The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) [Audio Cassette]

Ursula Le Guin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

The tombs of Atuan had stood there since the time of the first men - since Earthsea was first created. When Tenar was 14 she came into her full powers as High Priestess of the Nameless Ones and had to go alone through the tombs under the kingdom of Earthsea. This is the second book in a quartet.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Often compared to Tolkien's Middle-earth or Lewis's Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea is a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world. Teens, especially, will be inspired by the way Le Guin allows her characters to evolve and grow into their own powers.

In this second book of Le Guin's Earthsea series, readers will meet Tenar, a priestess to the "Nameless Ones" who guard the catacombs of the Tombs of Atuan. Only Tenar knows the passageways of this dark labyrinth, and only she can lead the young wizard Sparrowhawk, who stumbles into its maze, to the greatest treasure of all. Will she? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea cycle has become one of the best-loved fantasies of our time. The windswept world of Earthsea is one of the greatest creations in all fantasy literature, frequently compared with J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth or C.S. Lewis'Narnia. The magnificent saga begins with A Wizard Of Earthsea, continues in The Tombs Of Atuan and The Farthest Shore, and concludes with Tehanu --each book a treasure of wisdom, wonder, and literary wizardry. When she was still a child, Tenar was stripped of her name and family and dedicated as high priestess to the Nameless Ones, dark powers of The Tombs of Atuan. This is the tale of the young wizard, Ged, who came to the forbidden labyrinth to steal its greatest treasure--the Ring of Erreth-Akbe--and stayed to set Tenar free and lead her out of darkness. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Literate Ear, Inc (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565440277
• ISBN-13: 978-1565440272
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,924,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Passage through darkness., July 11, 1999

By 

K. E. Spillman ([e-mail]) (New York state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

Of course I liked The Tombs of Atuan. It is well-constructed and beautifully styled fantasy, comparable to the works of Susan Cooper and Patricia McKillip. (No, Tolkien is in a class by himself.)

Le Guin's Earthsea books are all excellent, but some people feel that The Tombs of Atuan is slow to start, and less eventful than the other three. My opinion, for what it's worth, is quite the opposite. The introspective beginning of Tombs is not unlike the beginning of Wizard, focussing closely on a single character, that character's uniqueness, and the way that character is shaped by life. The reader approaches the threshold of adventure with the protagonist; the reader, too, is drawn into the struggle, shares bewilderment, doubt, and uncertainty; and the reader, too, has made a passage by the end of the book.

Too much of modern fantasy is all long journeys, heated battles, unquestionably terrible villains -- and swordplay, of course. Le Guin recognizes that moral ambiguity creates the greatest obstacle a character can confront...and that if the question is worthwhile, the answer is neither easy nor painless.

Tenar is a strong heroine and I would especially recommend this book for teenage girls, whose plight is sometimes not unlike that of the Eaten One; however, as all the best books are, this is a story which is based on human character and thus speaks to both sexes and all ages.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tenar's Tale, May 28, 2001

By 

James D. DeWitt "Alaska Fan" (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

Sparrowhawk, the protagonist of "Wizard of Earthsea," the first book of the triology, is a secondary character here; important but not the focus. This is the story of Tenar, a young priestess at the Tombs of Atuan.

Earthsea has places where there are elder powers present. Readers of "Wizard of Earthsea" encountered one in the Terrenon. Tenar, as an infant, is given to the elder power of the Tombs. Her name is taken from her and she becomes Arha, "the eaten one." She serves as a priestess to a nearly forgotten religion that treats the power of the Tombs as a god. But everything Tenar has been told is twice a lie; her religion is almost forgotten and the Power is anything but a god.

This is the story of how Tenar came to understand that her life, all of what she had been and most of what she believed was a lie. LeGuin makes it utterly convincing, in a spare, terse way that is stark and persuasive. Sparrowhawk plays a crucial role in all this, but he is not the protagonist. Sparrowhawk may have been the catalyst for Tenar's changes, but like a catalyst he is mostly unchanged by the process. It is Tenar who is changed. This is Tenar's tale.

Can you imagine how devastating it must have been for Tenar? How many of us could accept and understand that what we had been taught was evil or, worse still, utterly meaningless? Could you do as well if, say, Christianity were revealed to be an utter fraud? LeGuin makes it vivid. Any thoughtful reader is left in awe of Tenar's strength and resilience. And in awe of LeGuin's writing.

In most trilogies, the middle book is the weakest. Not the Earthsea books. This is a wonderful tale, superbly told. Very highly recommended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sequel, June 21, 2000

By 

Rachel Collins "Katryel" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) (Paperback)

The second book in the Earthsea series is something of a twist in that it does not focus on the main character of the Earthsea series. It is, instead, written from the perspective of Tenar, a priestess who is stripped of her individuality right down to losing the right to have a name. This seems to do two things, it allows you to get to know a new character (something I always enjoy) and it allows you to see Ged from a new perspective. Tenar's perspective on Ged is somewhat idealized, but it's apparent that this is the character's point of view, not the author's inability to create a character with depth.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the book was (I hope I can say this without spoiling the story) that when Ged showed up, he didn't magically fix everything that was bad. So often at the end of a book the characters are 'riding off into the sunset' and the world is a perfect place again. In this one, they do ride into the sunset, of course, but they seem to do it with the knowledge that they still have work ahead of them.

I recommend reading this book, but get The Wizard of Earthsea first to get a more complete look at the world Tenar and Ged live in.