Other Wind

Rating:
Summary: Earthsea Redux
Review: It has been a hiatus of some 20 years since I last read the first three volumes in this series. I loved them very dearly, but somehow was distracted when 'Tehanu' and 'Tales from Earthsea' came out, and I simply was never aware of them. For me, 'The Other Wind' is a sudden appearance, and one that I approached with no small pleasure. Now I find that the long wait was justified. Le Guin's latest effort is a remarkable experience.

Alder, a sorcerer whose skill is mending, is deeply troubled by dreams of the dead. Nightmares about his newly lost wife and others struggling to be free. These dreams drive him to the wizards at Roke, who in turn send Alder on to Ged, once the Archmage of Earthsea, now powerless, but happy. Ged recognizes that Alder's dreams are the truth, that something momentous is happening at the wall which borders the dry kingdom of the dead. He sends Alder on to Havnor from where Lebannen rules the kingdom.

Lebannen is deeply troubled by Alder's report. Nor is that his only problem. Seserakh, daughter of the Kargish king has been offered to him for wife, and Lebannen resents this manipulation. In addition dragons at the edge of his kingdom are beginning to terrorize and attack the populace, breaking a longstanding truce. Nor is he happy that Tenar, Ged's wife, has taken Seserakh's side. Tehanu, adopted by Ged and Tenar, badly disfigured by fire as a child, is his only link to the dragons. Kalessin, the eldest dragon has recognized her as his daughter.

When Lebannen, Tehanu, and Onyx of Roke confront the dragons about their actions they discover little, and much. The dragons agree to a temporary truce, and bronze Irian, another of Kalessin's children, consents to come to Havnor to parley. There in the councils of Havnor Irian tells the dragons' story and the forgotten legends of many of the Earthsea folk are recalled. In some fashion, the human quest for eternal life has broken both the agreement between dragon and human and the heart of the world. All must go to Roke to find the answer in the immanent grove and heal the damage.

For a thin book, 'The Other Wind' has an incredible richness of themes. Life after death, sacrifice, courage, the varieties of love, redemption, and many others weave together time and again. There are no villains in this story, where much of the action takes place in the heart and the mind. Nor is there violence. Just questions, and answers, and questions again. Le Guin has an almost zen-like ability to use just enough writing to serve her purpose, and trusts us to fill in the rest ourselves. She has also made me homesick for the first tales in this series, to be once again beguiled by dragons and wizards.

Rating:
Summary: Very Satisfying
Review: It's very good! It manages to be true to both the original trilogy and Tehanu, plus the short story that appeared in the Legends anthology (you don't need to have read it but it deepens your understanding of one of the newer characters.) Le Guin even manages to make it feel like she planned this book back when she wrote the original trilogy, even though that's highly unlikely. So, a big thumbs up from me.

I think anyone who hasn't read Tehanu will be disconcerted by some new elements that weren't in the original trilogy, but taken with Tehanu the 5 books feel almost seamless. And that's coming from someone who was somewhat disappointed with Tehanu.

Would I have liked The Other Wind back when I read the original 3? I think so, but it helps that Earthsea was static for many years before Le Guin revisited it; time has passed both in my world and hers, which I think added poignancy to each character's struggle to find their own peace.

(I respectfully disagree with some of the other reviews posted, citing sedate pacing, "empty travel", and so on. For me, the Earthsea stories were never paced like other fantasy books; action was often described more sparingly than what goes on in between.)

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I loved the EarthSea trilogy, but I was very disappointed with this book. I'm not sure why the reviews are so good. What existed of the story line, dragged terribly. The character development was poor and they failed to captivate me the way the original characters did. The ending was predictable and we seemed to be going over the same old ground.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written but frustrating
Review: As someone who loved the original Earthsea trilogy and some of Le Guin's other books, this one was frustrating to me. The writing was typically beautiful but the story seemed to move so slowly. The theme is interesting and reminded me a lot of Phillip Pullman's "The Amber Spyglass" with its view of the place where half-dead souls are stuck... But I probably wouldn't have finished this book if I'd had something better to read. I'm surprised by how many people gave it 5 stars - but I guess that just proves that people's taste differs.

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Summary: Reinventing Earthsea
Review: I first read the original Earthsea Trilogy more than 20 years ago, and it has always been one of my favourites. I like the more recent Earthsea books just as well, for different reasons and some of the same.

The recent additions to the Earthsea cannon are geared more towards adults, less towards the younger set. While the original trilogy does deal in some complex issues and themes -- e.g., the idea of equilibrium and facing the inner shadow -- they are essentially adventure tales. There is less action in the newer books, but more interaction. Adult relationships, those between men and women, those between parents and children among others, come forward. This new focus drives the story, for it forces LeGuin to examine some things about Earthsea that she had heretofore been able to ignore.

It takes a lot of courage for a writer to remake a world that has existed in a particular form for so many years, and it might be challenging to read the result. I was myself thrown at having my conceptions about Earthsea turned on their head, at the same time as I was delighted by the work.

As always, I was thrilled with LeGuin's writing. Like the rest of the Earthsea books, _The Other Wind_ is short. LeGuin is not a writer who spends a great deal of time on description; rather, she paints worlds and characters in a few deft stokes. A paragraph from her says as much as a chapter from another writer. I would have liked the book to have lasted longer, but it was not unfinished or imcomplete.

The ending brought tears to my eyes. In fact, _The Other Wind_ is a sorrowful book altogether. It deals with endings and partings, and irrevokable changes and choices. It struck me that these are not unusual things for a writer in her 70's to be thinking about, and I thank LeGuin for putting them forward in her usual elegant and thoughtful style.

Rating:
Summary: Earthsea East/West
Review: The Other Wind by Ursula K. LeGuin

This sixth book in the Earthsea cycle is certain to delight some readers of LeGuin's work and frustrate others. Those who grew up with the first three books (once known as The Earthsea Trilogy) will find the Earthsea they knew and loved recast in some ways, and will find it perhaps smaller and more like our own world as described in this book.

First, what is different about The Other Wind, as well as Tehanu and Tales From Earthsea, is the lack of the archetypal themes and conflicts of the first three novels. Ged's struggle against his shadow, Tenar's escape from her life among the tombs, and Ged's and Lebannen's journey to the land of the dead and back: these stories contain spectacular moments that resonate deep within the psyche.

It seems now that LeGuin has moved beyond psychology, and The Other Wind, even more than the previous two Earthsea books, bears evidence in its primary theme of her attention to questions of life and death, and being-in-the-world. For the conflict in The Other Wind is none other than that between two opposing conceptions of the place of humans in the universe: that of the survival of the ego after death, or belief in an immortal soul, and that of the return of the human individual at death to identity with the universe. This development will come as little surprise to readers aware of LeGuin's other work, including her translation of the Tao Te Ching.

So is it an allegory? Well, perhaps, but not exactly. LeGuin's writing is often driven by clearly defined themes but is never crude or simplistic in their portrayal. The Other Wind is, like Tehanu, less of a linear adventure story than her first Earthsea books, and more of an exploration of her characters' interactions with each other and the crisis around which the story centers.

LeGuin's prose is as beautiful as ever, and a very good reason to read this book (or any of her others). And it is a pleasure to have some more moments with familiar and well-loved characters.

One should read the first five Earthsea books before reading The Other Wind, as a lot of the story is developed from material set forth in previous books. If you've already read the first five books, you know you're going to read this one, so what are you waiting for?

Rating:
Summary: A Crowning Triumph
Review: I considered the last of Le Guin's Earthsea books a disappointment that failed to deal with questions raised by the first three books of Earthsea -- until she gave us this one and bound all the threads together. A truly superior ending to a wonderful series, but you must read the earlier books to fully appreciate it. Go on, they're in paperback; they're cheap. The whole series will be one of the classics of the century: remember the real millennium is this coming New Year so she's just scooted under the wire.

Rating:
Summary: "Earthsea - A New Hope"?
Review: In the three "next-generation" Earthsea books, LeGuin has completely re-interpreted the basic tenets of the world of Earthsea. "Tehanu," "Tales from Earthsea," and "The Other Wind" cannot, must not be read as sequels to "A Wizard of Earthsea," "Tombs of Atuan," and "The Farthest Shore." For all intents and purposes, we might as well be reading about two separate Earthseas.

Having said that, I cannot but compare "The Other Wind" to "The Farthest Shore." In "The Farthest Shore," corrupt Pelnish wizard Cob has broken the barrier between life and death in a bid for immortality. "The Other Wind" begins in a similar vein: in his dreams, Alder, a village sorceror, has visions of his beloved wife calling out to him from beyond the wall of stones that separates the land of the living from the Dry Land. The lovers even kiss across the wall, leaving Alder frost-bitten. In his continuing visions, masses of the dead cry out to him, "Free us!"

Now, a book about Cob would be great, probably because he was so inadequately explained in "The Farthest Shore." And at first it appears that "The Other Wind" is indeed about Cob (hasn't LeGuin toyed with Tenar's name in "Tehanu"?). It is not. Alder seeks help from the wizards of Roke, but he cannot enter the Great House with his hideous burden. Master Patterner directs Alder to seek out Ged, the aging Archmage emeritus, but Ged, who has spent all his sorcery to heal the wound of the world in "The Farthest Shore," is also at a loss (the words he spoke while on Kalessin's back were probably wishful thinking). Sparrowhawk sends Alder to seek the audience of King Lebannen in Havnor, where Tenar and Tehanu are also visiting.

As you can see, there is a lot of empty travel in "The Other Wind." Very little actually happens until the last chapter. This isn't necessarily bad, because LeGuin can work miracles with character development, but this also isn't the case. The author probably intends the reader to rely on his foreknowledge of the characters, because the familiar characters - Lebannen, Tenar, Ged - are identified sketchily at best. They have few qualities that make them unique. This sincerely disappointed me, because static characters aren't usually a LeGuin trademark.

However, "The Other Wind" has two redeeming parts: the sub-plot involving Seserakh, the Kargish princess sent to marry the King, is simply brilliant; LeGuin has shown that she can refine her stance on gender issues and weave a convincing parable about interpersonal relationships; secondly, the novel's resolution leaves nothing to be desired - it is quite frankly flawless. LeGuin offers us an explanation that is startlingly poetic and original, while also consistent with the earlier books. I cannot say much more, except that the grand finale also clarifies "Tehanu"'s disappointing ending, and gives a degree of finality to the Earthsea series in general.

While not quite as captivating as the first Earthsea trilogy, the second triptych has given us a more personal glimpse into the workings of a fantasy world. While the "second" Earthsea isn't quite as steeped in magic and lore, it has posed a set of complex ethical dilemmas. It is with a clear heart that I say that the grudge I had against Ursula LeGuin is finally settled.

Rating:
Summary: Best reading since Earthsea and Lord of the Rings...
Review: Upon reading "Tales From Earthsea", I was, like many others, confused and distraught that Le Guin was changing the very heart of the world of Earthsea that we had loved for the last couple decades. But did that stop me from going to hear the author at a reading in Pasadena, CA, and eagerly purchasing the new book? Of course not! -- and well it didn't, for Le Guin has saved the best for last, and skillfully proven that "Tales" was a necessary addition to the Earthsea mythology.

First off, please, read the first four books before "The Other Wind". It will save much confusion. Next, as Le Guin said herself, the book doesn't have very many natural breaking points, so set aside a weekend to plow through the entire book, letting the tension in the book hit you deeply and quickly.

Le Guin's writing here seems effortless. The words are beautiful to read, silently or out loud. Her characters, from Ged (who is not the only central character), to Lebannen (a surprisingly honest look at a king), to Tenar (you can feel this woman's pain!), and all the rest are believable characters, though each would have been better served by a novel twice this long. But that's just the thing: Le Guin expertly chooses what to tell and what not to tell: the story moves along even with a relatively large cast of characters. And the story is wonderful, fulfilling the hopes of every ready who has spent countless hours in Earthsea.

This book is highly recommended, for anyone who loves mythology, who loves epic literature, or who simply wants a good read for a weekend. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Not your everyday sword and sorcery¿
Review: Ursula Le Guin is one of the finest writers in any genre, but when she returns to the world of Earthsea that she created so many decades ago, she crafts something that is truly magical. THE OTHER WIND is written with equal parts of strength, grace and delicacy; clarity of phrase forgoing any stylistic pretensions. I found myself frequently pausing to reflect on the language and the story, both subtle yet strong.

One of the notable themes that run through this novel is that of bonds: Bonds between the living and the dead, bonds of duty, bonds of love, and bonds between the past and future. Perhaps it is the changing nature of these bonds that provide the most fuel for the story, in the interaction between familiar characters from the past, and the new that are the focus of the moment. I may make THE OTHER WIND sound too philosophical, but let me assure you that it is sure to be a pleasure simply as a fantasy story, whether you are familiar with the previous books or not.

And if this novel is not enough, pick up the newly released collection TALES FROM EARTHSEA which has even more wonderful short stories from Ursula K. Le Guin.