The Tombs of Atuan

Rating:
Summary: excellent book!
Review: I loved this book! Definitely the best in the Earthsea series.It was good that they introduced a new character. Very different from the first book though. This book is creepy, interesting, and and it describes the characters very well. Read this book!

Rating:
Summary: A superb sequel
Review: What should a sequel deliver? More of the same, only different, is the standard answer. Ursula Le Guin delivers magnificently with The Tombs of Atuan. Forsaking the one-thing-after-another structure of A Wizard of Earthsea makes for a book that's harder to read in small chunks but far more satisfying to read straight through. And holding back the arrival of Sparrowhawk until almost half-way through the book fulfils the dual objectives of building tension and fully developing the character of Tenar, who, had the book been written differently would have emerged as a mere adjunct to Sparrowhawk, as Arran tends to be in The Farthest Shore. Ideally, the reader, having read A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan should skip directly to Tehanu, the Last Book of Earthsea. The two books have in common not just the characters, but an overwhelming atmosphere of darkness and oppression. They may not be comfortable to read, but they are richly rewarding. In common with much of Ursula Le Guin's work, the poetic quality of the writing responds very well to reading aloud.

Rating:
Summary: Great story but could have been even better.
Review: What I would of liked to of seen was "Ged" and "Tenar" become sort of intimate with each other. I think they should be together. Even though "Ged" is a little older than "Tenar".

Rating:
Summary: the best!!!
Review: I haven't read anything better!This is the only fantasy book that I have read that doesn't contain a struggle of good vs. evil.Perfectly written with a lot of expression.I've read the other three parts of the Earthsea quartet, and I must admit this one is the best:). annage10

Rating:
Summary: Mysticism, Priestesses and Catacombs...Thrilling!
Review: Out of the Earthsea books, "The Tombs of Atuan" is the one that fascinated me most when I was about 11. It is the story of a young girl who was taken as a child from her parents to be reared as priestess to 'The Old Gods.' One of the few allowed into the catacombs under the temple, she has been taught all the passages of the maze. One day a travelling mage happens on Atuan and is imprisoned in the catacombs...
The story is filled with mystery and intrigue as the young priestess begins doubting the forces she has been brought up to serve and wishes to recover the identity that was taken from her as a child. A memorable reading experience for every young girl.

Rating:
Summary: A Sequel At It's Best!
Review: When I was in the seventh grade our teacher put us in a contest to see how many books we could read. My best friend and I had our own little bet on who was the fastest reader. I told my teacher of the situation and she suggested that I start reading sequels. To help me out she handed me "The Wizard of Earthsea". After reading the book I was hooked on reading the rest of the story that was written in "The Tombs of Atuan". I've read many sequels before but this one was somehow remarkably different. The story was set in the same world but a totally different story with new characters were portrayed before old characters from the first Earthsea book were re-introduced. This helped explained a broken patch in the protagonist's advetures from "The Wizard of Earthsea". Now I'm looking for "The Farthest Shore", which is the last book in the trilogy. I suggest that this book should be read by fantasy lovers every where. Many thanks to the author who wrote such a wonderful piece of literature

Rating:
Summary: The Guardian Of The Ominous Tombs & Dark Labyrinth
Review: The tale of the "Tombs of Atuan," is the second book in the Earthsea Cycle and begins a few years after Ged's adventures combating the "shadow" force. In Atuan, part of the Kargish lands, a little girl, Tenar, was chosen at birth to assume the role of One Priestess of the Tombs of Atuan, where the ancient Nameless Ones are said to dwell. The nine tombs had stood there, since the time of the first man, since Earthsea was created. "They were the tombs of those who ruled before the world of men came to be, the ones not named, and she who served them had no name." When Tenar was five years-old, she was taken from her parents and formerly given to the Nameless Ones, her life until death was dedicated to them - the old gods. She was to become the High Priestess, reborn, of an ancient religion. And now she has no other name but Arha, the Eaten One.

Her days are all the same, spent learning the endless rites and lore important to her position. Arha is separated from other neophytes, who have been sent to serve various gods, and soon grows bored and restless. Beneath her dwelling place, under the Throne and the Tombs, lies a vast labyrinth where hidden treasures are stored. She had been introduced to the hidden passageways when she reached her teens and now spends her days, alone, exploring this dark underground maze. It is here that one day she comes upon an intruder. Since it is forbidden for anyone else to walk under the Tombs, or to show light there, she is at first incredulous to see the area illuminated for the first time, and to note the presence of a stranger who stands where even other priestesses are forbidden. It is Ged who is there to recover a most priceless treasure - and to offer the young woman a wider destiny if she wishes it.

The author emphasizes that Arha must make a decision whether or not to free herself from a dying cult - from the weight and darkness of the Nameless Ones. She must decide whether she is willing to work to recover her identity and her name. Ms. Le Guin again underscores the power of names that she introduced in "A Wizard of Earthsea," along with the themes of light and shadow, good and evil. She is a truly exceptional writer, whose lyrical and poetic narrative and extraordinary descriptive passages bring her characters and landscapes vividly to life.
JANA

Rating:
Summary: One of the best in Heoric Mythology
Review: Le Guin enjoys no press, no fanfare, no fan clubs. She has no movies (until now the mini-series), no trading card games, no computer games. Her writing is not flamboyant: it is thoughtful, considered, and quiet. Her books are generally short and are closer to novelettes. Yet she remains as one of the principle authors of the fantasy genre and her work survives. It will outlive, we suspect, a great deal of those novels that enjoy such extraordinary popularity today. JK Rowlings is the Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz) of our generation. Le Guin is the CS Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) of our generation. The distinction is in decibels and the scope. Earthsea, we believe, is one of those rare series of books that will quietly fill every library of every parent who has a child who loves to read. Incidentally, we feel that the later books Tehanu and The Other Wind detract from the series rather than add to it (as is the case with many sequels). Those later books are better avoided.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS:

As we mentioned, the series is aimed at grade levels somewhere around 5th to 9th. These are a series of books that are invaluable for this age group. It is mythology--both relevant and exciting--that teaches us not didactically how to live but shows us what it means to be alive. Many critics have said many different things about her books but the (overused) phrase "deeply human" seems just about right. These are books that--if the reader can meet the level that Le Guin sets in--will be revered for many, many years. People who have enjoyed Ender's Game, Tales of the Otori, and The Chronicles of Prydain will find these books very special.

WHO SHOULD PASS:

As we often say about books that are especially good, this is a novel of introspection. There is a bit of death but you won't see blood sprayed across the page. There are no great battles, sieges, or other events of great war. There is no overt sex. The magic is not "Terry Magic" (that is, Terry Goodkind or Terry Brooks type that shoots forth as fire, lightning, and death in the air) but rather a magic of language, of truth, of world harmony. To use a video game analogy, don't start playing Myst expecting to have whatever enjoyment you get out of playing Grand Theft Auto.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

Rating:
Summary: Second in the Earthsea trilogy
Review: Again, as in A Wizard of Earthsea, we find a book that is a bit dated in its aproach: Lots of exposition and little action. The difference is while Wizard was a coming of age story for a boy -- Ged's rising to both man and wizard -- this second book begins with the coming of age of a girl, Arha the Eaten One, high priestess to the ancient Powers of the Earth.

Raised in an isolated temple complex, Arha has no knoweldge of the outside world. It isn't until Ged arrives to steal from the great treasury supposedly hidden in the underground tunnels, that her life begins to stretch beyond the temples and desert where they are located. When she finds him in the darkness, excitement enters her life. And for the first time, she feels compassion for another human being.

Finding the treasure he has come for, the broken ring of Erreth-Akbe, Ged must escape the tunnels and the only person who can help him is Arha. With the sudden desire to break free, she agrees to lead him out of the darkness and go with him, out of the desert. The only way they can leave, however, is if Ged can overcome the nameless gods she has served all of her life.

LeGuin has woven an intricate story of a life, from girlhood to womanhood, under most peculiar circumstances. Arha not only grows up, she somehow acquires the wisdom to abandon a restrictive life and the courage to leave on an adventure she could not have imagined. At the same time, Ged acquires the coveted ring and return its powers to the world from which it came.

Although these books are often sold in the young adult sections of book stores, and kept in the same sections of the libraries, they do not really seem geared especially toward children. Just like the Lord of the Rings, there is more here than simple story telling. They are geared as much, if not more, toward adults.

Rating:
Summary: Almost five
Review: I loved the book with one exception. There is no real follow through with the characters from book to book. Some time passes from the first to the second book with no saying what had happened to the character. Aside from that it was a great book and kept me turning the pages.