The Earthsea Trilogy 
asked by harrypotter on November 1, 2006 12:00 AM
Exclusive 3-in-1 harcover book. Includes A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA: The windswept isles of Earthsea were famous for wizards, and the greatest of all was Ged, called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon and crossed deaths threshold to restore the balance.
THE TOMBS OF ATUAN: Chosen to serve the Ancient and Nameless Powers of the Earth, Tenar is taken away from her home and family to become Arha, the Priestess Ever Reborn, guardian of the ominous Tombs of Atuan. While learning her way through the gloomy Labyrinth that is her domain, she encounters Ged, a wizard come to steal the Tombs greatest treasure. But Ged also brings with him the light of magic, a light as forbidden in the Tombs as wizards are in the Kargad Lands....
THE FARTHEST SHORE: Ill-tidings have arrived on the Isle of the Wise: The springs of wizardry are drying up. Driven to seek the source of the trouble, Archmage Ged embarks on a perilous journey with the boy-prince, Arren. Their travels take them to a land cursed with a strange soul sickness, to an encounter with Orm Embar, the greatest of the worlds dragons, and into the realm of death itself. For if the balance of magic is not restored, darkness will overtake the world. Jacket art by Leo and Diane Dillon. (422 pp.)
Reviews
0%
0%
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.
reviewed by oden on November 10, 2006 12:18 PM
0%
0%
I saw a bit of the tv series and bought the trilogy as the book is almost always better and more detailed. The book dribbled along with not making much sense, dark and dreary throughout, with no feeling of triumph in the resolution. If I want to be depressed, I can watch the evening news.
reviewed by csean85 on November 16, 2006 12:02 AM
0%
0%
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.
reviewed by dataworld on November 29, 2006 3:22 PM
0%
0%
I have no strong feelings about the Earthsea Trilogy.
Possibly that should tell me something. These stories are interesting, not fascinating or compelling, but interesting. They are not interesting enough to hold my interest if there's something good on T.V, but if I had a power outage or something I'm sure they would provide adequate entertainment.
Basically, these stories are nothing special. This isn't great fantasy, it's almost written like old fairy tales, only with less dialog and character development. People do things for no apparent reason and I sure as hell didn't understand the religions of the Islands at all. In fact, sometimes I couldn't even figure out what happened at the end because it was written so strangely.
Reading this wasn't a waste of time, but it didn't enrich my life either. I'd skip this unless you're really hard up for something new to read.
Possibly that should tell me something. These stories are interesting, not fascinating or compelling, but interesting. They are not interesting enough to hold my interest if there's something good on T.V, but if I had a power outage or something I'm sure they would provide adequate entertainment.
Basically, these stories are nothing special. This isn't great fantasy, it's almost written like old fairy tales, only with less dialog and character development. People do things for no apparent reason and I sure as hell didn't understand the religions of the Islands at all. In fact, sometimes I couldn't even figure out what happened at the end because it was written so strangely.
Reading this wasn't a waste of time, but it didn't enrich my life either. I'd skip this unless you're really hard up for something new to read.
reviewed by redapple on November 29, 2006 5:21 PM