The tombs of Atuan had stood there since the time of the first men - since Earthsea was first created. When Tenar was 14 she came into her full powers as High Priestess of the Nameless Ones and had to go alone through the tombs under the kingdom of Earthsea. This is the second book in a quartet.
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Often compared to Tolkien's Middle-Earth or Lewis's Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea is a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world. Teens, especially, will be inspired by the way Le Guin allows her characters to evolve and grow into their own powers.
In this second book of Le Guin's Earthsea series, readers will meet Tenar, a priestess to the "Nameless Ones" who guard the catacombs of the Tombs of Atuan. Only Tenar knows the passageways of this dark labyrinth, and only she can lead the young wizard Sparrowhawk, who stumbles into its maze, to the greatest treasure of all. Will she? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sequels are tricky things. The world that Le Guin created in a Wizard of Earthsea was so detailed and so perfect that you might reasonably expect the sequel to be 'more voyages of Ged around the archipelago'.
It isn't.
Instead Le Guin takes us to a totally different culture, a different worldview, a different language, a different place, and different main character.
This is the story of Tenar (or Arha) the priestess of the Nameless Ones, cruel spirits in a far flung but sacred spot of the Kargad Empire, known to us from the Kargad raid which begins 'A Wizard of Earthsea'.
There can be few sequels this good. Like its predecessor, this story is absolutely perfect - to the point at which when we first meet the wizard Ged, we see him with distrust through Tenar's eyes, even though we know him as our old friend Sparrowhawk.
This is a totally different kind of story, a totally different take on plot and person, pursuing a different line of philosophical and psychological enquiry.
It isn't.
Instead Le Guin takes us to a totally different culture, a different worldview, a different language, a different place, and different main character.
This is the story of Tenar (or Arha) the priestess of the Nameless Ones, cruel spirits in a far flung but sacred spot of the Kargad Empire, known to us from the Kargad raid which begins 'A Wizard of Earthsea'.
There can be few sequels this good. Like its predecessor, this story is absolutely perfect - to the point at which when we first meet the wizard Ged, we see him with distrust through Tenar's eyes, even though we know him as our old friend Sparrowhawk.
This is a totally different kind of story, a totally different take on plot and person, pursuing a different line of philosophical and psychological enquiry.
If you enjoyed 'A Wizard of Earthsea' -, hey, even if you didn't, even if you've only just got into reading long books, - get hold of this, read it, love it, treasure it. You'll never look back.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Fantasy Lore
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
`The Tombs of Atuan' is a very short book, hence this will be a very short review. But despite its brevity this story is as poetically penned and effortlessly gripping as the first part (`A Wizard of Earthsea') of this on-going saga. Admittedly, this story is more slow to start, partly because the meeting between the two main characters Tenar/Arha and Ged/Sparrowhawk only occurs halfway through the book. But once these two characters do finally encounter one another, coming as they do from totally different worlds, not just geographically but also in terms of experience, worldly knowledge, beliefs and upbringing...magic can't help but enthrall the reader, which will coincide with your speedy consumption of this tale. The harshest criticism of this book would be that its primary purpose is to act as a bridge between important story elements within the quartet, with perhaps less high plot-points to it than other tales, but otherwise it's a thoroughly enjoyable story. As always with Le Guin, sparsely but superbly written, short but sweet.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A literary masterpiece
I'd put this work on the compulsory list for all schools. Exciting, thoughtful, imaginative, the world of Earthsea is brilliantly created and explored.
Published 1 month ago by P. Roxborough
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Tombs of Atuan
This is the second of the Earthsea books - there were originally three, A Wizard of Earthsea and The Farthest Shore being the others. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Clare O'Beara
5.0 out of 5 stars
Narnia meets Lord of the Rings via Harry Potter
An excellent read - great fun, and for the genre an exciting and compelling story. Le Guin is clearly channeling Tolkien and Lewis (these books were written in the '60s), and lays... Read more
Published 21 months ago by ijhodgson
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Tombs of Atuan"
Either people will be interested in le Guin's Earthsea stories or they won't, so reviews aren't too helpful with this kind of fiction. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2010 by David Brookes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Earthsea Always Satisfy's.
Book one The Wizard of Earthsea was required reading for a children's literature course I did back in 1999. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2008 by Steven R. McEvoy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Continuing excellence....
Mature, timeless fantasy for its timeless themes, and suitable world built around them.
This second Earthsea book is just as great as the first, if not more so, for its detailed... Read more
Published on 8 April 2006 by greenwise design
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpectedly gripping.
This is the second volume in the Earthsea quartet (following A Wizard of Earthsea and followed by The Farthest Shore and Tehanu). Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars
Takes a while to get going!
I have had to read this book as a school project and at first i wasn't very impressed at all! It gets a bit better as you go through and the end could actually be described as... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2000 by Jenny
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
he second book of the Earthsea Trilogy, where the author describes the travels of Ged, an experienced wizard, and his journey to return the Ring of Erreth-Akbe to it's rightfull... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
A meaningful, well-told tale.
This book, along with its companions _A Wizard of Earthsea_ and _The Farthest Shore_, is certainly one of the finest works of fantasy to be written this century. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2000
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