Reviews

“If your strength is only the other’s weakness, you live in fear”

I know I am late to the party but I am very glad that I came. Ursula Le Guin's creation of the world of Earthsea is astonishing and a clear poignant feature in the fantasy and sci-fi literary canon. I loved it and I am looking forward to reading the last novel, and collection of short stories, from the Earthsea series.

Le Guin explores themes of self displacement through language and naming, with the repressed shadow self remaining a constant feature after it's key part in the first novel. Ged is haunted by his 'darker self' and spends the first novel on a quest to defeat it, thereafter remaining damaged and 'marked' by this encounter, “That is between me and my shadow.” Tenar's multiple names and selves give her a layered self, she refers to herself by her past names as if they were someone she knew, not someone she is or was. This Jungian approach to the psychology around the self was one of my favourite parts of the series, Le Guin continually disconnects and reconnects her characters to their past, present and future selves, giving a depth of character built up throughout the novels.

Le Guin unpicks gender stereotypes and traditional roles, allowing space for questioning of the common power tropes within fantasy. This is at first subtle, and then by Tehanu, much clearer and forward - when I began the first book, I questioned the common choice of a male-centered world of wizardy, where witches are seemingly in the background and deemed dark and weak. However, as I moved through the books I came to understand the significance of this, 'Why are men afraid of women?'. Theirs is a magic less dramatic and authoritative, and yet they are feared still by wizards and men alike, “Ours is only a little power, seems like, next to theirs," Moss said. "But it goes down deep. It's all roots. It's like an old blackberry thicket. And a wizard's power's like a fir tree, maybe, great and tall and grand, but it'll blow right down in a storm. Nothing kills a blackberry bramble.”

I really enjoyed Tehanu, and the character Therru. It held an anger and an injustice unlike the previous novels and I felt a justified satisfaction at the end.

Ursula is a queen and I am excited to finish the Earthsea series, and then to make my way through the rest of her books (I've read The Left Hand of Darkness and found it pretty excellent too). There is so much more in these books, I have just focused on my favourite elements. It's more than simply a story about wizards, dragons and a tortured protagonist.

lukas_42's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

default's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

As someone who doesn't usually read fantasy, I really enjoyed this collection. The books were slower paced than I'd typically read, though I still found I enjoyed them immensely. I really enjoyed the way the books focus on the characters and their development and interactions, rather than focusing on just pure action. This is probably why I enjoyed the fourth book so much, which, despite not having a grand adventure at it's core like the other three, was still a captivating read, especially as Le Guin reflects on the gender imbalances present in the world she'd created.

Content Warnings

yrstt's review against another edition

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5.0

A fantasy (and maybe an anthropology) classic. To be read.

dannythestreet's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.0

It includes the first four books in the series so I rated them separately as well.

1. A Wizard Of Earthsea - 2 ⭐

That was the worst of the four in my opinion, it felt unnecessarily long (even though it's not that long) and barely anything happened. If I read it as an individual book I would most likely not continue the series.

2. The Tombs Of Atuan - 3,5 ⭐

This one was considerably more fun, I liked the setting and the characters. The plot wasn't much but overall a very enjoyable story.

3. The Farthest Shore - 2,25 ⭐

This one was just a very long journey, very atmosphere and I quite liked the new character but that's all.

4. Tehanu - 3,75 ⭐

That was a very strong ending to the quartet. Seeing these characters together again after so many years was interesting and heartening.

I don't have much to say about the book as a whole. The writing was good but not my cup of tea. My main complaint is that it was too long. If I only read the first and the fourth book maybe I would like it more

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