The Tombs of Atuan, the second book in the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, follows the story of Tenar, a young woman who is taken from her family to become a priestess for dark powers. The book delves into themes of choice, good vs evil, and the journey of self-discovery. Set in a confined and dark atmosphere, the narrative focuses on Tenar's growth and her interactions with the wizard Ged, offering a unique perspective on the world of Earthsea. The writing style is described as elegant, with vivid imagery that creates a haunting and mysterious atmosphere, making the story engaging and thought-provoking.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of religious oppression, sacrifice, and psychological manipulation.
From The Publisher:
One of the Time 100 Best Fantasy Books Of All Time
The Newbery Honor-winning second novel in the renowned Earthsea series from Ursula K. LeGuin gets a beautiful new repackage.
In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless Powers of the Earth, and everything is taken from her-home, family, possessions, even her name. She is now known only as Arha, the Eaten One, and guards the shadowy, labyrinthine Tombs of Atuan.
Then a wizard, Ged Sparrowhawk, comes to steal the Tombs' greatest hidden treasure, the Ring of Erreth-Akbe. Tenar's duty is to protect the Ring, but Ged possesses the light of magic and tales of a world that Tenar has never known. Will Tenar risk everything to escape from the darkness that has become her domain?
With millions of copies sold worldwide, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle has earned a treasured place on the shelves of fantasy lovers everywhere, alongside the works of such beloved authors as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Now the full Earthsea collection-A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and The Other Wind-is available with a fresh, modern look that will endear it both to loyal fans and new legions of readers.
Ratings (59)
Incredible (26) | |
Loved It (22) | |
Liked It (6) | |
It Was OK (4) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
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Want To Read (16) | |
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4 comment(s)
Incredible. I enjoyed SO MUCH of this.
Arha (the Eaten One) is the High Priestess to the Nameless Ones, the Eaters who live in the dark under their temple. From childhood she has learned that the darkness is sacred and guards the treasures in the labyrinth beneath her home. This story is told from her point of view, and she locks Ged into the labyrinth when she catches him sneaking around underground. Unable to let him die of thirst, Arha uses spy holes and trap doors to communicate with him about the nature of the treasure in the labyrinth as well as the nature of the work she does as High Priestess. Finally, Arha must decide whether she will help Ged escape and leave everything she's ever known.
These books have a parable feel to them. There isn't a ton of character development, but enough to get a feel for Arha as a confused girl who resents the other priestesses and doesn't wish to participate in cruelties such as deciding how to execute the prisoners the Godking sends to her for sacrifice. The prose is graceful and elegant. I like that Le Guin is exploring an entire world instead of just one character, too.
Estoy obsesionado con estos libros y no puedo decirte el porque.
Es la primera vez en mucho tiempo que acabo un libro y tengo el impulso inmediato de releerlo.
La unica razon por la que no lo hago es porque tengo los siguientes dos libros en casa.
Este segundo libro es TOTALMENTE distinto al anterior.
Igualmente increíble.
I’m upset with myself that I have been putting off reading
The Tombs of Atuan for five years just to read it within less than twenty-four hours.
The Tombs of Atuan tells the story of Tenar, a girl who is believed to be the reincarnated high priestess of the Nameless Ones. Her days are spent completing repetitive, unerring tasks, (much of these tasks requiring her to spend hours underground in the dark), until she discovers an intruder who, inevitably, changes things up.
While
A Wizard of Earthsea comments more on the human condition in general,
The Tombs of Atuan comments more on gender. As Le Guin reminds in the afterword, she wrote the book in 1969, a time in which she was not alone in thinking that the future looked bleak for women. I’m not suggesting that things have improved much for women in 2023, but I can’t help but wonder what the book would look like if Le Guin had written it in 2023, now that many people have realized that
gender is a construct.
Despite Le Guin’s somewhat outdated views on gender, the book has some good discussion on freedom and what liberation looks like. I like how Le Guin shows the five stages of grief through Tenar as she gains liberation.
Even though
The Tombs of Atuan, in my opinion, doesn’t compare to
The Wizard of Earthsea, it is still a worthwhile read.
What can you read after
The Tombs of Atuan?
About the Author:
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry, and four of translation, and has received the Hugo, Nebula, Endeavor, Locus, Tiptree, Sturgeon, PEN-Malamud, and National Book Award and the Pushcart and Janet Heidinger Kafka prizes, among others. In recent years she has received lifetime achievement awards from World Fantasy Awards, Los Angeles Times, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, and Willamette Writers, as well as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Award and the Library of Congress Living Legends award. Le Guin was the recipient of the Association for Library Service to Children's May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award and the Margaret Edwards Award. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, Words Are My Matter, an essay collection, and Finding My Elegy, New and Selected Poems. Her website is UrsulaKLeGuin.com.
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