A review by bogdanbalostin
The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Le Guin
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)