Reviews with content warning for Death - The Farthest Shore

I really liked this entry in the Earthsea cycle. I connected strongly to the big theme being explored, primarily the fear of death. Rejection of death is a rejection of death. I also really like Ged. He's a complicated character, a funny and dark man. Just a guy, trying his best to live a useful life.

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kartoffel_00's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

26/09/2023

I feared finishing this for the longest time because I thought it was quite the depressing read but actually it was a lot more.

The book alluded to depression and many serious topics like drugs and it was very frank and real in the way only a fantasy book could be when it talks about things in the real world in its own image.

The most worth while aspect of this book was following Arren on his journey. It was not that he grew ultimately wise as he was confronted with each of his weaknesses but rather the admittance that though his journey is great he is also but a man. I couldn't have loved it more.

While I wouldn't recommend someone to read this during a depressive episode like I was in, I would certainly say this is an enjoyable read for those wanting something relatable.

Final rating: 5/5

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yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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onalark's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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pickledlettuce's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Leguin does it again. I’ll admit, there were parts of this book that felt super slow because of the pacing, but I would not trade a single word for a shorter length. Although I liked the first two books more, this one knocked my socks off.
The whole theme of this book (and most of Ged’s story in general) is the acceptance of death and change. Death of a living thing, an idea, a word, anything. Leguin isn’t saying that death should be celebrated, or that death is a wonderful, great thing in the world. What she is saying is that death and life are one, that for rebirth to happen, for hope and light to flourish in the world, our way of thinking, our selfishness, must change. Death is something that is scary, but that does not mean we should fall to despair because of it. I feel it is best exemplified in this quote:

"You will die. You will not live forever. Nor will any man nor any thing. Nothing is immortal. But only to us is it given to know that we must die. And that is a great gift: the gift of selfhood. For we have only what we know we must lose, what we are willing to lose... That selfhood which is our torment, and our treasure, and our humanity, does not endure. It changes; it is gone, a wave on the sea. Would you have the sea grow still and the tides cease, to save one wave, to save yourself?"

Our actions and words effect others. To act on selfishness is to change the world. To better our own lives and others, our selfishness must die so light can flourish. The future may be dark and seem hopeless, but as Leguin says:

“To see a candle’s light, one must take it into a dark place.”

EDIT: this is now a five star book. The themes, the characters, the world, it’s all SO well done. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished. Leguin was a master of fantasy imo.

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conspystery's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I've finally finished this book, after running out of time on my library loan for it once or twice. Even broken up by the constraints of insufficient lending periods, this story is incredible, as are the previous two books in the series. I love how rich Earthsea is while at the same time being grounded in thematic reality. This book confronts death and what it means to live in such a fascinating, sincere way; every character feels simultaneously like their own dynamic person while also representing their own philosophical conflict. I just love Earthsea so much and this entry in its world is no different-- Le Guin is unparalleled.

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marsh_mall0w's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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