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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Guardian Of The Ominous Tombs & Dark Labyrinth, 24 Feb 2005
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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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous sequel to a Wizard of Earthsea, 1 Feb 2003
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.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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sacred light in the nameless dark, 25 Oct 2007
`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.
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by Ursula Le Guin
by Ursula K. Le Guin
by Ursula K. Le Guin
by Ursula Le Guin
by Ursula K. Le Guin
