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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was narrated by Rob Ingles. Many years ago he performed the Lord of the Rings; it was a wonderful surprise to hear that old favorite voice retelling this story. Perhaps because of this narration I felt there were echoes of Tolkien's work. An old wizard, a rising king, a long journey.
I loved the characters, particularly Ged. The idea of a great person who is also extremely humble, a sorcerer who loves to sail — I appreciate the juxtaposition.
I could also see a bit of Le Guin's interest in the Tao Te Ching seeping into the story. When Ged and the other characters discussed leadership, they depicted Lao Tzu's ideal of a sovreign who did very little and allowed people to govern themselves. Strange to have a story of the ascendency of a King to play upon anarchistic themes.
I loved the characters, particularly Ged. The idea of a great person who is also extremely humble, a sorcerer who loves to sail — I appreciate the juxtaposition.
I could also see a bit of Le Guin's interest in the Tao Te Ching seeping into the story. When Ged and the other characters discussed leadership, they depicted Lao Tzu's ideal of a sovreign who did very little and allowed people to govern themselves. Strange to have a story of the ascendency of a King to play upon anarchistic themes.
Ursula K. Le Guin continues the Earthsea cycle with the same beautiful narrative and imagery present in her other books. She uses fantasy as it should be, to critique and ponder over our own reality. I loved the further exploration of Ged's relationship with dragons, as she mentioned in one of the afterwords of the previous two books that she didn't really know where she was going with that (Le Guin had never planned to turn the Wizard of Earthsea into a series). The world of Earthsea is as beautiful, sombre, and complex as ever; I'm excited to start Tehanu and discover more.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This was another fun listen! Didn't maybe enjoy it as much as Tombs, but pretty similar level of enjoyment as I got out of A Wizard of Earthsea.
“arren watched his companion stand there in the narrow prow, speaking with the monstrous creature that hovered above them filling half the sky; and a kind of rejoicing pride came into the boy’s heart, to see how small of a thing man is, how frail and how terrible. for the dragon could have torn the man’s head from his shoulders with one stroke of his taloned foot, he could have crushed and sunk the boat as a stone sinks a floating leaf, if it were only size that mattered. but sparrowhawk was as dangerous as orm embar, and the dragon knew it.”
…
“he did not look strong, sitting hunched over his supper of bread and smoked fish, with hair greyed and fire-singed, and slight hands, and a tired face.
yet the dragon feared him.”
…
“he did not look strong, sitting hunched over his supper of bread and smoked fish, with hair greyed and fire-singed, and slight hands, and a tired face.
yet the dragon feared him.”
adventurous
dark
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
Fine, all the usual literary prose from le guin and spiritualism. Didn't really take to Cob as a villain but nice to see Ged come full circle.
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I really wanted to like this more. The Farthest Shore didn't draw me in as much as the first two volumes, and it felt like it didn't have a proper pay-off. In hindsight, it makes sense that Cob isn’t such a central figure. He is not the villainous archetype because it is less about him and more about the implications for the world . Still, I liked reading the Afterword more than the actual story, and that's a little sad. Maybe I just don’t get Le Guin.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No