an issue I had with A Wizard of Earthsea, is that a lot of time and travelling passes in the span of only a few pages, making the story seem a bit rushed since it doesn't take the time to flesh out one moment before leaping into the next one. At the same time, though, it feels a bit aimless and slow.
Tehanu (5 stars)
Subverting the classic fantasy prequels, Tehanu takes place in the same world but instead of focusing on the heroes, mages, and kings it tells the story of the unheard - the women, the elderly, the children, and the abused. It offers an exploration of trauma, gender, and the true meaning of power, all while crafting an engaging story and memorable characters. The fact that these characters are more vulnerable also works to its advantage, as it makes every potentially dangerous situation they experience much more tense and suspenseful. Definitely my favorite book in the series.
January 30, 2017
To pigeonhole Le Guin as 'fantasy' is in itself a mistake - this is literature at its darkest and best. The first two volumes in particular are astonishing: I'll always remember Le Guin's view on nominalism and the Atuan realm, they keep haunting me. A treasure of a book, just read it - like, NOW.
January 27, 2020
Just gorgeous and moves from strength to strength, Tehanu bringing the quartet down to earth in a deeply human way. Less reliance on wizard magic and more on human magic. Loved it.
December 10, 2017
Call me “Always Late on the Bandwagon” because it took me sooo long to realize that Earthsea was a book by my favorite sci-fi writer, and not just a terrible Sci-Fi Channel series (that Le Guin disavowed, by the way). When that realization hit me, I got myself a copy of the Earthsea Quartet. I cracked it open bundled up in bed, with a cup of hot herbal tea in hand, and I just vanished into this beautifully crafted world. The big tome became my bed-time reading treat for the next couple of months, and I confess I went to bed early a few times to have an excuse to read more of it.
“A Wizard of Earthsea” is the coming of age tale of Ged, who is also known as Sparrowhawk, a boy who will one day grow to be a great and famous wizard. The first tome chronicles his childhood, education and training in the arts of wizardry and his early adventures. His power is discovered when he is a small child living on a small island in the north of Earthsea. His aunt, the village witch, teaches him a few basic skills, which come in handy when his island is invaded by raiders. He is eventually sent for an apprenticeship with a local wizard, and then goes on to complete his training at the magic school on the island of Roke. In this book, Ged will accidently summon a menacing shadow that he will have to face and defeat. This is actually an interesting metaphor on the theme of balance that Le Guin fans will be familiar with. The dark is part of the light and vice-versa, and there’s an interesting reflection there about what happens when you run away from your darkness, and when you decide to accept it as part of the whole you.
“The Tombs of Atuan” starts off much darker than the first book, which took me a bit by surprise – in a good way. It follows the upbringing of Arha, a young girl who is the reincarnation of the priestess of the Nameless Ones, who guards the Labyrinth and the treasure of the Tombs in Atuan, a remote land at the edge of Earthsea. Her life is austere and oppressive: she grows up surrounded by priestesses and eunuchs and is raised to be very suspicious of outsiders. She decides to explore the underground structure she is responsible for, and one night, happens upon an intruder wandering in her labyrinth: a mage named Sparrowhawk. By her people’s law, a man who enters the maze should die, but Arha cannot bring herself to let him starve to death. I found this installment to be an interesting reflection on making up your own mind and being your own self. Some traditions are good, but not everyone fits in them neatly, and Arha is given an important choice. She chooses to rebel against the role her society imposed on her when she realizes the cult she is a part of is not about faith but about power and control. She realizes freedom can be harder than blind obedience, but that it is also a better life for her.
“The Farthest Shore” takes place much later: Sparrowhawk is now Archmage and has gone on countless adventures. The son of a prince comes to see him on Roke, because his people have noticed that in their regions, magic seems to be dying and they believe the famous and powerful Sparrowhoawk can figure out what is going on and fix it. Through this travel, they will meet people who have never lived on land, converse with mighty dragons and visit the land from which none ever come back. This is basically some sort of Earthsea-apocalypse tale: the signs that the end of the world as they know it are coming abound, and the disappearance of magic from their world would cause this civilization to collapse.
“Tehanu” reunites us with Arha - who now goes by Tenar, many years after her escape from Atuan. She is now the widow of a farmer, who takes in a little girl who was being attacked and burned by a group of men on a Gontish road. She goes to visit Ogion, Ged's very first teacher, but the visit will not end as she had planned, and she will be reunited with an old friend. Of the four stories in this book, this one is the less "eventful" but the most subtle and nuanced. There's a strong feminist commentary in this story, but Le Guin is not being didactic: she is showing us what Tenar goes through, the way power is taken away from her, then given back, then taken away again and how she reacts to this ebb and flow. It ends on an open and hopeful note that makes me want to check out more "Earthsea" books!
The prose style has a soothing, comforting rhythm to it that brought me right back to the feeling of story time with my grandfather. One thing I have loved in all of Le Guin’s work is her anthropologist’s eye for creating entire worlds and culture in a coherent and believable manner. The world-building in Earthsea is just as strong as anything else she wrote, and while it does solidly fall into the high fantasy category, it doesn’t feel lofty and heavy-handed. There isn’t much in the way of exposition, but no Le Guin book I’ve ever read gave me much in the way of backstory, and it never lessened my reading pleasure. In fact, her minimalism is lovely, elegant and refreshing, while still giving the readers so many layers to peel and discover! Her characters grow and evolve completely naturally and it’s a pleasure to follow them and watch them evolve.
Le Guin was preaching to the choir with me, but I loved the Taoist aspect of her magic system, which puts emphasis on balance: every action has consequences, and that understanding is the keystone of the wizardry of Earthsea. That magic must be used as sparingly as possible to presence the delicate equilibrium of the world is brilliant, because it underlines the price of the kind of power gifted unto wizards, and the wisdom necessary to restrain and use it adequately. The importance of being true to yourself is stressed many times in those stories, as well as the importance of doing the right thing as the occasion arises. The power of True Names is a classic trope of fantasy and it used so well to drive the story. My only complaint would be that her endings always feel a bit easy… The characters go through all these trials and tribulations, and then things just sort of resolve themselves. I suppose that for younger readerships, that’s fine, but I felt like I wanted a bit more to chew on as each story concluded.
The subversion of certain stereotypes, and the open diversity within her cast of characters is also a breath of fresh air. The “Tombs of Athuan” was especially interesting: the gender relations and the coming of age of Arha were an usual choice of topic at the time it was written, and captures something quite true about the internalized isolation of women in some societies, the development that is more or less imposed on them instead of being a result of their choices. By the end of the tale, Arha sees herself more clearly, and gains an understanding of her value, same with Arhen.
It was interesting to realize that I enjoyed many famous works these books very obviously inspired: “Harry Potter”, Rothfuss’ “Kingkiller Chronicle” and “How to Train Your Dragon” owe a lot to Le Guin’s creation.
“A Wizard of Earthsea” is the coming of age tale of Ged, who is also known as Sparrowhawk, a boy who will one day grow to be a great and famous wizard. The first tome chronicles his childhood, education and training in the arts of wizardry and his early adventures. His power is discovered when he is a small child living on a small island in the north of Earthsea. His aunt, the village witch, teaches him a few basic skills, which come in handy when his island is invaded by raiders. He is eventually sent for an apprenticeship with a local wizard, and then goes on to complete his training at the magic school on the island of Roke. In this book, Ged will accidently summon a menacing shadow that he will have to face and defeat. This is actually an interesting metaphor on the theme of balance that Le Guin fans will be familiar with. The dark is part of the light and vice-versa, and there’s an interesting reflection there about what happens when you run away from your darkness, and when you decide to accept it as part of the whole you.
“The Tombs of Atuan” starts off much darker than the first book, which took me a bit by surprise – in a good way. It follows the upbringing of Arha, a young girl who is the reincarnation of the priestess of the Nameless Ones, who guards the Labyrinth and the treasure of the Tombs in Atuan, a remote land at the edge of Earthsea. Her life is austere and oppressive: she grows up surrounded by priestesses and eunuchs and is raised to be very suspicious of outsiders. She decides to explore the underground structure she is responsible for, and one night, happens upon an intruder wandering in her labyrinth: a mage named Sparrowhawk. By her people’s law, a man who enters the maze should die, but Arha cannot bring herself to let him starve to death. I found this installment to be an interesting reflection on making up your own mind and being your own self. Some traditions are good, but not everyone fits in them neatly, and Arha is given an important choice. She chooses to rebel against the role her society imposed on her when she realizes the cult she is a part of is not about faith but about power and control. She realizes freedom can be harder than blind obedience, but that it is also a better life for her.
“The Farthest Shore” takes place much later: Sparrowhawk is now Archmage and has gone on countless adventures. The son of a prince comes to see him on Roke, because his people have noticed that in their regions, magic seems to be dying and they believe the famous and powerful Sparrowhoawk can figure out what is going on and fix it. Through this travel, they will meet people who have never lived on land, converse with mighty dragons and visit the land from which none ever come back. This is basically some sort of Earthsea-apocalypse tale: the signs that the end of the world as they know it are coming abound, and the disappearance of magic from their world would cause this civilization to collapse.
“Tehanu” reunites us with Arha - who now goes by Tenar, many years after her escape from Atuan. She is now the widow of a farmer, who takes in a little girl who was being attacked and burned by a group of men on a Gontish road. She goes to visit Ogion, Ged's very first teacher, but the visit will not end as she had planned, and she will be reunited with an old friend. Of the four stories in this book, this one is the less "eventful" but the most subtle and nuanced. There's a strong feminist commentary in this story, but Le Guin is not being didactic: she is showing us what Tenar goes through, the way power is taken away from her, then given back, then taken away again and how she reacts to this ebb and flow. It ends on an open and hopeful note that makes me want to check out more "Earthsea" books!
The prose style has a soothing, comforting rhythm to it that brought me right back to the feeling of story time with my grandfather. One thing I have loved in all of Le Guin’s work is her anthropologist’s eye for creating entire worlds and culture in a coherent and believable manner. The world-building in Earthsea is just as strong as anything else she wrote, and while it does solidly fall into the high fantasy category, it doesn’t feel lofty and heavy-handed. There isn’t much in the way of exposition, but no Le Guin book I’ve ever read gave me much in the way of backstory, and it never lessened my reading pleasure. In fact, her minimalism is lovely, elegant and refreshing, while still giving the readers so many layers to peel and discover! Her characters grow and evolve completely naturally and it’s a pleasure to follow them and watch them evolve.
Le Guin was preaching to the choir with me, but I loved the Taoist aspect of her magic system, which puts emphasis on balance: every action has consequences, and that understanding is the keystone of the wizardry of Earthsea. That magic must be used as sparingly as possible to presence the delicate equilibrium of the world is brilliant, because it underlines the price of the kind of power gifted unto wizards, and the wisdom necessary to restrain and use it adequately. The importance of being true to yourself is stressed many times in those stories, as well as the importance of doing the right thing as the occasion arises. The power of True Names is a classic trope of fantasy and it used so well to drive the story. My only complaint would be that her endings always feel a bit easy… The characters go through all these trials and tribulations, and then things just sort of resolve themselves. I suppose that for younger readerships, that’s fine, but I felt like I wanted a bit more to chew on as each story concluded.
The subversion of certain stereotypes, and the open diversity within her cast of characters is also a breath of fresh air. The “Tombs of Athuan” was especially interesting: the gender relations and the coming of age of Arha were an usual choice of topic at the time it was written, and captures something quite true about the internalized isolation of women in some societies, the development that is more or less imposed on them instead of being a result of their choices. By the end of the tale, Arha sees herself more clearly, and gains an understanding of her value, same with Arhen.
It was interesting to realize that I enjoyed many famous works these books very obviously inspired: “Harry Potter”, Rothfuss’ “Kingkiller Chronicle” and “How to Train Your Dragon” owe a lot to Le Guin’s creation.
September 23, 2009
The Earthsea Quartet contains the first four of Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea novels (I believe there are five now, plus a collection of short stories). Earthsea is a large archipelago of islands, some of which are inhabited by dragons, but most of which are inhabited by humans. It's a fairly well-realised world which never gets bogged down in unnecessary details, unlike many other fantasy series. LeGuin sticks to basics, both in terms of world-building and in terms of style. Her writing is sparse and detached, which suits the philosophical themes she addresses. It is also nearly sexless, which gives the stories collected in this book a lovely archaic and Tolkienesque ring.
Apart from its detached tone, what most sets The Earthsea Quartet apart from other fantasy series is its concept of magic, which involves knowing the true names of things -- the names things were given back when they were first created, many of which are now forgotten. In LeGuin's universe, the way to power is to know lots of true names, be they of people, dragons or inanimate objects. So people who can divine true names, like the intrepid hero of the Earthsea Quartet, Ged, are potentially very powerful indeed.
Not that Ged cares about power. All he cares about is keeping Earthsea a safe place to be, which basically means preventing other wizards from using too much magic. You see, the central conceit of the Earthsea novels is not that it's cool to know magic and use it as often as possible, as in, say, the Harry Potter books. In Earthsea, the wise wizard uses his powers sparingly, so as not to upset the world's equilibrium. The general idea seems to be that the more magic you use, the more you'll end up disturbing the natural equilibrium, with potentially disastrous consequences. Thus, while great feats of magic are occasionally performed in the books (usually to vanquish those who willingly upset the equilibrium), they are few and far between, and not nearly as prominent as they are in other fantasy series. Ultimately, LeGuin says, the wizard's challenge is not to become powerful, but rather to understand the nature of things and act upon this knowledge in a manner which will help keep the world a safe place to be.
LeGuin has an interesting take on evil. In the first three books of the series (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore), she doesn't really go in for great villains, but leaves her evil forces largely unspecified. Her evil is a nameless and faceless force whose ancient power can be felt but not readily understood. I like that; it adds a touch of mystery and otherworldly dread to the books which appeals to me. The fourth book, Tehanu, which was written much later than the preceding three books and is markedly different in both style and substance, does put a human face on evil, and moreover has a setting which will be more familiar to earthly readers than the settings of the earlier books. I'm sure some readers will appreciate this attempt at greater humanity and recognisability, but to me it constitutes a loss of the mythical quality and otherworldliness that make the first three books so special. It doesn't help, either, that the fourth book has a strong feminist slant, in the negative sense of that word. Apparently, Tehanu is considered a bit of a feminist classic in some quarters, but personally, I think it suffers badly from its men-deprecating stance. I much prefer the ideology-free earlier books, which I'd rate at four stars, five stars and three and a half stars, respectively.
If you can only read one book in the series, pick The Tombs of Atuan, which pits the hero, Ged, against a young priestess who doesn't really understand the powers she is serving. It's an excellent story, set largely in an underground labyrinth, which adds a tangible touch of claustrophobia to the proceedings. A life-and-death power struggle in a dark place from which there is no escape -- what's not to like?
More in-depth reviews of the individual books can be found here:
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Tombs of Atuan
The Farthest Shore
Tehanu
Apart from its detached tone, what most sets The Earthsea Quartet apart from other fantasy series is its concept of magic, which involves knowing the true names of things -- the names things were given back when they were first created, many of which are now forgotten. In LeGuin's universe, the way to power is to know lots of true names, be they of people, dragons or inanimate objects. So people who can divine true names, like the intrepid hero of the Earthsea Quartet, Ged, are potentially very powerful indeed.
Not that Ged cares about power. All he cares about is keeping Earthsea a safe place to be, which basically means preventing other wizards from using too much magic. You see, the central conceit of the Earthsea novels is not that it's cool to know magic and use it as often as possible, as in, say, the Harry Potter books. In Earthsea, the wise wizard uses his powers sparingly, so as not to upset the world's equilibrium. The general idea seems to be that the more magic you use, the more you'll end up disturbing the natural equilibrium, with potentially disastrous consequences. Thus, while great feats of magic are occasionally performed in the books (usually to vanquish those who willingly upset the equilibrium), they are few and far between, and not nearly as prominent as they are in other fantasy series. Ultimately, LeGuin says, the wizard's challenge is not to become powerful, but rather to understand the nature of things and act upon this knowledge in a manner which will help keep the world a safe place to be.
LeGuin has an interesting take on evil. In the first three books of the series (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan and The Farthest Shore), she doesn't really go in for great villains, but leaves her evil forces largely unspecified. Her evil is a nameless and faceless force whose ancient power can be felt but not readily understood. I like that; it adds a touch of mystery and otherworldly dread to the books which appeals to me. The fourth book, Tehanu, which was written much later than the preceding three books and is markedly different in both style and substance, does put a human face on evil, and moreover has a setting which will be more familiar to earthly readers than the settings of the earlier books. I'm sure some readers will appreciate this attempt at greater humanity and recognisability, but to me it constitutes a loss of the mythical quality and otherworldliness that make the first three books so special. It doesn't help, either, that the fourth book has a strong feminist slant, in the negative sense of that word. Apparently, Tehanu is considered a bit of a feminist classic in some quarters, but personally, I think it suffers badly from its men-deprecating stance. I much prefer the ideology-free earlier books, which I'd rate at four stars, five stars and three and a half stars, respectively.
If you can only read one book in the series, pick The Tombs of Atuan, which pits the hero, Ged, against a young priestess who doesn't really understand the powers she is serving. It's an excellent story, set largely in an underground labyrinth, which adds a tangible touch of claustrophobia to the proceedings. A life-and-death power struggle in a dark place from which there is no escape -- what's not to like?
More in-depth reviews of the individual books can be found here:
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Tombs of Atuan
The Farthest Shore
Tehanu
October 4, 2017
Wow! What a journey! I started this book back in October 2016 and occasionally broke off to read others, such as The Last Wish only returning to Ursula K. Le Guin afterwards. I was particularly interested in reading this multi-book edition, because I wonder whether I ought to compile my own Deathsworn Arc series into one book. [https://www.goodreads.com/series/1115...] I don't know whether to wait until more of the series is complete first or whether to split into a volume of books 1 - 3 and books 4 and 5.
I've reviewed ALL of the books contained in this volume separately too:-
Wizard of Earthsea [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 4 Stars
Tombs of Atuan [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 5 Stars
Farthest Shore [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 3 Stars
Tehanu [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 5 Stars
Of the quadrology, books 2 and 4 were runaway winners. They are both perhaps among my favourite books of all time and definitely favourites for the last 12 months. After adding the scores and dividing them between four, I get 4.25, rounded down to 4 stars.
So, having read the first four Earthsea books, what did I think of the whole volume? Well, it's an odd one. There were parts of this huge book, which I loved reading and couldn't put down. There were OTHER parts, which were an utter slog and I nearly gave up on. Ursula K. Le Guin writes beautifully, but it's the themes and stories which occasionally caused me to lose interest. Ged as a character, was okay in book 1. Just that. In book 3 I didn't really gel with Ged or Lebannen. The strengths of the series for me are the mundane. Arha's life as 'The Eaten One' - Priestess of Atuan and Tenar's life on Gont in book 4. The grand adventures, sailing over the sea, with a mage-wind in their sails, simply wasn't as engaging. It wasn't as gritty or as real. To me this is a stark reminder to exercise caution when throwing too much magic into fantasy. Magic is exciting, but it's much more exciting when it's used sparsely and subtly.
The characters I felt for the most in this series are the children on the reef. I never really got closure over their ordeal or the twisted, bitter fate which befell them. I've given up hope that they will. Maybe this is Ursula K. Le Guin telling us that life is messy and loose ends don't always get tied up?
I loved this book, even though I did NOT enjoy book 3. I gave it 3 stars, because it's very well written, but in my heart of hearts I feel it's really a 2 for me. I don't know why, but I found it really boring. The trouble is, I don't think book 4 would have had the strong impact it had on me, if I didn't know the context in which Ged was returning to Gont. So reading book 3 seems essential.
Many people really enjoy book 3, so it could be me. My advice, is read the whole quadrology. Books 2 and 4 are by far the best and I honestly loved them both enough that I expect to read them again multiple times. You DO really need to read 1 and 3 too, 1 is good, 3 well, it's okay really. The important thing is it's worth reading 2 and 3 so you can get the full enjoyment of reading books 2 and 4.
Overall this was a mixed compilation, with varying points of view. Each book has it's own distinct character, but the story is a good one and I recommend it to any who enjoys slightly old school fantasy and quite poetic prose.
Paperback:- http://amzn.to/2wwEYhq
Kindle Edition:- http://amzn.to/2wxIcRT
Martyn Stanley
Author of:-
The Last Dragon Slayer (Free to download)
I've reviewed ALL of the books contained in this volume separately too:-
Wizard of Earthsea [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 4 Stars
Tombs of Atuan [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 5 Stars
Farthest Shore [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 3 Stars
Tehanu [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...] - 5 Stars
Of the quadrology, books 2 and 4 were runaway winners. They are both perhaps among my favourite books of all time and definitely favourites for the last 12 months. After adding the scores and dividing them between four, I get 4.25, rounded down to 4 stars.
So, having read the first four Earthsea books, what did I think of the whole volume? Well, it's an odd one. There were parts of this huge book, which I loved reading and couldn't put down. There were OTHER parts, which were an utter slog and I nearly gave up on. Ursula K. Le Guin writes beautifully, but it's the themes and stories which occasionally caused me to lose interest. Ged as a character, was okay in book 1. Just that. In book 3 I didn't really gel with Ged or Lebannen. The strengths of the series for me are the mundane. Arha's life as 'The Eaten One' - Priestess of Atuan and Tenar's life on Gont in book 4. The grand adventures, sailing over the sea, with a mage-wind in their sails, simply wasn't as engaging. It wasn't as gritty or as real. To me this is a stark reminder to exercise caution when throwing too much magic into fantasy. Magic is exciting, but it's much more exciting when it's used sparsely and subtly.
The characters I felt for the most in this series are the children on the reef. I never really got closure over their ordeal or the twisted, bitter fate which befell them. I've given up hope that they will. Maybe this is Ursula K. Le Guin telling us that life is messy and loose ends don't always get tied up?
I loved this book, even though I did NOT enjoy book 3. I gave it 3 stars, because it's very well written, but in my heart of hearts I feel it's really a 2 for me. I don't know why, but I found it really boring. The trouble is, I don't think book 4 would have had the strong impact it had on me, if I didn't know the context in which Ged was returning to Gont. So reading book 3 seems essential.
Many people really enjoy book 3, so it could be me. My advice, is read the whole quadrology. Books 2 and 4 are by far the best and I honestly loved them both enough that I expect to read them again multiple times. You DO really need to read 1 and 3 too, 1 is good, 3 well, it's okay really. The important thing is it's worth reading 2 and 3 so you can get the full enjoyment of reading books 2 and 4.
Overall this was a mixed compilation, with varying points of view. Each book has it's own distinct character, but the story is a good one and I recommend it to any who enjoys slightly old school fantasy and quite poetic prose.
Paperback:- http://amzn.to/2wwEYhq
Kindle Edition:- http://amzn.to/2wxIcRT
Martyn Stanley
Author of:-
The Last Dragon Slayer (Free to download)
May 2, 2023
Mám radost z toho, že Zeměmoří je svým způsobem moje dětství, dospívání, dospělost a těším se, až budu babička v houpacím křesle s huňatými papučemi, až ji zase otevřu a i tehdy si v ní najdu klid, pomalou plynulost bytí i světa, lásku k fantastice, krásu jazyka i něco, co tam třeba dřív nebylo.
Tohle je velká kniha (a ne jen v tom smyslu, že by se s ní dalo zabíjet), doplněná o komentáře Le Guin o úžasné ilustrace. Vymazlená. Rochnila jsem se v ní tři měsíce a chci druhý svazek.
Tohle je velká kniha (a ne jen v tom smyslu, že by se s ní dalo zabíjet), doplněná o komentáře Le Guin o úžasné ilustrace. Vymazlená. Rochnila jsem se v ní tři měsíce a chci druhý svazek.
April 27, 2019
And so draws to the end another book I have been meaning to read for far too long - and I must admit I am both impressed and exhausted (mentally at least).
This is an book which to me at least was the meeting of many things. It is a fantasy which was intended to be a childrens tale and yet has many mature ideas and concepts which really were ahead of their time (the first book was written in the 60s).
The book has such a vivid portrayal of a world utterly different to ours (from the idea of a world of many hundreds if not thousands of islands to the presence of dragons and the use of magic) and yet at the same time can focus of ideas which are still related to today.
However this is not just one book but in fact the collection the first 4 books. (There are in fact another two but these were written much later and to some treated as additions to the world rather than a continuation of the series, something I will need to explore more).
Even so there is a continuity through the 4 books which give the feel of a greater world history than just the tale itself which for me at least gives the stories a timeless quality - almost as if I am reading a historical biography of a long lost age.
The books are classics and rightfully so - I would say that at times they were slow to get in to but once started they were equally hard to put down. I can see why they are treated as classics and rightfully so.
This is an book which to me at least was the meeting of many things. It is a fantasy which was intended to be a childrens tale and yet has many mature ideas and concepts which really were ahead of their time (the first book was written in the 60s).
The book has such a vivid portrayal of a world utterly different to ours (from the idea of a world of many hundreds if not thousands of islands to the presence of dragons and the use of magic) and yet at the same time can focus of ideas which are still related to today.
However this is not just one book but in fact the collection the first 4 books. (There are in fact another two but these were written much later and to some treated as additions to the world rather than a continuation of the series, something I will need to explore more).
Even so there is a continuity through the 4 books which give the feel of a greater world history than just the tale itself which for me at least gives the stories a timeless quality - almost as if I am reading a historical biography of a long lost age.
The books are classics and rightfully so - I would say that at times they were slow to get in to but once started they were equally hard to put down. I can see why they are treated as classics and rightfully so.
August 7, 2019
At last, I have defeated Earthsea--and I deliberately use the word 'defeated' because ye gods, this collection was a slog to read. Whilst I did for the most part enjoy my foray into Earthsea, I found the archaic writing style extremely dense and difficult to be getting on with. Given the rise and fall of each book's narrative in addition to this, I had to take a one-book-break after The Tombs of Atuan, just 'cause I was so sick of having to work so hard at something I do for leisure. I never hated my reading experience enough to DNF--I actually thought the stories were pretty good--but finishing this thing still feels like an achievement.
I can see in a lot of reviews prior to mine that people praise Ursula K. Le Guin for her economic writing style ('not one word wasted', 'elegant prose' etc.). Sadly this is not an opinion I share; I find Le Guin's style to be wordy, flowery and entirely non-engaging. Whilst I do understand this book is 'old', and I love a good classic as much as the next person (check out my Favourites shelf), I do not have as much patience with books written like this published beyond the 1950s (a Wizard of Earthsea was first published in 1968). When vibrantly snappy books like James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce exist, published way back in 1941, there really is no excuse.
I also felt like there was an awful lot of name-dumping in place of genuine world-building; I had to constantly refer to the map at the front of the book. This did admittedly get better as the books went on, and by the end of my reading it was very clear to me that Ursula K. Le Guin had put a lot of work and thought into the world of Earthsea; I just wish she'd written about it in a way I cared.
The collection starts with A Wizard of Earthsea, which follows the early years of a young wizard called Ged learning magecraft at a school for wizards on the isle of Roke. Talented but arrogant, Ged tries to best a rival by summoning the dead, but accidentally summons a 'shadow' instead. Of the four stories, this was probably the most 'epic' and I did really enjoy it. I appreciated the message of balance and acceptance, even if it was boring to read. Rating: 3/5 stars.
Of the original trilogy, book 2 (The Tombs of Atuan) was my favourite. Unlike the previous book, which followed Ged all over Earthsea across a span of many years,The Tombs of Atuan takes place almost entirely inside a labyrinth, where the main character is actually Ged's antagonist--a young and brainwashed priestess called Tenar. I found Tenar to be a much more interesting protagonist than Ged. The action is subtle, the atmosphere claustrophobic, and the story a lot more character driven than the other two books in the trilogy. Whilst A Wizard Of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore fall into the trap of merely telling a series of events, The Tombs of Atuan takes its time, allowing everything to live and breathe. I loved this book. Rating: 4/5 stars.
Much to my dismay, The Farthest Shore went back to the sins of the first book (telling, not showing; bouncing around the map like a ping-pong ball and flat characters). Again, I appreciated the messages concerning the delicate balance between life and death; some of the physical descriptions of dragons were truly awesome; and the final showdown in the Dry Lands was so clever and powerful, and full of pathos--I saw the influences on Robin Hobb the most in this book. But again, the writing was just so boring... I found it so difficult to care. And I did not enjoy it as much as either Book 1 or 2. Rating: 2/5 stars.
Then we come to Tehanu. Ah, Tehanu... Tehanu reads pretty much exactly like how I'd imagine a fourth book in a previously concluded trilogy would read (published 18 years later, no less): disjointed and disappointing. Once again, Tenar is the protagonist in this book, but she is older, different, and pretty much exists only to undo absolutely everything that's already been established in the first three books. Ged too suffers a similar character assassination to serve the same purpose. It's clear to me that Ursula K. Le Guin was passing commentary on her own work with Tehanu, carefully taking apart the inherent misogyny within her world and shining a spotlight on the marginalised. Whilst I find this intent very admirable and the idea very interesting, the execution is clumsy and extremely heavy-handed. It's also very dated, and overly reliant on gender essentialism (yes, I get that this book was written in the 90s and things were extremely different back then--it's still an issue). The writing style is so different from the previous books as to be postively jarring. Tonally it's different too; the original trilogy was published as a children's book, but Tehanu is decidedly adult. Rape, sex, torture, murder... It's all here folks. Whilst this isn't necessarily a bad thing--in fact I welcomed the darker turn--it is different. On top of that, the pacing was all over the place. The 'plot' (or lack thereof) moved along at a snail's pace, only for things to get a little bit interesting and then abruptly stop--leaving several unanswered questions--in the space of about 25 pages. Unacceptable. Rating: 1/5 stars.
All this being said, overall, I'm pleased I read the Earthsea quartet. I greatly appreciate just how formative and influential these books have been on the fantasy canon. My favourite fantasy author, Robin Hobb, has clearly been deeply influenced by Ursula K. Le Guin's work; I saw the Realm of the Elderlings everywhere. But I also noticed some similarities to Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, J.K. Rowling... That aspect of things was really interesting. It's always good to take something back to its roots. Plus I really did enjoy the vast majority of the stories, despite how they were written.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars--rounding up to 3.
I can see in a lot of reviews prior to mine that people praise Ursula K. Le Guin for her economic writing style ('not one word wasted', 'elegant prose' etc.). Sadly this is not an opinion I share; I find Le Guin's style to be wordy, flowery and entirely non-engaging. Whilst I do understand this book is 'old', and I love a good classic as much as the next person (check out my Favourites shelf), I do not have as much patience with books written like this published beyond the 1950s (a Wizard of Earthsea was first published in 1968). When vibrantly snappy books like James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce exist, published way back in 1941, there really is no excuse.
I also felt like there was an awful lot of name-dumping in place of genuine world-building; I had to constantly refer to the map at the front of the book. This did admittedly get better as the books went on, and by the end of my reading it was very clear to me that Ursula K. Le Guin had put a lot of work and thought into the world of Earthsea; I just wish she'd written about it in a way I cared.
The collection starts with A Wizard of Earthsea, which follows the early years of a young wizard called Ged learning magecraft at a school for wizards on the isle of Roke. Talented but arrogant, Ged tries to best a rival by summoning the dead, but accidentally summons a 'shadow' instead. Of the four stories, this was probably the most 'epic' and I did really enjoy it. I appreciated the message of balance and acceptance, even if it was boring to read. Rating: 3/5 stars.
Of the original trilogy, book 2 (The Tombs of Atuan) was my favourite. Unlike the previous book, which followed Ged all over Earthsea across a span of many years,The Tombs of Atuan takes place almost entirely inside a labyrinth, where the main character is actually Ged's antagonist--a young and brainwashed priestess called Tenar. I found Tenar to be a much more interesting protagonist than Ged. The action is subtle, the atmosphere claustrophobic, and the story a lot more character driven than the other two books in the trilogy. Whilst A Wizard Of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore fall into the trap of merely telling a series of events, The Tombs of Atuan takes its time, allowing everything to live and breathe. I loved this book. Rating: 4/5 stars.
Much to my dismay, The Farthest Shore went back to the sins of the first book (telling, not showing; bouncing around the map like a ping-pong ball and flat characters). Again, I appreciated the messages concerning the delicate balance between life and death; some of the physical descriptions of dragons were truly awesome; and the final showdown in the Dry Lands was so clever and powerful, and full of pathos--I saw the influences on Robin Hobb the most in this book. But again, the writing was just so boring... I found it so difficult to care. And I did not enjoy it as much as either Book 1 or 2. Rating: 2/5 stars.
Then we come to Tehanu. Ah, Tehanu... Tehanu reads pretty much exactly like how I'd imagine a fourth book in a previously concluded trilogy would read (published 18 years later, no less): disjointed and disappointing. Once again, Tenar is the protagonist in this book, but she is older, different, and pretty much exists only to undo absolutely everything that's already been established in the first three books. Ged too suffers a similar character assassination to serve the same purpose. It's clear to me that Ursula K. Le Guin was passing commentary on her own work with Tehanu, carefully taking apart the inherent misogyny within her world and shining a spotlight on the marginalised. Whilst I find this intent very admirable and the idea very interesting, the execution is clumsy and extremely heavy-handed. It's also very dated, and overly reliant on gender essentialism (yes, I get that this book was written in the 90s and things were extremely different back then--it's still an issue). The writing style is so different from the previous books as to be postively jarring. Tonally it's different too; the original trilogy was published as a children's book, but Tehanu is decidedly adult. Rape, sex, torture, murder... It's all here folks. Whilst this isn't necessarily a bad thing--in fact I welcomed the darker turn--it is different. On top of that, the pacing was all over the place. The 'plot' (or lack thereof) moved along at a snail's pace, only for things to get a little bit interesting and then abruptly stop--leaving several unanswered questions--in the space of about 25 pages. Unacceptable. Rating: 1/5 stars.
All this being said, overall, I'm pleased I read the Earthsea quartet. I greatly appreciate just how formative and influential these books have been on the fantasy canon. My favourite fantasy author, Robin Hobb, has clearly been deeply influenced by Ursula K. Le Guin's work; I saw the Realm of the Elderlings everywhere. But I also noticed some similarities to Philip Pullman, Terry Pratchett, J.K. Rowling... That aspect of things was really interesting. It's always good to take something back to its roots. Plus I really did enjoy the vast majority of the stories, despite how they were written.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars--rounding up to 3.
June 11, 2022
Bu kitab 4 romanı bir yerə yığdığından hər birini oxuduqca fikirlərimi qeyd edəcəm.
"Yerdəniz cadugəri" - 1-ci kitab
Səni o qədər yanlış dəyərləndirmişəm ki, əziz Yerdəniz dünyası. Bir yeniyetmə romanı oxuyacağımı düşünsəm də (gənclərə yönəldiyi dəqiqdir, amma 1960-ların gənclərinə), öyrəşdiyimiz müasir gənc kitablarının əksinə, boz bir obrazımızın şəxsində bir özünü kəşfetmə, özünlə üzləşmə hekayəsidir bu.
Ged uşaqlıqdan cadugər anasının sayəsində sehirli bir qüvvəyə sahibdir və kəndlərinə düşmən ordularının hücumu ilə bu qüvvənin fərqinə varır. Müdrik cadugər Ogion ondan xəbər tutaraq oğlanı özünə şəyird götürür və beləcə Gont adasında Gedin macərası başlayır. Dünyanı müşahidə etməklə öyrənən və bir Zen-buddisti təəssüratı bağışlayan müəllimi Ogiondan bezən və daha çox bilgini sürətlə əldə etmək istəyən Ged müəlliminin də məsləhəti ilə Roke adasına Cadugərliyin sirrlərini məktəbində öyrənməyə üz tutar. Bilgi sahibi olduqca öz yaşıdlarından fərqlənməyə başlayan 15 yaşlı Ged təkəbbürü və özünü sübut etmək istəyi ilə ölülər diyarından bir ruhu bu dünyaya çağırmağa çalışmaqla məfhum bir qara kölgəni də fiziki dünyaya gətirir və az qala onu məhv etmək istəyən bu "adsız" varlığın qurbanına çevrilir. Və bütün kitab boyu Gedin bu kölgə ilə mübarizəsinin şahidi oluruq.
Dünyadakı hər şeyin adı olduğunu və varlıqların Qədim dildə əsl adını bilməklə və çağırmaqla onları idarə edə biləcəkləri bir sehir sistemindən istifadə edir bu kitabdakı cadugərlər. Le Guin dayanmır və yaratdığı dünya, obraz və sehir sistemi ilə belə real dünyamıza eyham vurur. Şeylərin mahiyyətini bilməklə dünyanı anlaya biləcəyimizə, istəklərimizi reallaşdıra biləcəyimizə işarə verir. Bu "adı bilinməyən" varlığın adını öyrənməyincə ona qalib gələ bilməyəcəyini də anlayır Ged. Kitab boyunca onun kölgə ilə iztirablı görüşləri, qaçışı və kölgənin mahiyyətini anlamasını izləyir, özümüz də öyrənir, kədərlənir, obrazı qucaqlamaq istəyirik.
Roulinq etiraf etməsə də, Harri Potterin Yerdənizdən ilhamlanmasını görmək üçün eynək taxmağa ehtiyac yoxdur: sehir məktəbi, obrazların çeşidi, 9 Ali müəllim, qaranlıq qüvvənin mahiyyəti və s. Təhkiyəsi isə o qədər incə toxunmuşdu ki, kitabın o doğma XX əsr dili, Yerdəniz dünyasında gəmi və qayıqlarla vizual səfəri, Gedin öz içinə dönüb baxması anları axıb gedirdi, əldən qoymaq olmurdu.
İkinci kitabı oxumaq üçün səbirsizlənirəm! Yaxşı ki, hələ 5 kitabı qalır = )
Kiçik haşiyə: bu kitabı Dartanyanlar kitab klubumuzun Ursula mirası-Yerdəniz silsilə romanları marafonu çərçivəsində oxuyuruq, qoşulmaq üçün Goodreads qrupumuza yaza bilərsiniz: https://www.goodreads.com/group/invit...
"Yerdəniz cadugəri" - 1-ci kitab
Səni o qədər yanlış dəyərləndirmişəm ki, əziz Yerdəniz dünyası. Bir yeniyetmə romanı oxuyacağımı düşünsəm də (gənclərə yönəldiyi dəqiqdir, amma 1960-ların gənclərinə), öyrəşdiyimiz müasir gənc kitablarının əksinə, boz bir obrazımızın şəxsində bir özünü kəşfetmə, özünlə üzləşmə hekayəsidir bu.
Ged uşaqlıqdan cadugər anasının sayəsində sehirli bir qüvvəyə sahibdir və kəndlərinə düşmən ordularının hücumu ilə bu qüvvənin fərqinə varır. Müdrik cadugər Ogion ondan xəbər tutaraq oğlanı özünə şəyird götürür və beləcə Gont adasında Gedin macərası başlayır. Dünyanı müşahidə etməklə öyrənən və bir Zen-buddisti təəssüratı bağışlayan müəllimi Ogiondan bezən və daha çox bilgini sürətlə əldə etmək istəyən Ged müəlliminin də məsləhəti ilə Roke adasına Cadugərliyin sirrlərini məktəbində öyrənməyə üz tutar. Bilgi sahibi olduqca öz yaşıdlarından fərqlənməyə başlayan 15 yaşlı Ged təkəbbürü və özünü sübut etmək istəyi ilə ölülər diyarından bir ruhu bu dünyaya çağırmağa çalışmaqla məfhum bir qara kölgəni də fiziki dünyaya gətirir və az qala onu məhv etmək istəyən bu "adsız" varlığın qurbanına çevrilir. Və bütün kitab boyu Gedin bu kölgə ilə mübarizəsinin şahidi oluruq.
Dünyadakı hər şeyin adı olduğunu və varlıqların Qədim dildə əsl adını bilməklə və çağırmaqla onları idarə edə biləcəkləri bir sehir sistemindən istifadə edir bu kitabdakı cadugərlər. Le Guin dayanmır və yaratdığı dünya, obraz və sehir sistemi ilə belə real dünyamıza eyham vurur. Şeylərin mahiyyətini bilməklə dünyanı anlaya biləcəyimizə, istəklərimizi reallaşdıra biləcəyimizə işarə verir. Bu "adı bilinməyən" varlığın adını öyrənməyincə ona qalib gələ bilməyəcəyini də anlayır Ged. Kitab boyunca onun kölgə ilə iztirablı görüşləri, qaçışı və kölgənin mahiyyətini anlamasını izləyir, özümüz də öyrənir, kədərlənir, obrazı qucaqlamaq istəyirik.
Roulinq etiraf etməsə də, Harri Potterin Yerdənizdən ilhamlanmasını görmək üçün eynək taxmağa ehtiyac yoxdur: sehir məktəbi, obrazların çeşidi, 9 Ali müəllim, qaranlıq qüvvənin mahiyyəti və s. Təhkiyəsi isə o qədər incə toxunmuşdu ki, kitabın o doğma XX əsr dili, Yerdəniz dünyasında gəmi və qayıqlarla vizual səfəri, Gedin öz içinə dönüb baxması anları axıb gedirdi, əldən qoymaq olmurdu.
İkinci kitabı oxumaq üçün səbirsizlənirəm! Yaxşı ki, hələ 5 kitabı qalır = )
Kiçik haşiyə: bu kitabı Dartanyanlar kitab klubumuzun Ursula mirası-Yerdəniz silsilə romanları marafonu çərçivəsində oxuyuruq, qoşulmaq üçün Goodreads qrupumuza yaza bilərsiniz: https://www.goodreads.com/group/invit...
August 12, 2007
"To light a candle is to cast a shadow..."
A teacher forced the first book on me when I was about 11 and, at the time, I hated it. I think a fair few parts of it creeped me out and I stopped reading it way before the end. I was probably 17 or 18 when I picked it up again and I’ve re-read the original trilogy on a yearly basis, each summer, ever since because for me they’re the template of how to write intelligent, thought-provoking fantasy. LeGuin’s world is fully realized and wholly recognisable, I think. More importantly I’ve always found it instructive, in the sense that time after time it makes the point that while knowledge may be power, power is dangerous in the hands of those ignorant of wider contexts. It values craftsmanship, patience, control and the natural rhythms of living - and shows it by being sublimely crafted, measured, wise and endlessly rewarding: Things my 11 year-old self could’ve done with knowing about and, certainly, things that seem to be disappearing from real life with dismaying rapidity.
In no particular order; I like its lyricism; that it follows the archetype of a quest story (but secularly); because it’s about the importance of mastering language and the ability to express one’s self appropriately and with clarity in a confused world; because the “evil” in it is palpable when it is meant to be and realistically banal at other times; that it shows that acting on behalf of others is actually very often good for you, too; because it is about growing up, the value of education (in many forms) and facing our mortality rationally. Lastly I think it shows beautifully how the world tends to betterment through human effort, human openness and human honesty.
All of which I think is pretty good going for a book that is meant to be for children and that manages to keep a strong narrative going all the way through.
Sold?
A teacher forced the first book on me when I was about 11 and, at the time, I hated it. I think a fair few parts of it creeped me out and I stopped reading it way before the end. I was probably 17 or 18 when I picked it up again and I’ve re-read the original trilogy on a yearly basis, each summer, ever since because for me they’re the template of how to write intelligent, thought-provoking fantasy. LeGuin’s world is fully realized and wholly recognisable, I think. More importantly I’ve always found it instructive, in the sense that time after time it makes the point that while knowledge may be power, power is dangerous in the hands of those ignorant of wider contexts. It values craftsmanship, patience, control and the natural rhythms of living - and shows it by being sublimely crafted, measured, wise and endlessly rewarding: Things my 11 year-old self could’ve done with knowing about and, certainly, things that seem to be disappearing from real life with dismaying rapidity.
In no particular order; I like its lyricism; that it follows the archetype of a quest story (but secularly); because it’s about the importance of mastering language and the ability to express one’s self appropriately and with clarity in a confused world; because the “evil” in it is palpable when it is meant to be and realistically banal at other times; that it shows that acting on behalf of others is actually very often good for you, too; because it is about growing up, the value of education (in many forms) and facing our mortality rationally. Lastly I think it shows beautifully how the world tends to betterment through human effort, human openness and human honesty.
All of which I think is pretty good going for a book that is meant to be for children and that manages to keep a strong narrative going all the way through.
Sold?
Read
November 16, 2016"A Wizard of Earthsea" **
"The Tombs of Atuan" ***
"The Farthest Shore" ****
"Tehanu" *****
"The Tombs of Atuan" ***
"The Farthest Shore" ****
"Tehanu" *****
July 2, 2017
Having affairs he must see to before he left Iffish, Vetch went off to the other villages of the island with the lad who served him as prentice-sorcerer. Ged stayed with Yarrow and her brother, called Murre, who was between her and Vetch in age. He seemed not much more than a boy, for there was no gift or scourge of mage-power in him, and he had never been anywhere but Iffish, Tok, and Holp, and his life was easy and untroubled. Ged watched him with wonder and some envy, and exactly so he watched Ged: to each it seemed very queer that the other, so different, yet was his own age, nineteen years. Ged marvelled how one who had lived nineteen years could be so carefree. Admiring Murre's comely, cheerful face he felt himself to be all lank and harsh, never guessing that Murre envied him even the scars that scored his face, and thought them the track of a dragon's claws and the very rune and sign of a hero.
The two young men were thus somewhat shy with each other, but as for Yarrow she soon lost awe of Ged, being in her own house and mistress of it. He was very gentle with her, and many were the questions she asked of him, for Vetch, she said, would never tell her anything. She kept busy those two days making dry wheatcakes for the voyagers to carry, and wrapping up dried fish and meat and other such provender to stock their boat, until Ged told her to stop, for he did not plan to sail clear to Selidor without a halt.
"Where is Selidor?"
"Very far out in the Western Reach, where dragons are as common as mice."
"Best stay in the East then, our dragons are as small as mice. There's your meat, then; you're sure that's enough? Listen, I don't understand: you and my brother both are mighty wizards, you wave your hand and mutter and the thing is done. Why do you get hungry, then? When it comes suppertime at sea, why not say, Meat-pie! and the meat-pie appears, and you eat it?"
"Well, we could do so. But we don't much wish to eat our words, as they say. Meat-pie! is only a word, after all... We can make it odorous, and savourous, and even filling, but it remains a word. It fools the stomach and gives no strength to the hungry man."
"Wizards, then, are not cooks," said Murre, who was sitting across the kitchen heart from Ged, carving a box-lid of fine wood; he was a woodworker by trade, though not a very zealous one.
"Nor are cooks wizards, alas," said Yarrow on her knees to see if the last batch of cakes baking on the hearth-bricks was getting brown. "But I still don't understand, Sparrowhawk. I have seen my brother, and even his prentice, make light in a dark place only by saying one word: and the light shines, it is bright, not a word but a light you can see your way by!"
"Aye," Ged answered. "Light is a power. A great power by which we exist, but which exists beyond our needs, in itself. Sunlight and starlight are time, and time is light. In the sunlight, in the days and years, life is. In a dark place life may call upon the light, naming it. But usually when you see a wizard name or call upon some thing, some object to appear, that is not the same, he calls upon no power greater than himself, and what appears is an illusion only. To summon a thing that is not there at all, to call it by speaking its true name, that is a great mastery, not lightly used. Not for mere hunger's sake. Yarrow, your little dragon has stolen a cake."
Yarrow had listened so hard, gazing at Ged as he spoke, that she had not seen the harrekki scuttle down from its warm perch on the kettle-hook over the hearth and seize a wheatcake bigger than itself. She took the small scaly creature on her knee and fed it bits and crumbs, while she pondered what Ged had told her.
"So then you would not summon up a real meat-pie lest you disturb what my brother is always talking about - I forget its name-"
"Equilibrium," Ged replied soberly, for she was very serious.
"Yes. But, when you were shipwrecked, you sailed from the place in a boat woven mostly of spells, and it didn't leak water. Was it illusion?"
"Well, partly it was illusion, because I am uneasy seeing the sea through great holes in my boat, so I patched them for the looks of the thing. But the strength of the boat was not illusion, nor summoning, but made with another kind of art, a binding-spell. The wood was bound as one whole, one entire thing, a boat. What is a boat but a thing that doesn't leak water?"
"I've bailed some that do," said Murre.
"Well, mine leaked, too, unless I was constantly seeing to the spell." He bent down from his corner seat and took a cake from the bricks, and juggled it in his hands. "I too have stolen a cake."
"You have burned fingers, then. And when you're starving on the waste water between the far isles you'll think of that cake and say, Ah! had I not stolen that cake I might eat it now, alas! - I shall eat my brother's, so he can starve with you-"
"Thus is Equilibrium maintained," Ged remarked, while she took and munched a hot, half-toasted cake; and this made her giggle and choke. But presently looking serious again she said, "I wish I could truly understand what you tell me. I am too stupid."
"Little sister," Ged said, "it is I that have no skill explaining. If we had more time-"
"We will have more time," Yarrow said. "When my brother comes back home, you will come with him, for a while at least, won't you?"
"If I can," he answered gently.
There was a little pause; and Yarrow asked, watching the harrekki climb back to its perch, "Tell me just this, if it is not a secret: what other great powers are there besides the light?"
"It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is very slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name."
Staying his knife on the carved wood, Murre asked, "What of death?"
The girl listened, her shining black head bent down.
"For a word to be spoken," Ged answered slowly, "there must be silence. Before, and after."
A Wizard of Earthsea: 4 1/2 stars
The Tombs of Atuan: 4 1/2 stars
The Farthest Shore: 4 1/2 stars
Tehanu: 4 1/2 stars
4 3/4 stars
The two young men were thus somewhat shy with each other, but as for Yarrow she soon lost awe of Ged, being in her own house and mistress of it. He was very gentle with her, and many were the questions she asked of him, for Vetch, she said, would never tell her anything. She kept busy those two days making dry wheatcakes for the voyagers to carry, and wrapping up dried fish and meat and other such provender to stock their boat, until Ged told her to stop, for he did not plan to sail clear to Selidor without a halt.
"Where is Selidor?"
"Very far out in the Western Reach, where dragons are as common as mice."
"Best stay in the East then, our dragons are as small as mice. There's your meat, then; you're sure that's enough? Listen, I don't understand: you and my brother both are mighty wizards, you wave your hand and mutter and the thing is done. Why do you get hungry, then? When it comes suppertime at sea, why not say, Meat-pie! and the meat-pie appears, and you eat it?"
"Well, we could do so. But we don't much wish to eat our words, as they say. Meat-pie! is only a word, after all... We can make it odorous, and savourous, and even filling, but it remains a word. It fools the stomach and gives no strength to the hungry man."
"Wizards, then, are not cooks," said Murre, who was sitting across the kitchen heart from Ged, carving a box-lid of fine wood; he was a woodworker by trade, though not a very zealous one.
"Nor are cooks wizards, alas," said Yarrow on her knees to see if the last batch of cakes baking on the hearth-bricks was getting brown. "But I still don't understand, Sparrowhawk. I have seen my brother, and even his prentice, make light in a dark place only by saying one word: and the light shines, it is bright, not a word but a light you can see your way by!"
"Aye," Ged answered. "Light is a power. A great power by which we exist, but which exists beyond our needs, in itself. Sunlight and starlight are time, and time is light. In the sunlight, in the days and years, life is. In a dark place life may call upon the light, naming it. But usually when you see a wizard name or call upon some thing, some object to appear, that is not the same, he calls upon no power greater than himself, and what appears is an illusion only. To summon a thing that is not there at all, to call it by speaking its true name, that is a great mastery, not lightly used. Not for mere hunger's sake. Yarrow, your little dragon has stolen a cake."
Yarrow had listened so hard, gazing at Ged as he spoke, that she had not seen the harrekki scuttle down from its warm perch on the kettle-hook over the hearth and seize a wheatcake bigger than itself. She took the small scaly creature on her knee and fed it bits and crumbs, while she pondered what Ged had told her.
"So then you would not summon up a real meat-pie lest you disturb what my brother is always talking about - I forget its name-"
"Equilibrium," Ged replied soberly, for she was very serious.
"Yes. But, when you were shipwrecked, you sailed from the place in a boat woven mostly of spells, and it didn't leak water. Was it illusion?"
"Well, partly it was illusion, because I am uneasy seeing the sea through great holes in my boat, so I patched them for the looks of the thing. But the strength of the boat was not illusion, nor summoning, but made with another kind of art, a binding-spell. The wood was bound as one whole, one entire thing, a boat. What is a boat but a thing that doesn't leak water?"
"I've bailed some that do," said Murre.
"Well, mine leaked, too, unless I was constantly seeing to the spell." He bent down from his corner seat and took a cake from the bricks, and juggled it in his hands. "I too have stolen a cake."
"You have burned fingers, then. And when you're starving on the waste water between the far isles you'll think of that cake and say, Ah! had I not stolen that cake I might eat it now, alas! - I shall eat my brother's, so he can starve with you-"
"Thus is Equilibrium maintained," Ged remarked, while she took and munched a hot, half-toasted cake; and this made her giggle and choke. But presently looking serious again she said, "I wish I could truly understand what you tell me. I am too stupid."
"Little sister," Ged said, "it is I that have no skill explaining. If we had more time-"
"We will have more time," Yarrow said. "When my brother comes back home, you will come with him, for a while at least, won't you?"
"If I can," he answered gently.
There was a little pause; and Yarrow asked, watching the harrekki climb back to its perch, "Tell me just this, if it is not a secret: what other great powers are there besides the light?"
"It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Years and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man's hand and the wisdom in a tree's root: they all arise together. My name, and yours, and the true name of the sun, or a spring of water, or an unborn child, all are syllables of the great word that is very slowly spoken by the shining of the stars. There is no other power. No other name."
Staying his knife on the carved wood, Murre asked, "What of death?"
The girl listened, her shining black head bent down.
"For a word to be spoken," Ged answered slowly, "there must be silence. Before, and after."
A Wizard of Earthsea: 4 1/2 stars
The Tombs of Atuan: 4 1/2 stars
The Farthest Shore: 4 1/2 stars
Tehanu: 4 1/2 stars
4 3/4 stars
August 19, 2015
I'm actually not finished, but i gave up about 300 pages in.
I was so looking forward to this being a fabulous book, but the archaic wording sometimes annoyed me. Book One still showed a lot of promise, but half way Book Two i just got bored.
I figured life is too short to read books that bore both pants ànd shirts off you.
I was so looking forward to this being a fabulous book, but the archaic wording sometimes annoyed me. Book One still showed a lot of promise, but half way Book Two i just got bored.
I figured life is too short to read books that bore both pants ànd shirts off you.
March 28, 2020
Honestly - forget any of my previous thoughts on the Earthsea series. Looking back, this has to be one of the most significant and beautiful fantasy series written in the 20th century, or ever, for that matter.
November 26, 2014
I first read the Earthsea Trilogy when I was in my early twenties and absolutely loved it.
As for reading the first three books again over thirty years after my first outing to Earthsea, the experience was quite simply better than I’d imagined. I was both entranced and delighted by the books, not only by the clarity and drive of Le Guin’s narrative but also by the richness and depth of her always economic prose. I love The Lord of the Rings for its wealth and genius as an epic narrative, however, as a piece of fantasy writing, the world and people created by Le Guin in her Earthsea books have a depth and sense of reality with which Tolkien, in my opinion, never managed to imbue his land of Middle Earth or its characters - and she can cover in fifty pages what JRR would need most of a book to say. This was the first series I ever read that was about a school for the training of wizards, and whilst another school is almost certainly more popularly famous these days, if given the choice I’d definitely want my own wizard’s training to take place on Roke. The first three books were wonderful to read again, and the writing, perhaps not heeded by me then as much as now, was elegant and sublime.
This brings me to Tehanu , the final book in The Earthsea Quartet (as my volume, re-issued in 2012, is entitled). The writing is once again impeccable, however, this is not a tale of epic fantasy like the first three adventures. The main character of the first three books, Ged, is largely absent and the main focus of the narrative is Tenar who we first meet in The Tombs of Atuan. Tehanu has, unlike its predecessors a mainly domestic setting and is concerned (it seemed to me) with the process we all must go through of accepting and accommodating ourselves with life and to how our lives may ultimately fall out. Le Guin has a number of points she wishes to make about gender inequality and the differences between male and female power. I felt that she was (for Le Guin that is) a little heavy-handed at times in her treatment of these matters, and there were just a few moments when I wanted to declare: yes, I already got that. The Taoist philosophy of balance that so firmly binds together this world of Earthsea is never pointed-up or highlighted in such a deliberate way as these feminist issues are in Tehanu. However, Le Guin is a very fine writer and whatever her motives for writing Tehanu, perhaps she simply wished to redress the balance and tidy up the rather male-centric world she’d created in the first three books, and while I’m not wholly convinced that this book should ever have been marketed as the final part of a quartet (so as not to disappoint those anticipating something altogether different, perhaps it should have been presented as a separate story about Earthsea? Just a thought!) it is still a very good book indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
So, I find myself with two more Earthsea books left to go. I shall definitely be looking forward to reading Tales from Earthsea (2001) and The Other Wind (2001) in the not too distant future.
As for reading the first three books again over thirty years after my first outing to Earthsea, the experience was quite simply better than I’d imagined. I was both entranced and delighted by the books, not only by the clarity and drive of Le Guin’s narrative but also by the richness and depth of her always economic prose. I love The Lord of the Rings for its wealth and genius as an epic narrative, however, as a piece of fantasy writing, the world and people created by Le Guin in her Earthsea books have a depth and sense of reality with which Tolkien, in my opinion, never managed to imbue his land of Middle Earth or its characters - and she can cover in fifty pages what JRR would need most of a book to say. This was the first series I ever read that was about a school for the training of wizards, and whilst another school is almost certainly more popularly famous these days, if given the choice I’d definitely want my own wizard’s training to take place on Roke. The first three books were wonderful to read again, and the writing, perhaps not heeded by me then as much as now, was elegant and sublime.
This brings me to Tehanu , the final book in The Earthsea Quartet (as my volume, re-issued in 2012, is entitled). The writing is once again impeccable, however, this is not a tale of epic fantasy like the first three adventures. The main character of the first three books, Ged, is largely absent and the main focus of the narrative is Tenar who we first meet in The Tombs of Atuan. Tehanu has, unlike its predecessors a mainly domestic setting and is concerned (it seemed to me) with the process we all must go through of accepting and accommodating ourselves with life and to how our lives may ultimately fall out. Le Guin has a number of points she wishes to make about gender inequality and the differences between male and female power. I felt that she was (for Le Guin that is) a little heavy-handed at times in her treatment of these matters, and there were just a few moments when I wanted to declare: yes, I already got that. The Taoist philosophy of balance that so firmly binds together this world of Earthsea is never pointed-up or highlighted in such a deliberate way as these feminist issues are in Tehanu. However, Le Guin is a very fine writer and whatever her motives for writing Tehanu, perhaps she simply wished to redress the balance and tidy up the rather male-centric world she’d created in the first three books, and while I’m not wholly convinced that this book should ever have been marketed as the final part of a quartet (so as not to disappoint those anticipating something altogether different, perhaps it should have been presented as a separate story about Earthsea? Just a thought!) it is still a very good book indeed. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
So, I find myself with two more Earthsea books left to go. I shall definitely be looking forward to reading Tales from Earthsea (2001) and The Other Wind (2001) in the not too distant future.
December 13, 2020
I can't believe it took me such a long time to get around to reading these four short novels. Their reputation precedes them of course, and I was so happy to read them and agree that they deserve all the love and attention and respect in the world!
A Wizard of Earthsea
Any fantasy fan reading these books will be sure to see how they have influenced other writers and stories, especially in this first novel. Ged starts his life as a humble goatherd with a great well of magic within him. He is watched over by an older wizard before heading over to Roke, where he attends a great school of magic. However, he suffers from arrogance and this gets the best of him, leading him on a quest.
This first story sets up Ged's character and his world so beautifully. While I found Le Guin's writing to be a tad hard to really fall into at first, I loved the world building and the descriptions of this universe, made up of archipelagos and islands.
The Tombs of Atuan
This story is set in the East, where a young girl named Tenar serves The Nameless Ones in some dark and forbidding tombs. Ged is still a part of this story, but the focus shifts to Tenar for the most part, and does a great job of broadening the world of Earthsea and playing with some darker themes. I really loved Tenar and enjoyed this story more than the first, simply because the first is a little predictable (but only because it's so influential!).
The Farthest Shore
The story with the widest scope of the four, The Farthest Shore follows an older Ged who takes a companion on a quest to save the world. Again, it's clear to see how this story has impacted other writers. There are some wonderful moments in this novel, and I absolutely loved the introduction of other sects and areas of Earthsea.
Tehanu
Without a doubt my favourite of the stories. Tehanu is completely different from the classic high fantasy escapades of its predecessors, and focuses on Tenar again, and her life in Earthsea following her adventure with Ged. This story explores sexism, feminism, power, and shame, and is easily the most emotional of the four. I personally also found it the most tense - strange, considering The Farthest Shore was literally about the end of the world! Tenar's story reflects the sufferings of people all around the world so well, however, and it's easy to imagine oneself in her shoes, and feel her terror and her pain. It definitely got the biggest reaction out of me, and balanced hard to read moments with genuinely warm, emotional passages.
A Wizard of Earthsea
Any fantasy fan reading these books will be sure to see how they have influenced other writers and stories, especially in this first novel. Ged starts his life as a humble goatherd with a great well of magic within him. He is watched over by an older wizard before heading over to Roke, where he attends a great school of magic. However, he suffers from arrogance and this gets the best of him, leading him on a quest.
This first story sets up Ged's character and his world so beautifully. While I found Le Guin's writing to be a tad hard to really fall into at first, I loved the world building and the descriptions of this universe, made up of archipelagos and islands.
The Tombs of Atuan
This story is set in the East, where a young girl named Tenar serves The Nameless Ones in some dark and forbidding tombs. Ged is still a part of this story, but the focus shifts to Tenar for the most part, and does a great job of broadening the world of Earthsea and playing with some darker themes. I really loved Tenar and enjoyed this story more than the first, simply because the first is a little predictable (but only because it's so influential!).
The Farthest Shore
The story with the widest scope of the four, The Farthest Shore follows an older Ged who takes a companion on a quest to save the world. Again, it's clear to see how this story has impacted other writers. There are some wonderful moments in this novel, and I absolutely loved the introduction of other sects and areas of Earthsea.
Tehanu
Without a doubt my favourite of the stories. Tehanu is completely different from the classic high fantasy escapades of its predecessors, and focuses on Tenar again, and her life in Earthsea following her adventure with Ged. This story explores sexism, feminism, power, and shame, and is easily the most emotional of the four. I personally also found it the most tense - strange, considering The Farthest Shore was literally about the end of the world! Tenar's story reflects the sufferings of people all around the world so well, however, and it's easy to imagine oneself in her shoes, and feel her terror and her pain. It definitely got the biggest reaction out of me, and balanced hard to read moments with genuinely warm, emotional passages.
March 9, 2024
A Wizard of Earthsea - 4/5
The Tombs of Atuan - 4/5
The Farthest Shore - 4/5
Tehanu - 5/5
The Tombs of Atuan - 4/5
The Farthest Shore - 4/5
Tehanu - 5/5
October 24, 2023
Obyčejně neobyčejný!
May 24, 2015
These books are simply wonderful. I concur wholeheartedly with Le Guin being held up alongside Tolkien.
The Wizard of Earthsea: First of all the pace of this book is so refreshing. In the first chapter it establishes a young boy who has a hint of a gift, suddenly he defends his village and is wished away to apprentice with a wizard. One chapter. So great. The world created is so full, and the lore is beautiful; magic is in the understanding of the true names - magnificent.
The Tombs of Atuan: a huge change from WoE. Slower, more deliberate. But this slow pace builds a menacing situation and then finally reveals an beloved old friend. Tenar is just such a wonderful character. I adore her.
The Furthest Shore: This story is a long (but exciting) drifting sadness. The premise of enthusiasm and magic leaking out of the world is so hauntingly told. Dear goodness I want to meet a dragon.
It also really shows how skilful Le Guin is at writing doubt, self-doubt, despair, and then turnarounds from that. She is masterful at the human experience.
Tehanu: Much less seems to happen in this as opposed to the first and third books but it was marvellous. So exciting to see Tenar again. And the hinting of the power of women's magic was fantastic. I did wonder why, in the first, a female author would hold by the boring trope of magic being for men. But now I can see what she was building to (whether originally intended or not). Apparently the following books expand on this even further. I'm pretty dang excited by that.
The climax and revelations of this story had me squinting through excited tears.
Dear Le Guin, oh my word. I can't type enough < or 3s to express my adoration of these characters and this world that you have created for us.
The Wizard of Earthsea: First of all the pace of this book is so refreshing. In the first chapter it establishes a young boy who has a hint of a gift, suddenly he defends his village and is wished away to apprentice with a wizard. One chapter. So great. The world created is so full, and the lore is beautiful; magic is in the understanding of the true names - magnificent.
The Tombs of Atuan: a huge change from WoE. Slower, more deliberate. But this slow pace builds a menacing situation and then finally reveals an beloved old friend. Tenar is just such a wonderful character. I adore her.
The Furthest Shore: This story is a long (but exciting) drifting sadness. The premise of enthusiasm and magic leaking out of the world is so hauntingly told. Dear goodness I want to meet a dragon.
It also really shows how skilful Le Guin is at writing doubt, self-doubt, despair, and then turnarounds from that. She is masterful at the human experience.
Tehanu: Much less seems to happen in this as opposed to the first and third books but it was marvellous. So exciting to see Tenar again. And the hinting of the power of women's magic was fantastic. I did wonder why, in the first, a female author would hold by the boring trope of magic being for men. But now I can see what she was building to (whether originally intended or not). Apparently the following books expand on this even further. I'm pretty dang excited by that.
The climax and revelations of this story had me squinting through excited tears.
Dear Le Guin, oh my word. I can't type enough < or 3s to express my adoration of these characters and this world that you have created for us.
August 18, 2019
For nearly six decades since launching her literary career, in 1959, during which she wrote a multitude of novels and short stories, as well as other works, Ursula Le Guin (1929-2018) was known as one of the greatest American writers of her generation. A legend that in her life was the subject of intense critical attention, translating her works around the world and receiving numerous accolades and honours for them, and becoming an enormous influence on the field of speculative fiction, as well of literature.
And in The Earthsea Quartet, the omnibus edition of the Earthsea Cycle that collects her four most famous fantasy books: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu, Le Guin creates through the Native American legends and Norse mythology her own fantasy world, taking us in four stories of wizards, dragons, priestessess, and evil beings; but also of magic and lore, power and balance, and darkness and light, in a classic high fantasy series.
A Wizard of Earthsea – 7.5/10
Since the time of myths, when Segoy raised the islands from the Open Sea, Earthsea has been inhabited by many cultures. Yet, on the island of Gont – a land famous for wizards – Duny, born in the lonely village called Ten Alders and brought up without tenderness by his father, had grew before his great destiny a wild child between the pastures and the meadows – until his deceased mother’s sister, the village witch, discovered his innate power, teaching him the little magic she knows and singing him deeds of heroes.
But, when one day a great wizard – coming to his village after hearing the tale of his deeds against the Kargish warriors who invaded the island with a lust of conquest – gives him his real name – Ged, taking him as his apprentice and teaching him magic and the natural order of the world, he will soon yearn a greater purpose in his life, travelling to the island of Roke to learn more about the higher arts.
Nevertheless, with his pride to have released into the sunlit world a shadow from another realm, hunting him across all Earthsea and leading him wherever he goes in danger and evil, when his voyages bring him back to where he began from, and takes the decision to stop running, Ged will find himself in a hunt for his very survival, bringing him before a shapeless creature – a creature that, if he fails to confront it and prevent it from possessing him, could cost him himself.
Asked by her publisher to try to write a book for older children, giving her complete freedom over the subject and approach and coming with no prior experience with the genre of young adult literature, Ursula Le Guin builds through her familiarity with Native American legends and Norse mythology her own fantasy world, taking us to A Wizard of Eathsea among the many islands of Earthsea: to Gont, where it is famous for goat-thieves, sea-pirates, and wizards; to Roke, the Isle of the Wise, where the Nine Masters of Roke teach the High Arts; to Pendor, where – once the island of the Sealords – has now become the lair of dragons; to Osskil, at the Court of Terrenon, where at the base of the tower and locked with binding-spells lies an Old Power; and to Astowell, Lastland, where its people dwell all alone at the edge of all maps.
A Wizard of Earthsea is written in the style of a traditional fairy-tale. A first novel in which Le Guin, drawing inspiration from her two earlier short stories, The Rule of Names and The Word of Unbinding, using their concepts as her basis of her setting and of her imagination, crafts a world full of myths and legends, songs and Deeds, creating a tale both poetic and epic that deals with the troubles of youth, and of the balance between magic and the natural order – a wonderful coming of age tale, as well as a study of cultural anthropology.
The Tombs of Atuan – 8/10
Since a time long ago, before the mighty wizard and dragonlord of the West, Erreth-Akbe, was defeated and his amulet was broken in half, before the Godkings of all Kargad came to rule, the Tombs of Atuan have been a holy place of worship to the Old Powers of the Earth: the Nameless Ones. But Tenar – now called Arha, the Eaten One – having been born on the night the One Priestess died and chosen among other child-girls to take her place in her reborn body, had always belonged to the Place of the Tombs of Atuan.
However, when – after years of waiting, rites and duties – the High Priestess of the Godking, Kossil, takes her to the Labyrinth of the Tombs, the Dark Places, watching up close the domain of the Nameless Ones and learning tales of ages long ago, will soon be lost into the ancient mysteries of the caverns, strucked by their hidden wonders.
Nevertheless, with her explorations beneath the Tombs one day to have brought her onto a man from the Inner Lands, disrupting her whole world and seeing and hearing things she would never have imagined, when Kossil – learning about his existence – tries to take matters into her hands, and her time for a way out starts narrowing, Tenar will find herself in a struggle between her faith and her identity, coming against the dark powers of the Nameless Ones – dark powers which, if she fails to trust the man and to face the unknown ahead, could cost her all of those things she never had.
Intended originally for A Wizard of Earthsea to be a stand-alone novel before deciding otherwise, wanting to write a sequel and develop the loose ends that the first book left, Ursula Le Guin transports us to one of the south-eastern islands of the Kargad Lands – Atuan, taking us in The Tombs of Atuan to the Place of the Tombs – the most ancient and sacred place in the Four Lands – where young girls are brought up in the mysteries of the gods in which they are dedicated to, and where the One Priestess – reincarnating into a new body every time the old one dies – serves the Nameless Ones for thousands of years, taking care their will to be fulfilled; and in the Labyrinth of the Tombs, where the domain of the Nameless Ones lies, holding in its caverns ancient secrets and treasures of their power, and where no man is allowed to enter.
The second novel follows the story of Tenar. A sequel in which Le Guin, using this time a female protagonist, taking a different approach to her storytelling and world-building, shows her world from the opposite perspective, crafting an intriguing and full of meanings story that explores the coming of age of her character, and the struggle of her identity.
But, even though the story focuses entirely on the Tombs, Le Guin manages to delve deeper into the ways and beliefs of the Four Lands, exploring a number of religious themes and ethical issues, as well as themes of gender and power, that reveal the cultural differences between the people of Kargad and the people of the Archipelago, and bring to the forefront an unexplored thus far land in the world of Earthsea.
The Farthest Shore – 9/10
For eight hundred years since Maharion, when the reign of the Last King came to an end and the heart of the world was left empty, a prophecy has spoken of the one who will become king and sit upon the throne of Earthsea and wield the Sign of Peace...
Yet today, having passed almost two decades since the restoral of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe and the relations between the barbarians of Kargad and the Inner Lands, a strange blight is spreading to the islands of Earthsea, making the magic to lose its power and its people to plunge deeper and deeper into madness – but Arren, son of the Prince of Enlad and the Enlades and heir of the Principality of Morred, has been sitting in the Court of the Fountain, at the Great House of Roke.
Carrying a message from his father to the Archmage – the greatest wizard in all of Earthsea – sent on an urgent voyage to bring word of an evil in their part of the world and seek the advice of the Wise, Arren will sail soon with the Archmage on a quest, wanting to find out the cause of these dark tidings.
Nevertheless, with their quest to have taken them to strange seas and troubled places, seeing the work of evil first-hand and their path becoming ever darker, when they reach the last shore of the world, and the two of them stand upon the balance-point of Earthsea, Arren and the Archmage will be faced with their greatest enemy, bringing them before the Unmaking – an Unmaking which, if they fail to close the door between worlds and restore the equilibrium, could plunge everything and everyone into an eternal darkness.
Continuing a few decades after the end of the second book, The Tombs of Atuan, moving on to the next story after further consideration and beginning on the final loose ends of A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin travels us again to the wondrous places of Earthsea, taking us in The Farthest Shore to the School of Roke, the Great House, where the boys who show promise of sorcery are sent from all Earthsea to be taught, learning about the highest arts of magic until they become proficient, and be named wizards so they can receive the staff of power; to Hort Town, one of the Seven Great Ports of the Archipelago, where once the market-places were full of activity and business, but has now become a city without law or governance, and leaving it with neither order nor prosperity; to Lorbanery, the Isle of Silk, where its people once lived wealthily, making their island famous for their silk, but has seen now nothing but poor seasons; to the uncharted seas of the South, where the Children on the Open Sea have made their own floating city, living year after year past any land and outside the knowledge of men, and following the path of the Great Ones; to Dragon’s Run, where lies the Keep of Kalessin, and where dragons – older than any living thing – have made the rocky isles their home, flying freely in the wind; and finally to Selidor, at the edge of the world, where the last island of the west has been avoided by men, leaving it a desolate land, and mentioning it only in tales.
The Farthest Shore is certainly the most powerful novel of the first trilogy. A third novel in which Le Guin, using again a different protagonist as her main character, developing her imagination through his eyes and showing us his coming of age through his challenges, takes her storytelling to the next level, crafting a story as much adventurous as dark, rich in ideas and colour.
A novel which, although is told mostly from Arren’s point of view, goes into the fundamental places of the world of Earthsea, revealing us the Balance that encompass it and sustains it, while exploring at the same time through her compelling storytelling themes of power and responsibility, desire and courage, and darkness and light, and thus bringing to a close the Deeds of Ged with a wonderful, fitting and powerful finale.
Tehanu – 7/10
Since Segoy raised the islands of the world from the sea in the beginning of time, the Song of Creation tells of a time when dragons, the firstborn of the land, and humans were all one – one people, one race, and were speaking the True Language...
Yet today, with the new king of Earthsea to have been found, filling its empty heart and fulfilling what was foretold, the Rune of Peace has been healed, making the world whole again and bringing the days of peace – but Tenar – now called Farmer Flint’s widow, Goha – having passed twenty-five years since she fled the forces of darkness of the earth and build a peaceful life with her husband and children before he passed away and they left away, has been living alone in the house of her farm.
But, when one evening – after the loss of Ogion, her father and dear friend – Ged arrives riding a dragon, meeting again for the first time after a long time and seeing him unconscious and near death, Tenar will take him back to the wizard’s old cottage, wanting to look after him till he gets better.
Nevertheless, with Ged’s return from death and the past of little Therru – abused and burned by her people – she took in her charge to have disrupted her quiet life, bringing her into unwanted situations and forcing her to take measures for their safety, when one day she receives news of Aunty Moss’s poor health, and all three of them return soon after to Re Albi, Tenar, Ged, and Therru will fall victim of a dark plot, bringing them face-to-face with an evil wizard – an evil wizard who, if they fail to break free of his control and stop him from causing harm, could cost them everything she fought hard to gain.
Returning to the world of Earthsea almost two decades later, picking up slightly before the conclusion of The Farthest Shore and starting a new story, Ursula Le Guin brings us back to where all began – to the island of Gont, taking us in Tehanu to Re Albi, the Falcon’s Nest, where the small village and its few inhabitants are ruled by the Lord of Re Albi; to Gont Port, the chief city of the island, where in its quays come ships from all over Earthsea, filling it with market-places, shops, houses and crowds of people; to Valmouth, where in the sleepy little harbour the only concern of its inhabitants are the fish and their drying; and to Oak Village, where the villagers hold a life interesting in work and profit of the farming.
Tehanu is quite different in style than the initial trilogy. A fourth novel in which Le Guin, continuing the stories of Tenar and Ged, bringing back the characters that marked the series and exploring their lives after the end of their grand adventures, moves away from the classic fantasy tropes of the first three, creating a slower, introspective, adult story.
A story which, written from Tenar’s perspective, showing us the fears of a mother, of a parent, for her child as well as of a woman confronted in a male-dominated world, raises questions about the differences of magic and power between genders, but managing also to bring through her undiminished in power narrative a more human approach, and to fill it once more with meanings.
All in all, The Earthsea Quartet is a wonderful, classic quartet, with Ursula Le Guin building an incredible world of myths and legends, exploring in each one different themes and questions, and travelling us through her powerful storytelling to wondrous lands and quests full of magic.
And in The Earthsea Quartet, the omnibus edition of the Earthsea Cycle that collects her four most famous fantasy books: A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu, Le Guin creates through the Native American legends and Norse mythology her own fantasy world, taking us in four stories of wizards, dragons, priestessess, and evil beings; but also of magic and lore, power and balance, and darkness and light, in a classic high fantasy series.
A Wizard of Earthsea – 7.5/10
Since the time of myths, when Segoy raised the islands from the Open Sea, Earthsea has been inhabited by many cultures. Yet, on the island of Gont – a land famous for wizards – Duny, born in the lonely village called Ten Alders and brought up without tenderness by his father, had grew before his great destiny a wild child between the pastures and the meadows – until his deceased mother’s sister, the village witch, discovered his innate power, teaching him the little magic she knows and singing him deeds of heroes.
But, when one day a great wizard – coming to his village after hearing the tale of his deeds against the Kargish warriors who invaded the island with a lust of conquest – gives him his real name – Ged, taking him as his apprentice and teaching him magic and the natural order of the world, he will soon yearn a greater purpose in his life, travelling to the island of Roke to learn more about the higher arts.
Nevertheless, with his pride to have released into the sunlit world a shadow from another realm, hunting him across all Earthsea and leading him wherever he goes in danger and evil, when his voyages bring him back to where he began from, and takes the decision to stop running, Ged will find himself in a hunt for his very survival, bringing him before a shapeless creature – a creature that, if he fails to confront it and prevent it from possessing him, could cost him himself.
Asked by her publisher to try to write a book for older children, giving her complete freedom over the subject and approach and coming with no prior experience with the genre of young adult literature, Ursula Le Guin builds through her familiarity with Native American legends and Norse mythology her own fantasy world, taking us to A Wizard of Eathsea among the many islands of Earthsea: to Gont, where it is famous for goat-thieves, sea-pirates, and wizards; to Roke, the Isle of the Wise, where the Nine Masters of Roke teach the High Arts; to Pendor, where – once the island of the Sealords – has now become the lair of dragons; to Osskil, at the Court of Terrenon, where at the base of the tower and locked with binding-spells lies an Old Power; and to Astowell, Lastland, where its people dwell all alone at the edge of all maps.
A Wizard of Earthsea is written in the style of a traditional fairy-tale. A first novel in which Le Guin, drawing inspiration from her two earlier short stories, The Rule of Names and The Word of Unbinding, using their concepts as her basis of her setting and of her imagination, crafts a world full of myths and legends, songs and Deeds, creating a tale both poetic and epic that deals with the troubles of youth, and of the balance between magic and the natural order – a wonderful coming of age tale, as well as a study of cultural anthropology.
The Tombs of Atuan – 8/10
Since a time long ago, before the mighty wizard and dragonlord of the West, Erreth-Akbe, was defeated and his amulet was broken in half, before the Godkings of all Kargad came to rule, the Tombs of Atuan have been a holy place of worship to the Old Powers of the Earth: the Nameless Ones. But Tenar – now called Arha, the Eaten One – having been born on the night the One Priestess died and chosen among other child-girls to take her place in her reborn body, had always belonged to the Place of the Tombs of Atuan.
However, when – after years of waiting, rites and duties – the High Priestess of the Godking, Kossil, takes her to the Labyrinth of the Tombs, the Dark Places, watching up close the domain of the Nameless Ones and learning tales of ages long ago, will soon be lost into the ancient mysteries of the caverns, strucked by their hidden wonders.
Nevertheless, with her explorations beneath the Tombs one day to have brought her onto a man from the Inner Lands, disrupting her whole world and seeing and hearing things she would never have imagined, when Kossil – learning about his existence – tries to take matters into her hands, and her time for a way out starts narrowing, Tenar will find herself in a struggle between her faith and her identity, coming against the dark powers of the Nameless Ones – dark powers which, if she fails to trust the man and to face the unknown ahead, could cost her all of those things she never had.
Intended originally for A Wizard of Earthsea to be a stand-alone novel before deciding otherwise, wanting to write a sequel and develop the loose ends that the first book left, Ursula Le Guin transports us to one of the south-eastern islands of the Kargad Lands – Atuan, taking us in The Tombs of Atuan to the Place of the Tombs – the most ancient and sacred place in the Four Lands – where young girls are brought up in the mysteries of the gods in which they are dedicated to, and where the One Priestess – reincarnating into a new body every time the old one dies – serves the Nameless Ones for thousands of years, taking care their will to be fulfilled; and in the Labyrinth of the Tombs, where the domain of the Nameless Ones lies, holding in its caverns ancient secrets and treasures of their power, and where no man is allowed to enter.
The second novel follows the story of Tenar. A sequel in which Le Guin, using this time a female protagonist, taking a different approach to her storytelling and world-building, shows her world from the opposite perspective, crafting an intriguing and full of meanings story that explores the coming of age of her character, and the struggle of her identity.
But, even though the story focuses entirely on the Tombs, Le Guin manages to delve deeper into the ways and beliefs of the Four Lands, exploring a number of religious themes and ethical issues, as well as themes of gender and power, that reveal the cultural differences between the people of Kargad and the people of the Archipelago, and bring to the forefront an unexplored thus far land in the world of Earthsea.
The Farthest Shore – 9/10
For eight hundred years since Maharion, when the reign of the Last King came to an end and the heart of the world was left empty, a prophecy has spoken of the one who will become king and sit upon the throne of Earthsea and wield the Sign of Peace...
Yet today, having passed almost two decades since the restoral of the Ring of Erreth-Akbe and the relations between the barbarians of Kargad and the Inner Lands, a strange blight is spreading to the islands of Earthsea, making the magic to lose its power and its people to plunge deeper and deeper into madness – but Arren, son of the Prince of Enlad and the Enlades and heir of the Principality of Morred, has been sitting in the Court of the Fountain, at the Great House of Roke.
Carrying a message from his father to the Archmage – the greatest wizard in all of Earthsea – sent on an urgent voyage to bring word of an evil in their part of the world and seek the advice of the Wise, Arren will sail soon with the Archmage on a quest, wanting to find out the cause of these dark tidings.
Nevertheless, with their quest to have taken them to strange seas and troubled places, seeing the work of evil first-hand and their path becoming ever darker, when they reach the last shore of the world, and the two of them stand upon the balance-point of Earthsea, Arren and the Archmage will be faced with their greatest enemy, bringing them before the Unmaking – an Unmaking which, if they fail to close the door between worlds and restore the equilibrium, could plunge everything and everyone into an eternal darkness.
Continuing a few decades after the end of the second book, The Tombs of Atuan, moving on to the next story after further consideration and beginning on the final loose ends of A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula Le Guin travels us again to the wondrous places of Earthsea, taking us in The Farthest Shore to the School of Roke, the Great House, where the boys who show promise of sorcery are sent from all Earthsea to be taught, learning about the highest arts of magic until they become proficient, and be named wizards so they can receive the staff of power; to Hort Town, one of the Seven Great Ports of the Archipelago, where once the market-places were full of activity and business, but has now become a city without law or governance, and leaving it with neither order nor prosperity; to Lorbanery, the Isle of Silk, where its people once lived wealthily, making their island famous for their silk, but has seen now nothing but poor seasons; to the uncharted seas of the South, where the Children on the Open Sea have made their own floating city, living year after year past any land and outside the knowledge of men, and following the path of the Great Ones; to Dragon’s Run, where lies the Keep of Kalessin, and where dragons – older than any living thing – have made the rocky isles their home, flying freely in the wind; and finally to Selidor, at the edge of the world, where the last island of the west has been avoided by men, leaving it a desolate land, and mentioning it only in tales.
The Farthest Shore is certainly the most powerful novel of the first trilogy. A third novel in which Le Guin, using again a different protagonist as her main character, developing her imagination through his eyes and showing us his coming of age through his challenges, takes her storytelling to the next level, crafting a story as much adventurous as dark, rich in ideas and colour.
A novel which, although is told mostly from Arren’s point of view, goes into the fundamental places of the world of Earthsea, revealing us the Balance that encompass it and sustains it, while exploring at the same time through her compelling storytelling themes of power and responsibility, desire and courage, and darkness and light, and thus bringing to a close the Deeds of Ged with a wonderful, fitting and powerful finale.
Tehanu – 7/10
Since Segoy raised the islands of the world from the sea in the beginning of time, the Song of Creation tells of a time when dragons, the firstborn of the land, and humans were all one – one people, one race, and were speaking the True Language...
Yet today, with the new king of Earthsea to have been found, filling its empty heart and fulfilling what was foretold, the Rune of Peace has been healed, making the world whole again and bringing the days of peace – but Tenar – now called Farmer Flint’s widow, Goha – having passed twenty-five years since she fled the forces of darkness of the earth and build a peaceful life with her husband and children before he passed away and they left away, has been living alone in the house of her farm.
But, when one evening – after the loss of Ogion, her father and dear friend – Ged arrives riding a dragon, meeting again for the first time after a long time and seeing him unconscious and near death, Tenar will take him back to the wizard’s old cottage, wanting to look after him till he gets better.
Nevertheless, with Ged’s return from death and the past of little Therru – abused and burned by her people – she took in her charge to have disrupted her quiet life, bringing her into unwanted situations and forcing her to take measures for their safety, when one day she receives news of Aunty Moss’s poor health, and all three of them return soon after to Re Albi, Tenar, Ged, and Therru will fall victim of a dark plot, bringing them face-to-face with an evil wizard – an evil wizard who, if they fail to break free of his control and stop him from causing harm, could cost them everything she fought hard to gain.
Returning to the world of Earthsea almost two decades later, picking up slightly before the conclusion of The Farthest Shore and starting a new story, Ursula Le Guin brings us back to where all began – to the island of Gont, taking us in Tehanu to Re Albi, the Falcon’s Nest, where the small village and its few inhabitants are ruled by the Lord of Re Albi; to Gont Port, the chief city of the island, where in its quays come ships from all over Earthsea, filling it with market-places, shops, houses and crowds of people; to Valmouth, where in the sleepy little harbour the only concern of its inhabitants are the fish and their drying; and to Oak Village, where the villagers hold a life interesting in work and profit of the farming.
Tehanu is quite different in style than the initial trilogy. A fourth novel in which Le Guin, continuing the stories of Tenar and Ged, bringing back the characters that marked the series and exploring their lives after the end of their grand adventures, moves away from the classic fantasy tropes of the first three, creating a slower, introspective, adult story.
A story which, written from Tenar’s perspective, showing us the fears of a mother, of a parent, for her child as well as of a woman confronted in a male-dominated world, raises questions about the differences of magic and power between genders, but managing also to bring through her undiminished in power narrative a more human approach, and to fill it once more with meanings.
All in all, The Earthsea Quartet is a wonderful, classic quartet, with Ursula Le Guin building an incredible world of myths and legends, exploring in each one different themes and questions, and travelling us through her powerful storytelling to wondrous lands and quests full of magic.
April 13, 2023
(re)reading the earthsea quartet is like drinking fresh water from a stream or finding a rock that fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. these stories are so profound but in the plainest, most simple way. everything feels right and true and real. you get the sense that things are happening as they must. that there is purpose to the world, and living in it. there is work to be done and people who are willing do it. it isn't easy: light and darkness come together. people make mistakes. evil is done and harm happens, purposefully or not. but there will always be light. hurts can be healed. the tombs can be escaped. friends will go with you to the farthest shore, and you will come back again.
March 25, 2019
Wonderful! absolutely loved reading The Earthsea Quartet - fell in love with the characters ...
* A Wizard of Earthsea was 4 stars for me -it was so exiting and even a little spooky.
* The Tombs of Atuan was 5 stars - I loved it so much! a little spooky too...I couldn't put it down! it was my favorite. :)
* The Farthest Shore was 3-4 stars -such an adventure, but did get a little bored sometimes but it never lasted long -then something exiting would happen -it left me feeling a little sad but Tehanu fixed that.
* Tehanu 4 stars - So beautiful... a good conclusion to the quartet ..but also an exiting beginning to new adventures! - has me looking forward to getting my hands on The Other Wind!
* A Wizard of Earthsea was 4 stars for me -it was so exiting and even a little spooky.
* The Tombs of Atuan was 5 stars - I loved it so much! a little spooky too...I couldn't put it down! it was my favorite. :)
* The Farthest Shore was 3-4 stars -such an adventure, but did get a little bored sometimes but it never lasted long -then something exiting would happen -it left me feeling a little sad but Tehanu fixed that.
* Tehanu 4 stars - So beautiful... a good conclusion to the quartet ..but also an exiting beginning to new adventures! - has me looking forward to getting my hands on The Other Wind!
March 1, 2018
I had read the first book earlier and liked it, but I read it again now. I think the first book may actually be my favourite of the quartet, although they are all good. It's not all pleasure though, all in all the series is pretty sad and even dark. But the writing is amazing and the characters are interesting. For a book series that's essentially about wizards, there's not much traditional 'wizard business' here, but the approach is refreshing and makes for compulsory reading for anyone interested in this genre!
June 6, 2018
What to be said about the books you come to love is that even you find their flaws, lack of consistency, a lot of plot holes and obscure pacing, you will not be afraid to defend all the world against it. The fascinating context about the book is the gap years of each book's publication (1963 - 2001) creates a strong evolution momentum. When reading through all four books as the "quartet" (I heard there're two more books to catch up later), the character developments and the aspects of each book are vastly different like spectrum.
There are branches of the stories: adventures, journeys, discussions, even a dull domestic rural life of an individual. The mage, the dragons, and women play the essential roles around four books. It is like Le Guin using the saga as the vessel to explore the ways she blends fantasy genre with philosophy and social criticism, lastly, the story is mush more expanding beyond her. It creates so many thoughtful questions, self-awareness not about human beings and gender roles but tackles on life and death debates that could be taken more profound explored much more than the limited plot and tone. Some part of the stories outlive the wisdom of the writer, leaving more discussion unanswered questions. For example, the part about Equilibrium is a bit bundled up with the prejudice on races and genders, not only the balance is tactless, only to be understood by the mages but not the witches and other human beings. I have some debates with myself during almost 900 pages and lost in which to begin with. To be a little more cheerful, I'm certain it's the good thing to both love and criticize the book which might not make Le Guin unhappy about it.
There are branches of the stories: adventures, journeys, discussions, even a dull domestic rural life of an individual. The mage, the dragons, and women play the essential roles around four books. It is like Le Guin using the saga as the vessel to explore the ways she blends fantasy genre with philosophy and social criticism, lastly, the story is mush more expanding beyond her. It creates so many thoughtful questions, self-awareness not about human beings and gender roles but tackles on life and death debates that could be taken more profound explored much more than the limited plot and tone. Some part of the stories outlive the wisdom of the writer, leaving more discussion unanswered questions. For example, the part about Equilibrium is a bit bundled up with the prejudice on races and genders, not only the balance is tactless, only to be understood by the mages but not the witches and other human beings. I have some debates with myself during almost 900 pages and lost in which to begin with. To be a little more cheerful, I'm certain it's the good thing to both love and criticize the book which might not make Le Guin unhappy about it.
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October 5, 2022Brilliant, all four books. It took me a few chapters to get into the rhythm of Le Guin’s writing, but once I entered the world, I didn’t want to leave. I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it.
Each book was so different and special, I particularly liked the first, and oh, Tehanu! What a roller coaster! The last few chapters had me holding my breath! What a world.
I love how Le Guin’s learning of feminism became more and more apparent as the book’s progressed. So many lessons to be considered, and such social commentary, particularly in Tehanu.
What wonderful characters! The character development is incredible. To love someone you couldn’t stand at first… to understand someone who seemed callous. Just wonderful.
I’ve finished these books, and already my heart misses them.
Each book was so different and special, I particularly liked the first, and oh, Tehanu! What a roller coaster! The last few chapters had me holding my breath! What a world.
I love how Le Guin’s learning of feminism became more and more apparent as the book’s progressed. So many lessons to be considered, and such social commentary, particularly in Tehanu.
What wonderful characters! The character development is incredible. To love someone you couldn’t stand at first… to understand someone who seemed callous. Just wonderful.
I’ve finished these books, and already my heart misses them.
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