This is a very lovely book. It's the second book of the series and so far, it's a series that I really like and I think I'll also like the remaining books.

Let me summarize it;

We are in a place called Atuan.

As we will learn later, this is the country of the dark powers.

There is a girl, Arha. She is the main character this time.

She is taken from her mother's arms right after she is born and brought to the temple.

Unfortunately, the people in this village worship the dark powers. They don't know that they are dark and evil and they worship the powers they think are gods.

It is believed that Arha is the new form of the reincarnation of the old dead priestess. This is the belief.

As Arha grows up, she begins to understand that she is actually a slave and one day in the Atuan tombs, she meets a thief wizard, "Ged".

Although she should kill him immediately, she doesn't and starts to talk and learn from Ged.

Ged, whom we left as a novice wizard in the previous book, has become an aged and master wizard in this book.

Now he is looking for the broken and lost bracelet of the ancient wizard Erreth Akbe.

Ged, who received half of the bracelet as a gift from the old couple he met on the deserted island in the first book, learns that the second half of the bracelet is hidden in the treasure room of the Atuan Tombs and thus comes to this cursed place.

After several adventuresome escapes following her conversations with Arha, he brings the bracelet together and brings peace to "Earthsea".

I wonder what adventures await us in the coming books.

In my opinion, it's a great series.

This must be the most simple story I've ever read, and that's an enormous compliment.

It delves deep into the archetypes hidden within our unconscious and the religious rituals we once employed to overcome our ignorance about ourselves and the universe surrounding us. The fear of the dark, the meaning of life, trust among strangers - it's all encompassed within, yet it weaves a subtle and delicate narrative thread.

I experienced the same cosmic horror towards the Nameless Ones in Le Guin's work as I did towards Lovecraft's creatures. Both authors grasp the role that the unspoken and unknown play in generating that fear. When you factor in the significance of naming in Earthsea and Ged's way of life, what could be more terrifying than something without a name? That's precisely what renders Le Guin's simple story so exquisitely beautiful. We can also unearth meaning in the things she didn't pen, the elements she elected to omit.

The true allure of this story lies in the manner it utilizes the things buried within our unconscious as a tiny trapdoor to infiltrate our minds and linger there. I firmly believe this story will remain with me long after all the other fantasy I've perused this year has faded into oblivion. Such is Le Guin's unrivaled prowess.

As a teenager, I had the pleasure of reading an excellent book and series. The fantasy novel was truly captivating and left a lasting impression on me. Scott Rezer, a fellow enthusiast, has also posted an enthusiastic review of this remarkable work.

The story within the pages of this novel took me on a thrilling adventure through a magical world filled with unique characters and exciting plot twists. It was a journey that I eagerly embarked on and didn't want to end.

Scott Rezer's review further emphasizes the greatness of this fantasy novel. His enthusiasm is palpable as he describes the various aspects that made the book so engaging. It's wonderful to see that others share the same love and appreciation for this amazing piece of literature.

Overall, this book and series are a must-read for any teen or adult who enjoys a good fantasy story. They have the power to transport you to another world and ignite your imagination.

Slow start, strong finish. This is quiet and powerful, like the sea hiding a coming tsunami. Le Guin lulls you with the soothing susurrus of poetic prose before upending it all with a powerful wave.

She truly delves into the duality of humanity, but subtly and without histrionics, enclosing it within a coming-of-age story set in a confined space. Consider this passage:

The Earth is beautiful, and bright, and kindly, but that is not all. The Earth is also terrible, and dark, and cruel. The rabbit shrieks dying in the green meadows. The mountains clench their great hands full of hidden fire. There are sharks in the sea, and there is cruelty in men’s eyes.

It's truly impactful.

After we witness the darkness and the light that exist within each of us, Le Guin nails the conclusion. Ged transitions from lightness to the dark, while Tenar's journey is the reverse, from darkness to light. The contrast is even more potent when we see them together. I wonder if Le Guin had the Yin/Yang symbol in mind, as Yang represents male and bright, while Yin represents female and dark.

This moment near the end really struck a chord with me:

A dark hand had let go its lifelong hold upon her heart. But she did not feel joy, as she had in the mountains. She put her head down in her arms and cried, and her cheeks were salt and wet. She cried for the waste of her years in bondage to a useless evil. She wept in pain, because she was free.

What she began to understand was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to bear. It's not easy. It's not a given gift but a choice made, and that choice can be a difficult one. The road ascends towards the light, but the burdened traveler may never reach its end.

And those final lines, so simple, yet so moving...

He leapt up onto the pier and turned, holding out his hand to her. “Come!” he said, smiling, and she rose, and came. Gravely she walked beside him, up the white streets of Havnor, holding his hand, like a child coming home.

All the things taken from her, all that she had lost, all that she had discarded, so much of it baggage accumulated on her journey, yet here she is starting afresh without denying her past. It's truly magnificent.

Could I continue to enjoy Le Guin as I delved deeper into her exquisitely imaginative writing? The answer was a resounding yes.

Each book I devoured seemed to enhance her greatness, not just within the realm of fantasy, but across a much broader literary canon. She alone was responsible for transforming my skeptical stance towards fantasy writing. Although I remained painfully selective in this genre and was often let down by other writers (suggestions were most welcome!!!!).

Atuan expanded upon the Earthsea world that Le Guin initiated in The Wizards of Earthsea. However, this time she introduced an unusual female protagonist as the heroine - albeit accompanied by the reliable hero, Ged, who had featured in the first book. This story was rather dark and sinister. It raised relevant societal questions, such as the impacts of oppression and isolation, and also touched on spiritual and religious themes.

"She wept in pain because she was free...what she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake...."

It was also strongly gender-centered without being feminist. Exquisitely penned with spectacular imagery and a suspenseful plot. Le Guin - doing what she did best!

This passage exemplified the beauty of her simple yet evocative descriptions:

"...the great vaulted cavern beneath the tombstones, not hollowed by man's hand but by the powers of the Earth. It was jeweled with crystals and ornamented with pinnacles and filigrees of white limestone where the waters underneath the earth had worked, eons since; immense, with a glittering roof and walls, sparkling, delicate, intricate, a palace of diamonds, a house of amethyst and crystal, from which the ancient darkness had been driven out by glory....the light that worked its wonder...a soft gleam, like marshlight, that moved slowly across the cavern, striking a thousand fantastic shadows along the cavern walls..."

At first, I looked and there was no Ged. I was a bit disappointed. But then I understood.

This book cover, although it didn't start as attractively as the previous one, but then suddenly it became very good, exciting, and understandable.

I sat down and have been reading until now, and I'm almost three-fifths of the way through.

Freedom is a heavy burden, a great and strange responsibility that must be placed on the soul. It is not easy. It is not a given gift, but a choice made: and this choice can also be a difficult one.

Freedom is not something that comes easily. It requires us to make sacrifices and take risks. We must be willing to step out of our comfort zones and face the unknown. It is a journey that can be filled with challenges and obstacles, but it is also a journey that can lead to great rewards.

When we choose freedom, we are choosing to take control of our own lives. We are choosing to be the masters of our own destiny. This means that we must be prepared to make difficult decisions and take responsibility for the consequences. It is not always easy, but it is always worth it.

In conclusion, freedom is a precious and valuable thing. It is a burden that we must bear with pride and dignity. We must be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to protect and preserve it. For without freedom, we are nothing.

After finishing "Atuan Mezarları", a void emerged. It seems that there are dozens of things after the words, but I feel as if I am catching only a few of them. It's as if this book is a 1000-page book, but I have only read 150 pages. Don't you think this is a kind of magic?

There are very powerful concepts within it. We are worthy of these concepts in terms of many works of art that we have read or watched, but the words in this book are like sparks, presenting what we know to us in a way that inspires us a little more. Its acceptance is actually a rather difficult situation.

Normally, I should have rebelled in the expansion and said, "With so much detail to be told in this book, why are we being dragged here and there like a wave?" But after entering this world with "Yerdeniz Büyücüsü", I am curious about the influence of this world, that is, the influence of the simple structure that is not limited to simplicity but has a powerful force beneath it and surrounds my soul, and what will happen in the subsequent books. This book is the 5th book of Ursula that I have read so far, and I am exposed to her magic for the first time. It's really an interesting feeling. A feeling that I missed but was never accustomed to.

I am looking forward to the next book with curiosity.

The transition to the second protagonist after the first part seems a bit disappointing, as well as the relatively slow start. However, Legvinova quickly turns all of this into an amazing story. During reading, you can almost touch the darkness, just like the heroine of the novel.

The description of the specificities of a society or community that is radically different from everything you know in such a way that in the end you have the impression that you know everything about them... Perfect, as always when it comes to Legvinova - she manages to pack an entire world into 160 and a few pages again.

Without a doubt, a recommendation for anyone who wants fantasy without unnecessary stretching over 1000 pages.

The priestess of the Nameless Ones, when she dies, must seek the girl born on the same night, for she will be her own reincarnation. This girl is Tenar, who at only 5 years old loses her name and becomes the Arha, the supreme priestess and protector of the tombs of Atuan. For much of the book, we will follow the Arha over the years, her learnings and trainings, her tasks as a priestess, her first incursion into the tombs and the labyrinth, places where darkness reigns and light is not permitted.

In the tombs, only she, the supreme mistress, can enter. But everything changes when one day, after an inappropriate brightness, she finds an intruder, a man, Ged. The Arha has the duty to protect the tombs and, therefore, must punish the intruder with death. But the intrusion of this character will make her shatter the status quo that has been imposed on her since childhood and will ignite the spark of freedom in her.

The truth is that although in this second volume we do not resume Ged's story and he appears in a secondary role, it didn't matter to me at all because Tenar seemed like an amazing character to me. Nor did it bother me at all that the action does not develop until the end of the story, because both the setting constructed by the author and all the explanation behind the Arha, her daily life and her functions, seemed very interesting to me. And I, who want to tell you, I don't know if this is or is not the best book in the saga, as many people say, since I still have four more to read. What I do know is that I read it in 24 hours, it kept me very hooked on its pages and I am really enjoying this saga!

Phases: «The word they repeated again and again was so ancient that it had lost its meaning, like a signpost that stands when the road has already disappeared.»

«What she had begun to learn was how heavy freedom is. Freedom is a light burden, an enormous and strange load for the spirit that carries it. It is not easy. It is not a gift that is received, but a choice that is made, and the choice can be difficult.»

For my in-depth review of this truly extraordinary book, please LINK HERE.

This book has left an indelible mark on me with its captivating storyline and richly developed characters.

The author's writing style is engaging and immersive, pulling the reader in from the very first page.

Each chapter unfolds like a new adventure, filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The themes explored in the book are thought-provoking and relevant, making it not just an entertaining read but also a source of inspiration.

Whether you're a fan of fiction or simply looking for a great book to lose yourself in, this one is definitely worth checking out.

So don't hesitate, click on the link and discover the magic of this extraordinary book for yourself.