Rating: 
Summary: Returning to and expanding Earthsea
Review: In her foreward, Urusula K. Le Guin pokes fun at herself for subtitling Tehanu "The Last Book of Earthsea." She has revealed in interiews elsewhere that she meant this to stave off thoughts of another series involving Ged and in her foreward explains that on finishing Tehanu, she felt she'd reached the "present" of Earthsea. There was no more to tell.For fans of her work, it was a happy error. this collection of longish short stories delves into the corners of Earthsea's history. We have learned bits and pieces of legends from ealier stories and here, we find some of the truth behind those legends. From the shadowy beginnings of the school of wizards on Roke to the story of how Ogion, Ged's teacher, tamed an earthquake we discover that things are not completely as we thought, but are not unfamiliar either. Le Guin does not shake the cosmology of Earthsea with these stories, she simply reveals the layers of the world. The final story of the work, "Dragonfly," provides, as she says, "a bridge - a dragon bridge - to the next Earthsea novel." Another happy note for fans. As if that wasn't enough, however, Tales of Earthsea includes several essays about Earthsea; its peoples, languages, history, magic. Gleaned from notes Le Guin creates as she "researched" her stories, they are a unique glimpse into the workings of the author's mind and a treasure for fans. Tales from Earthsea is a delight to fans and an exhibition of a great writer's talent. The stories both satisfy a fan's hunger for more detail about a loved imaginary place and show how a fantasy can relate to our reality; how we aren't all that different from wizards ourselves.
Rating: 
Summary: An Earthsea grab bag.
Review: "Tales from Earthsea" is an earthy, mature synthesis of "Tehanu" and the previous Earthsea books, with a hint of Tolkien's "Silmarillion" and a dash of Arthurian fantasy. Unfortunately, after turning the last page I was thoroughly underwhelmed. Gone is the wild freedom of vision, the vast, all-encompassing scope. LeGuin sets out to repopulate her world with sympathetic, influential women, but that world is a stifling, mundane place. Earthsea is no longer a mythical place close to heart, but a world in its own right: big, bleak, and routine. No longer does the reader associate him or herself with the mage hero - the stories in "Tales" take place in a world life-like enough to reduce the reader to a disembodied presence. Intermittently I found myself staring at the page, wondering: where is the flowing prose? the masterful pacing? the lovely descriptions? The accessibility of the narrative has definitely taken a plunge. In "Tales" LeGuin attempts to knit together her world's fractured past and present into a unified, continuous whole. She tries to accomplish this across five pieces of short story and novella length, some of them poetic, most not, generally middling quality as far as LeGuin goes. These tales are: "The Finder", about a finder mage called Otter who founded the school on Roke as a beacon of freedom in the dark time after the last king's death; "Darkrose and Diamond", about a merchant's son, who gives up his freedom in exchange for his inheritance and subdues his spirit, only to set it free in forbidden love; "Bones of the Earth", about Ogion the Silent, the fateful earthquake he calmed at Gont Port, and the one life it claimed; "On the High Marsh", in which the reader find out how abstract power can drive a man mad and how using that power to peaceful ends can restore him; "Dragonfly", about the masters of Roke divided against a wilful woman and how the men's language is not enough to name the fiery female spirit. Of all the tales, only "Bones" and "Marsh" come anywhere close to the three original novels. Others meander and run overlong. Yet others are preachy. "Dragonfly" is a distillate of "Tehanu"; it also explains the direction LeGuin is taking her world in the upcoming novel (think back to "Tehanu's" enigmatic ending). The addendum on Earthsea' history, culture, language, and magic is informative, but, again, offers little that a persistent reader will find worth knowing. All in all, "Tales" is even more out of place than the previous volume.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy as real literature
Review: I have loved the Earthsea books since they came out long ago. They are entertaining, but also are provocative of both thought and a sense of reverence about the world, and about the paradoxes of humans, who are both physical and spiritual beings, and live best when they live on both planes. However, as much as the tales themselves, I have come to respect LeGuin's view of her craft, her insistence (and proof) that fantasy is a powerful way to explore real human questions, one more way in which words and narrative can help us see and make sense of aspects of our lives and our world. Since real, solid fantasy is written by and for persons engaged in this present world, as well as in imaginary worlds, the best of such literature will bear clear marks of this engagement. Thus, LeGuin's "political agenda" is part of her sense-making and grappling with meanings and values; and her primary way of sense-making is by the working out of tales which are also explorations of character. I have sometimes felt that new questions she was exploring were not well-integrated in some of her stories (even in Tehanu, which I loved anyway), but in this collection, I felt that the gender-related themes she was exploring (among others) worked very well, and were unobtrusive, therefore the more compelling. Also, I have to say that I like her frequent experiments in portraying different kinds of success, which is something that our society desperately needs. Her ability to craft a good sentence has not diminished.My teen-aged son, my wife, and myself devoured the book in two days.
Rating:
Summary: A near-perfect return to Earthsea
Review: When I found Tales from Earthsea sitting on a bookstore shelf, I was thrilled. I had no idea it was coming out - and when I saw on the back cover that a fifth Earthsea novel was due out later in the year, I nearly did a dance for joy. Ursula LeGuin is a wonderful writer, and Earthsea is perhaps her greatest creation. Needless to say, I came to this book with high expectations. I was not dissapointed. Every story is at least enjoyable. My personal favorites were "Darkrose and Diamond," a love story, and "Dragonfly," a story set after Ged's reign as Archmage - but I could easily imagine any of the five stories being someone's favorite. They're all wonderful, and althuogh they all deal with Earthsea, they're varied enough to appeal to different tastes.
Rating: 
Summary: Good But Not Outstanding
Review: This is a collection of stories and some supporting material about Earthsea, the fictional world developed by Le Guin in a series of previous novels. The Earthsea novels are first rate fantasy, on a par with Tolkien and Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. The present book is not as good. While the quality of writing is solid, it doesn't approach Le Guin's best work. This book is still attractive by providing interesting information about Earthsea and the stories are entertaining. Le Guin is publishing another Earthsea novel this year and the last story in this book is an apparent bridge to the forthcoming novel.
Rating:
Summary: An armchair tour of Earthsea
Review: LeGuin revisits Earthsea in this collection of five stories, each of which occurs at a different time and place in the world of Earthsea. The reader thus becomes more acquainted with the geography of the place, and comes to learn about the history of this magical realm. The book also includes 30 pages of "A Description of Earthsea," including Peoples and Languages, History, and Magic. The first story in this book, "The Finder," describes the conditions under which the school on Roke developed. Other stories reveal trials and journies of various sorcerers through Earthsea's history. Each of the five stories is about heroism and humanity in a world that is both different than and very like our own. The stories engaged my imagination from teh beginning, and I immediately loved (most of) the characters I met. LeGuin's ability to draw sympathetic characters in situations that the reader can relate to just gets better as the years go on. I was excited to discover that the endpapers of the book display a map of Earthsea drawn by the author. I have wanted a map of the area for years, and I know that I will use this map when I re-read the earlier novels. And this book reveals news that will be welcome to all lovers of Earthsea: yet another novel is due out this Fall!
Rating:
Summary: Return to Earthsea!
Review: This book is a must for any fan of Ursula LeGuin's 4 part Earthsea series. The book includes two fairly long stories bracketing three short stories, and spans the history of Earthsea. Although Ged/Sparrowhawk appears only briefly, LeGuin has recaptured the magic of a world rich in tradition, myth and history. As a bonus, the book includes a medium length essay on the history, language and people of Earthsea. There is another Earthsea novel in publication - it will arrive this fall. This book is a wonderful way to pass the time until then.
Rating:
Summary: Buy it early, buy it often
Review: Loved it--the last book that made me this unequivocally happy was probably "The Folk Keeper", and it's been a while. Those who know me will suspect bias because I have everything of Le Guin's I can get my hands on and love most of it, including *The Telling* of which so many complained. However, even if *The Telling* upset you, or struck you as more of the same Tao, I think you'll like *Tales of Earthsea* very well. Unlike so many fantasy authors, Le Guin doesn't overuse the dragons and they remain compelling (there's only one in these five novellas), and while, as she says in her intro, Earthsea does undergo change (the mark of a living creation instead of a static one), you'll still recognize it. It's a beautiful place, reminding me of Tolkien's famous statement about fantasy being a way not to escape reality, but to escape prison and go home. For those who were fond of the characters from the trilogy-plus-one (quadrilogy?) there's an endearing cameo of Ged as Archmage in one of the novellas, and of Ogion stopping the earthquake. Those who complain of too clear a political agenda in some of Le Guin's works may be able to spot one here on occasion, but I would say it's admirably integrated, and we can probably all agree that even the most Romantic vision has inescapably political elements. The larger theme here, I think, is redemption in various guises, and it's a book full of hope and affection, for Earthsea and for places even closer to home. How she maintains that hope I don't always know, given the way things go and seem likely to go, but one of the ways I maintain it is to steal it from Le Guin's books. Very highly recommended. Also highly recommended are *Always Coming Home* and *A Fisherman of the Inland Sea.* For fellow pedagogues, they teach as well as they read.
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: back in fine form - thank you, Ursula
Review: Like many others, I was disenchanted (sorry) by Tehanu, book 4. However, I'm very pleased by Tales. It's not the resounding, stunning masterpiece that was circumscribed by the first three books, but I am gratified to see that she still can evoke the gentle wonders and richness of the grounded and mysterious world she built in the original trilogy.
There's definitely a hint of feminist polemicism in these tales, and it does jar me a bit. I'm fully sympathetic with her goals but it's a delicate art to include in the body of a short story, and sometimes she fails. I won't begrudge her that, though, because it's never heavy-handed, and the luminous joys of Earthsea and LeGuin's transluscent prose are spread equally thru the book.
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