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A review by myrtosfullybooked
Earthsea: The First Four Books by Ursula K. Le Guin
3.0
PERSONAL INTERPRETATION & REVIEW: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The review and ranking covers all four books but out of them my favourite was The Farthest Shore (Book 3) and I would give that one four stars.
It was really refreshing to read a book where the main characters are not predominantly white especially given the time it was written. Thankfully Le Guin reminds the reader to check our assumptions with little mentions or descriptions here and there so even if your mind automatically drifts to an all-white cast she makes sure to gently pull you away from any subconscious reader bias.
With the exception of Tehanu, the rest of the books can easily be read as standalone. That said, I am not sure I would recommend that and I don't think I would have enjoyed them as much had I read any one book individually. Le Guin finds beautiful ways to weave the books together and offers such wholesome wink-to-the-reader moments connecting their plots and for me it was really satisfying to see the various stories return to and meet with their roots.
This was an enjoyable fantasy series and I found it very easy to visualise Earthsea through Le Guin's descriptions. I can't help but feel that Terry Pratchett's Discworld Witches series (starting in '87) draws inspiration from Ged's story and the Earthsea village witches and pays homage to Le Guin's work. I particularly loved the idea that the basis of magic is knowing a thing's true name, also known in folklore as the Law of Names.
The first three books are for all ages, however, book four (Tehanu) felt more sombre and different in tone. It featured some definitely more mature themes and got quite dark at times, which caught me completely unprepared. I also found in the fourth book a lot of less-than-subtle commentary on social questions gender roles, and misogyny, and though I usually love that sort of thing, it kind of tired me this time. I am fully aware this may be because I was looking for a break from constant reminders of sexism, violence against women, and the patriarchy all around us (hence the escape to fantasy). At the same time, Le Guin seemed to adopt a more ironic tone against many of the characters and was breaking the 4th wall with the reader a lot more than I'd normally like - or at least than I was prepared for. The second book (The Tombs of Atuan) also centred a female character yet did not question as critically women's role in a male-dominated world. The first three books definitely felt more playful and loyal to the fantasy adventure tropes I would expect. That said, those very same tropes are primarily patriarchal and male-centred so breaking away from them is not at all a bad thing. I just think I was not tuned for what Tehanu had in store.
It is important to note that Tehanu was written in the 90s while the rest were written in the late 60s, early 70s and it is well known that by that time Le Guin had grown disillusioned with her earlier works and recognised that they were too male-centred. She wrote Tehanu resolved to change the focus of the book to the perspective of the powerless, those without privilege and access. I can't help but feel this frustration led her to take this a little too far but I am hands down all for that kind of effort in literature and completely stan her for trying to re-navigate her work and voice in what still is a male-dominated and male-narrative-dominated industry.
Sadly, I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the quartet and it left me wanting more but not in a satisfying and wholesome way. I would have been perfectly happy with The Farthest Shore being the last book of the series, yet I'm mindful there's 2 more books that contain short stories and novellas of Earthsea that perhaps tie in well with the conclusion in Tehanu.
WHO IS THIS FOR:
Non-transphobic or xenophobic Harry Potter fans. Anyone who enjoys a good, traditional fantasy quest. This is the OG fantasy series.
FAVOURITE LINE(S) FROM THE BOOK:
"The Master Herbal had taught him much of the healer's lore, and the first lesson and the last of all that lore was this: Heal the wound and cure the illness, but let the dying spirit go"
"Out of the sea there rise storms and monsters, but no evil powers: evil is of earth. And there is no sea, no running of river or spring, in the dark land where once Ged had gone. Death is the dry place."
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Book four doesn't describe but mentions incidents of sexual violence against women and girls.
The review and ranking covers all four books but out of them my favourite was The Farthest Shore (Book 3) and I would give that one four stars.
It was really refreshing to read a book where the main characters are not predominantly white especially given the time it was written. Thankfully Le Guin reminds the reader to check our assumptions with little mentions or descriptions here and there so even if your mind automatically drifts to an all-white cast she makes sure to gently pull you away from any subconscious reader bias.
With the exception of Tehanu, the rest of the books can easily be read as standalone. That said, I am not sure I would recommend that and I don't think I would have enjoyed them as much had I read any one book individually. Le Guin finds beautiful ways to weave the books together and offers such wholesome wink-to-the-reader moments connecting their plots and for me it was really satisfying to see the various stories return to and meet with their roots.
This was an enjoyable fantasy series and I found it very easy to visualise Earthsea through Le Guin's descriptions. I can't help but feel that Terry Pratchett's Discworld Witches series (starting in '87) draws inspiration from Ged's story and the Earthsea village witches and pays homage to Le Guin's work. I particularly loved the idea that the basis of magic is knowing a thing's true name, also known in folklore as the Law of Names.
The first three books are for all ages, however, book four (Tehanu) felt more sombre and different in tone. It featured some definitely more mature themes and got quite dark at times, which caught me completely unprepared. I also found in the fourth book a lot of less-than-subtle commentary on social questions gender roles, and misogyny, and though I usually love that sort of thing, it kind of tired me this time. I am fully aware this may be because I was looking for a break from constant reminders of sexism, violence against women, and the patriarchy all around us (hence the escape to fantasy). At the same time, Le Guin seemed to adopt a more ironic tone against many of the characters and was breaking the 4th wall with the reader a lot more than I'd normally like - or at least than I was prepared for. The second book (The Tombs of Atuan) also centred a female character yet did not question as critically women's role in a male-dominated world. The first three books definitely felt more playful and loyal to the fantasy adventure tropes I would expect. That said, those very same tropes are primarily patriarchal and male-centred so breaking away from them is not at all a bad thing. I just think I was not tuned for what Tehanu had in store.
It is important to note that Tehanu was written in the 90s while the rest were written in the late 60s, early 70s and it is well known that by that time Le Guin had grown disillusioned with her earlier works and recognised that they were too male-centred. She wrote Tehanu resolved to change the focus of the book to the perspective of the powerless, those without privilege and access. I can't help but feel this frustration led her to take this a little too far but I am hands down all for that kind of effort in literature and completely stan her for trying to re-navigate her work and voice in what still is a male-dominated and male-narrative-dominated industry.
Sadly, I was a bit disappointed with the ending of the quartet and it left me wanting more but not in a satisfying and wholesome way. I would have been perfectly happy with The Farthest Shore being the last book of the series, yet I'm mindful there's 2 more books that contain short stories and novellas of Earthsea that perhaps tie in well with the conclusion in Tehanu.
WHO IS THIS FOR:
Non-transphobic or xenophobic Harry Potter fans. Anyone who enjoys a good, traditional fantasy quest. This is the OG fantasy series.
FAVOURITE LINE(S) FROM THE BOOK:
"The Master Herbal had taught him much of the healer's lore, and the first lesson and the last of all that lore was this: Heal the wound and cure the illness, but let the dying spirit go"
"Out of the sea there rise storms and monsters, but no evil powers: evil is of earth. And there is no sea, no running of river or spring, in the dark land where once Ged had gone. Death is the dry place."
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Book four doesn't describe but mentions incidents of sexual violence against women and girls.