Rating: 
Summary: a must for any fan of earthsea
Review: A diamond in the crown of the Earthsea saga, Tales is a necessary part of the LeGuin fantasy experience. It contains five stories and an appendix with sundry information about the land and beliefs of the people of Ea. LeGuin proves in this book her decided mastery of the art of teleporting the reader into another universe, so that when one puts the book down, a sigh is felt as one returns to the real world.The five tales span a large amount of time, dipping here and there in her Earthsea history to further illuminate the world. My favourites were "The Finder" and "On the High Marsh", the former covering the founding of Roke as a mage school, and the latter a sad past of a one-time mighty wizard. "Darkrose and Diamond" is a love story, for those who prefer such things. I loved it but thought the ending was far too abrupt after the buildup of the tale. "The Bones of the Earth" is a short segment detailing how Ogion-- yes, the same man who first taught Sparrowhawk-- saved Gont from the Earthquake, though not as you might expect. "Dragonfly" is the bridge story between the books Tehanu and Otherwind, and is a tale you must read if you are bent on taking in the Earthsea saga. All in all, though you may not like all of the stories, there is bound to be one that tickles your fancy. All of them are pure LeGuin.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and yet compelling.
Review: This book is a collection of five short stories that Ursula Le Guin wrote about her world, Earthsea. "The Finder" is the earliest set story, showing the founding of the wizard community on Roke. "Darkrose and Diamond" that could have happened just about anywhere during the Earthsea books, and it is a tale of the love of magic, and the magic of love. "The Bones of the Earth" tells how Ogion (Ged's master) stopped an earthquake. "On the High Marsh" tells of Ged and Irioth, who nearly overthrew the wizards of Roke. And finally, "Dragonfly" tells of Irian, who featured so large in The Other Wind, and her confrontation with Thorion, the Summoner who summoned himself back from death. I really enjoyed these stories. As with so much of Ursula Le Guin's writings, they are enjoyable and yet compelling. In particular, though, I am sorry that I read this book after The Other Wind. The last two stories are actually referenced in that book, and it would have been nice to read them before that book. Therefore, let me recommend this book to you, and furthermore recommend that you read it *before* The Other Wind.
Rating: 
Summary: Profoundly wonderful
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent storytelling, but with a new slant
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: another great addition
Review: 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. "The Finder"- This is the story of young Otter, who goes to a new island. He also is a slave for finding metal. This is a story of the founding of Roke School. It takes up about 1/3 of the book. "Darkrose and Diamond"- 2 young lovers would turn their backs on magic for each other. "The Bones of the Earth"- Young Ogion (he is being trained as a wizard in this story) and his master pull together to stop an earthquake form destroying a Gont port city. "On the High Marsh"- Ged the Archmage chases a mad wizard after he has been driven from Roke. "Dragonfly"- Probably the best story in the book. This is the bridge to the new Earthsea novel, "The Other Wind". It is set after Tehanu A woman comes to Roke to challenge the rule that only boys can come to Roke School. Old friends return. This has a fantastic ending! Tales from Earthsea is a must-read for any Earthsea fan. It is highly worthy of being in the Earthsea saga. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Touch of sadness
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Profoundly wonderful
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: I can't help feeling Le Guin dislikes the original trillogy
Review: I could not bring myself to give this book less than 2 stars because Le Guin's writing is as captivating as always. I got absorbed into every story, although I found them to end abruptly - point made; the end. The overall tone of the book seems to be the unmaking, or "unmasking" of the Earthsea of the trilogy. It seems that Roke was founded by women who were supplanted by fanatical, misogynistic men. Ogion, Ged's master's role in stopping the earthquake is greatly over stated. Credit really belongs to a woman teaching magic forbidden by the men on Roke. The Master Summoner, saved by Ged in The Farthest Shore, takes up the Pelnish Lore - used by the enemy in The Farthest Shore for the purpose of keeping women out of the School of Roke. There is clearly room to improve the role of women in the world of the Earthsea Trilogy, but that is no reason to destroy that world.
Rating:
Summary: Against the commodity of fantasy writing
Review: In "Dragonfly," one dragon touching on Roke became dragons flying over the Inmost Sea, thanks to sailors' amplifications--& then the witch-hunt ensues. In "Bones of the Earth," two wizards' work became the unwanted glory of one, the other forgotten or disregarded. In "The Finder," one well-meaning hero grows complacent & breaches the security of Roke. Are these lessons? By the time of this review, all six of Le Guin's Earthsea cycle are available as mass-market paperbacks. This wide distribution entails considerable hazard for the thoughtful reception of work, as many of the unfavorable views given in this forum attest. The real wonder of fantasy involves a thinking, perplexed imagination, a test of capacity. Magic works the same way in the world of Earthsea, so the abuse of reading starts to look like the abuse of magic. Think Le Guin's earlier fantasy is "magical" but the later work "political" or "moralizing"? Read Tolstoy for a load of the moral view of the author's role. Think a patriarchal fantasy world is OK? Look to the workaday world & see it happening--you'll be happy there, too. (In the meantime, enlarge the view of the political.) Want to glimpse the difficult otherness of knowing, the narrowness of the mainstream, the struggle against conformed living, the days of the dispossessed, & the ease with which things contradict each other? Read these stories. Obligatory Tolkien comment: I've been a fan of Tolkien since 12 or so (the Trilogy to the Silmarillion to the Books of Lost Tales), but his conservative moral universe is more black-&-white than muddled--to say nothing of the weakness of half his population. Women, when they are strong, are mythic & empedestaled. Where's the proportion? Read these stories for a measure, but don't forget to read the author's foreword, too. These are novella & short stories, & follow the genre of such things. One should not expect the full workings of a novel in their duration or scope. As ever, Le Guin's are thoughtful stories for thoughtful readers, whose beauty comes by hard (& triumphant) but lasts as long as it must be renewed or found surprising again. With such writing, we are once more in the midst of things.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting collection
Review: 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. "The Finder" is a 106 page novelette. "Darkrose and Diamond" is 35 pages. "The Bones of the Earth" is 20 pages. "On the High Marsh" is 33 pages. The last story, "Dragonfly" is 69 pages long. The author ends the collection with a 30 page description of Earthsea. The stories are about wizards and witches, good and evil, and involve shape changing, healing magic, finding, fire starting, binding spells, weather magic, etc. Like most collections, everyone will have their favorites, liking some stories better than others. I disagree with the author's statement that you should read her other novels first (the author, of course, is interested in selling copies). This collection stands well on its own.
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