Exploring the legend of Earthsea's history, people, languages, literature, and magic, this collection of four magical stories is now available in a paperback edition.

Reviews

In this stellar collection, which includes a number of original stories, Le Guin (The Telling; Four Ways to Forgiveness; etc.) makes a triumphant return to the magic-drenched world of Earthsea. The opening novella, The Finder, set some 300 years before the birth of Ged, the hero of A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), details both the origin of the school for wizards on Roke Island and the long-suppressed role that women and women's magic played in the founding of that institution. "The Bones of the Earth" describes Ogion, Ged's first great teacher, when he was a young man, centering on that wizard's loving relationship with his own mentor. "Darkrose and Diamond" is also a love story of sorts, about a young man who'd rather be a musician than a mage and the witch girl he loves. "On the High Marsh," the only story in which Ged himself appears, albeit in a secondary role, is a touching tale of madness and redemption. Finally, in the novella Dragonfly, a tale set immediately after the events related in her Nebula Award-winning novel Tehanu (1990), Le Guin tells the story of a young girl who chooses to defy the ban on female mages, tries to enroll in the school on Roke Island and, in doing so, initiates great changes to the world of Earthsea. In her seventies, Le Guin is still at the height of her powers, a superb stylist with a knack for creating characters who are both wise and deeply humane. The publication of this collection is a major event in fantasy literature. (May) FYI: In addition to five Hugo and five Nebula awards, Le Guin has won the Kafka Award, a Pushcart Prize and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Le Guin's latest work opens with "The Finder," which takes readers back into the past of the author's imaginary universe to relate the founding of a school of magic on Roke Island and the story of a young wizard who became a legend. This story of the early history of Earthsea is followed by four other tales (two of which have appeared in other publications) and an essay on the history and culture of her archipelago world. While best appreciated in conjunction with Le Guin's previous Earthsea tales (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu), this volume not only stands alone but also serves as an introduction to new readers. Strong work from a master storyteller; highly recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/01.] Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"A writer of depth who recognizes that not all fantasy venues are created equal...Le Guin's combination of opaque simplicity and transparent complexity, the quotidian and the miraculous, as well as her sharp and subtle characterizations, make for stories that stand shoulder to shoulder with ancient archetypal fairy tales and fables." --The Washington Post Book World
"In the canon of great adult fantasy literature, right next to Tolkien...If you've had enough of Harry Potter-style kid-wizardry, Le Guin offers a powerful tonic. These tales are intense, moving, engaging and best of all, character-driven: Le Guin knows people, wizards or not." --The Boulder Daily Camera
"Tales from Earthsea...has poetry and true magic. Furthermore, it has a great writer's love of an imaginary land that once existed only in her mind and now exists as a treasure in the real world for all lovers of fantasy, today and tomorrow and forever." --The Orlando Sentinel
"Earthsea's magic serves as a metaphor for the writer's own sorcery...there is no hint of by-the-numbers allegory here. This book should appeal to two entirely different sets of readers. Those familiar with the earlier Earthsea books will rejoice in the way Le Guin fills in some of the chronological blanks. Readers coming upon Earthsea for the first time will find stories about strong characters facing decisions that, while they arise from purely personal conflicts, always have the potential to affect the fate of the world...Memorable." --The New York Times Book Review
"Takes readers back into the past of the author's imaginary universe to relate the founding of a school of magic...and the story of a young wizard who became a legend...This volume not only stands alone but also serves as an introduction to new readers. Strong work from a master storyteller; highly recommended." --Library Journal
"Long before Harry Potter ever set foot in Hogwarts...there was a school for wizards in a place call