The Tombs of Atuan: The Second Book of Earthsea (The Earthsea Quartet 2)

Just a wonderful book. If you loved the journey with Ged in the first book, you'll love this one too.One thing I must mention though, this one takes a little time before taking flight. I wasn't sure about the book till about 40% of it and after that it was quite unputdownable.

The second book in the Earth Sea series by Ursula K Le Guin, is a wonderful extension to the first book. The Wizard of Earth Sea introduced the readers to the fledgling wizard/mage Ged of Rook and is among the most widely read high fantasy books. The second book while featuring Ged is, all about Tenar, the high priestess of Atuan, the one who serves the Nameless Ones.Unlike her lofty position of high priestess, Tenar is merely a child at fifteen. Seperated from her family and put into the services of the Nameless Ones, she is now called Arha. The tombs are a sacred site, especially to Tenar, who is the only one who can enter and look after them. Used to seeing prisoners being sent to the tombs by the High King as an offering, the first time she meets Ged she assumes him to be a thief.Ged in the search of the lost half of the Ring of Erreth- Akbe, discovers that entry in to the Atuan tombs is much simpler than the exit. Magic of the tombs render Ged weak and so does the exhaustion from the effort of his search. Here Tenar and Ged are brought face to face. She is the caretaker of the tombs and he is on a mission to bring peace to his land by retrieving the lost object.The story moves slower in comparison to the faster pace of the first book. We do not encounter many characters and those we do are well sketched. This time around the author takes times for character introspection thus enriching the story.It is not possible for every book to be on par with its predecessor but Tombs of Atuan does a fine job of describing the loneliness of a curious and intuitive child trapped on the island as a glorified tomb keeper. If you are fan of high fantasy genre, this series is a must read.

Expecting a straightforward sequel to Ursula Le Guin's classic "A Wizard of Earthsea"? No, don't count on it.Instead, 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 -- a cold, claustrophobic tale that blossoms in Ged's light.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.However, 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.Despite that, 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.

Good book

Tão bom quanto o primeiro, ou até melhor. A prosa de Ursula é incomparável, é de uma fluidez e de uma poesia que tornam difícil largar o livro. A história melancólica da protagonista é fascinante, assim como o universo e os personagens criados por Ursula.

Second book in the Earthsea series. If you've read the first one, you must read this

Wish I had read the Earthsea novels a long time ago, masterfully wrought tales. This is a tale of an ancient land and beliefs. Highly recommended

If you are like me; buying all the mass market paperbacks of this wonderful series, because you love the covers and want the books all to be in the same size: think again. They don’t come in the same size. This book is 19 centimeters long instead of the 17 cm advertised. A bit of a dissapointment