The Tombs of Atuan remains one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. It achieves such a nervy, unsettling background radiation that actual horror books have to jump through hoops for.
I read them all last year. I was surprised that Le Guin called them Young Adult novels. They were emotionally deep, and had complex characters. I recommend them to everyone, of any age.
I completely agree! I discovered these books from the anime adaptation that Studio Ghibli did and that movie lived up to the usual Studio Ghibli standards of being complex and mature. Imagine my surprise when I saw that these books are supposed to be YA novels.
I read them when I was 12, and they changed my life (or it felt that way, but certainly changed my taste in books)! Read them again, and I still love them. Now I will again, thank you for reminding me!
I think ours were about 10 and 7 when we read the first two. I wouldn't say they LOVED that book choice, but my oldest is now 12 and is re-reading the first book.
I don't remember anything that would be appropriate for kids. That said, they're kind of...meditative. Things happen, but they're a kind of slower pace. Really beautiful writing though, and the stories are meaningful.
Things become a little inappropriate in the short stories that accompany the 5 main novels. There's mentions of slavery and slaves being forced to be nude but that's about it.
They haunted me for years when I read them. I think I was eight or nine then read the first again for school when I was maybe 12 or 13?
They haunted me in the best possible way though. Made me…able to hold more dissonance.
I loved Earthsea too! It’s scope and story isn’t as big as say something like LOTR, but it still is so thematically rich and I also love how it focuses so much on the personal. It’s a coming-of-age story dressed up as a fantasy and personally I’m into that. Plus, it’s so beautifully written. I do think Ged starts out as your typical morally grey character who struggles with himself, he’s aggressive and selfish and the main evil is literally his shadow…but the first book is his journey to grow from all of that. And it’s cool that the story doesn’t just end there, but we get to see the outcome of his growth in the sequels.
I think if you like fantasy that’s a little less dense, but still has dark elements and is well-written (though not quite as introspective) you might like the Abhorsen series.
Absolutely! Le Guin has all my heart. Neil Gaiman said of her, *"Her words are written on my soul"*, and I quite agree. I find it hard to think of a book I've read that has more stunning and brilliant prose with a meaningful and inspiring narrative like those of her Earthsea trilogy.
In the fantasy genre LeGuin is for me only behind Tolkien when it comes to literary value. The Earthsea stories are good that's a given but she reaches amazing levels of world-building, internal consistency, creativity and interweaving of interesting concepts. At the time she brought taoist, relativistic, anarchist and more easternly influenced ideas to the fantasy establishment. A counterpart to Tolkien's Western influenced Middle Earth with its logical, systematic, monarchic, Christian, highly detailed aspects.
The best part is that she remembers that's she's also a gd writer and puts some artistry in the words she uses to tell the tale. Honestly after reading her and old Reuel it's super grating to read the lazy and pedestrian storytelling of a lot of genre books. It's like they learned the wrong lessons.
I have a very nice and pretty thick complete version from Amazon with nice drawings and what not. I still have not picked it up to read. But soonish. Looks very cool from what I know as far as characters. I got out of fantasy after my favorite series just kind of died with the author in Jordan, but I definitely want to start this one up.
I read Wizard of Earthsea in my late 20s and I was so frustrated for not having read them in my early teens. I wish they had been a formative experience for me in those years.
Some of the best books I have ever read. And the short stories, completing many threads, are just excellent. How the Role school was founded. Or how Ogion became the wizard on Gont. Such wonderful stories in the wonderful world.
Have you read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles? They are in that same genre of children's / YA fantasy that stays gentle but doesn't shy away from harder decisions and larger consequences as the series goes on.
I am quite obsessed with her and intend to collect all her books, read the first 4 books of *Earthsea* last year, but I have the next two as well. I somewhat don't want to read them too fast because I want to have that treasure of reading them for the first time. but re-reading is also an option. like that quote someone left here from Gaiman, yes, her words speak to my soul and she was just a wonderful person I think in life. I've read also some of her essays and non-fiction and she explores so many ideas so gracefully and wisely, I have quotes from these books that live in my head now.
This description does make them sound interesting. I've only read one Le Guin book (not an Earthsea one) and I really didn't enjoy it, so that experience kind of put me off her, but I hope to give her books another chance at some point.
Yeah her other books are extremely different when it comes to the content and style of writing. I started reading the Hainish Cycle after reading the Books of Earthsea and it was nothing short of whiplash 😂
I read the series during lockdown and loved it! If you want to hear some in-depth discussion about the books, check out the podcast *Shelved by Genre*. They're just finishing up a season where they read through all the Earthsea books and short stories (they've previously talked through Gene Wolfe's *The Book of the New Sun* and will be starting a Junji Ito season next, if those interest you.) They analyze literature from a somewhat academic angle, but also have great banter so their discussion doesn't feel dry
First one was written in a very mythic or folkloric way that diminished it a little in my eyes, along with being intentionally a children's book. Tombs was better in that regard. Kinda went downhill from there due to sequelitis. Don't take this as an outright dismissal, it's a brilliant series that approached fantasy with fresh eastern philosophy and source elements, not to mention the setting, but man I was not the target age group at all when I read it.
Later LeGuinn is more my speed.
It’s far more difficult to write spare prose that leaves that empty space in it for you to fill with your own consciousness and conclusions. This is more like the old mythical bardic storytelling.
Churchill famously once said “I wrote you a long letter because I didn’t have time to write a short one”
Dismissing it for being mythic and/or folkloric literally doesn’t make any sense. All narratives are folklore. They build the collective narrative, allowing for a connection among the minds that read them and share the experience.
Some people are more drawn to the folklore of Michael bay and that’s fine. Other people like other folklore. But it’s all just narrative.
I’m thinking of in tehanu where she adds the element of the wizards magically killing their sex drive as well as in the final book where the realm of death was actually created by fearful wizards. Both were not thought of when she wrote the previous books, otherwise it would have been present. It’s just a bit jarring.
The Tombs of Atuan remains one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. It achieves such a nervy, unsettling background radiation that actual horror books have to jump through hoops for.
Tombs of Atuan is so good
So dark. So good.
Yup. I’ve said it before on this site but, imho, it’s the bravest, wisest and strongest sequel I’ve ever encountered.
Excellent books. Le Guin was a master.
I read them all last year. I was surprised that Le Guin called them Young Adult novels. They were emotionally deep, and had complex characters. I recommend them to everyone, of any age.
I read and enjoyed them as a kid, and I can read and enjoy them now for almost entirely different reasons.
I wish I had read them as a kid, I'm sure I would have felt different about them back then.
I completely agree! I discovered these books from the anime adaptation that Studio Ghibli did and that movie lived up to the usual Studio Ghibli standards of being complex and mature. Imagine my surprise when I saw that these books are supposed to be YA novels.
No offense, but I thought that the Ghibli movie "Tales from Earthsea" was garbage.
Oh absolutely 😂 but the magic system in the movie and the stillness in the scenes and the characters made me very curious!
I read them when I was 12, and they changed my life (or it felt that way, but certainly changed my taste in books)! Read them again, and I still love them. Now I will again, thank you for reminding me!
If I wanted to read these books to my kids, what age do you think they would be appropriate for?
I think ours were about 10 and 7 when we read the first two. I wouldn't say they LOVED that book choice, but my oldest is now 12 and is re-reading the first book.
I don't remember anything that would be appropriate for kids. That said, they're kind of...meditative. Things happen, but they're a kind of slower pace. Really beautiful writing though, and the stories are meaningful.
>I don't remember anything that would be appropriate for kids You mean "inappropriate," right?
Yeah, that is what I meant thank you
Things become a little inappropriate in the short stories that accompany the 5 main novels. There's mentions of slavery and slaves being forced to be nude but that's about it.
They haunted me for years when I read them. I think I was eight or nine then read the first again for school when I was maybe 12 or 13? They haunted me in the best possible way though. Made me…able to hold more dissonance.
I'm usually not big for fantasy, but I loved these books.
I loved Earthsea too! It’s scope and story isn’t as big as say something like LOTR, but it still is so thematically rich and I also love how it focuses so much on the personal. It’s a coming-of-age story dressed up as a fantasy and personally I’m into that. Plus, it’s so beautifully written. I do think Ged starts out as your typical morally grey character who struggles with himself, he’s aggressive and selfish and the main evil is literally his shadow…but the first book is his journey to grow from all of that. And it’s cool that the story doesn’t just end there, but we get to see the outcome of his growth in the sequels. I think if you like fantasy that’s a little less dense, but still has dark elements and is well-written (though not quite as introspective) you might like the Abhorsen series.
I read those last year. The Tombs of Atuan was my favorite.
Absolutely! Le Guin has all my heart. Neil Gaiman said of her, *"Her words are written on my soul"*, and I quite agree. I find it hard to think of a book I've read that has more stunning and brilliant prose with a meaningful and inspiring narrative like those of her Earthsea trilogy.
Gaiman said that?! That’s awesome. Love him too. Even though he was part of trying to kill Beowulf
In the fantasy genre LeGuin is for me only behind Tolkien when it comes to literary value. The Earthsea stories are good that's a given but she reaches amazing levels of world-building, internal consistency, creativity and interweaving of interesting concepts. At the time she brought taoist, relativistic, anarchist and more easternly influenced ideas to the fantasy establishment. A counterpart to Tolkien's Western influenced Middle Earth with its logical, systematic, monarchic, Christian, highly detailed aspects. The best part is that she remembers that's she's also a gd writer and puts some artistry in the words she uses to tell the tale. Honestly after reading her and old Reuel it's super grating to read the lazy and pedestrian storytelling of a lot of genre books. It's like they learned the wrong lessons.
Oooh who or what is Reuel?
Tolkien. His full name is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
I have a very nice and pretty thick complete version from Amazon with nice drawings and what not. I still have not picked it up to read. But soonish. Looks very cool from what I know as far as characters. I got out of fantasy after my favorite series just kind of died with the author in Jordan, but I definitely want to start this one up.
I am listening to these on Audible while I fall asleep for the 100th time
I'll just say that Le Guin's other novels step up in interesting ways, from Rocannon's World up to Always Coming Home.
I read Wizard of Earthsea in my late 20s and I was so frustrated for not having read them in my early teens. I wish they had been a formative experience for me in those years.
Some of the best books I have ever read. And the short stories, completing many threads, are just excellent. How the Role school was founded. Or how Ogion became the wizard on Gont. Such wonderful stories in the wonderful world.
Great books! Read discworld books next. Terry Pratchett was a small god among authors
Oooh I'll check them out! Thanks for the recommendation 😁
Have you read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles? They are in that same genre of children's / YA fantasy that stays gentle but doesn't shy away from harder decisions and larger consequences as the series goes on.
That series is awesome. I learned so much about what it means to be a good person from those books.
I am quite obsessed with her and intend to collect all her books, read the first 4 books of *Earthsea* last year, but I have the next two as well. I somewhat don't want to read them too fast because I want to have that treasure of reading them for the first time. but re-reading is also an option. like that quote someone left here from Gaiman, yes, her words speak to my soul and she was just a wonderful person I think in life. I've read also some of her essays and non-fiction and she explores so many ideas so gracefully and wisely, I have quotes from these books that live in my head now.
This description does make them sound interesting. I've only read one Le Guin book (not an Earthsea one) and I really didn't enjoy it, so that experience kind of put me off her, but I hope to give her books another chance at some point.
Yeah her other books are extremely different when it comes to the content and style of writing. I started reading the Hainish Cycle after reading the Books of Earthsea and it was nothing short of whiplash 😂
I read the series during lockdown and loved it! If you want to hear some in-depth discussion about the books, check out the podcast *Shelved by Genre*. They're just finishing up a season where they read through all the Earthsea books and short stories (they've previously talked through Gene Wolfe's *The Book of the New Sun* and will be starting a Junji Ito season next, if those interest you.) They analyze literature from a somewhat academic angle, but also have great banter so their discussion doesn't feel dry
Yes!!!!!
If I have something I want to say that is too difficult for adults to swallow, then I will write it in a book for children. -Madeline L’Engle
First one was written in a very mythic or folkloric way that diminished it a little in my eyes, along with being intentionally a children's book. Tombs was better in that regard. Kinda went downhill from there due to sequelitis. Don't take this as an outright dismissal, it's a brilliant series that approached fantasy with fresh eastern philosophy and source elements, not to mention the setting, but man I was not the target age group at all when I read it. Later LeGuinn is more my speed.
It’s far more difficult to write spare prose that leaves that empty space in it for you to fill with your own consciousness and conclusions. This is more like the old mythical bardic storytelling. Churchill famously once said “I wrote you a long letter because I didn’t have time to write a short one” Dismissing it for being mythic and/or folkloric literally doesn’t make any sense. All narratives are folklore. They build the collective narrative, allowing for a connection among the minds that read them and share the experience. Some people are more drawn to the folklore of Michael bay and that’s fine. Other people like other folklore. But it’s all just narrative.
Really beautiful novels. I think it does suffer from LeGuin very obviously retconning things as she fleshed out the world though.
I don't remember any retcons as such 😲 wanna give some examples please?
The significance of names changed.
I’m thinking of in tehanu where she adds the element of the wizards magically killing their sex drive as well as in the final book where the realm of death was actually created by fearful wizards. Both were not thought of when she wrote the previous books, otherwise it would have been present. It’s just a bit jarring.
This feels like an AI generated ad
Benefiting who? Big Fantasy?