| The Farthest Shore | |
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Rating: Author: Ursula K. Le Guin Published: 1972 Series: The Earthsea Trilogy, Book 3 Review by: CL6 Raederle McDermot Order from amazon.com |
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Review:
Though it does drag in some parts, The Farthest Shore is a true epic journey for the characters in Le Guin's Earthsea world. Magic is disappearing, and things no longer know their True Names. The young prince Arren goes with Ged, who has now become the Archmage of Roke, to find the source of the disturbance and put an end to it.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book. Le Guin has a bad habit of forgetting about her loose ends. In this book we do get to see some of them played out. I think Arren is a somewhat more likable hero than Ged was in the first book. Though that might be due to the fact she actually goes to the effort to let he reader know what he's thinking. Ged on the other hand, is the same aloof cardboard character he's always been, and I don't expect him to change this late in life. The ending was weak, to say the least. Her description of the Underworld was unsatisfactory and seemed rushed. More like something I might do at 3am for a class I wasn't particularly interested in. This problem also goes for some of the situations that Arren and Ged find themselves in. She needed to develop their relationship further, and at least stick to the viewpoint of Arren enough so that the reader could share his experience fully. Despite the flaws, if you have a few hours to kill, Earthsea is an interesting world, with a great deal of potential. LeGuin draws on some very old concepts in creating this world including the system of magic of True Names. Even though I myself was not wowed by her skills, the world itself strikes something true and is worth getting to know.
Title: The Farthest Shore |
2/6/05
