Earthsea
I'm making an effort to read more books and I stumbled onto this series quite by accident. I've never been a great fan of Fantasy but I have been enjoying Miyazaki's anime DVDs and thought I might read Howl's Moving Castle. Alas the school library was not forthcoming but they did have two of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea stories, which Miyazaki's son has turned into an anime. I haven't seen this one but I thought the books might be interesting.
The school library had only the second and third in the series but I started reading there. I was quickly riveted by The Tomb of Atuan. It's suggested as Young Adult and is not long but so much is packed into its pages; such an environment is created, such characters drawn! The central character, Arha (Tenar) is compelling and beautifully drawn. Not having read the first book, I took a while to realise that Sparrowhawk was the hero of the series, but the relationship between the two characters was logically developed and very sympathetic. It was such a satisfying read!
It took me a bit longer to get into The Farthest Shore. I found it harder to empathise with Arren and Sparrowhawk/Ged is older and has less vitality. But the story drew me on and once we got to the western isles and met the dragons, I was hooked. The end of this book is so very intense and dark and powerful, I could understand that the author thought that she'd told all the story.
I knew however that she had written more and I was determined to read the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea. So I had to rejoin the State Library (how I'd lapsed!) so I could order it in. So it was with great anticipation that I started reading. I won't say that I was disappointed but ... well, I thought there was something lacking. I've had to think hard why I didn't enjoy it with the same intensity as the other two - the ingredients are there - the building of suspense, the flawed characters, the vividly realised world. The story however is more of a narration than the other two books. In Tomb and Farthest Shore we see Ged through the eyes of the other main character and their shared experiences guide both the story and the action. In Wizard the observing character only comes at the end of the book and the rest is like a description of Ged's deeds. We never get close to him or really understand his character; only his pride is obvious and while it is his overwhelming character trait and the cause of his rise and fall and subsequent quest, he doesn't seem to have other human qualities. Perhaps that's the point of the story? I don't know. In Atuan he seems far more human and compassionate and while his power is immense it shows its limits.
So then I came to Tehanu. It was written many years later and as Ursula Le Guin herself says, women's lib came in between! The story is told from Tenar's viewpoint and focuses on her relationship with Ged, now having lost all his powers, and Therru, the mutilated child she is raising. It is not a children's book in any real form. The characters are strongly drawn and the action proceeds at a steady pace. The magic is no longer the driving force. The main characters have to deal with their lives as humans do - there are no spells to save them - except perhaps at the end. It is a story about people learning to adjust to their new lives and status and finding new strengths within themselves. There are no great voyages and no new lands and peoples to cope with. It is all drawn on a smaller domestic scale, but nontheless, vividly coloured. The imagery is masterful and the conclusion unexpected and wonderful. I found it an enthralling book.
So now I have to wait and order Stories of Earthsea and The Other Wind. How I hope there will be some dragons!