Fantasy

The Books of Earthsea

The Books of Earthsea

  • Downloads：6282
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-30 08:50:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ursula K. Le Guin
  • ISBN：1481465589
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the timeless and beloved A Wizard of Earthsea—“…reads like the retelling of a tale first told centuries ago” （David Mitchell）—comes this complete omnibus edition of the entire Earthsea chronicles， including over fifty illustrations illuminating Le Guin’s vision of her classic saga。

Ursula K。 Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most acclaimed and awarded works in literature—they have received prestigious accolades such as the National Book Award， a Newbery Honor， the Nebula Award， and many more honors， commemorating their enduring place in the hearts and minds of readers and the literary world alike。

Now for the first time ever， they’re all together in one volume—including the early short stories， Le Guin’s “Earthsea Revisioned” Oxford lecture， and a new Earthsea story， never before printed。

With a new introduction by Le Guin herself， this essential edition will also include fifty illustrations by renowned artist Charles Vess， specially commissioned and selected by Le Guin， to bring her refined vision of Earthsea and its people to life in a totally new way。

Contents:
Introduction
“Earthsea Revisioned” （a retrospective essay by the author）
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Tombs of Atuan
The Farthest Shore
Tehanu
Tales from Earthsea
The Other Wind
“The Word of Unbinding”
“The Rule of Names”
“The Daughter of Odren” （never before published in print）
"Firelight" （never before collected with other Earthsea stories; originally published in Paris Review Summer 2018）

With stories as perennial and universally beloved as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings—but also unlike anything but themselves—this edition is perfect for those new to the world of Earthsea， as well as those who are well-acquainted with its enchanting magic: to know Earthsea is to love it。

Download

Reviews

Emilka ，

Takie 3，5， pojedyncze tomy były okej ale dla mnie to wszystko potem było takie chaotyczne

Chris ，

These books were favorites of mine as a child。 It is amazing to have them collected with an intro and afterward from the author， as well as illustrations she approved of。

David Heany ，

The most immersive fantasy I've read yet， off the beaten track， relatable and emotionally mature。 It spends less time on sword-crossing and more on wisdom， repercussion and empathy。 The stories may start slowly， but the incredible pacing soon takes you to a profound and powerful ending， leaving you reeling with philosophical questions while reaching for the next book。The cover and artworks are gems， helping envision the rural-esque settings and majestic creatures。 The most immersive fantasy I've read yet， off the beaten track， relatable and emotionally mature。 It spends less time on sword-crossing and more on wisdom， repercussion and empathy。 The stories may start slowly， but the incredible pacing soon takes you to a profound and powerful ending， leaving you reeling with philosophical questions while reaching for the next book。The cover and artworks are gems， helping envision the rural-esque settings and majestic creatures。 。。。more

Daniel Prior ，

A wonderful fantasy series for any reader， this is probably the best way to read all the books as it includes thought-provoking afterwords from Le Guin。

Muyu ，

@2017-08-07 08:31:19

Kinga ，

I thought I would never reach the end， this was such a looooong journey。Sadly even with all these stories and so many characters， it didn’t leave a remarkable or lasting impression on me as I thought it would at the beginning。 Besides the second book none of the others impressed me really; I mean they were interesting， but that’s about all I can say。 And when I’ve read comparisons to The Lord of the Rings in the Afterwords… yeah sure。I liked this world （who doesn’t like dragons） but I don’t thin I thought I would never reach the end， this was such a looooong journey。Sadly even with all these stories and so many characters， it didn’t leave a remarkable or lasting impression on me as I thought it would at the beginning。 Besides the second book none of the others impressed me really; I mean they were interesting， but that’s about all I can say。 And when I’ve read comparisons to The Lord of the Rings in the Afterwords… yeah sure。I liked this world （who doesn’t like dragons） but I don’t think I’ll feel too nostalgic thinking back about it in the future。 。。。more

Ben Yaxley ，

The Earthsea books I realise， are primarily about 'creative burnout'。 The sheer amount of times the young archmage overextends himself and has to spend 2 weeks lying on some village elder's couch is unparalleled in any other y/a fantasy series The Earthsea books I realise， are primarily about 'creative burnout'。 The sheer amount of times the young archmage overextends himself and has to spend 2 weeks lying on some village elder's couch is unparalleled in any other y/a fantasy series 。。。more

Anne Bassman ，

This is a great but somewhat convoluted series。

Rafał ，

I really wanted to love this saga with the following it has and reviews it received， however I couldn’t get into it （which is reflected by my gruesome 9 month read time）。 I once saw a similar opinion to the one i was forming that it reads more like a mythology than a fantasy book and I think that is what turned me off。 Despite my opinion I’d still recommend it with a warning that if after first 100 pages you don’t like the writing style， just drop it。

Amy Rijk ，

I remember going to a video rental shop。 It was around the time the Lord of the Rings movies were populair and my mother and I would rent a bunch of dvds every month or so to watch。 We were both big on fantasy so there was always at least one fantasy movie or show in our pile。 Yes， my first glimpse into the world of Earthsea was through the awful miniseries。 I think I was aware they were books， and after the fact I heard the show wasn't very good， but I hardly knew anything going in。 Earthsea ha I remember going to a video rental shop。 It was around the time the Lord of the Rings movies were populair and my mother and I would rent a bunch of dvds every month or so to watch。 We were both big on fantasy so there was always at least one fantasy movie or show in our pile。 Yes， my first glimpse into the world of Earthsea was through the awful miniseries。 I think I was aware they were books， and after the fact I heard the show wasn't very good， but I hardly knew anything going in。 Earthsea had wizards， dragons and a bit of sailing to boot so that was more than enough for me。 Safe to say I did not get the miniseries at all。 It was messy， strange and I think I gave up around halfway through。 Cut to years and years later where this hardcover edition is released and to a few years later when I got my hands on it， finally。 I loved it。 Earthsea is a beautiful world with worldbuilding and characters I would very much like to aspire to write on the same level， even if I only write for the entertainment of a few friends。 The world and characters feel alive。 They make mistakes， grow - and especially grow old - and the writing is beautiful。 It's almost strange to see a book this age with so much representation for skin color and gender， having mostly read fantasy in the vein of Lord of the Rings or Narnia and their many many imitations。 Gender was a big theme in this for me， it dealt a lot with genderroles and especially societal genderroles - the habits and patterns we learn because "that's simply the way things are （done around here）"。It's hard for me to really formulate my thoughts， and I feel like I missed a lot of them， but I hope I wrote down enough to remember this book by in a few years。 I doubt I will forget it， but I would love to return to the world once again later in life and have an idea where to start， if not from the start。My updates as I was reading:A Wizard of Earthsea - 4 stars rounded up。 Took some effort every time I started reading to get back into it。 The Introduction and Afterword give a lot of interesting context。 It's a good book and while it does fall into traditional fantasy types like women not doing much， it also is very different from stories like LotR。 I loved the late addition of Yarrow。 Curious how the next books progress。Tombs of Atuan - 4。5 stars to 5 stars。 This one just fit me better。 I got into it much easier。 The shorter chapters also helped。 I really like the main character for this。 The writing has a kind of gentleness or openness to it sometimes that really inspires me and there's a lot of great sentences/quotes to be found in this one。 Again， the afterword is great。The Farthest Shore - 4 stars， rounded down - some Arthurian themes and a lot of loss， greed， life and death。 I liked it a lot， but couldn't quite find my footing。Tehanu - 4。5 to 5 stars - this one was about （lost） potential， surviving abuse， genderroles and change。 Really enjoyed it。 Lots of good long passages to quote。The finder - 4， very good but pretty dark and heavy。Darkrose and Diamond - 5， bit more classic。 Reminded me of a few D&D characters in our campaign。 Fun， one of my favourites。Bones of the earth - 5， loved reading more about him。On the high marsh - 5， came out of nowhere and surprised me。 One of my favourites。Dragonfly - 5， strong message and execution。 Looking forward to the next book in part because of it。The Other Wind - hard to rate but between 4 and 5 stars， shifting。 It's a great ending of people coming together， new characters popping up and closure。 About breaking and healing。 About letting go。 And a love that runs through this entire series。 It was great to see my favourites and also be introduced to new ones to join their ranks in this last book。A description of Earthsea - skipped through this one a bit。 Mostly lore， and good lore， but I would rather sit down and read this in full another moment。 A few of the parts did catch my eye though and I read those。The Word of Unbinding & The Rule of Names - no rating， just little short stories that seem to be more about figuring out the world and its rules。 Fun enough but didn't really stand out。 Rule of Names had a nice little twist in it。Daughter of Odren - nice atmosphere， liked the storytelling in this one。Firelight - a nice little extra， but it didn't quite hit me as much as I expected。 Could personally have gone without but still happy to have read it。Earthsea Revisioned - interesting to read in the context of the book。 Glad it was included。In the end my favourite is Tehanu。 I also tend to like a lot of the short stories。 。。。more

MademoiselleJay ，

Ho letto solo il primo libro e ho deciso di fermarmi。 L'idea mi piace e sicuramente il libro è scritto bene ma è troppo descrittivo e con pochi dialoghi per i miei gusti e in alcuni punti ho trovato la narrazione lente。 Avrei preferito che alcune cose fossero approfondite meglio。 Ma il fatto principale è che Ged proprio non mi piace， mi è stato antipatico fin dall'inizio e quindi non essendo riuscita a entrare in sintonia col personaggio non sono poi curiosa di continuare il libro。 Inoltre se no Ho letto solo il primo libro e ho deciso di fermarmi。 L'idea mi piace e sicuramente il libro è scritto bene ma è troppo descrittivo e con pochi dialoghi per i miei gusti e in alcuni punti ho trovato la narrazione lente。 Avrei preferito che alcune cose fossero approfondite meglio。 Ma il fatto principale è che Ged proprio non mi piace， mi è stato antipatico fin dall'inizio e quindi non essendo riuscita a entrare in sintonia col personaggio non sono poi curiosa di continuare il libro。 Inoltre se non fosse che ci vengono rivelate alcuni particolari di accadimenti nei prossimi libri che nemmeno il protagonista conosce potrebbe benissimo trattarsi di un libro singolo。 。。。more

Freja ，

5 ⭐️: meget unikke bøger， det er også interessant at læse forfatterens kommentarer på fantasy generelt。 I fremtiden satser jeg på at læse endnu flere af hendes bøger🙏 Denne bog er en sammenfatning af flere bøger og short stories， hvilket er meget smart📚

Kathryn ，

Back when I was a teenager， I first read the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 In later years， I read the other Earthsea books， but so long ago that the memory was misty。 With this marvelous volume， I was able to read all of the Earthsea books and short stories at once， and it was as magical and as revolutionary as I remembered。Earthsea is a land of islands; in times past the largest central island， Havnor， was where the King had his seat， but as the books open there has not been a King in Back when I was a teenager， I first read the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 In later years， I read the other Earthsea books， but so long ago that the memory was misty。 With this marvelous volume， I was able to read all of the Earthsea books and short stories at once， and it was as magical and as revolutionary as I remembered。Earthsea is a land of islands; in times past the largest central island， Havnor， was where the King had his seat， but as the books open there has not been a King in several hundred years。 A central character throughout the books is the Wizard Ged， who rose from being a humble goatherder on the island of Gont to being a proud student at the School on the Wizards’s Isle of Roke who makes a horrid mistake by opening the door between death and life on a dare， and who then must correct his mistake。 Another major character is Tenar， who was raised in the Kargad lands as the reincarnation of the eternal Priestess of the Nameless Ones; she appears in the second book， and remains central to the stories。 In these books of Earthsea are also dragons， great evil， and great good。What was （and is） revolutionary about Earthsea is that most of the peoples of Earthsea are people of color （the Kargads are white）。 Also， the early stories about Earthsea note that the School for Wizards was founded by both men and women; it was only later that it was decreed that only men could be at the School， that Wizards would be celibate men， and that women could only be village witches。 The later books challenge this viewpoint。This volume was published in 2018， on the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of the first book in the series， and I am thrilled to have this book in my collection。 。。。more

Nicola ，

3。5？ Ci devo pensare。 Alcuni volumi sono molto belli e avvincenti， altri， al contrario， sono estremamente lenti， noiosi e finiscono in maniera affrettata o sconclusionata。 Ho avuto l'impressione di aspettare per pagine e pagine lo scioglimento della vicenda per poi arrivare alle ultime pagine in cui si risolve tutto in quattro e quattr'otto o non si risolve proprio。Nulla da dire sullo stile di Le Guin， superbo， impreziosito da frasi ad effetto che assomigliano ad aforismi che pesano come macigni 3。5？ Ci devo pensare。 Alcuni volumi sono molto belli e avvincenti， altri， al contrario， sono estremamente lenti， noiosi e finiscono in maniera affrettata o sconclusionata。 Ho avuto l'impressione di aspettare per pagine e pagine lo scioglimento della vicenda per poi arrivare alle ultime pagine in cui si risolve tutto in quattro e quattr'otto o non si risolve proprio。Nulla da dire sullo stile di Le Guin， superbo， impreziosito da frasi ad effetto che assomigliano ad aforismi che pesano come macigni。 。。。more

Rodolfo Santullo ，

Hoy hago trampa otra vez porque en vez de elegir sólo un libro de un autor （autora， en este caso） me aprovecho que en algún punto se editaron los tres juntos así que hago de cuenta que esa edición es la que tengo （que no， no lo es） y es la que incluyo。 Es mi juego y si no te gusta me llevo la pelota， que también。 ¿Qué decir de la obra de la inmensa Ursula K。 Le Guin？ Un verdadero caudal de ciencia ficción y fantasía， pero también humanismo， identidad y existencialismo， sus cuentos y novelas se i Hoy hago trampa otra vez porque en vez de elegir sólo un libro de un autor （autora， en este caso） me aprovecho que en algún punto se editaron los tres juntos así que hago de cuenta que esa edición es la que tengo （que no， no lo es） y es la que incluyo。 Es mi juego y si no te gusta me llevo la pelota， que también。 ¿Qué decir de la obra de la inmensa Ursula K。 Le Guin？ Un verdadero caudal de ciencia ficción y fantasía， pero también humanismo， identidad y existencialismo， sus cuentos y novelas se incluyen casi que en su totalidad dentro de lo mejor publicado en el género y muchas veces dentro de esa entelequia tan esquiva que viene siendo la “literatura a secas”。 Mi elección dentro de su obra deviene una vez más， cuando no， heredada de mi hermana Laura （en este caso， literal， ya que los tres ejemplares en mi poder son los que eran de ella） y es en ellos que se nos cuenta la historia de Ged， un mago， y su recorrido durante su vida， entendiendo Un mago de Terramar su inicio y aprendizaje （Leguin se adelanta no menos de 40 años a cualquier escuela de magia， hechizos， consecuencias y demás）; Las tumbas de Atuan （mi favorito） su consagración y madurez -aunque aquí Ged juegue de secundario y el protagonismo recaiga en Arha， una sacerdotisa- y por último La costa más lejana， acaso su última aventura。 En los tres libros -y luego en algunas continuaciones que， me temo， lejos están de estar a este nivel- Le Guin desarrolla un mundo mágico que sabe ser a su vez bastante sombrío， habitado por dragones， espectros， talismanes y poderes （cómo reza en la contratapa de mis Minotauro） donde las batallas son a todo o nada y efectivamente así se sienten， pero donde además se construyen personajes inmensos， queribles y reconocibles。 Porque Le Guin reinventa el género fantástico apropiándose de todas sus pautas y transformándolas en algo nuevo， algo que le sirve puntualmente para contar aquello que le interesa， donde más allá de la magia lo que importa es tener un nombre， un nombre que te define sí， pero también te permite expresar quien sos。 Cómo dice Barbara J。 Bucknall desde las mismas contratapas: “。。。el mensaje filosófico está perfectamente expresado en metáforas poéticas que no necesitan ser reconocidas cómo metáforas sino aceptadas simplemente cómo partes de una historia fascinante”。 No puede expresarse mejor。 。。。more

Le Chat Noir ，

Introduction: I would say it’s better to read this after finishing the series as it reads a bit like a spoiler。 It offers interesting insights to LeGuin’s journey to writing the series， and her struggle to get the cover to represent the actual characters， and the illustrations to mimic what she envisioned herself。 While pegged as a YA， LeGuin acknowledges that， in her later books especially， she steered away from a limited age range and simply told her story。A Wizard of Earthsea: Ged learns magi Introduction: I would say it’s better to read this after finishing the series as it reads a bit like a spoiler。 It offers interesting insights to LeGuin’s journey to writing the series， and her struggle to get the cover to represent the actual characters， and the illustrations to mimic what she envisioned herself。 While pegged as a YA， LeGuin acknowledges that， in her later books especially， she steered away from a limited age range and simply told her story。A Wizard of Earthsea: Ged learns magic （first from a village witch， later a wizard and a school）。 He also finds himself by facing a great evil。 In the afterword， LeGuin mentions how this book was unique at the time of it’s being published， not only due to it’s diversity， but the way in which conflict was presented （and resolved） in the story。 The illustrations were okay， nothing noteworthy。 ★★★½ The Tombs of Atuan: Tenar when she is still a child and Arha， the Eaten One， once she is taken。 A child raised in darkness to serve ancient beings， a Labyrinth， Ged and an ancient ring。 Penthe’s story involving the goat made me chuckle。 The story of Ensar and Anthil， in contrast， is heartbreaking。 From the afterword: “Most novels about falling in love don’t tell about the marriage， and most novels about growing up don’t tell about the grown-up。” Endemic trilogitis and incurable seriesism still plague literature today， not to mention unending retellings。 Again， the images didn’t add anything significant although， I am always partial to a map， so I did enjoy the drawings of the land in the beginning。 ★★★½The Farthest Shore: This was very meandering and directionless， unfortunately， there wasn’t much to hold interest。 I also find it jarring how quickly conflict is resolved， or characters die but， that could be a product of it’s time。 Arren （Lebannen） was not really fleshed out， he is going on the princes journey of self discovery， however， it was hard to see how he overcame certain things。 The internal struggle didn’t seem very authentic， the mood swings did though。 I am curious to see what will happen next with Ged， given how the book ends。 “I learn by going where I have to go”I feel like sometimes authors could benefit from having a plot outline。 ★★½Tehanu: My favourite so far。 Definitely gritter in tone， with more bloodshed and more sinister topics。 This feels more like a fantasy than the others。 Ged has lost his magic， Tenar is a widowed wife of a farmer who adopts a terribly deformed girl。 Lebannen is soon crowned as King， and an ancient evil still lurks with those willing to house it。The story centres around Therru （Tehanu）， a young child found raped， beaten and partially burnt。 She had been with a small band of travellers consisting of her equally abused mother， her father and a young man。 Tenar adopts her and tires to protect her from those who wish her harm， and from her own internalized trauma。 Yet， the story is so much more than just that。 The mystery is no mystery at all， the only ones surprised at the reveal are the characters in the book。While I’m not much for sappy romance， there is a romance that blossoms here that is so quietly reflective and precious， that it’s hard not to be affected by it。 Especially， given how gender roles are usually portrayed when it comes to love and sex。“What cannot be mended must be transcended”In the afterword， LeGuin states that this book was written 18 years after “The Farthest Shore” and it shows， in the best possible way。 ★★★★Tales from Earthsea:The Finder: Otter and the formation of the school of Roke island during a time of great tyranny。 An interesting look at the foundation that built the magic school， especially considering some of it’s later restriction。Darkrose and Diamond: A cute， quick romantic story。 If you had to pick between your passion and your additional talents， which would you choose？ Further reflections on the treatment and social standings of witches vs。 wizards。The Bones of the Earth: Interesting and bittersweet。On the High Marsh: A story for when Ged was Archmage。 An exploration of power， talent， greed and redemption。 Pushing limits and recognizing folly once you’ve gone too far。Dragonfly: I had envisioned a different ending， but I like the one here。 Tying into the previous books without fully resolving one of the main conflicts。 Overall Score: ★★★½The Other Wind: A sorcerer is plagued by dreams of the dead。 Lebannen faces dragons and a veiled princess。 Teharu makes the final choice and a broken promise and theft is undone。 This is not how I expected the Patterners prophecy to be concluded。 An interesting end to the series， nevertheless。 ★★★½Extras:A Description of Earthsea: Exactly as it says， a history of various parts of the lore。 I was most interested in when and why the school of Roke decided to ban women。 The answer was exactly as expected。The Word of Unbinding: An odd little story， fighting death。The Rule of Names: Dragons like treasures。 All is not what it seems。The Daughter of Odren: Revenge， seen in two parts。Fightlight: Aww。。。it had to happen sometime。Earthsea Revisioned: An interesting commentary。 Overall Score: 3。5（rounded up）/5 。 。。。more

Riel ，

To było bardzo długie czytanie， ponad roczne， z licznymi przerwami （kilkumiesięcznymi nawet）。 Niesamowita przygoda， rewelacyjny świat i bohaterowie。 Żałuję tylko， że przyszło mi poznać Geda po śmierci autorki。

Anne （ReadEatGameRepeat） ，

Feeling very mixed about all these books。 I will say this collected edition is great， the illustrations are beautiful - that being said the stories inside are。。。inconsistent？ I think overall they were ok - like maybe the hype for Le Guin ruined the stories for me but overall I'm just dissapointed in them。 The strongest two were for sure tombs of Atuan and Tehanu （both would probably get 4 starts if I rated them individually）， honestly the rest are。。。。。kind of mediocre？ somewhere between 2 or 3 s Feeling very mixed about all these books。 I will say this collected edition is great， the illustrations are beautiful - that being said the stories inside are。。。inconsistent？ I think overall they were ok - like maybe the hype for Le Guin ruined the stories for me but overall I'm just dissapointed in them。 The strongest two were for sure tombs of Atuan and Tehanu （both would probably get 4 starts if I rated them individually）， honestly the rest are。。。。。kind of mediocre？ somewhere between 2 or 3 stars？ like they aren't bad stories， I think anyone who would pick thse up would not have a bad time。。。 and that's what I had。。。。not a bad time for the most part， but honestly if someone asked me for some fun YA books to read I would not point at Earthsea。 。。。more

Carla Senoner ，

best book ever

Brett Francis ，

What a joy it was to re-read this as an adult， and to finally finish the story in its entirety。 An absolute must have for any fan of LeGuin。 I think Earthsea will remain my favorite fantasy world and I am so thankful for all that it taught me over all these years。

zeyno ，

“I knew almost nothing about them， but I knew their names。 In the name is the magic。” 9“The notion that fantasy is only for the immature rises from an obstinate misunderstanding of both maturity and the imagination。” 16“From that time forth he believed that the wise man is one who never sets himself apart from other living things， whether they have speech or not， and in later years he strove long to learn what can be learned， in silence， from the eyes of animals， the flight of birds， the great s “I knew almost nothing about them， but I knew their names。 In the name is the magic。” 9“The notion that fantasy is only for the immature rises from an obstinate misunderstanding of both maturity and the imagination。” 16“From that time forth he believed that the wise man is one who never sets himself apart from other living things， whether they have speech or not， and in later years he strove long to learn what can be learned， in silence， from the eyes of animals， the flight of birds， the great slow gestures of trees。” 124“And no one knows how many of the dolphins that leap in the waters of the Inmost Sea were men once， wise men， who forgot their wisdom and their name in the joy of the restless sea。” 179“War as a moral metaphor is limited， limiting， and dangerous。 By reducing the choices of action to “a war against” whatever-it-is， you divide the world into Me or Us （good） and Them or It （bad） and reduce the ethical complexity and moral richness of our life to Yes/No， On/Off。 This is puerile， misleading， and degrading。 In stories， it evades any solution but violence and offers the reader mere infantile reassurance。 All too often the heroes of such fantasies behave exactly as the villains do， acting with mindless violence， but the hero is on the “right” side and therefore will win。 Right makes might。Or does might make right？If war is the only game going， yes。 Might makes right。 Which is why I don’t play war games。To be the man he can be， Ged has to find out who and what his real enemy is。 He has to find out what it means to be himself。 That requires not a war but a search and a discovery。 The search takes him through mortal danger， loss， and suffering。 The discovery brings him victory， the kind of victory that isn’t the end of a battle but the beginning of a life。” 258-259“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 toward the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it。” 446“To be one’s self is a rare thing and a great one。” 645“She thought about how it was to have been a woman in the prime of life， with children and a man， and then to lose all that， becoming old and a widow， powerless。 But even so she did not feel she understood his shame， his agony of humiliation。 Perhaps only a man could feel so。 A woman got used to shame。” 840“But she had begun to see what their attempt to do him honor would do to him—denying his loss， denying him his grief for what he had lost， forcing him to act the part of what he was no longer。” 848“You have scars， ugly scars， because an ugly， evil thing was done to you。 People see the scars。 But they see you， too， and you aren’t the scars。 You aren’t ugly。 You aren’t evil。 You are Therru， and beautiful。 You are Therru who can work， and walk， and run， and dance， beautifully， in a red dress。” 925-926“。。。 little by little， till she could begin to look back on it as something that had happened， not something that was happening， that must always be happening to her。” 958-959“She obeys me， but only because she wants to。”“It’s the only justification for obedience。” 965“What cannot be mended must be transcended。” 1015“things change:authors and wizards are not always to be trusted:nobody can explain a dragon。” 1028“The spells were gone， but the people in the tower did not know it， working on under the greater spell of hopelessness。” 1077“He was like an animal himself， a silent， damaged creature that needed protection but couldn’t ask for it。” 1243 。。。more

Zach ，

mostly， this particular edition just looks very nice on my shelf。 contains the 4 main books from Earthsea。

Matthew ，

I’m so， so， sorry， Rick Riordan。 I have a new favorite fantasy author and series。By this point， I have made several reviews of some of the prior installments of the Earthsea series。 This is the omnibus edition， the one I received last Christmas。 It contains every piece of Earthsea story Ursula K。 Le Guin ever wrote， from the pre-A Wizard of Earthsea short stories The Word of Unbinding and The Rule of Names to Le Guin’s final two entries in the world， The Daughter of Odren， written exclusively fo I’m so， so， sorry， Rick Riordan。 I have a new favorite fantasy author and series。By this point， I have made several reviews of some of the prior installments of the Earthsea series。 This is the omnibus edition， the one I received last Christmas。 It contains every piece of Earthsea story Ursula K。 Le Guin ever wrote， from the pre-A Wizard of Earthsea short stories The Word of Unbinding and The Rule of Names to Le Guin’s final two entries in the world， The Daughter of Odren， written exclusively for this omnibus， and the posthumously published Firelight。 It also includes Le Guin’s retrospective commentaries at the ends of her sextet of novels， and her “A Description of Earthsea” and “Earthsea Revisioned” essay and lecture， respectively。I therefore have consumed much about this world in a short span of time， a little over two years with much of it crammed into 2021， and I can therefore say that this fantasy is beautiful， the way it tugs at the heartstrings， the way it calls forth our senses of awe。 There are so many moments that are simply profound， and speak to the human condition， to the nature of power， to the mysteries of life and death， to not only ask if to life forever is a good thing， but if to want to do so is a good thing。 It also speaks to issues that， as a cisgender， heterosexual man， I have no personal experience with。 Le Guin got a lot of flak for the alternate perspective she took in the fourth novel， the decidedly child-unfriendly Tehanu， but without it， Earthsea would ring hollow， and the series would not have withstood the test of time。 There are also far fewer continuity errors in the later installments than I thought there would be from my English professor’s remarks。 Retcons （in the strictest sense of the term）， certainly， but the only outright contradiction I found was （view spoiler）[Ogion’s true name between Tehanu and the short story The Bones of the Earth from Tales from Earthsea on one end and Firelight on the other （hide spoiler）]。But that notwithstanding， Earthsea is simply magical， in both senses of the word。 Parts may be an acquired taste， due to the age of some and Le Guin developing her own style as she matured as a writer， but the series as whole remains criminally underrated and little-known outside its genres; the professional reviewers who put Le Guin as a pillar of fantasy alongside Tolkien and C。 S。 Lewis are not being hyperbolic。 。。。more

Rick ，

Marvelous from start to finish。

Matias ，

Dificil puntuar un libro que recopila toda una obra de una autora con más de treinta años de diferencia entre la el primero y el último de los cuentos que la componen。 Debo decir que hubo momentos donde logró atraparme el mundo que plantea y la vida que hay alrededor del mismo， pero en otros llegaba a hacerse algo denso， o lento， y me agobiaba。 Tomando el conjunto， viendo todo en retrospectiva， puedo valorarlo con un resultado positivo， tomando en cuenta el mensaje y la idea que la autora buscó Dificil puntuar un libro que recopila toda una obra de una autora con más de treinta años de diferencia entre la el primero y el último de los cuentos que la componen。 Debo decir que hubo momentos donde logró atraparme el mundo que plantea y la vida que hay alrededor del mismo， pero en otros llegaba a hacerse algo denso， o lento， y me agobiaba。 Tomando el conjunto， viendo todo en retrospectiva， puedo valorarlo con un resultado positivo， tomando en cuenta el mensaje y la idea que la autora buscó transmitir。 Puntajes:Un mago de Terramar: 4 de 5 estrellas。Las tumbas de Atuan: 3，5 de 5 estrellas。La costa más lejana: 3，5 de 5 estrellas。Tehanu: 4 de 5 estrellas。Cuentos de Terramar: 4 de 5 estrellas。La costa más lejana: 3 de 5 estrellas。 。。。more

Ilaria Vigorito ，

Che cavalcata che è stato， questo volumone。Che saga che è stata， Terramare。 Stupenda e l'unico rammarico e averla scoperta solo adesso。 L'ho amata， visceralmente， per come mi ha fatto sentire a casa， per come non fosse il classico fantasy dove l'uomo più forte vince sempre， dove la magia non è solo uno strumento da scatenare， agitando a caso bacchette e pronunciando astruse formule in latino。UKL era veramente una scrittrice portentosa， di quelle che alle loro storie sanno affidare un messaggio s Che cavalcata che è stato， questo volumone。Che saga che è stata， Terramare。 Stupenda e l'unico rammarico e averla scoperta solo adesso。 L'ho amata， visceralmente， per come mi ha fatto sentire a casa， per come non fosse il classico fantasy dove l'uomo più forte vince sempre， dove la magia non è solo uno strumento da scatenare， agitando a caso bacchette e pronunciando astruse formule in latino。UKL era veramente una scrittrice portentosa， di quelle che alle loro storie sanno affidare un messaggio senza che quello risulti scontato， banale， sbrigativamente didascalico。 Tutti i personaggi risultavano profondamente veri e tormentati e colmi di difetti e di un'umanità che mi ha fatto piangere più di una volta - per le difficoltà in cui si trovavano e per le conquiste che faticosamente ottenevano。E poi ho amato come la Le Guin abbia sviscerato il suo mondo e i suoi personaggi al punto di mandare in crisi non solo un protagonista che sembrava ormai compiuto come Ged， ma anche ribaltando tutte le premesse di Terramare， mostrando cosa significa vivere in un mondo fantasy dove a comandare sono gli uomini e il sapere e il Potere delle donne viene visto come una superstizione da spingere ai margini。 Therru/Tehanu è stata sicuramente uno dei personaggi più belli e sofferti che potesse concepire。Ci vorrebbe più fantasy così， sul serio， e non bastano le mie poche parole a spiegare quanto complesso， importante e profondo sia Terramare ma l'ho amato， davvero tantissimo， e mi dispiace aver dovuto dire addio a questo immenso Arcipelago in mezzo al mare - dove non tutti sono bianchi e biondi e forti e belli e giovani e dove non è la guerra e la potenza a misurare il valore di una persona。Da rileggere più e più volte， assolutamente。 。。。more

Tim ，

These are， of course， very good。 I would have liked more jokes。

Lucia | vivere in overBOOKing ，

Uno dei miei libri preferiti di sempre nonostante siano passati più di 10 anni da quando l'ho letto！ ❤ Uno dei miei libri preferiti di sempre nonostante siano passati più di 10 anni da quando l'ho letto！ ❤ 。。。more

Ilaria Guzzi ，

3。50/5 stelline"Da ragazzino tu pensavi che un mago è colui che può fare ogni cosa。 Lo pensavo anch'io un tempo。 E tutti noi l'abbiamo pensato。 Ma la verità è un'altra。 Via via che cresce il potere reale di un uomo， via via che si allarga la sua conoscenza， le strade che può seguire si fanno sempre più strette: e alla fine quell'uomo non sceglierà affatto， ma farà solo ciò che deve fare， e lo farà fino in fondo。。。"Questo libro è stata una vera e propria scalata， e come tale al termine del percor 3。50/5 stelline"Da ragazzino tu pensavi che un mago è colui che può fare ogni cosa。 Lo pensavo anch'io un tempo。 E tutti noi l'abbiamo pensato。 Ma la verità è un'altra。 Via via che cresce il potere reale di un uomo， via via che si allarga la sua conoscenza， le strade che può seguire si fanno sempre più strette: e alla fine quell'uomo non sceglierà affatto， ma farà solo ciò che deve fare， e lo farà fino in fondo。。。"Questo libro è stata una vera e propria scalata， e come tale al termine del percorso quel che possiamo fare dalla cima della montagna è osservare quanto ci circonda， e domandarci se la fatica che abbiamo fatto lungo il mega-tomo è stata necessaria per le emozioni che l'esperienza ci ha regalato。Cercherò di essere davvero breve: mi sono piaciuti TANTISSIMO i primi tre libri， il quarto così e così， il quinto è stato faticoso e le leggende mi sono sembrate prive di una vera e propria ragion d'essere。Credo che dopo i primi tre episodi l'autrice abbia lasciato passare troppo tempo prima di ritornare a Terramare， e lo stile， che era il suo punto forte assieme l'originalità della trama， ne ha risentito。Comunque è una saga assolutamente valida e interessante， e ciò che mi è piaciuto di più riguarda la crescita personale di uno dei protagonisti più importanti， Ged。Seguendo le tappe fondamentali della sua vita di mago veniamo a scoprire i segreti del Potere， una forza magica che pervade tutta Terramare， la vita alla scuola di Roke， le gesta degli imponenti draghi， creature molto più enigmatiche di quel che si può credere。。。Quindi ne è valsa la pena？ Decisamente。Ma che fatica。。。Ora mi butterò a pesce su un libro leggero per alleviare le vesciche。 。。。more

Hamza Sarfraz ，

This is the perfect collection of all Earthsea stories。 The illustrations are so good。 Plus， it has the final Earthsea story which is as good a swansong as any for this saga。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Books of Earthsea

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Books of Earthsea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Books of Earthsea&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0