Synopses & Reviews
Five stories of Le Guin's world-renowned realm of Earthsea are collected in this volume that includes two classic stories, two original tales, and a brand-new novella, as well as new maps and a special essay on Earthsea's history, languages, literature, and magic.
Review
"Takes readers back into the past of the author's imaginary universe to relate the founding of a school of magic...and the story of a young wizard who became a legend....This volume not only stands alone but also serves as an introduction to new readers. Strong work from a master storyteller; highly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Earthsea mavens must rejoice, and relative newcomers will profit from the Earthsea history and two new maps that round out the book." Booklist
Review
"A writer of depth who recognizes that not all fantasy venues are created equal....Le Guin's combination of opaque simplicity and transparent complexity, the quotidian and the miraculous, as well as her sharp and subtle characterizations, make for stories that stand shoulder to shoulder with ancient archetypal fairy tales and fables." The Washington Post Book World
Review
"In the canon of great adult fantasy literature, right next to Tolkien....If you've had enough of Harry Potter-style kid-wizardry, Le Guin offers a powerful tonic. These tales are intense, moving, engaging and best of all, character-driven: Le Guin knows people, wizards or not." The Boulder Daily Camera
Review
"Tales from Earthsea...has poetry and true magic. Furthermore, it has a great writer's love of an imaginary land that once existed only in her mind and now exists as a treasure in the real world for all lovers of fantasy, today and tomorrow and forever." The Orlando Sentinel
Review
"Earthsea's magic serves as a metaphor for the writer's own sorcery...there is no hint of by-the-numbers allegory here. This book should appeal to two entirely different sets of readers. Those familiar with the earlier Earthsea books will rejoice in the way Le Guin fills in some of the chronological blanks. Readers coming upon Earthsea for the first time will find stories about strong characters facing decisions that, while they arise from purely personal conflicts, always have the potential to affect the fate of the world....Memorable." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Long before Harry Potter ever set foot in Hogwarts...there was a school for wizards in a place called Earthsea. The invention of grande dame of letters Ursula K. Le Guin, Earthsea is a realm that has been compared to Tolkien's Middle Earth and C.S. Lewis's Narnia, a place of high fantasy that generated a series of award-winning, enduring bestsellers...all beloved by a wide audience of adults as well as younger readers." Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of more than three dozen books. She was awarded a Newbery Honor for the second volume of the Earthsea Cycle, The Tombs of Atuan, and among her other distinctions are the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a National Book Award, a PEN Center USA Award for Fiction, and five Nebula Awards. She lives in Portland, Oregon.