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As a young dragonlord, Ged, whose use-name is Sparrowhawk, is sent to the island of Roke to learn the true way of magic. A natural magician, Ged becomes an Archmage and helps the High Priestess Tenar escape from the labyrinth of darkness. But as the years pass, true magic and ancient ways are forced to submit to the powers of evil and death.
I read the first book in this series a while back whilst on a quest to read a number of the ‘classics’ – of which a Wizard of Earthsea must surely be classified. In fact, you can find that review here which was written about 5 years ago.
So, what prompted me to read on about 5 years later? Well, I found this massive tome of the first four books in my local library! It’s been about two decades since I’ve been into a library, but my kids are really into reading, so we’ve kinda got back into it. And what do I find in the kids reading section? This monster! I had to borrow it there and then.
There are of course four books in this huge book, so I thought I’d write a little on each. A Wizard of Earthsea is the classic first instalment, and what a cracking book this is. It is, in reality, a relatively short(ish) novel, but it covers a huge amount of ground in the life of Ged. In fact, at times this book can feel like your feet are barely touching the ground – but it is a cracking read nonetheless. As a consequence of the pace, some of the action and / or ideas can feel a touch fleeting, so I was left with a bit of a sense of wanting to read more detail, but fortunately – this time – the expansion was coming right around the corner!
Cue book #2: the Tombs of Atuan. Now, this was jarring from the off because we are suddenly thrust away from Ged and into the life of Tenar – a.k.a. Arha (the Eaten One). This book takes us to Atuan – a set of the more remote and isolated islands in the world of Earthsea – and in particular to the ancient tombs of the old gods. There is treasure in these tombs that only Tenar may look upon, and this where our old friend Ged comes into the story. This time he is acting as a thief!
The Tombs of Atuan is a more regularly paced book than A Wizard of Earthsea, with a greater tether to the characters of Tenar (in particular) but also Ged. There are some fantastic ideas and concepts in this book, and descriptions of the underground labyrinth are magical. It also has a pleasing story arc, binding the lives of Tenar and Ged together in a frictional dance between duty and desire. I think I enjoyed this more than the first book because we get a better sense of the characters through their actions, and I hope that they spend much more time together.
Which brings us to book #3: the Farthest Shore where we are now on a journey with Prince Arren. Hmm… But never fear because Ged (aka Sparrowhawk) is just around the corner, and the two are about to embark on what is probably the best adventure of the whole series! This book is fantastic – told from the perspective of Prince Arren but giving really great insight into Ged too. They embark on a journey to save the magic of the lands (and subsequently the whole of Earthsea itself!) and they travel to the farthest shore in pursuit of this quest. It has something of book #1 in its grandeur, but it is much tighter to the characters and all the better for it. The ending is fantastic and it throws Earthsea into an interesting period of ‘positive turmoil’.
And here we come to Tehanu. This dovetails nicely with book #3 with some overlap, although it is written from much further afield. We bring Ged and Tenar back together – hooray! – albeit they are now middle aged and a bit rough around the edges. Doesn’t mean they can’t have adventures though, and Ged in particular is still entwined with the fate of Earthsea – something he is keen to stay clear of. We are also introduced to Tenar’s adopted child (Tehanu) who has been scarred both physically and emotionally and who has her own tale to tell. This is a more localised adventure more akin to the Tombs of Atuan, and it ties up the loose ends from book #3 nicely whilst also setting its own agenda whilst tantalisingly leaving more for the future. Another cracking book.
Overall, the four books could probably be seen as quite different from each other – but I think the series is all the more magnificent for this fact. I’ve done a bit of research and it looks like there are just two books after this: a collection of short stories which expand on the world of Earthsea, and a final book which looks to expand on the life of Tehanu. I can’t wait to read these final instalments, so before I go and click-to-buy, I’d better sign off this review. If you like fantasy and haven’t read these books yet, then please don’t hang around any longer.