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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
A strong entry in the Earthsea cycle.
Pros:
Return of my favorite character in the series.
More characters than previous books.
Great vibes throughout the whole book.
Exciting conclusion to tie things together.
Cons:
The plot is a little weaker but it doesn’t rely on it.
Less overall magic than previous books.
A little slower than past entries.
Pros:
Return of my favorite character in the series.
More characters than previous books.
Great vibes throughout the whole book.
Exciting conclusion to tie things together.
Cons:
The plot is a little weaker but it doesn’t rely on it.
Less overall magic than previous books.
A little slower than past entries.
A stark departure from the first three books, which was surprising but not unwelcome. Our hero Ged has lost his magic and returns forlorn and on the brink of death to Tenar, whose turn it is to save him like he saved her from the tombs of Atuan. Not just to cure him of his illness, but from his shame at losing his power and position as archmage. To show him that there is life and honour beyond power and that he is more than what he lost. All the while Tenar, now an old widow, and her adopted and disabled child Therru, fight for the right to exist in a world that largely dismisses them.
The plot itself is rather uneventful and rather boring, focusing on Tenar's life of quiet domesticity and how she deals with everyday sexism (including her own internalized mysoginy) and prejudice towards her foreign-ness and Therru's scars. Despite the lack of action however, it feels much more mature than the first trilogy and has definitely left the realm of children's literature. It is perhaps unwise to call this a feminist book, for as Le Guin says in the afterword, that might be enough for some to dismiss it out of hand. It isn't feminist in a vindictive, dogmatic or mystical way however. Rather, it deals with everyday gender roles in a very down to earth sense, leaving the reader to make up their own mind about it. It's a very nuanced and very brave attempt. Doubtlessly, many will see Ged becoming a simple farmer and goatherd rather than the beloved hero and archmage as a denigration of his character and resent the shift of emphasis from him to Tenar.
Above all though, this is fundamentally a book about loss and mourning. It explores both the irreparable pain of losing a loved one or part of yourself and the possibility to find a new identity and way of living, despite the scars. Theru losing her eye in the fire, Ged losing his magic and Tenar losing her purpose as a mother and caretaker as both her family and her mentor leave her are all different types of loss, but still related at the core. The characters really shine in this book, especially Tenar (who I found more interesting than Ged in the first place). Her life, going from high priestess to lady of the ring of Erreth-Akbe to mages pupil to farmers wife to widow give her a unique perspective on life that's fascinating to read.
Overall, a very worthwhile read, even if it was hard to get through at times due to the slow plot.
The plot itself is rather uneventful and rather boring, focusing on Tenar's life of quiet domesticity and how she deals with everyday sexism (including her own internalized mysoginy) and prejudice towards her foreign-ness and Therru's scars. Despite the lack of action however, it feels much more mature than the first trilogy and has definitely left the realm of children's literature. It is perhaps unwise to call this a feminist book, for as Le Guin says in the afterword, that might be enough for some to dismiss it out of hand. It isn't feminist in a vindictive, dogmatic or mystical way however. Rather, it deals with everyday gender roles in a very down to earth sense, leaving the reader to make up their own mind about it. It's a very nuanced and very brave attempt. Doubtlessly, many will see Ged becoming a simple farmer and goatherd rather than the beloved hero and archmage as a denigration of his character and resent the shift of emphasis from him to Tenar.
Above all though, this is fundamentally a book about loss and mourning. It explores both the irreparable pain of losing a loved one or part of yourself and the possibility to find a new identity and way of living, despite the scars. Theru losing her eye in the fire, Ged losing his magic and Tenar losing her purpose as a mother and caretaker as both her family and her mentor leave her are all different types of loss, but still related at the core. The characters really shine in this book, especially Tenar (who I found more interesting than Ged in the first place). Her life, going from high priestess to lady of the ring of Erreth-Akbe to mages pupil to farmers wife to widow give her a unique perspective on life that's fascinating to read.
Overall, a very worthwhile read, even if it was hard to get through at times due to the slow plot.
This book was fine just a disappointment. The reason I go to eathsea is because I want to read about magic and the mysterious wonders of the archipelago. The the musings of a middle aged widow are less than interesting with that in mind. It is much deeper and more mature in other respects but that is not what I wanted to read, that is not what was captivating about books 1 and 3. I read the whole thing knowing that these tend to be slow builders, it is the same throughout the climax hits in the last couple chapters but is glossed over in minutes compared the the chapters of reflections by middle aged Tenar, totally skipable, do not recommend, would not read again.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
I really love Le Guin, so much. I still think Tombs of Atuan is my favorite but this was great. I felt the handling of the violence against Therru was a bit.. clumsy? I don't know how to describe it. But honestly not enough of an irk to really keep me from enjoying the book as a whole. In the time since this book was written so much has changed in the best ways to write and handle violence and trauma, and while some of the writing here threw me off, I can suspend my disbelief and appreciate what Le Guin was intending to do here.
The end of the book went by too quickly! I wanted more and I'm excited to get to the Tales of Earthsea immediately.
The end of the book went by too quickly! I wanted more and I'm excited to get to the Tales of Earthsea immediately.
Had the chance to meditate about what I feel about this book, and to an extent, Ursula Le Guin's body of work in general after watching the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary special (even though I doubt Le Guin herself would admire the comparison). I thought it fitting that I'd allowed myself some time to breathe after finishing the first three books before reading Tehanu. My weeks-long waiting time was dwarfed by the author's own, though, having some 20-odd years in between publishing the third and the fourth of the series.
There's a certain art to revisiting stories that has been lost in the age of capitalism and hyperconsumerism. The general consensus is that art has come to be defined by its commercial value—manifested in how media institutions continue to regurgitate content, to 'refresh' old stories to fit the current sociopolitical conditions, or to shamelessly bank on childhood nostalgia for monetary gains. Many others have written about this conundrum at length, and I will not attempt to do so here.
But revisiting a world is something that I believe Le Guin does well, particularly with her Earthsea novels. She is a master at building worlds precisely because she acknowledges her failings the first time around, whether it be a personal moral failure or simply because the current body of thinking—whether race, gender or class, or anything else—had yet to be comprehensively developed during her time. In her afterword for Tehanu, she describes why it was important she would revisit Earthsea once she had 'learned' to write it: "I needed to look at heroics from outside and underneath, from the point of view of the people who are not included. The ones who can’t do magic. The ones who don’t have shining staffs or swords. Women, kids, the poor, the old, the powerless. Unheroes, ordinary people—my people. I didn’t want to change Earthsea, but I needed to see what Earthsea looked like to us." It's this kind of revisiting that I feel is much more significant—less to pat oneself on the back and propel the characters in another uncharacteristic tale of adventure, but more so to amplify the voices that had been lost along the way.
"What cannot be mended must be transcended."
In Tehanu, our heroes are depowered. The greatest wizard in the world is stripped of his power. The woman forges an identity beyond the duties once expected of her. The world has long forgotten them because to be confronted with stories of such magnitude is a daunting thing. But none of these are painted as particularly tragic. In many ways, it is a beginning, a reminder that life continues just the same, even after the final epic battle.
There's a certain art to revisiting stories that has been lost in the age of capitalism and hyperconsumerism. The general consensus is that art has come to be defined by its commercial value—manifested in how media institutions continue to regurgitate content, to 'refresh' old stories to fit the current sociopolitical conditions, or to shamelessly bank on childhood nostalgia for monetary gains. Many others have written about this conundrum at length, and I will not attempt to do so here.
But revisiting a world is something that I believe Le Guin does well, particularly with her Earthsea novels. She is a master at building worlds precisely because she acknowledges her failings the first time around, whether it be a personal moral failure or simply because the current body of thinking—whether race, gender or class, or anything else—had yet to be comprehensively developed during her time. In her afterword for Tehanu, she describes why it was important she would revisit Earthsea once she had 'learned' to write it: "I needed to look at heroics from outside and underneath, from the point of view of the people who are not included. The ones who can’t do magic. The ones who don’t have shining staffs or swords. Women, kids, the poor, the old, the powerless. Unheroes, ordinary people—my people. I didn’t want to change Earthsea, but I needed to see what Earthsea looked like to us." It's this kind of revisiting that I feel is much more significant—less to pat oneself on the back and propel the characters in another uncharacteristic tale of adventure, but more so to amplify the voices that had been lost along the way.
"What cannot be mended must be transcended."
In Tehanu, our heroes are depowered. The greatest wizard in the world is stripped of his power. The woman forges an identity beyond the duties once expected of her. The world has long forgotten them because to be confronted with stories of such magnitude is a daunting thing. But none of these are painted as particularly tragic. In many ways, it is a beginning, a reminder that life continues just the same, even after the final epic battle.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the afterword Le Guin says she took eighteen years between The Farthest Shore and this book, and it shows in the best of ways.
I realized while reading Tehanu that Le Guin suffers from limited cast sizes in all of her works. So whenever we're waiting for a King to appear or a new Arch Mage, it's kind of incredibly obvious who that person is going to be. It's very Eastern in the way that it doesn't hide what's going to happen from the audience.
This book is about Women in a world where Men's power is absolute, and I really loved it for that. It's the best book in Earthsea, and I doubt that's going to change while I finish the series.
The book was honest and mature and relevant in ways few fantasy novels can be. I wish I'd read them as a teenager, although I may have not appreciated this book as much back then, with its inversions.
I realized while reading Tehanu that Le Guin suffers from limited cast sizes in all of her works. So whenever we're waiting for a King to appear or a new Arch Mage, it's kind of incredibly obvious who that person is going to be. It's very Eastern in the way that it doesn't hide what's going to happen from the audience.
This book is about Women in a world where Men's power is absolute, and I really loved it for that. It's the best book in Earthsea, and I doubt that's going to change while I finish the series.
The book was honest and mature and relevant in ways few fantasy novels can be. I wish I'd read them as a teenager, although I may have not appreciated this book as much back then, with its inversions.
This is the fantasy book that I've always hoped would be written but thought impossible in the genre: a beautifully crafted tale of humanity where the magic and dragons take the back seat. It's ok if it isn't the best fantasy you've ever read, but to me it's the most perfect fantasy novel. It makes me want to be a better reader, a better writer, a better person.
In 2017 I spent so much time reading ULG that many of the 133 books begin to pale. I haven't added up all the pages but between the entire Earthsea cycle, all of her novellas, two books of short stories and a Hainish cycle book I can say that I'm an Ursula Le Guin acolyte. She's a treasure. The world is a better place because she decided to put pen to paper and teach us.
Rest in peace, Ursula. Your gift to humanity will forever remind us that we are made of stars.
In 2017 I spent so much time reading ULG that many of the 133 books begin to pale. I haven't added up all the pages but between the entire Earthsea cycle, all of her novellas, two books of short stories and a Hainish cycle book I can say that I'm an Ursula Le Guin acolyte. She's a treasure. The world is a better place because she decided to put pen to paper and teach us.
Rest in peace, Ursula. Your gift to humanity will forever remind us that we are made of stars.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes