I had doubts after reading "The Writer of the Underworld." But after reading "The Opening of the Graves," everything became clear - this series of books is very charming and dear to me. And I found my kind of fantasy - because although I have read other fantasies with a lot of blood, a lot of dark magic, and a lot of horror, those books didn't always fascinate me. In this one, as in the first book, there are both battles and words, but it is more like a story. A story not for children, but for adolescents and adults. And that's what I like most about this series.

I really enjoy the unique atmosphere and the engaging plot that this series offers. It takes me to a world full of mystery and adventure, where I can experience different emotions and perspectives. The characters are well-developed and their relationships add depth to the story.

I look forward to reading more books in this series and seeing how the story continues to unfold. It has become one of my favorite reads and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy literature.

The second book of the Earthsea world is wonderful.

I loved it even more than the first one.

It had the rhythm that suits me better.

It was dark and brought us another perspective, that of Tenar.

And I simply loved the conclusion of the author, with which I am 100% in agreement.

This book delves deeper into the complex and mysterious world of Earthsea, exploring themes such as power, identity, and the consequences of our actions.

The character of Tenar is particularly well-developed, and her journey of self-discovery is both engaging and thought-provoking.

The writing is beautiful and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the landscapes and cultures of Earthsea.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy literature.

After giving five stars to the first one, the question was whether this one was going to live up to it. Well, logically yes. If I'm being honest, I think it's even better than "A Wizard of Terramar". How I'm enjoying this saga!

This story has truly captured my imagination. The characters are well-developed and the plot is full of twists and turns that keep me on the edge of my seat. I love how the author has created a unique and magical world that I can't wait to explore more.

Each book in the series seems to build on the previous one, adding new layers of depth and complexity. It's like I'm on an adventure with the characters, experiencing their joys and sorrows along the way.

I would highly recommend this saga to anyone who loves fantasy and adventure. It's a must-read for fans of the genre. I can't wait to see what happens next in this amazing story.

Tenar is less than six years old when she is brought to the desert tombs. This is a deeply impressionable age, and her sense of right and wrong is shaped by the people around her.

From the very beginning, the priestesses teach her to idolize an empty throne. They administer ceremonial drugs to her and tell her that she has lived hundreds of lives before. As the high priestess, she is expected to remember all that has happened in her past lives. However, whenever she fails to do so, she is simply reassured that the forgotten memories will return eventually.

At times, it becomes evident that both Tenar and the priestesses are treading a fine line between make-believe and faith. Any doubts they may have are quickly quelled by the rare successes that Tenar achieves. These successes, unfortunately, distort her judgment the most because they only occur when she exhibits a capacity for vindictiveness or hate.

Day by day, her adolescent desire to form an identity is corrupted to such an extent that she is able to reject almost any concept that goes against the order's beliefs. Inevitably, she finds herself imprisoned within the walls of her religion. The conflict of the novel emerges when she is confronted with the possibility that it is the tombs that should be abandoned, not the world as a whole.

This is a highly universal message that can be applied to anyone who is lost in an overly zealous movement. However, the tone that Le Guin employs throughout is subtle and emotionally complex, partly due to her change in writing style.

In "A Wizard of Earthsea," an omniscient narrative was used, providing the reader with a bird's-eye view of the land and a comprehensive look at its history and culture. In "The Tombs of Atuan," on the other hand, Le Guin often brings us closer to the reality of the place by restricting our perspective to that of a young girl.

In this way, if you consider yourself among those who love this book, it is likely not just because of the lofty ambitions that elevate it to the realm of literary fiction. It is because it is the gentle story of a girl who discovers power in the wrong place, has the courage to leave it behind, and ultimately returns to a self-sustaining source, nourished by her love for a world that is larger than she could have ever imagined. There is a fire that burns within Tenar. She first felt it in her mother's kitchen. Countless years later, and a thousand miles from where she began, she returns to it like a child who has finally come home.

(You can see my video on the book here: https://youtu.be/BQus8BOcggY)

(Don't forget to check out my full video on the book: https://youtu.be/BQus8BOcggY)

I have to say that I truly feel like I derived more enjoyment from this particular book compared to the first one. However, when I refer to the CAWPILE scoring system, it turns out that this book received a lower score. This makes me wonder if perhaps my perception of the first book is somewhat skewed in a negative light.

These books, in my opinion, are rather challenging to explain and discuss. The story itself was interesting, and I did have some level of empathy for our main character. But overall, I found myself not being overly invested in the story. I didn't really find myself deeply caring about what was going to happen next. The aspect of worship in this book was indeed intriguing, and seeing it deconstructed was fascinating. Nevertheless, I wouldn't go so far as to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading this book.

Moreover, there were definitely a couple of instances where some very problematic phrases were used. And that, for me, is a definite drawback.

Le Guin never fails to fascinate me! This is yet another highly intelligent and meticulously crafted fantasy story. In this sequel, what I loved was that Ged wasn't the sole main character. We are introduced to Tenar, a very well-developed female character.

The story commences with a young girl named Tenar, whose given name is Arha. She is separated from her parents at a young age to become a High Priestess in the temple of the Unnamed ones. So, this isn't just a story about the young wizard Ged; it's mostly about Tenar, as Ged is a visitor in her world. The story can also be seen as the maturation of the Anima aspect in Ged and the development of womanhood in Tenar. Le Guin here demonstrates her remarkable ability to describe the psychological development paths of both men and women. For each, the integration of the opposite sex aspect is inevitable for maturity, and the unity of both male and female parts of the psyche is essential for the process of individuation, to find a true, authentic Self.

''You have set us both free,'' he said. ''Alone, no one wins freedom. '' Without each other, both Ged and Tenar would have been in some way destroyed. I highly respect that they played such a significant role in each other's lives in terms of liberation and progress without being romantically involved at any stage. I love that their unity is represented by two parts of one ring as a higher spiritual principle that brings peace to mankind, rather than physical unity in sexuality that offers only momentary relief. Interestingly, the previous book could be interpreted as Ged's beginning of the individuation process in the integration of the shadow aspect. According to Jung, the next step in individuation is the maturation of the Anima - the female aspect of the hero. When a male hero has to undergo the development of the female aspect, he is always stripped of his manpower - as Ged lost his staff and clothing in the Labyrinth of Tombs. It's also interesting that the Labyrinths are completely dark - which can symbolize unconsciousness. Ged can bring light to one level, but it eventually goes out. Tenar is the one who knows the maps of the labyrinth by heart and can see in the dark - Ged would be completely and utterly lost without her. Symbolically, the man principle is represented in Apollo - light, reason, logic, and consciousness, while the female principle, for example Aphrodite, reigns in unconsciousness, the world of impulses, instincts, fertility, and creativity. This isn't the first story where a male hero is guided out of the labyrinth of unconsciousness by the help of female wisdom - we have the same situation with Ariadne who gave Theseus the gift that guided him through the labyrinth of the Minotaur and enabled him to find a way to defeat the monster.

Ged can also be regarded as Tenar's Animus. He helped Tenar by giving her the light and truth of reason and a perspective of the outer world she was unaware of, which helped her break free from the dominion of the repressive matriarchal world she lived in. Priestesses were the servants of dark forces but held the highest power in the community - men existed in their world only as slaves with cut-out tongues or eunuchs who served them - both representing castration (in one way, stripping men of the power to produce form and meaning through language, and in the other, stripping men of sexual power and potency). That is the guiding principle of the toxic matriarchal world - men have no purpose or value; they only exist to be dominated and serve the feminine (a mirror principle can be found in the destructive form of patriarchy - but that is by far more talked about, yet on an individual level, both pathologies are common). By creating a real human relationship with a man, Ged, Tenar violated the law of matriarchy and had to be punished. Now, in this new state of being, she could either stay and die or run and break free. As Neumann said in the study of the psychological development of women, in her path to maturity, women can use matriarchal principles to take control and be empowered and independent, but the key is not to integrate the destructive part that hates and wants to destroy the masculine, as Tenar successfully did in the end. As Tenar did with Ged, women can take the constructive parts of masculinity without harming the masculine. Ged helped Tenar by calling her by her true name; she guided him through unconsciousness, and he guided her through consciousness about her identity.

''You told me to show you something worth seeing. I show you yourself.'' Tenar was only known as Arha (which meant the eaten one - her true identity was eaten away by the rules and expectations of others, mostly the ruling principle of a tyrannical mother), and only Ged had the knowledge of her true name. Hearing her true name gave her the freedom to be her true and authentic self. She critically questioned the world she lived in and came to her unique perspective and conclusion, and in the process, broke free from the darkness of unconsciousness and inauthenticity. Hearing her true name created a connection to her true self - her own identity and desires outside of what was expected of her to do and what other people told her she was made for.

''I am Tenar,'' she said, not aloud, and she shook with cold, terror, and exultation, there under the open, sunwashed sky. ''I have my name back. I am Tenar!'' But even freedom and consciousness have their weight and are not easy to deal with, and in the end, this is just a starting point for both Ged and Tenar.

''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 is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward towards the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.'' Le Guin's ability to write such an enlightened yet simple story astonishes me. I can't wait to read the rest of the series as this is such a brilliant synthesis of a book that is both highly enjoyable and profound.

I really like the direction in which Le Guin is taking this story. After reading A Wizard of Earthsea, it was truly fascinating to explore another aspect of this world. Even though the part presented in the subsequent book was rather depressing and seemed backwards, it still held a certain allure. I am extremely curious to see what fate awaits the protagonists of books 1 and 2 in book 3, The Farthest Shore.

Fino's Reviews of Ursula Le Guin cover a wide range of her works. The Hainish Cycle includes several novels and stories, each with its own unique charm. For example, Hainish Novels & Stories, Vol. 1 and Hainish Novels & Stories, Vol. 2. The Earthsea Cycle is also备受关注, with books like A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, and The Farthest Shore. Additionally, Le Guin's short stories, such as those in Unlocking the Air and Other Stories, offer unique perspectives and engaging narratives.

What a difference a book makes.

Wizard of Earthsea was truly charming, presenting the simple yet all-consuming questions of childhood. It also offered the answers of adulthood, which, in the harsh light of maturity, reveal that no one really knows anything and that all must strive for an answer that will only suffice at the moment.

This book, however, was all about walking in darkness. And not in a metaphorical sense.

I patiently kept waiting for it to begin, but it simply didn't. Even the end didn't give the impression of being a springboard into a story. It is the tale of a girl who waited in darkness. She accepted what was given to her and just waited. The one thing she learned was that killing poisons the killer as swiftly as the victim, and she agonized about this throughout the entire story. There was so little action, personal discovery, or magic that I half hoped this would take a strange turn into a romance novel, just so there would be some reason for us to have read all of this together. Alas, there was no such (bad) luck. This already short book could have been a vaguely unsatisfying short story. As a full novel, I am left underwhelmed.

The saving grace is that it is indeed short. Ged does show up and is as charming as he was in his own book. The scenery is very cool, and the writing is, of course, superlative. Which is quite impressive because I imagine it was actually rather tedious to write.

Other than those glimmers of beauty, it's a story about a girl we never really get to know because she's always introduced to us as the Eaten Girl who is someone else. It's about how everyone and everything but her decides her fate, and our charming Ged compliments her a lot in a borderline weird way.

Onward and upward!

**The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, #2) by Ursula K. Le Guin**

The Tombs of Atuan is a captivating fantasy novel penned by the renowned American author Ursula K. Le Guin. It first saw the light of day in the Winter 1970 issue of Worlds of Fantasy and was later published as a book by Atheneum Books in 1971. This novel holds a significant place as the second installment in the Earthsea series, following the successful A Wizard of Earthsea (1969).

The story centers around Tenar, a young girl hailing from the Kargish empire. At a tender age, she is chosen to become the high priestess of the "Nameless Ones" at the Tombs of Atuan. Her life at the Tombs is one of profound loneliness, exacerbated by her exalted position as the highest ranking priestess. However, her world is turned upside down with the arrival of Ged, the protagonist from A Wizard of Earthsea. Ged has come to the Tombs in search of a talisman half buried in its treasury.
Tenar initially traps Ged in the labyrinth beneath the Tombs. But then, something within her rebels against her teachings, and she decides to keep him alive. Through her interactions with Ged, Tenar begins to learn about the outside world, which she had never known before. This newfound knowledge leads her to question her unwavering faith in the Nameless Ones and her very place at the Tombs. The Tombs of Atuan is a tale of self-discovery, adventure, and the power of questioning one's beliefs.

It takes readers on a journey into a mysterious and enchanting world, filled with ancient tombs, hidden passageways, and characters who are forced to confront their deepest fears and desires.

Le Guin's masterful storytelling and vivid imagination bring this world to life, making it a must-read for fans of fantasy literature.

The second book of the Earthsea series begins with our acquaintance with Arha, who has obtained the title of the High Priestess of Atuan and was formerly known as Tenar. The first half of the book mainly deals with the Tombs of Atuan, the process of priesthood, the history of the Kargad Empire, and Arha's process of getting used to power and position. From the very first pages, although I kept asking myself where and when Ged would appear, shortly after, I began to have a great curiosity about Atuan's underground warehouses, her mausoleum, and the mysterious, labyrinthine treasure room. Finally, when the expected moment came and the story of the Swift Knife entered, I really didn't understand at all how the end of the book came. The created myths, history, Ged's endless journeying adventures, and the story of suddenly finding himself in the name of Atuan were wonderful. Due to the numerous references to the first book and the consecutive stories, I also understood that I should not take too many breaks while reading the series in order not to forget. I continue to follow the continuation of this wonderful fantasy world and Ged's adventures with curiosity. Next in line is the third book of the series, The Farthest Shore.

I am really looking forward to seeing what new adventures and developments await in the next installment. The world of Earthsea has truly captured my imagination and I can't wait to explore more of it.

Each book in the series seems to add another layer of depth and complexity to the overall narrative, making it a truly engaging and immersive reading experience.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy and adventure. It is a must-read for fans of the genre.

The initial chapters of this work were truly a tiresome task. They were both perplexing and lackluster. However, emerging from the obscurity of those chapters and the profound depths of the labyrinth, there emerged a tale of redemption, human agony, and a resolute will. A will to conquer great evil when surrendering to the darkness would have been a far simpler path to traverse.

“You must make a choice. Either you must leave me, lock the door, go up to your alters and give me to your masters; then go to the Princess Kossil and make your peace with her - and that is the end of the story - or, you must unlock the door, and go out of it, with me. Leave the tombs, leave Atuan, and come with me oversea. And that is the beginning of the story.”

It was a pity about the commencement, but the remainder of the novel more than compensated for it. That quote sent shivers down my spine when I read it. Artha, a young priestess of the eternal power that is shadow, reluctantly fulfills her duties of ritualistic dance, prayer, and the slaying of anyone who ventures into the darkness of the Labyrinth. She doesn't directly kill the hapless wanderers, but she leaves them to perish from exposure when she could effortlessly save them. There is no life in the darkness, and certainly nothing to sustain it. So, if you enter, you are as good as dead, and even more so if a priestess incarcerates you in a part of the catacombs.

It's all doom and gloom until a familiar visage transforms Artha's life. It's strange to discuss such intense character development in a novel of this brevity, but Artha undergoes a complete metamorphosis. She gradually perceives the evil of her circumstances and realizes that none of it is of her doing. She understands that she is as much a victim as any of the wanderers. The familiar face she encounters is a powerful namer, a wizard renowned for both his name and reputation. He knows how to shatter the binding darkness; he knows how to rescue the young girl: he knows to remind her of her own name, her true name, and precisely who she is in the process.

Fast and eloquent writing: “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.”

Le Guin doesn't mince words. She has a story and she tells it. Her narration is minimalist and fundamental, yet it conveys such depth and emotion. She can achieve a great deal with just a few words; the entire mood of the story changes in just a few chapters; and yet, it is done appropriately. I'm usually an advocate of drawn-out plots and lengthy characterizations (lovingly pointing at my Robin Hobb bookshelf), but Le Guin does what she does just as well. It's strange. Le Guin can accomplish what other novelists do in six times the word count. Her writing is rapid, engaging, and outstanding. This is the perfect series for those who desire a fantasy fix but don't want to be burdened with page after page of lengthy storytelling.

I also appreciated the shift of narrators; it added an extra layer of flavor to the Earthsea world. I think it would have been predictable, and perhaps facile, had Ged been the narrator from the start. By alternating the story, I got to view the world from the perspective of a much darker character. I liked the way this was executed, even if it was a bit bewildering at first.

Earthsea Cycle
1. A Wizard of Earthsea - Four worthy stars
2. The Tombs of Atuan - A redeeming four stars
3. The Farthest Shore - A strong four stars

I could never have predicted that Le Guin's Earthsea series would be a book that takes the reader into a fantastic world from the very first lines and keeps them hooked, and it could be an extremely influential work. While reading, I constantly thought, "Why haven't I read this book until now?" I think it's a work that fans of fantasy literature should not miss.

The Earthsea series is truly a gem. Le Guin's vivid descriptions bring this magical world to life. The characters are complex and relatable, making the reader invested in their journeys. The storylines are filled with adventure, mystery, and themes of self-discovery and growth.

Whether you're a die-hard fantasy lover or just looking for a captivating read, the Earthsea series is well worth your time. It has the power to transport you to another world and leave a lasting impression. So don't hesitate, pick up a copy and embark on this wonderful literary adventure.

My review about the book: http://kitapokurum.blogspot.com/2018/...