There are all the elements of a great fantasy - magic, dragons, adventure, the world of the dead, the evil to fight against... but the rhythm is lacking. It is a story of reflection, with a beautiful and diverse world populated by very different peoples and this is perhaps the best aspect of the book. At the end, of fantasy there is the whole surrounding world, but it is as if something is missing in the story.

The magic in this story seems to be just a backdrop rather than a driving force. The dragons, although mentioned, don't really play a significant role in advancing the plot. The adventure feels a bit flat, lacking in excitement and tension. The world of the dead is an interesting concept, but it is not explored in enough depth.

The different peoples in the diverse world add an interesting layer to the story. Their unique cultures and traditions could have been developed further to make the world more vivid and engaging. However, without a strong narrative rhythm, the story fails to fully capture the reader's attention and keep them hooked from beginning to end.

The new book is not weaker than the previous two books. Ged is developed as a character - hero until the end... but something is missing. I often got bored while reading and didn't have the same desire to read as before. And now, after finishing my domestic task of resting from Earthsea, I am done.

Although the story of Ged has its own charm, it doesn't quite reach the level of the previous works. The development of the character is somewhat lacking in depth and excitement. There are moments when the plot seems to drag, making the reading experience not as engaging as expected.

However, it's not all bad. The world-building of Earthsea is still as enchanting as ever, and the author's writing style is still captivating. Maybe it's just that my expectations were too high, or perhaps I was in a different mood when reading this book.

In conclusion, while the new book has its flaws, it's still a worthwhile read for fans of the Earthsea series. It may not be the best in the series, but it still has its own unique qualities that make it值得一读.

The weakest of the original Earthsea trilogy is still a remarkable tale.

The contrasting perspectives of the two main characters offer orthogonal, yet equally valid, insights into society, life, and death.

This work leans more towards a thinking exploration rather than a traditional travel adventure.

It is a novel that I firmly believe should be on the reading list of every student of fantasy and those aspiring to write in this genre.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, both readers and critics are likely to have encountered it, making it an important reference point.

Secondly, this novel serves as a prime example of how to simultaneously explore different places, cultures, and ideas, providing valuable inspiration and guidance for budding fantasy writers.

Overall, despite being considered the weakest of the trilogy, it still holds significant value and is well worth a read.

I think it is one of the books that I liked the least, but in the end, one can develop an affection for it. It seemed heavier to me than the previous one. Although the idea of this book is to talk about purposes, goals, and the fear of death in a very metaphorical sense.

It has a bit of a flaw in following the idea of the hero's journey, but of a hero who understands his mistakes and tries to amend the evil that plagues all of Terramar. Although in this case, the perspective is through Arren, a young prince who turns out to be very selfish, but as he progresses, he begins to change.

I thought it was a good conclusion, and this ending could even be left for the saga. But there is still more of the adventures in Terramar to come.

The third installment of the Earthsea series stands out as one of the darkest. Here, we are introduced to Enlad, the third principal character, who embarks on a life-altering voyage with the first leading character, Archmage Ged, to the end of the Earth to combat a planetary plague. Just like in the previous two books, this trip is exquisitely described, being both an adventure and a journey of self-discovery. Ged and Enlad's odyssey allows the reader to explore the south and southwest regions of the Earthsea world, in contrast to the North and Center in the first book and the East in the second. As always, it's a pleasure to read. The final conflict is reminiscent of the scenes in Mordor in the final part of Lord of the Rings, with our heroes in a desolate situation. I believe it served as a significant inspiration for Leigh Bardugo's The Rift in her Grishaverse.

Le Guin delves into profound themes such as ambition and immortality. The exchanges between the protagonists vividly illustrate this. For example, when Ged speaks of the choices he made in his youth and the consequences that followed. And when he discusses the idea of a king and an Anti-King, highlighting how one man can have a巨大的 impact, whether for good or bad.

Overall, the Earthsea series offers a rich and engaging world, filled with complex characters and thought-provoking themes. It's a must-read for fans of fantasy literature.

In "En Uzak Sahil", it became the story that I liked the most compared to the other two books. I can't really call this a series because it seems like the little stories are chasing each other. And it's the same in terms of content. Ursula Le Guin doesn't have the intention to tell the story more excitingly. The sentences are very long. In fact, I think there are on average 4 - 5 commas in each sentence, and in some there are 8 - 9. I'm telling you to be patient with the translation.

Maybe I will repeat myself, but this book I read is 45 years old! So if we think about the atmosphere in 1972 (I can't think because I'm not even born yet for another 12 years), it must have been a great courage for the author to dare to create such a world, write it, and even have it published.

I don't know if I'm getting more and more used to Ursula Le Guin's style or if the story is becoming more interesting, but I'm looking forward to "Tehanu" with great anticipation.

Happy readings to everyone!

Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle reaches its conclusion with this third book in the original trilogy.

Ged and his young prince ward Arren embark on a journey, mainly traveling by boat, in pursuit of the reason why magic is losing its potency in the world.

As this unfolds, we witness a coming-of-age story for Arren. Additionally, since this story occurs decades after the last book, we encounter an older and wiser Ged.

I felt that the journey in Le Guin's narrative meandered somewhat, and at times, it lost the sense of impending thrill or dread, depending on the situation. However, the dragons are reintroduced, and an odd race of people is discovered near the end.

The story then ramps up to a satisfying conclusion, tying up loose ends and leaving the reader with a sense of closure. Overall, while not without its flaws, this final installment in the Earthsea Cycle offers a fitting end to the series.

This is my third attempt to review this book.

The first attempt reached only one sentence before I deleted it.

The second attempt didn't even reach one character before I gave up.

But now, I've thought of a way to approach it, so here goes. Wish me luck trying to do it justice.

Each of the first three Earthsea books is a coming of age story. In the first, Ged has to face and accept his own mortality to truly begin his adult life. In the second, Arha must choose between conforming to the narrow and worthless role forced on her or abandoning everything she's known to find her own way in life.

In The Farthest Shore, Arren goes on a spirit journey. It can be seen as similar to what men went through in shamanistic societies, taking drugs or fasting to experience hallucinations in a formal coming of age rite of passage. For Arren, the journey is real, though he's helped by a wizard (and helps Ged in turn). In doing so, he fulfills a prophecy, inherits a kingdom, and helps save Earthsea from destruction. These consequences of his journey are perhaps typical of epic fantasy, part of what makes it epic in the first place, but the cause of the threat is not. LeGuin returns to the subject of mortality raised in the first book and examines the desire for its opposite that lurks within humanity.

The story turns the plot of A Wizard of Earthsea inside out. There, Ged is manipulated by evil conspirators but only succumbs to their machinations because of his own pride. Here, Ged's pride leads him to rebuke a fellow wizard, who turns to evil in response and finds a way to become immortal, with grim consequences for all the people of Earthsea.

The theme is profound, and the telling of the tale is superb. For me, the most memorable scenes of any of the Earthsea books are to be found here: lost and dying on the open water, the Raft People, the horror of Dragons who have lost their speech, Orm Embar and Kalessin. (The Dragons in this book all have better names than Yevaud from the first book.)

When the final confrontation with Cob, the creator of the hole torn in the realm of the dead that allows one to go back into life (but is draining all vitality from Earthsea), eventually comes, his reactions are interesting. Pride and defiance come first, but an admission of pitiful remorse and of failing to undo the damage he's caused follow. It comes down to Ged to heal the rift and Arren to get their spirits back to their bodies. Ged's sacrifice pains me every time I read of it, and Arren, a boy when he first meets Ged, has become a man in perhaps the hardest way imaginable.

I have never been able to separate the first and third Earthsea books by much, but this time around, I feel that The Farthest Shore is the best of them all. Its message, fear of death is healthy but don't waste your life seeking immortality, is unmistakable. It occurs to me that the promise of immortality is a fundamental aspect of many religions - is LeGuin making a veiled assault on them? The answer to this question is to be found in The Other Wind, I think, and I will discuss it when I review that book.

The third part of the Terramar saga. Reading Le Guin is always a challenge.

On one hand, it's because of the kind of stories she constructs. Science fiction or fantasy, as is the case with "The Farthest Shore", are genres that require readers to be more predisposed to venture into an alternative world to the daily one. This also means that we have to incorporate concepts, places, names, and ideas that have little to do with daily life. Even more so in more classic books of the genre, like this one or those written by Tolkien, for example.

On the other hand, the author has a rather particular narrative style. It's not easy to follow the story if one is not paying enough attention. Le Guin narrates very well, is very poetic, and goes perfectly with the stories she tells, but it's true that she doesn't have a prose that can be followed with extreme ease. In other words, it's not an "easy" book to read.

In this third installment, the characters, Ged the Archmage and Prince Arren, must travel to the farthest shore of the archipelago because rumors and versions have begun to circulate that magic is coming to an end. The novel already starts with the presentation of the conflict: in the first pages, the two protagonists talk and account for the magical problem that is gestating in Terramar. From there, they embark on the journey to try to discover what is happening. The development of the novel is then the description of everything that happens to them from when the ship "Miralejos" sets sail until the ending, which puts a final point on what was the original trilogy of Terramar: started with "A Wizard of Earthsea", followed by "The Tombs of Atuan" and ended with this volume.

For readers of fantasy literature, Terramar is a world not to be missed. However, Le Guin as an author is also not to be missed, not only because of the quality of her style but also because of the deep themes she poses in her stories.

This story presents a rather familiar plot, which, unfortunately, fails to hold my interest as firmly as some other notable works, such as The Neverending Story. In the beginning, the book shows promise and manages to engage the reader. However, as the narrative progresses, it becomes highly inconsistent. There are certain parts that reach a commendable 4-star level, captivating the imagination and drawing the reader in. But then, just as suddenly, it plummets to a mediocre 2-star quality, leaving the reader feeling disengaged and uninterested. By the end, I found myself simply reading to get through the story rather than being fully invested in it.

Taking into account these fluctuations and attempting to balance and average them out, this book ultimately earns a score of 3.25 out of 5. It's a decent effort, but it lacks the consistency and staying power to truly stand out in the crowded field of literature.

There's a thoughtful gentleness in Le Guin's writing that makes this series feel as creative and original as a story about wizards and dragons can be.

The Farthest Shore is the third instalment of The Earthsea Cycle and arguably my favourite in this series of very good books so far. The young magician we once met as Ged is now the Archmage, and he embarks on a perilous journey across Earthsea with the young prince Arren. On a quest to find out why magic is fading from the world, they must confront a dark sorcerer who is threatening to destroy the balance between life and death.

There are strong philosophical undertones. Sticking to her promise of making this series one without any sort of grand war that similar fantasy series are usually centred around, The Farthest Shore is smaller in scale but by no means less ambitious. The prose is beautiful, too carefully put together to feel anything but intentional, and everything is built on a foundation of deep thinking. It's clear that Le Guin was concerned with questions of what life and mortality mean when writing this, and the reader gets the joy of being conveyed some life-affirming and also melancholic thoughts.

It's great seeing young Ged grow up. The little boy we once met is now a fully grown man and takes on a completely different role. Suddenly the aged and more experienced one, he's the person Arren looks up to and is guided by. There's a sentimentality in this relationship that mirrors real life: we all watch our loved ones grow older and wiser, at one point sharing their lessons with a new generation. It's the cycle of life that comes with a bittersweet feeling, which is very thematic in this novel: after all, the more we grow, the closer we get to the end of it all.

The beauty of nature is also celebrated. I also loved the role of dragons in this. They're presented to us as magnificent creatures, both dangerous and utterly natural. They're part of the same world we are, and to see them is one of life's great humbling moments. The appreciation the characters have for witnessing a moment like this is comparable to us seeing a beautiful sunset or some other natural wonder: it might make us feel mortal and aware that our time on this planet is limited, as we're only part of a wondrous whole, but it's also the most precious reminder that life indeed matters. There's so much to be grateful for.

To bylo tak krásný! It was so beautiful! The ending of the series was excellent, and I have the urge to start reading it again right away.

Posloucháno jako audiokniha, It was listened to as an audiobook. Tympanum processed it very well, with the music included. The sound quality was great, and it really enhanced the overall experience of listening to the story.

The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and making the story engaging. I found myself completely immersed in the world of the book.

Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a good story. It's a great way to relax and enjoy a wonderful piece of literature.