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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
Pacing or maybe my interest is reading (from having lost the book midway) was touch and go. Arren was harder to like as a character than Ged, but came to grow on me. As always - the ending themes and scenes are so beautiful.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"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."
This is easily my favourite in the Earthsea cycle so far. I've debated for a little while now on my rating, because I don't give out 5 lightly, but I think Le Guin has earned it. The way she captures the feeling of the epic and distils it into a form that is so engaging and readable is a miracle. And I know that it's great because this typically isn't the style of book I enjoy. While I love fantasy, I generally gravitate towards character-driven works, and Earthsea certainly isn't. It sacrifices character development for the general feeling of grandeur that can only be achieved by never lingering on one character or period of time for too long. And somehow it pays off. The only other reservation I had on my rating was the derivative nature of this story that I couldn't help but notice. Anyone who is at all familiar with Lord of the Rings will certainly see parallels. Arren is the rightful heir to the throne of Havnor (the centre of Earthsea of which no one has ruled for generations), Ged takes on a Gandalf role and recruits Arren for his quest, Arren and Ged travel to the dark lands and rest on lava rock, and the dragons fly them home at the end. There are so many more parallels I'm forgetting, but you get the idea. That being said, it's all done so well that I don't really mind. Besides, Arren is not exactly a Frodo stand-in. He's more of a cross between Aragorn and Samwise in regards to his role. Overall, I really loved this and would love to reread at some point. I'll leave you with some more quotes that I loved if I haven't already convinced you to read this.
"From the hurricane and the great whale's sounding to the fall of a dry leaf and the gnat's flight, all they do is done within the balance of the whole. But we, in so far as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility. Who am I - though I have the power to do it – to punish and reward, playing with men's destinies?"
&
"They went on together in silence. But Arren saw the world now with his companion's eyes, and saw the living splendour that was revealed about them in the silent, desolate land, as if by a power of enchantment surpassing any other, in every blade of the wind-bowed grass, every shadow, every stone. So when one stands in a cherished place for the last time before a voyage without return, he sees it all whole, and real, and dear, as he has never seen it before and never will again."
This is easily my favourite in the Earthsea cycle so far. I've debated for a little while now on my rating, because I don't give out 5 lightly, but I think Le Guin has earned it. The way she captures the feeling of the epic and distils it into a form that is so engaging and readable is a miracle. And I know that it's great because this typically isn't the style of book I enjoy. While I love fantasy, I generally gravitate towards character-driven works, and Earthsea certainly isn't. It sacrifices character development for the general feeling of grandeur that can only be achieved by never lingering on one character or period of time for too long. And somehow it pays off. The only other reservation I had on my rating was the derivative nature of this story that I couldn't help but notice. Anyone who is at all familiar with Lord of the Rings will certainly see parallels. Arren is the rightful heir to the throne of Havnor (the centre of Earthsea of which no one has ruled for generations), Ged takes on a Gandalf role and recruits Arren for his quest, Arren and Ged travel to the dark lands and rest on lava rock, and the dragons fly them home at the end. There are so many more parallels I'm forgetting, but you get the idea. That being said, it's all done so well that I don't really mind. Besides, Arren is not exactly a Frodo stand-in. He's more of a cross between Aragorn and Samwise in regards to his role. Overall, I really loved this and would love to reread at some point. I'll leave you with some more quotes that I loved if I haven't already convinced you to read this.
"From the hurricane and the great whale's sounding to the fall of a dry leaf and the gnat's flight, all they do is done within the balance of the whole. But we, in so far as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility. Who am I - though I have the power to do it – to punish and reward, playing with men's destinies?"
&
"They went on together in silence. But Arren saw the world now with his companion's eyes, and saw the living splendour that was revealed about them in the silent, desolate land, as if by a power of enchantment surpassing any other, in every blade of the wind-bowed grass, every shadow, every stone. So when one stands in a cherished place for the last time before a voyage without return, he sees it all whole, and real, and dear, as he has never seen it before and never will again."
adventurous
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:
Complicated
A young prince named Arren seeks out the Archmage Sparrowhawk. Songs and magic are disappearing from his land. Suspecting something is targeting the world's magic, Sparrowhawk and Arren travel across the land of Earthsea to figure out what is stealing the magic.
I started reading this series after seeing the Ghibli adaptation. This is the first in the series that began to connect to it. It's also cool to see Sparrowhawk in his full power as archmage and see how his past adventures are begining to affect him.
I started reading this series after seeing the Ghibli adaptation. This is the first in the series that began to connect to it. It's also cool to see Sparrowhawk in his full power as archmage and see how his past adventures are begining to affect him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This is a grand book. There such an incredible amount of thought and philosophy in here - in all the Earthsea books, and in all of LeGuin's work, but this work has such a particular contemplation on death and mortality. A very, very good read.