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Tales from Earthsea (Audio Cassette)


4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Product Description

From AudioFile

Years after we thought the "Earthsea Trilogy" was complete, Ursula Le Guin has treated her fans to a fresh helping of stories dealing with her fantastic realm of wizards, mages, and dragons. The five stories in this collection are set before and during the original trilogy, and provide background to the events and characters of those novels. Amanda Karr gently reads "The Finder," set years before A Wizard of Earthsea. Gabrielle de Cuir reads "Dragonfly," about a woman's struggle to enter the all-male school of wizardry on the island of Roke. The author adds her own personal touch reading "The Bones of the Earth," another story set before the events of the original trilogy, a touching story of the lonely and stubborn life of a wizard. Scott Brick reads "On the High Marsh," a story with as many characteristics of a good Western as a fantasy. Stefan Rudnicki, who produced the audiobook, also reads a tale, and creative consultant Harlan Ellison provides a slightly silly postscript. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Book Description

The tales in Le Guin's new book explore or extend the world-renowned realm of fantasy established by her first four Earthsea novels. The tales included in this book ("The Finder," "The Bones of the Earth," "Darkrose and Diamond," "On the High Marsh," and "Drangonfly") concern themselves with wizards, courtship, earthquakes, and a woman's determination to break the glass ceiling of male magedom. Ursula K. Le Guin's writings have earned her multiple Hugo and Nebula awards and the National Book Award.

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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent storytelling, but with a new slant, May 5 2004
By Alison (MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tales From Earthsea (Paperback)
I am a huge fan of the original Earthsea Trilogy. The world Le Guin has created is so intriguing and it seems that she could tell an endless number of entertaining stories about Earthsea. When I got this book, I was really just hungry for more stories of Ged or more tales of heroes---the greatest wizard ever, the powerful wizard who defeated an enemy no one else could defeat, or the greatest "whatever" in Earthsea. It was those kinds of exciting feats and heroes that I was looking forward to reading more about.

However, it seems that Le Guin had a different focus which began with Tehanu and continues in Tales from Earthsea...an extremely feminist approach. I agree with another reviewer who says he can't help feeling that maybe Le Guin didn't like the original trilogy and that she seems to undo everything by making women responsible for Roke, etc. and she downplays the feats of the male heroes told previously. Of course, there can and should be room for the female heroines of Earthsea, but why did they have to take away from the male heroes, the great wizards? Le Guin even has same-sex marriages between women as a part of Earthsea life. Was this necessary? No, but it certainly fits well with her new feminist look at Earthsea.

The Tales are still well-told and entertaining because Le Guin is a wonderful writer. However, I guess that I am just nostalgic for the amazing feats and heroic adventures found in the first three books...and I was disappointed to find so little of that kind of story in this collection. The inclusion of women and their importance is also great to read, but this didn't need to come at the expense of the male part of the world of Earthsea. It was an imaginary world to begin with, and never offensive to women---sometimes it's nice to read a book that is not overly politically correct.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Touch of sadness, April 8 2004
By UncleCliffy (Hyattsville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tales From Earthsea (Paperback)
These tales focus on the sadness and responsibility that go with being a wizard on Earthsea, and as such they have more than a touch of melancholy about them. There is something hard to take about individuals not being able to practice what they excel in or being forced to do work that is against their natures. In the background is the fact that women are not allowed to become wizards or mages, and this lends a certain poignancy to the story "Darkrose and Diamond," for example. The anguish of the male character in this story competes with that of his lover -- she has (I think) the greater power but is not allowed to indulge it, while he is forced into wizardry against his inclinations, though he has the talent. There is an undercurrent in all these stories that women with magical powers must subjugate them or practice them in secret, sublimate their very natures to tradition and politics -- that is a main theme of this collection. Interestingly, Le Guin chooses a male perspective to make her point (except in the last story).

The best (and saddest) story to me is "On the High Marsh." There is something achingly sad about the main character; he is confused yet kind, a seeming innocent with great powers, a sweet, sad, lost-sheep kind of man. Ged appears in this story (I'm not sure he is necessary), and in the end I wept for this lost wizard. Truly an astonishing accomplishment.

Which is more than I can say for the final tale in this collection, Dragonfly. It is entirely engrossing and fascinating until the very end, where I think Le Guin cheats. It is the same kind of cheat she indulges in at the conclusion of "Tehanu." If either ending is fully explained, the explanation is unsatisfactory -- and remains so (though perhaps slightly less so) in "The Other Wind." In Dragonfly and "Tehanu," I feel like Le Guin simply ran out of ideas or simply grew tired, and opted for the speediest of speedy endings to bring her books to a swift close. I think this is the only blight on what is truly a magnificent collection.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly wonderful, Jan 20 2004
By Joseph Monti "hip nerd" (Princeton Junction, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Tales From Earthsea (Paperback)
Lots of folks have rightly praised and described the tales within and I just wish to add my voice to the chorus. Le Guin has returned to Earthsea, thanks to the first Legends anthology via "Dragonfly" which is a story that will break your heart from pain and hope and love.
If you have read any of the Earthsea novels, this is essential reading.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars I can't help feeling Le Guin dislikes the original trillogy
I could not bring myself to give this book less than 2 stars because Le Guin's writing is as captivating as always. Read more
Published on Jan 16 2004 by JRD

4.0 out of 5 stars Against the commodity of fantasy writing
In "Dragonfly," one dragon touching on Roke became dragons flying over the Inmost Sea, thanks to sailors' amplifications--& then the witch-hunt ensues. Read more
Published on Dec 26 2003 by mumbleboy99

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting collection
The stories in this collection should be read in the order they appear. In particular, the last story refers back to the first. The stories are of varying length. Read more
Published on Nov 8 2003 by Fred Camfield

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Good!
I had no idea about which book was first in the Earthsea series, so I just grabbed one and started reading... this one has persuaded me to read the rest of the series. Read more
Published on Oct 12 2003 by Theatre Kidd

4.0 out of 5 stars a must for any fan of earthsea
A diamond in the crown of the Earthsea saga, Tales is a necessary part of the LeGuin fantasy experience. Read more
Published on Jun 16 2003 by V. Phin

3.0 out of 5 stars Tales from Earthsea are not children's Tales!
My children are 10 and 12. They are just old enough to enjoy the original trilogy. Unfortunately, too little happens in these stories to hold their interest. Read more
Published on Dec 26 2002 by Michael A. Heald

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than ever
TEHANU seemed to me a disappointing way to end the Earthsea saga, so I was excited to see two new Earthsea books come out one after the other a decade after TEHANU. Read more
Published on Nov 3 2002 by Matthew Thorn

5.0 out of 5 stars another great addition
This is a collection of 5 short stories about the Earthsea world. It is another great addition to the Earthsea trilogy, or what used to be just a trilogy. Read more
Published on Sep 22 2002 by yankeemb7

3.0 out of 5 stars aka "Feminist Tales From Earthsea"
Interesting addendum to the Earthsea saga, continuing a change to the feel of the stories that LeGuin started with Tehanu. Read more
Published on Sep 3 2002 by David Childers

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You for Taking Us Back
The Earthsea books are among my favorite novels of all time-- complex, heartfelt, true--and those who have read them (and re-read them, and re-re-read them) might notice a... Read more
Published on Jul 29 2002 by Lawrence E. Wilson

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