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hellcat042's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
4.5
A Wizard of Earthsea
"What good is power when you're too wise to use it?"
The Tombs of Atuan
"She wept in pain, because she was free."
The Farthest Shore
"No darkness lasts forever. And even there, there are stars."
Tehanu
"If your strength is only the other’s weakness, you live in fear."
tlj2781's review against another edition
It was good in the beginning but I just got bored of it. The premise is nice and very lord of the rings like and easier to read than lord of the rings but I just can't continue.
iahras's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
endraia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
tredgwell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
connore's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
thewritingprocess's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
a_serpent_with_corners's review against another edition
This was such a pleasure to revisit (in the case of the first two books in the collection) and to read for the first time (in the case of the latter two).
Having them all together in a single book really emphasised the sense of growth and change across Ged's life. A Wizard of Earthsea showed the pitfalls of being young and reckless, in Tombs of Atuan we see him at the height of his youthful power and adventurous nature, by The Farthest Shore the wisdom of age and experience is expressed most fully, and Tehanu deals partially with the pitfalls of old age - the danger of self-pity, the need to accept one's own decline in power, and so on.
These books (especially the first three) are to some extent 'didactic' and have a very strong moral core without being patronising. Coming back to Earthsea as an adult I can now see more clearly how much of an influence Daoism seems to have made on Le Guin's world. The deep bond of loyalty, respect and affection between Arren and Ged the third novel was one of the warmest, most unselfconscious depictions of non-romantic, non-familial love I've read in some time.
Tehanu was a bit of a revelation, both in terms of creating an extremely compelling story for characters who are, by choice, on the periphery of the great goings-on in Earthsea, its interrogation of the Gender Implications of what had been set up in the previous books, and its dealing with some sensitive and challenging subject matter. I think some fantasy novels use things like the sexual assault of children as a lazy shorthand for 'realism' within the world they're creating; this novel's commitment to treating this harm itself as the most 'real' thing (and as something that unfortunately happens in the 'real' world) was a very refreshing contrast. I've seen complaints about the gender essentialism of the novel, but from my reading, whilst this was certainly present to some extent the novel intimates that these differences, though currently real, are not strictly "natural" or inevitable. Rather, the magic we see in Earthsea is shaped by the social systems of the people living there, and the current social and magical order is about to undergo some kind of transformation that is likely to undo the current state of things anyway . That was my reading of it, at least.
Having them all together in a single book really emphasised the sense of growth and change across Ged's life. A Wizard of Earthsea showed the pitfalls of being young and reckless, in Tombs of Atuan we see him at the height of his youthful power and adventurous nature, by The Farthest Shore the wisdom of age and experience is expressed most fully, and Tehanu deals partially with the pitfalls of old age - the danger of self-pity, the need to accept one's own decline in power, and so on.
These books (especially the first three) are to some extent 'didactic' and have a very strong moral core without being patronising. Coming back to Earthsea as an adult I can now see more clearly how much of an influence Daoism seems to have made on Le Guin's world. The deep bond of loyalty, respect and affection between Arren and Ged the third novel was one of the warmest, most unselfconscious depictions of non-romantic, non-familial love I've read in some time.
Tehanu was a bit of a revelation, both in terms of creating an extremely compelling story for characters who are, by choice, on the periphery of the great goings-on in Earthsea, its interrogation of the Gender Implications of what had been set up in the previous books, and its dealing with some sensitive and challenging subject matter.