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theogb451's review against another edition
4.0
Actually hard to review this one. I think the stories are all great but I'm always a bit unsure of short story collections. You get into a tale and then it ends and you have to work your way up again. I do have some reservations about this lot. For one thing, despite her talk of the sexual politics of wizardry, we seemingly never actually find out how the wizards went from Otter having a relationship to their fiercely sexist position, unless I was reading the end of one tale in a sleep-deprived state which is also quite possible. So five great little vignettes but it didn't quite give me the full linked tale between them that I would have liked.
To a degree I also don't really agree with UKLG's position on the fantasy notion, that it's important to retain the patriarchal positions of our current society and reflect them in a fantastical world but I guess that's a more modern fantasy view of mine, where I enjoy the stuff that upends ideas. These stories are obviously quite strongly embedded within that framework and there's a level of deep acceptance of the darkness of humanity within them that makes for a slightly depressing conclusion to each story.
This leads into the fact that the ending of Dragonfly is almost a repeat of the ending of Tehanu. In five books of Earthsea, the two female characters who'd most strongly pushed back against the misogyny of wizardry have actually turned out to be dragons.
That said, the Forward/Afterword are both clear that Dragonfly is a necessary bridging piece between books 4 and 6 so it may be that once I've read the 6th book a lot more will become clear.
To a degree I also don't really agree with UKLG's position on the fantasy notion, that it's important to retain the patriarchal positions of our current society and reflect them in a fantastical world but I guess that's a more modern fantasy view of mine, where I enjoy the stuff that upends ideas. These stories are obviously quite strongly embedded within that framework and there's a level of deep acceptance of the darkness of humanity within them that makes for a slightly depressing conclusion to each story.
This leads into the fact that the ending of Dragonfly is almost a repeat of the ending of Tehanu. In five books of Earthsea, the two female characters who'd most strongly pushed back against the misogyny of wizardry have actually turned out to be dragons.
That said, the Forward/Afterword are both clear that Dragonfly is a necessary bridging piece between books 4 and 6 so it may be that once I've read the 6th book a lot more will become clear.
amberacks12's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Enchanting as always. Earthsea will forever be one of my favorite fantasy worlds.
Enjoyment: 5
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 4
= 4.3
Enjoyment: 5
Emotional impact: 4
Educational value: 4
= 4.3
marmar0326's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Like most short story collections, the quality of each story varies. That said, it hits more than it misses, and the highs are some of the best in the Earthsea series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Slavery
feastofblaze's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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? It's complicated
3.5
rhywia's review against another edition
4.25
IDK, there is something about this book, there is not much going on, yet the pacing and story seems to be progressing and makes me want to continue reading. Its weird. But its good. At the same time, there seems to be large changes going on in the world and story, but it also doesn't feel like it.
suddenlyjamie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fschmidt2001's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A great lore addition! Would get a perfect score except I don't care for Diamonds love story, and I don't entirely understand how Roke became so misogynistic when it was founded by women at first?
runeiia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.75