Customer Reviews

The Earthsea Trilogy: A Wizard of Earthsea; The Tombs of Atuan; The Farthest Shore

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ursula LeGuin is as talented a writer as one could hope to find. She has a deft hand at science fiction and fantasy, but she also layers her work with adult themes of self-discovery and personal evolution, relationship to self and to others, isolation vs. connection, and cross-cultural communication and understanding. In the most thoughtful, interesting, and entertaining ways, she plays with race, gender, age, etc. as social constructs, creating critiques of real-world countries and cultures in the process. But none of this comes off as pedantic or condescending - just fascinating, and sometimes heartbreaking and tragic. In these ways, Ms. LeGuin transcends the genres she writes in.

If the Chronicles of Narnia is the quintessential children's fantasy series, the Lord of the Rings the quintessential contemporary heroic fantasy series, and Harry Potter the quintessential populist fantasy series, then the Earthsea Trilogy is the quintessential *adult* fantasy series. For maximum enjoyment, you will have to work a bit as you read - moreso than with LOTR. Enjoy the spare, concise language, the atmospheres packed with meaning both explicit and ethereal, the things she *doesn't* say. Savor the books slowly. Jump backwards and re-read parts that gain more portent the more you progress.

The Earthsea Trilogy isn't beyond the young adult reader, but older readers will appreciate it too - and glean more from it. When you are done with Earthsea, don't stop. Get the fourth book in the series written years later, "Tehanu." Find "The Winds Twelve Quarters" and "The Compass Rose" (short story collections) at a used bookstore/ web site. Read "The Left Hand of Darkness."

I can't vouch for the 3-in-1 format of this version, I own the books separately and like them that way, but the content is fabulous. LeGuin creates a compelling, mythic world that is richly layered with wisdom and significance. These are books that you can reread again and again, getting more out of them each time and enjoying them anew. And as if the wonderful storytelling on multiple levels for the first three books wasn't enough, LeGuin comes back to Earthsea and provides an even more intelligent (and a deeper, more feminist & humanist) interpretation of her world in the next three books with only increasing skill as a writer and storyteller.

This is some of the greatest fiction of all time, let alone science fiction or fantasy. These are fun and exciting tales! Full of mystery and things that get you thinking, they grip the imagination. These are also tales that resonate in deep places, quietly. They can be transformative. They are about courage, values, and new ways of viewing. Perhaps to be most experienced, you must bring something of yourself to them as well? This would be true of most things, I suppose.

I first head of LeGuin after I was introduced to the animated movie being done by Ghibli studios. Being a huge fan, I decided to sit down and read her works before watching the movie (which is a totally different story). The Earthsea Trilogy is easily one of the best fantasy works out there. I've personally never been much of a fantasy fan, but this book intrigues me like no other. I loved the way that LeGuin went through the story and it was not your typical "good guys fight bad guys" theme. It took it some time to pick up really, but at half way through the book I could not stop reading. She really had me thinking throughout the entirety of the book. Overall, I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fantasy, it's a nice break from the usual stuff.

. . . where they have a version of the first four books in this series in a single volume. It includes "Tehanu" but not "The Other Wind." And it's paperback, unlike this one. Plus cheaper, even after shipping it overseas.

Its details are:

ISBN-10: 0140348034
ISBN-13: 978-0140348033

Beats me why Amazon's sites in the various countries do not share their "holdings" more transparently.

The Earthsea story is something unique. Fans of more modern fantasy/wizardry stories (see: Harry Potter) may see similarities and brush it off as being over-simplistic or unoriginal, but don't be fooled. LeGuin is a pioneer in this field, and she offers deep underlying themes in her stories, something I believe all fantasy fans can appreciate. You'll have to read it for yourself, but in my opinion the world of Earthsea which she created stands out so well among the rest. Her system of magic and the way the world is governed through it is something different and refreshing altogether.

As far as the review of this physical trilogy set goes, it is a more than adequate copy for fans of the Earthsea series. It includes the first book (which shines above the rest, in my opinion) and subsequent books in the trilogy to showcase the trials and tribulations of Ged (the main character). I have found no missing pages or inconsistencies in the book itself, and it is very durable.

This novel is a good classic fantasy novel. It has well written characters and delves fairly deeply into the inner workings of the protagonist. Like most classic fantasy novels, it also contains stories of journies to accomplis one task or another.

Readers of modern fantasy who are accostomed to more gore, action, and characters shaded of grey (rather than black and white), may find this novel lacking. However, I think this novel is worth reading simply to follow the progression of fantasy from Tolkien/Lewis to the diverse modern fantasy genre.

The trilogy is an amazing piece of work. Le Guin has a remarkable style, and communicates well the humanity of these wizards and sorcerers. She has made characters she understands well, and they come to fruition throughout her works. The format of having all three books in one is, for my purposes, better than having three separate works. If there was something that I wanted to go back and check in a previous book, it was right there. For me, the style and format of this trilogy is wonderful. Very satisfying.

I got into the whole fantasy world with Lord of the Rings and since then I have been looking for books with and alternate world theme. I bought the whole set at one go and must say I have enjoyed it so far. It is well written and I really like the story line.

The Earthsea Trilogy is a set of books that is both entertaining to the casual reader and transformative for the one who reads more deeply.
The story of Ged, the goatherd who became the Archmage Sparrowhawk, is a story of personal transformation that is deeply magical. I am using the word "magical" in its precise sense. This is a story that illustrates the results of the actual use of ritual magic and what is needed to create healing from its mis-use. The magic of Earthsea is all about the correct use of names; and it is exactly this use (and mis-use) that causes Ged to run away as fast as he can. In the end the healing comes when he realises he needs running's opposite and correctly names his nemesis.
The trilogy stands on its own, however the later stories ("Tehanu" etc)are worthy additions.