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The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) | |||||
  | 80% Recommended by our customers. Publisher: Holiday House Catalog: Book Release date: 1971-07 Media: Hardcover Ean: 9780689206801 Book Isbn: 0689206801 Reading level: All Ages  Tip: compare prices with similar booksAuthor:
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Written on November 29, 2004 Summary: Almost five I loved the book with one exception. There is no real follow through with the characters from book to book. Some time passes from the first to the second book with no saying what had happened to the character. Aside from that it was a great book and kept me turning the pages. Written on November 28, 2004 Summary: Very interesting, but short O.k., I understand that this will be the second half of the Sci-fi Channel mini-series "The Legend of Earthsea". I read "A Wizard of Earthsea" a long time ago, and decided to read this one before the mini premiered. To be honest, I'm not sure how they're going to make it into two hours. I'm not even sure where most of those 180 pages went. Still, the characters are interesting, the romance works, and everything is well structured and detailed. It definately has what you want, the problem is you find yourself wanting MORE of it. I know the first rule of entertainment is "Always leave 'em wanting more", but this is just too little. And it takes Ged too long to get their. Still, this is a book worthy of much praise (although it might have been better presented as a short story).  Written on November 20, 2004 Summary: Still don't understand the hype After being disappointed by the first book in this series, I started out thinking that this one must be better in order to justify the series' reputation. I was wrong. Even the main character, Tenar/Arha, was not very deep, and Ged's depth came almost entirely from having read the previous book. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 is that it wasn't actually offensive, and I do appreciate Le Guin's avoidance of a gratuitous romance between Ged and Tenar. The most (and possibly only) interesting thing about reading this book was referring to the map of the labyrinth to follow the directions described in the story, but this book was painfully boring for the most part, seeming much longer than its slight size would indicate. The comparisons to Tolkein and Lewis still leave me baffled; indeed, these books have fallen far short of most "lesser" authors as well. I believe that simply picking a fantasy book at random would likely result in a better read. Sadly, I also think that this would have been disappointing even without the expectations generated by the hype over this series. The fact that her "Left Hand of Darkness" many years ago did not inspire me to get more of her books perhaps should've been a hint; I don't recall being especially let down by that book, but I was only a teenager back then. I started reading this series in part to be able to compare it to the upcoming miniseries on SciFi, but two books into the series, I'm actually expecting the TV version to be much better than the books, and as such, substantially different; if not, I'll be switching to the Weather Channel not long after the opening credits. Written on November 6, 2004 Summary: Return to Earthsea The second book of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle, "Tombs of Atuan," is very different from the first book. It features a different coming-of-age tale from Ged Sparrowhawk's, this time of a spirited girl who has been given everything except freedom. More contemplative and disturbing, this is almost as good as "Wizard of Earthsea." As a little child, Tenar was taken from her family by the priestesses, who said she was the reborn High Princess of the Nameless Ones, the dark, ruthless powers who are in the Tombs of Atuan. Her name is taken away and she was afterwards called Arha (which means that she was "eaten," spiritually), and she is raised in the cold, uninviting temple. When Arha is fifteen, she finds that a wizard has somehow gained entrance to the massive mazelike Labyrinth, committing sacrilege and polluting the "center of darkness" with his staff's light. He's searching for half of a powerful ring; he has one half, she has the other. She takes the wizard Sparrowhawk prisoner, and for some reason doesn't want to kill him. Instead she listens to his stories about dragons, magic and his home -- until a vengeful priestess learns that Arha is keeping the wizard alive. To escape horrible deaths, they must escape together from the Nameless Ones, and Tenar will be set free in more ways than one. Ursula Le Guin's worldbuilding was masterful in the first book, and it's no less so in "Tombs of Atuan." The decayed, corrupted, darkness-obsessed religion and culture that Tenar is raised in seems very real. The only spot of warmth and life is Penthe, a childhood pal of Tenar's, who longs to get away from the temple and go live a normal, happy life. Le Guin's writing is both spare and descriptive; she makes you feel like you know the characters with only a few pages. Her elegantly understated descriptions bring the grey, cold temple and tombs to life. Themes like religion, disbelief, loyalty, redemption, freedom, and enslavement are woven in, but not preachily. The book suffers somewhat when Ged and Tenar are getting to know each other; even during a crisis, Ged spends a lot of time talking about his past and the Ring. It's less a conversation than an infodump. The relationship between Tenar and Ged is the centerpiece of the book. At first they are enemies, then gradually grow to trust one another even though rationally neither one should. Tenar is a strong, brave, slightly immature girl whose spirit has been kept enslaved to the Nameless Ones, and Ged is the brave, gentle, strong wizard we got to know in "Wizard." The second book of the Earthsea cycle, while not as strong as the first, is still a compelling book. The dark, tense "Tombs of Atuan" remains a modern fantasy classic. And does it ever deserve it.  Written on August 25, 2004 Summary: The Little Sequel That Could An excellent continuation of the Earthsea epic, perhaps even outdoing the original. This second book provides a slower, more intimate tale that is very well developed. The only problem with this short read is that its over too soon. |
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| Price comparison |
The Tombs of Atuan (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 2) |
 The Farthest Shore (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 3) |
 A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1) |
 Tehanu (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 4) |
 Tales from Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 5) |
 The Other Wind (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 6) |
| Our price | - | $11.90 | $10.20 | $6.99 | $7.99 | $7.99 |
| List price | $15.95 | $14.00 | $15.00 | $6.99 | $7.99 | $7.99 |
| Lowest used price | $2.71 | $3.18 | $5.32 | $1.99 | $3.75 | $2.13 |
| Lowest new price | - | $5.49 | $6.24 | $3.07 | $3.76 | $3.87 |
| Collectible price | $95.00 | $14.00 | $15.00 | - | $14.00 | - |
| Catalog | Book | Book | Book | Book | Book | Book |
| Release date | 1971-07 | 2004-11-23 | 2004-09-28 | 2001-09-01 | 2003-10-28 | 2003-09-30 |
| Media | Hardcover | Paperback | Paperback | Mass Market Paperback | Paperback | Paperback |
| Number of pages | - | 272 | 192 | 252 | 304 | 224 |
| Ean | 9780689206801 | 9781416509646 | 9780553383041 | 9780689845338 | 9780441011247 | 9780441011254 |
| Book Isbn | 0689206801 | 141650964X | 0553383043 | 0689845332 | 0441011241 | 044101125X |
| Reading level | All Ages | - | Ages 9-12 | Young Adult | - | - |
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