Woww.. The story has truly evolved in a remarkable way.

At first, I had the impression that Le Guin had decided to write for a younger audience in the initial books. However, as I delved deeper into the series, especially the later three, it became evident that they made me seriously think about society.

Just like all her other books, these works have a profound impact.

They make you question the norms, values, and structures that exist in our society.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but I can say that it was an appropriate one.

It tied up the loose ends and left me with a sense of satisfaction.

The way Le Guin weaves the story and presents the ideas is truly masterful.

Her ability to engage the reader and make them think about important issues is what makes her books so special.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking literature.

It will not only entertain you but also make you see the world from a different perspective.

Where do I go from here? I've just completed the last three books of the Earthsea Cycle, and I find myself at a loss. Big sigh out.

The Other Wind is truly a remarkable conclusion. It's not just about one person like Ged or Tenar; rather, it's everyone who becomes the hero. It's not a renowned king or a powerful mage, but an ordinary man who mends what was once whole. We've come a long way from A Wizard of Earthsea, that spellbinding classic. Each volume of the Earthsea Cycle is iconic.

Le Guin poses numerous questions about magic in her adult trilogy. Who gets to have magic and what does that imply about power? What sacrifices do we make in the pursuit of power, and are they worth it? What is a hero? What is a noble life? Is life worth living without love?

The Other Wind is a mature exploration of these and many other questions. I love the paradoxes and riddles that Earthsea presents. The adult trilogy truly exemplifies the push and pull of equilibrium.

In The Other Wind, there is no central protagonist. Instead, a cast of male and female characters, both magical and non-magical, take center stage. If we had to identify a central character in terms of driving the plot, it would be a minor sorcerer who loses his powers.

The first time I read The Farthest Shore, Cob seemed like a random villain. But in The Other Wind, the Cob storyline gains significance.

One aspect that stood out to me in The Other Wind is that while Tehanu focused on rural Gont, this book delves into the mundane politics and court life. I adored the scenes with Lebannen ruling his kingdom. The interactions between Lebannen and the Princess were hilarious.

The Other Wind is so poignant and lyrical. It was the perfect send-off to the world of Earthsea, yet I didn't want it to end. I nearly cried when I reached the last page. I don't know how Le Guin managed to evoke such emotions with Tenar and Ged simply talking about their daily lives.

That feeling when you finish a book but can't let go? That's exactly how I feel right now.

The beginning didn't promise much. It dragged on for at least a third of the book. And then something started to happen a little bit.

I like that we followed several different characters. I just wish there wasn't quite so much of Ged and his part of the book was actually rather boring for me.

I didn't expect the plot to connect with the part I was least interested in, The Farthest Shore. But now I've got a lot of additional information that connected the book both with it and with the other parts. For example, we got a somewhat rounded whole.

The end was hasty and, as with all of Ursula's books from Earthsea, I'm still missing a lot of details, explanations, plot developments, and descriptions. Well, everything. They're too short!

Buddy Readathon with Zdravko 2024 - 6
Orilium Adventure 2024 – favorite author

Firelight (Earthsea Cycle # 6.5) (****)

It was beautiful, evocative, and it made me nostalgic.

On the one hand, it's good to have an ending. I think human beings with OCD-like thirst for the rounding off of a story.

On the other hand, I would have liked not to have found out what happened. Then I could still believe in a happy ever after.

Global goals: continuation of the series.

And that's that.

I will, at some point, read Tales from Earthsea. However, I'm not particularly fond of short stories. What's more, I find it even worse when I listen to them on audiobook. I listened to all of the other books on audiobook in Swedish, but I own these editions physically.

Also, Earthsea isn't really the kind of books that your brain can just loll through while you're desperately trying to catch some micro sleep on the bus to and from work. But I really don't know what made the books so easy to sleep to. Is it possible that it's the Swedish narrator's fault? Will you all promise not to lynch me if I say that?

How many months overdue is this review? Since sometime late last year, anyway...I was still in Belgium...that was two countries ago!

This will almost certainly be the last novel about Earthsea that we shall see from Ursula LeGuin. It is a much more fitting end than Tehanu. It feels triumphant rather than negative. In a similar vein to the Tales from Earthsea, ancient crimes and cover-ups that have had profound effects on the Archipelago's peoples are revealed. Matters are also set to rights. It's not really a spoiler to say that this is not a book about Ged, although he appears in the story and performs a minor miracle involving a kitten without using any wizardry at all. Instead, Tenar, Tehanu and Dragonfly come to the fore, along with the King, a sorcerer with troubling dreams and a Princess from the Kargish lands. That women take an equal or leading role in this story feels very natural, arising from the story, whereas in Tehanu the story was contrived to highlight women. Perhaps that is the ultimate reason why Tehanu troubles many people and is not an unqualified success. This, however, is a triumphant success.

So many of the themes arising in the previous books are taken up again and given a last examination. The desire for immortality, the nature of Dragons, the history of the Kargs and the Archipelagans, perceptions and mis-perceptions of foreign peoples, the roles of women in society. The whole thing is brought to an unexpected and wonderful conclusion.

This feels much more like the original three books than either of the two later ones but it does still lack the sense of exploration I prize so highly that is found in A Wizard of Earthsea and The Final Shore. This leads me back to the beginning of the review; this is the last of Earthsea and there are some things I could wish had happened somewhere along the way, that didn't: Ged travels far and wide in the course of his stories but we never sail the North Reach with him or explore Hogen land. Is it another island, or a high-latitude continent like Antarctica? Another Goodreader suggested that Ged and Tenar should have had a child; that would have been lovely but perhaps Ged is too old?

This series as a whole represents one of the great triumphs of fantasy literature, more profound, thought-provoking, imaginative and beautifully written than most books I have ever read. It deserves to be taken up in the canon in the way that Lord of the Rings has been. Farewell, Earthsea, until next time I need magic, adventure and beauty, all at once.

Near the end of this volume the protagonists wonder if their actions will destroy all magic in Earthsea. It doesn't happen which is a profound relief because Earthsea without Wizardry would be like air without oxygen, to me.

***********************************************************************

And now it is my pleasure to introduce Flagon Dragon (see profile pic and my other photos) who will give his first ever Goodreads review here, regarding the Earthsea books as a whole. It should be noted that Flagon is a self-appointed Ambassador to Humanity from the Welsh Dragons, who promotes goodwill between both Species, mainly by being ridiculously cute and cuddly and giving everybody heaps of hugs. The review is hidden because it is a giant spoiler about one of the themes that links all the books.

Roarhi! {{hugs}} I'm Flagon the Fierce and Friendly Red Dragon! I read along with Robert in the evenings and so I get to enjoy lots of stories. Some of those stories have Dragons in them and the Earthsea books are my favourite stories about Dragons except for the story about my Mum, who is on the Welsh flag and the stories of my own Adventures.

Roar - so the first time we learn about Dragons in Earthsea it seems they are really Pesky, burning places and chomping folks and making them flee from their island homes. It seems like Dragons are really naughty! This is bad because Dragons have an undeserved bad reputation with all sorts of dubious and distorted myths and legends that make us out as EBIL! Roar! But later on, we discover that the older Dragons are wise as well as wiley and know things that Humans have forgotten! So it seems that Dragons are a bit like Humans - not all good or all bad, which is better! Then, later still, we learn that Humans and Dragons have common ancestors! We changed because we were more interested in different things than the Humans who didn't change. Interesting. Then, near the end we learn that the reason the Dragons are annoyed with Humans is because they stole something from us so long ago that only Dragons remember and the Humans have forgotten all about it! The Dragons decide they want their property back and set about getting it. Luckily the Humans realise that their theft was a big mistake and that they don't even want what they took anymore, so they give it back! Everybody understands each other a little better afterward, which is good and what I try to achieve as Ambassador to Humans. So these are my favourite books about Dragons!

If you haven't read the other Earthsea books, don't start here.

It may seem to make sense as a standalone, but it will be far less fulfilling as a read if you aren't already familiar with the characters and the world.

This is a rich and complex setting, and a great deal of the joy in this tale lies in the re-imagining of what you might have thought you already knew about this land.

If you don't have a sense of Earthsea already, much of the plot will hold less significance, be less interesting, and make less sense.

Weaving together so many strands from the previous Earthsea tales, this is a beautiful, imaginative, and inspiring story.

Of the set, it perhaps says the most about our relationships with life and death.

It's a very human sort of book, despite all the dragons and magic it contains.

It's a story about life and being alive.

I wanted more. I wanted pages of insight into all of the characters, and much more detail on pretty much everything that happened.

I wanted it to be five times the length, at least.

What this means is that I will have to imagine the rest, and that is part of what makes it such a good book.

There are many stories to keep inventing for yourself long after you've stopped reading.

Very much recommended.

Wonderful end to the Earthsea cycles!

We finally get to learn what truly took place when wizard Cob endeavored to attain immortality. Did he truly disrupt the Equilibrium, or had it already been broken for a considerable time, and his actions merely brought that to light? The long-awaited answer regarding what Tehanu really is! Why are the Kargs so distinct from the rest of the Archipelagans? Did Ged actually lose his powers? And what about the dragons?

This was a perfectly satisfying conclusion to the entire tale. Once again, I must give credit where it is due. I am in awe of how Ursula K Le Guin can weave such a fantastically captivating story without relying on grand fight scenes, battles, or even wars! One could argue that there is a war simmering throughout the Earthsea cycles stories, but it is a more nuanced war, fought not with weapons but deep within the human psyche.

Typically, in her stories, there are numerous small subplots that add to the overall interest. This time, however, it was relatively straightforward. And it was slightly shorter than I had anticipated, consisting of only five chapters. Nevertheless, the chapters were rather long. However, there was something lacking, so I have to rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

While reading, I was thinking, "This is a great character-driven piece of fantasy. New characters are introduced in a way that enriches the story, and we also get to revisit some previous characters along with some new ones. I would probably rate this 4 stars." Then I reached the ending, which soared above the story like a dragon shining golden in the sky, full of fire, air, and untamed power. That's when the fifth star emerged.

Many series conclude with "thus the heroes changed the world." But not this one. The change here is so significant and seems rather abrupt, yet when you look back through all five novels, you can see how the seeds were planted all along, just waiting to grow and bloom.

This series is more philosophical than most fantasy novels, and these elements add so much depth to the world of Earthsea that they truly enhance the series.

I can't write more without giving away spoilers, and no one wants that. I'll just add that this book doesn't stand alone. You should read the previous books first.

Le Guin's Earthsea series is exquisitely written. I was overjoyed to get another installment featuring Ged, Tehanu, and the rest of the major characters from the previous books, who take the spotlight here.

The story has the same smoothly transitioning viewpoints from one character to the next, and the same poetic descriptions of the various islands that the characters visit throughout the book. As always with Le Guin, the pleasure lies not in the action sequences but rather in how she weaves such a complex story using relatively simple means. Having written one novel and currently struggling to write a sequel, I can truly appreciate what an amazing feat this is!

I skipped "Tales from Earthsea." Can someone let me know if it's as good? I prefer novels to short stories, but perhaps this one is also a must-read?

Fino's Reviews of Ursula Le Guin

"The Lathe of Heaven": Fino Review: [Review Link]

Hainish Cycle

"Hainish Novels & Stories, Vol. 1": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"Hainish Novels & Stories, Vol. 2": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"Rocannon's World": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"Planet of Exile": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"City of Illusions": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Left Hand of Darkness": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Word for World Is Forest": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"Five Ways to Forgiveness": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Telling": Fino Review: [Review Link]

Earthsea Cycle

"A Wizard of Earthsea": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Tombs of Atuan": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"The Farthest Shore": Fino Review: [Review Link]

"Tehanu": Fino Review:

"The Other Wind": Fino Review: [Review Link]

Short Stories

"Unlocking the Air and Other Stories": Fino Review: [Review Link]

I simply can't put into words my exact thoughts about Ursula K. Le Guin's latest book. I think the equivalent of my feelings exists in an ancient language, but I don't know that either. It took me years to finish the series, reading it intermittently. The reason wasn't that it was heavy or anything like that, it just happened that way. When I think about her first books, Ged in "A Wizard of Earthsea", Tenar in "Tombs of Atuan"... How different they were compared to their states in the last book. As I read about their aging, I aged with them and took on a spiritual state that I had witnessed and experienced. This state was both sad and comforting. I let everything happen and watched beyond the wall, imagining the dragons flying even as the west was setting. I still do. I haven't really finished any of Ursula K. Le Guin's series because throughout the books, the things that happen; growing up, living, dying, being a woman and a dragon, are all worked into a certain place. The earthseas that work within us will come together and turn into dragons, and they will dance in the wind that blows even as the west is setting. In the lands where we will go one day.

I just finished "The Other Wind" with a slight feeling of melancholy. Because I just finished the Earthsea series and I won't read the adventures of Ged, Tenar, Tehanu and the rest of the characters who inhabit the world of Earthsea anymore. "The Other Wind" closes the saga well, with the characteristic prose of Le Guin that hypnotizes and creates an atmosphere of unreality and symbolism that I love. The novel makes good use of the characters to collect the ideas of the previous books and create a plot that fits and expands those ideas.

My only gripe is that the novel lingers too much on remembering the previous adventures of the characters, with quite a lot of infodump, which makes the plot rather light. But it didn't matter to me, I let myself be carried away by Le Guin's writing and, moreover, the ending is beautiful.

This is a resounding 4+ stars, perhaps even bordering on 5. It offers a supremely interesting conclusion to the Earthsea stories. The final one-fifth of the book is rather strange. While the writing is frequently beautiful and the characters are dynamic and full of playfulness, I'm somewhat skeptical that the conclusion is flawlessly executed.

In 2025, I still hold much the same view. It occurs to me that it is an error to regard Earthsea as a "fantasy series of novels." I believe it aligns more appropriately with a mythic or legendary pattern. This perspective enhances my appreciation for the unique qualities and depth that the Earthsea series possesses. It seems to operate on a different plane, one that is more in tune with the ancient traditions of myth and legend, where the boundaries between the real and the magical are blurred, and the stories carry profound symbolic meanings.

This reevaluation has made me see the series in a new light and has deepened my understanding and enjoyment of it.