Earthsea The First Four Books

Dit boek is een verzameling verhalen die bij elkaar in een serie horen. Ze kennen verschillende situaties, maar horen echt bij elkaar, hoewel dat soms wat langer duurt dan je denkt. De verhalen zijn mooi, hebben veel diepgang en zijn lekker lang. Echt een boek om in weg te zinken.

Overigens is het verhaal heel anders dan de animatie die gemaakt is, maar dat maakt het dan des te leuker.

Geschreven bij The Earthsea Quartet

The Earthsea novels are considered milestones in the fantasy genre. Now they are presented as the Earthsea Quartet, as the book Tehanu is added as a fourth, which is written almost 20 years after the third. The three Earthsea novels have gathered a lot of critical acclaim thanks to LeGuin’s knowledge of anthropology and psychology. The Archipelago she sets up harbours an immense diversity in cultures and every book expands upon another psychological theme. Most impressive of all are the subtle differences in style that LeGuin used in her books to get to her themes.

The first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, reads as a travel memoir. It follows the adventures of the young wizard Ged as he travels from island to island and grows up. The ending comes straight from psychoanalyst Carl Jung. LeGuin’s style is very descriptive and a bit detached. The second book, The Tombs of Atuan, might be her best and provides a perfect balance to the first. While Ged travels around the world, the girl Tenar stays her whole life in one single place. LeGuin takes her time to describe this place so that it really comes alive. If the theme of the first book is growing up, the theme of the second is love and trust. Tenar is a richly developed character and LeGuin’s style is personal and involving. The third book, The Farthest Shore, is again a travel story but not as detached as the first. Its theme is death and the circle of life.

By highlighting the psychology I do not want to convey that these are boring books. Not at all. For those who like to read about dragons, dark shadows, old forces and the open sea the Earthsea trilogy is a must read.

Tehanu, later added, is a very well written book, but the magic seems lost. The hero of the trilogy is described as a shimmer of what he once was and is involved in little adventures. Tehanu has a didactic aspect about feminism that is not wrong by itself, but it hurts the magic of the first trilogy.

Geschreven bij EarthseaFirst Four Books

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