OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For nearly six decades since launching her literary career in 1959, Ursula Le Guin (1929 - 2018) has been a prominent figure in American literature. During this time, she wrote a plethora of novels, short stories, and other works.

She was known as one of the greatest American writers of her generation. A legend in her lifetime, her works received intense critical attention, were translated worldwide, and she received numerous accolades and honours. Her influence on the field of speculative fiction and literature in general is enormous.

In "The Earthsea Quartet," which is the omnibus edition of the Earthsea Cycle collecting her four most famous fantasy books: "A Wizard of Earthsea," "The Tombs of Atuan," "The Farthest Shore," and "Tehanu," Le Guin creates her own fantasy world inspired by Native American legends and Norse mythology.

Each book takes us on a different adventure, filled with wizards, dragons, priestesses, and evil beings, as well as themes of magic and lore, power and balance, and darkness and light. It is a classic high fantasy series that has captivated readers for generations.

"A Wizard of Earthsea" introduces us to Ged, a wild child from the island of Gont who discovers his innate magical power and goes on a journey of self-discovery and adventure.

"The Tombs of Atuan" follows the story of Tenar, a young girl chosen to serve the Nameless Ones in the ancient and sacred Tombs of Atuan.

"The Farthest Shore" continues the adventure with Arren, the heir of the Principality of Morred, and the Archmage as they set out to find the cause of a strange blight spreading across Earthsea.

Finally, "Tehanu" brings us back to Tenar and Ged as they face new challenges and confront an evil wizard.

Overall, "The Earthsea Quartet" is a must-read for fans of fantasy literature. It is a testament to Ursula Le Guin's incredible imagination and storytelling skills.

The last book has finally been read. It was really good. Excellent. Le Guin's writing style is just wonderful and the stories have been told beautifully in such a way that one is constantly in the middle of some world turmoil, but still a little on the side of it. I liked the second and fourth parts the most. In itself, it's a pity that I didn't read these when I was young, when these were first recommended to me, but I believe that I got more out of them now.

Le Guin's works have a unique charm that can draw readers into a fictional world full of imagination and depth. The way she constructs the stories and characters makes it easy for readers to empathize and become fully immersed.

Although I missed the opportunity to read these books earlier, I am glad that I have now discovered their value. It just goes to show that good books can be enjoyed at any age and can offer different perspectives and insights depending on the reader's life experiences.

Overall, I highly recommend Le Guin's books to anyone who loves good literature and is looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

I really enjoyed reading these books. They had many interesting aspects and captivating stories.

However, at times, I did find that it was a bit less engaging compared to some other books I have read. There were moments when my attention started to wander, and I had to make an extra effort to stay focused.

But as I look back on it now, in hindsight, I realize that I actually like these books more than I did at some of the points when I was in the middle of reading them. Maybe it's because I have had more time to reflect on the overall experience and appreciate the unique qualities that these books possess.

It just goes to show that sometimes our initial impressions can change as we gain more perspective and understanding.

Tehanu was my absolute favourite.

I adored the way the characters were traced from their tender childhood all the way to their golden years of old age. It was truly captivating to see how the legends intertwined and became an integral part of their personal stories.

Her writing style was simply beautiful, with words flowing like a gentle river. The way she described the characters and their emotions made them come alive in my imagination.

Moreover, her observations about humanity were both depressing and amusing. She had a keen eye for the flaws and follies of human nature, yet she also managed to find moments of humor and hope within the chaos.

Overall, Tehanu was a remarkable book that left a lasting impression on me. It made me think deeply about life, love, and the power of storytelling.

I was not overly familiar with Le Guin or the Earthsea-series prior to delving into this book.

It was not until the latter half of the fourth book within it that I came to realize that I truly liked both the setting, the characters, and the stories.

Individually, perhaps I would not rate them all this highly. However, reading them together indeed enhanced the experience significantly.

The first book, "A Wizard of Earthsea", is almost like an origin story that one might anticipate seeing later in a series.

The subsequent three books all feature the wizard Ged in them, yet always as an older, mysterious figure.

Rarely is it his viewpoint that one follows, but rather someone who encounters him on their path or is taken away on an adventure by him.

Almost like Gandalf or Dumbledore. But the first book elucidates his backstory, and one witnesses him evolve from a young boy into a wizard.

So when reading the other stories, one knows all about the old wizard's mysteries. Which is somewhat unusual.

But it is the fourth book, "Tehanu", that will remain with you.

Le Guin has, through the first 3 series, explored diverse themes within the fantasy setting she has crafted.

All of them are, in some respects, about a society in flux, most likely mirroring her own perspective on how society should progress.

This was in her original trilogy of books. Many years later, in 1990, she revisits the world, and now her indignation over social injustice has assumed a new form, and she compels us to understand both Earthsea and our own world in a novel way.

While I'm certain some might prefer her to be more understated, I truly relished how she made me reevaluate the world she had created.

I would not recommend obtaining this particular edition of the work, though.

Not only does it contain only four books of what eventually became a six-book (?) series, but it is also poorly printed, evidently produced in a cost-effective manner.

I have not read the last novel or any of the short stories, but the edition that encompasses all of it is surely the one to acquire.

I first read the Earthsea Trilogy in my early twenties and was completely enamored with it.

Re-reading the first three books over thirty years after my initial encounter with Earthsea was an experience far better than I could have imagined. I was both captivated and charmed by the books, not only by the clarity and momentum of Le Guin's narrative but also by the richness and depth of her concise prose. I love The Lord of the Rings for its grandeur and genius as an epic, but in my opinion, the world and characters Le Guin created in her Earthsea books possess a depth and sense of reality that Tolkien never quite achieved with Middle Earth or its inhabitants. Moreover, she can convey in fifty pages what JRR Tolkien would require most of a book to express. This was the first series I read about a school for wizard training, and while another school may be more famous today, given the choice, I would definitely prefer my wizard training to occur on Roke. Rereading the first three books was a delight, and the writing, which I perhaps didn't appreciate as much then as I do now, was elegant and sublime.

This brings me to Tehanu, the final book in The Earthsea Quartet (as my 2012 reissued volume is titled). The writing is once again flawless, but this is not an epic fantasy like the first three adventures. Ged, the main character of the first three books, is largely absent, and the focus is on Tenar, whom we first met in The Tombs of Atuan. Tehanu, unlike its predecessors, has a mainly domestic setting and is concerned with the process we all must undergo of accepting and adapting to life and how our lives may ultimately unfold. Le Guin makes several points about gender inequality and the differences between male and female power. I felt that at times she was a bit heavy-handed in her treatment of these issues, and there were a few moments when I wanted to exclaim: yes, I already understood that. The Taoist philosophy of balance that binds the world of Earthsea is never as deliberately emphasized as these feminist issues are in Tehanu. However, Le Guin is an excellent writer, and whatever her reasons for writing Tehanu, perhaps she simply wanted to redress the balance and tidy up the rather male-centered world she created in the first three books. While I'm not entirely convinced that this book should have been marketed as the final part of a quartet (to avoid disappointing those expecting something completely different, perhaps it should have been presented as a separate Earthsea story? Just a thought!), it is still a very good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So, I have two more Earthsea books to go. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Tales from Earthsea (2001) and The Other Wind (2001) in the near future.

Epic fantasy is a genre that has the potential to be truly remarkable. In terms of ambition, scope, quality, and any other criterion you can think of, it can be comparable to the unbeatable LOTR. What I find particularly appealing about this particular work is the time span it covers. It is essentially a coming-of-age story, which is somewhat of a rarity in the fantasy genre.

You follow the journey of this wizard from his childhood all the way to old age, traversing the entire width and length of, of course, Earthsea. It is a great book and a true classic. It is not one of the countless run-of-the-mill works that flood the fantasy genre these days.

I haven't read it in a long time. From the first reading, I have progressed to what I would call the "Book 3" of my own lifecycle. So, I guess I will have to read it again soon to see if my perspective has changed. I don't doubt that it is still a great read. Maybe it's even better. Come to think of it, it probably is better. The first time I read it, I could only guess what it means to grow old (or mature?) and took it at face value. Now, in "Book 3," I have some understanding, for better or worse.

I would not recommend these books to anyone.

The dragons and wizards parts of the books are indeed well-written and imaginative. However, the archaic and reified gender roles are highly offensive.

I suspect that Le Guin was trying to convey a certain version of second-wave feminism. The idea that women are Freudian beings associated with the earth, caves, womb, and darkness, and that their place is in the home, not in school or civic life, is quite concerning.

In these books, the power of (heterosexual, fertile) women is described as being solely reproductive, while men's power lies in the public and civic sphere. Men go on adventures, while women stay home to tend to children and the men's property, and this relationship is presented as fulfilling for women.

Moreover, the recognition of women's power in these stories makes a man very exceptional and praiseworthy, while the recognition of men's power by women is expected and enforced. Women are punished when they fail to recognize a man's civic power, and men are praised to the stars if they deign to wash their own dish.

In yet another resurrection of Freud, men gain power from avoiding sexual relations with women (and also lose it if they do have sex with women).

I found these books quite tiresome and would especially not give them to children or anyone else who might mistake Le Guin's reification for the truth.

A classic, and even a gem of fantasy, touching and intelligent. It is also a great gateway to discover fantasy.

Firstly, there are dragons. Real dragons that fly and breathe fire, the embodiment of class.

In general, Le Guin's style really appealed to me. The descriptions of landscapes and characters are beautiful, sometimes terrifying and cruel, but always poetic.

Earthsea is not a "bam bam boom" book. Forget about action, we're not in epic fantasy, and that's not Le Guin's objective. Things do happen, of course, but there are no great wars or physical confrontations. I like this approach: a good fantasy story doesn't necessarily need to stage a conflict in which the protagonist has a role to play.

Don't expect dialogue on every page either. For each novel, the number of characters is quite limited, so there isn't necessarily a lot of dialogue. But when there is, it's of high quality! Some of Ged or Tenar's reflections really made me think, or brought a tear to my eye (I admit I cried several times).

The novels must be read in the order indicated by Le Guin, and I emphasize this point because, as the author indicates in her afterwords, it has happened several times since the publication of the last novel that editors promote them in various and completely crazy orders. When it's a chronological narrative! You have to read them in order to understand things!

As for the afterwords added at the end of each novel, boy were they interesting! Le Guin explains the reception of the books, the editorial and illustration difficulties, her scripting choices, and above all, she tackles the "political correctness" of the time regarding scenarios, stereotypical characters and illustrations, and the labels associated with the genre.

Now that I've read everything, I notice an obvious split between the first 3 books and the next 3. So I'll talk about two trilogies.

The first remains my favorite, perhaps out of nostalgia. The first time I read it, I fell in love with A Wizard of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore (whose conclusion is certainly positive but so terrible, I cried), which I think are the best coming-of-age stories I've read. I adore their protagonists. How can you not get attached to Ged or Arren?

In these two books, the sea and the islands play a preponderant role. Most of the story takes place on board a ship, the characters travel from one island to another, and I love it, as I love that!

I had more difficulty with The Tombs of Atuan. The desert has never been my thing, and I didn't get attached to Tenar. The story remains interesting, especially regarding the power relations between the characters, but it wasn't my favorite, and still isn't.

So ends the first trilogy. About fifteen years pass. Then comes a second trilogy. And there, the revelation: I admire Tenar.

It didn't work out between the young Tenar and me, but the Tenar we find after the events of The Farthest Shore, what a woman! She has matured a great deal, gained in experience. And she sees things very differently from Ged (who is not doing well at all, poor thing). And Tehanu, of course... how can I not think of Tehanu now when I think of Earthsea?

I find the second trilogy much darker and more down-to-earth than the first. There are many changes in Earthsea. We could generally qualify them as good, but at the individual level, it's a crisis for several characters! Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind (my number 3 favorite, yes I cried at the end) are there to make us think and to denounce injustices, nothing is hidden anymore, nothing is spared, and the power relations are called into question.

In short, to end this dissertation that could continue for a while longer, I'll say this: the first trilogy is a beautiful story and a beautiful journey on all levels (narrative, scenario, setting of the action), it's even comforting and full of hope. The second trilogy is darker, we can really feel the evolution of Le Guin and the world around her, but it's true, and it has to be said and written.

The pluses of this complete edition: the illustrations are nice, especially those of the dragons, and the short stories are great. The last one, "Firelight", made me cry one last time, but what a better way to end such a story?

Read it, then!!

If you've read everything, hats off and thank you ^^

Thank goodness there's no character limit on Goodreads!!

The first book I read received a rating of 2 stars. It had some interesting aspects, but overall, it didn't quite meet my expectations.

As for the other books, I unfortunately had to DNF (Did Not Finish) them. There could be several reasons for this. Maybe the plot wasn't engaging enough, or the writing style didn't resonate with me.

It's always a bit disappointing when you start a book with high hopes and end up not being able to finish it. However, I believe that every reading experience is valuable, even if it doesn't turn out as planned.

I will continue to explore different books and authors, hoping to find those hidden gems that will truly captivate me and leave a lasting impression.

In the end, it's all about the journey of discovery and the joy of finding that perfect book that speaks to your heart and soul.

DISCLAIMER: This is a review of Tehanu, the last book. I have already reviewed the others separately.

The intimacy that this book exudes is more faithful to the essence of Earthsea than any show of magic, fantasy, and hero's journey. It is its way of getting rid of the grandiloquence of the characters, bringing them down to their most earthly and domestic level, reflecting on women, society, the emotions that are shown and those that are hidden, which makes it so special.

I also think it is an absolute success that it is a direct continuation of the third book and fully connects with the second because it fixes the disappointment I had with The Farthest Shore and recovers the tone of The Tombs of Atuan. It is a delight to see how Le Guin treats the theme of the passage of time in the lives of the characters in such an organic way.

It leaves me with a good final taste to want to return to Earthsea when the time comes.