asami_kukomi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A Wizard of Earthsea - ★★★★☆
The Tombs of Atuan - ★★★★★
The Farthest Shore - ★★★★☆
Tehanu - ★★★☆☆
The Tombs of Atuan - ★★★★★
The Farthest Shore - ★★★★☆
Tehanu - ★★★☆☆
perkiso's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
willdinola's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
spikespiegel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
sfletcher26's review against another edition
5.0
I have been aware of the Earthsea books since at primary school but was largely dismissive of them. As I got older and more of the books came out I remained dismissive of them because they were said to be aimed at the "young adult" market. I wanted to read "real" books, aimed at the adult market. In retrospect a rather arrogant point of view because these are actually some of the best fantasy books I've read in a good while and deal with issues in far greater depth than many more "adult" books.
A Wizard of Earthsea ****
Sparrowhawk is a goatherd from Gont, an island at the edge of his world, who becomes the geatest mage of his time. This is the story of his training and the results of his arrogance. A story of growth, self knowledge and accepting the responsibility of one's own actions.
My one slight quibble is the speed with which the story was wrapped up, it just felt very rushed.
The Tombs of Atuan *****
Arha is the priestess of the place, a temple complex on the isle of Atuan. raised from the age of 5 to be the handmaiden of the Nameless Ones. her world is changed irrevocably when the mage, Sparrowhawk, enters her life in the pursuit of the mythical ring of Erreth-Akbe.
Moving the focus of this book from Sparrowhak to Arha was a surprise (well it was for me anyway). And changing the focus from a world spanning story to a much smaller scale were inspired. By far the best of the four books.
The Farthest Shore *****
Sparrowhawk and Arren must journey to discover why the power of magic is disappearing.
Having given us the small scale Le Guin shows us the large scale again in a story that moves from the mage's Isle to the island at the end of the world and on into the plane of the dead. A story that deals with death and the fear of death, friendship and honour.
Tehanu ****
Goha lives on the isle of Gont and saves an abused child, bringing her up as her daughter. Both are however not who they seem.
Back the the small scale and again and all the better for it. In this installment Le Guin deals with issues of abuse, pain and loss.
I so wanted to give this 5 stars but was again sadly disappointed by another somewhat rushed ending.
All in all 4 great stories that deserve far greater recognition for, I think its probably fair to say that, without them the works of Rowling and Pulman would be very different.
A Wizard of Earthsea ****
Sparrowhawk is a goatherd from Gont, an island at the edge of his world, who becomes the geatest mage of his time. This is the story of his training and the results of his arrogance. A story of growth, self knowledge and accepting the responsibility of one's own actions.
My one slight quibble is the speed with which the story was wrapped up, it just felt very rushed.
The Tombs of Atuan *****
Arha is the priestess of the place, a temple complex on the isle of Atuan. raised from the age of 5 to be the handmaiden of the Nameless Ones. her world is changed irrevocably when the mage, Sparrowhawk, enters her life in the pursuit of the mythical ring of Erreth-Akbe.
Moving the focus of this book from Sparrowhak to Arha was a surprise (well it was for me anyway). And changing the focus from a world spanning story to a much smaller scale were inspired. By far the best of the four books.
The Farthest Shore *****
Sparrowhawk and Arren must journey to discover why the power of magic is disappearing.
Having given us the small scale Le Guin shows us the large scale again in a story that moves from the mage's Isle to the island at the end of the world and on into the plane of the dead. A story that deals with death and the fear of death, friendship and honour.
Tehanu ****
Goha lives on the isle of Gont and saves an abused child, bringing her up as her daughter. Both are however not who they seem.
Back the the small scale and again and all the better for it. In this installment Le Guin deals with issues of abuse, pain and loss.
I so wanted to give this 5 stars but was again sadly disappointed by another somewhat rushed ending.
All in all 4 great stories that deserve far greater recognition for, I think its probably fair to say that, without them the works of Rowling and Pulman would be very different.
lauradee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bogdanbalostin's review against another edition
5.0
I give the quartet the best rating because this is a must-read. The series is not written in a way that if you like the first book, you'll eagerly anticipate the next book. They are totally different in mood, tone, and theme and I would not recommend them to children. As children's books, I still think they are average. But by adding Tehanu to this quartet of books, the publisher made sure this is not a fantasy for children.
More reason to read this.
Flow. They are beautifully written books (at least the first three) and instead of 700 pages, Le Guin manages to flesh out a full world in only 200. That's fantasy I really can respect.
Different books, different tones. As a series, it forces you, the reader, to evolve alongside it. If one has a certain fixed worldview, he or she may not really enjoy the way this series plays with ideas. That makes people have a favorite book among these four. I rate them all, mostly the same because they have the same problems in plot and pacing and while some ideas don't really work as fantasy stories, I truly appreciate all of them.
It's the journey of life. While Harry Potter has wizards and magic (and it's accused of plagiarizing Earthsea Wizard School), the evolution of the characters ends when they get out of school. On the contrary, the evolution of the character starts when he gets out of school in Earthsea and continues even beyond death. That's something you don't see every day. And his evolution is not more of the same, but instead, it's a matter of continuously learning and rebirth. I just want to say I consider Harry Potter the better book because of plotting and character development, more fitting for a fiction book. But Earthsea is unique and it was written long before Harry Potter. Also, it can spark more philosophical debates than any other fantasy books.
It makes you think, even if it doesn't make you care. I found the characters lacking in this one. And the villains were just plain bad. Badly written, that is. Actually, scratch that. They are not written at all, they are just added there as stereotypes. And yet, it feels like real life. You don't have an archnemesis in real life but life itself challenges you and makes you think. This series is a little bit like that.
It has dragons. And they are mighty, wise, and huge creatures. Even Middle-Earth dragons are children compared to them. (I mean in the way they are presented, not mythologically speaking)
More reason to read this.
Flow. They are beautifully written books (at least the first three) and instead of 700 pages, Le Guin manages to flesh out a full world in only 200. That's fantasy I really can respect.
Different books, different tones. As a series, it forces you, the reader, to evolve alongside it. If one has a certain fixed worldview, he or she may not really enjoy the way this series plays with ideas. That makes people have a favorite book among these four. I rate them all, mostly the same because they have the same problems in plot and pacing and while some ideas don't really work as fantasy stories, I truly appreciate all of them.
It's the journey of life. While Harry Potter has wizards and magic (and it's accused of plagiarizing Earthsea Wizard School), the evolution of the characters ends when they get out of school. On the contrary, the evolution of the character starts when he gets out of school in Earthsea and continues even beyond death. That's something you don't see every day. And his evolution is not more of the same, but instead, it's a matter of continuously learning and rebirth. I just want to say I consider Harry Potter the better book because of plotting and character development, more fitting for a fiction book. But Earthsea is unique and it was written long before Harry Potter. Also, it can spark more philosophical debates than any other fantasy books.
It makes you think, even if it doesn't make you care. I found the characters lacking in this one. And the villains were just plain bad. Badly written, that is. Actually, scratch that. They are not written at all, they are just added there as stereotypes. And yet, it feels like real life. You don't have an archnemesis in real life but life itself challenges you and makes you think. This series is a little bit like that.
It has dragons. And they are mighty, wise, and huge creatures. Even Middle-Earth dragons are children compared to them. (I mean in the way they are presented, not mythologically speaking)
barrybj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
just. wow.
lilacquiesce's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
‘For only that is ours which we are willing to lose.’