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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
"What is evil?" asked the younger man.
The round web, with its black center, seemed to watch them both.
"A web we men weave," Ged answered.
Ugh! I loved this book. All the metaphorrrrrssss and quotes that make you think about life.
At first, I made instant connections to older and newer popular fantasies, namely LOTR and Harry Potter. We have our older wizard full of wisdom and history, who takes the young boy who has a destiny greater than he can imagine on a journey to save the world from a dark evil.
"...They were like sick men, like a man who has been told he must die within the year and tells himself it is not true, and he will live forever. They go about...without looking at the world."
...
Before the hearth stood a group of men. All looked at [Arren] as he entered, but among them he only saw one, the Archmage.
...
"And I go alone. You are the Council of Roke, and the Council must not be broken. Yet one I will take with me, if he will come."
Arren:
In a way, Arren could be seen as a chosen one. Early on, it talks about needing a King to unite the lands and restore peace, and there are unwritten hints that Arren could potentially be that king. Even so, the Chosen One trope didn't feel tired or overdone here. The story starts with the notion that magic is dying and our "chosen ones" more or less choose themselves and each other to go and stop it, rather than follow some direct prophecy or the like.
Halfway or so, Ged talks about how it's Arren's destiny and that he's actually following Arren, but it often felt like a Gandalf/Aragorn to Aragorn/Frodo kind of scenario and it was definitely as much Ged's story as it was Arren's. The POV character choice through Arren was perfect even though it sometimes did move to other characters smoothly and when necessary. (And yes, sometimes I felt like I was watching King Aragorn talk to kid-Strider Aragorn and it was quite a good time. XD)
I also loved how Ursula Le Guin tackled powerful characters. Ged is often made out to be this near-godly thing, as the Archmage seen from the eyes of an inspired prince. She makes him and the dragons and the evil seem amazing, but still manages to make them mortal and face struggles equal to their might that still feel real and not so otherworldly. I enjoyed seeing this in the Tombs of Atuan as well as and especially here. Gah, THE DRAGONSSSSS.
This novel also had some amazing themes and metaphors. They reminded me of the [b: Arc of a Scythe|28954189|Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456172676l/28954189._SY75_.jpg|49179216] series by Neal Schusterman and [b: Strange the Dreamer|28449207|Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519915549l/28449207._SY75_.jpg|48158509] by Laini Taylor. The idea of magic dying and forgetting ourselves and major things was also strong in Strange the Dreamer. The desire and danger of immortality is the foundation of the Arc of a Scythe series.
What is evil?
"When we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale."
The idea that evil is greed and the unbalance of nature is super neat to think about. Here, I saw a connection to many other great fantasy novels and villain characters. The stereotypical villain craves power. This is your basic Dark Lord, Overlord, Tyrant. Here, we see a similar idea, but I also caught something less talked about.
Ursula purports that evil comes from greed here. Greed for life, for power, for safety, what have you. To me and also seemingly to her, greed comes from fear. I believe this is a very human fear, and so does Ged. It is a fear of losing control. This is where a lot of negative aspects of life come from, not just evil. Eating disorders and suicide attempts come from this sometimes very rational and human fear.
Arren: "Where are the servants of this—Anti-King?"
Ged: "In our minds, lad. In our minds. The traitor, the self; the self that cries 'I want to live; let the world burn so long as I can live!' ... He talks to all of us. But only some understand him."
It was interesting that she framed her villain this way. Yes, they believe it is probably a man that is causing such terrible things to happen to people and the world, but Ged also asserts that the people who follow this darkness are not evil, the fear is. And it lives in all of us, beckoning.
"That is why nothing else can resist us. Only one thing in the world can resist an evil-hearted man. And that is another man. In our shame is our glory. Only our spirit, which is capable of evil, is capable of overcoming it."
I adore this take, and it lines well with my own philosophy about evil and humanity.
Immortality and Having a Purpose
"It's as if they had no lines and distinctions and colors in their heads. Everything's the same to them; everything's grey."
"What is it they're missing?"
"Joy in life."
This take on immortality lined up with that of the Arc of a Scythe series in saying when we no longer fear death, life begins to lose meaning. I think it was somewhere around the height of Stephanie Meyer's [b: Twilight|41865|Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865._SY75_.jpg|3212258] popularity that I had decided immortality would be a terrible thing to obtain. Life would probably get boring after a while, right? Maybe a few hundred years, but still. Life and history is pretty repetitive and after a while, you'd crave a way to break the cycle, I'd think.
I loved the analysis of wandering aimlessly or losing the eye for beautiful things that the trade for immortality gave people in this novel. She places heavy weight on the balance of nature, and how grotesqueness (living forever) can throw everything into chaos, or rather a new form of death: meaningless life.
Random other life quotes:
Endurance may outlast hope.
This comes at one of the points when all seems impossible and strength is worn. The characters have given up hope, yet continue onward, for they had no other goal. I loved this idea that success can be had even after light seems to fade completely and forever. It was a flip from my usual belief that hope is the ultimate strength. Mere perseverance can get you far as well. Endurance may outlast hope. Simply continuing toward the once-goal might bring you to the goal itself. You never know what light might come after darkness, unless you keep going, with or without hope. This was amazing to think about.
And that was all there was left to do. Beyond that, he could not see; the mist was all about him.
I believe Ursula uses the mist as a metaphor for several different things, but this one jumped out at me as a metaphor for being lost in life. Especially as a person in her twenties who left high school with no clear direction, went through college with no certain path waiting afterward, and now swims in what feels like mist of my own, I found myself telling Arren he would eventually have to just go somewhere. To pick a direction and begin. That sitting there, he would waste away.
It was a direct comparison to many of our lives now. Some of us feel lost and terrified to move in any direction, because it might be the wrong one. But I harken back to a silly quote I stole awhile ago "If you don't know where you're going, any road you take will get you there." I don't think this was necessarily the point she intended to make in this scene, but I thought I should mention it as an example to how her writing makes you think and is inspiring. <3
Lastly, some philosophical quotes to make you love Ged as much as Arren does XD:
Arren: "Why not [command the winds to help our boat sail?]"
Ged: "I would not ask a sick man to run a race...nor lay a stone on an overburdened back." It was not clear whether he spoke of himself or the world at large.
...
"There must be darkness to see the stars. The dance is always danced above the hollow place, above the terrible abyss. ... To refuse death is to refuse life."
...
"The 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? Would you give up the craft of your hands, and the passion of your heart, and the light of sunrise and sunset, to buy safety for yourself—safety forever? ... By denying life you may deny death and live forever ... [but] I will not take the counsel of despair."
Lastly, lastly: I saw the Ghibli film many times before reading this series and HOW? HOW DID THEY SCREW UP THIS BADLY? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH—
The round web, with its black center, seemed to watch them both.
"A web we men weave," Ged answered.
Ugh! I loved this book. All the metaphorrrrrssss and quotes that make you think about life.
At first, I made instant connections to older and newer popular fantasies, namely LOTR and Harry Potter. We have our older wizard full of wisdom and history, who takes the young boy who has a destiny greater than he can imagine on a journey to save the world from a dark evil.
"...They were like sick men, like a man who has been told he must die within the year and tells himself it is not true, and he will live forever. They go about...without looking at the world."
...
Before the hearth stood a group of men. All looked at [Arren] as he entered, but among them he only saw one, the Archmage.
...
"And I go alone. You are the Council of Roke, and the Council must not be broken. Yet one I will take with me, if he will come."
Arren:
In a way, Arren could be seen as a chosen one. Early on, it talks about needing a King to unite the lands and restore peace, and there are unwritten hints that Arren could potentially be that king. Even so, the Chosen One trope didn't feel tired or overdone here. The story starts with the notion that magic is dying and our "chosen ones" more or less choose themselves and each other to go and stop it, rather than follow some direct prophecy or the like.
Halfway or so, Ged talks about how it's Arren's destiny and that he's actually following Arren, but it often felt like a Gandalf/Aragorn to Aragorn/Frodo kind of scenario and it was definitely as much Ged's story as it was Arren's. The POV character choice through Arren was perfect even though it sometimes did move to other characters smoothly and when necessary. (And yes, sometimes I felt like I was watching King Aragorn talk to kid-Strider Aragorn and it was quite a good time. XD)
I also loved how Ursula Le Guin tackled powerful characters. Ged is often made out to be this near-godly thing, as the Archmage seen from the eyes of an inspired prince. She makes him and the dragons and the evil seem amazing, but still manages to make them mortal and face struggles equal to their might that still feel real and not so otherworldly. I enjoyed seeing this in the Tombs of Atuan as well as and especially here. Gah, THE DRAGONSSSSS.
This novel also had some amazing themes and metaphors. They reminded me of the [b: Arc of a Scythe|28954189|Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1)|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456172676l/28954189._SY75_.jpg|49179216] series by Neal Schusterman and [b: Strange the Dreamer|28449207|Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, #1)|Laini Taylor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519915549l/28449207._SY75_.jpg|48158509] by Laini Taylor. The idea of magic dying and forgetting ourselves and major things was also strong in Strange the Dreamer. The desire and danger of immortality is the foundation of the Arc of a Scythe series.
What is evil?
"When we crave power over life—endless wealth, unassailable safety, immortality—then desire becomes greed. And if knowledge allies itself to that greed, then comes evil. Then the balance of the world is swayed, and ruin weighs heavy in the scale."
The idea that evil is greed and the unbalance of nature is super neat to think about. Here, I saw a connection to many other great fantasy novels and villain characters. The stereotypical villain craves power. This is your basic Dark Lord, Overlord, Tyrant. Here, we see a similar idea, but I also caught something less talked about.
Ursula purports that evil comes from greed here. Greed for life, for power, for safety, what have you. To me and also seemingly to her, greed comes from fear. I believe this is a very human fear, and so does Ged. It is a fear of losing control. This is where a lot of negative aspects of life come from, not just evil. Eating disorders and suicide attempts come from this sometimes very rational and human fear.
Arren: "Where are the servants of this—Anti-King?"
Ged: "In our minds, lad. In our minds. The traitor, the self; the self that cries 'I want to live; let the world burn so long as I can live!' ... He talks to all of us. But only some understand him."
It was interesting that she framed her villain this way. Yes, they believe it is probably a man that is causing such terrible things to happen to people and the world, but Ged also asserts that the people who follow this darkness are not evil, the fear is. And it lives in all of us, beckoning.
"That is why nothing else can resist us. Only one thing in the world can resist an evil-hearted man. And that is another man. In our shame is our glory. Only our spirit, which is capable of evil, is capable of overcoming it."
I adore this take, and it lines well with my own philosophy about evil and humanity.
Immortality and Having a Purpose
"It's as if they had no lines and distinctions and colors in their heads. Everything's the same to them; everything's grey."
"What is it they're missing?"
"Joy in life."
This take on immortality lined up with that of the Arc of a Scythe series in saying when we no longer fear death, life begins to lose meaning. I think it was somewhere around the height of Stephanie Meyer's [b: Twilight|41865|Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)|Stephenie Meyer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1361039443l/41865._SY75_.jpg|3212258] popularity that I had decided immortality would be a terrible thing to obtain. Life would probably get boring after a while, right? Maybe a few hundred years, but still. Life and history is pretty repetitive and after a while, you'd crave a way to break the cycle, I'd think.
I loved the analysis of wandering aimlessly or losing the eye for beautiful things that the trade for immortality gave people in this novel. She places heavy weight on the balance of nature, and how grotesqueness (living forever) can throw everything into chaos, or rather a new form of death: meaningless life.
Random other life quotes:
Endurance may outlast hope.
This comes at one of the points when all seems impossible and strength is worn. The characters have given up hope, yet continue onward, for they had no other goal. I loved this idea that success can be had even after light seems to fade completely and forever. It was a flip from my usual belief that hope is the ultimate strength. Mere perseverance can get you far as well. Endurance may outlast hope. Simply continuing toward the once-goal might bring you to the goal itself. You never know what light might come after darkness, unless you keep going, with or without hope. This was amazing to think about.
And that was all there was left to do. Beyond that, he could not see; the mist was all about him.
I believe Ursula uses the mist as a metaphor for several different things, but this one jumped out at me as a metaphor for being lost in life. Especially as a person in her twenties who left high school with no clear direction, went through college with no certain path waiting afterward, and now swims in what feels like mist of my own, I found myself telling Arren he would eventually have to just go somewhere. To pick a direction and begin. That sitting there, he would waste away.
It was a direct comparison to many of our lives now. Some of us feel lost and terrified to move in any direction, because it might be the wrong one. But I harken back to a silly quote I stole awhile ago "If you don't know where you're going, any road you take will get you there." I don't think this was necessarily the point she intended to make in this scene, but I thought I should mention it as an example to how her writing makes you think and is inspiring. <3
Lastly, some philosophical quotes to make you love Ged as much as Arren does XD:
Arren: "Why not [command the winds to help our boat sail?]"
Ged: "I would not ask a sick man to run a race...nor lay a stone on an overburdened back." It was not clear whether he spoke of himself or the world at large.
...
"There must be darkness to see the stars. The dance is always danced above the hollow place, above the terrible abyss. ... To refuse death is to refuse life."
...
"The 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? Would you give up the craft of your hands, and the passion of your heart, and the light of sunrise and sunset, to buy safety for yourself—safety forever? ... By denying life you may deny death and live forever ... [but] I will not take the counsel of despair."
Lastly, lastly: I saw the Ghibli film many times before reading this series and HOW? HOW DID THEY SCREW UP THIS BADLY? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH—
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes