The tombs of Atuan

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Ursula K. Le Guin: The tombs of Atuan (1971, Atheneum)

163 pages

English language

Published Nov. 11, 1971 by Atheneum.

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4 stars (3 reviews)

Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.

55 editions

A Word of Warning

4 stars

This was technically a reread for me, but the last time I read it, the century had not yet turned—and in any case, I remembered nothing about it, other than something about a cave.

The Tombs of Atuan is quite good, but I see why it is, perhaps, less popular than some of Le Guin’s other works. It’s a sequel to A Wizard of Earthsea, but where Earthsea is practically a fairy tale in tone, stylized and sonorous (which is an endorsement, not a criticism, by the way), Atuan is more directly a “fantasy novel.” It is not, however, a comforting one, not one where all the pieces fall together nicely, everybody’s problem is solved, the main characters fall in love, and so forth.

It is a story of beginnings, I think: first of the protagonist’s life as Arha, and then, the re-beginning—or perhaps better said, the resumption of …

reviewed The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #2)

A word of warning

4 stars

Content warning Literally quotes the ending (and of A Wizard of Earthsea)

reviewed The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle, #2)

I loved it

5 stars

I find the start of Le Guin’s Earthsea books always a little bit of a struggle but they always turn out great. It happened with a the Wizard of Earthsea and it happened with the Tombs of Atuan. After the first couple of chapters you get pulled in. Le Guin’s style is more reflective than adventurous and that’s what I really love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It makes you think and there are some really great quotes there. For example: “What she had begun to learn was the weight of liberty. Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake. It is not easy. It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one. The road goes upward toward the light; but the laden traveler may never reach the end of it.”

Read it!

Subjects

  • Fantasy